Change is a natural part of life. If happens to everyone. Little do they know this family’s life is about to change forever. The family above is standing with their backs to the camera. The people, a man and a woman with two young children. They are all standing on a marshy landing, with water to the right of them, and the front. There is a young boy maybe aged 3. He is wearing a jumpsuit with a sailor-like flap on the neck. It has a black square with a thick white stripe on the edges. He is gripping the hand of a broad-shouldered man. He [the man] is wearing an all-black suit and a hat. In his other hand is a tattered briefcase. Next to him stands a woman wearing a dark-colored dress and a hat, she has a jacket draped on her arm. Next to her is a wicker basket with leather handles. Next to her is a boy around 10 years old. He is wearing a tailored jacket and a hat. They are all staring out across the water. They see buildings and cloudy sky. The buildings are tall and short wide, and thin. It is the New York City skyline. The immigrant hub of the 20th century. The family will now have to learn how to adapt to this new and strange American world.

Immigration has changed so much over the past 100 years. For Central American immigrants, they often have to come here illegally. Many of them are minors. They have to traverse the dangerous journey to America, then they have to learn how to assimilate into American society. They have to learn how to speak English and hide their culture. If they don’t if, they seem at all like they don’t belong then they could risk deportation. In Sonia Navereo’s book Enrique’s Journey, she says; “For if he were deported a migration saga that began with Enrique’s mother departing from Honduras will begin anew.” This shows the day to day fear undocumented immigrants feel. It shows how many people come for a better life only to be greeted by fear. If we call America the land of opportunities then who are these opportunities for? Since immigrants are not always given the wealth and prosperity the metaphorical immigration brochures promise. She later talks about how Enrique’s undocumented daughter has to learn how to hide behind cars when police are near to prevent deportation. This is crazy; no child should have to live with this fear. Kids, especially undocumented kids should not have to worry about being deported. They should be able to play with friends and go to school. They should not be concerned with being deported. I can’t imagine what it must be like for a child to be living this way, fearing that the only home they have ever known will be taken from them.

This contrasts from immigration at the turn of the century. At this time the country needed workers, so they wanted immigrants. This meant it was way less scary to be undocumented. Citizenship was also different back then in the 1800’s citizenship was tied to your marriage this meant that if someone married a U.S. citizenship they were granted citizenship as well. I know that in my family my father’s great aunt tried to enter this country but was barred because she was a single woman with children; the United States was worried she would be a public charge. Immigration was not anywhere as close to as monitored as it today. The first time there was any moderation was the 1882 Chinese Exclusion Act. This act prohibited Chinese Immigrants from entering the United States for ten years and prevent those already in America from being naturalized. Before the 1960s there were a lot of restrictions on who could come to this country. These include quotas that stated how many people of each nationality would be allowed in the United States. The Immigration and Nationality Act of 1965 changed this, this act removed the quotas and allowed relatives to sponsor their loved ones’ admission into the U.S.

These two immigration experiences are vastly different from one another. Eastern European Immigrants were and to an extent are still welcomed into the country with open arms. On the other hand, Central American Immigrants who come here now without documentation are greeted with fear and discrimination. A lot of this has to do with how our government treats these people. In 2003 an organization called Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) was founded as a response to the 9/11 terrorist attacks. Its main priority is to remove or deport immigrants living in this country without documentation. Under the Obama administration, their priority was to deport undocumented immigrants who had committed serious crimes. Now under our current administration, they are targeting any undocumented people regardless of criminal status. This instills fear in so many people living here. Some undocumented people came here as young children. America is the only home they know. Under the Obama administration, there was a program called DACA (Deferred Action for Child Arrivals) put in place to protect these people. This prevents them from deportation and gives them a work permit. On September 5, 2017, our president, Donald Trump announced he was going to end DACA this put many undocumented people in fear. As of now those who have DACA can still have it renewed. This leaves the question of; what happens when this program is terminated will it’s beneficiaries be forced to live in the shadows? This is not the only thing this administration has done to hurt immigrants on the campaign trail President Trump threatened and eventually was able to build a physical separation between the United States and Mexico. Even threatening to do this promotes xenophobic ideals. It allows those who feel the same thing to use these ideas to hurt others.

How our country treats immigrants is not okay. Immigrants should not have to live in the shadows. They should be welcomed into our country with open arms. We should be building bridges, not walls. As Emma Lazarus said “Give me your tired, your poor, Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free, The wretched refuse of your teeming shore. Send these, the homeless, tempest-tossed to me, I lift my lamp beside the golden door!” Let’s make this ring true as it did when it was put on a plaque below the Statue of Liberty in 1903.

