Julia’s parents took a risk with leaving their country in this way. For example, their fear for this is clear here: “...speaking in worried whispers to your brothers, which car to take, who’d be willing to drive it, which explanation to give should we be discovered” (Alvarez line pg 250).. They were worried for their children, so they were willing to go through it all. That doesn’t mean that it would be easy though. The father specifically, seemed to have reservations with it: “...for you knew as we stepped inside the cabin that a part of both of us had been set adrift” (Alvarez line pg 252).. Giving up a part of one’s self must be difficult, but if done for those a person loves, anything can be coped with. After actually getting there, they had the problem of adjusting to their new, scary world. Therefore, they all put on a façade of bravery: “We stood awhile, marveling at America, both of us trying to feel luckier than we felt…” (Alvarez line pg 253). Her parents and Julia needed to brave for each other, and that’s exactly did. It can be a terrifying transition, but it makes it alright if one is doing it for someone they …show more content…
See, Jose had these ideals that even though he wasn’t an American by birth, he could earn the title by working hard. He had come up to this conclusion with these exact words: “I convinced myself that if I worked hard enough, if I achieved enough, I would be rewarded with citizenship” (Vargas 2).. These thoughts kept him going and helped him stay focused and determined on his goals. Using this determination, his first challenge he wanted to overcome was the language. This led him to doing this:“During high school, I spent hours at a time watching television and movies, pausing the VHS to try to copy how various characters enunciated their words” (Vargas 2).. It’s commendable what lengths he was willing to go to successfully become an American. Naturally, he faced challenges but he internalized it and kept on going. Speaking of those who tried to bring him down, he responded by doing this: “For the summer of 2003, I applied for internships across the country” (Vargas 7).. For someone like him, he couldn’t stay down, in fact he wouldn’t stay down. He attained his dreams, but at the cost of anything else enjoyable in life.
The people who were able to gain a better life took it, with varying degrees of success. The only thing that matters is that they all felt ready for the challenge. They were ready for turmoil that was promised with these types of trials. But with bravery and determination, or at