...I was born San Pedro Sula, Honduras, a city that has more bullet shells on the ground than people in the city. It is a place where lying, cheating, and stealing were at the top of everyone’s agenda. These were the three essentials to survive day in and day out. I remember on my walks to school I would see kids just like me collecting plastic bottles and metal cans to sell for scraps at the recycling plant. Sometimes I would join them because I thought that was what kids my age did for fun. From my house every night, I would hear the screams of innocent people being raped or murdered. I would hear the boots of army troops stomping on the dusty roads and rapid shots of automatic weapons. It wasn’t until I immigrated to the United States when I realized that these events had become less commonplace....
Words: 653 - Pages: 3
...It is a dream for everyone who lives in a third world country to immigrate to the USA, to live in a safe place and have better education. However being an immigrant was tough for me especially after living in my home country for fifteen years where I grew up surrounded by my family and friends. I will never forget the day when I left my country. It is the worst day of my life. I immigrated to the United States when I was fifteen with my mother and my brother. In the process I lost my friends and my family. And I experienced at first a sense of loss, seclusion and isolation. The change of language kept me isolated for a while. In Egypt, I was the ping pong champion of my city, Alexandria. And I also was one of the best soccer players in my school. But the change in the language kept me from doing many things. I was lost in my first year in the USA. I did not participate in any sport or club which made me secluded. Moreover I found the children to be cruel in this new country compared to the ones in Egypt. Many students accused me of having a bomb and they used to call me “Mark Bin Laden” because they knew that I’m from the middle east and I speak Arabic.This added to the list of reasons why I didn’t have many friends....
Words: 565 - Pages: 3
...would have a better life in the United States, so we moved. My life change dramatically when I moved to the United States. At first, I was glad because I knew that I was going to be able to visit Disneyland, Sea Word, and the Zoo, but never did I thought about the cruel and dangerous environment that I would face when crossing the border illegally. When crossing the US border illegally we are risking our lives for a better future. In the border, we had to face many struggles. For example, we put our lives in the hands of a coyote . Sometimes the coyotes are not trust worthy they just care about the money they abandoned people. Not only is the coyote is a problem, but also the delinquents. In the border, there are many organization such as Los Zetas that abuse illegal immigrants. They steal immigrants’ money and sometimes kill them. In our journey to the United States my brothers and I did not encounter gangsters or any drug cartel,...
Words: 741 - Pages: 3
...It is common to classify “Hispanics/Latinos” into a single category; however, these people come from a variety of countries, have their own cultures, and can even speak a variety of languages. It is important to remember that these people are human beings like any other group of people and they have their own unique lives and stories. These stories are rather important as they tell us the harsh reality of immigration through personal narratives, and many Hispanic immigrants like sharing their stories to inform others and give themselves a voice. Personal narratives tell us that Hispanic immigration to the United States needs to be reformed promptly. These narratives tell us that immigration will never end despite the current US government’s...
Words: 1424 - Pages: 6
...MS-13, short for Mara Salvatrucha, is a criminal organization that operates in at least forty-two states and has about 6,000-10,000 members nationwide (The MS-13 Threat: A National Assessment ). This infamous gang – primarily made up of Salvadorans, Hondurans, Guatemalans, and other Central/South American immigrants – has ignited terror and havoc in communities throughout the United States by committing heinous crimes, such as drug distribution, murder, rape, home invasions, immigration offenses and many more. The notoriety of MS-13 and the level of violence that has ensured has captured the nation’s attention, as well as the president himself to which he has branded these gang members as “animals.” CNN and The New York Times have commented on the situation: CNN explaining Trump’s attempts to rid the nation of MS-13 members, while The New York Times described how Trump has exaggerated false claims regarding MS-13 deportation numbers. This current spectacle relates to Leo Chavez’s Latino Threat Narrative in the sense that the gang and criminal activity demonstrated by MS-13 is being associated with any person who crosses the border, and the immigration and deportation measures being taken is negatively affecting those entering the United States with good intentions....
