An Analysis Of Sonia Nazario, S Enrique's Journey

Enrique’s Journey written by Sonia Nazario is a work of non-fiction that follows the journey of a young Central American boy to find his mother Lourdes, who left him at the age of five. Before Nazario introduces Enrique she discusses the experiences she put herself through to gain a better understanding of the travels a migrant child and adult go through in their conquest to make it to the United States. While going through the trials that many migrants put themselves through Nazario learns the stories of different migrants and begins her search for a migrant child to bring attention to their story and create awareness about the situation children migrating are enduring to find their mothers in the United States. Nazario traces Enrique’s steps to experience his full journey and to describe the details in depth upon writing about the journey Enrique took to find his mother in the United States.

Life is like a game of blackjack where we unknowingly are dealt good or bad cards. This unpredictability makes it difficult to gamble decisions. Unfortunately many factors can lead to the bad card where in both the game and life, people are trying to prevent us from achieving the goal. There are two choices to change the outcome however, we may either give up (fold) or we may take a chance (call). The beauty of taking the risk is that if lucky, life gives you that much-needed card. When dealt that winning card, a person is immediately uplifted. That one good hand drives a person to outweigh the pros from the cons and continue to strive for the winning pot or in this case, the goal in life. Enrique in Sonia Nazario’s

What does the word home mean? In the essay “On Going Home” by Didion she recreates her feelings and thoughts about her meaning of home. Family is a big part of one’s life and important one at that and Didion uses it as the center of her work. The work itself is about re- defining what home truly is.

The hardships one would encounter in their lives have become a part of our society, because they act as stepping stones to build ourselves with trials to reach any higher ground. It’s ready is the best, and worst possible actions we have done to ourselves.

I can only imagine what immigrating to america is like for these families, everyday children my age and younger are risking their lives to come to America and It really makes me appreciate how much I have. For Lourdes, Enrique, and Maria Isabel in Enrique’s Journey they must make the hard decision of leaving everything they grew up with in Honduras to come to america for a better life. Lourdes, Enrique’s mother, could no longer afford to feed and send her children to school and was struggling to make money with her job. “Lordes can think of only one place that offers hope… Lourdes has decided: She will leave. She will go to the United States, and make money and send it home.” (p.20) Lourdes decides to make the trip because it

Sonia Nazario wrote Enrique’s Journey in order to shed light on the social issues involved with immigration. With the knowledge that these issues are a touchy subject, especially with the United States’ current political status, and that many people are quick to disregard any thought of allowing people of non-native descent to enter America, Nazario had to find a means to get her story across without immediately being dismissed. So, to create a novel that ensures not only a person with empathy towards immigrants will mourn with Enrique but also people with an opposing political agenda, Nazario uses ethos through following Enrique on his journey and pathos through an emotional connection to the logos statics she includes.

I think the term “home” means a place where family members lived together. Everyone in the family supports each other, care about each other, respect each other and everyone gone through hard times together. The home may not be big, but it is cozy, it may not be very fancy, but it is happy to live there. This idea of home applies to the text “Fire From the Rock” By Sharon M. Draper very well. Sylvia and her family lived in Little Rock, Arkansas, during segregation. Sylvia’s neighbor, Mr. Crandall, treated black people badly. Once, Sylvia’s little sister, Donna Jean was bitten by one of Mr. Crandall’s dogs purposely. The other time when Sylvia’s brother, Gary was beaten by Mr. Crandall’s kids because Gary wanted fairness for the black people. Also when everyone in the town knew that Sylvia was one of the black students to attend Central High School, Sylvia faced more pressure and troubles from the white people. But no matter what happen to Sylvia and her family, they always supports each other and care about each other, everyone in the family stood together and gone through hard times together.

