...For my second experiencing history memoir I read Enrique's Journey. Enrique’s journey starts to take place in the 1989 time period, when George Bush was the president of the United States, and there was an illegal alien problem. George Bush wanted to see some immigrants legal and have them be part of his “family” (U.S.A.). He thought there was a problem because the system broke and people from other countries were working very hard to come to the U.S. Enrique was a young boy from Honduras, his mother left when he was a young boy. He lived with his Father, and Grandmother. Then he moves in with his Uncle. His uncle died, he ended up on the streets, and he started doing drugs. Then he tried staying with his mom's side of family, they wouldn't...
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...In chapter 2 of Enrique’s Journey we begin the journey with Enrique to the United States in search of his mother. We are shown the trials and tribulations that Enrique is faced with through out his journey. While reading this book I came across a few significant issues that opened my eyes: the number of times Enrique has to restart his journey, the cruelty he had to endure, and Maria Isabel’s decision to search for Enrique. We learn at the beginning of the chapter that Enrique has to ultimately restart his journey to America multiple times. Each time he sets out through Mexico he is caught by the la migra. This is devastating to me and I could not imagine the determination Enrique mentally and physically has. I have a feeling that each time he sets out and he get caught he is more and more discouraged, and each time it takes more for him to start again. He is definitely having to fight the urge to quit, and return home to Honduras. Usually when Enrique was caught and sent back to the Guatemala boarder is was never in a calm way. The la migra was always harsh and attacked Enrique. Many time the only thing they did would be stealing his money but other times they would beat him. The most resent time we learned about while reading was probably the worst of all....
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...Enrique’s Journey follows a 17-year-old boy’s dangerous voyage to reunite with his mother. Throughout the story there is a recurring theme of abandonment, seen as an impossible choice that is forced upon each generation. Another prominent theme is perception versus reality, the ease of idealizing what we do not have, and later realizing that it is not what we had hoped. The story begins when Lourdes, a single mother, decides to leave her children, Enrique and Belky, in Honduras, hoping to make enough money in the United State to support them. Lourdes loves her children and that is why she was willing to miss out on their childhood in order to support them. Although Lourdes understood that her move was more beneficial than detrimental for her...
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...In the story, “Enrique’s Journey”, a boy named Enrique travels across the country, and across the United States border to find his mother. On the way to America, both before and during his travels, he experiences several setbacks. This includes poverty, drugs, hunger, but the most prominate of them all is immigration laws. DISCUSS HIS CHILDHOOD AND WHAT HAPPENED WITH THE MOM 1. Enrique had a very rough childhood, starting from a very young age. 2. At only the age of five his mom left to go to America in hopes of being able to support her family. 3. Talk about the mom’s travels ---. 4. From then on out, his family seemed to shrink and fall apart as he grew up, he himself leaving. 5. Discuss who left ---. DISCUSS HIS TRAVELINGS AND PROBLEMS...
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...to pay in order for their children to have a better future. Just like a mother ventures into the dark, so do her children. Those children are willing to make such a dangerous, and risky trip in order to be reunited with their mothers. Many sacrifices, and many decisions are made, all for the better of those children. For the mothers who leave their children behind, it is not easy, and it doesn’t get any easier for them once they’ve crossed onto the other side. Those women sacrifice their lives for the future of their children. For the children who are left behind, it’s very hard to live without their mothers, so they make the same journey their mothers made before them. In conclusion, the number of children, and women who make these trips are very courageous. They put their lives at risk, simply out of love for each other. AXES Paragraph #2 Enrique’s motivation is Maria Isabel, and Jasmin. He wants his family to have a good life, he wants to be able to provide something for them. Nonetheless, Enrique wants to return to Honduras to be with his family. He doesn’t want to miss out on his daughter growing up. “Enrique and his mother are conciliatory at last” (Nazario 195). Over the time that Enrique has spent with his mother, his resentment towards her has grown. The two constantly fight and argue. After a while, Enrique decides to change himself for the better. He grows closer to his mother, their love prevails. “He tells Lourdes he plans to leave her and return to Honduras in two...
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...The setting of Enrique’s Journey by Sonia Nazario is very important as it changes throughout the story. The author started out by speaking where Enrique grew up and lived his childhood through. Enrique lived in the very poor neighborhood of Tegucigalpa, Honduras. and he was in and out of family homes. Lourdes sent her children a few amount of money which caused Enrique to live in poor conditions. However, there was no way out of that neighborhood without money which is something that Enrique rarely had. The neighborhood caused Enrique to not finish school because he didn’t have the motivation to earn a good job when he doesn’t see any good jobs surrounding him. Enrique lives with different relatives throughout the book and he just can’t find a permanent home....
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...the obstacles, complications, and effects that people who migrate experience. Sonia Nazario's novel, Enrique’s Journey, greatly portrays this insight of immigration through the journey of a boy named Enrique. Through the themes of perception versus reality and abandonment, Sonia reveals the real hardships that many other young immigrants and their families undergo as a result of chasing the American dream. Many immigrants, predominantly coming from Mexico and Central America, migrate to the U.S to escape the continuous cycle of poverty that they experience and in hope attempt to seek a brighter future for themselves and their families. Lourdes, Enrique’s mother, independently sets on a journey to America to do just so. At a young age, Lourdes’s dream of living in America was shaped by the vibrant images on television that she would see of Los Angeles, New York, and Disneyland. These images, entirely in contrast to the childhood shack that she had lived in, were engraved in her mind as she migrated to the U.S. Although, once Lourdes attempts to become situated in the U.S, her struggling reality collides with the delightful perception that she held of America. Lourdes begins to realize that Los Angeles is full of poverty and cruelty as...
