Cover letter

This paper looks at the advantages that immigrants, particularly Mexican immigrants, enjoy when they live in the United States and speak English. I concentrated on discussing how they might live a better and more secure life, as well as the programs that may be offered to them and the emotions they may experience along the process. I also discussed the many thoughts and sensations that immigrants experience when looking for work. I used rhetorical precis and logos in my research paper.

Writing this research paper was a little challenging since I needed to discover credible sources to back up my claims. During this period, I was able to get some useful ideas through studying texts. Finding research sources and evaluating them for credibility, accuracy, and bias was the learning result that had the most influence on me. Since I needed a lot of information, I had to find reliable sources that did not appear to be false and provided a lot of relevant information.

This phase has helped me achieve learning outcomes 2, 7, 8, and 9. I was able to determine which sources were trustworthy and which were not depending on the author’s background information. I like how we got to choose our own topic because the topic I chose is something I find interesting so I was looking forward to researching it more. I also enjoyed synthesis since it was something new to me, and it helped me organize my thoughts and sources.

 

                                                              The land of new beginnings

Many immigrants living in the United States do not speak English and are unable to locate jobs that will allow them to survive. It has been demonstrated that when immigrants come to the United States, they come to alter their life, whether for themselves or for their children. This is important because learning English may make their life easier because many decent-paying occupations need it; so, understanding English and obtaining work may be beneficial to them. In this paper, I argue that when immigrants, specifically Mexicans, arrive in the United States, they should learn English because it provides them with many options to live a stable life, such as getting a solid job. Although it may be difficult to adapt to an unfamiliar environment and get started when coming back from your home country, there are a variety of factors that can support them. I will show you later throughout my essay how my sources support this.

As a Mexican immigrant and immigrant overall, it is quite difficult to come to the United States and find work immediately. Learning English may appear impossible at first, but it will benefit you eventually. A project manager for RMVB at the National Institutes of Health, Jamie Malernee and Jodie Needle, in her 2003 essay, “Immigrants find learning English a tough but necessary job,” published in Sun-Sentinel, addresses the topic that learning English might be challenging, but it is necessary for life and argues that learning English can be a challenging task to process. Furthermore, because English is a different language to them, they must adapt to it and may experience a range of emotions in the process. She supports this claim by using evidence on how learning English can be challenging. “Those who have tried a master second language know the near paralysis that gripped Arcos. Confusion, embarrassment and frustration are often constant companions…” (3). Not everyone thinks in the same manner. Many people will feel pleased about it, while others may experience intense emotions. For example, I used to have a friend whose parents were Mexican immigrants, and I used to hear tales about how her mother would just burst out sobbing in frustration because she could not find a job since she didn’t know enough English.

Furthermore, In the article, “Americans Say Immigrants Should Learn English. But U.S. Policy Makes That Hard.” June 4, 2021, Olga Khazan, a staff writer for the Atlantic, covering health, gender, and science, asserts that learning English can improve their earnings and suggests that every little bit of English you learn, will get you a better job. She backs this claim up by explaining how difficult it is to learn a new language, but the benefits that come as a result. “The uncomfortable reality is that learning English can, in fact, make immigrants live much better. Immigrants who learn English improve both their earnings and their acceptance by other Americans”(2). I believe that Immigrants have been traveling to the United States for generations in search of a better future, but accomplishing that goal is frequently considerably more difficult than they imagined. Not only can it be financially hard, but it can also be mentally hard since you can drive yourself insane because you’re going through so much at once and attempting to balance everything. 

Although Malernee and Needle focus on how difficult it is to learn English and many ways to help them, Khazan emphasizes the importance of knowing English. Both articles provide valuable information on how knowing English as an immigrant living in the US can help you make more money and live a more secure life. Both articles emphasize the significance of learning English and the opportunities it may provide. This is significant because it contains several pieces of information that illustrate the need of understanding English before relocating to the United States to live comfortably.

We must improve the way we think as individuals and desire to improve ourselves. This process can be completed, and it begins with immigrants pursuing a variety of options, such as socializing with English speakers and avoiding speaking your native language to learn more. It can be difficult to leave your ethnic community and start a new life. However, you must strive for the best future and that is by trying to learn English as much as possible even if it’s by learning from your kids. In his article “Immigrants who live, work together with less apt to learn English” April 8, 2013 chairman and chief executive officer of Arch Coal and has extension experience in writing, edit, online publications, marketing, Steve Leer tries to persuade his audience into receiving the type of help they need to learn English. He adds on and explains that living with others who speak English is a big advantage. In his newspaper, Leer concludes, “Living with family members who already spoke English also was conducive to acquiring at least conversational English skills – especially for immigrants with job skills” (11). This can benefit immigrants who do not speak English because since they are at home with English speakers, they will eventually catch up and begin speaking and learning the language. As the English speakers were already immigrants and now have stable jobs, they know how it is to experience everything and can help.

