Saturday, July 13, 2019

In the Country We Love by Diane Guerrero

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17 comments:

Joanna R said...
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Joanna R said...

Diane Guerrero's style of writing in the novel, In The Country We Love, is one of many intensifying points in her memoir: with either three word sentences or asterisks in between paragraphs. Throughout this time with all of the asterisks or three word sentences: it does set the tone throughout the specific chapter of either happiness or complete, utter happiness. A good example of this is when Diane is well off into her life in college and just really hit rock bottom for the first time in her college life; Diane states, "And the more I drank and socialized. I didn't simply want to take the edge off; I wanted to be numb. In most weeks, I couldn't have told you whether it was a Monday or a Tuesday. Every day felt the same--like one I'd rather sleep through. It was wash, rinse, repeat: Depression. Drunken revelry. Fighting with Brian. Shame about my behavior. And then always--always--another round of liquid anesthesia" (Guerrero 142/ paragraph 47). Guerrero creates an atmosphere surrounded by vivid diction; through her selection of words and solitude imagery conveys the hurt and loneliness Diane felt at this moment in time. However, what intensified this to an extra extent was the blunt one to three word sentences at the end; Thus making it known to us as the readers that this is a moment she would like us to really zone into apart from the other aspects within this chapter.

Ashley Salazar said...
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Ashley Salazar said...

In The Country We Love, Diane Guerrero uses diction in which the reader feel empathy towards the situation her family had to go through, while she was at a very young age. Guerrero uses her life experiences to give the reader a realistic view of the adversity she had to forcefully go through. Diane explains to the reader the word “deported” before she even knew what that word meant in her mind it was something terrible that could happen at any moment. All she could think about was her “parents might one day be sent back to Columbia” a country where the ability to prosper is very minimal. Guerrero makes it very clear to the reader that “fear” was infinite fear that would haunt her for the rest of her life. “Year after year” her parents would try “desperately to become American citizens” so that their family could stay together. Diane repeatedly uses the word “They” as she referencing her parents fight for citizenship. She states, “they pleaded. They planned. They prayed. They turned to others for help”. Through her use of repetition the reader is able to feel how heartbreaking the situation is as they tried so hard to achieve citizen for the benefit of keeping their family together to be able to achieve the American dream as many other immigrants aspire to achieve. After all that her parents have done to be able to permanently stay in the United States, “none of their efforts were enough to keep them here in the country we love”. Guerrero illustrates how one word like deportation has such a strong and painful view towards people like her where her family always had to sleep with one eye open as they feared the idea of being separated from her parents at such a young age. Throughout the rest of the novel she uses a despondent tone as she lives the life no kid would want to live without their parents. (Guerrero 2)

Ashley Salazar said...


In the Country We Love, Diane Guerrero wants the reader to understand a real life perspective of what life is like living in the United States without your parents. Diane was born a U.S. citizen, yet her parents are immigrants from Columbia trying to get citizenship. Due to her situation, Diane’s motivation to write this book was to give the read insight into what she and many others have to deal with as her parents get deported. Guerrero begins the novel by explaining her day to day life as a normal family living with her parents in the United States. She goes to school and has fun learning new things and spending time with her family as they make many memories and traditions with each other. She makes it clear to the reader that her family is very important to her and the idea of losing them is something she never imagined would actually happen. Also being faithful to God she feels like “he would reward her faithfulness by protecting her family,” yet unexpectedly her family is one day gone as she comes home (45). As her family is taken away from her, angry fills up inside of her and is left feeling lost and lonely. Diane suffers by having to go through live struggles all by herself and comes to a realization that we “convince ourselves” that something like your parents being deported would never happen then “reality socks us in the face” (92). Diane Guerrero wants those who are going through the same situation to know that they are not alone and that life will get better. She makes it clear that she will continue to make sure that her people are heard and will try to make an impact on immigration and make a change so that people do not have to go through what she had to go through all alone. Diane ensures this by showing examples of the abuse people have to go through as they go into detention centers and how “84 percent of detained go totally unrepresented” just like her mother and father. Guerrero shows all the research she has done to show how important the issue is for her let’s her story be a representation for those who are not being heard.

Melanie Vargas said...

