3. Group E---gbehne27

In the book Brighter than the sun by Daniel Aleman, a Mexican immigrant named Sol is having to travel back and forth between the U.S. to go to school and also work in the US because she gets paid more there than she would in her home town in Mexico Tijuana. She eventually moved into her best friend's house in the US as it was easier for her to live there compared to going back and forth on the border every day and night.Sol dreams of college but is forced to take on burdens as she supports her family, splitting her life between her home in Mexico and working across the border.The story explores themes of the ability to adapt to adversity, bounce back from difficult experiences, and manage stress, financial pressure, the reality of immigration, and finding one's own identity despite overwhelming family obligations. Sol struggles with guilt over enjoying her new life in the U.S. while her family struggles, as well as the exhausting reality of her double life. It is an emotional, and in the end a hopeful story about finding strength and finding what it means to be part of a family. Every morning, sixteen-year-old Sol wakes up at the break of dawn in her hometown of Tijuana, Mexico and makes the trip across the border to go to school in the United States. Though the commute is exhausting, this is the best way to achieve her dream, becoming the first person in her family to go to college. Throughout working she meets a boy named Nick and they get close; he eventually asks her out and he becomes a big love interest for Sol in these last few chapters. Sol goes back to Tijuana one weekend to find out the restaurant they've been struggling to keep open that her dad finally chose to shut it down. Sol was very upset as this was the last thing left from her mom. Sol gets asked to speak up for a boy she was kind of friends with on the border named Bruno. He got in big trouble because he fought a white boy in the lunch line for Sol because he was flirting with her but also just being a bad person. But Bruno gets called the bad guy and the other kids' parents decide to try and press charges against Bruno so Bruno's friend asks Sol to stand up for him, Sol says she can't because she's scared of public speaking and doesn't want to risk getting kicked out of school. She was working and enjoying her shift talking with Nick and her other staff members, eventually she gets called to the staff room and finds out she's getting accused of stealing a really expensive dress that's worth three of Sol's paychecks. Sol tells them she didn't steal anything but they have to put her on leave till they figure out who actually stole it. Sol then decides to go back home early since she can't work anymore and she knew she had to tell her dad. Sol got home back in Tijuana and told her dad and grandma the three of them knew they needed Sol to have this job without it, how would they pay the bills, debt, and get food on the table? Sol decides that she needs to find another job and fast. Sol eventually said yes to talking to the school board about Bruno and his situation as she didn't really have anything else in line anymore since she doesn't have a job anymore. Sol plays a significant role in helping her friend, Bruno, overcome his expulsion hearing, sol supports Bruno through this tense situation helping him win the “case”. Sol is the only member of the family who is a US citizen. She was born on the other side of the border due to her mother’s complicated pregnancy. Her family hopes for her to be the first person to attend college. They want her to do better than they did and in the process, lift up her younger brother, Diego, in particular. But the challenges of living in poverty are not lost on Sol. Before she can realize her dream, she wants to pitch in and do everything she can to put more food on the table and make living conditions better for her family. Hence, Sol makes the decision to move to San Diego and stay with her childhood friend, Ari, and her mother, Nancy. The ted talk "Dont Feel Sorry for Refugees--Belive in Them" by Luma Mufleh is about how Luma was a refugee and how she was poor struggling to find a job, make money, and find a home to stay. A woman named Sarah helped her by letting her stay in her home while also letting her bus tables at her restaurant. She also talks about how she's gay and in her culture she can get the death penalty so she struggles with coming out and being herself. It relates with the story because she's gay and Sol’s brother comes out to Sol. Sols brother feels like its not okay for him to come out Luma also keeps it on the low since she can get killed for being gay, “Some people may not realize this, but you can still get the death penalty in some countries for being gay. I had to give up my Jordanian citizenship.That was the hardest decision I’ve ever had to make, but I had no choice.”(Mufleh 3) Sol had a change in perspective when she realized that her brother who she thought she knew better than anyone seemed to like boys and she didn't realize. It made her realize how much she's been missing out on with her brother and the rest of her family, how much she's been missing him growing up with how much she’s been gone. “Maybe what he needs is for me to not make a big deal out of any of this, for me to just be here for him and help him feel less alone. “”Well,”” I say slowly, “You’re probably too young to have a boyfriend.”” –””Yeah,”” he says, nodding to himself. “”But, if a boyfriend is what you want– you know, one day, when you're older– then… you shouldn't care what those other kids say about you.”” “”It’s hard not to care.”” “”I know. But it’s just as hard to pretend to be someone you’re not.””(Aleman 335-336) her brother and her were really close before their mom had died and before Sol started going to the United States. After this change in perspective she at first wanted to try and stay home more but she ended up moving permanently to the US.

