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Literature & Language
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Ideas About Migration: Family, Language, Space, Return, and Borders

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Directions: Write an essay for each of the five topics. Each essay should be approximately 400-600 words each, and must discuss and analyze (not just ‘mention’) all three texts we have covered this semester: The Dew Breaker, The Reluctant Fundamentalist, and The Devil’s Highway. The essays should state a clear and arguable thesis, develop a discussion through observations of specific examples from the novels, nonfiction, and stories, and conclude with a concise statement on how they individually and collectively engage with the respective theme. Use MLA style for all in-text citations.
How do the following themes appear in the three books we have read this semester?
1. Family
The literature of migration is based on stories about families that are sundered or united due to differences created by divided histories. What role do families play in the readings this semester? Compare and contrast the different family situations in the three texts we have read.
2. Language
In each of the books, language difference plays a role in identifying characters, marking them as different, and in shaping perspectives on culture and place. What are some of these moments in which language is apparent as a form? Where can we see language play a role in the plot or effect events in the story?
3. Space
Migration consists of moving across spaces that are symbolically marked by state borders. Naturally, literature of migration uses space as a metaphor to convey the experience of displacement and arrival. How do these texts discuss and/or feature space as part of their representation?
4. Return
What is the meaning of “returning” to a country from which one has emigrated? In some cases, it might be assumed, as in seasonal labor, in others, the migrant may never return. When they do, migrants do not usually see their old world the same. What are some ways that return has been framed in these texts? Who can return and who cannot? Why? What does the notion of return mean for these characters?
5. Borders
The crossing of borders appears in all of the works we have read, though actual, national borders are mainly significant in The Devil’s Highway. But what are some other ways that borders are metaphorically represented in these three texts? What are some bodily, emotional, or psychological borders that these works use and why?

202DL Summer 2020: Migration Literature Prof. Malouf GMU 1 202DL: Migration Literature Final Exam Due: See Blackboard for specific date and time Points/Grading: 100 points. Each essay will be evaluated according to the following rubric: Proficient (18-20 points): Essay refers to all three texts fully; uses relevant examples; insightful analysis of topic; well-written. Competent (16-17 points): Essay refers to all three texts minimally; uses some examples; demonstrates basic understanding of topic; writing has minimal style issues. Insufficient (14-15 points): Essay does not refer to all three texts; inadequate examples; does not demonstrate understanding of topic; writing has distracting style issues. Paper Format: Put your name, section number, and date in the upper-left corner. Format with double-space and one inch margins. Make sure to put the question number at the beginning each essay and use a page break between essays. Put all five essays into a single Word document. Proofread carefully before submitting. Make sure to use Word's spelling and grammar tools. Directions: Write an essay for each of the five topics. Each essay should be approximately 400-600 words each, and must discuss and analyze (not just ‘mention’) all three texts we have covered this semester: The Dew Breaker, The Reluctant Fundamentalist, and The Devil’s Highway. The essays should state a clear and arguable thesis, develop a discussion through observations of specific examples from the novels, nonfiction, and stories, and conclude with a concise statement on how they individually and collectively engage with the respective theme. Use MLA style for all in-text citations. Submit to Blackboard in the Assignment portal in Module 5 (the same place where you downloaded the exam) 202DL Summer 2020: Migration Literature Prof. Malouf GMU 2 How do the following themes appear in the three books we have read this semester? 1. Family The literature of migration is based on stories about families that are sundered or united due to differences created by divided histories. What role do families play in the readings this semester? Compare and contrast the different family situations in the three texts we have read. 2. Language In each of the books, language difference plays a role in identifying characters, marking them as different, and in shaping perspectives on culture and place. What are some of these moments in which language is apparent as a form? Where can we see language play a role in the plot or effect events in the story? 3. Space Migration consists of moving across spaces that are symbolically marked by state borders. Naturally, literature of migration uses space as a metaphor to convey the experience of displacement and arrival. How do these texts discuss and/or feature space as part of their representation? 4. Return What is the meaning of “returning” to a country from which one has emigrated? In some cases, it might be assumed, as in seasonal labor, in others, the migrant may never return. When they do, migrants do not usually see their old world the same. What are some ways that return has been framed in these texts? Who can return and who cannot? Why? What does the notion of return mean for these characters? 5. Borders The crossing of borders appears in all of the works we have read, though actual, national borders are mainly significant in The Devil’s Highway. But what are some other ways that borders are metaphorically represented in these three texts? What are some bodily, emotional, or psychological borders that these works use and why?

Essay Sample Content Preview:
Your Name
Subject and Section
Professor's Name
July 4, 2020
Migration Literature – Final Exam
Family
Understanding the effects of family and familial relationships in literary works is essential for the reader. It allows him to be able to determine how each character's upbringing and personal relationships affect his actions during the story. In line with the three books included in this case, I believe that one similarity between them is the primacy of the family over one's life. This is common among the three books, considering that the major characters were driven by the desire to protect their family or to build one, even though doing so endangers their own lives.
Each of the stories emphasizes the primacy of the family over one's safety. For example, in The Dew Breaker, the killer was portrayed as a person who enjoys a good life with his family, despite his atrocities in life. Specifically, even though it is dangerous for someone like him to have his own family or even to tell the truth about his past, he nevertheless confessed to his daughter about his own sins while asking for forgiveness and redemption CITATION Dan07 \l 1033 (Danticat). This simply signifies how individual values his family above anything else.
In contrast to this, a closer look at the stories of The Reluctant Fundamentalist and The Devil's Highway also shows how the family can serve as a source of an undying motivation despite the risks on one's life. On the one hand, the story of Changez in The Reluctant Fundamentalist shows that his desire to seek 'the American Dream' was brought about his desire to lift his family from poverty. This is contrastingly similar to the situation these days, where people would accept the risks of going to an unfamiliar country to send back money to their family at home CITATION Ham07 \l 1033 (Hamid).
On the other hand, I believe that the utmost importance of the family is most apparent in the story of The Devil's Highway. For example, one of the main characters named 'Mendez' shows the lengths that an individual would take to feed his own family CITATION Urr08 \l 1033 (Urrea). In fact, despite the harshness of the penalty for illegally crossing the US-Mexico border as well as the risks on one's life, the story shows that many people are braving all the dangers just to be able to send back to their family.
Based on the discussion above, it could be seen that the concept of the 'family' is central to the three books cited. The authors showed that the desire to build, to protect, or to feed one's family is strong enough to make a person face certain dangers to his life. A kind of love that transcends life and death.
Language
Differences in the language are one of the identifying forms used in literature. It allows the author to convey a symbolic difference between the origins of the characters, which could be vital in the development of the plot. In the three novels included in this analysis, it could be seen that language plays an essential role in 'building the identity' of some of the most important characters.
As stated earlier, it could be seen that language differences were used to signify the origins of each character and emphasize differences. For example, in The Dew Breaker, the ki...
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