preview

Tent Cities

Better Essays

No electricity, water, sewer, permanent address and certainty these are what the people in tent cities live through every day. In the article “Camping for Their Lives” (19XX), author Scott Bransford chronicled the stories of people who reside in tent cities. Tent cities are a make shift housing for informal settlers. He also documented their struggles, the different circumstances of the informal settlers, the origins of tent cities, the climate, and finally probable solutions assuming that tent cities are a mainstay.The author was effective in bringing awareness of the lingering problem by first citing stories of the settlers. He then combines this with excerpts from interviews with experts on the matter. Through this he was able to communicate …show more content…

He talked about the circumstances on how they’ve ended up in Taco Flat. As an example, we have the Caro’s, a newly-wed couple, who couldn’t afford mortgage and got tired of living “in separate beds in homeless shelters”. He also told the story of Frankie Lynch who moved from Oklahoma for lack of jobs only to find a new kind of poverty in California’s Central Valley”. He shared Juan Garcia’s story, an undocumented worker, who left his home in Latin America but was “plague with low wages and the fear of raids”, but with great uncertainty for livelihood that “he is going back home”. He also used data effectively and accurately that directly supports the issue of the growing problem of tent cities in the following phrases “200 taco flat residents”, “400 in Ontario camp”, “county estimate, of 41% percent incarceration”, “Fresno ranked in 2005 as the greatest concentration of poverty”. He skillfully used experts opinions like the Director of Homeless Shelter who said “what this speaks of is an absolute crisis of affordability and accessibility”. Another by an assistant professor in urban studies and planning department who runs an architecture firm in India who said that “It’s really a reflection of the government’s inability to provide housing affordable across society”. The author was meticulous and provided sufficient evidence to support his …show more content…

He presented the opposing views of the people in the Ontario camp on how some view the situation as being in prison while others view it as a haven. His choice of words were unassuming that is comprehensible by people with a general level of education. It was evident that he wants his message to be understood as to easily raise awareness. Towards the end he used persuasive tones when he advocates that tent cities can be an opportunity for creative thinking by outreach workers, social service agencies, and even everyday citizen in order to reach out people who need it the most. The article used definition to explaining terms and the basics. Descriptive words were used to paint a picture of the tent cities and the hardships. He also used contrast on the circumstances of the settlers as well on the chaos versus the “potential” haven for a creatively thought out tent

Get Access