Throughout the book, How the Garcia Girls lost their accents, by Julia Alvarez, the Garcia sisters childhood was shown more and how they grew up in the Dominican Republic. It shows how they had a lot of political danger that made them have to move away from their home in the U.S. When Yolanda was young, she saw a kitten, which highlights the beginning of her identity, and language struggles. 

Yolanda’s childhood is shown towards the end of the book and it shows an experience that made her eyes open to the world. She struggles a lot with her identity because of the cultural switch she faces. Yolanda’s mind is one of her biggest struggles, but she learns how to control it, “At that hour and in that loneliness, I hear her, a black furred thing lurking in the corner of my life, her magenta mouth opening, wailing over some violation that lies at the center of my art” (Alvarez 290). This quote helps show how Yolanda learns how to silent her mind, and balance her home of the Dominican and America. Her life after this changed for the better because she learned a life long skill that helped her with her cultural differences. 

In the TED Talk, Fish Cheeks, by Amy Tan, she talks about the need to want to fit in, until she later realizes that she doesn't need to. She talks about how it's better to be your own person then try to be like everyone else, “You must be proud you are different. Your only shame is to have shame” (Tan 2). This quote shows that both Yolanda and Amy can relate to each other by learning how to be their own person without feeling ashamed of their culture. Both struggle at first, but learn slowly over time. 

In each of these stories and TED talks, each character/perosn experiences pivotal moments that force each character/person to the world and to see life in a new perspective. Weather thats Sol balancing life between 2 countries, Natasha facing deportation after finding whom she thinsk is her true love, Yolanda navigating her cultural identity, or the doctor that was witnessing a life or death moment, each of them go under a shift that gave them a whole new perspective on life. These experiences not only show how challenges and unexpected events test us, but also shapes who we are and how we look at and understand the world around us. Ultimately, moments like these remind us that growth, empathy, and self awareness all are developed through times that push us outside of our comfort zone.

Towards the end of Brighter Than the Sun, Sol begins to realize that she doesn't have to carry all of her family’s struggles alone. After feeling overwhelmed, by working, school, and supporting her family, she reaches a turning point where she understands that asking for help and focusing on her future isn’t selfish, this moment changes her perspective about responsibility, family, and her dreams. Instead of feeling trapped between two lives, Sol starts to believe she can create a future that includes both her family and her own happiness. One key moment happens when Sol realizes that change can open new opportunities instead of only bringing hardship, with her grandmother’s advice helping her see this differently. “Change… gives as much as it takes, and it can open doors you never even knew existed.” The quote shows that Sol’s perspective changes because she learns that change is not only painful, but it can also create new opportunities. Before this, she changed to something negative, but after this moment, she begins to see her future as full of possibilities. 

In “Out of Nowhere” by Maria Padian, there are two main characters, Tom, who is a popular white boy from Maine, and Saeed, a Refuge from Somalia. It takes place in Maine after 9/11. The story is told from the perspective of Tom Bouchard, who is very popular in his high school and is a captain of the soccer team. Saeed is from Somalia and had to escape because of danger in his country. Everyone struggles with the change of refugees living in the town, as well as getting used to language barriers when it's hard to communicate. this definitely happens in my book, as tom is a star soccer player, dating a popular girl, and he really only focused on himself. but after the vandalism incident, where he vandalized a rock on another schools property, he becomes more open-minded, and thinking more about his decisions. Saeed also influences him changing, when he learns what its like coming from a different culture, and having real struggles. "They are serious. i was sitting next to them on the bench yesterday, and they were arguing over whether they can brush their teeth during ramadan. and im like 'what, is toothpaste food?' and they said 'no its because you cant drink during the day, and what if you swallow some water?'"(Padian 193) this shows how much he learns about the somali people, and their culture, and it really changes how he thinks further on from the incident.

How did this event change your perspective throughtout the book?

swood27, how did your character get to the point of accepting the fact of who they were and embracing it?

jboisvert, how did this life pivoting event change her perspective on life?

csimpson27, did your character ever realize that they are representations of other cultures, maybe just not in the open, before this occurrence?