Main Points and the Importance of Louis Alberto Urreas Work - Literature review Example

Order 440780 Topic: Across the Wire 1. Introduction, main points and the importance of Louis Alberto Urrea’s work: The author explains his purpose of writing the book candidly and honestly in the beginning of the book. Urrea writes, “Across the Wire deals with experiences in part of the Borderlands that no tourist will ever see. It is subjective and biased, and I believe that is the way it should be. I have avoided presenting the people who live there as “noble savages.” Poverty ennobles no one; it brutalizes common people and makes them hungry and old.”(Preface, p.2) Poor persons are generally destroyed by the inner conviction of uselessness, when they find it difficult to make progress in life. When they do not know how to make both the ends meet! When tomorrow’s bread is not assured from today’s labor, with no labor to do! They listen to the stories of inordinate richness on the other side of the fence, a few success stories across the border, and are fascinated to get rich as quickly as possible, knowing well how grave and risky is the path ahead! They are conscious about the uncertainties. Yet their desperate situation leaves them no option but to adopt desperate measures…sometimes at the cost of risking the life itself. They are willing for the final alternative; they have no other choice. The author is highly successful in proving his points. He does not make national or international issues of his encounters with the people; it is the humanitarian issue for him. How a human being exists facing pressure from all the sides, with no one to offer concrete guidance about the next step to be taken. How the common man exploits the common man; how the honor and safety of women is callously neglected. Urrea’s work is of utmost importance for political, sociological, and economic think-tanks all over the world, and especially in Mexico and USA 2. The ground realities and the living conditions of the people in the border areas of Mexico: Urrea makes a book clubbing of many evocative stories. He is a Mexican born American and worked in Tijuana, from 1978 to 1982 for a Protestant aid group. He is well acquainted with the region and the conditions of the extraordinarily poor people there. He is familiar with the ground realities, and be often interacts with the common folk. Tijuana is like the colony of the Middle Age. A few miles across the border, a prosperous area and people with abundant wealth inhabit. In Tijuana, people live amidst the squalor dumps and their comforts are a bed and a car-battery-powered television. He describes utter poverty of the people and the non-existing health facilities thus: “In Tijuana and environs, we met the many ambassadors of poverty: lice, scabies, tapeworm, pinworm, ringworm, fleas, crab, and lice. We met diphtheria, meningitis, typhoid, polio, turista (diarrhea), tuberculosis, hepatitis, VD, impetigo, measles, chronic hernia, malaria, whooping cough. We met madness and “demon possession.” (p.10) The description is nauseating and those are the real-life conditions amidst which men, women and children live! A personal and insightful view of Mexican border residents and their efforts to reach USA: What makes the people flee to the United States? It is mainly due to the terrible living conditions of the people behind the Mexican border. When it is legally not possible for them to emigrate, they venture upon the dangerous illegal journey. Urrea tells everything about what is happening in the Mexican border, through a string of events, belonging to different categories of people, their common objective being to cross the border to reach USA, no matter how one reaches! In Mexico over 45 million out of 90 million live in poverty and 17 million live in acute poverty. Is any further justification required for their desperate attempts to flee from Mexico? Until their mission of reaching USA is accomplished, what all wretched situations they have to face? Urrea writes, “In town, you face endless victimization if you aren’t street-wise. The police come after you, street thugs come after you, petty criminals come after you; strangers try your door at night as you sleep. Many shades of men offer to guide you across the border, and each one wants all your money now, and promises to meet you at prearranged spot.”(p.13) Poverty and illiteracy are dancing the death dance in the border areas of Mexico: This is not the problem of Mexico alone. This is not alone the border problem of USA. This is a problem for the world organizations like UNO to look into and establish a permanent office there and sort out the problem as per its conventions. Establish industries and create employment opportunities for the youth of Mexico. Saying farewell to the country where one is born is the final option for an individual. Nobody does it with love. The issue needs to be solved from the viewpoint of permanence. Catching and driving the illegal immigrants out of USA will not solve the basic problem. Not it is reasonable to expect that USA will absorb all the illegal immigrants. The root cause is poverty, and illiteracy. The rich countries and the super rich individuals have to think sincerely to do something tangible for areas like Tijuana. By not providing the lasting solution to one problem, ten new problems crop up. The odds are appalling on the Mexican border, and decisions need to be taken at the highest level to find an honorable way out to the vexed issue. 3) An assessment of Urrea’s work. He is successful…. Urrea has accomplished, perhaps what an enquiry commission or a survey by an expert team could not accomplish. That is because of his deep personal interest and concern for the poor people. No authority is willing to listen to their genuine grievances. Authorities on either side of the border mostly harass, causing untold miseries. It is a moment to moment nightmarish existence for the people. They do not know what will happen to them the next moment. Apart from the legal hurdles and the harassing police officials, their worst enemies are the people themselves. No man is safe; honor of women is not safe. Criminality of all sorts and harassing the innocent is the way of life for many groups of thugs. Urrea writes, “If you are not Mexican, you can’t pass as tijuanense, a local, and tough guys find you out. Salvadorana and Guatemalans are routinely beaten up and robbed. Sometimes they are disfigured. Indians—Chinantecas, Mixtecas, Guasaves, Zapotecas, Mayas—are insulted and pushed around; often they are lucky—they are merely ignored.”(p.13) The author is very successful in his objective—to highlight the conditions of the helpless poor along the Mexican Border. His stories relate to personal experiences of the people of different categories. He does not claim great achievements. But if there is any importance for the life of the common man, Urrea has given it to them and has created a sense of urgency to come to the rescue of the people. American government has its immigration laws and it is the duty of the enforcing agencies to follow the rules. No qualms about it. If they are lenient and relax the guard, immigrants from Mexico will arrive in USA like the avalanche. Urrea is aware of such possibilities but he is concerned about the human perspective. He has extensively toured the area, at great risk to his personal safety and collected his facts. I have no reason to disbelieve him. Evidence is not the issue here. Those who doubt the veracity of his observations should venture out into the tour of Tijuana, and they are sure to second his opinions. **************** Works Cited: Urrea, Luis Alberto. Across the Wire: Life and Hard Times on the Mexican Border: Anchor; 1st edition, January 2, 1993. Read More