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Essay / Analysis of Enrique's Journey from a Sociological Perspective
Table of ContentsIntroductionSocial ProblemsSociological TheoriesPossible SolutionsConclusionSources CitedIntroductionThe book Enrique's Journey written by Sonia Nazario, focuses on the long journey that a Honduran boy must make to reunited with his mother in the United States after many years of separation. This article examines the book from a sociological perspective. The various social issues present in the book will be identified and explained, and sociological theories appropriate to the context of the book will also be applied. Additionally, this article will also examine gender, race and culture, to analyze how certain social problems are more severe in certain minority/oppressed groups in society. At the end of this article, possible solutions to some of these problems will be discussed. These solutions will then be evaluated based on their individual effectiveness by examining their strengths, weaknesses and ethicality. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”? Get the original essay. Social Issues Many different social issues are present in the book. The social issues that the book seems to focus on most are poverty, education, racism, drug addiction, and illegal immigration. The book's narrative primarily follows that of Enrique and his mother. Enrique's mother decides when Enrique is young to emigrate to the United States for a little while so she can send money home, since Honduras doesn't offer him many opportunities at the moment. Although Enrique enjoys the materialistic aspect of having fancier items thanks to his mother sending him money every month, he begins to really miss his mother. This develops into an overwhelming desire to see his mother again over the years, and finally, in his late teens, he decides to attempt the journey by illegally taking over trains through Mexico. After many failed attempts, he finally succeeds, but the reunion with his mother is not what he expected, as they barely know each other after so many years of separation. Poverty was one of the main factors that pushed Enrique's mother to emigrate. Throughout the book, before Enrique's migration, his mother often emphasized the importance of him completing his education. Racism is encountered several times throughout the book, for example in the way some Mexicans in Chiapas treat Central American migrants, but it is also present when Enrique is in the United States, particularly in the way whose gangs target undocumented migrants because they are more reluctant to go. the police. Enrique develops an addiction while still in Honduras to glue, as well as cannabis, likely an attempt on his part to cope with his immense desire to be reunited with his mother. Illegal immigration comes into play throughout the book, primarily focusing on the horrific situations migrants must go through to enter the United States illegally, because legally, they would likely not be admitted. Poverty is widespread, especially in Latin America. In 2008, around 180 million people were estimated to be living in poverty, while some 70.4 million people were living in extreme poverty. Most national governments have been unable to address growing levels of absolute poverty or increasing income disparities, which have become particularly acute since the 1970s. The economic crisis of the 1980s in Latin America, which gave gave rise to structural adjustment programs in the 1990s,aimed at helping people out of poverty, actually pushed more people into poverty. Furthermore, in the 1990s, many governments attempted to decentralize public services by stopping funding or reallocating public services without having the resources to do so, leading to a further decline in government trust. in general. Although measures have been put in place to help the poor, they have not proven effective. Women in all Latin American countries generally face higher rates of poverty than their male counterparts. With this in mind, it is no wonder that it was Enrique's mother who decided to emigrate, assuming that poverty perhaps affected her more harshly than Enrique's father. In terms of education, there is a large disparity between the rich and the poor, and how this affects the high school completion rate that is evident in many parts of the world. Specifically to Latin America, it has been shown that the richest 20% of the population have an average secondary school completion rate of 83%, while the poorest 20% of the population have a high school completion rate of 25%. This makes complete sense as to why Enrique's mother emphasizes to Enrique that it is important for him to complete his education in order to support a change in society and potentially break the cycle of generational poverty. When it comes to racism against illegal immigrants, it's hard to pin down exactly what makes white people hate illegal immigrants, but there are many potential and known causes. A study on the racialization of Latin immigrants showed that the news media studied in the study have focused since 2003 on two main themes concerning illegal Latin immigration: that of the criminality of Latin immigrants and that of the discriminatory treatment of which they are the object. Additionally, it was noted that negative comments toward Latino immigrants tended to relate only to perceived criminal tendencies. Reports on gang activity also tend to emphasize that undocumented Latinos are criminals simply by virtue of their stay in the United States. It is worth noting, however, that illegal entry into the United States is not actually a criminal offense, but rather an administrative offense. Social constructs, primarily the media, have built this illusion over time that illegal immigrants are criminals, because the United States has not always considered illegal entry a criminal offense. Illegal immigration is a rather new trend. Before the 1920s, passports were not common, but the League of Nations, led by President Wilson, required them. Over time, this has resulted in people from disadvantaged backgrounds often not having the funds or means to obtain a valid legal visa, which is why they are simply pushed to take risks illegally, because it is their only option due to lack of resources. Additionally, undocumented immigrants are often treated less favorably in society, perhaps as secondary citizens, and without reforms to change the illegal immigration problem, the rate of undocumented immigrants is likely to increase again, which will expand societal status between real citizens and undocumented citizens. . Sociological Theories Although this book discusses a multitude of social issues and problems, from a sociological perspective the most important theory is conflict theory. Generally speaking, the