Introduction to the background of the story.
The story of Ramon Tianguis Perez gives some insight in the process of being an American alien who is an illegal immigrant in an alien country. He lived every day in fear of being arrested and the worst being deportation to his native country. He was an immigrant without legal documents, a driving license and worst of it all he accidentally hit another car at the highway. In his eye opening essay he uses narration and definition to catch the reader’s attention.
The essay is an interesting revelation of an immigrant from Mexico who fights to maintain his immigration status with or without legal documentation. He takes personal responsibility for the accident and though he does so he does feel why he should be treated differently than anybody else. He described the accident as a minor scratch and pimple scribble of paint. He wanted to pay the damage without involving the police and avoid any further trouble as he knew there would be some. Illegal immigrants always opt for paying for damages instead of waiting for the legal process that will see them deported. Even when they are the ones that had been wronged they always opt to let the culprit go instead of following legal process and pursuing justice.
The United States defines an alien as a foreigner or recently politely as undocumented immigrant. This proves the state immigration department of the US has been unjust in granting immigration status to thousands of Mexican children born in the United States making them full citizens by birth and thus should be documented and enjoy full rights as a citizen instead of making them pay for the migration status of their alien parents. They are thus known as Chicano’s who as well as their parents they do not have legal immigration status in the United States.
The victim of the accident was not willing to settle the deal of the accident without involving the police as he felt that he needed them to record a statement so that he could remove him from blame. Fortunately for him, the victim didn’t want to press for charges but only needed statement for his own exemption from any fault. When the police arrive one officer who was a Chicano wanted the driver of the Anglo-Saxon van to press charges against him so he could have him deported or worse still sent him in jail. This marked the epitome of his frustration and he was finally relieved when the police officers went in hot pursuit of another car which was over speeding and thus set the set fit for Ramon to disappear and get himself out of that situation.
Race and ethnicity have been a complex time issue in majority of the western countries particularly the US. The concept of racial identity has always been misunderstood by many Americans as a regard to racism where one race is considered superior or better than other races in the United States of America. Ramon falls a victim of this where he is considered by the police officer to have committed a crime and should thus faces ruthless consequences as his crime is considered to be of higher degree. Due to his racial identity he is not supposed to be pardoned and thus the driver is push to press for charges against him. The officer fells that Ramon should be convicted but lacks substantial evidence to convict him and thus exploits the only hopeful circumstance to the extreme in order to pursue his revenge to the Mexican immigrant that deeply stems from deep racial segregation and feelings that step from within of the americans against Mexicans. This fundamental trait is the main cause of conflict in a battle for racial and ethnic supremacy where every time one is in a superior circumstance of law and justice presses the other to the extremism and exploits the situation fully to fullest in order to revenge and extend the rivalry for racial supremacy as was the case with Ramon and the police officer.
Conflict stems mostly from disagreement which is an inability of two people or more to engage in disagreement due to their stand on different opinions. In the case of Ramon he is at conflict with himself when he wonders whether to wait for the police officer or just disappear since he would be arrested as an illegal immigrant and as having driven without a driving license. The police officer is at conflict with Ramon for driving without a driving license and for having caused an accident. The officer knew he could not arrest Ramon as an illegal immigrant since he not from that department and thus presses the driver of the van to press for charges and at that juncture he knew the alien will be arrested and deported. Luckily the driver was not willing to press for charges and thus Ramon has a chance to disappear scot free.
The interest of the parties involved is a major escalator of conflict as each tries to take advantage of the situation to fulfill ulterior motives. This thus calls for the parties involved to examine their conscious and interests and solve the conflict amicably.
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