Analysis Of Ted Talk By Adichie

Throughout United States history, there has been debate about immigration. From the bias against Irish immigrants in the 19th century to fear of Syrian refugees in the 2016 presidential debates, nativists have stood resolutely against migrants seeking better lives in a country citizens view as their own. This fear and possessiveness leads to bias and stereotyping of the groups coming into the United States at a particular period of time. In the 21st century, nativists have focused their fears on Latin American migrants, especially those crossing the border from Mexico, creating a “single story” (as Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie illustrates in her Ted Talk, “The Danger of a Single Story”) describing them as lazy, delinquent people who take advantage …show more content…
No one he meets and depicts in the story wants to move to the United States with the intention of finding an easier job, but instead many people hope to find jobs that, though difficult, will pay more. Depicting immigrants as lazy completely ignores how difficult getting across the border is, first of all; De Leon describes in detail the horrors that one meets traveling across the hybrid colectif of the Sonoran Desert, from animals to exploitative coyotes, all indirectly engineered by the federal government. Making the decision to risk one’s life isn’t one someone makse on a whim with the hope of working less and sliding under the radar. Maricela, an Ecuadorian migrant, is a good example of this. While De Leon never spoke to Maricela, or even knew about her until after her death, he was able to piece together her story using archeological artifacts and talking to her family. He learned that, after her brother-in-law, Christian, moved to the United States and was able to support his family, Maricela decided to make the dangerous journey across the border. Christian, whose border crossing experience was harrowing and life threatening, tried to dissuade her, but her mind was made up; Maricela cared so much for her family that she was willing to risk, and in the end give up, her life for just the chance of bettering their lives. Especially because of Maricela’s death, De Leon’s depiction of her as a person with real choices, emotions, and relationships allows the reader to connect to her in a way we might not be able to if we simply heard her story. De Leon talks about necroviolence in two ways: the first is very physical, showing the actual decomposition and disappearance of artifacts and bodies within the Sonoran Desert. However, he also references this idea as a more social occurrence; forgetting that Maricela was more