In the Country We Love, Diane Guerrero uses descriptive writing to tell her story. Diane's writing style creates a sympathetic tone which paints a picture for the reader to understand how difficult her upbringing became without her parents. Diane's usage of Spanish diction makes her storytelling more personal. Early on in the book Diane describes her environment which included a lot of joyful memories and having to understand what deported meant for her family. Diane had realized at a young age that with a "single phone call" her family could be taken from her (Guerrero 24). Diane's worst nightmare started with coming home to, "No noise from the television. No voices chattering in Spanish. No salsa blasting from the radio" (Guerrero 83).The usage of the word "No" reveals how different things were becoming. This description allows the reader to imagine what it was like for Diane to come to an empty home and having to face the reality of her parents deportation. This moment resembles what a lot of other families have to go through. After her parents being deported Diane had to create a "so-called new normal" without her parents which was difficult and left her sometimes feeling lost in the world (Guerrero 106). Throughout of the rest of the novel Diane goes through depression and hopelessness, but shows that even after all the heartbreak it can get better.

Daniela yanes said...

In the country we love, Diane Guerrero uses diction in the book to tell us her story. Diane’s tine is empathetic because of the way she talks about her situation and how others can also relate to what she went through. Early on in the book Diane describes what deportation is and the meaning of it and how it can tare families apart. Diane’s wording of Spanish helps us readers understand her point of view during the situation of how she felt about it. Diane said in the first chapter that through the day she felt this weird feeling and through out the day it got “ more and more weird”( Guerrero 7). Diane would get frequent calls from her mother and her mother would say that “she experience a Colombia she hadn’t know previously”(Guerrero 53). Through out the book Diane’s to changes and it changes the way she uses her diction to tell her story in more emotion so that the reader can fell she felt at that moment in her life.

Adahir Paita said...

In The Country We Love by Diane Guerrero gives us such a big diction that leaves the reader in shock. The diction that Guerrero used creates the reader to have a somber feeling towards her situation. The situation of losing your parents at such a young age and having to live alone not only impacted the reader but it also made people realize what the real problem of the United States is. Guerrero uses her life experience to give us a clear example of what “Deportation” actually means and how in a blink of an eye your family can be separated. Using her experience gives us a realistic view of what you have to do without your parents and without that support. Being so young Guerrero already knew what the word “Deportation” meant knowing that the word means something terrible that couldn’t be avoid. Through out those days in Guerreros head was always that thought of her parents getting separated from her and she being alone. The fear of her parents going back to Columbia which is known for violence and not a lot of ways to prosper. To Guerrero that “Fear or losing her family” was in an everyday basics that mindset that she can’t do anything once that day comes and she will have to be alone and grow up with that parents roles. Guerrero believes that one day her and parents can achieve that so called American Dream that all immigrants dream of and once wish to achieve.

Sofia Jara said...

In the Country We Love, Diane Guerrero uses forlorn diction to reveal to the readers the ongoing adversity she had to overcome growing up in the states without her parents in her life. Guerrero describes the arduous position she faced when she comes home from school one day and realizes that her undocumented parents have been detained and will be deported. Due to Guerreros situation, Diane was consistently moving. She'd have to "begin a new life, one uncertain and frightening. A makeshift family. A different home"(Guerrero 103). Guerreros forlorn diction establishes a somber tone due to Diane's worst fear coming to fruition, "the inevitability that we'd soon be forced apart"(Guerrero 93). Diane's detachment from her family leads to her blatantly disregarding her parents calls to her, "it was as if they could sense I was drifting further and further away from them, and they were grasping to hold onto something"(Guerrero 129). Due to the separation of her parents and from her as well, Diane illustrates a feeling of alienation from her family as well as her state of mind going trough so many obstacles at such a young age. All in all, Guerrero's writing style is unique and filled with argumental and factual statements helping to provide information of the legalization system and how it may help piece together her credibility due to it not being filled with opinions and not only using her experience, but using statistics to provide more background information on the justice and legalization system to make her readers sympathize with her more.

Unknown said...