conflictpits the poor and the rich against each other. It could be argued that the wealthy elites of Honduras, as well as the rest of the world, pose a barrier to opportunity for Enrique's mother, as they are the ones who have created economic systems that benefit the rich at the expense of the poor, thus leaving Enrique's mother power has no choice but to emigrate, unless she wants to continue struggling and barely make it. Additionally, it is worth noting that this conflict is also present when considering education, as poor people generally tend to graduate at a much lower rate than people from more financially stable families . Conflict theory can also be used to describe the issue of racism towards illegal immigrants. The conflict is primarily between illegal immigrants who migrate for various reasons and prejudiced whites legally residing in the United States, perhaps partly brainwashed by media propaganda. Finally, when it comes to illegal immigration, conflict theory can also apply here, as it is a conflict between government regulations and trends and disadvantaged Central American migrants. Possible Solutions Although many solutions exist and have been implemented, some do more harm than others, while others do less harm and more good. Towards the end of the book, the author notes that one of the most effective methods of solving the problem of illegal immigration would be to improve conditions in the migrants' countries of origin, to the point where they will no longer want to leave. Hondurans have noted things that could allow this to happen, including the United States encouraging more democratic countries in the hope that this will lead to less corruption and help reduce the income disparity between rich and poor . In addition, the adaptation of a family planning system like that of Mexico, which succeeded in reducing the number of children per family from 6.8 in 1970 to 2.2 in 2012. Moreover, if the United States United focusing more on trade with Latin American countries, for example supporting the textile industry in Honduras, which mainly employs women, could also bring positive change. The United States could also increase its pledges of donations to Latin American countries. Hondurans could support NGOs such as those that help encourage new, job-creating small businesses and increase access to education. There simply must be well-paid jobs for everyone for this strategy to be effective. Using the sociological imagination, I certainly believe that the approach described by the author is also the best, that being said, it might be difficult to find people willing to finance such a system, since they are essentially investing in outside the United States, without investing too much. This is an economic gain for the United States and, over the years, could represent a huge expense for taxpayers. I believe that reforming the entire immigration system, to make it easier for Latin Americans to get visas and work, as well as bring their families with them, is another great solution. Some would only work for a few years to save up, then perhaps come back and build a house and continue their life in their mothership, while others would decide to stay, perhaps because they prefer it, or perhaps because They were able to find some lost family members who emigrated a long time ago. This would not only give more opportunities to Latin Americans, but also help the United Stateseconomically by increasing the workforce, which could in turn promote greater economic growth. With this solution, the expense of border patrols would also be much lower, since people would enter the country legally at specific border crossings, rather than by river. The strength of the author's approach would certainly be that it would somewhat completely eliminate the problem of illegal immigration, because Honduras would be able to employ all of its citizens and thus guarantee a decent life, which would allow people not to live in poverty. A weakness certainly lies in the cost of this program, and perhaps domestic opposition from racists and other groups who tend to hate foreigners and therefore would not like to pay tax money to another country. Overall, it would be very effective, but not very practical. Ethically, I think this is the right thing to do, given the history of the United States monitoring certain Latin American countries and taking advantage of their resources for economic purposes while pushing the indigenous population into poverty. To test the author's approach, a program like this could be run over a period of 5 or 10 years in a country, such as Honduras. Then, economic indicators such as unemployment and poverty as well as illegal immigration rates for that specific country could be compared from the beginning to the end of the program to decide whether the program was effective. The approach I suggested could also be very effective. The strength here would be that illegal immigration would be a thing of the past and all immigrants would be granted legal status, as the new visa laws would make all Latin Americans eligible, provided there are no major criminal offenses in their home country that would be checked when an applicant applies. Perhaps the weakness would be that it could lead to a massive influx of people, perhaps overcrowding some areas, and making racists and other xenophobic individuals angry and bitter at having to deal with even greater numbers of foreigners than at what they were accustomed to under the illegal immigration system. . From an ethical perspective, I believe this approach is also fair, in that it recognizes that we are all human and deserve certain rights to dignity, instead of being seen as secondary citizens who may be less paid and treated less well for the sole reason of not being born on American soil, or perhaps because their skin color is too tan for certain racist individuals. With this approach, I also think the best way to test it would be to try a 5 year trial period and then, at the end, compare illegal immigration statistics to decide if the visa program has makes a difference in the way people come to the country. country.Keep in mind: This is just a sample.Get a custom paper from our expert writers now.Get a custom essayConclusionAlthough the solutions to the problem of illegal immigration may be simple, the reality is that it is far too complex to address in a It is a simple question, which is why it is imperative that the issue be addressed using the socio-legal imagination. The United States has a long history of repressing certain minorities in society, such as African Americans, Hispanics, etc. Because of this history, many white people are born into environments where their white parents may still have this old colonial view that people of color are secondary, and therefore simply in,857.