The Tortilla Curtain

Question 1:

What were Delany and his neighbors afraid of? What are you afraid of? Be honest. People often aren’t aware of what they are afraid of, because they stay away from things they are afraid of.

Question 2 & 3:

TC Boyle makes many social commentaries through his story in very clever ways. Example: Kira yells at a pet owner for locking his dog up in his car. This is a clever way of showing that humans seem to care more about the welfare of animals than their fellow humans. Pick two of your favorite clever examples and explain it fully.

Question 4:

The US uses millions of undocumented aliens for harvesting agricultural products, lawn care, nanny services, construction, restaurants and many other services. At the same time America enacts tough immigration law and denies undocumented aliens government services. Does this create a moral dilemma? How should we solve the immigration issue in the US? Be realistic.

Question 5:

What moral obligation does the United States owe to poor people located outside of the US? How is successful is the US in discharging its obligation? Please don’t write something like “The US gives Billions of dollars in aid to foreign countries.” If you do I might ask, “Who does that money go to?” Think Hit Man. “How many billion?” “Is that enough?” Does the US care about poor people or their own interests.” I want to see what you believe the US morally owes other poor people outside of the US.

Question 4:
The US uses millions of undocumented aliens for harvesting agricultural products, lawn care, nanny services, construction, restaurants and many other services. At the same time America enacts tough immigration law and denies undocumented aliens government services. Does this create a moral dilemma? How should we solve the immigration issue in the US? Be realistic.

Question 5:

What moral obligation does the United States owe to poor people located outside of the US? How is successful is the US in discharging its obligation? Please don’t write something like “The US gives Billions of dollars in aid to foreign countries.” If you do I might ask, “Who does that money go to?” Think Hit Man. “How many billion?” “Is that enough?” Does the US care about poor people or their own interests.” I want to see what you believe the US morally owes other poor people outside of the US.

“Tortilla Curtain”, T.C. Boyle, Penguin USA, 1996