Summary Of ' The Beautiful North '

Living in Mexico throughout her teen years was very rough. Unlike other teenagers where their parents constantly provide for their children, Marisela’s life was a lot different than the usual parent- child relationship. She lived with her Abuela ( Grandma) Lupe, along with her 3 brothers and sister. She constantly had to take care of her brothers and sister at such a young age, that she became the mother-like figure of the

According to Jie Zong, Jeanne Batalova, and Jeffrey Hallock, the U.S. has been “the top destination for international migrants since the least 1960, with one fifth of the world’s migrants living there as of 2017.” It is well known to numerous people that hundreds of immigrants travel from all over the world to the United States, but what exactly does it take for many of them to get here? One such author, Sonia Nazario, manages to capture the gruesome journey of one immigrant boy, who like many others, is attempting to make it to the United States. The author reveals the brutal realities and the main reason countless of young children make their way to America. In her novel, Enrique’s Journey, Sonia Nazario utilizes pathos, reputable sources,

When the term “metaphor” is used, one solely thinks of the typical definition; a figure of speech that compares two objects without using the words like or as. However, in Sonia Nazario’s literary work, Enrique’s Journey, word “metaphor” is transformed entirely into a profound and heart wrenching meaning. Throughout this novel the main character, Enrique, stands as a metaphor and a worldwide symbol to show the ongoing problems in the world regarding abandonment, immigration, and drug cartels. Abandoned children long to find their place in the world, and as they try to overcome the barriers they are faced with such as confusion as a result of a failure to be noticed.

Enrique’s journey from Honduras to the U.S. unveils the innate loyalty of a loving child to their mother and presents the dangers that a migrant faces on the road with consistent angst; nevertheless, it supports the idea that compassion shown by some strangers can boost the retreating confidence within a person. In Sonia Nazario’s “Enrique’s Journey,” he seeks the beacon of light that all migrants hope to encounter; “El Norte.” Like many children before him, it is the answer to the problems of a hard life. While being hunted down “like animals” leading to “seven futile attempts,” he is

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.

The North may sound beautiful from afar but once you hear about this unique adventure into the North you may think twice about how beautiful it really is. Luis Alberto Urrea, the author of Into the Beautiful North shares a unique story about a group of girls who travel into America on a very important journey. This story begins in small town in Mexico known as Tres Camarones, where there are very little men to be found. There is a young girl named Nayeli who works with a man named Tacho that owns a restaurant within this town. She has two best friends named Yolo and Vampi who also live in Tres Camarones. One night Nayeli is inspired to go on a quest into the north to bring her father and other men back to their town. Nayeli gathers her two best friends and Tacho together and convinces them to go with her on this quest. On this adventure into the north they come across many difficult situations; they are caught crossing the border, attacked multiple times by strangers and separated throughout the story. Eventually Nayeli crosses the States and discovers her father despite the troubles she faces. Although the girls and Tacho run into many problems, they were able to gather men on their way through America. Urrea shares this story and creates a relationship with his audience through imagery and diversity. The author constructs this novel on Mexican magic realism, this novel should be read by a high school aged audience and older because of the real life subject told in a way

In Gloria Anzaldua’s Borderlands/La Frontera, she uses her own personal experiences growing up and living near the border that separates the United States and Mexico. Anzaldua makes us reexamine the purpose of a border and the negative effects that come with it. Since she lives close to the border, she cannot completely identity herself as an American nor would she be able to call herself Mexican. As a Chicana, she did not know where she belonged in society. The two cultures she lived under put her in this constant state of transition. The struggles she faces strongly resembles the ones that Piri Thomas faces in his novel Down These Mean Streets. Despite the fact that Thomas was actually of Puerto Rican and Cuban descent, many people failed to recognize him as such and saw him as an African-American.

Throughout Jason DeLeon’s The Land of Open Graves: Living and Dying on the Migrant Trail, it is clear that DeLeon adopts a style of ethnography that is inherently different from Evens-Pritchard’s The Nuer. DeLeon represents a key shift in anthropological theory and ethnographic writing that helps to construct a rich, raw and authentic account of undocumented migrants and their journey across the US/ Mexico border. Throughout this ethnography, DeLeon argues that the United States’ border policies are ineffective in deterring migrants, but instead provide an opportunity to hide behind the hybrid collectif of the Sonoran Desert which creates a level of inhumanity that is indescribable. DeLeon draws on the four fields of anthropology, including

