Ganas! Ganas was what Enrique showed on his deadly journey that would reunite him with his mother in the U.S. Enrique was required to endure obstacles which the usual individual may not have been able to mentally withstand. “ganas” a hispanic word that represents guts, true grit, and one of my favorite determination. This is the word that describes the immigrants mentality when going on this “Hell Train”. Enrique was one of many children left abandoned by his mother at a young age. Like millions of others children enrique’s need for his mother's affection and nurturing grew and grew more over the years, a need that psychologically affected Enrique. As a young age enrique vividly remembered what his mother had promised him, and that was to return during christmas time. So every christmas Enrique would wake up every morning and instantly like an alarm clock …show more content…
In comparison to Enrique’s journey my college career is also about going from one place to the other. True grit and dedication as showed by enrique, is what i must keep in my head at all times while on my college journey. As a freshman in college i am fresh meat trying to survive the classes, hard work, and homework given in college. Like Enrique going on this journey, i am stepping into the unknown and making a sacrifice for my future and my family. Right now i may not know what i want to be but i know one thing, and that is to graduate and become successful. Along the way i will fall and be stress but that is all part of my journey. Sonia Nazario gives us this image in Enrique’s Journey: “They are out of money. They have passed through cold, heat, hunger. They slump in their seats, weak (page 60).”These obstacles was something Enrique overcame while on his way to the US. This mournful passage by Sonia Nazario shows how determined enrique was to reach the US. This is determination and perseverance is something i will incorporate in my four years in
Enrique decides to set out on a journey to reunite with his mother in the US. It takes eight attempts over four months to finally reach her. The first seven times he is robbed, beaten, and deported again and again, yet never gives up. Like most migrants, much of Enrique's journey is atop a freight train, but there are many dangers between Honduras and the US. If migrants aren’t killed by the trains themselves, they must worry about the gangsters, bandits, and robbers beating, robbing, raping, and even killing migrants. Just as dangerous are the corrupt police called la migra that do whatever they want to immigrants before deporting them. On the bright side Enrique meets a variety of people on his journey, many attempting the same voyage he is. They share their stories and advice about where to go and where to avoid.
Throughout Enrique’s many attempts at successfully making his way by train to the border between the United States and Mexico, he has encountered people who were more concerned with stopping and harming the travelers rather than ensuring their wellbeing. Therefore this imagery during the journey part of the novel helps to provide the reader with the sense that not everyone in Mexico is out to get the people who are trying to obtain a better
Enrique’s Journey is a book that I would never read for fun. It is completely different from most of the books I have read, and intrigued me because the story was about a boy. Most of the books I have read in school are about a girl who goes through many hardships, and difficulties but I felt I could relate more to this one because it is about a boy who struggles. While I may not have been left thousands of miles away by mother so she could send money back, it was great to see what life was like on the other side. In this paper I will be talking about the micro and macro cultures of Enrique’s town Tegucigalpa. The situation and context of the characters decision making and how they adapted.
He feels that students who want to fit in finds a sense of haven in a college where there are limitless possibilities of being part of a group of “us” rather then them. “Throughout human history, most people have lived around some definable place – tribal ring, river junction, or Town Square. The reality is that modern suburbia is merely the latest iteration of the American dream, David Brooks” Before the construction of the first transcontinental railroad so called the pacific railroad many people lived within the resources of the town square, on the contrary people seek to find something new for them self as a means of traveling to the outer most terrains to express freedom to freely go as they please. In addition the similarities between a sense of us and the freedom of individuals who feel the need to go beyond the borders of their comfort zone is expressed through their decision to face uncertainty weather the choices they made is beneficial or
The push-and-pull factors in Enrique’s yearn for the U.S not only allows him to rediscover himself as an individual in a world of uncertainty, it also eliminates his constant fear of failing as a promising human being; in addition exhibits the undying hope of a desperate man found in hopeful migrants. In Sonia Nazario’s “Enrique’s Journey,” his mother’s trip streamed “emptiness” into the heart of a once comfortable child and left him to “struggle” to hold memories they shared. Enrique’s life after Lourdes’ departure triggered the traumatizing demise of his identity. He threw this broken identity away while facing many obstacles, nevertheless each endea...
Like many other migrants, Enrique had many troubles with his mother too. When Enrique first arrived to the U.S., Enrique and his mother’s relationship was going well. Lourdes was proud of Enrique for finding a job as a painter and sander. Lourdes would always brag to her friends that Enrique is her son and that he’s big and a miracle. However, Enrique starts going to a pool hall without asking Lourdes’s permission which makes her upset. Enrique often yells obscenities and mother tells him not to, but Enrique tells Lourdes that nobody can change who he is.
