Edwidge Danticat wrote an essay named “Not Your Homeland” and the main point was to make people aware of the conditions in detention centers and change them. There were several descriptions of people’s lives in detention centers. One can visualize how dehumanizing the detention centers were from the descriptions. This essay was effective because the conditions provoke change, the author wrote from experience, and facts provided cannot be disproven. There are various immigrants that come from different countries every year that want to provide a better life for themselves and their families. When immigrants initially arrive to the United States they are not citizens. Those who are not citizens cannot change how they are being treated because they have no rights. When immigrants are treated unfair often times they go back to their native country. The author is trying to seek the attention of those who stayed in the country long enough to become a naturalized citizen and be able to vote. The author writes this essay to appeal to those who want to change how immigrants are treated. …show more content…
Those who came to this country either when they were young or when they were older can somewhat relate to this writer’s story. For those who do not know what it is like to immigrate to another country can visualize the horrible conditions people had to live through. There was a man who wanted the world to know detainees were sometimes beaten, there was an incident when guards broke his friends back and he was deported before he could receive medical attention (Danticat 600). Detainees were forced to sleep with six people in a room with cold temperatures with some in beds, couches, and the floor (Danticat 600). The author wants her readers to visualize conditions in detention centers to persuade people to make a
America is a land filled with immigrants coming from different corners of the worlds, all in hopes of finding a better life in the country. However, No one had an easy transition from his or her home country to this foreign land. Not every race thrived the same way—some were luckier than others, while some have faced enormous obstacles in settling down and being part of the American society. Many people have suffered
Kathie Snow’s article talked about the power of language and labels, and this reminded me of a project that I completed in my Visual Arts class. The project was created because of research completed by Dr. Caroline Leaf, in which she described how different thoughts and words affect the brain. Another aspect of Kathie Snow’s article in which she reveals that the real problems are attitudinal and environmental barriers, this brought to my remembrance, a paper that I wrote for my English class titled Passion for Prisoners. In my paper, I wrote, “the malicious attitude that Americans have cultivated toward prisoners contributes to the ineffective treatment towards them.” These are just a couple concepts that I have found interesting, but it took a couple times of reading this article to come to this
Gesensway, Deborah and Mindy Roseman. Beyond Words: Images from America's Concentration Camps. London: Cornell University Press, 1987.
There are too many people incarcerated in the United States of America. The U.S. imprisons 724 people per 100,000. In absolute numbers United States has more of its citizens behind bars then do China or Russia combined. (Gallagher 2008). There are about thousand U.S. citizens that become incarcerated in the prison system in any given week. Many of the prisons are so crowded that they have converted the gymnasium into a massive housing unit. These massive housing units hold hundreds of prisoners inside small gymnasiums. The bunk beds are stacked four or five high with every available space reserved for the bunk beds. Even though the prisons are over double capacity they have not added one extra toilet or shower at any of the facilities. Because of this many of the prisoners report tha...
In recent discussions, the topic of immigration and the fundamental question of what is to be done with immigration? has been circulating in many american homes today, especially the closer we get to election day. As David Cole puts it in his essay Five Myths about Immigration “But just as in the 1850’s, passion, misinformation, and shortsighted fear often substitute for reason, fairness, and human dignity in today’s immigration debates”(185). Despite misconceptions of immigrants, Cole believes that immigrants positively affect society in several ways. In addition, Cole challenges and questions the beliefs of others in his essay. Whereas, Victor Davis Hanson’s essay Our Brave New World of Immigration focuses
The United States is in the midst of a major debate over immigrants and their place in our economic and political life. As during other times in our history, immigrants, are being blamed for causing or contributing to the social, economic and political ills of our society. Politicians from both major parties, at both the national and state levels, are promoting a range of punitive legislative proposals that single out immigrants for adverse treatment by the government. Many violate basic civil liberties principles.
