Summary Of Of Borders And Dreams By Chris Liska Carger

Today it isn’t difficult for a Chicanx or other minority to get a degree or create a prosperous life for themselves through hard work, but back in the mid-1900s, that was not the case. The American Southwest in the mid-1900s was not the most inviting or friendliest place for Mexicans and Chicanos. Many were born into extreme poverty or already came impoverished, many were degraded and sometimes dehumanized by racism, and many felt like they did not belong in the land of the free. Often times, young Mexicans and Chicanos had no choice. They had to resort to roaming the streets, doing drugs, committing crimes, and joining gangs in order to feel like they belonged and to give meaning to their lives. In his memoir Always Running, Luis Rodriguez tells the story of how he was

In the article, Two Sisters, Two Americas, the author, Brooke Ross, informs readers of the Saravia family’s story and the effects of being a “mixed-status family” with worries of being deported. A mixed-status family is a family with a combination of illegal immigrants, and citizens living in the United States. A path to legalization should be created for people who are already here illegally, but border security should be tightened to prevent more people entering the US illegally.

The immigrants entering the United States throughout its history have always had a profound effect on American culture. However, the identity of immigrant groups has been fundamentally challenged and shaped as they attempt to integrate into U.S. society. The influx of Mexicans into the United States has become a controversial political issue that necessitates a comprehensive understanding of their cultural themes and sense of identity. The film Mi Familia (or My Family) covers the journey and experiences of one Mexican-American (or “Chicano”) family from Mexico as they start a new life in the United States. Throughout the course of the film, the same essential conflicts and themes that epitomize Chicano identity in other works of literature

In 2009, the U.S. Census gathered that there were over thirty-three million second-generation immigrants living in America. America is a melting pot, and in this melting pot, it isn’t uncommon for these children, myself included, to lose sight of what our lives could be–and the struggles that our parents faced to ensure that we have more opportunities than they had. As I write this essay, I’m stressing over the things any other American high school sophomore faces– grades, social drama and statuses, and my follower count on Twitter and Instagram. These “problems,” if even that, are minute to what others our age face around the world. Young adults in Sudan are starving, and young adults in Syria live in the middle of a war zone. As far away They raised two kids: my 19-year-old brother, who is currently a freshman at the University of Georgia, and myself. Thanks to their hard work, I’m able to worry about the things I do. Never have I worried about not having food on my plate, about being denied my education, or being forced to leave everything I know and abandon my dreams. It’s easy to forget what my parents have done for me, for the opportunities and doors they have opened for me. There’s no way to understand your life–the privileges you hold–without understanding the past. You must be thankful for all the things your loved ones have done for you, and I’m sure that I am. I can’t imagine my life if I were in my parents’ shoes, if I faced the struggles and hardships they did, and I know I wouldn’t have the courage to be as decisive as they were and are. Their perseverance and determination make me content with my life now, knowing that it could be much worse. Their experiences motivate me to capitalize on what they gave me–to become something. I want to be sure that my parents know I’m thankful and know that I will work hard to become what they didn’t have the opportunity to. 11th Grade Columbus High School Anjali Patel 5th

In the working class schools, the student’s attitudes reflected what the teachers felt about their job. The teachers lacked passion for their job and did not want to be there anymore than the students. The principal not knowing the history of the school plays a role on why the school was poorly maintained. The middle class school had more parents involved than working class school. This can be the result of the parents socioeconomic status since middle class parents have better paying jobs allowing them more participation in their child’s school. I was amazed to read that in the affluent school, some of the children mention they will rather not be rich. Rich meant that they could not work and they will rather work since they liked working. In the executive school, I was bothered by the comment that a teacher stated. A teacher associated low-income children with discipline problems. I think that teacher generalized an observation he or she saw with one or two low-income student. As a future counselor, a statement in such matter showed that this person should not be a teacher. That teacher prefers to not integrate his or her school. Looking at this article through a counselor lens, I believe it is our duties to advocate for all students no matter their SES or ethnic background. There is clearly more work in advocating for students in working class school, but there are students that still needs our help in the upper class school. A

The American Dream differs from person to person. Every dream consists of striving towards success for a better future. In The Tortilla Curtain, T.C Boyle delves into what the American Dream is to the middle class American family, the Mossbacher’s, and to the illegal immigrant family, the Rincon’s. Throughout the story, it becomes apparent that that the ability for the poverty-stricken Rincon family to achieve their dream is unrealistic. The American Dream is presented to be close to unobtainable to those who need it the most through the use of the coyote, the Arroyo Blanco community, and Cándido’s luck.

Growing up I did not have the easiest childhood, but the experiences I have had led me to become a bilingual educator. For example, I grew up in a one-bed room apartment with my brother and mother. The only form of transportation I knew was the bus, since my mom could not afford a car. Instead of staying home after school, we would spend the day at my mom’s job since she could not afford a babysitter. However, I never felt like we were poor because my mom always worked hard to ensure we had everything we needed. As a result, I want to take my experiences to empower my future students to realize that their background or economic status does not determine how far they will go in life.

