With this easy, it was very different from the approach that I took with the other two essays. I didn’t write paragraphs or even conduct any research since it was based on what I have already written. I think that overall I handled my strategy pretty well because it easy for me to come up with my writing once I got the idea set. I knew that with my topic of immigration I could use visual genre which is why I decided to use a poster for the first composition. Originally I wanted to create a video since there is already a ton of posters made based on the rights that immigrants have, but due to some unfortunate circumstances that happened to me recently I wasn’t able to get that done although I really wanted to. However, my poster still made the same points that I would’ve made in the video. I wish that I would’ve had more time to make my poster more visually pleasing but I think I did a good job with still making the vision into a reality. If I had the chance to do this project differently I would take my time with creating my own genres and be more creative with my approach. When I chose to do an op-ed, I knew that it would be a good choice because I would get to insert my own opinion on my topic and it would be much easier to fill in the rhetorical analysis that would come after it. I tried my best with adding rhetorical strategies to this essay such as Logos and Ethos but I know that I didn’t do a good job at it because I didn’t add enough evidences and resources to back up my claims or for other to reference to in the future. Overall I did enjoy this essay but if I had to do it again I would definitely manage my time better.

For this essay, I am planning to direct my audience to the general public, average users of social media. I want to look for people who are aware of the issues surrounding immigration and are around my age. Since we are the next generation it makes more sense for me to reach out to the same group of people who would want to speak up for those who can’t. I want my audience to feel where I’m coming from, not just with a biased opinion. I hope that my visual essay can educate others on immigration and help immigrants know and understand the rights that they are guaranteed, even when the justice system doesn’t allow it.

An online post could quite possible attract my audience more, maybe creating a tiktok, although I personally don’t post on that app, I can try to put together a quick 1-minute video that expresses my points. With this visual representation I’ll be able to make something relatable but also do my best to reach a wide audience. I can also try to create a short informational video but I’m not quite sure if I’ll have the right equipment or confidence to film myself talking which is why I’d do the video on tiktok.

For my essay I’m going to use the rhetorical strategies and use a bit of all of them. I want to use logos because it’s the best way you can educate your readers. Pathos can also evoke an emotion out of my audience because they will understand why my topic is important.

For this assignment, I am thinking about exploring the genres of visual essays, opinion editorials, and memes for my composition. These genres feel like something I can work with easily for this new project. I’ve never gotten the chance to work visually or try to convey a message using stuff other than words. However, I also like writing my own opinions on these topics. Instead of having to do research and writing based on facts, I can finally write my own real thoughts and incorporate my ideas into my work. Visual essays also appeal to me because it would be my first time trying something new. I’ve never done a visual essay and at first my understanding of what this was completely changed my perspective. It would be really cool if I tried to represent my thoughts with photos, because photos do tell stories too. I think it would also be easy for me to use memes in my project because I interact with memes all the time, it shouldn’t be hard to make my own and relate it to something educational. I plan to target the general public so that others are on board with my ideas and use their voices and platforms to amplify my voice. If I follow through with the visual components, I can even try and post them on my own social medias or create a page dedicated to it.

With my research question, I already knew that I wanted to stick with the topic of immigration because it is a very important issue that has been defended for, but it sometimes becomes overlooked. Especially with the last presidency of the past 4 years, immigration has been targeted and criminalized for simply being denied basic human rights. I did come across some challenges while going through my research because I wasn’t sure on what I wanted to focus my essay on. I was able to find one model essay, but it was difficult to follow because the points made in there was not the same points, I wanted mention, however I still included them. Since the beginning of this semester, my research skills have improved a lot because I’ve been able to look for the exact materials that I need for my paper. Its easier for me to base my paper on the thoughts already created by other writers, which improved my own style of writing. While analyzing my texts, I did have trouble picking out the most important evidence to use but I knew that if I have one point I want to talk about, I need to stick to that. In general, this essay wasn’t as hard as the last essay because I’ve gotten used to writing essays longer than 3 pages, and it helps me construct my writing more professionally.

