ipl-logo

Poverty In Enrique's Journey By Sonia Nazario

1402 Words6 Pages

The issue of migration from Central and South America is a problem that is rooted in both poverty and the hardships that come in the journey to the United States. This dilemma is emphasized in “Enrique’s Journey”, by Sonia Nazario. In the book, we follow the story and journey of Enrique, whose course from Honduras to the United States is filled with peril. Growing up without his mother, Enrique grew up in poverty and was unable to find the means to support both himself and his future family. He later continues the cycle of turmoil and regret that his mother had started. In this paper, I will be taking the role of a government minister and budget a plan that could help children that are put into an analogous situation to the one that Enrique was in. In Enrique’s Journey, we follow the life of Enrique, a child whose mother left for better work opportunities in the United States. Lourdes, Enrique’s mother, hoped to send money and come back to Honduras within a year. However, after a series of unforeseen events, Lourdes is unable to come back to Honduras. When Enrique’s mother left, he felt abandoned and was soon taken in by his father. Seeking a new life, Enrique’s father falls in love with another woman. Once again, Enrique is abandoned, left …show more content…

In class, we discussed how childhood poverty can lead to being in poverty during adulthood. This can be due to several reasons, including a lack of education. Investing in both primary and maternal education could help to reduce the issues that poverty brings to families (Poverty 1 Lecture, 2018). “After school, Enrique sells tamales and plastic bags of fruit juice from a bucket hung in the crook of his arm,” (Nazario, 2002, p. 28). Enrique is forced to help his family while going to primary school, which, as discussed in class will make it harder for him to stay in school and the cycle that was started by being in poverty (Child Labor Lecture,

Show More
Related

  • Enrique's Journey Sparknotes

    735 Words  | 3 Pages

    Many children from Central America have migrated to the United States but have been deported back to their country or killed by gang members during their their journey. Sonia Nazario, author of "Enrique's Journey" and "The Children of the Drug Wars: A Refugee Crisis, Not an Immigration Crisis," mostly talk about the lives of migrant children and the tragedy of their homeland. "Enrique's Journey" is about Enrique and his journey to reunite with his mother and Enrique is traveling on a train but faces challenges and problems during his journey. " The Children of the Drug Wars: A Refugee Crisis, Not an Immigration Crisis" is about Sonia Nazario giving her opinion about helping the children that are in danger and trying to get them safe from violence

    Read More

  • Thesis Statement For Enrique's Journey

    592 Words  | 3 Pages

    The need for “American Luxuries” in the book , “Enrique's Journey,” causes men and mainly women to leave their families behind. They leave tailing memories of their young children , poor and defenceless. Later in their teenage years, or sometimes even younger, they go on in search of their long lost parents. Winner of the Pulitzer Prize, Sonia Nazario re-tells an amazing story based upon the journey of Enrique, a confused and troubled boy in search of his mother, who fled to the U.S when he was five years of age. Nazario uses credibility and emotional appeal to inform the fleeding parents, to think twice upon the vicious and deadly risks of immigrating to the United States.

    Read More

  • Comparison: Yucatec Maya Childhood

    1553 Words  | 7 Pages

    Mariela’s parents did not want her to leave the family to go work even though her family needed the money. Because her family didn’t have enough money to sway Mariela into staying she moved in with her aunt and began work as a live-in domestic worker. Part of the money Mariela made working was sent back to her family to support them financially. Because Mariela’s brother, Eduardo, got a job and was able to support their family with his work, Mariela moved back home. When Mariela moved to Cancun to work as a live-out domestic servant, she was able to convince her parents to let her stay.

    Read More

  • The Role Of Selfishness In Casino By Alix Ohlin

    906 Words  | 4 Pages

    Catalina, having to come to terms with her father’s death, finds a solution in order to move on, “I've lived outside of Colombia for more than twenty years and I go back for visits but I wouldn't live there. Drug trafficking has been a cancer in this country. It contaminated everything, it penetrated everywhere. And I never want my kids to think that's normal” (Hoyos 53).

    Read More

  • Enrique's Journey Thesis

    1007 Words  | 5 Pages

    To begin with, Enrique's Journey, by Sonia Nazario shares the journey of a boy named Enrique who lives in Tegucigalpa, Honduras with his mother, Lourdes, and his sister, Belky. Enrique

    Read More

  • Junot Diaz's Immigrant Family

    203 Words  | 1 Pages

    Junot Diaz and his immigrant family came to America from the Dominican Republic. Traditionally, families send money back home to help fill the void of absence and distance. But they didn’t have much money to send and to help support their own household. Diaz’s father worked odd jobs, he always got fired from, and his mother was a stay home mom. Any little money their mother could get her hands on, she put it away, and every six months, she sent it to her parents.

