ipl-logo

Undocumented Film Analysis

598 Words3 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: Effects of illegal immigration on society

In both my professional and personal life I am in relationship with immigrants, some legal and some illegal. It is through relationships and other storytelling methods, like films, that we can empathize and understand another person’s or a group of people’s plight. The city of Pittsfield, where I live, is currently in discussion about accepting around 50 Syrian refugees into the community. My first thought when I found out about this was “How can I help?” These are people who have survived war, traveled extensively, and have no belongings and no money. The flip side to the argument, though, is about fear. Fear that they will take our jobs or not work at all. Fear that they will create gangs and commit crimes. Fear that their religion is promoting terrorism, a belief legitimized by the events …show more content…

None of these stereotypes pertain to Jose Antonio Vargas, an undocumented immigrant from the Phillipines and Pulitzer Prize winning journalist. His story as told in the film Undocumented is compelling and challenges common beliefs about what it means to live in the Unites States without papers. Vargas is a college graduate who has been employed at several esteemed news agencies. I was surprised by a few things in the film and we discussed these in class. First, how is it possible that the government cannot track a social security number that does not exist? With so many challenges for US citizens, it seems unfathomable that false identification cannot be easily detected. The other surprise for me is that there are several moments in the film when Vargas is in contact with law enforcement with questions about his status. He does not get the responses I would have expected and the police and INS do not pursue him. After “coming out” in 2011, he founded a non-profit organization called Define American that aims to break down biases about immigrants through

Show More
Related
1221 Words | 5 Pages

As media constructions shape peoples views on Mexican immigration, and form viewers beliefs for years politics also have great influence. This appears especially true, as recent political campaigns and voter initiatives indicate, in the case of Mexican

Read More
265 Words | 2 Pages

In the passage “Leave Your Name at the Border” the author Mr. Muñoz states that he is a Mexican-American from Dinoba, California, a small town near Fresno. The author primarily focuses on how birth names and acquired nicknames affect immigrants, he criticizes forced assimilation by referencing various personal experiences which include five major points, he begins by mentioning observations he and his mother made suggesting that some immigrants try to appear more fair-skinned and use Anglicized pronunciations in order to fit in or assimilate, he also notices that traditional Mexican names were being phased out and replaced by “American” names within his family and among his hometown friends this signifies how assimilation can erase another

Read More
1879 Words | 8 Pages

The first of two essay questions focuses on Leo Chavez’s book , “The Latino Threat”. The questions and statements that will be answered include “ What is the Latino threat?, ‘How does he define citizenship?” ,“Identify and discuss two examples of the Latino threat” and “ Identify one policy recommendation and discuss whether you think it is achievable”. Leo Chavez’s book focuses on the guise of Latinos threatening the American way of life. He defines this as “The Latino Threat” , He states that the Latino threat narrative positions Latinos as not sharing similarities with any previous migrant groups into the U.S. and that they are unwilling and incapable of integrating and becoming part of the national community (Chavez,3).

Read More
813 Words | 4 Pages

idiots,’ contract laborers, and those ‘liable to become public charges’ from entering the United States” (Hernandez 132). This is significant because it is a reinforcement of the exclusive lifestyle of the patriarchal

Read More
1731 Words | 7 Pages

Cohen’s fourth thesis talks about the differences among groups of people in areas of race, gender, etc. and how those differences can create monsters in society. Unauthorized immigrants often get placed into a “different” or “unwanted” group and that causes them to face unfairness in society. “How Immigrants Become ‘Other’” correlates to Cohen’s thesis because unauthorized immigrants can be made into monsters due to differences in race and legal status. The group of unauthorized immigrants can become alienated in society, and the people themselves are sometimes referred to as “illegal aliens.”

Read More
145 Words | 1 Pages

Richard Rodriguez’s claim about a person's identity is the using race as a basis for identifying Americans is not valid; culture should be what defines a identity. Richard Rodriguez says that newcomers were being “welcomed within a new community for reasons of culture. “ (136-137). Richard Rodriguez says that newcomers were welcomed when they were identified by their culture. Richard Rodriguez also says “I am Chinese, and that is because I live in a Chinese city and I want to be Chinese.“

Read More
938 Words | 4 Pages

The immigrants entering the United States throughout its history have always had a profound effect on American culture. However, the identity of immigrant groups has been fundamentally challenged and shaped as they attempt to integrate into U.S. society. The influx of Mexicans into the United States has become a controversial political issue that necessitates a comprehensive understanding of their cultural themes and sense of identity. The film Mi Familia (or My Family) covers the journey and experiences of one Mexican-American (or “Chicano”) family from Mexico as they start a new life in the United States. Throughout the course of the film, the same essential conflicts and themes that epitomize Chicano identity in other works of literature

Read More
384 Words | 2 Pages

In the article, Two Sisters, Two Americas, the author, Brooke Ross, informs readers of the Saravia family’s story and the effects of being a “mixed-status family” with worries of being deported. A mixed-status family is a family with a combination of illegal immigrants, and citizens living in the United States. A path to legalization should be created for people who are already here illegally, but border security should be tightened to prevent more people entering the US illegally. These immigrants do jobs that most Americans don’t want. For example, “such immigrants do jobs that few Americans want, like working on farms and cleaning homes” (Ross, 10).