These two immigration experiences are vastly different from one another. Eastern European Immigrants were and to an extent are still welcomed into the country with open arms. On the other hand, Central American Immigrants who come here now without documentation are greeted with fear and discrimination. A lot of this has to do with how our government treats these people. In 2003 an organization called Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) was founded as a response to the 9/11 terrorist attacks. Its main priority is to remove or deport immigrants living in this country without documentation. Under the Obama administration, their priority was to deport undocumented immigrants who had committed serious crimes. Now under our current administration, they are targeting any undocumented people regardless of criminal status. This instills fear in so many people living here. Some undocumented people came here as young children. America is the only home they know. Under the Obama administration, there was a program called DACA (Deferred Action for Child Arrivals) put in place to protect these people. This prevents them from deportation and gives them a work permit. On September 5, 2017, our president, Donald Trump announced he was going to end DACA this put many undocumented people in fear. As of now those who have DACA can still have it renewed. This leaves the question of; what happens when this program is terminated will it’s beneficiaries be forced to live in the shadows? This is not the only thing this administration has done to hurt immigrants on the campaign trail President Trump threatened and eventually was able to build a physical separation between the United States and Mexico. Even threatening to do this promotes xenophobic ideals. It allows those who feel the same thing to use these ideas to hurt others. How our country treats immigrants is not okay. Immigrants should not have to live in the shadows. They should be welcomed into our country with open arms. We should be building bridges, not walls. As Emma Lazarus said “Give me your tired, your poor, Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free, The wretched refuse of your teeming shore. Send these, the homeless, tempest-tossed to me, I lift my lamp beside the golden door!” Let’s make this ring true as it did when it was put on a plaque below the Statue of Liberty in 1903.

Works Cited Nixon, R., & Qiu, L. (2018, July 3). What Is ICE and Why Do Critics Want to Abolish It? Retrieved January 10, 2020, https://www.nytimes.com/2018/07/03/us/politics/fact-check-ice-immigration-abolish.html.

Nazario, S. (2014). Enriques journey. New York: Random House Trade Paperbacks.

                Introduction

My goals for my paper was having enough evidence making sure my writing has some kind of flow, have a way to ease into my essay, and no grammar errors. Something that I am proud of with my writing is that I actually accomplished all of my goals that I had when I wrote my paper. I would like my readers to notice my analysis and how I tried to relate real life people when talking about change.

                Environment Changes 

If all places were the same, people would stay where they are, instead of exploring other options. In different areas of the world, there are always different things going on. The main differences are people, culture, and opportunities.. Human migration usually happens when there is something going on that shouldn’t be or just looking for a better life. When coming to a new environment, change plays a big part in adapting.

Something that is common in certain places is refugee crisis. By having refugee crisis, it makes people want to get out of wherever they are to keep themselves and family as safe as possible. With this, they have to leave where they came from and start a new life. For example, in the book Exit West, Nadia and Saeed had to adapt to all the places they went to, so that they can be safe. When Saeed and Nadia arrived to a specific house, after going through a magical door, Nadia immediately made herself at home. She did this by immediately washing her clothes and taking a hot shower to get herself and her clothes clean. Saeed was shocked by how fast Nadia was adapting to where she was, but at the same time, Nadia knew she had to adapt sooner than later. From this example, this shows that since this is a new change, you have to learn how to be comfortable, because everywhere you go isn’t always going to be what you want it to be.

Another example is when Darling first came to America in the book We Need New Names. One of the first things she had to adapt to in America was the seasonal weather. At this time, it was winter, and Darling has never experience the outside being as cold as it was, because in Africa, it’s usually always warm. By Darling feeling something new, it shows that each day she will have to adapt to something, until she’s used to it.

Once you are used to the environment you are in, that’s when the change within yourself really starts. For example, in the book We Need New Names, one of the things that Darling starts to change is her appearance. When she used to live in Paradise, she didn’t like getting dressed up or taking showers. The only time that she got dressed up and clean was when she had to go to church, but once she arrived to the United States, that changed. On page 169, it says, “I finish putting on my lip gloss, smack my lips together like I’ve seen Aunt Fostalina do.” This specific quote shocked me, because back in Paradise, Darling barely even wanted to take showers. Now that she is in America, she is being exposed to different things. With her being in America, she can be herself and most importantly, focus on what she wants to be in the future without being judged by others. Darling trying new things also shows that she is growing up in a way. Usually when girls wear makeup around her age, it shows that she is starting to mature and interested. Appearance is something that changes in lots of girls as they get older. It’s a preference that every girl has and it’s something that frequently changes.

Another way that Darling has changed in the book We Need New Names, is her way with communication. The day that Darling was leaving to come to the United States, she promised her friends that she would call and send letters to them, but that changed once she settled in. On page 212, it says, “One part is yearning for my friends; the other doesn’t know how to connect with them anymore, as if they are people I’ve never met.” This quote explains that there’s one part of Darling that feels like she will always miss her friends and misses the things they used to do together, but she also feels like she can’t connect with them anymore. This has a lot to do with coming to America, of course. Since her friends are back in Africa, they don’t know what it feels like to live in America. By Darling living in America, she is starting to adjust, and the girl she was back in Africa is slowly fading. Change can sometimes be a good thing and others times it can be a bad thing. The good and the bad part about it is that it can either make you a better or worse person. There is conflict that comes with this change. By deciding how you want to handle change, there are other people that will like or dislike the person you’ve become.

Something similar to this is Exit west, it says, “While they wished to look out for each other, and to keep tabs on each other, staying in touch took a toll on them, serving as an unsettling reminder of a life not lived, and also they grew less worried each for the other, less worried that the other would need them to be happy, and eventually a month went by without any contact, and then a year, and then a lifetime.” This quote shows that relationships is another thing that doesn’t always work out. The feelings that people can have towards each other can change by the changes people make with themselves. Changes in friendships and relationships are always going to happen. You might not see who a specific person for who they really are, until later on. By having a different perspective of someone makes you not know how to connect with them anymore.

In conclusion, change can happen in multiple forms. Change can happen with your appearance, communication, and your connection towards people. These types of changes aren’t something that is made by force; it is made normally as you are processing as a person. Some people may or may not like the new changes you make within yourself. The more people are exposed to new things and new people, changes within the self’s mind start to change as well.