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...arrival she finds that the states do not immediately provide the life she dreamed of based on the images she had seen on television. Lourdes struggles just to make ends meet and back home in Tegucigalpa her children long for her while continuing to suffer in poverty. The neighborhood where Enrique lives with his mother is considered to be one of the poorest in Tegucigalpa. Lourdes tries to provide for her family by working inconsistent laborious jobs; doing others laundry, selling tortillas, used clothes and plantains, she also sells odds and ends on the streets (Nazario, 2014). Enrique is often with his mother as she endures the rough streets of Honduras, while she barters on the sidewalks Enrique often plays on the sidewalk. In Enrique’s current situation it is highly unlikely he will matriculate past elementary school. He too will have to work laborious jobs to help support the family, supplying food and basic necessities. Although a life of poverty is what has been destined for Lourdes, she wants Enrique and Belky to have a chance at a better life, however, in order to provide what they need she has to find a better source of income. She wants them to get an education but cannot afford the books, pens and paper they will need to attend public school. Therefore, her final resolution is to go north to the United States so she can make money to send back to Honduras to provide the lifestyle she wants her children to have. Although Lourdes left her children in Tegucigalpa...
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...Which Way Home Reflection: 1. In what ways did the movie help clarify points about Enrique's Journey? • The book and the film support the same information, and it is more alarming than it appears. • The film shows too many people traveling, much more than thought. • The film confirms the images of the conditions of life of immigrants before and during the journey to the United States. • The book talks about the shelters; now we can see them. It is easy to see their necessities. 2. Compare Which Way Home to Enrique's Journey. In what ways is trip the children take different from the journey Enrique takes? How is it the same? Use the inner circle to write about how the book & film are similar. Use the outer circles to write about how the book & film are...
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...Enrique’s Journey portrays the story of a Honduran boy as he travels in search of his mother, who had earlier migrated to the U.S. During his treacherous journey, Enrique faces many heartbreaking challenges. Notably, his attempts to cross into American territory are frequently denied. While at Nuevo Laredo, Enrique’s experiences prove that people are basically evil. The evil in humanity refers to both the perpetration of criminal activities and the unwillingness to help others in need. Enrique had lost his mother’s cell phone number while on a freight train. Consequently, he gets stuck at the border for several days. Despite failing to reach El Norte on seven previous attempts, Enrique remains determined to cross the border. He is primarily concerned that his mother would worry when she calls Honduras and fails to find him. Furthermore, Enrique’s mother could have found a smuggler to take him to his destination. Consequently, he sees the urgent need to obtain her number and telephone her. In this regard, Enrique would need at least 100 pesos to make two calls. However, the evil nature of the people at the border is manifested through the fact that they cannot lend him...
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...“Enrique’s Journey” is a story of the struggle of a young man who has been abandoned by all parental and potential guardians throughout many times in his life, this continued cycle of neglect caused Enrique to idealize the United States and the mother who abandoned him. Throughout the novel, Enrique is thrown into many hardships constant reminders of the current life he has and why he looks at the United States as this utopia. Enrique constantly shows the trauma the cycle of abandonment has caused him; he fears being alone and aims to find his mother, the one person who he believes to be this idyllic woman. This picturesque image of his mother and the United States is shattered when he arrives, seeing the true state of the country and mother he admired so much....
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...Life is a journey. What defines a journey? A journey is a process an individual must go through to achieve a greater and more meaningful goal. A journey often contains obstacles that strengthen and motivate the subject to work hard under the circumstances presented. The foundation for any journey is determination. With every motion, hurdles are thrown into the plot, and it is the determination the character posses that will suggest the success of his or her journey. It is the level of the strength of mind that is enormously shown through the process of a journey whether the destination has been reached or not reached. Determination is innate. Enrique’s Journey, written by Sonia Nazario, is the grueling challenge a young, Honduran boy must...
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...In Chapter 6 of Enrique’s Journey, Enrique has finally made it to the boarder of Mexico and Texas at the Rio Grande River. This chapter is about the beginning of Enrique’s life in America. During this chapter I found a few more key points. The first key point in the chapter came up when Enrique was crossing the Rio Grande River. I think about how many immigrants cross that boarder every day and are killed trying to make their dreams come true by coming to America. In the book is says that “Up to three migrants have drowned in a single day along this stretch of river.” What amazes me about this statement is that they say “this stretch of the river.” That means that even more die along other parts of the river which is probably a pretty high...
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...A common theme that appears throughout the first section of Enrique’s Journey by Sonia Nazario is the theme of abandonment. The author effectively utilizes the theme of abandonment by including details about the people who left Enrique, as well as details about how Enrique connected with the characters. At a very young age Enrique’s mother Lourdes left him to make money in the United States, his father abandoned him to start a new family, and eventually Enrique’s uncle was out of his life when he died. This perpetual state of abandonment led to a lonely existence for Enrique. Due to this, Enrique sought the care and affection of anyone that would provide it to him. The enduring theme of abandonment in the book is what ultimately leads to a...
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...It’s Not Worth The Journey The United states are known to have a large population of illegal immigrants. Immigrants seeking for the “life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness” () which America has however their nation doesn't. Immigrants are willing to leave their country, risk their life, and dignity to become part of America, but is it worth it? These immigrants never get to see their family, are constantly being taken advantage of and will never be seen as part of American no matter how hard they work these are some reasons why the journey to America is not worth it. Furthermore the journey to America is not worth it, despite any potential benefits since Immigrants desert their families to go to America with the broken guarantee that they will return. In the book Enrique's journey, Sonia Nazario uncovers the account of a single parent named Lourdes that left her children Enrique and...
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