Undocumented Immigrants in the United States Essay Paper
by ella | Mar 27, 2024 | Writing
Description
- For the essay on Dear America by Jose Antonio Vargas, students will address one of the prompts from The Reading Group Guide on pages 233-235. SELECT FROM THESE OPTIONS ONLY: QUESTIONS 3, 7, 8, 13, OR 14. The questions are here in case your version of the book does not include the guide.SELECT FROM ONE OF THE QUESTIONS BELOW: #3. What does it mean to be an American? What makes an individual a citizen? Who should get to choose who is and isn’t allowed to become an American and live here? In learning about Jose, is he any less an American than those who are born here? Why or why not?#7. What does it take to survive as an undocumented person in the United States today? How has living a lie and hiding shaped the person Jose is and the profession he chose to pursue? How did he mask his status from those who did not know his secret before he came out as undocumented?#8. Jose touches on race in the book. Why is race a charged issue for Americans? Why do many Americans feel the need to identify foremost by race? How do race, nationality, and immigration influence one another?#13. What did you discover about Jose Antonio Vargas from reading Dear America? Did anything you read surprise or shock you? What does his story say about the plight of the millions of other undocumented men, women, and children in the United States today?#14. How has reading Dear America affected your opinion about immigration, migration, citizenship, and being an American? What are some common misconceptions the author dispels about “illegal” immigrants? Did you know that the process of citizenship was as difficult as it is?
- You should have a main focus for your paper, meaning a thesis explaining the point or argument you are making. Then proceed to support this thesis with evidence from the text and identify the sections with page numbers (p.#) when appropriate.
- Do NOT provide a descriptive summary of the book, include long quotes from the texts, or merely write a personal opinion piece. You can include some personal experiences, but focus on analyzing the content of the memoir with information from the book.
- You can refer to other materials from the class, including readings/videos, lectures, and discussion sections, such as about Filipinx American history, immigration policies, undocumented immigrants, resistance, etc., to support your points or arguments. Do NOT include materials outside of class though.
- The Dear America essay is due at the same time and in the same Word document as the 2 essays for Weeks 9-10 and must be uploaded on your TAs Canvas page and will be graded together. The 1,000-1,100 word essay should be in 12-point font, double-spaced, and have one inch margins in a Word document.
