Preview

Our Wall Bowden Summary

Good Essays
Open Document
Open Document
450 Words
Grammar
Grammar
Plagiarism
Plagiarism
Writing
Writing
Score
Score
Our Wall Bowden Summary
Our Wall

1. I believe Bowden aims his essay towards the American audience who do not know much about American border control or who have not yet formed an opinion. Bowden addresses both points of pros and cons but also states that it is a necessity that America has a wall at the border.

2. Bowden’s thesis is, “Borders everywhere attract violence, violence prompts fences, and eventually fences can mutate into wall.” He states this in the second paragraph on page 61. Is purpose is not only to inform but also express emotions. He doesn’t persuade nor argue for a specific side but rather gives facts and examples of pros and cons of each side using narration. On page 61, Bowden talks about the border between Arizona and Mexico. He gives
…show more content…
According to Bowden, a wall symbolizes many things. It may symbolize fear or a desire for control. It can also symbolize racism in some peoples eyes or may just be seen as an object to keep illegal immigrants out of the country. In other countries it can be used to keep people trapped in the country as well. It has many different uses and symbolizes many things.

4. On page 66, Bowden uses narration several times. He talks about how Naco, Arizona would meet Naco, Mexico for a volleyball match once a year. They would party and many people would come watch from both sides. On that same page, he also uses narration to describe a gentlemen who ad experienced Berlin’s wall fall and gave his opinions from both sides. Bowden uses the narration technique to catch the audiences attention and to help form the audiences opinion to the matter. It is interesting to hear peoples opinions or stories about such a debated topic. This is why he uses so many examples in his article.

5. Bowden talks about a quinceanera in a 90’s gay bar in Nato, Arizona. He talks about how half the people are American and half are Mexican. He says the main focus that day was about a girl becoming a women, not about which side of the border you were from. In the end, Bowden states that he has no doubt that one day someone will write about learned treatises of the Great Wall of the United States. He goes on to finish that it may even be a descendant of a Mexican jumping a fence right

You May Also Find These Documents Helpful

  • Good Essays

    Narration is what allows us to grasp every action and detail in a story. Although authors are usually expected to guide readers through a book, Ernest Hemingway in Hills Like White Elephants decided to narrate his story in journalistic fashion. The story being told in an objective narrative format allowed for imagination and assumptions. The story being told in third person point of view which is objective, never allows us into the minds of the characters. We are only given minimal background and specifics. Though not much is offered, we can analyze various moments in the narration that contributes and shapes to the meaning of the story.…

    • 823 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    The poem “Where There’s a Wall” by Joy Kogawa describes the historical event of internment or concentration camps using a wall as a metaphor. The author does not outright identify and describe this unfortunate historical event but readers can use the imagery and symbols along with their historical knowledge to be able to determine that the author could be writing about a person in an internment or concentration camp. The poem is universal in the fact that it may not be interpreted in a historical way by one that does not have as much knowledge about history. These type of readers may interpret it as the wall being an obstacle in the way of a goal. This aspect of the poem makes it very interesting because it can be interpreted in many unique ways to different readers.…

    • 598 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    Counterterrorism is a practice that is very necessary in order to continue the American way of life. When we think about Counterterrorism, what comes to mind is preventative measures against terrorist attacks from countries such as Afghanistan, Iraq or simply the Middle East. After 9/11, we became suspicious of people who did not look American. This is a very difficult characteristic to ask for because America is made up of many types of people. Americans do not have an “American Look”. In my paper, I hope to delve into the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) focusing on the United States Citizens Immigrations Services (USCIS). Both agencies work in deterring Terrorism in our country. By exploring the roles these agencies play in securing our borders, we will have a better understanding of what also needs to be done to maintain that security.…

    • 2287 Words
    • 10 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Good Essays

    in ‘Up the Wall’ family life in Bruce Dawes poem shows that the mother is always busy cleaning the house and preparing food for the family, the father is at work to earn money for the living, in the poem ‘up the wall’ Bruce Dawe shows how important the life of a mother is but the family don’t appreciate it because it is stereotypical and that’s what every mother should do for the family. “The kettle’s plainsong rises to a shriek; the saucepan milk is always on the boil.” This Quote shows that the mother is multitasking trying to keep up with her Daily work and she is consistently working for the house. ‘shriek’ is an example of onomatopoeia that shows there is chaos. Another quote which shows how devastating and mundane the life of the mother…

    • 246 Words
    • 1 Page
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    The author appears to assume that the audience values seeing an authentic representation of immigration at the Arizona boundaries. When the audience clicks on the TIME photo album “The Great Wall of America” the caption reads, “TIME Photographer Anthony Suau tracks the progress of the US effort to build a permanent barrier between the United States and Mexico” (TIME). Suau predicts that the audience becomes intrigued by the building of the wall and their views against immigration because he shows the hardships of immigration. The author as well as the audience both holds meaning towards seeing what the building of the wall looks…

