Summary Of First Crossing By Pam Munoz Ryan

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“My fellow Americans, we are and always will be a nation of immigrants. We were strangers once, too” (Barack Obama). (Insert Title Here) The history of the United States of America is founded on immigration; after all, the natives in the country originally were pushed out by European settlers. Throughout the years since America was settled the majority of our population has become immigrants. When searching through family trees, almost all of the genealogy leads back to another country of origin. The short narrative, “First Crossing” by Pam Munoz Ryan, follows a young man, Marco, and his Papa through their struggles of trying to get into the United States of America. Marco and Papa are trying to smuggle themselves into the country so they can provide for their family back in Tijuana, Mexico. After many failed attempts, they make it through, successfully reach America, and begin their new lives in the new country. Ryan illuminates the idea that immigrants are searching for work in order to provide for their families. Although this may be true, …show more content…

However, I believe she uses a young male to play one of the main characters, Marco, to portray a certain aspect of immigration from a youthful perspective. Marco hasn’t has as many failed attempts to get into America as his older companion Papa has; therefore, he is still very hopeful in his journey to the U.S.. At the end of the narrative, Papa and Marco are about to be dropped off to their final destination of the journey and Marco is watching all of the other vehicles pass them by on the freeway: “They were all headed somewhere in the United States of America. Marco wondered how many were headed to a whole new world” (First Crossing 93). Marco is now letting himself wonder about the fate of other’s lives and if any of those people are just like him, searching for a fresh

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