WritingReal - "Learn as much by writing as by reading"

     Many immigrants in the United States crossed the border secretly in order to get a better life for themselves and their family. In the process of coming to United States illegally, some immigrants leave behind their love ones. One of the characters that went through this process was Rosario from the movie, "Under the Same Moon." She faced many internal conflicts throughout the movies. Many of the conflicts were about being an illegal immigrant in the United States and about her separated son. Ever since coming to the United States, Rosario regretted leaving Carlito, her son, along with her sick mother. Throughout the movie, she suffers from the separation of her loved ones and often questions herself if she was doing the right thing by staying in the United States.

     Although they were separated, Rosario wanted to take care of Carlito and be a responsible parent. Using the money she earned with her hard work, she sends $300 back to Carlito and her mother every month. Although it was all she could provide for them, it was enough to feed them. Carlito was nine during that time, while his grandmother was sick. Both of them could not work, thus Rosario's money was a big help to them. In my opinion, it was right for Rosario to leave Carlito with her mother while she goes to America looking for a better life. She did not want to put Carlito through the hardships that many illegal immigrants face. They had to run from the I. N. S. and look for jobs. During the times that they were separated, Rosario did her best to keep her family surviving. At the end of the movie, Rosario and Carlito finally reunite. Thus, I believe that she did the right thing.

     Another negative experience that many immigrants face is that they may feel helpless when they are being threatened. Sometimes they are abused by legal citizens during work. In fact, immigrants usually have a hard time finding a good job. They could only have jobs that many Americans did not want. Rosario works two jobs. She works as a babysitter and a housekeeper. One time, one of her boss fired her for an inexcusable reason. Furthermore, her boss did not pay her for her work. Rosario could not do anything because she was illegal. Illegal immigrants could not call the police, because it would only cause trouble for themselves. Rosario could not resolve the conflict about her getting fired by her boss, because she was an illegal immigrant. Undocumented immigrants do not have any rights in the United States. They were often treated poorly. Since she was undocumented, she could not call the police. However, Rosario did not give up in finding a job. Many immigrants had a lot of things in common. One of them was to find a job that paid only in cash. Some succeed in finding a job, while most of them did not. After losing her job as housekeeper, Rosario was persistent in looking for another job. Considering the fact that she was illegal, she could only find jobs that paid in cash. This caused her to have a limited option in jobs. Rosario spent days looking for a job, but no one wanted to hire her. Although this conflict was not resolved, Rosario remained persistent. Therefore, I believe she did the right thing. She may not get what she wanted, and yet she continued looking. In fact, she only wanted the job because she wanted to earn enough money to deport her son here legally. It was a tough time for her, but the thought of her son being with her kept her going.

     Many illegal immigrants also choose to marry a legal immigrant to benefit from it. According to the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services, an illegal immigrant can become legal only by marrying a United States citizen. Therefore, most undocumented immigrants choose to marry a United State citizen to become legal. Although they gain benefit from marrying a citizen, they sacrifice love. Rosario, in one incident, chose to marry a legal citizen so that she could get Carlito over the borders. At times, she questions herself. She chooses between marrying for a legal status or for love. However, she believed that marriage should be based on love. Though she faced a difficult choice, she did not want her son to grow up without his mother. During the day of the wedding, Rosario finally comes up with the choice that she did not want to marry Paco. She wanted to marry for love. Although she remained illegal, she stood up for what she believed in. I believe that Rosario was brave to choose to marry for love. Many immigrants would have married for a legal status in the United States. Most of them seek to marry only for a green card. I believe that this is wrong because they are only marrying the legal immigrant so that they could use them. At the end of the movie, Rosario's illegal status remained, but she was reunited with her son. Reuniting with her son was what she wanted, therefore, she did the right thing by choosing to wait.