In Mexico, it is normal for people to attempt to cross the border north, in hopes for a better life. The Devil’s Highway by Luis Alberto Urrea, an award-winning piece of investigative journalism, is a multifaceted look on the issue of Mexican migration and the factors involved; be it the border patrol, the United States and Mexican governments and their policies, and the Coyotes, a criminal organization known for human smuggling. Urrea’s text tells the story of a group of illegal Mexican immigrants known as the Welton 26, and their Coyote guide: Mendez, charged for the suffering of these 26 men and the deaths of Yuma 14, who cross the border and enter the perilous region known as the Devil’s Highway, a barren desert known for its inhospitable, …show more content…
Firstly, the book The Devil’s Highway by Luis Alberto, being the dominant source of information used to support the conclusion. The 800 Mile Wall directed by John Carlos Frey, a film on the effects of the US government's border policies, and the methods they implemented on stopping and deterring illegal immigration. The Other Side of Immigration, directed by Roy Germano, a look at the Mexican perspective on immigration, their economy, and why they would want to immigrate. After a thorough examination of the source, a conclusion regarding which party is reprehensible for the deaths of the Yuma 14, and for the larger issues resulting from migration as a whole. While it is often believed that Mendez is to blame for occurred, due to the crucial mistakes he made which lead to the suffering of the Welton 26, and the deaths of the Yuma 14. While certain groups do deserve a blame for their actions, ultimately the group's holding the most blame for this specific tragedy, and migration as a whole is the United States government and the Mexican …show more content…
The Coyotes are a criminal organization, specializing in human smuggling across the border. The Coyotes treat their guides and clients as expendable, for “every week, walkers are left to die by their [guides]. It is so common that it must be seen as a standard Coyote practice. A business move.” (Urrea 68). And there are many instances where Coyote guides cause the deaths of the people of those they were guiding, as well as bystanders. The Coyotes extort people for whatever they can, taking their money and land, and threaten the lives of families of those who cannot pay. While the Coyotes have committed heinous deeds, and are a major factor in the suffering of the Welton 26, as being the organization that recruited them, they were merely a result of much larger issues at play. The existence and growth of the Coyotes as a human smuggling organization is a product of Mexican people’s desire to immigrate
The World Fair of 1933 brought promise of new hope and pride for the representation of Chicago, America. As Daniel Burnham built and protected America’s image through the pristine face of the fair, underlying corruption and social pollution concealed themselves beneath Chicago’s newly artificial perfection. Erik Larson’s The Devil in the White City meshes two vastly different stories within 19th century America and creates a symbolic narrative about the maturing of early Chicago.
In Borderlands, the realities of what happens by the border instill the true terror that people face every day. They are unable to escape and trapped in a tragic situation. After reading my three classmates’ papers, I was able to learn a lot more about this piece than I originally encountered just on my own. I was able to read this piece in a completely new light and expand on ideas that I did not even think of.
Politics create a perception that illegal immigrants are all horrid human beings and deserve to be deported back to Mexico. There are a number of Mexicans who look to cross the border to the United States because they are in trouble and they must do whatever they can in order to survive. Regardless of this, citizens of the United States immediately ask for the heads of illegal immigrants and jump to conclusions that these people are crude and selfish although they are just trying to support their families. Luis Alberto Urrea tackles this problem regarding Mexicans attempting to cross the border in his book, The Devil 's Highway: A True Story. Urrea retells the story of the Yuma 14, also known as the Welton 26, and their attempt to cross the
In a story of identity and empowerment, Juan Felipe Herrera’s poem “Borderbus” revolves around two Honduran women grappling with their fate regarding a detention center in the United States after crawling up the spine of Mexico from Honduras. While one grapples with their survival, fixated on the notion that their identities are the ultimate determinant for their future, the other remains fixated on maintaining their humanity by insisting instead of coming from nothingness they are everything. Herrera’s poem consists entirely of the dialogue between the two women, utilizing diction and imagery to emphasize one’s sense of isolation and empowerment in the face of adversity and what it takes to survive in America.
The article by Rob Guerette is a case study involving the widely-reported increase of immigration into the United States. It tackles migration issues as well as related issues such as border security , security initiatives by individuals.. The article also provides in-depth research about the impact of illegal immigration into the United States including migrant deaths, deaths of non-migrants at the border, border security and the challenges faced by United States border patrol officers. The main purpose of the article was to provide an explanation as to whether the Border Patrol has any effect in saving the lives of people attempting to enter into the United States (Guerette, 2007).
