Dasha Lagutkina Dr. Hoffmann Writing 106-J4 April 26, 2024 Elimination or Limitation of the Single Story How people perceive the world is constantly evolving; their outlook changes based on their personal narrative and experiences. This interplay between individual history and societal norms gives rise to the concept of a "single story," a notion explored in Luis Urrea’s novel The Devil’s Highway and Judith Butler’s analytical book Precarious Life. Butler argues that “Reality is not conveyed by what is represented within the image, but through the challenge to representation that reality delivers” (Butler 140), underscoring the difficulties in capturing the complete narrative rather than a singular one. This challenge lies at the heart of presenting …show more content…
Ultimately, the dialogue between these texts prompts readers to question whether completely avoiding a single narrative is possible, or if it can only be decreased to an extent. The concept explored in Precarious Life, where one person imposes their own narrative on another based on personal experiences, resonates throughout Luis Urrea’s The Devil’s Highway. This is vividly illustrated through the evolving perspectives of the Border Patrol in contrast to the migrants. As we delve into The Devil’s Highway, we witness a transformation in how the Border Patrol is portrayed, reflecting the diverse viewpoints through which they are perceived. Initially seen by the migrants as threatening cowboys, the Border Patrol is viewed as a disruptive force, disrupting the lives of those attempting to cross the border. However, as the narrative unfolds, we encounter the perspective of a Border Patrol agent, Mike F., who sees his colleagues not as oppressors, but as dedicated individuals carrying out their …show more content…
Their lives are deemed unworthy of the extra effort required to locate and rescue them, illustrating how the development of a single, particularly negative narrative, strips individuals of their humanity, rendering them invisible and disposable. The consequences of this dehumanization extend well beyond the pages of Urrea’s narrative, resonating with broader societal attitudes towards migrants and other marginalized communities. In conclusion, as we explore Judith Butler’s ideas in Precarious Life alongside Luis Urrea’s novel in The Devil’s Highway, a profound insight emerges; while completely eliminating the single story may not be possible, however by delving into an individual's full story one can become aware that all members of any generalized group have their own full story to tell. By examining how narratives are constructed and their impact on societal understanding, we gain valuable insights into the workings of power within society. Additionally, we are prompted to confront the biases and prejudices that shape our perceptions of others, pushing us to seek a deeper, more empathetic understanding of the human
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.
Devil in the Grove is a non-fictional book written by Gilbert King. King’s purpose throughout the book is to take an outside look on Thurgood Marshall’s life and the story of the Groveland Boys. Although, at first, the organization may cause the reader to feel that the story jumps around, in the end one should realize how its organization helped build the themes of this book.
The Devil in the White City is a literary nonfiction novel that is centered around the World’s Fair in Chicago. The subtitle of The Devil in the White City is “Murder, Magic, and Madness at the Fair that Changed America.” As Erik Larson describes so vividly, the fair did just that. From the way electricity is distributed through homes, to the length of our working hours or days in a week, to cultural icons, and amusement parks. There is a brief but fascinating link between the Fair and other inventions today. The White City, as some would call it, was described as the scenery of the gleaming white colored buildings that soared into the sky and its majestic beauty. The book has the inspiration to combine two distantly related late-19th century stories into a narrative that is anything but bizarre.
The Salem witch craft trials are the most learned about and notable of Europe's and North America's witch hunts. Its notoriety and fame comes from the horrendous amount of people that were not only involved, but killed in the witch hunt and that it took place in the late 1700's being one of the last of all witch hunts. The witch craft crises blew out of control for several reasons. Firstly, Salem town was facing hard economic times along with disease and famine making it plausible that the only explanation of the town's despoilment was because of witches and the devil. As well, with the stimulation of the idea of witch's from specific constituents of the town and adolescent boredom the idea of causing entertainment among the town was an ever intriguing way of passing time.
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.
