Life in the Slums Essay Life In The Slums Plan Intro: Life is tough living in the slums, but Im used to it now so its not as hard as it was when we first moved here. Especially considering we were looking to come to the city for a better lifestyle, and to have a better chance for my parents to get a job, and for my siblings and I to go to school. My name is Anikal and Im 13, I have 3 older brothers, and one younger sister. Para 1: living conditions and hygiene and population density Moved to Mumbai 4 years ago looking for a better life- ended up in slums It is basically a tip where we live Its so crowded- 56% of residences have 3 or more people living in a single room Its so dirty, it smells (although we are used to it now) People evacuating their bowls in the middle of the streets- 5 million residents dont have access to toilets We dont have showers we have to find little pools to clean off in- theyre generally dirty water It is a tough life to get used to- nothing is easy We were playing cricket on a big stretch of concrete and the police came chasing after us- we had to run and weave through the slums Para 2: work and employment opportunities and school and exploitation of children We originally moved to the city for the reasons of work and schooling My siblings and I get to go to school twice a week as thats all we can afford We all have to work to get enough money for our family to eat, and to go to school It can be tough labor a lot of the time for little amounts of money We are working towards starting a business selling stuff- we arent sure what yet There arent many opportunities in the slums for work, so you have to take anything you can get We thought there would be a lot of opportunities in Mumbai There are in the main city, but very few in the slums We have to go around asking everyone if theres anything we can do for them to earn a little bit of money We dont get to keep that money for ourselves, we give it to mum and dad, and they use it for all the things we need Para 3: buildings and structures and infrastructure and police and security There are so many buildings in a small area in our slum Over half the population lives on 12% of the land When you are walking around there is only a small gap for sunlight to get through All the buildings are right together and the roofs hang over the footpath- if you can even call it a foot path There are some buildings that are more than one story, but they arent very safe For some people it doesnt matter how unsafe it is, they just need somewhere to live The security isnt all that great in the slums The police are sort of against us, when ever we go places we arent supposed to theyre straight onto us and will chase us for ages With people in the main city, they will politely tell them off, but us, straight into a full chase. Our house is substandard When it rains torrentially it sometimes leak We have hardly any access to hospitals and medical attention Conclusion: Life in the slums is tough. We moved to the city with the intention of starting fresh, and having more opportunities but we ended up in the slums. Weve been here for four years and its been hard. Im used to it now though. It is very unhygienic and packed. The population density is ridiculous. Its been a hard run in terms of work and school, we only get a small education, and dont have a job, we just have to try help out with same labor work for some money. There are so many buildings in such a small area, and we dont have any security, and the police are just out to catch us doing the wrong thing. Our house is very small and squishy, but its the life Im now used to, whether I like it or not, its how it is. Essay Life is tough living in the slums, but Im used to it now so its not as hard as it was when we first moved here. Especially considering we were looking to come to the city for a better lifestyle, a chance for my parents to get a job, and for my siblings and I to get an education. My name is Anikal, Im 13, I have 3 older brothers, and one younger sister. Im live in the slums of Mumbai. My family and I moved to Mumbai looking for a better lifestyle, but ended up in the slums pretty quickly. It is basically like a tip where we live, its terrible. It is so crowded, people everywhere, and in 56% of the residences there are three or more people living in just one room! It is all so dirty, and smells (although we are used to the smell now). People just go to the toilet in the streets, 5 million people dont have access to toilets, and in Dharavi there is one toilet per 1440 people. We dont have access to showers- not many people do, but we have to use the water we have, or find pools of water we can clean off in. Its a tough life to get used to in the slums, nothing comes easy. We were just playing cricket out the back of the slums on the concrete on someone elses land, but no one was there, we werent affecting anyone, and the police just chased us on motorbikes with sticks and all, and we had to run back into the slums, on the roofs trying to get away. We eventually got away then ran back the other way passed them on the roof, we saw them though the gap in between two houses. We originally moved to the city of Mumbai in search of better work and schooling opportunities. My siblings and I only get to go to school twice a week, and get a small education as