Film 'El Norte, And Rihanna's Song American Oxygen'

Michelle Valencia
Daniel Scarpa
English 100
TTh 8:00 am
25 April 2017
Immigrants and their American Dream
The American dream has been a staple of American culture which symbolizes opportunities for prosperity and success. It is something common to all people, but is something that everyone views in different way. For immigrants, or for those who have just received American citizenship, this opportunity can be directed towards a chance of earning more than in countries where they were born. However, immigrants often come to realization that the American Dream isn’t what it’s perceived to be. Gregory Nava’s film, El Norte, and Rihanna’s song, “American Oxygen”, both depict the steps and events that people go through in order to achieve the American

They believe that education should be used not only to expand your knowledge but to gain resources and income that one wouldn’t be able to receive in natural-born countries. To immigrants’ eye, having a degree in a career path is more valuable because of the opportunities one would get, which is something I can relate to. Coming from parents who were born in Mexico, I was constantly told that because people weren’t fortunate enough to continue their education, that they weren’t able to succeed. I was often told that having an education was a key component to making a better life. I feel like this notion not only made me look into perspective that education is important, but it also made me think that what we do represents our parents and how well they raised their children. If we don’t continue our education then we’re a failure to our parents, but if we do continue our education we’re the golden child. Theirs never an in-between to immigrant parents and sometimes it can be a hardship because the expectations can be unrealistic and a drag. But it’s not a problem that only one person has, this notion is a nation-cross problem that most immigrant families

The film, El Norte, captures the process of the average Hispanic immigrant and what they face when crossing through the border in order to live in America. Through the obstacles that life throws at them, and the risks they have to take in order to live their dream in “El Norte,” one was able to depict how coming to America would be. Rihanna’s song, “American Oxygen,” is associated with the major events that have occurred to America, and what people perceive it to be. However, the film El Norte, conveys the message of the American dream more effectively than Rihanna’s song because the film allows the audience to view first-hand the steps and the obstacles people go through just to live a better life. That through the hardships they face one can achieve the opportunity of prosperity and