Gloria Anzalduas Borderlands/La Frontera: The New Mestiza - Research Paper Example

Task Gloria Anzaldua’s Borderlands/La Frontera: The New Mestiza Introduction Immigration is a challenge to nations globally, since individuals are always migrating for diverse reasons like war and famine; as a result, there is an influx of emigre in different parts of the region. Nations have involved a lot of strategies as a mechanism for controlling the number of immigrants crossing their borders illegally to other nations. This essay examines the origin, time of existence, changes, exact time of construction, reasons and effects of the construction of the La Frontera border. Origin of the Borderlands/La Frontera Borderlands/ La Frontera: The New Mestiza by Gloria Anzaldua depicts the basic necessities of a true border, since it describes the constituents of a border into details. It is not depicted as a simple divide, but a complex constituent that makes up a society. Anzaldua describes the border to be an environment where there is social, cultural and psychic interaction that cements the relationship of individuals living in one area. Borderlands were formed because of the need to enlighten individuals of fragmentation and chauvinism amongst cultures. The origin of the Borderlands/La Frontera depicts the efforts put across by individuals in the process of civilization. It is used to show a constant state of transition across generations, since the land is a constituent of the border; therefore every development within the border is corresponding to the social situations of individuals inhabiting the border. The purpose of the book was to address the lack of understanding in individuals to accept those who are culturally or sexually different in the society (Anzaldua & Keating, 174). Era of Existence of the Border The border was built at a time when issues like drug abuse and sexuality were esteemed in the society. The era was characterized by racial politics, since Gloria was constantly criticized for romanticizing her tribe the Chicano’s aboriginal in ways that would see them lose sense of their culture. Critiques of the book judged that the book was forming unhealthy association with the present day Americans because the country was advocating for unity (Anzaldua & Keating, 174). Changes Brought About By the Border throughout History Borderlands have experienced a lot of changes throughout history. Firstly, there is a conventional change in boundaries that were put to govern the social relationship of individuals living from both sides of the border. The border separated individuals from the Mexican and American origins. It had experienced political change that was brought about due to fight for colonization. The original border was as territorial border, and later evolved with time into a political border witnessed by the colonization of the world. Secondly, the shift in the borderlands was also witnessed by the impacts of colonization on the languages of the natives whop started imitating the westerner’s language. Anzaldua reasons that the English speakers were being unreasonable in their border campaigns of clearing out all the existing languages and replace them with theirs. Thirdly, the shift could be associated to the change in ideologies between the inhabitants of both sides. One side of the borders inhabitants was tired of always being caught at the center, and craved for freedom of having two ideologies from both side of the border coexists in harmony (Randall, 20). Lastly, Gloria’s personal life is an example of the change in lives brought about by the construction of the border. She is the first person who migrated from her kindred, since centuries had passed without any of her kindred migrating to the other side of the border. An example is the alteration in opinion and character that women during Gloria’s time acquired. There was the notion that men were the ones who held power, and the position of female gender was insignificant, since their role in the society was to assume their wifely roles or be nuns (Stacy, 100). Time of the Construction of the ‘Border Fence’ between US and Mexico The construction of the border connecting the US and Mexico began in the year 1993. This was the time that the law was implemented to manage the edifice of the border. The law was passed by the American congress. It was approved by the then president of US, George Bush. He implemented the law into action by deploying national guardsmen to keep man of the newly built border. Reasons for Construction of the Border between the US and Mexico The construction of the border fence linking US and Mexico was to bring a stop to the entry of illegitimate aliens into the US. The perception of individuals from the Mexican side of the border was that the US was a land of opportunities. This resulted to their illegitimate immigration to the US; as a result, the government came up with the construction of the border to cab against the vice, which was already resulting to overpopulation and other social menace (Anzaldua & Keating, 30). Effects of the Border to the Inhabitants of Mexico and America The border has both optimistically and negatively affected the populace staying on all sides of the border. The rates of levy are being augmented, since the cost of keeping up the border has proven to be expensive. The high cost of keeping up the border is reflected on the yearly budget used by the governments of the two countries. Secondly, smuggling of commodities has been abridged amid the two countries, since the response of the homeland security has increased. Technological developments have led to a boost in security provided by homeland security, since the work of border patrols has been made easier (Truong, 44). Thirdly, boundary construction has led to ecological degradation of both the citizens of US and Mexico. The border construction did not take into consideration application of environmental rules regarding buildings or erections of structures. It led to the damage of the ‘Tijuana River Estuary’. Rivers are part of the surroundings, and its damage leads to an imbalance of resources in the environment. Lastly, the edifice of the border has led to untold human sufferings of immigrants in the hands of the officials manning the border. Mexican citizens are abused because of the creation of the border. The immigrants are subject to torture and unfair treatments of official stationed at the wall (Dedina, 124). Conclusion Conclusively, Borderlands by Gloria Anzaldua narrates the sufferings experienced by the immigrants who were living Mexico for the US. Borderland is used to describe the rigors that immigrants experience in their attempt to find greener pastures abroad. The border was constructed at a time when politics concerning race was at its peak in the US. The border construction led to other effects like environmental degradation and violation of the civil rights on the immigrants who were caught in the process of migrating to the US. Works Cited Anzaldua, Gloria, and Keating, AnaLouise. The Gloria Anzaldua Reader. Durham: Duke University Press, 2009. Print. Dedina, Serge. Wild Sea: Eco-wars and Surf Stories from the Coast of the Californias. Tucson: University of Arizona Press, 2011. Print. Randall, Laura. Changing Structure of Mexico: Political, Social, and Economic Prospects. Armonk, N.Y: M.E. Sharpe, 2006. Print. Stacy, Lee. Mexico and the United States. New York: Marshall Cavendish, 2003. Print. Truong, Thanh-Dam. Transnational Migration and Human Security: The Migration Development Security Nexus. Berlin u.a: Springer, 2011. Print. Read More