In the Country We Love: My Family Divided is a memoir by Diane Guerrero who shares how at just fourteen her beloved parents became deported leaving her in a state of great emotional impact she had to go through. Guerrero's memoir is written in a style that brings her story to the reader emotionally as she highlights her way of living as the child of undocumented immigrants where the fear of deportation haunted her family on a daily basis like many others. Until, the fear became reality in Guerrero's life as she had to depend on herself and the help of old family friends to succeed in life. One moment in Diane Guerrero's childhood was during an argument by her parents of her family's drama that when encountered at such a young age it left her wishing to be in a "land of make-believe" where she could "always find a happy ending". Guerrero shows strong gloomy diction as she dressed in a princess outfit and that night she "would be Molly. Or Tina.Or Elizabeth.Or Carrie.Or any white little girl whose parents didn't bicker.Whose brothers didn't hurt.Whose family would never in a million years,be pulled apart.There, in my land of make-believe, I could always find a happy ending"(24). This moment shows how even at such a young age one can wish to escape from the problems we don't know how to cope with especially when your beloved parents can be gone in an instant. Guerrero's life is like many other undocumented residents who live in the fear of living in the United States, but like Guerrero we can all push through and succeed through the hardships.

Unknown said...

-Jailyn Mendoza

Jailyn Mendoza said...

Diane Guerrero's purpose in writing her novel is to share not only her story, but to help bring the greater good in society. A society where the children of immigrants stay safe and get the same rights as everyone else should. When safety is provided all children like Guerrero can achieve the dreams they wish to have away from the judgement and hiding one must take being an illegal immigrant. Guerrero's motivation in making her novel comes from the deportation of her parents growing up that left her receiving very little help from authorities. The lack of help at just fourteen years old is something that should never occur, but its reality in the lives of immigrants. Guerrero's book I believe has a purpose to motivate others to understand that they can succeed in life even if they have family that is undocumented. As well as to bring awareness to others that we all have to work together to improve the safety of immigrants and people who get deported. As a reader, Guerrero's book is a reality check to people in our society about the families who deal with hiding and suffering because of their illegal status in the United States. The endless suffering and pain immigrant families face is a common story that is learned throughout this book. Guerrero tells her family's story and reflects her challenges leading up to her success. As Guerrero's family came to the U.S. to improve their lives to a more wealthier and safer one than it was in Colombia. Her parent's dreams were not easy as they had to suffer through not getting paid enough to having multiple jobs daily. Guerrero's parents got deported despite their hard work and ongoing fight towards getting legal documents to be in the United States. Her parents dreams were crushed. Similarly, Guerrero was left hopeless in her dreams without her parents and the help of others after the deportation that occurred. However, Guerrero pushed forward and achieved many things that has left her to have the courage to share her story to everyone in her own book. Everyone despite their legal or illegal status can get a motivation from this book even in the smallest way. Guerrero's book is life changing emotionally and physically towards the people in need that are undocumented

Melanie Vargas said...

Diane Guerrero's motivation for writing this book is to let other kids that are going through what she went through to not lose hope. Diane is bringing light to this issue that is breaking families apart. People are able to have empathy for this issue and try to do something about it. Guerrero wants to let people know that this does happen to people it is not just something you hear at the news at night. Diane's main argument is to support those children that go through deportation. Diane was lucky and had support from her closest friends that took her in their home while she was dealing with her parents immigrant situation, but what about those kids that have to find consolation in complete strangers. A child should not have to be separated from their family and face isolation. This book shows how Diane struggled being separated from her parents and how even as an adult it still affected her. What I take away from this as a reader is that you should inform yourself about this issue that is currently still happening in America and use your voice to create a positive change in the immigration system. I also take away the importance of persevering in tough times. Even though all the odds were against Diane she did not let that stop her. Guerrero dealt with depression, yet she was able to push through and accomplish her goal by becoming an actress. Diane now uses her platform to spread awareness on this issue that has affected her family personally. This book has encouraged other people to share their story and fight to end this issue that affects so many undocumented people in the United States. For the people that are going through this situation, the book is empowering and encourages them to continue fighting for what is right which is keeping families together.

Joanna R said...

