Personal Dictionary

By Alan Vargas
3/28/18
 Table of Context

● Denounce ● Hope
● Endorse ● American Dream
● Advocate ● La Bestia
● Alien ● Removal
● MS-13 ● Illegal
● Abroad ● Asylum
● Cynical ● Poignant
● Articulate
Denounce

● Zest: Condemn
● Context: Other denounce the inhumane
conditions and systematic mistreatment
the children must endure in detention
facilities near the border. (14)
● Guess: I felt like it had something with
rejection
● Definition: Publicly declare to be wrong
or evil.
● Why it matters: I felt like it matter
because it's true and staggering what
these kids have to go through, we need
understand and get to know there
situations.
Endorse

● Zest: uphold
● Context: “And a few others endorse the
spontaneous civilian protest against
them”(14)lusilelli
● Guess: I felt like it was to help out to
sponsor
● Definition:Declare one's public approval
or support of
● Why it matters: It matters in my options
because we need to support and approve
of these children arriving to the U.S
seeking for asylum.
Advocate

● Zest: supporter
● Context:”Thought others will advocate for
the more accurate term “refugee crisis”
(12)
● Guess: Helping or being holy
● Definition: A person who publicly support
or recommends a particular cause or
policy
● Why it matters: It is important because
we need to have more of a Advocate mind
than an egotistical one that doesn't want
to help others.
Alien

● Zest: foreigner
● Context:Because immigration court is a
civil court, these child “aliens” are not
entitled to the free legal counsel that
American Law guarantees to persons
accused of crimes. (68)Luiselli
● Guess: I always thought of like E.T the
movie or like Alien vs Predator
● Definition: Belonging to a foreign country
or nation.
● Why it matters: This matters because
people used it to disempower other
individuals not knowing that we are all
“Aliens” we migrate its a human right.
MS-13

● Zest: Gang
● Context: “ MS-13 and Barrios 18.. Both
gangs originated in Los Angeles in the
1980’s”(45)
● Guess: At first the first time i heard of this
i thought it was a gang because of the 13.
● Definition: is an international criminal
gang that originated in Los
Angeles,California,US in the 1980’s
● Why it matters: This matters because
what turned to a couple of Salvadoran
immigrants coming together to protect
each other turned into a world wide
problem,
Abroad

● Zest: Overseas
● Context: “Those are always robed in a
cloak of invisibility or impunity,especially
if they are committed abroad, and
especially if “abroad” is a tiny little
country in the Hispanic Americans”(47)
● Guess: I thought it meant like simple.
● Definition: In or to a foreign country or
countries.
● Why it matters: This matters because we
have to be able to welcome every person
that come from Abroad and support each
other, change the way we treat each
other.
Cynical

● Zest: doubtful
● Context: “The subtext of this is somewhat
cynical and the terms of the barter a little
unequal.
● Guess: I thought it was something scary
or Insidious”(47)
● Definition: believing that people are
motivated by self-interest; distrustful of
human sincerity or integrity.
● Why it matters: The way the system is set
up is wrong and thats whats is being
treated as or is acting like very cynical
and that's a reason why it
important,giving people visas or asylum
Hope

● Zest: Desire
● Context: “When the map zooms in on a
red dot in the desert,or continue to wait
and Hope” (30)
● Guess: Having faith that things will go the
way you expect them to go.
● Definition:a feeling of expectation and
desire for a certain thing to happen
● Why it matters: This word is important to
me because Hope is everything when the
world is against you and the odds are
against you. Hope is the only thing you
have.
American Dream

● Zest: Determination
● Context: “Who would have known that a
song partly about the post -Vietnam
War”Amerasian” children and their
exclusion from the American Dream
would become, forty years later, a song
about central American children in the
American Nightmare”(25)
● Guess: Riches,success
● Definition: The idea that every US citizen
should have an equal opportunity to
achieve success and prosperity through
hard work, initiative.
● Why it matters: This is important to me
La Bestia

● Zest: Train
● Context:”They journey a top la Bestia
freight trains ends at the U.S. Mexico
border”(20)
● Guess: A monster
● Definition: “El tren de la muerte” refers to
a network of mexican freight trains that
utilized by U.S-bound migrants to more
quickly traverse the length of mexico.
● Why it matters: This matters because kids
arrive here in this train and kids die
everyday striving to reach asylum.
Removal

● Zest: Elimination
● Context: “That the word”removal” is still
used to refer to the deportations of
“illegal” immigrants”(17)
● Guess: getting rid of
● Definition: the action of taking away or
abolishing something unwanted.
● Why it matters:This matters for me
because, at one time i felt removed or
unwanted just like these kids.
Illegal

● Zest: criminal
● Context: “illegal is a crime” and “return
to senders”(14)
● Guess: something that's a crime like
something wrong.
● Definition: contrary to or forbidden by
law
● Why it matters: this matters because
people get treated like they were criminal
because all they are doing is trying to
provide for their families.
Asylum

● Zest: house
● Context: “In no-man-land, there ain't no
asylum here”(25)
● Guess: protection
● Definition: the protection granted by a
nation to someone who has left their
native country as a political refugee.
● Why it matters: This matters to me
because i feel like people seek asylum and
that's something we as a nation take for
granted. Spoke out to me because don't
know the true meaning as to why these
migrant children flee, their purpose.
Poignant

● Zest: sadness
● Context:”Writer and former border patrol
officer francisco cantu has written
poignantly about these death maps and
all the “clearly marked ghost” (30)
● Guess: Your better than people
● Definition: evoking a keen sense of
sadness or regret.
● Why it matters: This matters because
people don't even get the opportunity to
taste freedom and protection and it's sad
because we in america have that and don't
take advantage of it .
Refugee

● Zest: seeker
● Context:”Refugees welcome here” (104)
● Guess: a person who need help
● Definition: a person who has been forced
to leave their country in order to escape
war.
● Why it matters: This matter because in
this political climate the language used
against immigrants is harsh and
degrading.