Words: 1833 - Pages: 8
...University of Tennessee, Knoxville Trace: Tennessee Research and Creative Exchange Masters Theses Graduate School 5-2010 Bharati Mukherjee and the American Immigrant: Reimaging the Nation in a Global Context Leah Rang University of Tennessee - Knoxville, lrang@utk.edu Recommended Citation Rang, Leah, "Bharati Mukherjee and the American Immigrant: Reimaging the Nation in a Global Context. " Master's Thesis, University of Tennessee, 2010. http://trace.tennessee.edu/utk_gradthes/655 This Thesis is brought to you for free and open access by the Graduate School at Trace: Tennessee Research and Creative Exchange. It has been accepted for inclusion in Masters Theses by an authorized administrator of Trace: Tennessee Research and Creative Exchange. For more information, please contact trace@utk.edu. To the Graduate Council: I am submitting herewith a thesis written by Leah Rang entitled "Bharati Mukherjee and the American Immigrant: Reimaging the Nation in a Global Context." I have examined the final electronic copy of this thesis for form and content and recommend that it be accepted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Arts, with a major in English. Urmila Seshagiri, Major Professor We have read this thesis and recommend its acceptance: Lisi Schoenbach, Bill Hardwig Accepted for the Council: Carolyn R. Hodges Vice Provost and Dean of the Graduate School (Original signatures are on file with official student records.) To the Graduate Council:...
Words: 30269 - Pages: 122
...Throughout this course I was continuously brought to the conclusion that the United States immigration policy is a broken system, casting many aside and leaving them to their own devices. Coming from an immigrant background, those who had not obtained citizenship yet were always looked down upon by those in my family with citizenship. Prior to this course I felt compelled to go right along with that notion. I have learned the most about immigrants and their experiences from the two video assignments, VIDEO 1, and VIDEO 2. The videos brought real human examples of our broken system and gives us the element of humanity to it. It is incredibly easy to learn concepts and memorize definitions, but in a course about humans, I believe a connection is truly formed when we can associate faces with the concepts. While each immigrant group sparked some kind of emotional response from me, the group that affected me the most was children born to immigrant parents. As the module...
Words: 639 - Pages: 3
...In recent years there has been a growth of research on undocumented immigrants in the United States; however these studies do not captures beyond public policy and economic perspectives. Few studies have focused on the representation of undocumented immigrants on contemporary literature and their personal narratives. Through a qualitative comparative analysis, this research will study Reyna Grande’s The Distance Between Us: A Memoir and her first novel Across a Hundred Mountains. Reyna Grande at the age of nine illegally crossed the border and became an undocumented child immigrant. Leaving her native country during her mid-childhood influenced her identity construction in the U.S. More significantly, as a writer her immigration experience...
Words: 281 - Pages: 2
...The Narrative of Illegality The discourse of “illegality” is one that has become deeply ingrained and unquestioned in our society. Although it is rooted in contradiction, the narrative surrounding “illegality” establishes these “illegal” immigrants as a threat to the creed, identity, and national security of the United States. Like other elements of the “common sense” instilled in us by neoliberal ideologies, “illegality” was constructed so capitalism and the global apartheid could continue to thrive. It is an effective measure that produces a vulnerable labor force and a never-ending supply of detainees. It does not stem from any natural principles and at its core “illegality” is arbitrary and paradoxical. “Illegality,” therefore, is nothing...
Words: 1579 - Pages: 7
...collection and exhibits collected from all over the world and makes connections to the world history and culture. The Met Museum explores the world art and history from various perspectives as captured by transnational artists, painters and photographers. The 1945’s atomic bomb dropping on Hiroshima and Nagasaki were a changing point of history. The bombs caused a widespread destruction in both cities almost flattening them to the ground. This was the point when World War II came to the conclusion with Japan’s surrender. It was also the time of the rise of the bipolar world and cold war era in which the nuclear paranoia was at the top. The atomic bombs of 1945 embedded much of the nuclear frenzy during the cold war and the depictions and narratives of eye-witnesses were used to describe the weapon and make preparatory strategies. Also, the bombings had a long-lasting impact on the economy of the affected...