Can you imagine yourself locked up in a room with no doors? Similar to a room with no doors, there is no way out of hell if it was one's destiny. In the short story "The Devil & Tom Walker" by Washington Irving, the main character's fate is hell because of his wrong decisions in life, accepting a deal with the devil for earthly benefits. Irving reinforces his message about not making decisions that may damn your soul with the use of literary elements and figurative language. Wisely, Irving combines characterization, mood and point of view to perpetuate the theme of the story in the reader's mind.
The author is using personal experience to convey a problem to his or her audience. The audience of this piece is quite broad. First and foremost, Mexican-Americans just like the author. People who can relate to what the author has to say, maybe someone who has experienced something similar. The author also seems to be seeking out an audience of white Americans who find themselves unaware of the problem at our borders. The author even offers up a warning to white America when she notes, “White people traveling with brown people, however, can expect to be stopped on suspicion they work with the sanctuary movement”(125). The purpose of this writing is to pull out a problem that is hidden within or society, and let people see it for what it is and isn’t.
Located near current day Fairchance, Pennsylvania, Devil’s Hill is a near-forgotten geographical feature. However, during America’s early colonial period, the hill was said to be the spot of great conflict between the Devil and the Native American Indians who lived throughout the region.
Conover, Ted. 2000 “Coyotes: A Journey through the Secret World of America's Illegal Aliens” Publisher: Knopf Publishing Group.
Furthermore, another concept depicted in The Devil’s Highway is “The U.S.-Mexico Border as a Place of Danger” which is found in chapter five of Governing Immigration Through Crime. This concept describes the danger of the border for immigrants, invasion and increased the form of patrol and technology to fight illegal entry. This concept describes how immigrants are coming to the United States and it is viewed as an invasion. According to Dowling and Inda (2013), an invasion is interpreted as “a metaphor that evokes a sense of crisis related to an attack on the sovereign territory of the nation. Invasion is an act of war and puts the nation and its people at great risk” (Dowling & Inda, 2013). The United States feared the damage that could happen
Ruben Martinez was fascinated with the tragedy of three brothers who were killed when the truck carrying them and 23 other undocumented migrants across the Mexico – United States border turned over in a high-speed chase with the U.S. Border Patrol. “Crossing Over: A Mexican Family on the Migrant Trail” is a story about crossing and life in the United States.
The Tortilla Curtain by T.C. Boyle is about 2 families, the Mossbacher’s and the Rincon’s, and their intertwining lives. The Mossbacher’s are a liberal couple living in a gated community, whereas the Rincon’s are illegal immigrants trying to make a life for themselves in America. Throughout the book, T.C. Boyle uses a lot of different types of figurative language and literary tools, none as prominent the image of a coyote. T.C. Boyle uses the image of the coyote to symbolize immigration, immigrants struggle for survival, and immigrants being unwanted.
Good and Evil in The Devil and Tom Walker The concept of evil in the short story "The Devil and Tom Walker" can be shown in many ways, by Irvings' symbolism. In the short story, Tom Walker symbolizes all of mankind by portraying him as being "sinful" and evil. When there is an intent to destroy, then we get a different level of hatred.
This story details how the disappearance of a triplet affects a family, more so twins; Elsie and Mika. While trying to keep her parents from living as emotional wrecks, Elsie visits her sister Mika in her new home of Miami. Elsie realizes that Mika is not the same as she once remembered. She notices the luxury trips, high-scale material items, blonde hair, and even a dying guinea pig. After hours of catching up and shopping, the twins head to a yacht party headed by Mika’s boyfriend, Mitch. While sailing off the coast of Florida into the Bermuda Triangle, Elsie finds Mika after losing her to various men on the boat who teased her. The Devil’s Triangle is a story about twins that not only deal with the missing of their triplet but the missing
In the story, there are allegories lessons to learn about humankind, devil, faith, and nature. This story teaches us many lessons about life. Humankind is represented in the story as being human can be a good or bad thing that is in each of us. We can learn that many people can be honest and friendly, but can also be mean and dangerous they can even hurt others. In the story, it also teaches us a big lesson by not playing around with the devil. He was not displayed of being fighting of his threat, but rather calmer because the devil, was more view as good until the end of the story. We should watch our back with who we think is our friend. The devil is showed as an adversary of man and obstacle to goods. The devil was respected as a good thing, but was a bad thing until the end and it traps you. The evil from the people he meets in the woods as they were trying to separate him from his wife and the awful things they went through.