Language

Style of language

“Coming to America, to clean” is a text that conveys the personal experience of Mexican woman Antonia who crossed the US border illegally. Antonia told her story in Spanish, in an interview. Her account was translated into English by author and interviewer, Ana Maria Corona. The style of the text is casual and personal, without any formal phrases.

The lack of formality is indicated through the use of common English phrases: “…Javi and the driver stared across into the dark and said things that made no sense to me.” (p. 34, ll. 17-19). The text also includes a few Spanish words that make Antonia’s account sound more genuine and give authenticity to it.

Using the first person to account for the events makes the style personal and intimate: “…I was very excited and glad that I had come.” (p. 34, ll. 1-2); “It's a dream world really, like the advertisements on television.” (p. 35, ll. 36-37). Antonia seems open and approachable: she is willing to talk about how she feels and what she thinks.

Choice of words

To give the text more authenticity and remind readers the person giving the account is a Mexican immigrant, the author has kept some Spanish words from the original interview: “pueblito” (l. 1), “patrones” (p. 33, l. 15), “negros” (p. 35...