Nonetheless, the United States provides several opportunities to grow as a person and gain knowledge. They provide a variety of programs, some of which may or may not be free. In  “Immigrants find learning English a tough but necessary job” written by Jamie Malernee and Jodie Needle, they also talk about the possibilities they may go out and look for. As stated in the essay, “More than 100,000 adults in south Florida are enrolled in language courses known as ESOL… Demand is so high that classes are held in churches, community centers and even a Chinese restaurant” (39). People are going out of their way to hold lessons at churches because there are so many immigrants who want to learn English badly, and this indicates that the United States is a country of opportunities because of its many offerings available and doesn’t let anyone down when it comes to wanting to master a popular language. 

In addition, the article, “English Language Programs Help Immigrants Prepare for a Job,” September 19, 2017, asserts that there are different programs hiring specifically for immigrants. This claim is backed up by obtaining a program for those who are in need for individuals who are interested in working and wish to improve their abilities. “Elsewhere, the LDS Humanitarian Center in Salt Lake City provides integrated education and language training. One of its goals is to provide job skills training and English classes to refugees seeking to gain employment to help themselves and their families” (National Immigration Forum 5). They set goals and programs for immigrants searching for work and provide them with this chance since they understand how difficult it is for them. This is vital because it is exactly what immigrants desire, especially if it is readily available.

Both Jamie Malernee and Jodie Needle, as well as the National Immigration Forum, note how immigrants are not treated equally to those who speak English and can find work. They provide these programs because they recognize that immigrants from other countries, such as Mexico, desire to learn the language to find work and support their families.  Both sources indicate that they are aware of the issues they face and work to overcome them by providing these programs. 

Although the sources agree that immigrants should learn English to find a stable job that would make them live better, this article “Why Some US Immigrants Don’t Learn English,” Dr. Angela Brumett, who is a certified lead Doctor contradicts that learning English takes up too much time and sacrifices but I will still need more evidence to support why Dr. Angela thinks that learning English shouldn’t be required when coming to the United States as an immigrant. However, it has been proven that going to the United States with the intention of learning English improves your life. It not only enhances your life, but it also offers new challenges and opportunities that you would not have had if you had stayed in your own country.

The Pew Research Center, May 12, 2015, by Jens Manuel Krogstad, Renee Stepler, and Mark Hugo Lopez, who are writers and editors, illustrates how the percentage of English language learners rises as the number of immigrants in the United States rises. Children aged 5 to 17 speak English more fluently than adults aged 18 and above, according to data. I can see why children learn English more quickly than adults who are new to the country. This is because they are surrounded by English-speaking students at school, so they become adapted to the language.

As more immigrants seek a better life, immigrating to the United States provides them with several options to establish a secure lifestyle. Coming to the United States as an immigrant prepared to learn English might make the process simple or difficult. It may put some individuals in a depressed state, but they have so many options to live a happy life. You must not only put in the effort to study on your own, but numerous programs will do so for you. The more English you learn, the more employees you will get, especially if you’re an immigrant. Many people understand how tough it is to obtain work, so they will gladly offer it to you. It will be mentally difficult to adjust from your own nation to the United States. However, if you come here for the proper reasons, such as to study English, and stay focused, you may be able to find a solid job that will support you financially.

                                                                              Works Cited

Borjas, George J. “The Economics of School Choice – NBER.” Mexican Immigration to the United States, University of Chicago Press, May 2007, https://www.nber.org/system/files/chapters/c10082/c10082.pdf.

“English Language Programs Help Immigrants Prepare for Jobs.” National Immigration Forum, 20 Sept. 2018, https://immigrationforum.org/article/english-language-programs-help-immigrants-prepare-jobs. 

Khazan, Olga. “Americans Say Immigrants Should Learn English. but U.S. Policy Makes That Hard.” The Atlantic, Atlantic Media Company, 15 June 2021, https://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2021/06/why-cant-immigrants-learn-english/619053/. 

Leer, Steve. “Study: Immigrants Who Live, Work Together Less Apt to Learn English.” Purdue University, 8 Apr. 2013, https://www.purdue.edu/newsroom/releases/2013/Q2/study-immigrants-who-live,-work-together-less-apt-to-learn-english.html. 

Needle, Jamie Malernee and Jodie. Immigrants Find Learning English a Tough but Necessary Job, South Florida Sun-Sentinel, 24 Dec. 2018, https://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/sfl-lang3may12-story.html.