Border Crossing Pat Barker Character Analysis

The poem ‘Migrants by ‘Bruce Dawe ’should be included for the core text for journeying as it portrays journeying through the perceptions and experiences of a migrant group. This poem depicts feelings of ignorance and disrespectfulness encountered by the migrant group as they are treated with a lack of concern by people living in Australia.

One’s commitment of immigrating to a new country for a better life indicates that oneself is ready to risk the life given to them by facing many hardships along the way. In the novel Enrique’s Journey by Sonia Nazario, Enrique does exactly that, risking his own life at the age of seventeen in order to reunite with his mother who left him when he was five in order to obtain a better job in the US and give Enrique and his older sister everything she thought they deserved. Nazario utilizes an emotional appeal and metaphors to inform readers of the arduous situations migrants experience on their long and tiring journey in search of a family member and a better future.

Many writers explore the notion that cultural differences may inflict feelings of disconnection for their central characters. This is shown in the two texts ‘Neighbours’ and ‘Migrant Woman on a Melbourne Tram’, as both protagonists struggle to cope with their newly exposed environment. Despite this, we learn that it can be resolved through the acceptance of one another, yet others may remain to dissociate themselves from society.

Writing a novel about immigrant’s lives leaves readers wide eyed and bewildered that such things occur like this

The Devil’s Highway by Luis Alberto Urrea traces the journeys of twenty-six men traveling across the border through one of the most treacherous deserts known to man “The Devil’s Highway.” The author’s purpose was to let the world be aware of the events going on all around, with the simple modes of persuasion (pathos, ethos, and logos) Urrea makes you consider what worlds, political and economic, have we created that push humans into impossible journeys? What borders have we imposed, both geopolitical and cultural, that separate human beings so completely?

A lack of belonging can destroy a sense of placement in society. This statement is thoroughly explored in the poem, ‘Migrant Hostel’ by Peter Skrzynecki, investigating the concepts of alienation and dislocation through the migrant’s lack of acceptance by the Australian citizens. The migrants are also unable to find a fixed home, and therefore feel no sense of stability or permanence. This transitory nature is best identified in the simile, ‘We lived like birds of a passage/Always sensing a change/In the weather’, where the comparison to birds emphasises the absence of a home. It is clear that the migrants feel unable to adapt to Australian society, constantly moving and never settling. The migrant’s exclusion is further highlighted in the lines,

characters are in many ways divergent, and it is in fact these traits that reveal the most about

The mother in “Borders” by Thomas King reveals her pride and courage for her identity as she crosses the border to visit her daughter Laetitia in Salt Lake City. Challenges like self-identity are faced every step of the way, but it a person with pride and bravery who accepts it gladly. This is best demonstrated by King and his use of conflict, repetition and literary devices.

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.

Inspired by the contrast in clothing between flesh showing Melbourne women of the 1960’s and the black-clad, veiled women of Southern European migrants “Migrant Woman on a Melbourne Tram” through a variety of poetic techniques explores the concept of isolation, confusion and unfamiliarity experienced by a migrant. “Impossibly black” the woman finds herself in a tram struggling to navigate the streets of Melbourne with a scrap of paper in hand only with an address and destination that she cannot comprehend. The repetition of the word “impossibly” is the most noticeable verbal element that highlights the quality of the migrant standing out against the crowd therefore creating a contrast between two very different cultures. Disorientation experienced by someone who is suddenly placed in an unfamiliar way of life or a set of attitudes also known as a culture shock is an experience that is common to migrants. This is seen as the woman “hunches sweltering” to express a sense of discomfort and the lack of ease that the woman feels due to the culture shock that she cannot understand.

Facial expressions and body language – is a key part, especially in a wordless novel, in interpreting the scenario depicted in the story. On arrival of the male protagonist to the ‘new world’, the physical effects of dislocation and confusion are written on his face, which is juxtaposed to the mechanical and faceless actions of the immigration officials.

Discovery is a paradoxical process which allows individuals to explore concealed and indefinite ideas, enabling a broader understanding of their world and its surroundings. This dichotomous process often occurs at the intersection of exploration and introspection, catalysing a social awakening that enlightens and positions individuals to consider new conceptions. The Logie Award-winning television show “Go Back to Where You Came From” directed by Ivan O’Mahony documents an intimidating refugee journey that was undertaken by six uniquely-characterised individuals representing the myriad perspectives of Australians, consequently challenging the antipathy and intolerance that has become the major characteristic of the wider refugee debate. Resonating with the historical Moreover, Shaun Tan’s post-colonialist picture book “The Rabbits” explores the devastating and demoralizing consequences of the discovery, depicting the obliteration of spiritual, emotional and cultural bonds underpinned by the hegemony imposed by British imperialism.

Social and physical environments are an integral part of a well developed story. The physical environment is a stage for the introduction of characters. The Stage will immerse the characters within a story and give it context. Social environments are defined by external social constraints. These constraints are used to build and define a culture. The social constraints of a culture will place bounds and limits to the actions of it’s members. This paper will briefly discuss the importance of Social and physical environments, within “Paul’s Case “by Willa Cather and “Death by Landscape” by Margret Atwood

Characterization is a literary element used by the author to present qualities of characters in a literary piece, the purpose of characterization is to make characters credible and make them suitable for the role they play in the work. Authors present various characters possessing dissimilar qualities, to emphasize different aspects of the work. In the novel “The Scarlet Letter”, the author Nathaneil Hawthorn’s depiction of the two male characters, Arthur Dimmesdale and Roger Chillingworth, emphasizes the moral problems of the seventeenth century puritan society. Hence, their different characters contribute vitally to the plot of the novel.

Discuss the qualities that the mother in ‘‘Borders ’’and the speaker of ‘‘I lost my talk’’ share. I Lost My Talk by Rita Joe, who is an aboriginal writer, and spent a long time in residential school. Besides language, “The talk’’ also indicates the changing of her life-style and thinking pattern. “When I was a little girl’’ explains that the writer was taken away to residential school since she was very young ,which allows the school assimilates her thoroughly. At the last line, “Let me find my talk, So I can teach you about me.” shows her desire of understanding her own culture and language.