IndexIntroductionSocial problemsSociological theoriesPossible solutionsConclusionSources citedIntroductionThe book Enrique's Journey, written by Sonia Nazario, focuses on the long journey that a Honduran boy must take to reunite with his mother in the United States after many years of separation. This article examines the book from a sociological perspective. The various social problems present in the book will be identified and explained, and sociological theories appropriate to the context of the book will be applied. Furthermore, this paper will also look at gender, race and culture, to analyze how some social problems are more severe in some minority/oppressed groups in society. Possible solutions to some of these problems will be discussed at the end of the document. These solutions will then be evaluated in terms of individual effectiveness by examining strengths, weaknesses and ethicality. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an Original EssaySocial IssuesThere are many different social issues featured in the book. The social problems that the book seems to place most emphasis on are poverty, education, racism, addiction and illegal immigration. The narrative of the book mainly follows that of Enrique and his mother. Enrique's mother decides, when Enrique is young, to emigrate to the United States for a while in order to send money home because Honduras doesn't offer her many opportunities as it is. Although Enrique enjoys the materialistic aspect of having fancier items because his mother sends money every month, he begins to really miss his mother. Over the years this develops into a huge desire to see his mother, and eventually, in his late teens, he decides to attempt the journey by traveling illegally on trains throughout Mexico. After many failed attempts, he finally makes it, but the reunion with his mother is not what he expected, given that they barely know each other after so many years of separation. Poverty is one of the main factors that led Enrique's mother to emigrate. Throughout the book, before Enrique's migration, his mother often placed a lot of emphasis on how important it is for him to complete his education. Racism is encountered at several points in the book, for example in the way some Mexicans in Chiapas treat Central American migrants, but it is also present when Enrique is in the United States, particularly in the way gangs target deprived migrants of documents as they are more reluctant to go to America. the police. Enrique develops an addiction while still in Honduras to glue and cannabis, most likely an attempt to cope with his enormous desire to reunite with his mother. Illegal immigration comes into play throughout the book, essentially focusing on the horrific situations migrants face in entering the United States illegally, as legally they would most likely not be admitted. Poverty is widespread, especially in Latin America. In 2008, an estimated 180 million people lived in poverty, while approximately 70.4 million people lived in extreme poverty. Most national governments have been unable to address rising levels of absolute poverty or growing income inequality, both of which have increased particularly since the 1970s. The economic crisis of the 1980s in Latin America, which gave impetus to the structural adjustment programs of the 1990s aimed at helping people out of poverty, actually pushed more people into poverty. Furthermore, many governments in the 1990s actually attempted todecentralize public services by cutting off funding or redistributing public services without having the resources to do so, which led to a further decline in trust in governments overall. Although measures have been put in place to help the poor, they have not proven effective. Women in all Latin American countries generally have a higher rate of living in poverty than their male counterparts. With this in mind, it is no wonder why it was Enrique's mother who decided to emigrate, assuming that poverty hit her harder than perhaps Enrique's father. In terms of education, there is a large disparity between rich and poor, and how this affects secondary school completion rates which is evident in many parts of the world. Specifically in Latin America, it has been shown that the richest 20% of the population has an average secondary school completion rate of 83% while the poorest 20% of the population has a completion rate of 25%. This makes a lot of sense when you consider why Enrique's mother stresses to Enrique that it is important for him to finish school to advocate for change in society and potentially break the cycle of generational poverty. As for racism towards illegal immigrants, it is difficult to pinpoint exactly what causes whites to dislike illegal immigrants, however there are many potential and known causes. A study on the racialization of Latino immigrants showed that the news media studied in the study have focused since 2003 on two main topics regarding illegal Latino immigration: that of the criminality of Latino immigrants and that of the discriminatory treatment they receive. Additionally, it was noted that negative comments about Latino immigrants tended to surround only perceived criminal tendencies. News coverage of gang activity also tends to emphasize that undocumented Latinos are criminals simply because they are in the United States. It is interesting to note, however, that illegal entry into the United States is actually not a criminal offense, but an administrative one. Social constructs, primarily the media, have over time built this illusion that illegal immigrants are criminals, as the United States has not always considered illegal entry as a criminal offense. Illegal immigration is a rather new trend. Before the 1920s, passports were not common, but the League of Nations, commissioned by President Wilson, required them. Over time, this has meant that people from disadvantaged backgrounds often do not have the funds or means to obtain a valid legal visa, which is why they are pushed to simply risk it illegally as this is their only option due to the lack of resources. Furthermore, undocumented immigrants are often treated worse in society, perhaps as secondary citizens, and without reforms that change the issue of illegal immigration, the rate of undocumented immigrants is likely to increase further, which will expand social status between real citizens and undocumented citizens. . Sociological TheoriesAlthough this book addresses a multitude of social issues and problems, from a sociological perspective, the most important theory is conflict theory. In general, the conflict is between the poor and the rich. It could be argued that wealthy elites in Honduras, as well as the rest of the world, represent a barrier to opportunity for Enrique's mother since they are the ones who have created economic systems that benefit the rich at the expense of the poor, leaving Enrique's mother in power who has no choice but to emigrate, unless he wants to