    Read More

  • Sin Pais Thesis

    549 Words  | 3 Pages

    The “Sin Pais” video details the story of the Mejia family, who is shown experiencing the deportation of their mother and father back to their native country of Guatemala. It mainly focuses on Helen and Gilbert, the eldest two children of the Mejia’s. Due to their parents’ deportation, Helen and Gilbert experience more stress because of the added responsibilities they now face. Gilbert will need to take care of Helen from now on, although he will have additional help from family members, he will be the primary source of support for his sister.

    Read More

  • Poverty In Esperanza's The House On Mango Street

    72 Words  | 1 Pages

    In the book, The House on Mango Street, there seems to be one thing that connects everyone together. Everyone who is stuck on Mango Street is in poverty one way or another. They have all been negatively affected by poverty. The reader can see this in multiple places, such as Esperanza, Esperanza’s family, and Esperanza’s friends. All of these people with different background and different beliefs brought together by a single entity.

    Read More

  • Carlitos: A Short Story

    666 Words  | 3 Pages

    “No sirves para nada!” he bellowed as Juan walked out the front door. It was anyone’s guess when he would return. Manuel’s mother appealed to Juan to listen to his father, but he did not seem to care. “Ya, mamá, déjame!”

    Read More

  • Summary Of The Money By Junot Diaz

    659 Words  | 3 Pages

    Recently I analyzed the memoir entitled, “The Money” written by Junot Diaz. The author describes in his memoir his family’s relationship to money around 1980 which was a time when immigration began to flourish. In his memoir Diaz’s purpose towards the reader is to show struggles and experiences that many immigrants faced and can still be facing today. While analyzing “The Money” I was also able to point out frustration and disappointment Diaz felt towards his mother as well as Mr. Diaz’s emotions as a young boy struggling with what seemed so important at the time, and his reflection on his memories which he shares with his readers.

    Read More

  • Social Work Ethics

    1886 Words  | 8 Pages

    I believe that the rates of poverty are alarming yet it is an eye-opening realization. Poverty among youth is much greater in underserved communities as opposed to areas that have a higher population of residents. Poverty negatively affects the physical and mental health of children in these communities as well as their overall well-being. Children and families in these communities are also more likely to face undesirable circumstances, such as inadequate housing, homelessness, food insecurity, inadequate child care, lack of access to health care, as well as hazardous neighborhoods. Poverty also affects a child’s educational attainment and puts them at-risk for performing poorly in school, dropping out of school, and/or having developmental delays that affect their school functioning.

    Read More

  • Growing Up In Poverty In The United States

    493 Words  | 2 Pages

    According to Katherine Magnuson and Elizabeth Votruba-Drzal, “poor children are one-third less likely to complete high school than those children not living in poor areas” (33). Children living in poverty does not only possess lack of education because they can’t pay for the education but due to lack of parental involvement and high risk of getting involved in crimes as a result dropping out of school. When a child does not get diploma or degree they don’t have the opportunity to get a good paying job as a result they will live in poverty for their whole

    Read More

  • Bridges Out Of Poverty Essay

    1896 Words  | 8 Pages

    Bridges out of Poverty provided valuable insight on how to better understand the constructs of poverty, as well as offering strategies for how to help those living in poverty transition to middle class. The book was designed to help readers recognize and address issues contributing to poverty. There are many different hidden rules that exist within each socioeconomic class. Using the resources available in this book can help those living in poverty gain insight on what is trapping them in the poverty cycle. In addition, it can help those of us who are already living within the middle-class identify the reoccurring patterns of poverty and what we can do to assist in the development from poverty to middle-class.

    Read More

  • The Cycle Of Poverty

    84 Words  | 1 Pages

    The cycle of poverty is something discussed in political, medical, education and social circles. The children that are stuck in the cycle often becomes adults that remain in the living conditions and lifestyle of poverty. A few ways that they become trapped is through their poor health and educational opportunities. My thesis statement is, The cycle of poverty continues to plague American children and families, but with some changes focused on health care and education they may be able to escape from the cycle.

    Read More

  • The Importance Of Poverty

    832 Words  | 4 Pages

    Over the years poverty has been an echoing word throughout our society. It has been a part of almost everyone’s speech. Poverty is can be classified to be a comprehensive condition, and affects most families if not the entire world’s population. According to United Nations Population Fund (2008), the poverty rate in Jamaica stands at 16.5%, having increased in the past two years. The result is showing that a larger proportion of the population now falls below the poverty line and as a result inequality has risen, in many instances increasing the physically weak of the most-at-risk populations, which includes women and children.

    Read More

More about Poverty In Enrique's Journey By Sonia Nazario

Open Document