thats all we can afford on our very small budget. My whole family has to work as much as we can helping people out, doing laboring work just to get enough money for the things we need. We are working towards trying to start up our own small business, and hopefully then have a steady income that we can live off. There arent many opportunities in the slums of Mumbai, so we have to take any work we can get. There are many opportunities if youre in the main part of Mumbai, but unfortunately were in the slums. My siblings and I dont get any pocket money, any money we go out and earn goes straight to our parents so that they can buy all the things we need, like food. There are so many buildings and other structures in our small area of the slums. It is packed, over half of the population lives on only 12% of the land. When you are walking around through the slums, there is only a small gap for any sunlight to get through between the roofs of buildings, over the footpaths- if you can even call it a footpath. There are some buildings in our slum that are more than one story, they arent very safe though, but for some people, thats their only option. We dont really have any security in our slums, and the police are just out to catch us, whenever we are doing anything wrong, even the smallest thing that would normally just be a warning for others, they chase us all through our slums trying to catch us. Theyre just constantly out to get us. Our house is very substandard, its just like a little hut, with two rooms that were all squished into. When there is torrential rain it can sometimes get in, but its usually pretty good. We have hardly any access to any sort of medical care, and hospitals, so when we get sick or injured, we just have to hope its not too bad and that we can get through and come out better in time. Life in the slums is tough. We moved to the city with the intention of starting fresh, and having more opportunities but we ended up in the slums. Weve been here for four years and its been hard. Im used to it now though. It is very unhygienic and packed. The population density is ridiculous. Its been a hard run in terms of work and school, we only get a small education, and dont have a job, we just have to try help out with same labor work for some money. There are so many buildings in such a small area, and we dont have any security, and the police are just out to catch us doing the wrong thing. Our house is very small and squishy, but its the life Im now used to, whether I like it or not, its how it is. Bibliography: Living conditions in the slums. Sites.google. N.p., n.d. Web. 8 Apr. 2013. . Marotta, Stephen. Slums mumbaiindias jimdo page!. Introduction mumbaiindias jimdo page!. N.p., n.d. Web. 7 Aug. 2013. . Slumdog millionaire. Dir. Danny Boyle. Perf. Jamal Malik. 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment, 2009. DVD. hallam, james. Dharavi Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. N.p., n.d. Web. 8 Aug. 2013. .
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The attitudes of Christianity Essay
Islam and Christianity share a lot of similarities and differences. One of the most important similarities that they share is that they are both universal religions. Both Islam and Christianity are monotheistic religions, believing in only one god, which is also believed by some religions researchers to be the same god, but referred with different nominatives. In the Christian religion it is referred to as Christ and in the Islam religion it is referred to as Allah. They do not only share these little similarities, but much more: like the beginning of the religions. In both holy books: the Bible for Christians and the Quran for Muslims, it is described the creation of the earth in the very firsts chapters. The Bible, as the Quran states that Christ created the world in six days; in the other hand the Quran states the same thing, but using the nominative of Allah instead than Christ. As time advanced many differences born between Christianity and Islam. Christianity and Islam looked at merchants and trade form different points of views. With the years, the views of both religions of trade and merchants have altered in positive and negative ways. During the early years of Christianity, trade was not viewed in a positive way, but it was more considered like an obstacle that would stand and block the bridge linking a person to heaven. In fact as we can see Document 1 states that being wealthy would place you further away from God and consequently, further away from Gods kingdom. a rich man shall hardly enter into the kingdom of heaven. And again I say unto you, It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle, than for a rich man to enter into the kingdom of God. Being wealthy was thought of negatively by the New Testament, possibly meaning that earning a lower income would draw you nearer to God. In Christianity trade was seen depending on how the merchant was going to use the profit, because there are two prospective to see trade. The negative way; which is the one stated in Document1 is when someone trades with the purpose not to benefits other people, but to benefit himself with the profit. The other way, which is different is the positive way, is much different because is the one where a merchant trades not only for benefit himself, but