Enrique’s Journey Assignment Sheet

Directions: Please read Sonia Nazario’s Enrique’s Journey and answer the reading questions in Section 1 and write a book review essay for Section 2. Please type your answers in 12 point, Time New Roman font, and save your answers as a word document. You will submit this assignment on Canvas

SECTION 1: READING QUESTIONS

Directions: Please read Sonia Nazario’s Enrique’s Journey and provide a short-response (at least 5-6 sentence paragraph—anything short will not receive partial credit) to the following reading questions.

1. Why are women in increasingly higher numbers leaving children to come to the U.S.?

2. What factors influenced Lourdes to journey North?

3. What difficulties does Lourdes encounter in trying to smuggle Enrique to the U.S.?

4. What difficulties does Enrique face on his first attempt to travel North?

5. How do the police behave toward Enrique and other migrants?

6. How are Mexican states similar in their diversity to the U.S. states?

7. What kinds of help and luck does Enrique experience in Veracruz that is very different from his experiences in Chiapas?

8. What is the U.S. government’s current position on migration?

9. What kinds of new emotional conflicts does Enrique have when he reconnects with his mother?

10. What are the physical conditions under which Enrique and his mother live?

11. What factors cause conflict between Enrique and Lourdes?

12. Why does Maria Isabel decide to leave her daughter, even after she has witnessed the pain Enrique experienced by his mother’s absence?

13. Why do some U.S. citizens view immigrants as a burden to society?

14. Why do people have different views on immigration and how that can affect how people are treated?

 

SECTION 2: BOOK REVIEW ESSAY
Directions: Please write book review of Enrique’s Journey with at least 1000 words, organized in four subheadings, and addressing the following questions.

1. Introduction: Introduce the title, author, and any relevant data you may have discovered about the writing and reception of the book and describe the main characteristics of the work. From whose viewpoint was it written? Is it a narrative or written to persuade? Does it represent a particular interest or approach? Is there anything else that a reader should know before starting this book? 
2. Short Summary: The summary shows that you have read and grasped of 1) the push/pull factors for Lourdes and Enrique’s journeys to America 2) what their preconceived perceptions of what the American dream is to the reality which both of them experienced here in America. This section should not be more than 1/3 of your essay (meaning now more than 400 words). An intelligent summary is usually interpretive in a limited way. Do not quote from the books in anyway. You may paraphrase by using key terms from the book but YOU MAY NOT QUOTE from the book. I don’t need to read what Sonia Rosario wrote because I have already read her book. I need to read your writing and the originality of your analysis. 
3. Analysis: Analyze the most important meaning and qualities of their works. This section should be the major part of your paper. Demonstrate that you have read the book closely and have understood it, don’t just repeat the story. You need to compare and contrast Enrique’s experience with experiences of immigrants of the past and Nazario’s work expands on your understanding of the topic of immigration in America. Analyze the push/pull factors, daily lives, contributions, impact immigrants have had on our society and the current national debate on undocumented immigrants in this country. 
4. Opinion and Reaction: Conclude with an explanation of your opinion about the book. With considerations to what you have learned from your readings and in class, what does Enrique’s Journey teach us about the immigrant experience? Last but not least, what should Enrique’s status be—undocumented alien or refugee—and do you think their journeys were worth it? 
Note: this is how the U.S. govt defines the status of a “refugee” and “undocumented aliens”
• “A refugee”- a person outside of his/her country of nationality or outside his/her habitual residence, who is unwilling or unable to return to that country because of persecution or a well-founded fear of persecution based on race, religion, nationality, membership in a particular social group or political opinion. In addition, he or she must be able to establish that he or she is not already firmly resettled in a foreign country and must fall within certain refugee processing priorities.

• “Undocumented Aliens”- are noncitizens without a lawful immigration status as defined in subsections (2) or (3) of this section, and who: 1) entered the U.S. illegally; or 2) Were lawfully admitted but whose status expired or was revoked per United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS).

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