    • 902 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    Author Amanda Rose has taken it upon herself to bring to light the horrific experiences of modern day immigrant’s flight to freedom through the Sonoran Desert. In addition to addressing the immigrant’s plight, she calls into question the immigration process or lack thereof, the United States legislative broken immigration policy, religious leaders and their roles, US Border Patrol and US citizens. Her intent is to open up a dialogue on US immigration policies and educate the American public on the devastating consequences of a hapless built dividing wall between two countries which are felt not only by the immigrants but by the people that live in and around the border. Rose illustrates the conflicts that everyday Americans citizens living on the border face in trying to help and solve border issues with their personal solutions. Do they work? Are they…

    • 1358 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    The brick wall itself is a standing obstacle that someone would have to overcome or climb over. When you want something bad enough, your drive kicks in and takes over to make you successful. The line "The brick walls are there for a reason", represent that everyone has there individual obstacles that they face and how you approach this is what will create prosperity or failure. When given the opportunity to rise and prove ourselves to others,…

    • 230 Words
    • 1 Page
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Better Essays

    Breaking Down Constructs: The Path from Resistance to Reconciliation What is the purpose of a border? Is it more than a line that separates two things? In an interview, American-Canadian author Thomas King explains how “borders are these very artificial and subjective barriers that we throw up around our lives in all sort of ways. National borders are just indicative of the kinds of borders we build around ourselves” (qtd.…

    • 1706 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    Narration - The writer’s personal recount of any event that somehow directly ties to or pertains to the subject at hand.…

    • 1289 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    Rhetorical Modes Matrix

    • 521 Words
    • 3 Pages

    | Narration is the Art of storytelling and the purpose is to tell a story. Anytime you tell a story to a friend or family member.…

    • 521 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    Bobby Coming Of Age

    • 504 Words
    • 3 Pages

    The wall is supposed to be a symbol of bobby and finding his identity. Bobby is spray painting about his flashbacks while trying to find his identity. The first flashback he has is when him and K-boy were flying kites. The second flashback he has is J.L and him were at the museum and then they were blowing bubbles. The third and last flashback is of him, his brothers, and his parents all on vacation. He sees himself in the first flashback as a "pale ghost boy" and when he looks in the mirror he doesn't have an identity. In the second flashback he sees a brown girl looking away from him. In the third flashback he sees himself as a baby that doesn't have a face and he doesn't have an identity. Bobby's art is a reflection of life.…

    • 504 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Better Essays

    Final Ethnography Paper

    • 1437 Words
    • 5 Pages

    The Mexican culture is a very distinct culture. Over the break I was fortunate enough to visit Tijuana, Mexico and analyze the cultural differences represented at the border. The way that I traveled to Mexico was by walking across the border at the San Diego/Tijuana joint border location. In doing so I was able to actively participate and evaluate the cultural clashes and intensification in this border “society” environment.…

    • 1437 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    Summary essay

    • 296 Words
    • 2 Pages

    Second, he discussed about the nature of the illegal immigrants. There are large numbers of “young males from Mexico [who] arrive in a strange country mostly alone, without English,” (699). He also talked about how so many illegal immigrants are uneducated. Furthermore they come here and work, and they send the money back to their country rather than spend it the U.S.…

    • 296 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    ¨Life is limitless and dreamers of Mexico cross the border they can't be denied the entry to America to find a bright future”. This statement shows that a border wall between the U.S. and Mexico will not help anything just cause more problems and harm millions of people. If a wall is built it will most likely won't solve anything to prevent Mexicans or other immigrants coming to America. Additionally, the wall does not keep out terrorist or drug smugglers. Also, a border wall between the U.S and Mexico can´t protect American jobs or reduce crime. Instead, it will waste resources like public takes and the money to pay the guard to watch the fence. It will also be take an enormous amount of money to build the wall and to surveillance it.…

    • 647 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    She begins by describing the border between the U.S. and Mexico as where "the Third World grates against the first and bleeds" (Anzaldua). She states that a distinctive border culture is growing up in this region. Though it is now defined as white, this area was first Indian, Spanish, and mestizo and a place of migration from north to south, as Chicanos and mestizos moved from what is the U.S. to Mexico, and then south to north, as Mexicans returned to the U.S. as immigrants. She then explores the ways in which she rebelled against her culture by being a lesbian, and a woman who grew up in a cross-cultured area trying to understand her identity, but also to make us rethink about what a border is and what are the consequences which come with it. She writes, "I want to freedom to chisel my own face” (Anzaldua). She also identifies the female deities in Latina culture that men drove underground and the ways in which traditional culture once gave more power to women. She pries off the layers of history to find the multiple complex strands that compose her identity and calls for the people who are dominant in the borderland culture to recognize and empower those who are…

    • 1375 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Powerful Essays