By the Lake of Sleeping Children

Essay by EssaySwap ContributorUniversity, Bachelor's February 2008

download word file, 2 pages 5.0

As I read ?By the Lake of Sleeping Children?, I find it monotonous playing in the same tune as Across the Wire. Both books have dealt with what life is like for those living on the Mexican side of the border living in poverty, unsanitary conditions and economic hardships. These crises have illustrated why so many are faced to make the dangerous and illegal journey across the United States. In ?By the Lake of Sleeping Children? Urrea takes these dramatic scenes and shows a flawed NAFTA.

The key to sociologist Karl Marx, is the idea of social conflict which means struggle among segments of society over valued resources (Sociology 99). NAFTA North American Free Trade Association was established to bring economic growth however the large corporations are there for a profit and Tijuana residents will continue to suffer under terrible environmental devastation. Urrea tells about the dompe, an area in Tijuana known for its deplorable living conditions by mass squatters settlements having poor drinking water and inadequate sewage treatment.

These people are living in these terrible conditions and I am sure they want a better life for themselves but how can this be achieved when large Multi-national Corporation?s move is to focus exclusively on profit over environmental well-being. In my opinion the implementation of NAFTA will cause more harm to these grief stricken people. The increasing industrialization in Mexico as a result of NAFTA can have an environmental impact on health. Hazardous wastes from their factories and oil operation spills in the water can cause massive heath problems to the residents. In an effort to gain more profit and to have their cops flourished pesticides use on the land could also be life threatening. It seems that nothing can be done about these big time capitalists...