In the novel, “The Book of Unknown Americans,” by Cristina Henriquez, she writes about the life of peoples migrating from Mexico, Guatemala, Panama, Venezuela and many similar Spanish-speaking countries to the United States. This novel talks in deep about the hardships faced by such peoples. Many characters are involved to make this story interesting. But the story mainly revolves around Alma and Mayor. Alma is married to Arturo Rivera and belongs to Mexico. Also, she is the mother of Maribel. Basically, she is the one who cares for the betterment of her family first rather than other materialistic things around her. She is a great character with many redeeming qualities who sincerely plays her role as a supportive wife and as a dutiful mother. The …show more content…
Maribel slipped off the ladder and suffered a critical brain injury. Alma constantly took care of her in every aspect. “She woke up every morning and knelt on the floor, praying to God to heal her” (Alma 104). For her betterment, she made Arturo agree to move to the United States as there were many special educational institutes for slow children like Maribel. She would daily accompany her when she got down from the school bus. Alma had put restrictions on Maribel’s going out, only Mayor, their neighbor’s son, was allowed to meet her that too in her house or Mayor’s. She tried her best to help Maribel in her homework. She started taking English classes at the Community House for Maribel’s benefit. “Maybe I would even learn enough to be able to help Maribel with her homework” (Alma 58). I could easily relate Alma’s role as to my mother who struggled a lot to help me reach at this point. She against the will of my family stood firm to send me to the United States for my carrier and helped me as much as she could in every phase of my life. It is clear that Alma fulfilled her duty as a mother to take care of her child’s best
The house that Alma currently lives in is impoverished with unfinished kitchen counters that are made of plywood. These are frequently standard living conditions for individuals that identify with a lower socio-economic status within society. Similar to her daughter Yadira, Alma and her husband Tomas are the corporate to the illegal status Yadira has inherited. The focal point that bridges the gap between legal and illegal status immigrants presents the opportunity when Congress passed the Immigration Reform and Control Act. By enacting the previous, Tomas has the ability to attain a legal status finally and receives the necessary assistance to do so from a ranch owner who currently employs him as a ranch hand. Due to the diligence and work ethic Tomas displays, he successfully earns his green card and later applies for legal status for his wife and children (Thorpe
Malintzin was an indigenous woman of Nahua who, despite all odds, thrived throughout the Spanish conquest of the Americas. The story of Malintzin is beautifully and elegantly portrayed in Camilla Townsend’s novel, Malintzin’s Choices. Townsend discusses the life of Malintzin and debunks the myths associated with the era of conquest, as well as signifies the grandeur manifested within her time period. In determining Malintzin’s unique characteristics which allowed her survive and prosper throughout the conquest of mexico, one must assess the social, political, and psychological feats depicted through Malintzin’s journey. The traits that led to Malintzin to her uttermost success prevailed through: her intelligence, her charm and beauty, her loyalty, and her courage. Thus, the life of Malintzin does, in fact, represent a story that should inspire and exhilarate those who espouse for the ideals of growth and prosperity.
The author of Mexican Lives, Judith Adler Hellman, grapples with the United States’ economic relationship with their neighbors to the south, Mexico. It also considers, through many interviews, the affairs of one nation. It is a work held to high esteem by many critics, who view this work as an essential part in truly understanding and capturing Mexico’s history. In Mexican Lives, Hellman presents us with a cast from all walks of life. This enables a reader to get more than one perspective, which tends to be bias. It also gives a more inclusive view of the nation of Mexico as a whole. Dealing with rebel activity, free trade, assassinations and their transition into the modern age, it justly captures a Mexico in its true light.