While going through a hard time of her husband being gone and he grandmother passing away, Lilia wanted so bad to cross into America to have her family together. An old friend of Lilia’s from school offered to help get her and her child across to America. Seeing that she trusted the man she decided to allow him to help her. Lilia and her baby had to go with different coyotes. She went to the house of the man that was to be her coyote; he took Lilia to a woman coyote that would bring the child across. After leaving her baby with the woman, Lilia and her coyotes started their journey in a truck. She was to ride on the back that was covered with the man that was not driving; along the journey, the coyote raped her. They arrived at a river, which she had to swim across. Once across the water, she had to wait in a junk yard in the back of a car for someone to show up and call for her. She was taken to a house, where she would get her new identification, a new life. This is where she awaited for her child and her husband. While she was waiting she had to cut and dye her hair, she also watched a man being murdered. Day’s passes and her child never arrived, but Hector did. Hector was grateful to see his wife, but very upset that his child had not arrived. Hector, Lilia, and Miguel tried to figure out how to find the child, but had no luck. Hector asked his boss and his wife to help but they also had no

Into the beautiful North, by Luis Alberto Urea, is telling a story of a nineteen year old girl called Nayeli who is encourage by the movie “The Magnificent Seven” to go to the United States with her three best friends. Their mission was to cross the border and recruit seven men to save their town, Tres Camarones, from the bandidos. But she also wanted to bring her dad back home. He and the rest of the men of Tres Camarones went to the United States looking for jobs to sustain their family. The author wants to show how undeveloped Mexican towns such as Tres camarones can cause poverty, lidding to one of the biggest topic now days which is immigration. Immigration is a cruel and hard path caused by

First of all, the setting of this novel contributes to the Rivera family’s overall perception of what it means to be an American. To start this off, the author chooses a small American city where groups of Latino immigrants with their own language and traditions, lived together in the same apartment building. All these immigrants experienced similar problems since they moved from their countries. For example, in the novel after every other chapter the author

The Land of Open Graves was a dynamic piece that followed stories of the Mexican-American Border land through a series of anthology-like stories. What made chapters 1 -5 so impactful were the ways in which the stories were conveyed. The author began with a tale of people scouring the desert for undocumented, human remains. Then there was a fictitious journal that mimicked the reality of four migrant workers. Other entries included an explanation of death in the desert, the following of humor in migrant workers and life in the deported role. Although all of these different stories seem divergent, they have central theme that the author draws on throughout the first 100 pages – the unparalleled hostility and negligence perpetrated by the government. The author is adamant about the idea of “Prevention Through Deterrence” and the harsh reality about the border and the way the United States treat those who cross the border. I would like to explain my reaction to each of the chapters below.

The desert is a dry barren land, desolate, abandoned; in the distance, 2 palm trees stand tall like an oasis of shade from the intensely hot sun. The Devil’s Highway, a journey taken by Mexican migrants in May 2001 across the border into the United States. Twenty-six men taken through one of the most pernicious pathways in North America. Recorded by Luis Alberto Urrea, a Mexican-American journalist and novelist, who focused mainly on the individual stories of each man as he pointed out why they were there and why they were leaving. Urrea illustrated Mexico’s genesis form the Native Americans to the Spaniards and smugglers, each illustrating complex ethics to the Mexican Culture. Urrea also ventured into the story of Coyotes, La Migra, Pollos, and Polleros, formed a connection between each characters desperate attempt at a better life. It’s true that the thing that gives you life, the sun, is also what brings these men to certain death, and here the desert is seen best as

The racist connotation that Miss Jimenez associates with who she thinks would “fit in” society’s box is a definite reflection of the hardships Valdez witnessed in his community. For example, the Zoot Suit Riots that occurred in 1944 was rooted by a reaction by young Mexican-American males against a culture that did not want them to be a part of it. Stuart Cosgrove examines this issue when he states, "In the most obvious ways they had been stripped of their customs, beliefs and language.” (*Vargas 317) These youths were going through an identity crisis because they did not know which culture they could identify with. Miss Jimenez is a character that embodies that repression Valdez explains in “Los Vendidos.”

In the movie, Yellow Submarine, it is mainly about a place called the Pepperland that was destructed by the Blue Meanies. Before the Blue Meanies attacked, Pepperland was full of joy, happiness and fun. This movie has a significant meaning behind it that can be identified through the songs that were written by The Beatles. The songs show great meaning of what was occurring within the Beatles time and the actual time. During the late 1960s, it is shown that the band was in trouble, which later led to the band splitting. With that occurring came the song, Only A Northern Song. Based on the song, there are personal, others, and The Beatles view on the song.