Words: 935 - Pages: 4
...which means they have to look back at what they have created in the past. Among other important reasons for studying American History would be subjects such as labor laws and social security. We as a society want to live better lives and improve the quality of our lives and so by looking at the past we can make changes in the future to benefit our future generations. In my view without studying history there would be no progressive future. I think many people have a negative view on studying history because they can’t seem to find a connection to how history relates or affects their lives. I believe that anyone can find something interesting to study in history. It’s just a matter of finding a way for them to connect with a subject on a personal or professional level. Maybe someone does not like American history but they might enjoy studying their own family history. Through that they might find that an ancestor had an important impact on American history. Another way a person might find studying history relevant in their life is through work. If the person is passionate about the work they do, studying the history of that profession in order to perform better in the future...
Words: 2299 - Pages: 10
...The Intersection of Socioeconomic Factors and Immigration Status in Healthcare Accessibility for the Latinx Community in the U.S. Srijan Gattem College of Letters and Sciences, University of California, Los Angeles SOCIOL 185: American Society Dr. Isaac Speer 15 March 2024 The complex cobweb of the American healthcare system is not one that’s easily traversed, and the Latinx community, in particular, occupies a position filled with disparities and barriers that highlight the intersection of socioeconomic factors and immigration status. These barriers dig deep into medical care but also tie into systemic obstacles such as unequal employment levels, linguistic difficulties, and problems regarding legal status. Derose et al. (2007) discuss...
Words: 2241 - Pages: 9
...It has been almost nine years since I arrived from Mexico to the United States. Integrating these two unique cultures has been a wonderful experience. For immigrants in the United States culture differences can be difficult and complicate. Assimilating two separate cultures is an ongoing challenge. In this essay, I will describe the issues many immigrants face in regards to diversity, stereotyping, preserving self identity and personal values. America is nation that is populated with a culturally diverse group of people. The United States has welcomed more immigrants than any other country. The steady stream of people coming to America has had a profound effect on the evolution of American society. America is known as the land of the free and people from all over the world are attracted by promise of opportunity and success. It is not easy for those who move to the United States from other countries. It takes a lot of courage and sacrifice to leave your homeland and come to a new country, but the prospect of a better life makes the risk worth taking. Immigrants who come to America enrich the country by bringing aspects of their native cultures with them. For example, Hispanic Americans celebrate their culture with street fairs and other festivities on Cinco de Mayo. Other cultures, such as African Americans celebrate both Kwanzaa, a festival drawn from African rituals. As the population of the United States becomes more diverse its people are being exposed to holidays and...
Words: 1472 - Pages: 6
...from family and once they landed to America his father took them to New Jersey which was weird according to Diaz. Same scenario was somewhat presented in beginning of Drown but through Yunior- the narrator. Diaz used the specific words and some symbols which the reader can almost feel the story as if it is real. Diaz, who was born in Santo Domingo in Dominican Republic and migrated to New Jersey when he was six; portrayed the barrios of Dominican Republican and struggling urban communities of New Jersey. Overall, he presented many themes in Drown jumping from one important chapter of life to another. For instance, poverty, cultural difference, hope of living American dream, family issues in respect of absent father and branched to immigration. However legitimacy and...
Words: 2142 - Pages: 9
... * Both deliberate and conscious of challenges of relating Biblical faith to Social issues * Housing and immigration are public policy issues * Daniel devotes a chapter to this question, using “Caesar vs. God” image from New Testament * Micah Shows up in both books (see below) * Differences? * Is immigration more of a “hot button” issue than housing? * If so, do we find different kinds of rhetoric? * Phil comment in class: Does Reckford focus more on system or structures or root causes (next slide) and Daniel more on individuals? * If so, do we have different kinds of solidarity in these two approaches? * Root Causes (“cycle”) of Poverty (structural analysis) (52-53) * Rhetorical device? * Cites 5 of them * “social capital” (56-58) is a rich illustration * Solidarity involves “learning” and “sensitivity” and “collaboration” (60) * Corresponding interventions/Solutions * E.g. “not charity but capital” (Clarence Jordan, cited 54) * 62-63: justice = level playing field (Sen. M. Fenwick, grandmother) * Housing is one of several interventions, but foundational (59) * Note structural components (infrastructure) of this intervention * E.g. ONE Campaign (http://www.one.org/us/) : 1% of US budget against extreme poverty * Immigration as “spiritual pilgrimage” * Religion/Public Square (ch.4) * “Do I believe in the moral teaching of my faith...
Words: 2923 - Pages: 12