Enrique and many other Central American kids have a hard life. They come to America where they think their mothers will magically solve their problems because their mothers are supposed to be perfect. Enrique and others realize this isn’t true and goes on to accept it. Migrants resent their mothers a little bit, but come to start loving them as the migrants did before their mothers left. Migrants also learn about life lessons on the trains. Migrants learn that people should not be trusted, but not all people are bad. The migrants just have to learn which people are bad and which aren’t. Migrants also learned that you shouldn’t have high expectations of everything and also that you shouldn’t put your problems on one person and expect them to go away. You have to figure life out on your own.
Family, education and a person’s opportunities are significant elements that collectively define an individual, as demonstrated by both Wes Moore’s. Depending on the opportunities offered to you and whether you decide to take advantage of them through hard work and persistence will result in your success or failure in the end. Wes Moore explains “The chilling truth is that his story could have been mine. The tragedy is that my story could have been his” goes to show that certain factors affect how you will be as an adult regardless of similar or differentiating backgrounds. (Moore xi).
When they first arrived to the United States their only hopes were that they would have a better life and that there were better special education programs for Maribel to attend at Evers. Alma imagined that the buildings would look a lot nicer than they really were. The family was surprised that they could take things from the street that someone threw out of their house, but were in working condition. When they arrived they didn’t think that you would actually have to learn English to be able to communicate, but after going to stores and interacting with people they learned that they need to learn English if they want to live in America. They hoped that you could be able to afford anything in America by working, but based off of the money Arturo was making they learned that you can’t buy everyth...
Throughout life we go through many stepping stones, Maya Angelou's autobiographical essay "Graduation", was about more than just moving on to another grade. The unexpected events that occurred during the ceremony enabled her to graduate from the views of a child to the more experienced and sometimes disenchanting views of an adult. Upon reading the story there is an initial feeling of excitement and hope which was quickly tarnished with the abrupt awareness of human prejudices. The author vividly illustrates a rainbow of significant mood changes she undergoes throughout the story.
He found several works before joining Gattaca, but as his father had told him, as a cleaner. He had never been closer to his dream. Nevertheless at that time, he had never felt farther from it. But still full of will, he did not stop his efforts: intensive trainings, intensive studies and no social life. Thinking he was ready, he applied for a job and obtained an interview. Then he understood that his efforts would never be enough. The compa...
That journey means that every day is a new change or a new transformation of who she is, and where she is going. She also highlights the idea throughout the text that the journey is one that everyone must take in order to discover themselves. Thus, the essay or story is about self discovery at its most basic. Understanding this allows the reader to see the importance of curiosity, of asking questions, and of heading into the unknown without questioning the journey
Rodriguez reminisces his times spent in school and how they have affected his life, both positively and negatively; he has discovered that by leaving his family for school work he has left behind a pivotal part of his personal education, which is arguably just as important as formal education. He also tells about how he viewed his teachers much more highly than his parents, as though they were the only people that you can learn from. What he failed to see until it was too late was that his parents had just as much to teach him as his college professors. Rodriguez sees his faults ultimately because he is educated, a rather strange paradox. Without his ability to appreciate his “scholarship boy” education, he would not be able to appreciate all the sacrifices his parents made to ensure that he was happy in his ability to learn. Rodriguez shares with his readers a common challenge for all students: to find a delicate balance between our types of learning. Students who have had the opportunity to have a formal education know this type of balance all too well as they slowly separate themselves from home life and strive to think and be more like their peers. Rodriguez shares the idea that there is so much more to education that sitting in a desk waiting to be spoon-fed information. All of Rodriguez’s decisions, all decisions of students in general, come at a cost; the cost sometimes
If everyone thinks that without struggle, it is easy to obtain their goals that is entirely false. Struggle comes from the progress of our success and achievement. It is an indication that we poured all of our time and patience into the things we pursue. Jeannette Walls, the author of The Glass Castle, explain her struggles. She survives by finding foods from the trash can and earns money by babysitting, exchanging scrap metal, finding jobs, and from her parents. As a graduating student from high school, receiving my diploma is an indication that I ...
But, In December 2004, I embarked on the most astonishing adventure of my entire life. Passing high school exam was the magic password of my life experience. Yeah, I shouted loud, yeah, yeah, I passed, now that I have graduated I can traveled. I received a student visa for South Korean one month later. It was a total relief. I whispered in mom’s ears “I have a visa.” The look on mom face changed, she cried, I cried, we both cried for joy. What? She replied with a big surprise on her face. Yes, it’s a new life outset; I have to go for an adventure for a better life. I always refer to Oprah Winfried words, “The biggest adventure you can take is to live the life of your dream.” nonetheless, what does it take to live the dream life?