Borders: Transnational Migration and the U.S./Mexican BorderYour task for Essay 1 is to (1) interpret the film A Better Life, (2) support your interpretation with specific scenes from the film and (3)

Ajan Alhadeed 3

Mohamed Ajan Alhadeed

Eng 1B

6/24/2020

Reading Response for A Better Life

A Better Life is a trailer about an undocumented Mexican immigrant called Carlos, who holds traditional values, works hard, and keeps a low profile while working as a gardener for rich residents of Los Angeles. Carlos is being pulled apart by the American life as he lives hand to mouth daily in a small house with a garden; he uses to plant starters for his clients. Besides, he lives with his son Luis, 15-years old boy, who views his fathers as a looser and often misses school. Luis has not joined gangs, but he seems to consider joining because he often tells his father, “I’ll jack a little old lady” whenever he asks for money and not given any. This film addresses some of the real issues that are faced by immigrants in the United States.

Immigrants face several issues in the US, and one thing is that they fear to lose their jobs and being deported after they are found not to be citizens of the nation. The fears that an immigrant has hindered them from enjoying their lives and being proud of their families, especially if the case involves all members of the family. In A Better Life, Carlos works for a man called Blasco who offers to sell him his landscaping truck, but Carlos fears being deported because he cannot get a driver’s license. After lending some money by his sister, Carlos bought the truck, but it was stolen the next day. The truck symbolized as his way to end poverty, which he faces as an undocumented immigrant. However, he took matters into his hands of searching for his truck because he did not want to seek help from the police from fear of being arrested. This inevitability faced by most immigrants led to Carlos taking illegal measures. Unfortunately, Carlos was pulled over by police and set to be deported to his native country, leaving behind Luis, his son. This incident explains the challenges faced by immigrants in low socioeconomic status that affect different aspects of their entire life.

The immigrants face a challenge of adapting to the mainstream culture, and this affects their life aspects. An immigrant has limited rights and freedom of living, which is not significant in the real world. Besides, they are often the subjects of a continuous era of problems that often led them to struggle always for a decent living. In A Better Life, Carlos wanted to create a better life for his son by establishing a successful pathway and leading as an example. However, Luis is a high school student who was socialized to gang-affiliated friends, and it threatened the lifestyle and the roles that Carlos wanted for his son. Carlos did not want his son to be affiliated with gangs, and he wanted him to abide by the law, but the pressure from the peers, school, and neighborhood made it difficult for him not to get involved. From this passage, it is evident that immigrants lack a means of improving their environment and their present status because they are subjected to daily conflicts and challenges posed by adapting to the mainstream culture.

Immigrants face various challenges such as fears of being deported, socioeconomic issues, and difficulties in parenting, that impact their lives and may change the course of it drastically. These individuals often have to endure challenges and work hard to provide a better life for their families.

Work Cited

A Better Life. (2011). McLaughlin Films, Depth of Field, Summit Entertainment, Lime Orchard Productions, Witt/Thomas Productions Comments.

https://cineb.net/watch-movie/watch-a-better-life-free-8759.2397857.

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