PowerPoint and Homework: Sept. 12th

PowerPoint

Here is the link to today’s PowerPoint

Homework

  • Read “My Life as an Undocumented Immigrant” by Antonio Vargas and write a response to the questions on OpenLab. 
    • What did you think of this text? Explain! 
    • What is it mostly about? Write a 2-4 sentence summary. Be specific. Refer to the text itself. Use quotes even! 
    • What is the genre of the text? What is the tone? 
    • How do Antonio Vargas’s experiences influence his literacy development (reading, writing, speaking) and the development of his identity? Be specific. For example, how does an experience impact the way he speaks or his experience in school or at work?
    • Why do you think Antonio Vargas wrote this article? Who do you think is the intended audience?
    • What challenges did Antonio Vargas face? How did he overcome those challenges?
    • What experiences and/or people affected Antonio Vargas the most? Explain.

14 Comments

  1. Omar Apreza

    What I think about this text is a good story on what he was struggling as a immigrant writer that made risk to survive.

    What was the story about was as a kid he struggled having paper in the U.S that didn’t give him a lot of opportunity. That he mostly risk everything to hide his identity to survive. Even if he doesn’t want him to merry a women because he’s gay it made him struggle more that he have to fund other ways to get through for paper. That he would get fake documents to see if it went through.

    The genre of this text is non fiction story.

    He inspired him to do more things he loves like being a journalist and being in a lot of school activities getting to travel and kept risking everything to not see his true identity.

    This audience attended to understand or relate to the story he was going through or the fact relative having the same issue.

    Antonio Vargas face this challenges by telling the truth to get everything out of his chest that he lied about his identity and wrote as a story for the audiences.

    The experience that effect a lot of people is not having the right to do anything without papers that could not proceed a better life.

  2. Biana

    1.This text is nicely written, in my opinion, and the author describes his desire to battle as well as how he lives in terror every day and believes that America is his home despite the fact that many people won’t accept him.

    2.The main character is a young immigrant who came to America to live a better life but encountered many challenges along the way because he is undocumented and living his life worrying about whether he would make it back home every time he went outside. He eventually grew tired of the way he lived but was powerless to do anything about it because of his background.

    3. The genre of the text is literature and composition

    4.Antonio Vargas’s experience influenced his literacy development in the way that, the was a part of the text he said that ”I wanted to lose my accent ”. In contrast to other children who did not have an accent because they were born in America, he had to educate himself by watching films like “Goodfellas” and “Anne of Green Gables” and television shows like “Frasier,” “Home Improvement,” and repeats of “The Golden Girls.”

    5.He wrote to shows his experience since the’s many people who went through the same situation as him.The intended audience is people who wants to know being an undocumented immigrant is

    6.He had challenges such as being condemned for who he is and how his family didn’t accept him, but he overcame them by putting himself first and ignoring other people.

    7.Antonio Vargas was most affected by his lack of independence and the fact that he is unable to pursue his career goals due to his constraints.

  3. Sophie Sall

    1.I think that this text is interesting because it makes you realize certain difficult situations that undocumented immigrants go through.

    2.This text is about a kid that his mom sent to the US to make his life better. He lived in the US many years without legal documents. He had to find ways to go to college, work and get a license without getting caught. On his journey, he was helped by friends and family.

    3.This text is narrative article. The tone is serious.

    4.The fact that Antonio Vargas was an undocumented immigrant made him want to work hard because he believed that working hard was the way to solve all his problems. That eventually grew his love for writing. He wrote excellent papers that helped him get hired in many other press offices.

    5.I think Antonio Vargas wrote this article because he was tired of hiding and lying to everybody and wanted release that pressure. He also wrote this text to show people that undocumented people are everywhere and they are hard working people that deal with difficult situations. Antonio also wrote this piece to show other undocumented immigrants that they’re not alone. The intended audience is undocumented immigrants.

    6.Antonio Vargas faced challenges such as having to get a license to get a job or not having money to go to college. To overcome these challenges, he asked for the help of friends and family.

    7.The people that influenced Antonio Vargas the most are his grand-father and his mom. His mom influenced his life because she was the one who sent him to the US where is encountered all theses obstacles. His grand-father had a huge impact in his life because he was the one who got him his fake documents but also helped him a lot throughout his journey.