also to benefit others; donating part of the profit. Only in this way trade wouldnt be an obstacle in the bridge linking the person to heaven; but instead it would be a sort of shortcut. In fact Document 3, which describes the life of a twelfth-century British wealthy merchant named St. Godric, shows that there is a positive and negative way in which Christ looks at trade. Godric, after named St. Godric, was one of the firsts to understand the ways in which Christ looks at trade because even know that the Bible, or the word of Christ, stated that a wealthy man would hardly go to heaven, St. Godric proceeded trading. But he devoted himself to God, during his reteriment, using his wealth in charities, and aiding the poor people. He sold all his possessions and distributed them among the poor. For above all things he coveted the life of a hermit. This example shows that trade is not done only for personal benefits but that it is also done for the benefits of others, such as the poor and the sick people. During the seventh century Islam viewed merchants and trade in a positive way in fact many Muslims were traders or merchants traveling around the known world selling or trading their home goods, and so spreading the Islam culture and religion. Islam supports trade, but until a certain level. In fact Document 2, which is a part of the Muslims holy book, the Quran, instructs merchants how to trade lawfully and truthfully. If the two parties speak the truth and make it manifest, their transaction shall be blessed, and if they conceal and tell a lie, the blessing of their transaction shall be obliterated. On the day of judgment, the honest, truthful Muslim merchant will take rank with the martyrs of the faith This quote shows that merchants and traders were supported by the Quran, and so by the Islam religion, as long as they traded honestly between each other. In conclusion the Islam religion supported the Muslims merchants and allowed them to trade as long as they did not steal from each other and were honest. Christianity has changed over the centuries. The radical changed is that Christians now accept trade in a positive way, but must be done accordingly. In Document 4, Thomas Aquinas, a leading Scholastic theologian of 1273, almost 1100 years after Document 1 was written, describes how to trade in the way that Christ will accept it. As we have seen in Document 1, Matthew states that a merchant should not sell something to another man for more than it is worth. All thingswhatsoever you would that men should do to you do you also to them. In the opposite hand, Thomas Aquinas is tring to interpret that message by saying that trade is allowed as long as the merchant doesnt cheat its costumer or sells things that are not of his property. During that period people started thinking differently because at the early years of Christianity people so trade in a negative way; while during the thirteenth century people started thinking that Christ influenced people to trade and that with his presence their trading will go well; and so we can conclude that a new similarity between Islam and Christianity born, because according to Document 2 Muslims could trade as long as they were honest between each other. Also Document 6 supports the fact that a radical changed occurred because, one of the merchants states in a letter: With God always before us, we will carry out your bidding. Christianitys views on trade and merchants have changed from being condemned, to being used for daily life. Also Islams views about trade and merchants got better with the years, because the Muslims like the Christians made it a daily occupation; and infact in document 5 Ibn Khaldun mainly writes about the importance of trade and making profit. This is a sign of change because in Document 2 it states that you shouldnt sell something for more than it is worth. Islam, as Christianity, has not followed the writings of the Quran. This is another similarity between the two universal religions that shows that the two religions are very alike. Document 7, which describes a problem that had occurred during a trade transaction, shows that a negative change occurred in Muslims merchants: they started to think to much about the profit that hey were going to make, and so forgot the writings in the Quran. Both Christianity and Islam have changed over time, due to scholars who thought openly to the New Testament and the Quran. Since trade in both of the religions had started off at different paces and different starting points, their views on trade and merchants turned out different. Overall, Christianitys development was more righteous and more realistic than the development of Islam. Christianity and Islam have altered because of different perspectives of scholars of their religions and due to the requirement and changes of the market. To better understand the development of trade according to Christianity, I would need an additional document that describes if the Christians merchants took advantage of the situations to cheat on their costumers or if they respected the new developments: trade was allowed as long as the merchants were honest between each other. If I would have the opportunity to have that document I could make a final affirmation about the developments of Christianity from the early years until 1500 C.E. |