I’ve decided that my research question will be “How does the United States make it difficult for Immigrants to move on with their lives and succeed?”. Based on some research I’ve looked into, these days the Trump administration has not only seen an increase of people wanting to enter the country legally, but they’ve made it harder for people to earn their citizenship the way they would want people to fill out the process. This question interests me because I am interested with learning about immigration and the upside and downsides that come from it. I found a model essay that I can reference in my essay, the title is “How Trump made it that much harder to become a US citizen”. This article posted on VOX.com goes in depth with what I’m looking for in my research because one section talks about how Trump caused a “naturalization backlog”. This naturalization backlog is basically what happens when someone applies for a citizenship but has to go through another screening process. The process is also more strict than usual and the fees for online naturalization have increased by $1,160 since October 2^nd of this year. Not to mention its already difficult to get much done because of covid-19. But nonetheless, this model essay can help guide my research so I can look more into why the government has made becoming a legal citizen much harder for immigrants these days. In this essay I hope to reach those who are as considered with the problems that have surrounded immigration and possibly educate and inform those who want to learn about the corrupt system and how it has constantly been against minorities. Since this essay is due on November 6^th, I plan to have my research done by next week Sunday, October 25^th. I’ll base my research off the model essay and look more into the subtopics of naturalization and what new laws the government has placed against immigration since 2016. This week I will start looking into the increase of people applying for their citizenship and how that number has increased.

I’ve decided to continue my research with immigration because this topic is very important to me. Especially with the current political climate I want to be able to research a topic that affects many people. I’m having trouble choosing one research question so I have three in my mind right now.

Why is it easier to shame immigrants than to help them live a better life?

How can an immigrants life be controlled by others?

What is the cause of prejudice towards minorities in their home countries?

I’m not sure if these questions are good, but I do feel that these topics are important because the current government shows how they don’t have the time to help those who need it the most. I thought of these questions by trying to think of the struggles that some immigrants face in America but its hard for me to think about it in a specific and concise way. Once I get one question ready I will explore the problem that i’m trying to solve and find the research that others have put together to analyze why this topic is talked about all the time. This topic is difficult to write on but I’m sure that I will find the answers that I need.

I believe that writing is ones way to express their thoughts, but also organizing them. when you have a lot on your mind, writing is a great way to let it all out. with this class i’ve learned that writing is more than educational and bland. people have different reasons to write and most of the time it has nothing to do with information. with the sources i’ve researched, the authors wrote their pieces with the hopes of educating their audiences and allowing themselves to empty out their heads. for my own writing, i started out with a separate brainstorm. in school i was taught to simply let out all of my thoughts onto paper first. i knew which topic i wanted to write about so i listed the pros & cons of the sources that i used so i can ultimately make the decision of “should i use this source or will it confuse me later on?” i ended up finding 9 sources but of course i was only able to use 4. using a brainstorming strategy really helped me with my writing process. i think my writing could’ve been more better if i focused on organizing the sources separately. i could’ve approached this assignment with separate brainstorms instead of fitting it all into one paper. nonetheless, i think my writing was successful because it was my first time writing a five-paged paper and I was able to complete it by the deadline. this assignment challenged my writing abilities and i am looking forward to the next assignment and how i can improve my work from there.

1. Latin Power Tracker: David Hayes-Bautista teams with California Lutheran University to tell an economic success story 

 This article from the San Fernando Valley Business Journal talks about a founder of the Latino Gross Domestic Product Project. David Hayes Bautista spoke about Latino Businesses and how they’ve grown more than non-Latino businesses over the years. He briefly talks about the immigrant families and their first-generation children graduating and going to school. Because their children are entering higher levels of the “human capital”, that makes them highly educated. The immigrant children will grow up and become consumers of other Latino businesses, or maybe manage their own business. Bautista explains how these businesses thrive as well. Although the article is short, it has statistics that I can use in my research.  

• http://ccny-proxy1.libr.ccny.cuny.edu/login?url=https://bi-gale-com.ccny-proxy1.libr.ccny.cuny.edu/global/article/GALE%7CA578046244?u=cuny_ccny 

2. Somali’s in the Twin Cities and Colombus  

 This excerpt written by Stefanie Chambers talks about the story of a Somalian family. The example of their life in America. Briefly talking about the state of Minneapolis and how some opportunities are opened for them in this state. For example, one line says “even some Republican candidates have made direct appeals for the Somali vote. Moreover, the ward-based electoral system has opened doors for Somali elected officials”. In the chapter Chambers also includes a city in Minneapolis called the “Twin Cities”. The Twin Cities is a Somali Refugee population that started off with people arriving in Colombus from the early to mid 1990’s.  