  4. Jesus

    1. I like this text a lot. Antonio goes very personal in this memoir/personal essay he has written. He goes in-depth about what he has gone through his whole life and it’s very detailed.
    2. This is mostly about his life story. About when he arrived in the Philippines and how he had gone to America illegally. When he arrives and how he stays with his grandparents, enjoys going to school, and loves being there. Bunch of stuff about him working, his struggles, and everything coming back to him and being scared of everyone finding out who he is.
    3. This is a personal essay. This is all about him and his life, everything he has gone through. The tone is serious/important I would say. There really isn’t anything you feel reading this other than serious/sad you just feel bad for him and it makes you really think about how many more people there is that face exactly what he has gone through.
    4. He said that he found a passion for language when he was there. The first thing is language, he had learned English in the Philippines but had an accent he wanted to get rid of during high school. He says he would watch lots of television to help him. That’s how it influenced how he spoke from then on. He maybe thought that this would put less suspicion on him since he wouldn’t have that much of an accent, and could be just from living with his family who’s from there.
    5. Antonio Vargas wrote this for everyone I would say. He wants to get his story out there for everyone and anyone to read. He paints an important image of what it’s like to live as an undocumented immigrant. He literally wrote this still as an undocumented immigrant because he just wanted it to be known, he had to tell his story to everyone and he did. This could also help people who are in the same position as he was/is in. He makes it known that those people out there are not alone.
    6. Antonio Vargas faced a lot of challenges. one of them was when The Washington Post offered him an internship. He agreed with it but they wanted him to show a driver’s license. So he had gone to the library to learn about the state’s requirements and learned that Oregon was pretty welcoming. He had a friend who lived in portland so he was able to use that as proof of residency. He then arrived at the DMV with ssc a pay stub and his college id where he was able to get his license. He was determined to not give up even after his grandfather said he was dreaming too big, he wanted this too much to give up. He made it work and asked and looked for help.
    7. His family affected Antonio the most. He knew he wanted better than what they had and he was already halfway there given the opportunity of being able to stay in America while it was not easy at all he was making it work. When he said his grandfather was expecting him to work low-paying jobs that immigrants usually take just to get by but Antonio didn’t want that. He knew what he was capable of.
  5. Andy Zheng

    • I feel that the content of this article is true. Because the author describes his personal experience and life after coming to the United States from the Philippines.
    • This article is about a young man who immigrated to the United States from the Philippines. He hopes to come to America to live a good life. But he was an illegal immigrant, which led him to live in fearful situations every day.
    • The genre of text are Composition and Article.
    • Antonio’s experience as an undocumented immigrant and from the Philippines has profoundly affected his literacy skills. In his third chapter paragraph he said he wanted to lose my accent. This is his deepest impression. compared to other Americans. He tried to change his accent by watching movies.
    • I think Antonio’s purpose in writing this article is to inspire others who are also undocumented immigrants or who speak with an accent. Use your own experience to describe what would happen in reality.
    • Antonio faced the challenge of this undocumented immigration status. This obsession affects him. Let him be afraid all the time because of his identity. But at the same time his identity was condemned by his family. But he decided to ignore the opinions of others and change himself.
    • Antonio’s actions are restricted due to his status. The most straightforward story is that he went to test for a driver’s license. But it was discovered that his green card was fake. So he wanted to fake it. In any case, immigration is the number one issue for Antonio.
  6. Giselle Tlapechco

    I enjoyed reading the text because the author speaks about their own experience on the American dream, to me it was interesting how Vargas sheds light on reality of being undocumented. While Vargas became successful he was also prevented from fully achieving his dream.

    This text is mostly about an experience one person can have when they don’t have the right documents, in this case Vargas comes from the Philippines to America but because he didn’t come here legally he lived in fear as he only got further into the workforce. Because of the improper documents he lived in fear and felt like he had no true identity in America.

    Vargas wrote this text for people who are undocumented and living in fear or feel like they are invisible. In his case he had to hide who his family members were and was unable to share anything too personal because he feared he could be deported. His audience is for people that are unable to have same privileges as citizens.

    I think the genre is a personal essay and the tone is serious

    Vargas wanted to become better in english he didn’t like his accent and therefore looked for ways to receive help and improve. While he looked for ways to improve he also became better by practicing and he discovered journalism.

    Some challenges Vargas faces was being unable to accept certain internships that asked for further information about identity such as providing proof of passport or social security. He solved this problem by taking other internships or even asking for help on these documents.

    Work experiences and documents affected Vargas the most because thats when he notices the reality of living in America. He had believed if he works hard he will be able to earn jobs and a place however because he did not have certain documents he was invisible or even seemed like his work was not enough to meet workforce standards. It also began when he wanted to get his drivers license but he discovered that his social security was fake and he began to second guess his identity.

