Which Way Home Themes

This characterization gives a bigger meaning to the dangerous journey taken by immigrants to cross these socially constructed borders and brings meaning to immigrants as people, and not just as objects. The film shows the landscape of Honduras, people working in the fields, how children learn in school, soccer playing as a pastime and other visual occurrences that expose the viewer to the daily life of a Honduran citizen. The personification of Yohan being from Honduras, being father of three kids, a husband, a son, and a worker in his community, shows that his identity does not just amount to one negative connotation that is perceived out of ignorance and xenophobic principles. With Yohan as a real-life example, it motivates individuals to see that migrants expose themselves to dangers because of their family and goals. Yohan is not just a number or a name, but a person with a dream and a background—which provides a further representation of immigrants as people. This depiction gives immigrants a contextual background, gives them an identity through their “homeland.”

In Our Fear of Immigrants, Smith begins with the story of a fourth grade class in Berkeley, California that is devastated by the loss of their friend, Rodrigo Guzman, whom authorities sent back to Mexico because of an expired visitor’s visa. With the help of their parents, these fourth graders in Berkeley, California sent their friend a comforting video and wrote a letter to their Congressmen in protest against the deportation of Rodrigo. Smith then tells of the protestors in Murrieta, California who blocked buses transporting undocumented immigrants to a holding facility (751).

The film expresses the loss of social relations and traditions of Enrique and Rosa’s Indian culture in Los Angeles. The movie portrays Enrique and Rosa as good and the Mexicans or Chicanos as evil. Is this good versus evil portal accurate? The Coyotes, the Chicanos, and Enrique and Rosa are all making decisions due to economic factors and their social status. Yes, Enrique and Rosa come from a strong Indian culture but they are breaking the law by illegally coming to America. The Coyotes seem to have no loyalty but they have limited options to make money and have no understanding of the importance of family and community. The director, Nava, introduces each episode in short segments that may limit the viewer’s opportunity to reflect upon the social reality of Guatemala, Tijuana, and the economic opportunity of an illegal immigrant in the United States. Can Enrique and Rosa obtain the same economic freedom as American citizens? Throughout the film there is an idea of the North as being the promise land. In the first and second episode of the film the north seems of nothing but happiness. In

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

They slip into the San Diego rail yard furtively, preferably beneath the protective cover of darkness, jumping fences, eluding guards and dodging two hundred -ton locomotives in a perilous dash for the most elusive of prizes, a free ride to the north. According to Jose Flores, an illegal Mexican immigrant seeking work in the United States says, “To be truthful, I have no idea of precisely where this train goes, other than it takes us to el norte” (Griffin 363+). The fact that each night literally hundreds of men and women clamber over the barricade is testament to its ineffectiveness and to the irresistible pull of United States jobs “that on average pay eight times their equivalent in Mexico” (Griffin 363+ ). Javier Ortega, a 40-year-old auto body repairman from Guadalajara, says, "It doesn 't matter how many people, horses, bicycles, helicopters or planes they use…. People will go. It doesn 't matter if the fence is electric" (Griffin 363+). These people carry dreams with them in hopes for a better life. These people are willing to walk day and night through any desert and any river they come across to achieve the “American Dream.” Illegal immigration between Mexico and the United States is a serious situation that needs to be solved. To better understand this situation, one must analyze the causes and effects and come up with a solution.

Immigrants face many difficulties while trying to better their lives. In the article “Illegal immigrants in greece” by it shows how many immigrants lost their lives trying to travel to america in hopes of bettering their lives. In enrique’s journey many immigrants faced being tortured, killed, and having to deal with starvation. Immigrants end up dying when they go on

Reading Enrique’s Journey emphasized the crime and the need of basic necessities of people in Latin America Countries. The author Sonia Nazario, describes his families’ story and how he struggled to make it to the U.S. People for different reasons make the journey to travel to the U.S. It ranges from finding a love one to wanting a better life. While doing so everyone who dares to go on the journey have different experiences. Men and woman have the hardest journey physically compared to children. They go through many obstacles and sometimes not even make it to the other side. They face many dangers such as

In the novel Enrique’s Journey, Sonia Nazario demonstrates the onerous journey of illegal immigrants. Sonia Nazario aims for the readers to make them understand what most of the immigrants go through during their journey to the United States. By appealing to ethos and pathos throughout the book, Sonia Nazario portrays the path that Enrique undergoes to reunite with his mother.

To Conover’s true style whilst writing “Coyotes: A Journey Across Borders With America’s Illegal Migrants” (Conover. T. 1987) he went undercover, again for a year, to explore and understand illegal immigration, the immigrants and the mercenaries involved. At first Conover was trying to describe the sensation of crossing the border without actually putting himself at risk, and at involvement but, when that failed and it was pointed out that without ever actually crossing the border himself he would never truly understand, Conover decided that he would find a way to cross the border much the same as the illegal immigrants did, and he succeeded.

One believes that the border is attacked by the ghost. Hundreds of people die each year while running away from border patrol, and violence from smuggling. The immigrants move here and there of borders to find a way to wealth of the America and sometimes find their way to death. It shows the heart rending situation of poverty and people fighting for death to earn. Some immigrants go back when there is problem in their home, and can never come back due to border security. This

Nazario spent a total of five years reporting. To create Enrique’s Journey, she made sure to learn absolutely everything about the trip. She spent time conducting many interviews with migrant children who rode the train and recent immigrants. She spoke with Enrique and his family, and other migrants who made the same journey. She conducted hundreds of interviews with priests, government officials, shelter workers, and police officers (270). She verified dialogue and interactions by confirming them with other sources. Facts were established based on extensive research. Statistics were gathered from the U.S. Department of Homeland Security’s Office of Immigration Statistics and the Pew Hispanic Center (272).

feel it’s a big problem in our country. Especially the way I see they abuse

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

Crossing the border is a horrible experience. Unlike the 1930’s when migrant workers could carry some things, the immigrant has to carry light because at times they have to cross the Rio Grande and must be able to float (wnd). Other ways of crossing the border include riding on top of cargo trains. Crossing the border is not a safe feat neither, in certain parts up to 134 illegal immigrants die each year as they are trying to cross (National Geographic). The immigrants also have live through the animals, the heat, and the border patrol and immigration officers. As a result of increased border patrol, crossing the border has progressively become more difficult to do and has resulted in the decrease of number of immigrants. But how do the immigrants not get lost? The crossing of the border has become somewhat of a business and there are now crossing helpers known as “coyotes” that lead groups of immigrants; sometimes in these groups are young children that have their parents in the United States already (García). Coyotes charge up to $2000 and more for their services; at times they get lost and even lose people (Dougherty). The migrant workers of the 1930’s had a route to reach their destination; it was Route 66 (Steinbeck). The immigrants of the 21st century have no routes and follow landmarks such as mountains and even cactuses (National Geographic). Sometimes immigrants are not always certain of where they are in some cases and use roads to let

Minors try to cross the border to the United States everyday knowing they have a small chance to actually get through, but they'll take any small chances they see. Minors either try to cross the border to find their families that left for a better life or, it's the minors that need the better lives themselves. Everyday, minors are sent back to where they came from which makes it harder for the kids to survive as they have to stay longer in their home country without food or water. Also, these kids have a bad life in their country and is why they want move to the United States. In addition, minors don't always leave for jobs and family, but sometimes for safety, Some of their countries are very dangerous and can harm the innocent minors while,