Julia Alvarez Outlaw

Moving into a new country is a frightening experience, especially if you come illegally. The short stories¨The Trip¨ by Laila Lalami, the poem¨Exile¨ by Julia Alvarez, and the article¨ Outlaw:My life as an undocumented immigrant.¨ by Jose Vargas, all outline the experience of being an immigrant in a country. In all three of these pieces, we view characters who are moving to a new country and facing challenges of immigrating. The main characters in each story are facing challenges of moving to a new country like the language or not fitting in with the people. In the poem, ¨Exile¨ by Julia Alvarez, the character faced the challenge of not fitting in. The character feels like they do not fit in with the people around them because they are dressed too formally compared to everyone. In the poem she states, ¨ We saw our reflections superimposed, …show more content…
Moving into a new country can pose many challenges like learning the slurs of the country. He states, “ It was hard to learn the difference between formal English and American slang”(p 2). In this segment, he states that it was difficult to discern between formal English and slang. This segment refines the idea that it is difficult to adapt to the culture of a country which may present challenges. Moving into a country illegally can also pose as a very difficult challenge because he is not able to enjoy many American rights. He state, “ But when I handed the clerk my green card as my proof of U.S residency, she flipped it around examining it. “This is fake” she whispered.””(p 3). In this quote, he was attempting to get his driver's license, but he could not because he came here illegally. This determines that he can’t enjoy all Americans rights because he is not legal. Coming to a new country can be a challenge, but coming illegally is very difficult because you can not enjoy many