Border Patrol State

 Reading Leslie Silko’s essay “Border Patrol State” certainly opened my eyes to the extreme measures that southern states, especially Arizona and Texas, are taking in order to protect the borders. I couldn’t say that I totally agree or disagree with her stance on immigration and border patrol, however. The first thing that I agree with is that border patrol agents may be getting a bit out of hand in their efforts to apprehend illegal immigrants. Yes, it is necessary to take precautions to check for correct citizenship near the border but I think the officers are getting carried away with their methods and are on somewhat of a power trip. Silko said “no person, no citizen, is free to travel without the scrutiny of the border patrol” and that “they are willing to detain anyone, for no apparent reason.” These are frightening realizations and it makes me curious why someone isn’t stepping in to resolve their behavior. Holding a gun to a man’s head or sending a drug dog on people just because they asked a question really doesn’t seem like ethical or safe behavior to me. While they are trying to keep our borders safe, they are really endangering more lives in the process. It makes you wonder, how far is too far? I really think that more people need to be made aware of what is really happening at the borders. The thing that bothered me about Silko’s essay was her relaxed stance on illegal immigrants and that it is okay for them to pass through our borders because they are destined to do so. She also doesn’t seem to think that the borders are even necessary. She says, “It is no use; borders haven't worked, and they won't work, not now, as the indigenous people of the Americas reassert their kinship and solidarity with one another.” Yes, it is true that many illegal aliens still slip through our borders everyday, so they don’t always work, but I don’t think it is right to say they are no use at all and never will be. More reforms just need to be made to improve the border patrol process, but it is definitely necessary. I welcome everyone to this country if they want to make a life here, but they need to do it legally. Our country has laws just like the rest of the world and we cant just look the other way when it comes to immigration just because certain groups feel they are fated to be here.

The Things I Would Carry

While thinking about what I would carry if I were a soldier in Jimmy Cross’s unit, I found myself stumped. I have realized that I form attachment to objects really easily because there is always some sort of memory attached to them, whether good or bad. That is always why I have such a hard time throwing things away. If I were being shipped off into a foreign country, in a hostile environment, away from everything that is familiar to me, I would just want to bring as much as possible. Even if they are just useless objects I feel like they would still give me some sense of home. The things that I really want to bring with me are my friends and family, but obviously that would not be possible. So, instead I would bring the most important things that hold memories tying me to all the people that I love and miss. First of all I would bring pictures of my friends and family. I would be able to look at them everyday, wonder about what normal day to day activities they were doing and reminisce about good memories that we shared in those pictures. It would also allow me to dream about things I want to do in the future and more memories that I want to make. The material object that holds the most significance for me is a blanket that my grandma made more me when I was born. I never let it out of my sight when I was younger and it was an important source of comfort for me. I think that it would still bring me comfort and security when I was far away from home and remind me of the people that love me the most. Finally, I would carry my ipod with me. I am such as a big music lover and I think it would help entertain me and pass the time. More importantly, I think that music has the power to change your emotions and transport you to a different world. Different types of music make you feel different things as well contain different sentimental values. Different songs are representative of periods of my life and they connect to memories of those times.

Zitkala-Sa and the American Dream

After reading “The School Days of an Indian Girl” and the background on Zitkala-Sa, I think that her story represents both the American Dream coming true, but also the American Dream hindering her way of life.  From the outside it seems as if Zitkala-Sa was living and fulfilling the American Dream because she gained a prominent education and became a great orator as well as a writer. She was able to make a life for herself, but whether or not it was really the life she wanted for herself is the question. “I had arrived in the wonderful land of rosy skies, but I was not happy, as I had thought I should be.” (430)

I think that the American Dream should be all about staying true to yourself and fulfilling the aspirations that you personally have, not being forced into what other people think is right. She was pretty much forced by missionaries to enter school and assimilate into American culture. It was apparent that she missed her Native American culture and was sad that it was slowly fading away altogether because the rest of the children in her tribe were also being assimilated. “Within a week I was again actively testing the chains which bound my individuality like a mummy for burial.” (434)

On the other hand, Zitkala-Sa’s story could also be perceived as the American Dream because against all odds and circumstances she was able to be successful and try to make a difference for the Native Americans that did not have as strong as a voice. In that aspect, I think she was fulfilling the American Dream because she was acting selflessly in order to change the country for the better and end oppression against Native Americans and possibly other minorities. Zitkala-Sa was happy when she was recognized for her oratory skills and was able to prove her discriminators wrong, however, it still was not enough to full satisfy her and it may not have been her ultimate dream. “The little taste of victory did not satisfy a hunger in my heart.” (438)

Hawaii's Story

"It had not entered into our hearts to believe that these friends and allies from the United States, even with all their foreign affinities, would ever go so far as to absolutely overthrow our form of government, seize our nation by the throat, and pass it over to an alien power."

This sentence is my favorite because it really illustrates the extreme betrayal and hurt that the Hawaiian people experienced from how the United States treated them. It shows that they were completely taken by surprise because they thought of the U.S. as friends of the Hawaiian people, then they were just stabbed in the back. I think what makes this sentence so powerful is the strong intense words that the Queen uses to describe the situation such as "absolutely overthrow" and"seize our nation by the throat." It makes the reader feel the same betrayal and shock as the Queen and her people.

