Refugee, one who seeks refuge in a foreign country. This is the first definition for the word refugee, which was printed in England in 1685. The most recent definition for the word was printed in 1914 and according to it a refugee is someone driven from his home by war o the fear of attack or persecution. It’s been nearly a century since this definition has be rewritten and I feel that maybe its time for a change.
When the word refugee first came about it was used mainly for the purpose of the church. Those who had trouble with the church would leave England and therefore referred as refugees. But, in today’s society this issue really doesn’t come up. Most people leave their country because they simple don’t agree with the way things are being run. It doesn’t mean that they are in trouble in their country.
Also one of the most recent issues with the word refugee is when reporters from big news stations started to refer to Americans who had to leave their homes due to the destruction of Hurricane Katrina. Many people argued that one cannot be a refugee in their own country. By calling people from America refugees it makes it seem like they don’t belong and that are states are divided.
Another issue in this debate is can one loss the refuge title? Some say yes because they feel that once a person becomes a US citizen then they no longer fall under the umbrella of being a refugee. While others say anyone that is not born a US citizen, yet they reside here in America will always be considered a refugee. Personally I think that is a very interesting debate and can’t really say who I agree with when it comes to that topic.
So what is a good definition for the word refugee? Well, let’s see. Most “refugees” that come to America come become they think they are going to have a better life full of opportunity. People who live here in America cannot be referred to as a refugee. Nor, does anyone really just come because they are running from the law in their country. Refugee, a person who leaves his/her country, for any reason, that is expecting to never return.
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5 comments:
When I first thought of refugee as a controversial word, I thought mostly of Hurricane Katrina victims and the complexities of the ordeal. The word refugee does seem to imply something other than what New Orleans residents were experiencing. For that reason, I think you should go deeper into that aspect of the word. Though I haven't done any research on the subject, it seems to me that refugee is still used in many cases to describe someone who is fleeing a war torn country or persecution of some sort. For instance, you might look into recent uses of refugee in reference to the Iraq war. Again, not having done any research myself, I cannot verify when and how the word was used. However, I believe I remember hearing the words "Iraqi Refugees" in news broadcasts. You also may want to consider including some more conventional examples of the word, such as the case of war torn African countries such as Rwanda. It seems that this was more of a rough draft, so I'm guessing you will tie it all in by the time the paper is due. As of right now, though, it seems slightly incomplete.
An important part of this paper is who your audience is. Since our audience is more of students or not as much purely academic I would try and get a more captivating introduction. I think you have a lot to work with this word that could capture peoples attention. Anything emotional will hook a reader and Hurricane Katrina is a fairly new disaster that has a deep emotional connection. I would suggest you go further with what refugee means there and also try and connect all your definitions to eachother with more flow. I think another thing is that you use more sources and cite other people's work to back up your own opinion of how refugee should be defined. Try using OED and Early English Books online. You have a lot to work with this word and I don't think it will be a problem to get at least 4 pages. Something else I noticed was just making sure you talk more about the opposing side of this definition. You did this some with the Hurricane Katrina but go further with your other definitions. All of this will strengthen your argument and convice your reader that you have the correct definition of refugee.
I would start with a story about a refugee that supports your definition that you argue later in the essay. You aren't the only one I have said this to, I have suggested this to two other bloggers. It is not a big problem, but it helps ease the readers into the information.
The only other problem that I see is the paragragh about the refugee title, it seems like just a passing thought. I wouls recomend either explaining furthe, or omit it completely.
The main strength I see here is that you seem to have a very good grip on what you think refugee means. I wold use this and make the ending paragraph more in depth. with some reasons why you believe that refugee should mean what you say it should.
Cody made a good point when he suggested the story. I think that you should use something to grab your reader's attention a little more that makes them feel involved and that your paper is relevant. Overall the paper is pretty strong and I think that if you strengthened it in a few ways like everyone has mentioned then it will come together very nicely.
All good comments here. You certainly could (and probably should) spend a lot more time considering the implications of the use of this word to describe people affected by Katrina.
You haven't convinced me that "most people leave their country because they simple don’t agree with the way things are being run"; surely economics also play a major role in why people emigrate.
Also, if you "can’t really say who [you] agree with when it comes to" the question you're writing about, then why are you writing about it?
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