In Jose Vargas essay “My Life as an Undocumented Immigrant,” Vargas discusses his struggles as a young man to find his place in the world and how he defines being American. For Vargas, American citizenship is about hard work, self-reliance, and the love of my country. He does not take for granted the opportunities that have been given to him, and he is driven by a sense of responsibility to give back to the country that has given him so much. He is committed to fighting for the rights of all immigrants and using his own experience as an undocumented immigrant to help others. Vargas defines his US citizenship not by legal status or paperwork but by self-reliance: the ability to support oneself and contribute to society. A sense of belonging, having rights and responsibility, hard work, and taking an oath of allegiance to the constitution means being a citizen of the country one calls home.
The sense of belonging means being a citizen of a given nation. It means having a strong emotional attachment to the land and people of the country and feeling like part of a larger community. This is another way of also showing love to the nation. As Vargas mentioned, “He worked as a security guard, she as a food server they had begun supporting my mother and me financially when I was 3” (p. 1). This quote means that the grandparents valued their people and had the social bond the extent of thinking to support their grandson. A lot goes into a sense of belonging, but one key element is feeling that someone is part of a community. Belonging to a country or citizenship is not only about having the right papers but concerns the feeling of a stakeholder of that specific nation. That feeling of ownership and investment is crucial for any community to function well. When people feel like they belong somewhere, they are more likely to take care of it, while a sense of belonging also fosters social cohesion and can help prevent conflict.
Taking responsibility and having rights means to be a citizen of the country one calls home. A citizen is someone who belongs to a community and has both the right and the duty to participate in it. Citizenship entails both privileges and obligations; sometimes, it means paying state and federal taxes (Vargas 7). It is not something that one can take for granted, but something that must be earned and defended. To exercise one’s rights, one must first take responsibility for oneself and for the community. Rights without responsibilities are meaningless, and responsibilities without rights are unjust. “In April 2008, I was part of a Post team that won a Pulitzer Prize for the paper’s coverage of the Virginia Tech shootings a year earlier” (Vargas 9). The Pulitzer Prize for the paper’s coverage of the Virginia Tech winning was given in order to recognize the important role that journalism plays in society. The paper’s coverage of the event helped to bring attention to the need for improved mental health care and gun control measures, both of which are important issues in America today.
Another meaning of citizenship is one’s allegiance oath to the constitution. It is important for all citizens to pledge allegiance to the constitution in order to uphold the values and principles of democracy. As Helen Irving explained, this oath reminds the people of their responsibility to support and defend the constitution and to stand up for the rights and freedoms of all Americans (p. 381). As a citizen of the United States, it is important to pledge allegiance to the constitution in order to show support for the democratic values that the founding document upholds. By taking an oath of allegiance, citizens reaffirm their commitment to these values and promise to uphold them. Additionally, pledging allegiance to the constitution sends a clear message to other countries that the citizens of the United States are united in their support for democracy (Irving 379). Finally, taking an oath of allegiance is a way for citizens to show respect for those who have fought and died for their country.
Hard work is similarly a meaning of citizenship for one’s nation. According to Jonathan Mijs, working hard typically means sacrificing time spent with loved ones foregoing vacations or leisure time to make the future bright (p. 31). Sometimes it means foregoing activities that bring joy in order to earn a stable income so that one can provide for oneself and one’s family. For example, the narrator’s grandparents had to sacrifice to do odd jobs in order to support their grandson at the age of three (Vargas 1). Not everybody can do this, but only individuals that love their nation and people.
In conclusion, being a citizen of the nation one calls home is to have a sense of belonging, having rights and responsibilities, hard work, and to swear an oath of loyalty to the constitution. A sense of belonging helps individuals in taking care of the nation and also the people living in it. Having rights and responsibility means taking part in different activities in the country to make a positive difference. Hard work refers to sacrificing several enjoyments and engaging in an activity that may generate income to sustain the family. Loyalty to the constitution of the country means that one remains loyal to the laws of the nation and not going against them.
Works Cited
Irving, Helen. “The concept of allegiance in citizenship law and revocation: An Australian study.” Citizenship Studies 23.4 (2019): 372-387. Web.
Mijs, Jonathan JB. “The paradox of inequality: Income inequality and belief in meritocracy go hand in hand.” Socio-Economic Review 19.1 (2021): 7-35. Web.
Vargas, Jose. My Life as an Undocumented Immigrant, 2011.