Review Of Brother I M Dying By Edwidge Danticat

“The American Dream is a term that is often used but also often misunderstood. It isn't really about becoming rich or famous. It is about things much simpler and more fundamental than that.” - Unknown The American dream is the idea that every citizen of the United States of America should have an equal opportunity to achieve success and prosperity through hard work, determination, and initiative. While this is a privilege for those who are born and raised in this country, it’s a goal for those who decide to immigrate to the United States. In Brother, I’m Dying, Edwidge Danticat we see how two brothers, Mira and Joseph, have two different journeys in getting into the United States. Mira is able to achieve the American dream while his brother Joseph, is
imprisoned in a deportation camp when trying to escape Haiti as its political situation deteriorates and almost loses his life to violent gangs. The two may have different journeys and experiences but they both share a family history that lacks trust in the United States. While the journey of one seems easier than the other, this is not completely true. Immigrating to another country also affects the family whether or not they follow or are left behind to stay in their native country. In Edwidge Danticats book she mentions her family’s distrust of the United States due to the invasion of Haiti in 1915.
Starting in 1910 and leading up to 1915, Haiti had several presidents who were either assassinated or overthrown which concerned the United States since Haiti was in a state of political instability. In July of 1915, the current Haitian President Jean Vilbrun Guillaume Sam feared that one of his predecessors, Oreste Zamor, would have him assassinated ("Milestones: 1914–1920 - Office Of The Historian"). The Haitian president tried to avoid his assassination by having Oreste Zamor, and 160 of his closest proximity, executed in Port-au-Prince. However, this backfired and within hours of Sam ordering the execution of his predecessor, he was dead at the hands of an outraged mob. This lead to the 19 year invasion ordered by US President Woodrow Wilson ("Executedtoday.Com » Jean Vilbrun Guillaume Sam"). After the U.S. Government invaded Haiti they forced the election of a new pro-American President, Philippe Sudré Dartiguenave, by Haitian legislature in August of 1915. The selection of this President didn’t represent the choice of the Haitian populace and it only increased the unrest in
Haiti.
The US Governments Haitian Presidential selection eventually led to a rebellion that went on from 1919 to 1920. Eventually the U.S. Senate sent an investigavitve committee into Haiti in 1921 to examine claims of abuse, and subsequently the U.S. Senate reorganized and centralized power in Haiti ("Milestones: 1914–1920 - Office of the Historian"). The reorganization did help Haiti remain fairly stable but only a select group achieved economic prosperity while the rest of the population remained in poverty. After a series of strikers and uprisings the United States official began to withdraw from Haiti after an almost 20 year occupation of the country. The USA official withdrew from Haiti in 1834, when President Franklin D. Roosevelt passed the Good Neighbor policy. This policy officially withdrew the USA from Haiti but allowed our country to retain its economic connections ("Milestones: 1914–1920 - Office of the Historian").