Here's a link to the actual article so you can see images of the families: https://www.nytimes.com/2016/07/01/world/americas/canada-syrian-refugees.html
Answer TWO of the following:
Q1: According to the essay, why are Canadians so supportive of the refugee program--to the point that a newspaper called them, "an angry mob of do-gooders" (95)? What seems to distinguish the Canadian response to immigration to our American one? You might consider what the author hope we (being Americans) might learn from the Canadian mindset...or if we should be more like Canadians at all.
Q2: Toward the end of the essay, Mr. Ballani says something very poignant: "A human life has value here...You can feel it everywhere" (104). This is something we often take for granted, but what does he mean by this. How can you see in Canadian and American society that we value the life of an individual more than in his home country, or in many of the war-torn areas of the world? How does it "show" in our culture and society?
Q3: The essay compares many of the host families to "helicopter parents," which can make assimilation and independence difficult for the immigrants. How do well-meaning hosts often get in the way, ignorant of the immigrants' culture and language?
Q4: In general, what do you think immigrants/refugees owe to their adopted country? If they are taken in by a host family and given support, money, etc., how do they repay this debt? Does it require them to assimilate, learn the language, adopt the culture, beliefs, and values of their new country? Do the hosts often expect too much from their guests--and expect it unfairly?
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