Discussion

Task: Did the Tortilla Curtain help you to better understand the issue of immigration and the people involved?

1. What is immigration? How to immigrate into the USA?
2. Reasons and what is meant by the American Dream?
3. The people involved in Tortilla Curtain
4. The fence between the USA and Mexico
5. Immigration to Germany
6. Conclusion


1. How to immigrate into the USA:

To speak about the problem immigration we have to know what it means at first. It happens to people or small groups which leave their previous homes to move into another country and stay there for ever or for a longer period. But there are also illegal immigrants. That are people which cross national borders in a way that violates the immigration laws of the destination country.
Worldwide are circa 190 Million immigrants, 3% of the world population.

To immigrate into the States you need a 'Green Card' also called 'Permanent Resident Card'. It is a residence and work permit for the USA. Many countries are allowed to get this Green Card with exception of the Dominican Republic, El Salvador, Haiti, Jamaica, Colombia and Mexico. The requirements for the Green Card are:

• If the applicant marry someone who comes from an eligible country, he/she can get the nationality of his/her spouse. Both have to get VISA and have to immigrate together to the USA.

• If a parent has a nationality which is eligible to get the Green Card or the parent lived in a eligible country when the applicant was born. The applicant can get the nationality of his/her parent if this country is eligible to the DV-2009 programm (Diversity immigrant VISA programm).
• The applicant need the education requirements of the DV-2009 programm
• The applicant either need an education from a High School or a school with 12 years basic and advanced education or during the last 5 years you had 2 years work experience, which job needs at least 2 years education.

If you fulfill all these requirements you are a 'lawful permanent resident' and the owner of this Green Card.
2. Reasons to immigrate and the American dream:

“Every American can work one’s way up from no money to a millionaire.”

The novel shows us why people immigrate to the USA and the most important reason is the American Dream. This is a myth mostly held in the United States that everybody can make it from rags to riches. Just as freedom that allows all US-citizens to pursue their goals in life through hard work and free choice. The aims should be moral integrity, justice, honesty, hard work, ambition and perseverance. The main aspect of the American Dream is a part of the independence declaration of the USA, it says: “The citizens can depose an unjust ruler and can give a political system by themselves.” The elementary right of humans guarantee is the ‘pursuit of happiness’.

The American Dream is portrayed in the Tortilla Curtain namely by the Rincons in contrast to the Mossbachers.

• The Rincons: America believes in a better life and the manifestation of the American Dream, she had seen in the TV. In her opinion this dream consists of an own apartment, a gas rage, a refrigerator, running water – short: four walls and one roof. She is very convinced of her dreams, that everything will run in a better life. Her ‘husband’ Candido knows of the advantages of the United States because former he worked as an immigrant in the States. Their reasons to immigrate are: a better living standard and to earn some money. The whole story they held on their dream and want to fulfill their American Dream.
  
• The Mossbachers, the contrary: They aren’t satisfied with their lives even that they are a well-situated family. Kyra is a real estate agent and the chief breadwinner in the family. Delaney writes columns for a nature magazine and they live together with Kyra’s son Jordan in an exclusive house and they are very rich. They own 2 dogs, 1 cat and a couple of cars. But all in all they are not satisfied with their lives/achievements and seek for more health. Kyra’s sole wish is to own the Da Ros Place, her favorite house, even Delaney has only materialistic dreams. Towards the dreams of the Rincons it is absurd and unfair. The Rincons don’t own any property and are glad when they have enough to eat.

So you can see that the author shows us the different lifestyles based on the completely different families. Both couples have their own idea of the American Dream and at the end both have to realize that the dreams were just illusions. They live close together but they are worlds apart. All in all you can say that the Mossbachers represent the American Dream and the Rincons are trying to achieve this.


3. People involved in Tortilla Curtain:

Now we want to clear up whether the author uses the right characters or not. We think that the author uses perfect characters because in every daily situation there is a difference. Even the dining habits are different. The Mossbachers are rich, owning a house and can eat what they want or go in a restaurant, but however they eat healthy. In contrast to that, there are the Rincons, who have nothing. They are forced to eat very cheap, unhealthy food like snacks or tortillas.

Now we want to say something about the reaction about each other. The reaction of the Americans towards the Mexicans is very negative. They use bad words when they are talking about them and are totally against illegal immigrants, like the Rincons. Especially Kyra Mossbacher and Jack Jardine are against them. They say in the novel, that the Mexicans overwhelm the country, the school, the welfare, the prison and even the streets. Besides the Mexicans steel jobs and live from their taxes. Delaney, who is at the beginning of the story in favor of the Mexicans is at the end influenced by his neighbor Jack Jardine and develops a big hate towards them. The Mexicans have a very hard life as illegal immigrants in the USA. They have, like the Rincons, mostly no job, no money, no home and no respect. By the example of the life of the Rincons we can see how big their helplessness is. They don’t know where they could sleep and so on. They don’t want to do some evil they only want a better life with a higher living standard than in Mexico. But in the novel we noticed that there is sometimes no support under the illegal Mexicans. Everybody lives his own life, this is hard enough.
On contrast there is a confrontaion at the end of Tortilla Curtain where Candido meets Delaney in the flood where Candido rescues Delaney's life. That shows that not all Mexicans or illegal immigrants have the same bad behavior and that nobody should have prejudices.

4. The fence between Mexico and the USA:

The United States–Mexico barrier, also known as the Texas border wall or Texas border fence was made to stop illegal movements across the U.S.-Mexico border. The fence is a 600 kilometres long border between North- and Southamerica.

It is the highest crossed wall by legal and illegal immigrants in the world. A large percentage of the border is guarded by a lot of patrolling agents of the U.S. federal government. Circa half a million illegal immigrants cross the border to the USA each year. The patrolling agents are concentrated around big cities like San Diego and El Paso. The flow of illegal immigrants is redirected into rural mountainous and desert areas. By trying to cross the border, without authorization from the Federal government of the United States, several hundred immigrants died along the Mexico-U.S. border.

5. Immigration into Germany:

From 1991 to 2000 there were ca. 10,5 million migrations to Germany, 8 milion foreigners and 1,7 emigrants. From this 10,5 million immigrants 3,4 million people settle down in Germany and 7 million left our country again. Today about 800.000 people came to our country and 600.000 leave Germany.
If an illegal immigrant come to Germany he has to expect that he/she can get an entry refusal, a deportation or an arrestment. To get legal to Germany you need a visa when you're not from the EU states. You can get the visa from the embassy or the consulate general. The visa is permitted if you not endanger or interfere German interests. Besides the stay has to be financial secured.

6. Conclusion:

After reading the book Tortilla Curtain we've got a better overview about the topic immigration exspecially illegal immigrants now. We learned why they want to immigrate, how they try to cross the national border and how difficult it is to get a better life. It is more heavily to immigrate if you're come from a poor country than from a profitable country. But on the other hand who wants to immigrate from a economical good country?
All in all it is an interesting topic which we formulate.


Thanks for yout commentaries which helped us to find other ideas.

Discussion Task 9

Did the Tortilla Curtain help you to better understand the issue of immigration and the people involved?


My ideas: Yes: - can imagine the situation of illegal Mexicans in the U.S. - the wall shows the discrimination towards them - I understand why they want to cross the border (American Dream, work,..) - book shows me how difficult it is to immigrate in the USA

Do you have any other ideas towards this task?

Marlen's ideas to that task
Linda's ideas to that task