Why do thousands of people every year immigrate into our country without proper documentation? In a myriad of these cases, the reason is to escape from hardship and suffering. One of the most common regions people emigrate from is Mexico, and the reasons for this are developed within The Distance Between Us by Reyna Grande. This book tells the true story of a girl that journeyed to the United States of America with her brother and sister, all as undocumented immigrants, in order to live with their father. The author of this memoir not only explains the privation she dealt with in her home land of Mexico, but she also demonstrates the racial division and other forms of adversity that were present within the United States of America, or El Otro…
In Stephanie Watkins-Cruz's article, American Dream at Risk? When the American Dream Turns into American Need, she challenges the traditional idea of the American dream. Watkins-Cruz starts out by saying "if you work hard and remain focused, you can prosper"; which is a similar idea to the original American dream introduced by James Truslow Adams. However, she quickly states that this is not an idea that is seen throughout society. People tend to focus on their needs rather than working hard for their dreams.…
James I. Grieshop documentary “Invisible Indians: Mixtec Farmworkers in California” examines the history of the Mixtec people living in Oaxaca, Mexico and what has pushed and pulled them to migrate to the United States, particularly California. The documentary provides primary sources as it contains interviews from the Mixtec people and the farm owners that have hired them. The documentary does a phenomenal job at providing information on this “invisible” group of people that have taken over the United States agricultural labor force by storm. In James I. Grieshop’s eye-opening documentary “Invisible Indians: Mixtec Farmworkers in California” he with the assistance of other writers and the generous funding by The University of California MEXUS Program and The University of…
The children of immigrant parents’ having dreams of becoming an American citizen, may not become a dream after all according to Mark Krikorian’s DREAM On review. The author uses logos to persuade the audience by giving examples to convey his issues and context in this article of about the 2010 Dream Act bill Nancy Pelosi and Harry Reid’s passed in the House of Representatives legalizing illegal immigrants’ children before the age of 16 if they comply with certain requirements is not effective. Mark Krikorian, is executive director of the Center for Immigration Studies, wrote a commentary in December 2010 for Republicans/Conservative news uses strong logos to persuade his audience in this article. The authors’ interpretation of the Dream Act…
Many immigrants all over the world come to U.S every year to seek their American Dream, which is a national ethos of the United States. Moreover, the American Dream is used in a lot of ways but it essentially is a set of ideas that suggest that all people in the USA can succeed through hard work. Moreover, anyone has potential to lead a happy, successful life. A lot of people believe that rising social mobility and success is possible in the U.S for everyone due to the American economic and political system. James Truslow Adams in 1931 defined the American dream as: "life should be better and richer and fuller for everyone, with opportunity for each according to ability or achievement regardless of social class or circumstances of birth.”…
“The American Dream”, the most promising lifestyle all have aspired to reach some point for a better life, a better future or simply new beginnings it's not an easy journey especially for those migrating from another country. Immigrants have been the prime example of this search for hundreds of years here in the U.S., many of them come here seeking for a better tomorrow for not only themselves but their families as well. Many of these immigrants, however, are faced with the obstacle of not having citizenship. Entering the country illegally puts each and every one of them at risk of being taken away by immigration and has forced many of these families to live in constant fear of deportation and separation from their loved ones. Although thousands…
In the novel The Devil’s Highway, author Luis Alberto Urrea describes the seemingly impassable struggles immigrants must overcome when travelling from Mexico to the United States. The story follows the deadly journey of a group of undocumented male immigrants who in 2001 attempted to cross the Mexican border into the desert of southern Arizona through a desolate area known as the Devil’s Highway. Urrea provides the reader with not only a compelling story but also a complex historical compilation of information on the Mexico-United States border conflict in terms of culture, geography, power dynamics, and immigration policy. The novel is organized into four major sections, with each divided further into separate chapters. Part one provides…
The economy of Latin America is one that is plagued with many issues stemming from external factors. However, the largest fault in the Latin American economy has become an important talking point in American politics. The United States of America is now facing hoards of illegal immigrants flooding across the southern border in search of better economic opportunity. The increasing number of immigrants while it is problematic for the United States, it raises an even greater issue for Latin America and its economy. The Latin American migration problem will only continue to rise with time unless the internal push factors are addressed.…
Have you ever been rejected from a opportunity Because of your culture or ethnicity? In the united states of america we see many ethnicities, cultures, and races trying to live the American Dream as many defined it freedom, rights and equality. In this essay you will read the three things that define being a American,…
Sacrifice is hard, but at times it is necessary to achieve a higher goal. Everyone has made a sacrifice in their lives be ift insignificant or momentus. But a sacrifice is still a sacrifice In Girl in translation by Jean Kwok, the main character kim, sacrifices in nearly every aspect of her life for the American Dream. Kim and her mother Ma both came to America with the help of their Aunt, Aunt Paula. Because of their financial situation kim needs to sacrifice her social life to help ma with her work.…
An individual majoring in politics might critically examine the 2016 presidential elections that have shed light on an assortment of distinct issues in the United States; especially on the highly controversial topic of illegal immigration. Over the past twenty years the number of illegal immigrants coming into this country has shockingly grown. In 2014 an overwhelmingly 11.4 million undocumented immigrants were reported to be in living in the United States. That being said it’s essential to carefully examine the reasoning behind these people coming into the country. Undoubtedly, the majority of these immigrants are coming from developing countries such as: Mexico, El Salvador, and Guatemala who hold high poverty rates.…
Some people may say that “America is the land of opportunity”. Especially the Mexicans in the 1940s. America seemed to guarantee economic opportunity for them when their country could not. As described in the Weekly Reader’s article, “The Bracero Program”, during World War II the United States needed farmworkers to harvest crops and feed the nation since men were fighting in Europe and many women working in the industry. At the same time, the unemployment rate and crop failures were increasing in Mexico.…
Lillian Guerra writes a powerful chapter in the book “The New Latino Studies Reader: A Twenty-First-Century Perspective”. Accounting to the struggles of migration while giving a clear emphasis and that not every refugee is treated the same. Lillian gathers her information through the timelines of many great migrations like the rush of Cuban migrants during Castro 's dictatorship and the search of Dominicans and other South American due to the poor living conditions and dangerous lives that they 've lived. The main points LillIan’s chapter with in the book was the huge emphasis on refugees with some being praised and others being demonized.…
The American dream has changed drastically since the colonial period, evolving from a traditional man in the middle class who put his family first, to a man or woman who’s main priority is to become wealthy. By definition, the American dream is the idea that every US citizen should have an equal opportunity to achieve success and prosperity through hard work, determination, and initiative. Hundreds of years ago, this dream was not attainable due to many barriers that restricted women, immigrants, and people of color specifically. The common caucasian male was the symbol of power and authority in American history, disregarding women from society’s upper ranks, even if there were a woman more suitable to be the leader.…
We all have dreams and goals in life, it doesn 't matter who it is, whether it’s someone poor or wealthy, we all want prosperity, opportunity and equality. The American Dream is not only one goal, we want to achieve, it’s a variety of goals we 'd like to accomplish, but everyone 's dream differs. People such as immigrants have crossed the United States border; left their homelands, families and all they know to live in a country they know nothing about to reach their goals and dreams. People do whatever it takes to make everything they have dreamed of come true because they have sacrificed all they have for a goal or goals.…