Ha and other refugees face the struggle of dealing with discrimination to their culture and where they come from. When Ha went to school, some of her classmates discriminated against her. For instance, “A pink boy with white hair on his head and white eyebrows and white eyelashes pulls my arm hair. Laughter” (Lai 145) Ha gets bullied because she looks different than everyone else in her class because he does this makes her feel inside out or out of place, in the atmosphere of the new country. Other refugees feel like their life would be better if they stayed in their home country. For example, “Sometimes I wish I’d stay here, watching the war, rather than being here, safe but without friends. (Brice) Brice wants to go back to his home country because he feels out of place in this new country. This affects the new country and how he feels being around others and the new culture since he is not used to the environment and how they are …show more content…
The family that Ha stays with has some similarities back home. For example, “What I love best: the lotus-pod shower, where heavy drops will massage my scalp as if I were standing in a monsoon” (Lai 125/126)The shower head drops water as if it were a monsoon reminding Ha of home. Refugees are put into a camp that will take them into another country. For instance, “Refugees saved by the Kirk moved to camps in the US and resettled across the country. (Shapiro)The refugees are saved by the Kirk which puts them into camps to be safer than staying in their country. Routines will help Ha feels more at home. Meaning, “A routine starts as soon as we settle into our tent.” (Lai 98) Ha is used to having a routine at home, so she finds the routine in the camp comforting because it reminds her of home.In conclusion, Ha and other refugees are finding ways to feel back again and trying to find a new life within their new
It does not matter where people come from, where they live, or their race they will always be judged by others causing someone with pride to feel shame. There are many occasions in which people feel desperation because they don't like where they come from. Others judge them because of their origin. Some people do not care what others say, they love their native community and will not leave their living area because they feel they belong there. In “Invasion” by Benjamin Percy he shows his anger towards others that come to his native town in Bend, Oregon because he feels some sort of invasion causing his town to become transformed by others. In “The Barrio” by Robert Ramirez he describes his barrio colorful meaning every house has it's own story and he would not leave his barrio for any reason because he loves it.
First , when refugees flee their homes they are put on a boat to a different place . When Ha and her family got on the boat she said “ Everyone knows the ship could sink , unable to hold the piles of bodies that keep crawling on like raging ants from a disrupted nest “ . When Ha fled her home , she was upset she had to leave her things behind . Plus she had to leave some of her father’s things too , her mother said “ We cannot leave evidence of father’s life that might hurt him “ . It’s pretty hard for them to flee their homes because that was their home where they were born at , I know when i moved houses or states i’m sad . At least they find better homes now and they don’t have to deal with the wars .
Refugees are people that flee from home because of a disastrous event that has happened in their home land to neighboring countries. In this story, “Inside Out and Back Again” by Thanhha Lai, Ha, the main character that is ten years-old, lives with her mother in Vietnam during the time of the Vietnam War in the year of 1975. Because Ha has to live without her father, not only Ha has to deals with internal issues but also she and her family has to move on with their life. Refugees deal with losing a loved one just like how Ha has to. Refugees turn “Inside out” when they lose a loved one. They can turn “back again” when they get used to their new lifestyle in the new country. Ha is an example of this because Ha lost her father, he was captured
Amela Kamenica wishes she could “stay there, watching the war, rather than be here safe, but without friends” (Brice 25). She wants to go back country, where she won’t be lonely. Shows how unhappy she is in her new home since she rather go back where her life could possibly threaten in the hazardous war. Ha, emotional feels, “fire, sourness, weight, anger, loneliness, confusion, embarrassment, and shame” (Lai 207-208) These powerful emotions all of a sudden overwhelm her. Primarily, Ha doesn’t fit in with her classmate and is treated like an outcast. Like many refugees when they enter a foreign country, they many not always be accepted by their peers. Furthermore, their lives turn “inside out” when they are rejected by their peers and feel sad that they are treated like an outsider. Ha wants to “choose wartime in Saigon over peacetime in Alabama” (Lai 195) Ha would want to stay in a dangerous place, where there are bombs and a possible chance of you dying than being in a calm place like Alabama. Home is like your comfort zone, and where you can relax and relate to people in your home town and feel like an insider. Because Ha doesn’t get the home/welcoming feeling in Alabama she decides she wants to go home. To conclude, Ha and Amela lives turn “inside out” when they want to go back home where it is dangerous, however, home has familiar faces.
“…Everybody jumped on him, and beat him senseless… Everybody was hitting him or kicking him. One guy was kicking at his spine. Another guy was hitting him on the side of his face… he was unconscious. He was bleeding. Everybody had blood on their forearms. We ran back up the hill laughing… He should have died… He lost so much blood he turned white. He got what he deserved…” (Ridgeway 167). The skinheads who were beating this man up had no reason to do so except for the fact that he was Mexican. Racism in this day and age is still as big of a problem as it was in the past, and as long as hate groups are still around to promote violence, society is never going to grow to love one another.
