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.