Citations:

Quotes from We Need New Names and Exit West

“Exit West Quotes by Mohsin Hamid.” Goodreads, Goodreads, https://www.goodreads.com/work/quotes/51234185-exit-west.

Foreword-

For my advanced essay, I wanted to highlight not only the hardships of migration, but the shock and effect that it has on people who are put in these stressful situations. I attempted to highlight the realities of immigrants, and bring he reader’s attention to the risk and danger that these people live in in order to bring awareness to the desperation that comes with seeking safety.

I saw an article while I was scrolling through my computer the other day. And an image popped up that made me start to think. The image featured a family. A family that walks, carefully and cautiously, away from a large place of greenery and down a strip of barren road. The father, on the far left, carries his baby in a carrier on his front and looks after a child to the right, patting his head comfortingly. The aforementioned boy has a thick, puffy jacket draped around his shoulders, a few sizes too big but efficient in keeping him warm. His brother next to him has a thick jacket as well, but the hood up and the rest of the jacket hanging off his small body. Their mother next to him dotes over him, a worried expression on her face. On her back are several jackets and supplies for their journey, but on her front she as well has a carrier. Unlike the husband, hers is empty. She holds the hand of the last child on the far right, his expression frozen in a crying face as his mother pulls him along. They seek one thing: safety within the place they’re going.

What is often misunderstood about the experience of immigrants is how desperate immigrants are to seek safety. Immigration is a very dangerous journey with several potentially life-threatening risks. Why take them? Why put so much effort or money into leaving a country that’s been your home all your life and go into a country that you know nothing about? You would only put everything on the line if you had to. This is the dilemma that immigrants face when coming into a new country. Whether for personal wellbeing, family or education, nobody immigrates on a whim. It is a frustrating and difficult process, and people do not consider how many risks people take to immigrate.

Mr. Block, in english class, showed us a very insightful video. This video featured syrian refugees that immigrated to Lesbos, Greece, having conversations with tourists who were in greece on vacation. During these conversations, a lot is opened up about the narratives on both sides, but we see the thoughts of the immigrants more so, and a compelling story is brought to the surface.

Two men talk on the beach, one a tourist and the other a refugee. When sharing introductions, the refugee says, “I was a refugee in Turkey for two years, and now I am in Greece.” His tourist counterpart expresses his concern when he says, “How awful. That is quite a journey.” To which the syrian refugee responds, “the trip was relatively safe, because I was nearly killed three times in Syria.”

In just this small exchange, we see two very different perspectives. On one hand, we have this refugee who clearly has been through several ordeals, and was in such an unsafe environment that he was willing to risk everything he had to leave. His life was in danger, and he prioritized leaving that situation to start a new, healthier and safer life. On the other hand, we get to see the realization in this tourist, who up until that point had no idea of any of the perspectives that came from immigrants. He was so taken aback by the nonchalant-ness in his refugee counterpart when talking about potentially facing death three times, it became clearer to him that no one leaves just on impulse. Something that perfectly frames this is later in the video, we see two women talking, and the female refugee declares, “we love Syria, but fate has brought us here.” Most people misunderstand the desperation of some refugee situations and how they are willing to do virtually anything to escape them.

The importance of migration is encapsulated beautifully in the book Exit West by Mohsin Hamid. Exit West is a book about two young lovers, Nadia and Saeed, and their struggles trying to stay together as they try to immigrate to a foreign country. Exit west is a commentary on how migration is treated and reacted to on both sides, the immigrant side and the non-immigrant side. The book does an amazing job of highlighting the struggles of immigrants seeking refuge. To highlight the position that refugees are put in when they immigrate, Moshin Hamid writes, “when we migrate, we murder from our lives those we leave behind.” This quote is an in-depth look of the immigrant experience, in a sense that desperate actions are taken for the promise of refuge in countries they aren’t home to. You can feel the essence of the pain of leaving behind all you know, and all of the people you love for the greater good, with hopes to start a new chapter that brings forth promise.

In Mr. Kay’s race theory class, we studied in-depth some of the lives that immigrants lead. To assist with the perspective, Mr. Kay gave us an amazing resource, called the Interactive Immigrant Experience. What it is, is a compilation of biographies of real life immigrant experiences and what it does is it takes you through the life of an immigrant trying to get into the United States. I followed the journey of a young man named Hamid from Iran, a very gifted computer scientist who was trying to get into the United States to find schooling and work in his field. He is granted a visa, and is hit with good luck when his job offers to upgrade his visa to a work one, and he meets a wonderful woman whom he falls in love with. Trouble arises when said wife’s mother becomes ill, and you have to decide whether to let your wife go and visit her ill mother, or make her stay where it’s safe. I decided to make her stay, and sacrifice her never seeing her mother again, because if she had, she would not have been granted re-entry into the U.S. when Trump’s muslim ban took place. This helped me put an insane amount of things into perspective, and realize how shallow and blind people are to these real life experiences that immigrants are going through.

The immigrant experience has never been an easy one. Throughout the generations, people have had to put themselves into life-threatening situations. But why? The answer is almost horrifying. It’s to escape life-threatening situations. When we peel back the layers of the experiences of immigrants, we find shocking truths in other people’s realities. We are blind when it comes to the amount of hoops people have to jump through and the risks people take to seek what they need to survive. People ignore the reality of people’s situations, and the dangers that they face day to day and instead see it as an infraction upon their country. It’s quite the opposite. People risk everything to be able to live safely and happily, and should be respected when they immigrate. Nobody knows the other half of the story, but my hope is that people will begin to.

