Urban Studies - Assignment Example

Response paper The book, “Behind the beautiful forever” by Katherine Boo, is a true-life ‘Slum dog Millionaire.’ Part one is about under citizens who think that their children are the only source of hope for richness. Citizens of Annawadi believe that by making their children doctors, lawyers, et al, they would alleviate poverty in their families. Karim Hussein, Abdul’s father, state that, “Your little boat goes west and you congratulate yourself, what a navigator I am! Then the wind blows you east.

” In my opinion, the citizens of Annawadi live lives full of dreams, which is all vanity.Boo introduces her readers to other Annawadi residents such as; Asha, an aspiring Annawadi politician; Sunil; an orphaned trash scavenger; and Manju, Asha’s virtuous daughter. Manju is poised to become Annawadi’s first female college graduate. Chapter five of the book is separate from the other presiding four chapters. The business of burning, part B, quotes Rambha Jha, an Annawadi mother, who says, “Rich people fight about stupid things.

Why shouldn’t poor people do the same?”Every chapter depicts hope inherent among the residents of Mumbai. The Beijing Olympics would hopefully connect the garbage trade to the global market. The hopes of the under citizens are, however, in vain. From the book, it is evident that Mumbai is a place of festering grievance and ambient envy despite the fact that its citizens are full of hope and ambition.These chapters are simple, and despite the deeper rooted possibilities of what they might be trying to convey, they are a typical case prototype.

The chapters are built around most of the assumptions made about under citizens and their views of life and of the whole world. A closer analysis of these chapters shows evidence of underlying issues being presented.Chapters 6, 7, and 8, are about, “The business of burning.” It tries to bring out the issue of economic hope and indicates the intensity of official corruption among Annawadians. Boo brings to light the corruption of the police and legal community, as well as the seething resentments between Muslims and Hindus.

When poor people are involved in corrupt activities, it is termed as wrong. This case is not the same if corruption involves the rich. In my opinion, Annawadians are so desperate for success and would love to do things like the rich do. They create illusions among themselves by doing things according to how the rich do theirs.In chapter 6, the Husains empty their hut onto the maidan. Other citizens judge the wealth of the Husains by their possessions. I believe that by estimating wealth in terms of possessions, Annawadians tend to compete for a more recognized status in terms of possessions.

This would divert their focus from the social well-being of all citizens to unfair competition among themselves; which would be driven by self-centeredness and envy.Chapter 7 clearly illustrates the effects of social conflict when Fatima is set on fire. In my opinion, poverty is accompanied by various social conflicts. Jealousy and ill-motives are vices inherent in slums. People live in denial and are desperate for success, which means that they would do anything possible to be rich; that is, even if it means hurting others.

Leadership is dominant in all aspects of life. Boo illustrates the presence of a master in chapter 9. The master has an outsized impact on Abdul in his decision to be a better person. Masters are like leaders, who are obeyed and followed, in the society. Despite the presence of poverty, masters are obliged to lead their people through their daily endeavors and ensure that they do not get into conflict. According to Manju Waghekar, “You won’t sell anything if you talk about death.” This statement in part c, “A little wildness,” is motivational and would positively influence an individual’s mentality.

Hope is what is needed by the hopeless. Social conflicts that had brewed among the residents of Annawadi were sparked by hopelessness. This book is fun and obviously famous as it is straightforward. Boo reinforces and demonstrates almost all of the typical assumptions about life in the slums, and it fulfils all of the typical case prototypes of inspirational books.From the winner of the Pulitzer Prize, Katherine Boo communicates with the readers and teaches them about not giving up.Work Cited "Behind the Beautiful Forevers" by Katherine Boo online from epub file. N.p., n.d. Web. 25 Mar. 2014. .