Migrant Writers And The Migrant Condition

Many immigrants have a unique story that may reveal the reason for entering another country. Often, this decision leads to a desire of starting a new life in a country that has beyond opportunities to offer. Much like in the stories “A Proper Goodbye” by Katherine Vlassie, “Ajax la-bas” by Yeshim Ternar, and “Nach Unten” by Janice Keefer all give insights to the lives of immigrant women and the hardships they go through. In these short stories, the experiences of the women in minority groups unite them in a way that the inability to learn a new language for whichever reason, limits them from developing as an individual, reinforcement of their fears, and are oppressed by society thus affecting their daily lives.

The Mexican Migrant Farm Workers’ community formed in Southern California in the 20th century because of two factors that came together: farming emphasized by migrations like the Okie farmers from the East and Mexicans “imported” to the U.S. because of the need for cheap labor as a replacement of Americans during World War II. The migrant labor group formed after an already similar group in the U.S had been established in California, the American farm workers from the East, known as the Okies. The Dust Bowl of the 1930s caused the movement of the Okies to the West and was followed by the transition from American dominant farm labor to Mexican migrant labor. The Okies reinforced farming in California through the skills they took with them,

There are many different styles of writing that authors use to achieve a certain affect. For example, how a writer chooses words, languages and structures certain sentences and or paragraphs. An author’s different strategies influence the audience by giving them or taking away a certain understanding that the author is trying to achieve. Gloria Anzaldua in “Borderlands”, explains a large portion of geographical history and of her own history through just one chapter. She wants the readers to understand the struggles she has had both internal and external, and she does this through her rhetorical strategies. While doing so from the begging of the opener for the first chapter “The homeland, Aztlan: El otro Mexico” the reader will encounter various literary discourse. The usage of writing mostly in English, with Spanish lines used strategically and together throughout, will offer a historical and universal path, that affectively opens the borders at times for the reader of misunderstanding. Over nearly two full pages of text, Anzaldua takes the reader on a frustrating, historical journey. The readers are exposed to a variety of Anzaldua’s struggles and her points of view. She takes us through multiple styles of writing in just a few pages. In the world today, people are faced with many obstacles and borders that causes frustration, as Anzaldua does through writing. Anzaldua shifts rhetorical strategies which causes the reader confusion and a desire to understand more deeply,

Journeys allow individuals to fulfil a deeper understanding of a sense of identity by encountering personal struggles, and being faced to overcome cultural barriers. While this process may be difficult to undergo, it provides the individuals an insight to a more preferable future and world to live in. In the poems from Peter Skrzynecki’s Immigrant Chronicle, the poet communicates how individuals are able to grow a further sense of identity and discover perceptions of new cultures by the demanding challenges that they are forced to subdue. The poems ‘Migrant Hostel’ and ‘Ancestors’ reveal that the world is changed by an individual’s perception and attitude. A lack of understanding or desire to overcome these obstacles can cause the journey to

Tan demonstrates the frustration her mother experienced in communicating with the outside world, “my mother has long realized the limitations of her English as well” (274). This is evident when she translates her mother’s broken English into standard English. With the proper English that Tan uses, business people and merchants take note and become attentive to her requests. She isn’t brushed aside, ignored or dismissed like her mother (Tan 274). With nothing more than her ability to communicate in proper English, she is given respect. The only way her mother is able to voice her opinion, with people outside her family, is through Tan. Imagine the futility in knowing that the only way you can defend yourself or make your ideas known to others is through an interpreter.

Glowacka argues that translation can become an ethical issue since meaning can easily be changed not just in writing but also through cultural ideas. Language is not just a language; it also hold cultural value. On the other hand, Glowacka argues that simply telling a story is a form of translation. The act of changing a thought into text changes the nature of the idea. This is significant for my topic because literature’s ability to share ideas and emotions change through translation. This argument shows that any story will be different form the actual event.

Having growing up in West Texas surrounded by so many people whose stories trace them back to Mexico, the topic of immigration is one with which I am very familiar. Furthermore, as a first generation Mexican-American, the son and grandson of immigrants, immigration is one of the most important issues in my life. The immigrant story is my story.