Works Cited:

J, Peter. “16 Children – 16 Photos: Click the Black Background and Switch on Their Reality.” Politiken. Politiken, February 28, 2017. https://politiken.dk/fotografier/art5849931/Click-the-black-background-and-switch-on-their-reality.

McEvoy, Gráinne. “What Would You Do? Take an Immigrant’s Journey.” Experience Magazine. Accessed January 14, 2020. https://expmag.com/immigrant-experience/#all_opening.

“Migrants’ Stories From a Greek Island.” The New York Times. The New York Times, February 29, 2016. https://www.nytimes.com/video/multimedia/100000004237409/migrants-stories-from-a-greek-island.html.

Exit West by Mohsin Hamid

In this essay my main goal was to show negligence we show as a nation to international problems altogether , but solely as Americans do we have an obligation to strangers? The question I’ve been trying to solve throughout this whole unit, though there are many different answers to this question, I showed my point of view when answering this question.

         As we can see in the image above, we observe a picture of two mindless individuals playing golf in this notorious club, but as you take a closer look at the picture you can observe men along the top of the picture, attempting to ascend over the fence into a Spain province from Morocco. Do the golfers really not see them or do they pretend they don’t know what's going on and go on with their privileged lives like any other day? As Americans, what obligations do we have to outsiders? And with the United States being the most powerful country in the world, what obligations do we owe, as a nation, to others outside of America?
       Even our smallest decisions as a nation may affect others around the world, both negatively and positively. With the United States being the biggest consumers in the world, we continue to support numerous unjust systems, because without consumers there aren’t  many producers because if there was a lack of demand, there would be no supply. A clear example of this is sweatshops, which are factory workshops with unacceptable working conditions. An estimated 158 million kids from the ages of 5 to 14 are forced to work everyday. Workers work an average of 17 hours days, and surveys show most of their income is just to be able to support their families with enough food to last for the day. Sweatshops are located all over the world, mostly in Asia. Workers wages vary from country to country, in Bangladesh workers can make as low as $0.13 cents an hour, others in China can make anywhere from $0.44 cents an hour then there’s others in Central America like Honduras that can make up to $1.31 an hour. This is way below America's hourly minimum wage. Big companies decide to manufacture their products overseas due to it being extremely cheap, making their losses smaller and profits larger. These big corporations don’t care about these inhumane conditions amongst their company, they just prioritize their profits to ensure that they continue to increase.  
      We are in some way at fault, because we as consumers continue to buy the products, if there was minimal to no consumers, there would be no need to manufacture these products, but since there is such a high demand for these products, the crisis continues. At the same time, there’s so much we could do. And as much as we would like to resolve all the epidemics happening around the world it’s just simply close to impossible because of how dependent we’ve become on buying the smallest things to fit our needs. Like my mother said, “How do you want to go out and fix a broken home when yours isn’t even fixed?” It isn’t our obligation to help all these other countries that are in need, but to an extent it’s our responsibility to be more aware of the problems going on in the world. Although some may not care, it’s important for all of us to be at least informed on how 95% of our clothes are being made, that the clothes we wear on a daily basis are being made by underpaid innocent men, women and even children. Even our smallest actions have a bigger impact than what we can imagine.
    Thanks to social media, we are able to go out and search for answers ourselves to see more about what's happening around the world, because if the news outlets aren’t putting enough international stories out, then we should go searching for them. Why is it that these news outlets don’t put out international news unless it involves the United States? Is it the government controlling what we get to know or is it our own negligence?
     As a nation, I think we act turn a blind eye when it comes to knowing how all these products get made, we instead decide to carry on and contribute to this system. We push away the truth, because that’s all so easy for us to do since we aren’t directly affected. But what about those living in those conditions that can’t just push away the problems they are faced with day to day? We as a nation should all be more educated on where all our products come from and how they are produced, because no matter how much we turn our head the other way, the problem still lies there and will still be there until we stop turning our head and do something about the problem. This starts off small but it’s something, and something is always better than nothing. 

Author’s Note:

My goal for this essay is to help people realize how the angle you view culture through can change everything. In a world of opinions, perception can affect everything and immigrants a lot of the time are subdued to a negative portrayal. I am proud that this piece of writing leads readers to question if their own opinions on a culture that is not theirs are truly valid and whether or not there is something more they could do to become more educated on a variety of different cultures and not fall for the misconceptions and stereotypes set.

Perception:

In a Refugee camp in Greece, a baby boy smiles, chocolate splattered around his face like war paint. His pink gums show through, teeth not having yet emerged. Sparse brunette hair sprinkles his head, yet to have fully grown out. His eyes piercing green, reveal all he has seen but not understood. A thick worn-out blue and white striped onesie keeps him warm, so fuzzy it makes him look like a bear cub or caterpillar. The boy is held by a woman wearing a red sweater on top of a black jacket. She is looking the opposite way, facing the tents nearby. Red, grey, brown and camo scatter the dirt ground. In one of the tents, four children can be seen, looking shyly, scared but curious at the same time. Even further in the distance, three figures can be spotted wearing black, seemingly officers in discussion looking towards the camp, their facial expressions, and emotions a mystery.