Lost Identity

While reading Hopkins’ story and the poems by McKay, I started to wonder about the attitudes and mindsets of African Americans during these terrible times and situations. Many of them were contributing members of society (as much as they could be), and they were no longer enslaved, yet they were still treated as second class citizens and encountered so much hatred and torture. I am curious as to how they dealt with all for it and how they still had loyalty to America and other white citizens. I feel that if I were in the same situation, I would fins any way to get out or I would have a bitterness toward everyone. They were still willing to help other whit citizens and they wanted to stay in a place where people made it evident that they were not wanted. In Hopkins’ story, Stone was charged of a crime he didn’t commit, yet he was still willing to work hard and he even risked his life to save a train full of white citizens. He didn’t take out his feelings on people that didn’t deserve it and it was almost as if he pushed his terrible feelings to the back of his mind because he wanted to work for a better life. Also, in Mckay’s poems, many of them explore the idea of being unwanted and oppressed in the US, still loving it somehow.  “Although she feeds me bread of bitterness, And sinks into my throat her tiger’s tooth, Stealing my breath of life, I will confess I love this cultured hell that tests my youth!” (America, McKay) My guess as to how African Americans continued with their lives and did not have hateful attitudes was just that they had extreme hope for change in the future and that maybe they could lead by example somewhat “kill them with kindness.” Also, they might have just felt stuck in the middle of two identities because they lived in the US, but weren’t really citizens, yet they couldn’t really go back to their home of origin because they felt like outsiders in Africa too.

Moment of Insight

When I was reading “Learning to Read” and “The Wife of his Youth” I was confronted by a few realizations about things that we now take for granted or seem to just ignore because we get so wrapped up in ourselves.

“Learning to Read” made me realize how much Americans as well as myself take reading for granted. I wouldn’t call myself an avid reader unless I’m really interested in a book, but the ability is something I should be more thankful for. I have the resources to read as much and as often as I wish, but I just choose not to. In our lives we have become so distracted by our busy lives or other things involving technology and we really undervalue the gift of the written word. As a journalism major, I am constantly writing and the only things that I really read are newspapers or articles online. After reflecting on Harper’s “Learning to Read”, the difficult process gaining literacy for African Americans was called to my attention and I realized how fortunate we really are that we have such easy access to education. I feel that in order to memorialize the struggles of those that came before me, I should really take advantage of my educational resources and pass it on to others.

“The Wife of his Youth” also led me to an understanding and insight, however, of a completely different kind. Mr. Ryder’s process of struggling with his own regret and deciding what is ultimately right caused me to reflect on our own struggle with doing what is right in contemporary society. I think a lot of people today feel that we as a society have stepped away from values and morals and now just focus on ourselves and selfish thoughts. I was really surprised that Mr. Ryder recognized his own wrong-doing of neglecting his wife, by taking her back in the end and announcing it to his peers. When he explained the situation to his peers and asked for their opinions, I wondered if he would have stuck with his decision to reveal his long-lost wife if they had felt otherwise. Even though I was skeptical about Mr. Ryder’s heart and motives at first, I do think that he would have acknowledge her anyway because that is the right thing to do. That was the ultimate realization I took away from this text. We need to stop being so concerned with what others around us think, and be more concerned on doing what is right and staying true to ourselves. As corny as it might be, it made me think of the saying,” What is popular is not always right, and what is right is not always popular.”

The Contemporary Connection

While reading the introduction for the years 1865-1914, I noticed an encompassing connection to contemporary society. I felt that many facets and attitudes during this period after the Civil War related to our lives after the terrorist attacks on September 11, 2001.  First, after the Civil War, the country was in a state of shock in trauma after the horrific event that occurred during the war. That was the same for the United States following 9/11. Americans were still in a state of panic, but at the same time we all drew closer together in order to just cope with what happened and the great devastation. Everyone suffered some sort of loss on that day, whether we directly knew someone that died or not. For many people it was mainly a loss of feeling secure in the land that we called home. From that point on we wanted to restore hope and try to pick up the pieces in order to rebuild our nation’s morale, just like Americans after the Civil War.

Another connection I made was in the theme for literature and other forms of entertainment during both of these periods. After the Civil War, authors were writing about loved ones lost, rebuilding the nation, and being courageous.  After 9/11 many others wrote about their experiences during the attacks or the experiences of other Americans, as well as many other books on how to deal with the devastation. Film and music were also affected because numerous movies have been made about the terrorist attacks and songs have been written about restoring the idea of patriotism. After the Civil War, John Greenleaf Whittier gained fame with his “nostalgic evocation of a simpler, rural world that had been destroyed by the Civil War” in Snow-Bound.(24) That same destruction of innocence and security can be connected to our post-9/11 America. We are now constantly bombarded with memories of that fateful day because of all the security measures that are currently in place in the United States, especially in regards to airport security. Our lives before 9/11 were definitely a much simpler time, but now the United States will never be the same because we constantly have another attack on our minds.

A third connection that I found was the treatment of minorities after both the Civil War and 9/11. Immediately after the Civil War, African Americans were treated terribly, possibly worse than they were as slaves. The Jim Crowe laws were enacted and they were also being blamed and brutalized by the Ku Klux Klan. Many people hated them just because of their race and did not want them in the United States. It reminded me of the treatment and stereotyping of Americans of Middle-Eastern descent after 9/11. People became very paranoid and unfairly stereotyped everyone as a terrorist just because of their race. Once again we started to turn our citizens against each other because of skin color.