• https://www.jstor.org/stable/j.ctt1wf4dnx.5 

3.Towards a population policy: Myths and Misconceptions concerning the Demographic Effects of Immigration 

 This journal article by Christabel Young summarizes some misconceptions that are related to immigration. It focuses specifically on the migration that occurs in Australia but can still be related to what happens in the USA. It mentions many misconceptions such as populations shrinking, making said population younger, and how the migrants contribute to the labor force. Young goes on to state these myths and debunk them with facts and statistics, proving other wrong. Proving that migration is not useless. It seems that the issue with a growing population is the most talked about over there, and this journal article investigates that issue. 

• https://www.jstor.org/stable/20635479 

4.Immigration & Language Diversity in the United States 

 This journal article goes in depth with how diverse immigration has shaped the United States. With people from all over arriving here and making a living for themselves from scratch, its analysis on how different languages came to exist in America, as well as how some are no longer in use, the authors Ruben G. Rumbaut and Douglas Massey state statistics on what languages are more known in America and which ones aren’t. Both authors look at how languages in the United States have evolved and how successful these populations have turned into. Finally, the languages the article mentions first are German, Yiddish, and Polish, but later it talks about Spanish became the most spoken language other than English in the USA.  

• https://www.jstor.org/stable/43297256 

I want to stick with my topic on immigration. However, I want to research the common misconceptions around this topic. Probably investigate some stories where the family succeeds with their status in the United States. As I did my last assignment on immigration, I want to stick to what I know. This interests me because I’ve seen my loved ones deal with these issues (but they end up overcoming them). For example, my family has never experienced any issues with the government with their immigration status. Yes, they were born in the Dominican Republic but after all the paperwork they’ve been doing well. My grandfather took more of most of the paperwork and made sure his children can come to this country to gain more opportunities for their future. This is where the misconceptions come in. Some people might think that most migration to the USA is illegal. But this is not true because in 2013, 19.4 million residents in America were naturalized citizens, a process that takes five years. They’re also many families who come to America for more than the benefits. It’s obvious that America may offer them more options than their home country, but it becomes much harder to get these healthcare or education benefits when the government is aware of your status. Therefore, I want to know more about the families that the media does not report on. I want to focus on the families that get far in their life once they come to America. Those families that can prove everyone else wrong. 

I have chosen to analyze this short film representing the ongoing issue surrounding immigration in the United States. To briefly summarize, this informational video shows several real time moments where children from as young as 4 years old are taken to court in exchange for their hearing and place in this country. However, often these children do not have a lawyer present to defend them, this is where the issue comes into hand. Linda Freedman is a filmmaker who based this film on a reading made by another author [Anna Ciesielski, a young lawyer working for Immigration Counseling Service]. So far, this is the only film that Freedman has worked on. She wanted to bring light to this topic because it does not get the attention or aid that it deserves. She stated that she was also not familiar with this issue and once she learned about it, it quickly broke through her. The main point in this film being that the children must represent themselves, when by law everyone has the right to an attorney and if they can’t afford one the government must provide them with one. Which would you leave you wondering why can’t this be the same for immigrant children?  Freedman includes at least two minutes of how these court hearings usually happen: the child walks in and sits on the chair, they are handed a pair of headphones, set the mic and proceed to make eye contact with the judge. The headphones are given to them because they are at least given a translator that helps them communicate as much as they can with the judge because they are not able to speak back in English, I believe that at 1:40-2:25 is where this hearing becomes the most impactful part of the film. This video can easily inform the general public with why the issue is as bad as it sounds. It can also inform higher professionals that can help fix the problem such as attorneys, translators, and the government. This video was also made to persuade others because towards the end of the video, Freedman provides a link where people can donate to the organization leading these children [https://www.unaccompaniedchildren.org.] This is where her stance comes in because she is leading the reason for why others must help; her filmmaking can only do so much. After educating herself, Linda Freedman wants to educate the rest of America and do her part with her privilege in uplifting these children’s voices and their stories.