America has always been the land of opportunity; however, it isn’t the fairytale that most believe it to be. Pablo Medina relays this idea in his memoir, “Arrival: 1960”, as a young Cuban immigrant. His family had moved to America to escape Communist Cuba for new life in New York City. He believed that this new life in America would allow him to live a long prosperous life, and better than his previous life in Cuba. He soon expresses, through strategically placed color changes, how his view of this “promised land” has altered. In the beginning of the memoir, Medina uses the color of white to represent his pure outlook on this new and great opportunity before him. Medina, at the time, thought that America was this new pure place that all his
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“[The snow] started greying at the edges four days after my father took my sister and I to school, Robert F. Wagner Junior High, on East 72nd Street” (Medina 72). At the time, all Medina could see is this decrepit looking school that was nothing like he had imagined it to be. The snow changed with his outlook on his new life. When reflecting on his memory, Medina has an obvious negative outlook on the school by stating, “J.H.S. 167 was a typical New York school, a microcosm of the city where all races mingled and fought and, on occasion, learned” (Medina 72). Saying this lets the reader know that Medina must have hated the educational systems of New York because they weren’t focused on educating the students. Just when you thought the story couldn’t get much darker, it takes a major turn for …show more content…
When coming to America, Medina knew that he would be the “new kid”, but didn’t know that he would be viewed and judged solely based on his skin color. When Medina met his new teacher, the first thing she commented on was his skin complexion. Medina thought at the time, “Skin? What does skin have to do with any of this? I had never thought of my skin, let alone considered it a mark of my foreignness” (73). Reflecting back on his account, Medina realizes that others had a certain expectation for him before they even got to know him. He hated the fact that they have labeled him based on the color of his
“[The snow] started greying at the edges four days after my father took my sister and I to school, Robert F. Wagner Junior High, on East 72nd Street” (Medina 72). At the time, all Medina could see is this decrepit looking school that was nothing like he had imagined it to be. The snow changed with his outlook on his new life. When reflecting on his memory, Medina has an obvious negative outlook on the school by stating, “J.H.S. 167 was a typical New York school, a microcosm of the city where all races mingled and fought and, on occasion, learned” (Medina 72). Saying this lets the reader know that Medina must have hated the educational systems of New York because they weren’t focused on educating the students. Just when you thought the story couldn’t get much darker, it takes a major turn for …show more content…
When coming to America, Medina knew that he would be the “new kid”, but didn’t know that he would be viewed and judged solely based on his skin color. When Medina met his new teacher, the first thing she commented on was his skin complexion. Medina thought at the time, “Skin? What does skin have to do with any of this? I had never thought of my skin, let alone considered it a mark of my foreignness” (73). Reflecting back on his account, Medina realizes that others had a certain expectation for him before they even got to know him. He hated the fact that they have labeled him based on the color of his