keep fighting and make itbarely. Furthermore, it should be noted that this conflict is also present when considering education, as the poor generally tend to graduate from college at a much lower rate than those from more financially stable families. Conflict theory can also be used to describe the issue of racism towards illegal immigrants. The conflict is primarily between illegal immigrants who emigrate for a variety of reasons and prejudiced whites who reside legally in the United States, perhaps partially brainwashed by media propaganda. Finally, in terms of illegal immigration, conflict theory can also be applied here, as it is a conflict between government regulations and trends and disadvantaged migrants from Central America. Possible Solutions Although many solutions exist, and have been implemented, some do more harm than good, while others do less harm and more good. Towards the end of the book, the author notes that one of the most effective ways to change the issue of illegal immigration would be to improve conditions in the countries where migrants come from, to the point that they don't want to leave. Hondurans have noted things that could make this happen, including the United States promoting more democratic countries in the hope that this will lead to less corruption and help reduce income inequality between rich and poor. Furthermore, the adaptation of a family planning system like that of Mexico, which managed to reduce the number of children per family from 6.8 in 1970 to 2.2 in 2012. Furthermore, if the United States wanted to focus more on trade with Latin American countries, such as supporting the textile industry in Honduras, which employs mostly women, could also lead to positive change. The United States could also increase its pledge of donations to Latin American countries. Hondurans could support NGOs such as those that help encourage new small businesses that create jobs and help increase the availability of education. For this strategy to be effective, there simply needs to be well-paid jobs for everyone. Using the sociological imagination, I definitely believe that the approach outlined by the author is also the best, having said that, perhaps it would be difficult to find people willing to finance such a system given that they are essentially investing outside of the United States, without too many efforts. of economic gain for the US, and over the years this could represent a huge expense for taxpayers. I believe that reforming the entire immigration system, to make it easier for Latinos to get a visa and work, as well as bring their families with them, is another great solution. Some would only work for a few years to save money, then perhaps come back and build a home and continue their life in their mothership, while others would decide to stay, perhaps because they like it better, or perhaps they were able to reunite with some they lost members of the family emigrated a long time ago. This would not only provide more opportunities for Latinos, but would also help the United States economically by increasing the workforce which in turn could foster greater economic growth. With this solution, there would also be much less expense on border patrol, as people would legally enter the country at specific border crossings, rather than across the river. The strength of the author's approach would certainly be that it would somehow completely eliminate the problem of illegal immigration, since Honduras would be able to employ all of its citizens andguarantee a dignified life, thus preventing people from living in poverty. One weakness is certainly how much this program would cost, and perhaps domestic opposition from racists and other groups who tend to dislike foreigners and therefore wouldn't want to pay tax money in a different country. Overall it would be very effective, but just not very practical. Ethically speaking, I believe it is the right thing to do, considering the United States' history of controlling some Latin American countries and exploiting their resources for economic gain, while pushing the native population into poverty. To test the author's approach, a program like this could be carried out over a period of 5 or 10 years in one country, such as Honduras. Then economic indicators such as unemployment and poverty, as well as illegal immigration rates for that specific country, could be compared from the beginning to the end of the program to decide whether the program was effective. The approach I suggested could also be very effective. The selling point here would be that illegal immigration would be a thing of the past and that all immigrants would have legal status since new visa laws would make all Latinos eligible, provided there are no serious crimes committed in their home country which would be checked when an applicant applies. The weakness would be that it could potentially bring a huge influx of people, perhaps overcrowding some areas, and making racists and other xenophobic individuals angry and bitter at having to deal with even more foreigners than they were used to under the illegal immigration system. Ethically speaking, I believe that this approach is also right, since it recognizes that we are all human and deserve certain rights of dignity, instead of being considered as a secondary citizen who can be paid less and treated worse for the sole reason of not being born on the American soil, or perhaps because their skin color is too tan for some of the racist individuals out there. With this approach, I also believe the best way to test it would be to try a 5 year trial period, then ultimately compare illegal immigration statistics to decide if the visa program has made a difference in how people arrive in the country. country.Remember: This is just an example.Receive a custom paper from our expert writers now.Receive a custom essayConclusionWhile the solutions to the problem of illegal immigration may be simple, the reality is that it is too complex to address in a simple matter, this is why it is imperative that the issue is addressed using socio-legal imagination. The United States has a long history of repressing certain minorities in society, such as African Americans, Hispanics, etc. Because of this history, many white people are born into environments where their white parents perhaps still hold that old colonial view that people of colors are secondary, and so simply because of their parents' exposure, children are automatically subject to this way of thinking, and most likely this means that children will grow up having the same views as their parents, in most cases, essentially passing on generational hatred towards different looking people. The media also clearly plays a huge role in this hatred, focusing mainly on the potential negative aspects of migrants, when in reality these are just assumptions based on their ethnicity. In order for people like Enrique to have a safe path to being reunited with his mother, they are,857.