Some people believe that a person sees the world based on their culture. Others believe it is the choices and life experiences that shapes a person’s point of view. However, not many people know that it is actually both. In texts such as “Ethnic Hash”, “Two Ways to Belong in America”, and “Legal Alien” readers can see that sometimes culture can affect how a person lives but other times it does not.
While browsing through articles on the internet, I came across many related to the topic of racism. I am beginning to feel as if I am surrounded by stories of racism. From the KKK’s aggressive campaign against immigrants, to the police violence against black people in cites throughout our nation, racism and discrimination continue to be problems. One story stood out to me and continues to make me uncomfortable. Malachi Wilson, a five year-old boy, could not attend his first day of kindergarten in Seminole, Texas. What could he have done to warrant the principal’s rejection? His hair was simply too long.
One element that greatly affects an immigrant’s experience in a new country is how they are viewed and treated by the people of that country. In the article President Obama: “Immigrants and Refugees Revitalize and Renew America”, President Obama is giving a speech at a naturalization ceremony in Washington, DC. He is welcoming new citizens from many different countries. Immigration being a popular topic in America today, President Obama brought some good points about it to our attention. In the speech, President
The title “Inside Out and Back Again”relates to the universal refugee experience of fleeing and finding home for both Ha and the many refugees around the world who had their lives turned “inside out” as they fled, but then came “back again” as they found a new
... previous country they might have been part of the elite or empowered class. It is scary to think about if I was forced to flea to another country, especially to one in the Middle East or somewhere not so globally integrated where I would lose my status and privilege. Through reading this novel, I feel like I have a better understanding of Afghanistan’s culture and history, and I feel like I have a newfound respect for some of the immigrants living in our country.
The main reasons Kidnappings, family fights, wars, for their better futures, and for peaceful lives people had to move away from their own homelands for in the seek of new life on a new place. But if you get a negative response from the welcoming place you either leave that place or stay there and move around with in that country. It’s necessary for every person in this world to treat another person as the same way he will treat his family and it’s the right of the every person in this world to fight for his rights no matter what happens. That person have to face the difficulties of that place where did he move out and get his head up to face the racist people around him.
To expound, having problems with oneself and/or their origin or history can later develop into other issues later on in life, never completely feeling secure within themselves. The book had several other themes as well such as issues with immigration, idolizing; when it is okay and when it becomes a hindrance, sexism and more. The theme of identity reoccurred throughout the book and was more personally suited for Salie. To reiterate, Salie never felt comfortable with herself from the moment she was born. The women in her village rarely included her in conversations. She just did not fit in. As a result, she thinks she can get a sense of security and community in another country. Salie migrating did not solve her issues; she simply moved her problems from one part of the world, to another part. Salie was so focused on trying to run away from her problems, and even herself that she could not truly find her
Society shapes racial inequality in the modern United States and Wayne Brekhus (2015) looks at how social marking is an element of culture in American society. When discussing race, people tend to talk about discrimination against marginalized communities (i.e. non-whites, females, homosexuals, etc.). They actively look at the marked category--those marginalized communities-- and the unmarked goes ignored. Berkhus believes that there are two possible reasons why these unmarked categories are avoided. Either the issue is psychological where individuals “deliberate[ly] disciplin[e] the mind to ignore the irrelevant” or it is sociological and is caused by the “deeply ingrained unconscious pattern of cultural or subcultural selective attention
Before I begin contrasting my home culture to the host culture at Friends of Refugees, I must explain some social norms of my culture. As I previously stated, I come from a mostly typical American family and display at least five of the norms presented in Craig Storti’s book, Figuring Foreigners Out, A Practical Guide. One norm discussed is Individualism, where identity is found in oneself (Storti, 1999). I experience individualism through the choices I am presented in daily life and through the expectations of others, particularly my family and school. For example, my parents did expect me to go to college, but they imposed little influence on the major I selected, that decision was mine alone. Apart from college, my parents, like most other
The color line is prevalent today as it was during slavery times in America. The color line was noted in the founding of American when the Indians are called Red Men, and the Pilgrims were called White men. The Color Line defined again with the Africans who are called The Black man and slave owners called Master who is the white man. So what is the color line-“it is the relation of the darker to the lighter races of men” (Newman, 2005, para 10). Dubois spoke of the color line in the 20th century. However we are in the 21st century, and it is still prevalent in today's society (Dubois, 2006, para 1.).