According to President Obama (2014), “If we are serious about economic growth, it is time to heed the call of business leaders, labor leaders, faith leaders, and law enforcement- and fix our broken immigration system. Republicans and Democrats in the Senate have acted. I know that members of both parties in the House want to do the same” (President Obama, 2014). The United States of American has long been the safe haven for those who seek to escape poverty, hunger, torture, and oppression in their home countries. According to the film, The Other Side of Immigration (2009), in 1970, the United States housed 750,000 immigrants and as of 2009, there are

I never expected Enrique’s Journey to be such a personal work. Being a journalistic book, I expected a lot of research in it, but not to the level Nazario’s gone to. Definitely, the way she introduced herself into the enduring situations that migrants go through when they try to reach the US gave me a new perspective of what to expect from the book. She comes from a migrant family too, so she can sort of relate to the characters in the book. However, as she confesses herself, her journey was nowhere as arduous as what these children go through to find their mothers. And the way in which she involved herself into the situation increases her empathy for Enrique en other numberless children.

Home is a dwelling where people unwind, mature, and can safely reside. Coates, Andreou, and Owen see home as a material structure and are chiefly concerned and focused on the importance of access to home. On the other hand, Shammas, Iyers, and De Botton view the abstract concept of home, which emphasizes that home, is about creating feelings and memories. Home is not a material place where it can be several different places and have no meaning. Home is a place where you create fond memories, feelings, and grow with the culture.

The word home is metaphor for the greater culture to which we belong and represents the influence of that culture on our way of thinking and acting. The sum of all of these forces then, defines who we are as individuals and serve to define what motivates us to action, our nature.

In The Wizard of Oz, the ordinary world and the beginning of the adventure are presented with stunning visual effects. Dorothy, the protagonist, is shown struggling in her ordinary world. She is confronted by the mean neighbor Miss Gulch who wants to take away Dorothy’s dog Toto and give him to the animal control authorities because of Toto’s bad behavior. Dorothy reacts childishly with a temper tantrum, begging her Uncle Henry and Aunt Em not to let Miss Gulch have her way. She confronts Miss Gulch when she tries to take Toto, saying, “You wicked old witch! Uncle Henry, Auntie Em, don't let 'em take Toto! Don't let her take him -- please!” (The Wizard of Oz). In a fit of temper, Dorothy decides to run away because she thinks that it is the only way she can protect her dog from Miss Gulch. The plot picks up the story of Dorothy’s life at a rather bleak point. Dorothy is portrayed as powerless and directionless and she does not appreciate the gifts she has in her family and life. Her character flaws and areas of growth are clear from such behavior. She seeks to be the leader of her own life but she lets temper get in the way of her enacting effective change. Furthermore, in her decision to run away Dorothy shows that she does not appreciate those who love her or the blessings of her loving home.

Home is a mindset. With definitions of “home” varying for so many people, there is no way to tie it to a single, concrete definition. People from both extremes, those who stay and those who wander, derive pleasure and contentment from their choices of “home”. Tying a definition to the word “home” is similar to attempting to define what makes a human being feel comfortable. The words, while simple on the surface, mean very different things to every person making them impossible to define completely. So what is a home? Home to me is a location, a sensation, and a state of mind that is combination of four different aspects: shared happiness, the present moment, passion, and the ability to adapt.

Home has different meanings to each individual around the world. It could be an emotional place, where happiness or joy is felt. This could happen when you live away from your home at a college. Where you are living, at the college, is not your home. Instead, your home is back where you lived before, with your family you love. Home could also be defined by a physical space, such as a physical house. To some, this is simply what a home is, providing nothing else but shelter. Finally, a home can be defined socially. For example, when you meet up with your friends after not seeing them for awhile could bring comfort and warmth to you. All of these things come together and collectively make up what a home truly is. Home, simply put, is a conglomerate of emotional, physical, and social aspects.

In the Wonderful Wizard of Oz the author gives life to Dorothy’s companions, the Scarecrow, Cowardly Lion, and the Tin Woodman. “That’s why he went over so easily , remarked the Lion.” It astonished me to see him whirl around so. “Is the other one stuffed also?”The lion was given the ability to talk and have certain feelings for the surroundings around him. He seeked courage in himself because lions were supposed to be scary, and he felt he was not.“This is bad,” said the Tin Woodman, “for if we cannot get to the land we shall be carried into the country of the Wicked Witch of the West…” All of Dorothy’s companions were wishing for