Textual analysis, Silko, the border patrol state (Essay Sample)

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Textual analysis, Silko, the border patrol state
Leslie Marmon Silko is a celebrated author whose works have been read widely in America and around the world. In her article entitled, "The Border Patrol State" which was meant to address the problems that are experienced at the border points. Silko looks at the border authorities as those that have been deliberately constituted to violate the rights of the Native Americans especially those of mixed ancestry. The alleged violations are thought to be occurring near the border with Mexico. Silko focuses on the perceived negativities that she thinks Native Americans are being subjected to in the hands of the border authorities. The audience that Silko targets in her article is the border authorities, whom she expects to, pressurize them to change the approach used to allow entry of people at the border pint linking US and Mexico. The other group of audience is the entire public comprising of the people from mixed ancestry who are the most affected by the violations of human rights exhibited at the border points.
The setting of this article is in the US in the southern regions that border Mexico. This is a place where most of the observations made by the author are undertaken. The main character in this article is Silko herself who is also an author. She covers the events happening around her when she encounters the immigration officers at the border point. She reveals the setting of this article when she says, "It was nearly midnight on New Mexico State Road 26……" implying that she was heading towards the border point in the southern. The other prominent character in this article is Gus, who was in Silko’s company where he was allowed to drive to the south from Albuquerque.
The analysis of the diction in the entire article is suited to the audience, context, and message being intended to be delivered. In this context, the author used the diction that is suited to the audience, which is mostly the border authorities and the entire public to release her grievances when it comes to the brutal patrols and other related issues.
Appeals to emotion or pathos can also be analyzed in this article. Silko appears to compare the treatment the building of the wall and the treatment of Native Americans to the events that occurred in the Soviet Union and the Germany wall. Another interesting example that connects the audience to the story is the one surrounding her description of the dog at the border point. She says, "I can’t forget the expression in the dog’s eyes; it was as if she were embarrassed to be associated with them." (Silko 413). Such sentiments imply that she felt sorry for the dog, which is being forced to undertake duties against its will.
The tone of the Silko, the author of this article, can be said to be sad. She is disturbed, by the way, in, which events are taking place at the border points where she is convinced that those people hailing from mixed races are always humiliate. She cites the example of a 73 years old half-Chinese man who is harassed by the border authorities. She says, "He was so rattled by the event he had to be driven home by his daughter.’ (Silko 415). This implies that the old man could not be speared either thus signifying the extent to which the authorities were determined to harass the citizens. She is sad since she is convinced that the rules and regulations at the border point are being exercised discriminatively. She is of the opinion that these laws have either to be repealed or be applied in an equal way to all Americans.
The entire story is built u...