Moving and Literature :: Moving Immigration Essays

Moving and Literature Since I was six, my mother, sister and I have been moving to different places. Whether these were permanent moves or not, they have impacted me. The first of all moves was to an entirely different country, from Peru to U.S.A. I left my extended family, friends and surroundings behind for an unknown place. Although it was a dramatic change for me, I realize now how much that first change has influenced me in many ways. It has changed the way I view myself, and the way I tackle new experiences. A famous man once said, â€Å"America is my country, but Paris is my hometown.† I believe he too shared my feelings, that one can love two places equally yet differently without being partial to either one of them. When I compare all the places I have ever been to, I find that each one has left a unique trace in me. I do not find any one superior although they all stand out in their own way. Richard Ford, author of I Must Be Going, offers a different view to this argument: â€Å"It may simply and finally be the way most people feel when they are settled is the way I feel when I move: safe and in possession of myself†(111). Ford explains to the reader that the way he lives his life, frequently changing locations, is what his life is all about. The restrictions of having to stay in one place for the rest of his life is a frightening thought. Ford presents a good point; he believes that home is literally where the heart is. He feels at home when he is in the company of his family, not when he is in familiar four walls, like many do. I do not believe in Ford’s nomadic lifestyle; I like staying in one place, but I want to visit others and travel as often as possible.