  7. Tonny Lin

    1. I think this text is good because it really expressed the author’s story and journey as an illegal immigrant and how he face any stuggles due to this
    2. This text is about the author Jose Antonio Vargas’ life as an undocumented Immigrant in America sent from the philippines by his mother for a better life and his stuggles such as his language/accent in english.
    3. It is a personal essay about his life as an undocumented Immigrant
    4. Due to Antonio wanting get better at english, and to lose his accent in english, he spent alot of time watching television and movies to emulate the way they speak while going to the libaray to read magazine, books and newspaper to better himself as a writer, with that comes with his english high school teacher which introduce journalism which became his passion to write for the student paper and interviewing americans
    5. He writes this to show everyone about the life of an undocument immigrant and to show that immgrants can succes as well even if everything is diffcult. This can give hope to other undocument immigrant
    6. He faces challenge that most people with citizenship won’t face as he don’t have the documents require to get certain jobs or internships. But he found his way to get the document/license require by checking requirements
    7. His family wanted the best for him such as his mother senting him to America to have a better life and his grand parents for supporting him there
  8. Jaden Schultz-Glenn

    1. I thought this text was very informative because due to the fact he shared his journey and shared about his challenges also the obstacles he had to overcome to live the life as an undocumented immigrant in America. 
    2. It’s mostly about an immigrant kid who was sent to America by his mother so that he would live a better life so she had sent him away to stay with his grandparents. He had become fond on language, and then he pursues a career of a journalist. Jose had then wanted to get his license just like his friends so he then, “One day when I was 16, I rode my bike to the nearby D.M.V office to get my drivers permit.”After that this moment he had then learned that he was an undocumented immigrant which made him want to strive harder for his dreams and goals. 
    3. This is a literacy narrative,
    4. His experiences influences his literacy because he had came from different country and had to learn the American language, his young thrive for language. He had worked hard in school, he started to adapt to his environment 
    5. He wrote this article because he wanted to share his story to those who may have or may have not went through the same kind of experiences as Antonio. 
    6. He went and overcame a lot of obstacles when he was able to get his license, he had worked hard in school and got many job opportunities which allowed to move to another state in which he was able to get his license
    7. A few people that had influenced Antonio’s life are Pat and Rich because they gave him connections and allowed him to get job opportunities and guided him through this journey 
  9. Taharqa Rogers

    1. This text was very intriguing because it reminds me a bit about the previous text, “Mother’s Tongue” by Amy Tan. 
    2. The text is mostly about the life story of Antonia Vargas when he immigrated to America. He then figures out that he is an “undocumented immigrant” and learns how to deal with this information going forward. This has negative effects on him growing up. For example, he states that, “It means rarely trusting people, even those closest to me, with who I really am. It means keeping my family photos in a shoebox rather than displaying them on shelves in my home, so friends do not ask about them. It means reluctantly, even painfully, doing things I know are wrong and unlawful.” 
    3. The genre of this text is a personal essay or personal narrative. The tone is very emotional which helps to sympathize with the reader.  
    4. Antonio Vargas although knew English he wanted to get rid of his accent watched a lot of American TV (“The Golden Girls,” “Goodfellas” “Anne of Green Gables”) shows how they speak. He also reads magazines, books, and newspapers to learn how to write better. He interviewed Americans to be validated as well. These skills eventually helped him to land a job at Huffington post. However, trying his best to fit in made him feel even more like an outcast and even more guilty about him lying to the people around him. This dilemma would drive him crazy until we would paralyze from anxiety.  
    5. Antonio Vargas wrote this article to connect with his audience about his life story. This article was written towards the immigrants specifically “undocumented” immigrants going through the stress of making make tough decisions to survive.  
    6. Antionio Vargas had to face the challenge of fitting in with the people around him despite being from a different background. He also felt pressure of every decision due to carrying this lie of his undocumented immigration to America. He overcame these challenges by focusing on a job and working his way toward the top. Although this did not last long this helped him cope with his anxiety. His final resolution to this madness was to tell his story and not run away from his problems.  
    7. His grandma and grandpa affected him the most because they helped him give him a chance of a better life. His work/career experiences affected him by shaping him into the person he is today; a writer. Peter Perl, his coworker, had a profound effect on him because even after Vargas told him his secret he understood completely and guided him.  
  10. Ronald Weise

    • I think this text was very informative because the author shared his story and feeling on the adversities that he had to face as a Illegal immigrant in America and what it was like.
    • This text is about how his mother wanted him to live a better live than her in America so she sent the author to live in America and they didn’t have the right document so they became a illegal immigrant. As the author started working the fair of being caught grew bigger.
    • I think this is a Article and the tone of this article is serious
    • His experience influenced his literacy because since he had a different origin then other he is able to right strongly on a topic and inform other on what he went thru and experienced
    • I believe this article was written to shine a light on what he experienced and went thru and how that made him a better person and a better writer
    • The challenges that he went thru is having to lie and live on the edge because he could get caught being a illegal immigrant and suffer consequences for lying to the people around him
    • The people that affected him the most because his mother sent him to live with his grandparents and they took care of him to make sure he was gonna be successful with connections and job opportunities
  11. Danielle

    I enjoyed this reading and I appreciate how vulnerable, open, and honest the writer was about his experiences and fears growing up with the challenges he had to face. And even the fear that he still lives with now. I think everyone should read this text to get a grasp of what it is like growing up in a country that doesn’t accept you no matter how hard you work and try to blend in. 