Read More
541 Words | 3 Pages

Chavez examines the assumptions made by the media and the public by drawing in sources like magazine articles and illustrations to provide the audience with exactly how these accusations are made and shared with the public. Chavez questions what it means and what it takes to be considered an American citizen and how Latinos, particularly Mexicans, have many things stacked up against. There are no doubts that the number of undocumented immigrants has steadily increased each year. Leo R. Chavez argues that because of the rise in the numbers, it makes it easier for the media to assume that undocumented immigrants, particularly Mexicans, are a threat to our nation through an invasion. Chavez’s idea of a Mexican reconquest is developed through something he calls the Quebec model.

Read More
1907 Words | 8 Pages

The following line from The Florida Project best sums up the film: “You know why this is my favourite tree? Cause it’s tipped over and it’s still growing.” Spoken by Moonee while eating jelly sandwiches with Jancey on the trunk of a lush, collapsed tree, the line draws a perfect similarity between the fallen tree’s continued growth and the motel residents’ efforts to trudge through poverty despite their representations in society. Sean Baker’s The Florida Project depicts Moonee, a six-year old living at the Magic Castle (a dilapidated motel just outside Walt Disney World) with her unemployed mother Halley.

Read More
715 Words | 3 Pages

At some point of your life you meet very special people that carry very similar interests. This creates bonds that can be a very powerful and important part of your life. Some may say that bonds are created between a series of negative events that leads up to friendship. However, this is not true because in The Way, the main characters come together to walk the same path. Each character motivates each other to achieve the overall reason of why they wanted to walk The Camino De Santiago.

Read More
1111 Words | 5 Pages

The Back of a Nonexistent Line In the film Documented and The New York Times article “My Life as an Undocumented Immigrant,” Jose Antonio Vargas describes his experience as an undocumented immigrant in the United States and provides a passionate argument for creating a pathway to citizenship for others like Vargas, who are undocumented as well. Although both the film and article give the viewers and readers an insight into Vargas’ difficult journey, a particular scene in the film sends an unspoken message about the United States as a whole. In Documented, the scene in which Jose Antonio Vargas attends a Mitt Romney campaign rally is detrimental to the immigration debate because it demonstrates the need for Americans to be educated about undocumented

Read More
609 Words | 3 Pages

“The virtual personas of Latino immigrants (represented as a threat to the nation) make the authority that has accumulated for real immigrants in their role as workers and consumers vanish” (Chavez 47). In the public eye Latinos are depicted as noncompliant and dangerous citizens and noncitizens of the United States. “The virtual lives of ‘Mexicans,’ ‘Chicanos,’ ‘illegal aliens,’ and ‘immigrants’ become abstractions and representations that stand in the place of real lives” (Chavez 47). It is depressing to understand that the majority of the United States strictly sees Latinos as these distorted images. At the end of the day each individual’s life matters, we all need to become more compassionate for one another.

Read More
757 Words | 4 Pages

Hispanic Americans, or Latinos, are a very large and diverse ethnic group in the U.S. Altogether, they make up about 44 million people or 15% of America’s population. Individuals who make up this category can identify with various nationalities and backgrounds. However, the 2010 U.S Census – as stated in the textbook -- reported that 75% of its total Latino respondents identified being of Mexican, Puerto Rican, or Cuban origin. According to the lecture notes, 65% of Hispanics claim to be Mexican Americans, while 8.5% are Puerto Ricans and another 3.5% are Cuban Americans.

Read More
783 Words | 4 Pages

In the film Extreme Measures someone can find ideas of Secular Ethics throughout the film involving Utilitarianism and its basic tenets along with Kantian analysis. The basic tenets of Utilitarianism include the principle of utility, Hedonism, and the viewpoint of a disinterested and benevolent spectator. While the tenets of Kantian Ethics, which include good will, the formula of universal law, the formula of the end itself, and the categorical imperative. These basic ideas setup arguments for and against the Utilitarian ideas set up by doctor Myrick. In the film doctor Myrick makes the claim that it is worth the deaths of unwilling subjects in order to help/save the lives of millions.

Read More

More about Undocumented Film Analysis

Related Topics

Open Document