The Novel Diego Run
MY ESSAY It could be argued that some of the issues explored in Diego, run are not specific to the Bolivian population, but to all people in all circumstances. Discuss the relevance of the issues explored in Diego, Run! To people in Australia today. The novel Diego, Run! By Debora Ellis’ explores what life in a third world country is like and how it could be anywhere in the world. She shows us what poverty, child labour and the drug trade can be like; she also shows how all three of these major themes can be influenced by each other.
Throughout the novel we are taken on a journey to the Bolivian country that shoes us what life can be really like when you are effected by the major themes in the book, no matter where you are or who you are you could be affected. Child labour is a downside in the novel Diego, Run! Child labour is an issue that is also a high problem in our first world country today. In third world countries, sometimes there may be no choice and child labour is the only option but it is still highly wrong.
Child labour is when a child is legally too young to be in the work force, they should be out getting and education and having fun but are being forced to work for the poorness of their families. Throughout Diego, run! Diego who is 12 years of age is forced to do taxi jobs throughout the prison every day. He has no choice but to run errands as a taxi so he can support his mother and baby sister to be able to sleep inside the crowded cell, if he didn’t support his mother in paying rent they would be forced to sleep outside of the prison.
Child labour is always going to be played out throughout our society no matter how hard we try to ride it out, In Bolivia or in Australia, if you can see signs of poverty no doubt there will be Child Labour. Poverty is an overriding theme in the novel Diego, Run! and is the major cause of Child Labour. Everyone you look in today’s society you will be able to see a family or country living in poverty which includes; lacking food, clothing and , this is a major problem in the Bolivian country, any third world country or any first world country. Evidence of poverty in Diego, Run!
Are that Diego and his family have to rent out a cell in a prison just so they don’t have to sleep outside in the prison, this makes readers stunned and make them react to just how bad poverty can be. If there is poverty, parents will do as much as they can to support their family or force their child into child to make them help support the family. Poverty can make anyone want to earn money so they can make a living and attempt to live a better life for themselves and their family if they have one, if this means going into the drug trade then that’s what will happen no matter of the consequences.
In the novel Diego, run! The dominate theme of the drug trade shows us how someone living in poverty relies on the drug trade to make a living. In Bolivia the police force is poor, so it would be easy for someone in poverty to start the making of drugs in the country and make a living. Anywhere you go you will discover some form of drug trade, from the young to the old. Bolivia is a third world country and people are living in poverty and this is the reason Diego goes into the drug trade in the first place, to help is family out.
Diego was peer pressured into entering the drug trade by another boy in the prison; this is similar to our society as we don’t start smoking or taking drugs until our peers or parents encourage us to do so. Mando virtually brain washes Diego into going away into the drug world to make a living for his mum, he thinks he has no other option so he decides to go with him. First he has to earn some boliviano to have with him in his pocket and then write a note to lie to his mother about going to stay with his father for a while.
Ultimately as long as you have poverty you will have child labour and a drug trade. Family’s going through a tough time will take their child out of education to force them into child labour to earn a living for their family. No matter where you go, or where you come from, a first world county or a third world country you will soon stumble across signs of poverty, child labour and the drug trade. Deborah Ellis has written a very inspiring novel, Diego, Run! To inform us about what things are really like in today’s society.
