Riven Rock

“Immigrants are the lifeblood of this country- we are a nation of immigrants…” Within The Tortilla Curtain” written by T.C. Boyle, and “Child, Dead, in the Rose Garden” written by E.L. Doctorow, many examples of social commentary can be found. The above quote is only one example provided by Boyle of the hypocrisy that goes on within the book. The reason the quote would be identified as hypocrisy is because Delaney, the character who said the quote, later goes on to terrorize an immigrant and treat him badly because of the fact that he is an immigrant. Another social commentary that can be found among The Tortilla Curtain would be issues of racism, as well as boundaries, and the American Dream. Social Commentary can also be found in Doctorow’s piece, except his short story seems to deal more with immigration, bias and injustice. The social commentary can be seen through the examples of how Roberto Guzman’s case is dealt with and how his family dealt with because of the fact that they are immigrants. Both The Tortilla Curtain and “Child, Dead, in the Rose Garden” use social commentary to show issues that can definitely be seen throughout American history. It can be seen when comparing both works of literature (The Tortilla Curtain and “Child, Dead, in the Rose Garden) that in some ways they are alike. One way these two pieces of work are similar is they both provide a view of the disparity gap in America. In both works it can be seen how two separate families or individuals…

The rhetorical function in this chapter is to educate the reader's about the coyote, which symbolizes the Mexican immigrants. T.C. Boyle uses symbolism, pathos and irony, and diction to get his idea acrossed. Throughout the book you can tell that there are two distinct cultures, and one of them is not welcome and has to adaot in order to survive. Symbolism is a major rhetorical device used throughout the chapter and book. One of the major symbolism's found almost throughout the whole novel is…

People often have their own perspective of the American dream whether if it is to own a huge house and to be as wealthy as possible, or it is just as simple as having a roof over their head, and have a family. The novel The Tortilla Curtain by T.C. Boyle is set in Southern California, which illustrates the perspective of two couples, an upper middle class white couple, Delaney and Kyra, and a couple from Mexico who are illegal immigrants. It reveals the struggle of the Mexican couple, Cándido…

The Tortilla Curtain by T.C. Boyle is a modern novel that depicts the lives of two couples--one a wealthy American couple and the other a poor, illegal, Mexican immigrant couple. The novel is, in many respects, a commentary on the stereotypes, biases and walls Americans have built to separate themselves from immigration. Boyle uses these real and imagined boundaries to expose the social, physical and economic divisions between Americans and Mexicans in the United States. The most obvious…

able to cast this spell, he said, ‘will you please help me on this quest to restore and take back what is ours”. I said, “ I am a woman of my word, and I swore I would care for my people”. We set off to find this place that we had to go to. We had stumbled across some monsters, and they attacked us, Harry ran up and sliced them with his sword. More came to attack and with each swing of the sword each one was dead. Harry said we better hurry up before more come. It took us about 4 hours to find…

army, Dorian. Dorian wanted Alexo to grow up to be strong and independent. Therefore, he taught her everything she needed to know about defending herself, like wielding a sword. As Alexo grew up, the more advanced her skills got, the more mature she was getting. One day she was walking through town and she stumbled upon a rock. “Ouch” Alexo Cried. “How may…

contest that the tree and other surroundings were indeed sacred. A personal conflict that seems to be caused by the killing of the tree appears after Elizabeth has her baby and then she and Joseph go to the ridge where Elizabeth slips and breaks her neck on the moss covered rock. Soon after returning with Elizabeth’s body Joseph sleeps with Rama and gives her his newborn son because of all the occurrences and the man he meets that sacrifices small…

Lee A. Jacobus describes Plato’s allegory of the cave as “a story in which the characters and situations actually represent people and situations in another context (448).” Plato’s work is written as a conversation between himself and Socrates. The story describes prisoners in a cave, who have only seen what their captors let them. These captors, or “people with gear,” cast shadows on the walls, which the prisoners interpret as reality. Later, they set one of the prisoners free. After leaving,…

Though, close in distance, Sailor Rock was much harder for Greg to get to from the north side, rather than the dirt road they had always used from the west. Limping uphill on one leg with a crutch and maneuvering through rocky and uneven ground, was difficult enough, until he had to pick his way through the prickly bushes and small trees where the ground leveled near its base. Since he couldn’t go very far without elevating his leg, it took him two full days to finally get there. The wild plums…

Rock Bottom I always say whenever I am in trouble I think that I am in “rock bottom”. Like when I have a bad grade, have a bad day at work, or when I get upset at my parents, I want to relate myself to rock bottom. But, if I look at my position from a different view, I should be lucky I have the Tennessee Promise scholarship to keep me in school, I should be happy that I am employed, and I should be blessed enough to have parents to even become upset about. I realize those little hardships is…