No matter where you go, there is a high chance that you will meet an illegal resident of that country. Even with today's high security, many people still cross America’s border without the correct paperwork. When they come over, they face similar obstacles that former Okies had to deal with. “Okie” is a term used to describe the people from Oklahoma, and usually has a negative connotation. These obstacles include: being persecuted and struggling with daily life, but with these come some minor differences. Even though the Okies were legal residents of America, compared to immigrants, they too faced much persecution and containment. When the Okies came many were treated inhumanely, and were not given help by the police. If anything, the police were …show more content…
Give ‘em flush toilets, an’ they gonna want ‘em. You give them goddamn Okies stuff like that an’ they’ll want ‘em.” When this officer is talking he is describing how the Okies don’t deserve these “luxuries”, and how they shouldn’t get used to them because they don’t deserve them. Many people in California believed that they weren't human, thus treating them like they did. This hatred was also common for today’s immigrants; for example, they are spit on, given dirty looks, and are verbally abused. To contain the Okies, they were forced out of non-government camps because the people didn’t want them to become residents of California. This meant that they couldn’t receive welfare, voting rights, etc. These actions caused the Okies to very much dislike the police; this can be said for today’s immigrants as well. They don’t necessarily hate them, but since they are illegal residents; they fear any contact with the police because they don’t want to be deported back to their homeland. Even when beaten by their bosses, they are unable to retaliate for the fear of police interaction. This constant fear keeps them contained in a way that Felix Vega says," It's like being in jail." What he means is they have to stay
In Richard Rodriguez’s “Proofs,” Mexican immigrant’s destination is described, as well as their perceptions and expectations of America. Rodriguez describes the passage to the United States as difficult, yet worthy. He states: “The city will win. The city will give the children all the village could not- VCR’s, hairstyles, drum beat. The city sings mean songs, dirty songs. But the city will sing the children a great Protestant hymn.You can be anything you want to be.” He also states: “Mexico is poor. But mama says there
Joshua Davis writes how on a drive back to Phoenix there was an immigration checkpoint, “Everybody’s heart rate kicked up…and Oscar prepared for the worst. He imagined being torn from his family and dropped across the border” (107). This is a constant fear illegal immigrants live with. Since my parents and oldest brother had no papers, I lived with constant paranoia. I was scared that from one moment to the next my family will be taken from me, and that I would have to grow up in a foster home without them. This fear was always there whenever I saw police, no matter the reason police was there. Illegal immigrants wake up every day with the uncertainty if it will be last day they see their families. I felt the same fear Oscar and the boys felt that day, because it will be horrible to be separated from a
They were hungry, and they were fierce. And they had hoped to find a home, and they found only hatred. Okies—the owners hated them because the owners knew they were soft and the Okies strong, that they were fed and the Okies hungry; and perhaps they had heard from their grandfathers how easy it is to steal land from a soft man if you are fierce and hungry and armed. The owners hated them. And in the towns, the storekeepers hated them because they had no money to spend. There is no shorter path to a storekeeper’s contempt, and all his admirations are exactly opposite. The town men, little bankers, hated the Okies because there was nothing to gain from them. They had nothing. And the laboring people hated the Okies because a hungry man must work, if he has to work, the wage payer automatically gives him less for his work; and then no one can get more. (318)
Okonkwo and Rodrigo are both very action orientated and don’t think rationally about their actions or the consequences they will have. They think only about the moment and how they can do something that momentarily fixes the situation. Okonkwo wants to get rid of the white Christian now. He doesn’t care how, he just wants them dead. He even goes as far as to kill a messenger thinking it will spur the rest of the tribe on and kill with him. He doesn’t think that maybe the tribe doesn’t want to cause a fight because the repercussions will be too severe in the future. If they manage to drive this lot of white men out of their tribe it is all well, till he returns with an army. He thought too in the now and
Since farmers had lost their land and stock that left them in need of a job so they moved to California in hopes of finding a job to support their family. Californians didn’t exactly welcome the migrants, they called them “Okies” which is another meaning for dumb and lazy. Source two and paragraph three states that farmers had to migrate to california, “For many, there was nothing left to do but leave their farms and head west to California.” When Farmers lost their land and stock they also need a place to go, so they went to california with hopes of finding a job. While some farmers found jobs others were not as fortunate. Farmers were hit hard by the dust
Do you think its fair that players are credited for what they do, when cheating the game? Mark McGwire excelled at the game of baseball and got credit for all of his accomplishments, yet he cheated the game and used steroids. Babe Ruth, considered one of the greatest baseball players to play the game of baseball, who never cheated and set a great example for all who play baseball. Baseball has drastically changed over the years, especially in the cheating scandals of steroids; Babe Ruth set a great example by excelling in the sport and doing it clean, contrasting with Mark McGwire. Their existence shows how society accepted honesty and doing it the clean way in Babe’s era and how society accepts the scandals and dishonesty of Mark’s era.
