Maxine Hong Kingston's The Woman Warrior

Words: 1008
Pages: 5

“The American Dream” has since the beginning of American history been the guiding principle that has shaped our Nation. Its promise of a better life through hard work and determination has been the driving force for millions of immigrants to the United States. Today, millions are continuing to cross the Southern border in hopes of accomplishing this goal and creating a better life for them and their families. Maxine Hong Kingston, explores this idea in her memoir “The Woman Warrior”. When her family moves to California with the promise of the “Gold Mountain” she is forced to adapt to the new culture she is thrust into. This idea of the United States being a land of prosperity has shifted with the passage of time from the earliest settlers to our …show more content…
I work at a shelter, with teen boys ages 14-17, who have been picked up by ICE at the southern border. Most of these boys are from Central American countries. These boys end up in our program if they have entered the United States traveling alone. When they arrive at the shelter, within twenty-four hours, the boys go through a mental health assessment to make sure that they have everything they need for their stay in the program. My job is to contact the people in the United States that these boys are hoping to live with here in the USA, and make sure that the boys will be safe with this person. During this initial mental health assessment, the boys are asked what prompted them to move here on their own. Most of these boys report running from gang initiations, violence or poverty in their home country. They believe that coming here is the best option for their future. Here they will be safe and can work to send money home to eventually send to their families that they left behind. This is a common occurrence throughout the history of this