"Alien 27041999"

Brother, I’m Dying connects to a few of the viewing and reading selections we have had over the semester.  First, there is a strong connection to Children of Global Migration.  Edwidge does not live in the Philippines, but when her parents move to the United States she lives a life that is relatable to the children/adults interviewed in Parrenas’s work.  Globalization has forced parents to seek employment in another country and an extended familial network has had to step in.  In this case though, Edwidge becomes extremely close to her uncle and this substitute family is not like a substitute at all.  This IS her family and she feels her uncle is a father to her, not an alternative that leaves her lacking in some way.

The death of Edwidge’s uncle also runs parallel to the situation of the Mexican nanny in Babel.  Overzealous, prejudiced, rude, and impatient border patrol officials forever changed the lives of people because of rushed moments of judgment and incompetency.  The rudeness is clear in the way she describes how some of the official spoke to her.  Examining the Discretionary Checklist also shows lies and a complete lack of concern about the welfare of Joseph Dantica.  I also found the disjointing of the way Babel was told to cause the same kind of rupture when reading about Danticat’s father and learning of her pregnancy.  The two stories also have a biblical connection.  Babel refers to the story of the splintering of languages and utter confusion in the Bible.  Edwidge talks about how her uncle was named after Joseph in the Bible and was experiencing his own “afflictions” in Egypt (231).  It is poignant to note that the United States had become Egypt for Joseph, when it is often portrayed to immigrants all over the world as the equivalent of a biblical Israel, the land flowing of abundance and milk and honey.  This shows how information is portrayed in different ways depending on the producer.

Joseph wanted to see temporary asylum.  Like in Transnational America, we see that not everyone will get asylum.  Only certain types of people, with certain types of stories are granted asylum, others get question, put in prison, and killed.  I do feel Joseph was killed, because when you make the decision to treat someone in his condition the way he was treated, which included taking away his medication, you are making an informed decision about this man’s health.  These officials not only decided who was worthy of asylum and why, they also decided that Joseph was not worthy of his life.