Courtney Hunt 's Frozen River, And Edwidge Danticat 's The Dew Breaker

Signs Preceding the End of the World is an insider’s look at the mind and journey of an illegal immigrant. A Mexican young woman crossing the border story is what challenges the ethics of readers. The main character in Signs Preceding the End of the World is Makina. “Makina is in charge of a small Mexican town’s telephone. A reliable, messenger, she knows how to keep a secret and when to keep her mouth shut. She is dangerous when threatened, quick to defend herself against lecherous fools, and unafraid of speaking truth to power” (Long). Makina is just like an ordinary person. She is no different from an average American. Makina has a job and harmless when not threatened. Americans act as if immigrants are so beneath them. Immigrants are hard workers, just like Americans. Immigrants want better lives for themselves and their families, just like Americans. Americans and immigrants are not the only ones who want these things. People all around the world want what is best for everyone they know. Most people will do whatever it takes to get to what they need; even if it is in life threatening conditions. Signs Preceding the End of the World challenges our ethics by placing the reader in the mind of an illegal immigrant, allowing the reader to know the true feelings and experience of the immigrant.

Jurgis’ family was duped by being roped into “buying” a house and “Then, with a horrible sinking of the heart, Teta Elzbieta unlocked her bureau and brought out the paper that had already caused them so many agonies”(pg 69). They realized that they had been fooled and they need to pay interest on top of what they already were paying as well. The realization of what happened to them is devastating because it was happening to so many other immigrants that were actually living in the United States. Sinclair uses a real life example in the book to better personify that the immigrants are smart enough to start figuring out how to function without the interpreters or translators beside them. They were grasping the concept of “maybe they should better attention” or “should of waited until they learned the language better”. Or in the case of working conditions they were figuring out how they should proceed. One of Marija’s female coworkers “had read somewhere that a red flag was the proper symbol for oppressed workers, and so they mounted one, and paraded all about the yards, yelling with rage”(110). They came to realization that they were being harshly mistreated and they knew that they had to do something about it. Sinclair showed how the immigrants used their resources from a book they read and proceeded to act upon it. This also showed how being America is

Written in the form of a Shakespearean sonnet, one could hardly mistake it for anything so pleasant. Sonnets being traditionally used for beautiful, appealing topics, already there is contradiction between

He also creates a very strong and intimate bond with other immigrants throughout the entire paper. He used pathos by telling the story of his own immigration, of the day he was brought to America, and of having to jump through certain loops to stay under the radar. He discusses having to lie to friends and coworkers and not being able to obtain a driver’s license or job without going to the extremes. By laying out every obstacle he had to jump over he immediately creates credibility and a link between him and other

“Soto is the poet of the Chicano experience, but his view of that people is not hopeful. He shows their condition to be one of hard work with few rewards.” (Sullivan). Most Mexican Americans had laborious jobs. Soto’s father and grandfather both worked blue collar jobs and he thought he would be doomed to the same life. “In one of his essays, Gary Soto writes that as a child, he had imagined he would ‘marry Mexican poor, work Mexican hours, and in the end die a Mexican death, broke and in despair.’" (Lee). Here he describes Mexican life as an undesirable one. The despair he came to know as a child shows up a lot in his work as seen in his short story “Sorry, Wrong Family”. The main character, Carolina finds the world an unpleasant place to live. “The world, she realized, was a sad place when from a few feet away trash could fool someone who walked in beauty.” (Soto 41). This line from the story describes the moment where after asking for help she receives a small amount of hope, but puts herself back down rather quickly. Soto’s view of these people comes from his own experiences. “Recently, Soto attended his junior high school reunion, and he was disheartened to learn how many of his childhood friends had ended up in prison or been killed.” (Lee). The world he grew up in painted the Chicano life as a lesser one.

The poem “Finding Home” written by Carolina Hospital tells the story of how Mexicans who come to America try to find their heritage in the United States. Like many who migrate to America, the immigrants miss their country and are concerned about losing their culture. In contrast to Harvey Gomez, this poem shows that many Mexicans in America appreciate their heritage. “I have travelled north again,/to these gray skies/and empty doorways,” (Hospital 101). This shows that they miss their native country and are concerned about forgetting their heritage. Perhaps Harvey’s grandparents thought the same thing when they first came to America from Mexico. Regardless of their arrival in America, they want to return to Mexico someday. “I must travel again soon” (Hospital 102). Despite leaving their native land they have respect for Mexico and will visit again. After the experience that Harvey had in discovering his heritage, I am sure that he will visit Mexico again.