Immigration and crime can often time combine due to the laws that are continuously created. The membership theory presented by Juliet Stumpf in chapter 2 of Governing Immigration Through Crime. Membership theory proposes that a person’s rights and privileges are only obtainable to those who are a part of a social contract with the government (Dowling & Inda, 2013, p. 60). It is believed that positive actions can occur when this takes place. Now, the membership theory uses two tools of the sovereign state for this to be achieved: the power to punish and the power to express moral condemnation (Dowling & Inda,2013, p. 60). When applying this belief to immigration law, legal and illegal have stringent explanations between them. As stated
He wants his readers to know that Mexico 's economy is nowhere near the level of the United States and this causes their people to go through such torture just to cross the border. Throughout his book, Urrea focuses a considerable amount of time on the gangs that offer their services to Mexicans looking to cross the border. These guides or "coyotes" that guide these people, betrays them whenever the going gets tough or border patrol is seen. Betrayal is a common theme that is seen throughout The Devil 's Highway and it is a theme that Urrea tries to entrench in the heads of his readers. Another main point that is focused on in the book is the dangers of Arizona and the despair that comes with the deserts there. The heat of the deserts and the toll it takes on those who cross it frequently appears throughout The Devil 's Highway. All these main points that Urrea discusses throughout his story are all similar. In the end, all of these main points are used to describe how difficult the Mexicans have it. From the difficult economy in Mexico to being easily exploited for money to risk their life in the hot, deadly desert of Arizona, Urrea attempts to cement the point that these illegal immigrants are humans as well. He wants his readers to know that these Mexicans are just trying to survive economically like everyone else does in the
Under what circumstances would you go through to better and provide for your family? Would you embark on these six deadly sins above to just get a simple loaf of bread on the table? There is no solid blame or black and white definite answer throughout this novel, The Devil’s Highway. The author Luis Alberto Urrea takes his readers to different perspectives and offers different points of view whether you appear to be a walker, coyote, or the border control on the topic of illegal immigration. Being that Urrea puts the reader in each person shoe’s and truly sees what immense, harsh, conditions for example these immigrants had to go through. Again there is no solid blame or black and white answers, both sides are at fault and in need of a solution to the problem.
Literary magazines were not remotely interested in publishing Gilb’s stories, which focus primarily on the professional and personal struggles of working-class Mexican Americans. But his unapologetic stories about working-class Mexican Americans have made him a voice of his people (Reid130). Gilb’s short stories are set vividly in cites of the desert Southwest and usually feature a Hispanic protagonist who is good-hearted but often irresponsible and is forever one pink slip or automotive breakdown away from disaster (Reid130).
Martinez, Oscar. Border People: Life and Society in the U.S.-Mexico Borderlands. (Tucson: The University of Arizona Press, 1994), 232.
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.
Written during the American Romanticism period, “The Devil and Tom Walker,” by William Irving, personifies the belief in the primacy of imagination. The period of Romanticism in America is often seen as the crucial period of American culture, as it was the central movement of the Renaissance period that moved into a more free-feeling and artistic approach to literature. American Gothic literature made its early appearance with William Irving, first with “The Legend of Sleepy Hollow” in 1820, and carrying over to “The Devil and Tom Walker” in 1824, both of which use a macabre approach to establish a moral ending (Matterson). Told by a narrator known as Geoffrey Crayon, “The Devil and Tom Walker” takes on the tone of a legend or tall tale as the story describes the life of a greedy money lender by the name of Tom Walker, who sales his soul to the devil to gain wealth. Irving ultimately uses literary elements such as symbolism and character development, as well as including themes such as greed and hypocrisy to establish a moral to the corrupt man’s tale.
A lot of these operations didn’t seem to be condemned by the government in many people's eyes because these operations had gained a lot of money which in turn would make a lot of border patrols turn their heads in the opposite direction when the time came for people to cross the border. This chapter presents real statements that have been the reason why people opposed the Mexican government. I sympathize with some of the harsh situations that Mexicans have to endure. The second page of Chapter 3 starts with a powerful statement that shows just how desperate it can become in a country like Mexico. It says, “Coyotes pay soldiers off.
In the film Lila and Ray become reliant on the business of human trafficking with the intentions of supporting their families. Additionally, the film presents the social issue of human trafficking along the Canada-US border. Canada’s border issue has become pervasive and among one of the worst. It is considered to be one of countries with the highest human trafficking rates, “estimates indicate that between 1,500 and 2,200 are trafficked from Canada into the United States every year” (Barnett, 5). Ray’s conflicting involvement along the border occurs as a result of overcoming her ambivalence that is portrayed through “aesthetic reflections upon experiences of liminality and deterritorialization” (Raussert, 5). Due to the border issues that are prevalent throughout the film, the genre of the film has been categorized as a “border film”. These issues remain relevant throughout the film, but unravel with the social issues that cause the viewer to part ways. This allows us to sympathize and become concerned with what will become of the struggles the family faces throughout the film, while disregarding the social issues that remain pervasive. Ray and Lila’s struggles become the center of the film and a concern to the audience of whether they will be able to overcome their own crisis. Ultimately, this leaves out the victim 's fate and makes it
On topics of human rights and dehumanization, many are faced with the array of questions that are sometimes hard to decipher. These questions are often along the lines of “How does the circle of violence continue?”, “What can be done in situations where human rights are violated?”, and “How do different people feel in such a drastic context?”. These questions can all be answered in three seemingly different and unrelated pieces of work that come together to speak of the struggle that people face in their lives. The White Tiger, Death and The Maiden, and Slumdog Millionaire each have a unique story that ties into the struggles of freedom, agency, and the human spirit amidst the violations against it.