When people think about homeless individuals, they think of people begging on the street, but not of the thousands of children who go to school every day and live in shelters. When reading the “Invisible Child” in The New York Times, Andrea Elliott publicizes that not all homeless people are necessarily hopeless and addicts, but many are living without other people realizing their misfortune. Understanding that not all homeless people are begging for money relates to “The Narrative of Imagination” written by Martha Nussbaum which shows presenting people’s stories allows readers to understand and empathize with other’s perspectives, resulting in people becoming more open- minded. Nussbaum believes that empathy develops from sharing stores and…show more content… Since the “Invisible Child” focuses on a child who is intelligent, responsible, hopeful, and caring, it promotes a compassion response. Compassion requires a sense of one’s own vulnerability to misfortune and it promotes an accurate awareness of our common vulnerability (Nussbaum 51). Compassion is the ability the care about other’s sufferings and empathy is the ability to understand the feelings of another. Nussbaum explains in “The Narrative of Imagination” how sharing stories about others’ misfortune allows people to develop empathy and makes people realize the differences between them (51). For some people, hearing this story will possibly make them want to do more and empathize with Dasani and her family. I believe that people will empathize with Dasani because although many would blame the parents for the family’s misfortune that does not affect the fact that Dasani lives with the consequences of her parents’ decisions. Many people would develop compassion for this situation because, although the parents are dysfunctional, the children are vulnerable. The residence where Dasani’s family resides has guards and metal detectors which Dasani refers to as “jail” (Elliot). Numerous people when reading this story could think about their childhoods and empathize with Dasani because childhood is supposed to be about innocence, ignorance, and not worrying about when the next meal comes. A follow-up article by Margaret Sullivan was published in The New York Times, stating that a trust had been set up for Dasani and her family as a result of Elliot’s article (1). There were also people who wanted to donate to the residents who resided in the Auburn Family Residence in Brooklyn where Dasani lived (Sullivan 1). This compassion and empathy was the positive outcome from Elliot
