Invisible Child Analysis

Words: 1681
Pages: 7

This paper will examine Invisible Child, written by Elliot, and published in The New York Times in 2013. The story chronicles the events of a young girl named Dasani, and her family, throughout a period of time when they find themselves in a shelter for the homeless. While reading the article, what the family experiences elicits profound emotions from this author. However, this paper will not intend to address the emotional implications of the narration. Rather, this author will limit their explication of the article to describe certain elements of Dasani and her family, those that will address the biopsychosocial perspective and its relevance to Dasani’s circumstances (Berzoff, 2011); a social systems perspective (Lesser & Pope, 2011); and …show more content…
This is something that the author makes mention of, describing Dasani as “a short, wiry girl” (Elliott, 2013, Chapter 1, p. 5). But, the author also states that Dasani started walking at the relative young age of eight months, suggesting that, although short, her physical development was not delayed (Elliott, 2013, Chapter 3, p. 7). And while her weight is never mentioned in actual numbers, the fact that the article does describe Dasani as “wiry” could lead one to assume that her weight was also below average for her age group, or at least seen as …show more content…
She is the one who is largely responsible for her siblings, and consequently, defines herself through them. When she is with them, Dasani is constantly occupied with their needs, leaving her with no peace; while without them, “she is incomplete” (Elliott, 2013, Chapter 1, p. 2). Another instance of the tension between independence and closeness is evident when Dasani attempts to leave her room to go practice with her acrobatics team, when her dad, Supreme, tells her that she cannot go until her chores are complete, something that she sees as an obstacle to fulfilling her destiny (Elliott, 2013, Chapter 5, p. 12-13). Lastly, by Dasani’s own admission, her emotions are tied to that of her siblings, only being happy or sad when that sentiment is shared by them, making her feel “stuck to them like glue” (Elliott, 2013, Chapter 3, p.