Undocumented Sparknotes

Chavez examines the assumptions made by the media and the public by drawing in sources like magazine articles and illustrations to provide the audience with exactly how these accusations are made and shared with the public. Chavez questions what it means and what it takes to be considered an American citizen and how Latinos, particularly Mexicans, have many things stacked up against. There are no doubts that the number of undocumented immigrants has steadily increased each year. Leo R. Chavez argues that because of the rise in the numbers, it makes it easier for the media to assume that undocumented immigrants, particularly Mexicans, are a threat to our nation through an invasion. Chavez’s idea of a Mexican reconquest is developed through something he calls the Quebec model.

Being “Different” Pat Mora, the writer of “Legal Alien”, evokes empathy in the audience to bring a deeper understanding of the world by using vivid imagery, juxtaposition, and code switching. Mora addresses cultural tension and identity crisis, explaining she herself, a Mexican- American, is not accepted in either Mexican communities or American communities. Mora illustrates, “Bi-lingual, Bi-cultural/ able to slip from ‘How’s life?’ to ‘Me’ stan volviendo loca’/… a handy token slipping back and forth,” (Mora 1-3/16-17).

The two texts, “Deportation at Breakfast,” by Larry Fondation and, “Mexican Migrant Workers in the 20th Century,” by Jessica McBirney are both set to portray the hardships and opportunities the Mexican/ Mexican-Americans faced. In, “Deportation at Breakfast,” the narrator witnesses the chef get deported. This causes him to take over the diner. Also, the text, “Mexican Migrant Workers in the 20th Century,” the migrants get to start a new life in a new country, however, they are treated with little to no respect. Both of the central ideas of the texts are based around these opportunities and hardships, and will be discussed later in this essay.

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

A Journey of Identity and Resilience: Exploring Latino Cultural Context in "The Death and Life of Aida Hernandez" by Aaron Bobrow-Strain Aaron Bobrow-Strain's "The Death and Life of Aida Hernandez" is a stirring memoir that explores the traumatic events and individual journey of Aida Hernandez, a young Mexican-American woman traversing the difficult social, political, and economic landscapes of the United States. We may understand the author's purposeful decisions to expose the Latino/Latina/Latinx cultural background and its tremendous influence on readers by examining the themes, character development, language, and imagery used in the novel. Bobrow-Strain discusses a number of topics that are important in the Latino cultural setting. The

In the critical literacy book, Untamed, by Glennon Doyle, a fifty year old woman, realizes how she can enjoy life better and the steps along the way, in Florida with her wife and three kids. As the book begins Glennon sees how her family realized how cheetahs in the zoo miss the wild yet they never knew the wild, Glennon notices this and it feels like her life too. While Glennon notices everything wrong with her life she realizes she wants a change. Glennons life changing started when she was sitting on her bathroom floor with a positive pregnancy test, she says to herself I want to change my life around. She later realized that no matter what she did she was never enough for everyone

Humans rarely change their ways; they stay in their own worlds and always interact with the same types of people. Unfortunately, this habit often creates unseen barriers that divide and alienate human beings from one another. In Luis Alberto Urrea’s book The Devil’s Highway, Urrea provides a personal perspective to immigration by telling the story of 26 illegal immigrants, known as the Wellton 26, who are abandoned as they cross the Mexico-U.S. border. Through their story, Urrea proves there are invisible borders among people that create prejudice, such as language, ethnicity, and economic status. By reading The Devil’s Highway, it is clear that these barriers must be broken down to ensure harmony within society.

The Diary of an Undocumented Immigrant is a biographical novel written by Ramon Perez and published in 1991. The narrative follows our storyteller and author Perez through his journey from a Zapotec village in Oaxaca, Mexico over the border, illegally of course (hence the title) into The United States where he experiences the many facets of American culture before returning to his home village two years later as a celebrated hero. Now, you might be wondering why that sentence was structured to deliberately include the word “hero,” it’s really quite simple. The topic of illegal immigration has always been a touchy subject between nations and the opinion of whether or not the immigrant accused is a “hero” or “villain” relies totally, on which side the controversy is viewed from. Having spent the past 237 pages shadowing Perez’s journey I feel compelled to see things from his standpoint.

Immigration is deeply rooted in the American culture, yet it is still an issue that has the country divided. Marcelo and Carola Suarez-Orozco, in their essay, “How Immigrants Became ‘Other’” explore the topic of immigration. They argue that Americans view many immigrants as criminals entering America with the hopes of stealing jobs and taking over, but that this viewpoint is not true. They claim that immigrants give up a lot to even have a chance to come into America and will take whatever they can get when they come. The Suarez-Orozco’s support their argument using authority figures to gain credibility as well as exemplification through immigrant stories.

Cohen’s fourth thesis talks about the differences among groups of people in areas of race, gender, etc. and how those differences can create monsters in society. Unauthorized immigrants often get placed into a “different” or “unwanted” group and that causes them to face unfairness in society. “How Immigrants Become ‘Other’” correlates to Cohen’s thesis because unauthorized immigrants can be made into monsters due to differences in race and legal status. The group of unauthorized immigrants can become alienated in society, and the people themselves are sometimes referred to as “illegal aliens.”

Christopher Castaneda 3/2/2023 2nd period Multicultural Literature Dan-el Padilla was born in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic. He came to the U.S when he was only 4 years old legally but unfortunately his visa expired while in the U.S which meant he had become undocumented. Padilla shows us throughout his memoir Undocumented how being undocumented challenges your life. Padilla argues what is succes and how you can attain it and how your social status does not define who you are. My own view on Padilla’s interrelated themes is that success can be whatever you’d like it to be because people have different successes and goals in life.

Some people don’t have the same luxury as others. Some people have to live without one parent or live in poverty. “In terror” by Junot Diáz, describes the terror of being an immigrant in America. In this story, he shows and tells us the events leading up to his getting jumped by two brothers that go to his school. Diáz uses the description to show us how trying it can be to be an immigrant.

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

“The virtual personas of Latino immigrants (represented as a threat to the nation) make the authority that has accumulated for real immigrants in their role as workers and consumers vanish” (Chavez 47). In the public eye Latinos are depicted as noncompliant and dangerous citizens and noncitizens of the United States. “The virtual lives of ‘Mexicans,’ ‘Chicanos,’ ‘illegal aliens,’ and ‘immigrants’ become abstractions and representations that stand in the place of real lives” (Chavez 47). It is depressing to understand that the majority of the United States strictly sees Latinos as these distorted images. At the end of the day each individual’s life matters, we all need to become more compassionate for one another.

The Back of a Nonexistent Line In the film Documented and The New York Times article “My Life as an Undocumented Immigrant,” Jose Antonio Vargas describes his experience as an undocumented immigrant in the United States and provides a passionate argument for creating a pathway to citizenship for others like Vargas, who are undocumented as well. Although both the film and article give the viewers and readers an insight into Vargas’ difficult journey, a particular scene in the film sends an unspoken message about the United States as a whole. In Documented, the scene in which Jose Antonio Vargas attends a Mitt Romney campaign rally is detrimental to the immigration debate because it demonstrates the need for Americans to be educated about undocumented