Interpretations and opinions are created through one’s own experiences and personal exposure to information. From place to place, communities can vary, as they grow, they can become their own unique and independent cultures, holding different ideals and having particular cultural norms and traditions. Perspectives can be built on other cultures depending on the differing aspects of the culture and one’s own, spreading stereotypes. Most of the time, the lack of understanding and knowledge of another culture can cause ignorant opinions to be formed. With the widespread of media, it can become more prevalent what the impressions of different cultures are. Especially with developing countries, people from developed ones start to get a savior complex, feeling it is their moral duty to give people the ability to live as they do. With the development of opinions and biases, people can get lost in their preconceived notions of a culture, being blinded and not understanding the culture until they open themselves up and step out of their comfort zone to meet people they would not usually talk to.

In the film Beasts of the Southern Wild, a scene is portrayed where the Bathtub, their home is raided and they are taken to be assimilated into society. This scene is very powerful in that it shows the different perspectives people from distinct cultures can have. To the people who took them, the people in the Bathtub were not living a desirable, good lifestyle. This is why they felt a duty to bring them out of poverty, gaining a moral reward by assuming the people of the Bathtub would be grateful. Instead though, the people of the Bathtub are unhappy, wanting to return to their lifestyle that was familiar, safe, and their own, being acclimated into society not being something that attracted them. This shows how just because sometimes a given culture can be seen as not desirable for oneself does not mean that it should be seen as inferior to another culture. Another example of this in the film is when Hushpuppy, the main character mentions how in the “dry world” (society,) “Daddy always saying…they got fish stuck in plastic wrappers, they got their babies stuck in carriages, and chickens on sticks and all that kind of stuff.” This specific quote highlights how the “dry world” is viewed as a place that has limited freedom compared to the Bathtub. Thinking of the world today in these terms can really change your point of view and make you realize the importance of perspective and the risk of assuming without a better understanding.

The book Enrique’s Journey discusses a unique and under-told view of how Central American immigrants are perceived by Mexican locals during the dangerous trip to the United States. During the journey, when the 17-year-old boy named Enrique, the focus of the book, gets beat up and jumped, he goes around the town nearby asking for help. When the county seat Adan Ruiz passes by, and he is asked to help Enrique, he responds with “This is what they get for doing this journey.”(pg. 47) In the many of the nearby Mexican towns on the path taken to the United States, the local people do not help migrants passing through, mainly either for the fear of gang members or for the idea that Central America is sending them all of their problems. In this kind of situation, where getting help from someone can mean life or death, having a negative image portrayed and pushed onto immigrants can be dangerous. At the same time, this brings up the question of: Should the local people there have the obligation to help passing immigrants? As in that area, Central American immigrants are seen as inferior, they do not get much help or sympathy as they struggle to escape adversity and reach a place of opportunity. The strong negative perceptions of immigrants without documents clashes with the immigrant desire for a better life leaving them more vulnerable.

Humans naturally build opinions on topics. Becoming exposed to a culture that is different than yours either through talk, imaging, or experience can cause you to compare your culture to the other. A negative outlook can become especially problematic as anything different will appear as something bad, setting roots for stereotypes and discrimination. Staying open-minded can lead to a real understanding and helps form more educated opinions. In society, immigrants are viewed negatively a lot of the time, judged and not accepted for being different and having other traditions. All societies are built on traditions, which can be a key part of one’s identity. In the end, looking at something through another lens and perspective can help you better understand your own culture and others as well as, what a community’s role is in society.

Beasts Of the Southern Wild. Beverly Hills, Calif. :20th Century Fox Home Entertainment, 2012.

Nazario, Sonia. Enrique’s Journey. Random House Trade Paperbacks, 2014.

J, Peter. “16 Children – 16 Photos: Click the Black Background and Switch on Their Reality.” Politiken, Politiken, 28 Feb. 2017, https://politiken.dk/fotografier/art5849931/Click-the-black-background-and-switch-on-their-reality.

To the world, we are just Aliens with a serial number and a criminal record, but a Hushppi said: “We is who the earth is for.” Migration is not new to the world. It has been happening for a long time. Animals do it and we do it, the world is divided into seven continents. Seven continents with color, culture, and struggles. Struggles that affect more to some individuals than others. Imagine being at the top, just very close to making it to the other side, and looking down at the men looking at the intruder, the men looking at the criminal, the men looking at the alien, the men are looking at you and your difference. Indifferent because they do not like you, and you’ll be sent back, like a package all the way from across the world, that took over a month to get to you but it’s broken, you forget about it. Who owns the world? Why some have more than others?

I can’t help but laugh when people say “get in line.” Yeah, I take it personally, but the line was too long and my days were counted. The line that most people talk about is been long since the 1990s and it’s getting longer. Every day, immigrants migrate to visit, for work, for school. Every day, immigrants escape violence, looking for food and shelter, escape for medicine, we escape from our government too. It’s similar to love, we crave and need it because it’s part of being human, and when love is gone so does hope. In Enrique’s Journey, Rosa Amalia says “How can I be worth anything if my mom left me?” It’s about that feeling of losing what you loved most and having to grow without it. Some children make the trip and go look for their moms without knowing what is going to happen. Is it rape? Is it death? Will it be both? Am I next? Questions that will never be answered, until you tell the story. “How can I be worth anything if my mom left me?” When in third World countries, once there was a little girl like Hushpuppy that was recording her life for the scientists in the future. That little girl has dreams, she doesn’t know she’ll be in a boat for months and it’s not a deluxe cruise, she will not eat, she’ll be weak, and she might become a new number left out in the sea. The state officials failed their people, making many to leave and leaving others dead.

