The Border Is An Unnatural Thing In A Natural World

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?

The book focus on the youth immigrant and how they come across the bother. The border in this book does not simply mean nation- state border. It is the racial, language, schooling, racial borders. Basically, these borders usually happen when you come to the country which you have never experienced. Therefore, youth immigrant couldn’t imagine how the new life treat them in new country. Most of immigrant before they come to United State, They all have the beautiful image of America in their head. But The truth behind the “American Dream” is the harsh reality which they have to face everyday.

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.

Gloria Anzaldua’s short essay, Towards a New Consciousness, begins with the description of her mixed culture, a mestiza, and the conflicts she faces in being torn between being Mexican and Native American. Anzaldua expresses her struggle of her torn heritages by describing herself as being caught between two cultures and their values. Instead of being able to love and respect both cultures, Anzaldua feels as if we people feel the need to take up one side of our heritage and end up hating the other part. She paints an image as standing on an opposite side of a riverbank, yelling back and forth answers and questions showing that we eventually end up favoring one side and only getting pieces of the other

“Borders”, by Thomas King, takes place at the Canadian - American border. The main character is a mother who is Blackfoot. The mother refuses to identify herself as either Canadian or American; instead, the mother insists that she is Blackfoot, and because of this she and her twelve-year-old son have to stay in amidst the border offices of Canada and the United States. The title of this short story, “Borders” indicates two borders; one is the physical border amid Canada and the United States and the other is a metaphorical border between someone’s identity and citizenship. In Thomas King’s “Borders” The story shows proudness of citizenship and it portrays where you are from is a huge part of who you are. The three arguments that I will argue to prove this thesis is that the mother is proud that she is a Blackfoot, It is rare and improbable for a young women to leave the reserve, and that the mother dislikes the Americans because she was proud of her own people.

‘Our Wall’; written by Charles Bowden; is one of the essays focused on border problems, especially with the illegal immigrants and smuggling; and the wall to prevent the same. The author is an American non-fiction author, journalist, and essayist who mainly depicts the realism, and presents it to the society with the hope of change. In this essay, ‘Our Wall’, he cites the wall is made by U.S in order to control the illegal immigrants from Mexico. The essay collects views and comments before and after the establishment of wall of the people from both sides. This essay seems to be in against of the wall, which generally breaks up the personal ties and humanitarian relationship of the people in and out of the wall, and the wall stands still

In his essay “The Country Just over the Fence,” Paul Theroux describes his trip to Nogales, Mexico. He begins his essay by illustrating the physical appearance of the wall separating Nogales, Arizona and Nogales, Mexico. He calls it “an unintentional masterpiece”. Theroux feels the wall is somewhat informal. He discovers that crossing the border into Mexico is not too difficult itself. He marvels over the appearance of the wall and also the underlying call to action it places on a person, “Do you go through, or stay home?” Theroux decided he needed to see for himself. After deciding to cross the border, he met many different people. They told him about the celebrations that used to be held between the two neighboring towns which are now divided by the wall. Theroux also met people who had attempted to cross the border illegally into America only to get sent back to Mexico. On his adventure, Theroux also learned about all the medical tourists who travel to the country for cheaper treatments, specifically dentistry. I am interested in discussing Theroux’s presentation of the his decision to cross the border, the people he met, and the medical tourism Nogales, Mexico draws in.

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.

In “Borders” by Thomas King, the story portrays identity as something very valuable. The title of this short story, “Borders” indicates two borders; one of them is a physical border and the other is a metaphorical border. The physical border is the obvious physical border amid Canada and the United States, while the other is a metaphorical border between someone's identity and citizenship, The mother immensely proud of her blackfoot heritage, furthermore she displays makeship nationalistic views. It is rare and improbable for a young woman to leave the reserve, which suggests that blackfoot people do not hate or despise living their. Accordingly they have no aspirations to move out. The mother feels strongly against America and would not betray her own identity by identifying as an American or a Canadian. In Thomas King’s “Borders”, the story shows proudness of citizenship and it portrays where you are from is a key piece of who you are and your identity.

Immigration is a rapid growing issue for the United States. For a long time people from other countries have been coming here to look for bigger and better things for themselves, as well as for their families. This article digs to the core of the issue, illegal immigration. Chideya wanted to know three things: 1) What is the reality behind the perceptions of Mexican Americans, 2) How do the residents of El Paso look upon the Mexicans, and 3) How do Mexican-Americans see themselves and their cousins across the border.

During the Mexican-American War the border moved, but the people didn’t. History has shown us that no matter how thick the border might be Latino Americans have a strong connection to their culture and roots; instead of assimilating, Mexicans live between two worlds. The film, Ballad of Gregorio Cortez gave us a perspective of two cultures; “Two cultures- the Anglo and the Mexican- lived side by side in state of tension and fear” . Cortez is running for his life as he heads north, while the Anglo believe that because of his Mexican ethnicity, he would travel south to Mexico. Throughout the film there were cultural tensions and misunderstandings; language plays an important part of someone’s identity, and for many Latino Americans Spanish is their first language. The Ballad of Gregorio Cortez also shows us that language plays an important role, and can cause confusion between two different groups. For example, Anglos refer to a male

The ideas of borders, boundaries and border crossings are increasingly employed in a metaphorical sense that does not always refer to the physical border. These borders are progressively used to represent social and cultural boundaries. A cultural border indicates that a more powerful side constructs it’s own cultural knowledge and has added political power and privileges. When understanding the concept of borders, it is important to understand that borders are being referred to in a literal sense and in a figurative sense. The term literal can be referred to as taking words in their most basic sense without adding exaggeration or metaphorical meaning. The term figurative can be described to as departing from the literal use of words and adding metaphorical meaning. Figurative notions of borders within race have been a primary concern for the novels Follow the Rabbit Proof Fence by Doris Pilkington and Remembering Babylon by David Malouf. This essay will discuss and analyze the concept of figurative borders and what these borders represent. Lastly, this essay will explore in detail the concept of figurative borders within the two novels. Follow the Rabbit Proof Fence and Remembering Babylon have numerous

The United States border with Mexico is a controversial topic that has been the subject of debate recently. It is without question a problem that needs to be fixed. Currently most policies are focused on the manpower, infrastructure, and security of the border itself. However the border security is changed there will always be a demand for illegal immigrants and drug smugglers to cross the border into America. That why we should try to disrupt that demand by legalizing marijuana in the United States, put more resources into fighting cartels, and invest into the Mexican economy. These are the first steps to regaining border security to both countries.

Richard Misrach captures the tone of a stark and bleak reality with the darkening clouds and the barrenness of the wasteland in his photo of Wall, East of Nogales, Arizona. He is making a statement about the issues that the U.S. and Mexico have long had. The image displays a wall surrounded by desolation with a path by it’s side leading off toward the darkening clouds. The wall continues until it melds with the wasteland. The path is joined by a smaller path that merges into it. After it goes over a hill, it disappears. The clouds darken when approaching the horizon. The yellow and brown weeds and grasses of the hilly plains leads to forbidding mountains. There is a small light post on the wall. All in all, it is a depressing sight to see. Richard Misrach is implying that the future of the U.S. and Mexico is bound together and will see dark times before reaching an impassable obstacle if there is no change in their policies involving each other. Everything in the image