One element that greatly affects an immigrant’s experience in a new country is how they are viewed and treated by the people of that country. In the article President Obama: “Immigrants and Refugees Revitalize and Renew America”, President Obama is giving a speech at a naturalization ceremony in Washington, DC. He is welcoming new citizens from many different countries. Immigration being a popular topic in America today, President Obama brought some good points about it to our attention. In the speech, President
Mary Wollstonecraft, a women’s rights advocate in the year 1792 summed it up perfectly when she said, “I do not wish them [women] to have power over men; but over themselves.” She is describing the fight within every woman in the Feminist Movement that began in the 1700’s and extended throughout the late 20th century. This powerful motion was a drive to address the debated issues of reproductive rights, domestic violence, maternity leave, equal pay, women’s suffrage, sexual harassment, and sexual violence. As time has passed, feminists have pushed extremely hard to gain equal rights and respect from their male counterparts. Unfortunately in today’s world, society still puts an emphasis on a women’s exterior beauty. They emphasize it in magazines, television commercials, and even the infamous beauty pageant. The industry of beauty pageants is growing rapidly, jeopardizing the continuous work of many women’s rights advocates, throwing away the continuing efforts for equal rights (Miss America, 2011).
Mexican immigrants in the United States are willing to work hard and long hours throughout the day regardless of the amount of sleep or rest they may get. Conversely, this is not how Efren Mendoza, a public city bus driver, views Mexicans and he believes they are not motivated to achieve things in life. One would assume that he would understand how difficult it is for immigrants to assimilate in a new foreign country without knowing anyone or anything here, but he is not on their side and it is somewhat hypocritical of him because he himself is Mexican. It is as though Efren sees his own people as invisible individuals because he does not acknowledge all their hard work and sacrifices they may have gone through in order to arrive in the United States. He further proves his insincerity when he mentions that the “new wetbacks [are] picky about what jobs they’ll do [and that they] half-ass [the] work” that they are given to do (77).
James Baldwin’s works were influenced by the times in which he lived, as an African American writer he strove for equality and used his pen to work for civil rights through elements of his childhood among other aspects.
If you are an immigrant or just want to live in one of the best counties in the world illegally, with no penalty if you get caught come to Americana. They will welcome you with open aims Just like (Fred Reed) – said in “Why Blame Mexico” (we say to impoverished Mexicans, “See this river? Don’t cross it. If you do, we’ll give you good jobs, driver’s licenses, citizenship for your kids born here, school for said kids, public assistance, governmental documents in Spanish for your convenience, and a much better future. There is no penalty for getting caught. Now, don’t cross this river, hear?” How smart is that? We’re baiting them. It’s like putting out a salt lick and then complaining when deer come. Immigrant parents would be irresponsible not
In Things Fall Apart, during Okonkwo 's seven years exile, he went back to his motherland. "It 's true that a child belongs to its father. But when a father beats his child, it seeks sympathy in its mother 's hut. A man belongs o his fatherland when things are good and life is sweet. But when there is sorrow and bitterness he finds refuge in his motherland." (Things Fall Apart 48) Okonkwo accidently killed a clan member, his personal rank changed from a respected warrior to an exile. And his societal conditions also changes, sine he is being punished, he cannot live in his own clan, he is forced to moved, a societal change occurred around
Sailors attacked and violently stripped many young men of their clothes and dignity, my brother included. After some time, sailors began attacking any Chicano youth they saw, regardless of their clothes. What was once a fight between zoot-suiters and sailors became a racialized war between white sailors and citizens and Mexican-Americans. These racially charged riots deeply affected the Chicano youth, we felt as though everyone was against us. During the riots, the Los Angeles Police Department was seen siding alongside the sailors, only arresting Chicano youth. This favoritism was prevalent during the entirety of these uprisings, they saw us as gang-members, trying to corrupt the city. After the riots ended, police officers were still seen actively discriminating against the pachucos, they made wearing the zoot suit punishable by law, which eventually led to the abrupt end of the zoot suit trend. Ultimately, the events that took place during the riots led the harm of many innocent Mexican-American
Before they go to the US, they have an idealized image of the US in their minds. They are pushed out of their own country due to systemic violence and have seen images of the US in magazines that make life there look glamorous. They risk everything they have—including their own lives—to get to “The North” because they view it as a land of wealth and opportunity. However, when they actually make it to LA, things aren’t quite as they imagined. They struggle to find and keep jobs, they live in constant worry of being caught,
In a child’s life there are many things that can effect school achievement. One of the most common talked about things is parental involvement. However, something that might be just as important is the income of a child’s family. There are several reasons why income is important. Higher income families usually live in better neighborhoods which means better schools. An higher income can also mean more educational programs available to a child, and the ability to choice a school. These are some factors on why family income is important in school achievement.