The Theme Of Poverty In Gordon Parks Flavio's Home

The first images that pop into your head when you think about poverty are the commercials on TV with the “In the arms of an Angel” song casting pictures and videos of kids in Africa, starving to death. It is all heartbreaking to imagine, but it does not mention that every year, developing countries are robbed of more than one trillion dollars that could fight poverty. disease and hunger. Gordon Parks’ distinguished way of capturing poverty in Rio de Janeiro, as mentioned in the Journal Entry “Flavio's Home,” is a great way to demonstrate the struggles of families in poverty . Photos taken by Parks made it on Life magazine which were originally based on his autobiography Voices in the Mirror in the 1990s to inform the inconsiderate rich about

the cruel living standards of innocent men, women, and children. Parks’ graphics are meant to show the reader how many people in Rio de Janiero are dying because of illnesses, diseases, and harsh conditions in the environment. These facts make the reader sympathize for families like Flavio's, forcing the them to take matters into their own hands.
In “Flavio's Home”, Parks describes the terrible conditions that many families face in a favela called Catacumba, specifically focusing on one family when he encounters a boy named Flavio in the streets. Parks concedes that Flavio takes care of the family by cooking, cleaning, collecting water, and bathing his siblings while his parents are away. He observes Flavio's frequent cough throughout the day, his initial reaction is to flee, but he stays and makes the conscious decision to help Flavio. He concludes on helping the him after being informed that his father cannot take Flavio to the doctor due to him refusing to take down his store. In the final part of this article, Flavio makes it to the doctor where the doctor tells Parks that the boy is sitting on his deathbed and will only live for roughly one more year. Parks explains that the doctors couldn't do anything to help with dozens of other patients,the same or worse, who can’t receive treatment. He concludes with telling Flavio that he will be okay, effectively making the reader feel sympathetic towards a boy who will never experience the life of a privileged child.
Throughout “Flavio's Home,” Parks effectively informs the reader that the issue of poverty is ignored by those who have the power and resources to make a change. By appealing to the reader's emotions, Parks uses ethos to encourage the reader to want to stop such tragedies from occurring. He is also credible by being a well-known photographic essayist who has grown up knowing the struggle of poverty and racism himself. Parks gains impact by mentioning in detail the way that Flavio's family lives and what a usual day consist for his family. Parks also emphasizes how the “rich” ignore the plight of these impoverished people, facing the other direction by comparing the lifestyle in Parks hotel and Flavio’s home.
Evidently, Parks makes a strong interpretation of the rising population of poverty, bringing a new perspective and meaning to the reader.

He has a remarkable way of using distinct details to let the reader imagine exactly what the writer wants them to visualize, by describing “grimy walls” that had “large gaps” and “floors, rotting under layers of grease and dirt” (Parks 2). Parks elaborates a positive ethos by demonstrating how little education kids, like Flavio, are offered when his siblings start shouting curse words left and right. In this part of his argument, Parks demonstrated his shock on how these living conditions were far worse than what he expected. Parks’ development of the character Flavio makes the reader become fond of the boy, effectively stating his point across on the reality of families facing

poverty.
However, Parks’ angle of vision is too informal to give the reader a focus on one main topic. He assumes that the reader will find the minor points throughout the reading and interpret their own ideas and thoughts into his own. He implies that “The steak dinner, I had would have fed the da Silvas for three days” which makes the reader think whether the writer is just guilty or is trying to make a point on how little Flavio’s family had (Parks 3). The main message in “Flavio’s Home” is unclear, only giving tragic images of poverty. Giving such details makes the reader want to take action on this issue, but is doesn't give any examples on ways to help solve the problem.
In this situation, it can be concluded that Parks is trying to focus on the lives of young ones like Flavio who have more responsibility than their parents. Parks understands how overwhelming it can be to imagine a twelve-year-old boy whose life is about to end because of where he lives. It opens the reader's eyes, by having them imagine how they would feel if they were in Flavio's position. By becoming close to Flavio, the reader can connect with him and make a clear image of what his constant struggle looks like every day. Parks emphasizes Flavio's struggle by showing how “His stomach tightened as he dropped to his knees...Frustrated, we could only watch,” although Parks instinct was to help, Flavio resisted as if this was normal (Parks 4). Parks makes the reader think why no one is helping innocent children like Flavio, which successfully changes the way the reader views poverty.
In addition, Parks cogently demonstrates his point on why Flavio has taught him more about poverty than anyone in the city, letting the reader explore what Parks learned along the way.

In the final part of the essay, he takes about three pages to illustrate the struggle of taking Flavio to the doctor for medical attention. Parks doesn’t put enough emphasis on why it is that many adults and children like Flavio have no chance of living, instead, he focuses on the main character to gain sympathy. If Parks had put more emphasis on the low funds that clinics were receiving from the cities close to Catacumba who choose not to help, these points would have strengthened Parks’ thesis; although Parks does add an example, stating how “Last year ten thousand died from dysentery alone...a few wealthy people who care to help keep us going” (Parks 5). This topic would have been addressed more effectively by Parks if it was expanded with reasoning as to why funds were

low.
Meanwhile, the strongest idea in “Flavio's Home” was Parks’ suggestion to help Flavio. It is clear as to why the writer chose to just help the boy and not the whole family, with clues like his “coughing spasm” and the “body sagging with exhaustion” that implies that he was the only one struggling in the family (Parks 4). Parks makes the reader agree with him, causing them to want to help which is the point he is trying to make.
Also, Parks concedes that Flavio is a strong independent boy who put his family before his own life. Throughout “Flavio’s Home”, the reader discerns how Flavio is the man of the house who even maintains his father. Parks effectively demonstrated to the reader that these families are no criminals or gang members who deserve this treatment, but innocent families who do their best to make a living. As said in the end by Flavio “I’m not scared of death. It’s my brothers and sisters, I worry about. What would they do?” ( Parks 5), which add on to support Flavio's brave attitude towards his situation.
While Parks has an effective way of persuading the reader into feeling pity for families in poverty, his point could have been implied more directly to the reader. The question remains as to why more wealthy people won’t help fund favelas like Catacumba. It is clear that Parks overall used pathos as a persuasive rhetorical appeal that is shown with the heart-rending story of a dying boy named Flavio. Whether this story was meant to focus on the city of Catacumba, to illustrate the many diseases that are present in areas in Rio de Janiero, or to just help increase funding, there is no doubt that Parks made the reader have a better understanding of the true meaning of poverty. Further investigations can now be made to improve the way people contribute to men and women facing poverty.