Not just American people, but people from higher developed countries, do not understand what it’s like to live in situations where if you are starving there is not a food bank available, where instead of getting real pills, you get flour pills. Sometimes we take for granted what is given to us, there is room for improvement, but no one’s human needs should be denied. In class, we watched a video of Refugees in Greece talking with tourists. A man mentioned how the trip wasn’t hard, he had escaped death three times already. This brings me back to conversations with my mom, both immigrants that live by “I’d rather die while trying, rather than dying with my arms crossed.”

“Illegal”… “speak American”… “Show me your papers”…… “I’ll call ICE… you’ll go back.” Those are a few of the many statements an immigrant gets called, well at least that’s what I’ve heard. The role that people play in the immigrant society affects the way immigrants socialize within the community. It is normal to live in fear for many immigrants, it affects us psychologically, many commit suicide. It’s like being rejected by someone, but you know you won’t and don’t want to harm them. Getting detained by the authorities at the Southern U.S. border is like actually being treated and believing you are a criminal. Seeking for asylum should not be a crime, never knew that wanting to be alive could be a crime. A very well punished one, separated from the families, seeing the sunlight once a week if you are lucky, period leaks all over your pants, and no shoelaces; these facilities can’t run on such suicide drama. Handcuffed, from ankles to wrists, being reminded that you are a criminal because you didn’t “want to get in line”, there wasn’t time.

Not everything is sad. Along the way, the worst and best of the world is seen. Lawyers, unions, and people have made our lives easier. Employers, willing to give us jobs knowing that they get in trouble with the law. Americans looking after the safety of our children, looking after me by voting and protesting for me and creating laws to keep me here. I’ve made it to 17 years of my life, that is six more then what was intended. I love Honduras, I like to dance to the rhythm of los tambores and eat my baleadas but if I had kept my arms crossed, this story would be unknown and there is so much more to tell, but I still stick my head out of the door and triple check. Throughout this journey, many things have happened and will happen. As I heal from the past, I learn how to cope with the present, and understand that tomorrow is different and anything could happen. Tomorrow could be the day I go to school, but it could also be the day I am separated from you and my dreams.

Sources:

Beasts of the Southern Wilds

Enrique’s Journey

https://gpinvestigations.pri.org/the-crossing-eb527318eb76

Kyree Yates
         January 13, 2020
         English 3
         Mr. Block


                           Opportunity 

Our country was founded on the idea of discrimination based on race, social status, and social class. Social norms were highly valued and if someone did not fit those norms they were often mistreated and frowned upon. During the foundation period, rich white men were viewed as superior and they used their superiority to grow the slavery industry. As time progressed, the norms from the 16th century, reformulated into different states of aggression that we more commonly see today. In today’s society, muslim immigrants are becoming the main target of social injustice in the United States. Some Americans have become more patriotic and territorial which led to the exclusion of other cultures in our society. There is a famous saying-“One bad apple spoils the bunch.”- that explains the disconnect between American and Muslim cultures. Muslims started being viewed in a different light, especially after the deadliest terrorist attack in the U.S, 9/11. After 9/11, many muslims felt that they were no longer welcomed and were harshly judged. Americans became more frightened and hate crimes against Muslims increased. Being Muslim in America became a struggle. Imagine not being able to walk into crowded spaces without the constant stares and aberration.Muslims became stereotyped not only by society but by the United States government. 16 years after 9/11/2001, President Donald Trump placed a “Muslim Ban” also known as the Executive Order 13769. The executive order interdicted entry of refugees from seven predominantly muslim countries such as Iran, Iraq, Libya, Somalia, Syrian, Sudan, and Yemen for 120 day (Syria was banned indefinitely). The order not only evoked fear into Muslims refugees but gave Americans another reason to be frightened by their Muslim neighbors. In the book, Exit West, a Muslim couple is faced with complications and hardship as they try to escape the awful reality that lies in their homeland. It might seem surprising that even in such circumstances Saeed’s and Nadia’s attitudes towards finding a way out were not entirely straightforward. Saeed desperately wanted to leave his city, in a sense he had, but in his imagination he had thought he would leave it only temporarily, never once and for all, and this looming potential departure was altogether different, for he doubted he would come back, and the scattering of his extended family and his circle of friends and acquaintances, forever, struck him as deeply sad, as amounting to the loss of a home, no less, of his home. ( Hamid, 94) Saeed and Nadia’s experiences shows how the “Muslim Ban” affected the lives of thousands innocently trying to create a better life for themselves. Governors came to a consensus that the Muslim Ban was beneficial for America but neglected the innocent lives of Muslim refugees. Refugees felt the burden of America’s fear and had no choice but to try to persevere in inhumane conditions. The Pew Research Center conducted a social test in America for the nine major religions. They used a feeling thermometer as a rating system from 0-100 on safety compared to America for each religion. Cold being the most negative and hot being the most positive. Overall Muslims were rated on the colder side of the thermometer at 48 degrees coming for the average American under. They then decided to take the test one step further and asked people who leaned towards either the democratic or republican parties to rate religions using the feeling thermometer as well. The Democratic party placed Muslims at 50 degrees while the Republican Party placed Muslims at 39 degrees. The partisan gap reaches to other questions that pertain to Muslims and Islam. Republicans as a whole will tend to agree on more of the same ideas in their group and the same for Democrats. During the research they took a survey and Republicans under 30 deemed the Islamic religion to be more likely than others to encourage violence among its believers while Democrats believed Islamics were not Anti-American. The government plays a significant role in the way Americans view Muslims. Throughout history, the government teaches people what to think about certain races, religions, and social statuses. Norms are influenced by superiors. Trepidation holds America in a tight clinch that can only be released if the ideas we are frightened about change. Whether that be from experience, persuasion or a sudden change of heart, Americans need to remove stereotypical boundaries to prevent history from mirroring itself. “ Those who do not learn history are doomed to repeat it.” - George Santayana