In ¨An Echo Sonnet¨ by Robert Pack, he was able to develop a clear message with his carefully structured poem. By employing a Shakespearean Sonnet form and a rhyming echo that answers the question raised by the voice, Pack revealed that the echo was the voice´s alter ego. Through the use of structure and other literary elements such as personification, imagery, and symbolism, the author developed the idea that although one might have insecurities about the future, it is important to take the ¨leap¨ of faith in order to truly be alive.

The poem is filled not with resentment but with optimism, the cheerfulness of that “great, silly grin" (21) that he believes will take him to a future where they will be as American as anyone else. But he also understands that people like him, mainly Mexicans who come to the United States to strive for something better in life.

First and foremost, this novel is about Chicano people and the struggles they endured. While each small passage can be viewed as the progression of the unknown male protagonist, it also gives a multitude of other views as well. Middle-aged male

In Pat Mora’s two poems, “Legal Alien” and “Immigrants”, she is expressing the crisis of identity from which Mexican Americans suffer. On one hand, Americans view her (and Mexican Americans in general) as “perhaps exotic, / perhaps inferior, and definitely different” (9-10) while on the other Mexicans view Mexican-Americans as “alien” (11). Caught in between two cultures, and not being fully accepted by both, is the source of tensions in the author’s poetry. Both cultures with which they identify ultimately reject the persons in the poems which causes distress and conflict. The tension seen in the writer’s work

When needing to rest before they cross the desert, an officer who says to Ma, “If you’re here tomorra this time I’ll run you in.” She confronts them and he retorts with prejudice,” We don’t want any of you settlin “down here.” …You’re in California, an’ we don’t want you goddamn Okies settlin’ down.” (214) The progression of hostility escalates as migrants proliferate, jobs get scarce, and wages reduce.

By applying the formalist lens to the novel, The Illegal, the deeper meaning of struggle and hardships faced by refugees in unknown and neighboring lands is depicted. Formalism is the analysis of literature itself through its literacy devices, themes and structure. There is no outside information used to understand the text, such as the authors personal life and the history of the era in which the book is written in. All characters in the novel are dealing with their own struggles which ties in with Keita, the protagonist’s story. Viola, uses Keita’s refugee and illegal immigrant status to discover private information about Zantoroland and its relations to Freedom State. Similarly, John benefits from Keita’s fame and respect, while Anton gains money. The author, Lawrence Hill, uses literary devices such as metaphors, irony and imagery to shape the novel's theme of survival and struggle. To survive is not to live life, but just continuing to exist despite struggling through obstacles.

      A major focus in the novel is the contrast of the treatment of the land between the Native Americans and the Whites.  America holds a convoluted assumption that Indians and Mexicans should feel guilty for stealing things in America, when the whites originally stole everything by stealing the land.  This is not only a problem with the Indians and the Whites, for many other groups around the world are experiencing feelings of loss of tradition and alienation from the majority.   Ceremony touches on the racial issues that many people are concerned about and frustrated with.  In an essay titled "Fences Against Freedom" written by Silko herself, she discusses her frustrations with the potent racial issues that many people are not even aware of.  Much of the essay focuses on the boarder patrol policies and the unfairness within those systems.  She also touches on the degrading "illegal aliens" label that is put on Mexicans, saying "and I know that I am not alone in my hatred of these racist immigration policies, which are broadcast

Sandra Cisneros’ short story, “Never Marry a Mexican”, indirectly underlines her perspective, her interpretation, judgement, and critical evaluation of her subject, the work and its title. This perspective is evident in her use of literary devices, diction, and language structure in her narrative. The purpose of the use of these elements in the way that she does is ultimately linked to understanding her viewpoint on the subject. The author’s perspective is embedded in the meaning of the story and its theme. Her interpretations are valid, and justified in detail throughout the story to add color and vibrancy to her characters. Her judgment is lightly touched upon but only clearly and directly given at the end of the story, to allow the

I heard a couple of students cheering others were smiling. That felt like a punch to the gut. Suddenly the struggle of two 20-year-olds crossing the border for the kids to grow up and go to university meant nothing. I felt like I worth nothing. I can’t tell if it’s guilt or rage that I didn’t win the genetic lottery of having little melanin. I wasn’t apart of this union called America anymore. I was no longer a Latina teenage girl who was fighting for the right to go to university and make a life for myself. I was no longer the American dream. Friends hugged me while I sobbed but hugs can’t cure corruption. As I felt the warm embrace of them, telling me I would be okay, I wondered if this really meant freedom our fallen ancestors so desperately fought