In the short story “America and I” by Anzia Yezierska, the author talks about a girl who came to America looking for the “American dream” and also trying to escape from Russia, which she calls prison. This nameless girl feels “beaten out of [her heart],” suffocated in Russia, like she couldn’t get out of her impoverished lifestyle there. She tried to adjust to living in America because she’s from a different culture and environment and she asks many questions to help herself out but then she realizes that she is not an American and never will be. She ends up working with a Russian family as a servant. Then, later on she worked in a sweatshop and got fired. She had low thoughts about
In the story "Like Mexicans", Gary Soto explains how his grandmother was an influence in his life. She would always give him advice; both good and bad. One of her good advice was that he should marry a woman of a certain race. Soto 's grandmother raised him believing his future wife should be Mexican. She gave him reasons why a Mexican girl would make a great wife. His mother agrees and supports the idea. For years, he was in search of his brown girl. He was infatuated with the idea of finally finding a nice Mexican girl. Later he realizes that his mother wanted him to marry someone of his own social class--a poor girl. But surprisingly, he doesn’t marry a Mexican girl. He married a Japanese girl. He was in love with her. But after seeing his mother and grandmother worry about his decision, he starts
This novel is a story of a Chicano family. Sofi, her husband Domingo together with their four daughters – Esperanza, Fe, Caridad, and Loca live in the little town of Tome, New Mexico. The story focuses on the struggles of Sofi, the death of her daughters and the problems of their town. Sofi endures all the hardships and problems that come her way. Her marriage is deteriorating; her daughters are dying one by one. But, she endures it all and comes out stronger and more enlightened than ever. Sofi is a woman that never gives up no matter how poorly life treats her. The author- Ana Castillo mixes religion, super natural occurrences, sex, laughter and heartbreak in this novel. The novel is tragic, with no happy ending but at the same time funny and inspiring. It is full of the victory of the human spirit. The names of Sofi’s first three daughters denote the three major Christian ideals (Hope, Faith and Charity).
Bestseller journalist, Sonia Nazario, in her literacy non-fiction, Enrique’s Journey, describes a young man’s journey trying to reconcile with his mother in the United States, but has to go through many obstacles to reach her. Nazario’s purpose is to inform readers about how immigration affects children and their mothers in Central America. She adopts an optimistic/determined tone in order to reveal to her readers the difficulty and bravery the children have to face to get to the United States. Nazario begins her credibility with ethos to retrace an abandon teenager’s journey through Central America, pathos to follow the mother son relationship, and logos by giving facts and statistics for illegal immigrants in the U.S.
interesting conversation because there were a lot similarities in adjusting to living in the United States . This book shows a viewpoint of the sisters coming to America . I classify this as American literature because the book was written in a style that would make it easy to read for a people to read here . There is mixed language , and there is really no strong presence of Spanish being spoken . Alvarez is a interesting writer because she uses writing as a tool to find out what she is thinking , and to understand things ,while developing books that are fun to read . If you take this book for example , it’s what she thinks about immigration and her understanding of the subject . This book was made for everyone to see what the immigration experience is like . Immigration appears to be an experience of struggle , and change shared by immigrants no matter what the origin .
Ruiz, Vicki L. From out of the Shadows: Mexican Women in Twentieth-century America. New York:
Over the past few decades, research on women has gained new momentum and a great deal of attention. Susan Socolow’s book, The Women of Colonial Latin America, is a well-organized and clear introduction to the roles and experiences of women in colonial Latin America. Socolow explicitly states that her aim is to examine the roles and social regulations of masculinity and femininity, and study the confines, and variability, of the feminine experience, while maintaining that sex was the determining factor in status. She traces womanly experience from indigenous society up to the enlightenment reforms of the 18th century. Socolow concentrates on the diverse culture created by the Europeans coming into Latin America, the native women, and African slaves that were imported into the area. Her book does not argue that women were victimized or empowered in the culture and time they lived in. Socolow specifies that she does her best to avoid judgment of women’s circumstances using a modern viewpoint, but rather attempts to study and understand colonial Latin American women in their own time.
Furthermore from paragraph 8 (page 69) "If he had married a white woman from el otro lado..." helps to understand how two different cultures and their conflicting stereotypes can damage relations with the Mexican-American race. She also mentioned on how her father, a native Mexican married down by marrying her Mexican-American mother.
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...
Love is powerful and could change a person’s personality. In “The Book of Unknown Americans”, the author Christina Hernriquez tells us the definition of love. It is a book combined with different stories but each story is connected to others. It talks about the immigrants that moved to America with lots of hope, but didn’t end up with a happy ending. The story is about love, hope and guilt and different kinds of emotional feeling. In the book, Mayor has an internal change because of Maribel, and the power of love. He wants to be a strong man who can protect Maribel. He used to be someone who couldn’t defend himself and he changed because of Maribel.
The struggle to find a place inside an un-welcoming America has forced the Latino to recreate one. The Latino feels out of place, torn from the womb inside of America's reality because she would rather use it than know it (Paz 226-227). In response, the Mexican women planted the seeds of home inside the corral*. These tended and potted plants became her burrow of solace and place of acceptance. In the comfort of the suns slices and underneath the orange scents, the women were free. Still the questions pounded in the rhythm of street side whispers. The outside stare thundered in pulses, you are different it said. Instead of listening she tried to instill within her children the pride of language, song, and culture. Her roots weave soul into the stubborn soil and strength grew with each blossom of the fig tree (Goldsmith).
Alma's internal dialogue is that of a worried mother. Throughout the book, she is always