Muslims and Islam: Key Findings in the U.s. and Around the World Michael Lipka - https://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2017/08/09/muslims-and-islam-key-findings-in-the-u-s-and-around-the-world/

Hamid, Mohsin. Exit West. Penguin Books, 2018.

Mbue, Imbolo. Behold the Dreamers: a Novel. Random House Inc, 2017.

Political Values: Government Regulation, Environment, Immigration, Race, Views Of Islam https://www.people-press.org/2016/12/08/3-political-values-government-regulation-environment-immigration-race-views-of-islam/#perceptions-of-whether-islam-is-more-violent-than-other-religions

Introduction:

My goal for this essay was to explore the idea of moral obligation and where in American history we began neglecting that obligation towards immigrants, migrants, and refugees. I also wanted to think about what enabled people to be able to deny their obligation towards other human beings, specifically immigrants, migrants, and refugees.

Matalai Lee

Block

English 3

14 January 2020

            Obligation as it Relates to Immigration

T.M. Scanlon, a Harvard professor of Natural Religion, Moral Philosophy and Civil Polity, wrote and published a book entitled What We Owe to Each Other. His novel grapples with the topic of morality, specifically “our obligations to other people in general”. As his writing explores this subject it also evokes the question of in what situations do we act on this obligation we feel? Or when should we act on this feeling? These questions are very much relevant today with the ongoing global refugee crisis and trends of immigration and migration to the United States, and other countries over the world. As different countries alter laws and their stances on these subject matters it forces people to consider whether or not countries have an obligation to immigrants, migrants, and refugees? Specifically, does America have this obligation? For almost as long as immigration to the United States has existed, so have restrictive immigration laws. Though immigrants were coming to America from all over, in 1790 the access to US citizenship was, unsurprisingly, restricted to “free white persons” who had lived in the country for two years. The Naturalization Act of 1790 was just one of the first of many racially motivated laws regarding immigration and citizenship in the United States. The country aided “white” immigrants on their road to obtaining United States Citizenship but created laws such as the Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882, the Immigration Acts of 1891, 1917, and 1924 that established which ethnic and racial groups the United States felt obligated to help where immigration was concerned. (1924 is also the year when the United States Border Patrol is established, as the number of people immigrating illegally into the United States increased). At multiple points throughout the history of the United States, these acts were repealed and replaced by ones that broadened the limitations put on different racial groups trying to enter the US. There were many acts, signed by various United States presidents as wars raged on in other countries and more people sought refuge from their homes. Despite how America has responded to different crises over time relating to immigrants and refugees, there are still many restrictive laws and institutions in place that make the lives of immigrants and refugees, both “legal” and “illegal”, difficult. The United States uses federal agencies and arms like ICE and Border Patrol to try and control the lives of immigrants in the country. The laws and agencies that have been put in place have the sole purpose of criminalizing immigrants. The criminalization of immigrants and refugees not only justifies the lack of obligation the United States government feels towards them but also fuels our current President to introduce laws that are specifically targeting immigrants. It allows people to feel ok about treating immigrants and refugees poorly, although their generalized views of them are oftentimes false. Regardless, a large number of Americans hold these beliefs about immigrants and refugees, leading to detrimental words and actions towards them. One of the most effective ways to inform people of the truths about immigrants is through writing. Novels, articles, poems, and other mediums of publications help to illustrate the truth about immigrants and tell individual stories that inform people. Books like Behold the Dreamers, by Imbolo Mbue and Exit West by Mohsin Hamid, provide readers with a new or different perspective on the lives of immigrants. Throughout each of these books, the main characters face the strifes of moving from their homes and living in another country. Mohsin Hamid writes about two characters, Saeed and Nadia, who’s home is torn apart by war, forcing them to become refugees and travel through different countries. Saeed and Nadia had to leave behind family, culture and sacrifice any sense of stability they once had in their home country. Behold the Dreamers tells the story about a family from Cameroon, living in New York and their journey in trying to obtain permanent US citizenship. The relationships within the family suffer as the stress of trying to become a citizen begin to affect them, and their lives back in Cameroon continue happening while they’re living in New York. These books give insights to the immigrant and refugee experience that help people begin to grasp what the lives of immigrants and refugees are like. Through having a better understanding of the experiences of immigrants and refugees, it’s possible that people will begin to acknowledge that as human beings we should feel obligated to help and accept immigrants and refugees from different countries.

Works Cited

History.com Editors. “U.S. Immigration Timeline.” History.com, A&E Television Networks, 21 Dec. 2018, https://www.history.com/topics/immigration/immigration-united-states-timeline.

Scanlon, Thomas. What We Owe to Each Other. Belknap Press of Harvard University Press, 2000, https://epdf.pub/what-we-owe-to-each-other.html.

