A Way Out of the Poverty Trap of Brazil - Essay Example

Cristina’s family could not afford to pay the rent anymore, they had no choice but to take whatever they could get. This meant living in a neighborhood where the use of drugs and prostitutes was common and very little was done to stop it. Cristina did not appreciate the new surroundings that her family found themselves in, yet she was well aware that this was their new home unless some kind of miracle occurred. Cristina’s mother and father were very old and work was hard to come by for them. They struggled to make do but tried to provide the best life that they could for their daughter. They could only afford to send Cristina to the local neighborhood school, which was run down and badly in need of repair, yet Cristina did not have any complaints at all.
One day, Cristina’s father was badly injured at work and was forced to take some time off work. This meant that the family would have to make do with whatever the mother could bring in over the next little while. Yet it was not enough for the family to live as they once had. Despite her parents’ disapproval of the illegal activities occurring in the neighborhood, they seriously considered the possibility of using Cristina to make some extra money to put food on the table. Upon hearing this, Cristina felt relieved that her family would be spared some of the punishment that they had been going through. Every night when it got dark, Cristina’s parents sent Cristina to the local mafia on the street corner. They did not feel too happy about this, but they thought that they had no other choice. After some weeks, Cristina was acting up at school and did not seem to be her usual self. Her parents wondered if the effects of the local mafia were hurting her both physically and emotionally. Because of this, Cristina’s parents decided to pull her out of school for a while and watch over her. This was a smart move because it allowed Cristina to express her feelings and let her parents know what she was thinking. It was not long after this when her father was offered a job that did not require any physical labor at all. Since the family could now survive to an acceptable standard, Cristina’s parents decided not to send her to the mafia boss anymore. Almost immediately, Cristina’s grades shot up and she acted more open around her peers. Finally, her parents were pleased with the progress that she had made. Read More