Immigration has always and will always be an essential part of America’s demographic and cultural diversity. Our country was founded on the immigration of Europeans to the New World; without them our nation would not be as advanced as it is today. Over the past three centuries, America’s immigration policies have evolved, both positively and negatively. Although we are moving forward, several episodes in our country’s immigration policy have targeted and attacked certain ethnic or cultural groups. Throughout America there is disparity regarding attitudes toward immigrants. Policies fluctuate throughout the entire country, different states, and even major cities. As the United States moves forth, it is vital that we remember how crucial immigrants
America is a nation consisting of many immigrants: it has its gates opened to the world. These immigrants transition smoothly and slowly from settlement, to assimilation then citizenship. These immigrants are first admitted lawfully as permanent residents before they naturalize to become full citizens. In her book “Impossible Subjects: Illegal Aliens and the Making of Modern America”, the historian Mae Ngai draws our attention to the history of immigration and citizenship in America. Her book examines an understudied period of immigration regulation between 1924 and 1965.
To say that immigrants in America have experienced discrimination would be an understatement. Ever since the country formed, they have been seen as inferior, such as African-Americans that were unwillingly brought to the 13 colonies in the 17th century with the intention to be used as slaves. However, post-1965, immigrants, mainly from Central and South America, came here by choice. Many came with their families, fleeing from their native land’s poverty; these immigrants were in search of new opportunities, and more importantly, a new life. They faced abuse and Cesar Chavez fought to help bring equality to minorities.
...onducted prison and asylum reform. I never actually thought about the fact that the conditions for treatment were still relatively bad. I had the same thoughts as most people would have had about mental health patients in the 1950s-1980s. I felt that I would not want to be associated with people with mental illnesses before I read this book. After reading it and understanding that many mental patients could still act like normal people, it made me realize that I was judging a group of people without really knowing what any of them were really like—which was something that I should have never done. Also, this book made me grateful that I do not have a mental disorder. It made me realize that people with mental health problems live a hard life coping with their disorder and that I should be thankful for all that I have instead of complaining about the little things.
Knowing and understanding the author’s purpose, we see where he is coming from and what his “point of view” is. We see that the author is someone that does not agree with the activities that occur in the native prison. It makes the author feel uncomfortable with the establishment and its procedures.
Over the centuries one of the most common forms of punishment is imprisonment. As times past by the prison has taken on various shapes and forms. The quality and most conditions of prisons have changed in order to provide better living conditions for the inmates, but the main purpose of the prison has never changed, the online article Welcome to Stop the Crime states that “ a prison have four major purposes, these include retribution, incapacitation, deterrence and rehabilitation” (stoptheaca.org). This shows that the prison is there to ensure that criminals pay back society for the crimes they have committed; it also serves as an area to keep criminals from hurting innocent civilians and it is also there to transform prisoners to law abiding citizens. The prison life is a common topic discussed between boys of all ages, and it is very common to hear past prisoners convincing them that the prison life isn’t hard at all and that it’s very simple. Although some prisoners try to make the prison life sound fun and carefree when it’s compared to the life of a free individual it can be clearly seen that the prison life is much harder.
Many citizens in the general public would consider the living conditions of correctional facilities to be either too luxurious or too savage. Few would relatively contemplate the conditions to be in between assumptions. For an example in the article, Ross presents the myth of most convicts being provided sufficient health care benefits. However, due to the limitations of
Imagine being locked in a windowless, lifeless environment for 23 hours a day. For some criminals, this environment is to be endured for years. The issue of prison reform has been a popular and difficult topic in the news the past few years and continues a year after this article was published. In the New York Times article “New York Rethinks Solitary Confinement” The Editorial Board argues that prison reform in the category of isolation is not only necessary but also beneficial in rehabilitating those who have commit crimes. With the Editorial Boards use of statistics, avoidance of the words “criminal” or “prisoner” and pathos appeal by informing how particularly weak minorities are affected.
And when many of the prisoners tried to peacefully protest these cruel conditions, they were repaid with brutal force. This seems to be an unlikely way to reform or rehabilitate anybody It is believed by many human beings that what goes on behind prison bars is not happening in the society where we live; It is said that prisons are a microcosm of society, what happens in reflects the macrocosm. Comparing and contrasting, what go’s in prisons happens to us on the outside as a