In her novel Borderlands, Gloria Anzaldua explores the nuances and complications that come with being a member of the Mexican-American community. Her physical home is the border between Mexico and the United States, but she acknowledges that the “psychological borderlands, the sexual borderlands and the spiritual borderlands are not particular to the Southwest” (Anzaldua 19). “In fact,” she continues, “the Borderlands are physically present wherever two or more cultures edge each other…”(Anzaldua 19). Such is the focus of her text, the often uncomfortable meeting space between mainstream white culture in the United States and the indigenous culture of Mexico. The clashing of these two civilizations is personified in the mestizas, people born of both the United States and Mexico, of which Anzaldua is one. The novel presents readers with the often unheard side of a well-known story: the mestiza’s point of view on the issue of the U.S./Mexico border, as well as their struggle to form an identity when they partially belong to

During 1942-1964 many Mexican immigrants were “given” the “opportunity” to enter the United States in order to labor and help the United States economic industry. For many immigrants the bordering country was seen as an exceptional place that offered great opportunities but at the same time many family difficulties. The Bracero Program during the 20th century for many Mexicans was seen as an exceptional deal that offered immigrants and infinite amount of opportunities to succeed; however, in Ejemplar y sin igual we realize that the Bracero Program in reality was not the “exceptional program” everyone thought. In Ejemplar y sin igual, Elizabeth Rosas mentions that “an entire generation of children experienced uniquely difficult childhoods because

Throughout high school, many books are assigned to be read during the summer with the intent of opening students’ minds to learn. Students who read the books often find them enjoyable, however, there are some books that don’t acquire the same positive impact. Enrique’s Journey by Sonia Nazario, unfortunately, happens to be one of those books. The writer attempts to shine a positive light on immigrants and their struggle to get into the United States for a successful life, but ultimately contradicts her message by the end of the novel when Enrique ultimately throws his life away once arriving. Enrique’s Journey should not be considered as required reading material because the situation portrayed only happens to a small percentage of immigrants

In the Hispanic culture there is parents that grew up not having an education and aren’t well aware of how the education system works. Some people that are part of the Hispanic culture are most likely from a low income budget or are part of middle class. This culture fails sometimes in achieving success because parents especially are never around to push their children into accomplishing their school studies because they are working full time jobs trying to keep a roof over their head. Every parent wants their own kid to achieve success and to make them proud no matter what but when the parent isn’t around their very own child can become less motivated by not having that push they need. Kids start to fall behind and their mindsets towards school are less likely to be considered at all. “For Hispanics in the United States, the educational experience is one of accumulated disadvantage. Many Hispanic students begin formalized schooling without the economic and social resources that many other students receive, and schools are often ill equipped to compensate for these initial disparities” (Schhneider). In Outliers, Gladwell demonstrates the education system involving today’s KIPP Academy located in New York City specifically towards Marita’s educational life. Marita's life is not the life of a typical

In Borders, by Thomas King the mother is affected by a border crossing. In the beginning she is very upset that her daughter is going to Salt Lake City. Everything the Laetitia says Salt Lake City has that makes it so great; her mother points out they have the same things right there on the reserve. For example, when Laetitia’s boyfriend Lester says they have a huge temple, a zoo and great mountains for skiing, her mother replies, “got all the skiing we can use here, Cardston’s got a temple, if you like those kinds of things.” Laetitia’s mother just doesn’t want her daughter to leave because she will really miss her. She even goes as far as to say that Salt Lake City sounds too good to be true trying to persuade her daughter not to leave.

Ruth Gomberg-Munoz's Labor and Legaility: An Ethnography of a Mexican Immigrant Network, describes the lives of undocumented immigrants from Mexico who work as busboys In a Chicago restaurant. Gomberg-Munoz gives insight into the new lives of the boys, through her compilation of their experiences both before crossing the border and after moving away from home into an unknown world. As an ethnography, the book gives information and details of the workers without arguing or taking a stance on immigration itself; it is instead presented in a manner that attempts to give readers a full understanding of the undocumented life through the revelation of the ones living it. She provides readers with a perspective on the daily struggles faced when living

Thomas King’s short story, “Borders”, uses moral structure to get across his point of being proud of your heritage. In the beginning of the story, the main character and his mother, who is a dedicated Blackfoot, prepare to cross the US border to Salt Lake City. As they were preparing for the trip, the main character states, “I had to dress up too, for my mother did not want us crossing the border looking like Americans.” In this quote, not only does it tell us the actions committed by the mother, but also her moral stature that is compelling her to dress differently; she takes pride in their aboriginal background by making it clear to everyone that their heritage is not American, but Blackfoot. Later in the story, the mother’s moral is shown

Students who lack cultural capital have a harder time in school. They tend not do their homework and not to care. They also have a hard time speaking up. Students who live in these poorer communities tend not to have very schools. For example their schools do not have a lot of resources, they do not get a lot of funding and the students tests scores are lower than average. For example in the reading Social Structure And Daily Life by