CR #1: The Power of Discourse
What?
Some of the words used to describe the author in the American political discourse include: undocumented, illegal, criminal, and trespasser. There are two examples in one instance that truly highlight when the author experienced this which was when he attempted to purchase wine from the store but could not due to the type of identification he was attempting to use. “Next time, when carded, I’d simply produce my metrícula, an official document issued by the Mexican government that basically identifies you as undocumented.” (N., 15). He then goes on to wonder about what his coworkers would think if they ever saw him using his metrícula. “In their eyes, I would cease to be their coworker. They’d probably see in me only the criminal. The trespasser.” (N., 15). These words are connected to laws that affect the author especially in this instance regarding the Real ID Act which was initially meant to target terrorists at the time of implementation. N. had a form of identification, but due to it stating that he was undocumented, he could not use this form of ID as easily or as frequently which can be seen when he is trying to purchase wine at the store.
So What?
Throughout the book we are able to see the changes N. goes through as a result of his immigration status. One example of this is when the author video chats with his family and realizes that he does not enjoy the same things he once did before. “I acquired a taste for a dimension of culture I never knew about before…rather than going to rowdy weekend gatherings with relatives, I have come to appreciate the lonely and quiet times at home.” (N., 24). Another instance where the author notices that he has changed is when he is once again skyping with his family and notices how his mother has redecorated the house so that more of their culture and history was showing through the decorations, “The video reveals a house full of light, full of plants and flowers all around: in the kitchen, in the staircase to the second floor, in the living room, in the patio. But the healing is broader. It created a space for historical reconciliation. It healed not only my mother’s emotional wounds — it cured the whole family of the prejudices congenital to the Mexican heart.” (N., 32). When his brother shows his newly decorated room, the author realizes how he, and a lot of other people in his situation, have changed: they were once almost ashamed of their indigenous culture. “All things that came from abroad were highly valued among us. Which also meant that the local, especially the indigenous, was looked down upon.” (N., 32). But now, as they realize that they cannot easily embrace their culture as they once could, they long to do so.
Now What?
The author’s story has allowed me to realize the disconnect between how the media and people in politics portray the undocumented, and how they are actually living. In the media, undocumented immigrants are often presumed to be lazy, yet somehow job stealing, as criminals and rapists, and as people who basically come to America just to benefit from the work of others but that is not true. A lot of the undocumented immigrate here for opportunities they may not have access to where they immigrated from, just to be shut down whenever they make an attempt to utilize them. This can especially be seen as the author goes through many years of learning English and going to school just to be disappointed when he wants to go law school and saw that he could not even take the main exam needed to apply. “Just as [he] had many years earlier, [he] was again trying to sneak into a space whose main rule was [his] exclusion.” (N., 54).