Ellis, Maliya V, and Woojin Lim. “Asking Philosopher T. M. Scanlon ‘What We Owe to Each Other’.” Asking Philosopher T. M. Scanlon ‘What We Owe to Each Other’ | Magazine | The Harvard Crimson, Fifteen Minutes, 10 Oct. 2019, https://www.thecrimson.com/article/2019/10/10/scanlon-and-the-good-place/.

Hamid, Mohsin. Exit West. Penguin Books, 2018.

Mbue, Imbolo. Behold the Dreamers: A Novel. Random House Inc, 2017.

I am writing about the nature of obligation and where it derives from. By reading this essay, I hope that it gives people a better understanding about what defines a person and the different principles that determine our decisions in life. Some will base their morals off of religion while others will be held to the comfort of their naivety. In my essay, my aim is to express the root of our obligation and how it is expressed in our interactions with people who are foreign to us.

No matter the status of our upbringings or the morals we are held to as children, we all come to an age of logic and reasoning. At this age, our cognitive decisions rest in the shadow of an influence, which is made through the teachings and biases of the ones we look up to the most. Some will learn to look at everything through a religious lens, resting every decision on the rules of God, others’ priorities will rest on the comfort of their privileges. At this age of reasoning, we are forced to apply our logic to the decisions we make and the people we meet. Sometimes, these interactions may be with people who are foreign to us and we must decide how we will accept them. With this in mind, the question is: how do these forms of logic respond to our obligation to others? And what is the reason for these responses?

Looking into the novel, Exit West, by Mohsin Hamid, it is apparent that one form of logic can develop through the nature of struggle. Although struggle is often a broad term, there is much evidence that reveals a genuine result of bonding. In this novel, the reader is introduced to Nadia and Saeed, a couple growing up in a middle eastern country, corrupted by regulation and war. As the war drags on and desperation grows exceedingly, the reader begins to notice a change in the logic of the young couple. Instead of choosing to fight back in greed and isolation from the rest, they expressed gratitude and selflessness for those around them. Several times throughout “Exit West,” the two characters experienced the loss of their family and friends. Through this loss, there held a strong sense of obligation and appreciation of the simpler things, understanding that one-day things might change for the better or the worst. “This loss unites humanity, unites every human being, the temporary nature of our being-ness, and our shared sorrow, the heartache we each carry and yet too often refuse to acknowledge in one another”. So if suffering breeds connection, what is the result of comfort? And how does this play out in our obligation to others?

Through interpreting the short story, “Return To Nigeria”, we can answer these questions. While reading this story, the author reveals the vast differences between two countries through the perspective of a Nigerian American woman named Enuma Okoro. One known for its habits of luxury and the other for its state of extreme poverty. These being America and Nigeria. Growing up in America, Okoro’s mother taught her to be ashamed of her home country and look at it as something less than her; a place dominated by the poor and riddled with violence and gangs. While living under this influence of bias, she eventually learned to hate her heritage and adapted to the American culture of her peers, accepting their ignorance. Enuma explained that Americans often didn't accept her culture and ethnic background, forcing her to adapt to theirs. Because of this, certain aspects of her life began to change; this even included her name, “We let teachers mangle our names, then adopted their mispronunciations — introducing ourselves with syllables our own relatives tripped over.” This inheritance of the American culture diluted hers. But after a short visit to her home country to honor one of her family member’s passings, everything changed. In the small town of Akunwanta, she felt a sense of belonging and reintroduction to the origin of her ancestors. Growing up in America, Okoro often felt isolated from the community she surrounded herself with. Being a Nigerian, she never truly felt accepted in the U.S. due to the differences she held from the rest. Reading Okoro’s story, the reader can notice a correlation between comfort and compulsion, seeming that it can create a sense of exclusion from those who are different from them. Being in America, people are often sheltered off from the rest of the world, therefore unable to cope with the diversity of other cultures. Through this, we can understand another form of logic constructed from the nature of ignorance.

Other times, obligation can sprout through belief, such as religion. For example, in Enrique’s Journey, while leaving his home town in Honduras in an attempt to find his mother, Enrique passes through a town well known for its Christian based principles, this being “Veracruz”. Sonia Nazario talks of the culture of the people in this town expressing the fact that many of the residents living there are heavily religious and believe it is their duty to God to treat others with compassion and empathy. In this town; according to Nations Encyclopedia, the town maintains around 85% of a religious population. Some of those living in Veracruz choose to devote their lives to the welfare of the migrants passing through to get to the US. Possibly one of the most iconic laws of Christianity is to treat others how you would like to be treated. This idea is followed through acts of “gift-giving” where the community of Veracruz lines up to the train tracks that many immigrants take to travel to the U.S. It is here that they throw food to the hungry and desperate families passing through, supplying them with fruits and bread as well as drinks such as water and coffee to help them on their way. 

Furthermore, looking deeper into the roots of our principles, we can draw several differences. While some are bred through safety and comfort, others are produced through suffering and desperation. And sometimes, people will turn to religion to teach them the morals of life. Although these forms of logic provide an overall basis for the root of our decisions, it also shapes the morals of our obligations and how we associate with the people outside of our circle of affiliation. Some may feel inclined to look at them with ignorance and separate themselves from the things that are foreign to them while others would choose to offer aid to those they don’t know. Through these forms of logic, we can understand that obligation is founded through the character of our surroundings and the principles in which we have learned to pursue.