Why the caged bird sing?

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Why the caged bird sing ?

Introduction

This text is a press article taken from an american international news magazine, called Newsweek, written by Alan Zarembo published on the 10th September 2001. The passage under study is entitled \"why the caged bird sings\". It focuses on a story of a 35 (thirty-five) years old mexican immigrant with her daughter Angel and her son Misa who have left his country to settle illegualy on the United States. This woman's story is a rag-to-riches story since Ana had managed to climb up the social ladder. She now enjoys a high standard of living.

In a first part I’m going to explain how she became an American self made woman. Then, I’m going to talk about the consequences of her immigration.

I – How she became an American self made woman ?

Six years ago, Ana came to the USA by crawling in a drainpipe, walking across the desert and hiding in a car to avoid being caught. It was risky for her life because she was illegal and undocumented and thus she could be arrested.

At first she didn’t intend to stay long because she wanted to pay back her sister because she paid the smuggler, she wanted to earn money to pay her debts and she wanted to get rid of her husband.

Little by little she climbed up the social ladder. To begin with, Ana was a laundry woman. Although her income was only 200 (two hundred) dollars by week, she had a better paid job than in Mexico.

Next she became a maid.

Eventually she made a living by being a broker.

Her story is a “rags to riches” story since she started with a low-paid job and is now fortunate even if she’s still an illegal immigrant because we can read line 12 (twelve) “the money is tax-free” and line 50 (fifty)“her business is off the books”.

Now that we studied her professional life in New York, we can take an interest on the consequences of the immigration on her life.

II – The consequences of her immigration

a) First, On her family

Indeed, she helps her family financially by sending cash, paying the bills, she says (“I will not be able to pay the bills” l.48 (forty-eight) and sending gifts (like videogames or stereos) and thus she is the breadwinner (she makes the family live).

Unlike the neighbours who live in poverty, below the poverty line, her family has good living conditions. Therefore they feel jealous, envious, they can’t stand their conspicuous consumption.

Despite their money, Misa and Angel don’t have any friend.

According to Ana’s mother, money is both a blessing and a burden because the more money they have, the more rejected they are by the neighbours.

b) Then, On her personality and viewpoint on her present life

Line 57 (fifty-seven) she says, I quote the text : “I am a part of here”, it means that she has become integrated (Americanised) and enjoys her life in the US. She likes American way of life / American culture. Consequently she isn’t likely to go back to Mexico which is striking.

Conclusion

To conclude she embodies the American dream. She was attracted by a land of opportunity. Moreover she is now quite successful whereas she used to be destitute.

The title of the text reveals to US the paradoxical situation in which Ana is. Indeed, the word “caged” is in contradiction with the word “sing”. It means that althought the bird is in the cage, it keeps singing.

Finally, I chose this text because it took back a subject which we had already studied with

« America » from West Side Story. But this article goes more far. It shows that we can go up the social ladder like this woman.

(We could compare this way from rags to riches to J.K. Rowling’s one who lived thanks to the social security benefits before writing Harry Potter and becoming a billionaire.)

Rags-to-riches refers to any situation in which a person rises from poverty to wealth.