    This text is about how the author came to this country at a young age and lived here illegally. He speaks about his constant fear and anxiety of having to hide the secret of his immigration status from friends, co-workers, and jobs. He talks about how he feels almost like an imposter and has to hide who he is. Because of this, he thinks he has to work hard to prove that he deserves to be in America. 

    I think the genre of this text is a personal narrative and the tone is empathetic yet informative.

    One way Antonio Vargas’s experiences influenced his literacy development is when he first found out he was an illegal immigrant at the DMV with his fake green card. When he went back home and his grandfather confirmed that all his documents were fake, he told himself “I could never give anyone reason to doubt I was an American”. That started with the language which he also stated was his first challenge. He wanted to get rid of his accent so he would watch American movies and focus on their pronunciation of the words. He also used immigrant stereotypes that he would hear as motivation for him to work harder which then lead him to become a writer for many big papers. He said in the text â€śthey don’t want to assimilate, they are a drain on society. They’re not talking about me, I would tell myself. I have something to contribute.”

    I think Antonio Vargas wrote this article to bring awareness to the struggles that people who come here from other countries have. They work hard to come to this country and work even harder to live here and try to prove themselves against the stereotypes and challenges that the government places against them. They work and live in constant fear and anxiety of getting caught and sent back to the country that they left for a better life. I also think he wrote this for personal reasons as well. He has been feeling like an imposter his whole life hiding his secret, I believe he wrote this for liberation. I think the intended audience is all Americans that stereotype immigrants and believe that they don’t deserve to be here. 

    One of the biggest challenges Antonio faced was having to pass up certain opportunities such as internships and business trips because he didn’t have the right documents. One way he dealt with this was by researching which states he would be able to get a driver’s license with the little documents he had and found that Portland Oregon was the most welcoming. He drove all the way there, learned how to drive, and got his license with the support of his “support- network”. His license expired in 8 years so that bought him some time to figure out how to get his official documents. 

    I think Antonio’s fear of people finding out he was living here undocumented affected him most because this stopped him from maintaining long relationships. He wouldn’t speak much about his family or have photos around his house to avoid questions. It felt like a burden for him because he felt like he was living a lie.

  12. Allison Tang

    1. I thought the text was easy to read since it’s in chronological order.
    2. The text is about the author’s experience as an undocumented immigrant and how it affected him. Fortunately, he had a support network in America helping him navigate the challenges he faced.
    3. The genre is personal narrative, and the tone is serious.
    4. He had already learned English in Philippines, but he watched tv shows to help get rid of his accent. His teacher introduced him to journalism.
    5. He wrote the article so that people going through the same hardships as him know they’re not alone and also to get everything off his chest.
    6. He was constantly worrying about getting caught with fake documentation. There were people helping him so that he wouldn’t be deported.
    7. His grandpa or “lolo” helped him immigrate to America. His principal and Superintendent helped him get into college with a scholarship
  13. Martin Olldashi

    I really enjoyed the story because he opens up about his struggles and we get to know him personally and know how he feels.

    The story is about a young kid who is undocumented and lets us know about the struggles he faces in his life in the US as an undocumented immigrant. He talks about the struggles he faced in high school and how he has to get all documentation illegally.

    Genre of the text is a personal story, the tone is serious.

    Him being an undocumented immigrant inspired him and made him work harder. He would write about all the adversities he’s face and that’s what made him stronger

    The intended audience is for people who are undocumented, he wrote this to give them hope that even as an illegal you can still become successful.

    The challenges he faced where having to go to school, get a license, get a job all while being an illegal immigrant, he over came these by staying confident and believing in him self working every day to make himself better.

    Antonio’s family affected him the most they worked for him and supported him when sending him to America. They wanted a better life for Antonio than what they had.

  14. Lourdes

    1. I thought the article was interesting. The author faced many challenges as an immigrant, which didn’t stop him.
    2. The article is about the author’s struggles he had to endure while being an undocumented immigrant in the United States.
    3. The genre is a personal essay, and the tone is positive
    4. The author’s experiences shaped both the development of his literacy and of his identity because he pushed himself to learn English more fluently in order to blend in and avoid being seen as weird because of his accent. While watching television, he studied words to understand how to pronounce them.
    5. The author wrote this article to tell his story about being an undocumented immigrant living in America. The intended audience is immigrants.
    6. The challenges the author faced is not being able to get a job, he couldn’t travel because he didn’t have a passport. He had invalid documents.
    7. His mentors, grandparents, and his work experience affected him the most.

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