Diane Guerrero's motivation for her novel, In The Country We Love, is to spread awareness to people that have dealt for deportation of loved ones. However, instead of waiting and being silent for someone to spread awareness, she took it upon herself to be that voice for people. The transitions from Diane's heart wrenching childhood to success story she had become; reveals to the readers that even the role models we tend to look up to had the bad times, even if they are not shown on social media; and for some, it is the same exact situation we have going on in our lives. Diane uses what has happened to her in her life to the advantage and support for her readers out there that are living in the same or similar situation; however, uses it in a way that it is as comforting as it can be for anyone dealing with a matter like this. For example, she talks about her depression, her distancing away from her parents and anyone else for that matter, self- doubt, and the thought of giving up on the future that her parents fought for her to have here in America to convey to readers that it is okay to feel this way and give reassurance to them that it will get better, maybe not in the way Diane's life got better; but in their own path and their own future. What I took away from this novel is that even if you fall off track on what you have in store for yourself like she talks about on page 164,maybe it is that one thing you have been missing in your life to keep you from falling off the edge and stay on a path for success. Guerrero makes a stance for people who aren't afraid to let others know of the injustice going on and how it affects them, she shows how to be a fighter and to a person who wants what is right for not only her and her family; but for other people around the world and wants to share it with everyone.

Adahir Paita said...

In the country we love, Diane Guerrero express her ideas about the word “Deportation” she expresses that the world has a harsh feeling and it being bad memories from her childhood. The point of Diane Guerrero writing this story was because she wanted to express her experience and to show that even famous people have to go through really terrible things in there life’s. Diane was an American citizen born and raise in America but her family is from Columbia which is the heart of coffee even though she was born and raise in America she was acknowledged about immigration at such a young age. Diane starts her novel by explain how her day would start and how she would love her normal family she would go to school learn and also have fun doing other things. Her family is everything to her she does everything with them and has so much faith that she would never lose them. Diane is not only faithful to her family but also to god she always prays for the best for her family. Once that day came that destroyed her family it upseted Diane and filled her up with angry thoughts and emotions. She was not the same anymore and had nothing but anger in herself for not being able to do nothing. Diane struggles so much to live life without her parents and even though she has to be strong it’s to much to handle at such a young age but she maintains strong because that what her family would want her to do in those times of pain. The purpose of this story is to show that other kids that are going through theses situations would never be alone and that they deserve the support from anyone because no kid is supposed to be alone through those hard times.
-Adahir Paita

Daniela yanes said...

Diane Guerrero’s motivation for writing this novel is to have an impact on other families that are going through this or have gone through it. One of her motivations is her family and especially her parents because know that she understands what she couldn’t when she was younger knows that not only did she go through this but also her parents where impacted because they where the ones being deported and taken away from her daughter. Diane shows how much she was motivated to make a change when she sees her mother being taken away from her and she has “ no friends...no flowers...no memorial service was planned. And yet the two people [ she’d] cherished were gone” (Guerrero 102). The main argument she is building is on one word “DEPORTATION” Diane wants her readers to know what it is and what it means to her and to the people around her so that later on people can know what she’s fighting for and why she is fighting for it because if she didn’t they would be a lot of misunderstandings. This main argument helps Diane because she shows facts and evidence referring to what she wants “the people” to know. Having an open mindset about anything and getting different opinions Diane sticks with her argument because she wants to impact others and make her point across. What I’m taking away from this novel is that no matter what part of the U.S , I.C.E is real and it’s scary to think that the same thing that happened to Diane could happen to me. This book has impacted me so much in so many different ways I was able to learn more about deportation and more about what happens in the world around me. Also that I shouldn’t be in my own little bubble because other people have experience worse and that I can help those people by having a voice.

Yadira Razo said...

Diane’s motivation for writing this book is to share her story to everyone but especially to “the thousands of nameless children who feel as forgotten as I did – this is my gift to you” meaning that she wants the kids that are going through the same thing as she did to not lose hope and keep their head up. The main argument Diane is building is to let people know that the “country we love” is really separating families that their only crime was coming to the United states to afford the basic needs such as food and a home. That’s not all, children are being left alone with strangers that we don’t know if they have good intentions or not. In Diane situation she was supported by her close friends who helped her deal with her parent’s separation, but not all children have the same luck. What I took away from this memoir is to be more informed of what is happening around me. Use my voice as a tool to fight for human rights and for all those families that today are being separated. Today there is thousands of families being separated as a community we have to help each other to stop this inhumane act. This book really empowers anyone who reads it no matter their status because is based on hard work and pain to get to success. Many families like Diane’s are going through this right now feeling helpless thinking all their dreams got to an end. No one should feel this way no matter if they were born in this country or not everyone have rights.