Module 1 Activity 3
After reading the sample Assignment 1 submission, including both Rhetorical Situation and Extended Definition, please answer the Peer Review Questions found at the bottom of the document.
Rhetorical Situation
The audience that I intend to write to is the American citizen who is interested in learning more about the United States’ policies toward Mexican immigration. The purpose of this topic is to make the American public more knowledgeable about present day issues concerning immigration. States that are not directly impacted by immigration the same way California, Arizona, New Mexico, and Texas are may have skewed knowledge concerning the topic of immigration. Since it doesn’t make national news regularly the public may be misinformed about Mexican immigration. The media also negatively portrays this issue which promotes misconceptions throughout the American public. Because of this, it is beneficial for the citizens of America to know what is presently going on in order to make a proper assessment about Mexican citizens crossing the border into America. A article will be provided to this audience at any location such as a magazine or pamphlet.
Extended Definition
The word immigration has one basic meaning, and that is a cultural group, or individuals, moving from one country to another for various reasons. Specifically speaking, people from Mexico are looking to reside in America for many reasons such as job opportunities, politics, or begin a new life individually or with a family. America is known as a country for many opportunities, and people from Mexico travel to America in order to have these liberties. The border between the United States and Mexico spans over 2,000 miles and has over 12 million people living within its region, which is shown in blue in the picture below. The border reaches from the Gulf of Mexico all the way to the Pacific Ocean, underlying the borders of Texas, New Mexico, Arizona, and southern California. There are numerous road crossings posted along the border that is accessible along with some rail and ferry crossings. Currently, the American side of the border has over 9,500 agents that are stationed along the line to monitor and prevent illegal immigrants from crossing into America.
Around the early 1800s, Spain was in control of Mexican territory until the Spanish foreign minister Onis signed the Adam-Onis treaty with the Secretary of State John Quincy Adams. This treaty is also known as the Transcontinental Treaty of 1819. The treaty stated that Spain had control of Texas west of the Sabine River. The treaty was not ratified by both sides until 1831.This treaty established the border between the United States and Mexico’s territories, which still holds today. In 1821, Mexico eventually won their independence from Spain which allowed them to freely decide for themselves what type of government they would need. Then in 1846, Mexico engaged in a war with the United States to fight for control of the Texas territory, which lasted approximately two years. It ended with the American Army seizing Mexico City which led to the peace Treaty of Guadalupe-Hidalgo that ended the war. During the Mexican Revolution of 1910, when Mexicans revolted against the dictatorship of Porfirio Diaz, many Mexican citizens decided to flee across the border into the United States to seek safety from the dangers of the revolution. This is an important part of the history of the U.S.-Mexican border since it was a huge movement of people migrating north.
There is no question that this border is one of the busiest international lines in the world today. According to statistics from the Department of Homeland Security in the year of 2010, the United States received a total of 476,4051 immigrants that were deported to their native country. The total number of immigrants that were deported back to Mexico was 354,9821. Mexico produces the most immigrants hoping to live in America whether they cross the border legally or illegally. The latter of the two is where most of the controversy starts up. One of the most recent controversial news about this issue happened in the summer of 2010. In Arizona, they were attempting to pass a law that demanded immigrants to have their immigration papers on their person at all times. Arizona Senate Bill 1070 defined if the immigrant could not present those papers to an officer, then they would be charged with a misdemeanor crime. Although this charge is not as serious as other crimes, it can usually be settled by paying fines or doing community service. A conviction could possibly lead to an investigation of that immigrant, which could lead to deportation. This raised controversy because it allowed “racial profiling” of Latino people in Arizona to present papers and if not they would be taken to prison. The law was supposed to be effective on July 29, 2010, but federal judge Susan Bolton stepped in and disapproved four laws, which were the most controversial parts of Arizona SB 1070.
America has invested millions of dollars into border patrol but is still not able to completely prevent border penetration, which leaves many American citizens unsatisfied. There have also been proposals to have the border modified such as having an electric fence, building a moat along the border, and having a shoot-on-sight policy. There is no way of tracking all the immigrants that have passed through this border, since the illegal immigrants have no trace of entering America. The United States may be able to deport or arrest some of these immigrants, but there are still are going to be numerous immigrants that trickle through and make America their residence without being detected.
WORKS CITED
1. United States. Department of Homeland Security. Yearbook of Immigration Statistics: 2010. Washington, D.C.: U.S. Department of Homeland Security, Office of Immigration Statistics, 2011. 1 March 2012.
PEER-REVIEW QUESTIONS
1. What is the term/problem/concept? Does the author seem sufficiently comfortable with the term? What components of the term might need further research? Has this term been defined elsewhere, online, etc. (Do a quick search and see what you find)? If so, how is this extended definition different/unique?
2. Who is the audience? Are they real and specific? What do they know? What don’t they know? Why do they need this extended definition? What will they use it for? Is everything that is mentioned in the analysis addressed in the definition? Are there other potential important attributes of this audience that could be mentioned and then catered to in the definition?
3. Who is the publisher/author of the document? Are they real and specific? Is their perspective/intention clearly articulated?
4. What is the format for this extended definition? A pamphlet, a circular, a handout, a memo, or something else? Is this an appropriate format, or should something else be chosen? What are important design qualities of this format that will be important for the audience (refer to design resources on Assignment 1 page)? What still needs to be done?
5. How is the extended definition organized? Is it logical, user-friendly, straightforward? Should certain sections be moved?
6. What sub-terms/jargon still need to be defined within the extended definition? What other information does this specific intended audience need to know/learn in order to more fully comprehend the primary term?
7. Are the illustrations useful? Easy to read/understand? Are there additional illustrations that would be useful?
8. What other techniques of definition would be useful? For example, is there a particular analogy that the audience would find useful when considering the term? Refer to the bottom of the assignment sheet for a concise list of the 11 techniques of definition.