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Personal Narrative: Enrique's Journey

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As American lights illuminate the stunning skyline of opportunity, we, as Americans, don't always bask in the glory of this powerful glow. Within the nonfiction novel Enrique's Journey by Sonia Nazario, a teenage boy, Enrique, sums up the courage of a thousand men to travel through treacherous trials to find his mother in America. Showing more bravery than I ever will muster in my entire lifetime, Enrique has made a deep impression upon me about perseverance; however, with his determination to reach his mother, I was surprised with how many times he was forced to begin his perilous journey again. In modern day American society, we witness hardship and a struggle to start again on the movie screens, but we are comforted by the distance that is …show more content…

For instance, when he was beaten and “his right shin is gashed. His upper lip is split. The left side of his face is swollen. His eyes are red, filled with blood. He is crying. He dabs at open wounds on his face with a filthy sweater he has found on the tracks,”(53). And, I was appalled by the lack of compassion many people, principally la migra, displayed towards Enrique and other migrants, for migrants are also people who want to find where they belong and to be accepted. Wounded physically and emotionally by many Mexicans, Enrique was constantly turned away, but the migrant Mexicans expect to be accepted in America; Latin Americans want the American dream just as Mexicans do, but Mexicans cannot find room in their country for Central Americans. As Enrique’s Journey shed light upon how lucky I am, I also wonder where Enrique is today after his deportation, but I know, with faith and love, Enrique will always be bound to his family. After riding the trains with Enrique, I felt genuine pain for him as he faced the shadows of strain and suffering and rode the rails toward a hopefully brighter future where he can celebrate the beauty of each day and absorb life’s subtle glories after quenching a long thirst

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The book I am reading is Enrique’s Journey by Sonia Nazario. I predict that the author will explore the human rights issue of Immigration Laws and the plight of illegal aliens in the United States. I believe that this issue will be important in the story because Enrique the main character in the story is very driven to find his mother who has gone herself illegally to the United States to earn money to provide an education for her children and to better the life of her family. I made this prediction because Lourdes leaves her children in Honduras as she goes to make money in the United States and her son Enrique is left saying “Donde esta mi mami?” “Where is my mom?”

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While reading Enrique’s Journey, written by Sonia Nazario, a lot of themes were brought out throughout the book that served different meaning in Enrique’s story. The theme that stood out to me, was his journey because Enrique traveled all the way from Honduras to find his mom, who stayed in the United States. There are times in the book when he falls victim to his own shortcomings: doing drugs, tantalizing his mother, mismanaging his finances. He is ready to take yet another journey, this time marked by responsibility instead of adolescent rebellion and resentment. However, Enrique's journey is not only physical, but also mental as he grows from a boy to a man.

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Enrique’s Journey by Sonia Nazario is the story about a boy in Honduras whose mother left him to pursue a better life in America. This story encompasses the coming of age period of Enrique’s life and many of his experiences can be related to by other children, even in different situations. Nazario develops an interesting novel that both documents the journey of Enrique to the United States but also creates a dramatic tone like a fiction novel would have. Through her diverse use of rhetorical strategies, Nazario was able to explain the positive and negative effects of family relationships through the life of Enrique. She does this by utilizing different literary devices, most evidently, nomos, in which she relates with the story and also opens

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As the story comes to a close i can see how this will continue to happen in future events. Enrique wants to believe that his family won’t be too hurt by his decision but he cycle of disappoint will most likely continue in my opinion. He tells mayor Carrasco that he does not think it is worth the time and money for doctors to save travelers like Enrique “This is what they get for doing this journey,” He says of migrants. Yor carrasco disagrees.

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