We are reading every day: newspapers, books, magazines. What make all those articles different from others? They may have different topics, different genres, or different backgrounds according to different writing styles. Even writing on the same theme, different writing styles can create different artistic conceptions. Diaz’s essay “ The Dreamer”, and Cofer’s essay “ The Cruel Country” are both talking about how their moms’ perseverances influenced them on their literary Achievements as immigrations of the United States. After reading their essays, as an immigration in the United States as well, I was attracted by their different writing styles and emotional tones deeply. I am going to analyze those two essays on their unique writing techniques and different expressing patterns.

The production of vegetables and fruits in the U.S. relies on hand labor delivered by migrant and seasonal farm workers. Agriculture is one of the most hazardous fields as farm workers are exposed to various occupational and environmental hazards which place them at significant increase in morbidity and mortality compared to other workers in the U.S. Migrant farm workers while living in the richest nations they still have poor health status. The health status and health needs of farm workers has not been appropriately addressed. Immigration is a prominent part of the U.S. infrastructure, according to the Migration Policy Institute (MPI) 2013, immigrants account for approximately 80 million or 25 % of the U.S. population

Amit’s life suddenly changed when he moved to Canada. Suddenly he discovered himself as an immigrant to a new country. Immigrant, what an easy word and so well known to all of us. But I am certain that it carries a different meaning to the people who actually possess the status of an immigrant. Amit was talking to me last evening and was pointing out so many things that a new immigrant usually go through when he or she enter a new country. I like to put some of it for the better understanding of our readers:

Tan claims that immigrants and non-native English speakers face many difficulties during their daily encounters. These people may not speak perfect English, and society and sometimes even their own family members may think of them as uneducated or less of a person. Tan’s argument is compelling because she presented strong evidence using different literary elements such as context,

For thousands of years, waves of immigrants continue joining the developed countries in the world, bringing with them the unique cultures, languages, and ideas. Over time, those unique values might be faded away with each generation because of the new culture exposition. The second-generation immigrants experience a cultural conflict between that of their parents and that of host society. Most of them are unable to preserve and empower their origin cultures. Many differences between the first-generation and the second-generation immigrants arise. Through the analysis of the mother in “Death of a Young Son by Drowning” and the Das family in “Interpreter of Maladies”, I would like to demonstrate the differences between the first-generation immigrants, who travel from other countries, and the second-generation immigrants, who were born and raised on the immigrated land. These differences include the purpose of being in the foreign land, the connections to their homelands, society’s view, and the culture differences.

Around the world, most people tend to leave their homes and try to search for a better life. The immigrants who come to a new country might struggle emotionally or physically adjusting to a new environment. The reading “Mother Tongue” by Amy Tan and “Always Living in Spanish” by Marjorie Agosin has an inspiring message. In both readings the authors witness struggles, reflect on something or reconnecting back to cultural roots, yet these two strong women were motivated to overcome the struggles.

Immigrating to a new country is often emotionally taxing. Each country possesses a unique culture, and its citizens reflect the values that are respected in that state. Keeping this in mind, moving to a foreign place and having to embrace a distant set of ideals is a difficult task. Naturally, an inner conflict arises within a person as to whether they should discard the old values in favour of the new ones and become a member of the new country, or to retain the old values and therefore remain estranged from the new citizens. To cope with this struggle, a person might manufacture two identities: one of the old country and one of the new country. In the essays “Life in a New Language” and “An Invisible Woman”, writers Eva Hoffman and Bharati Mukherjee create a new identity to cope with the hardships of immigrating to a foreign country. However, while Hoffman reluctantly accepts her English persona, Mukherjee cannot balance her Indian side with her Canadian one and therefore leaves the country. The two essays explore the strains of changing oneself to acclimatize to a new environment and exemplify the two possible outcomes of creating a second persona in an unfamiliar place: accepting the new identity and staying, or rejecting the foreign values and leaving.

Translators are literary ambassadors, bringing a foreign work to the audience of the target language. Choosing to translate His Excellency, The Ambassador, by Ghazzi AlQussaibi, was my primary pick for its popularity among Arab readers around the world. Some critics claim that the novel is actually a true story of an Arab politician, who was a close friend of the author. The author was actually a political figure for most of his life, we find almost all of his novels were centered on the life and work of politicians. When I started to translate this novel, I faced several obstacles ranging from linguistic, cultural, and political challenges.