Often perceived as an autobiography, Ru is a contemporary work of literature and Kim Thúy’s first and best known novel. Since it was first published in French in 2010, Ru has been put forward as the first Vietnamese Canadian novel given that it is the first book written by a Canadian person of Vietnamese descent. “In French, ‘ru’ means a small stream and, figuratively, a flow, a discharge-of tears, of blood, of money. In Vietnamese, ‘ru’ means a lullably, to lull” as explained in the preface of the book. The author, Kim Thúy, was born in 1968 in Saigon, Vietnam. She spent her early childhood there before escaping the totalitarian communist regime with her family as boat people to end up settling in Montreal, Canada. She obtained her degrees …show more content…
In fact, Kim Thúy demonstrates a thematic binary relation in all that she went through, nevertheless, when it comes to writing her story, she drops and undermines all these dualities to opt for a fragmented work of literature that does not serve any party or elevate it over the other. Hence, rather than maintaining this binary relation between these parallel elements such as past and present, the author is writing her story in a manner that does not leave room for anything but harmony and reconciliation. This reading can offer us an interesting interpretation of the text given its positive aspect that is notably promoting peace and understanding rather than discontent and revenge. As a matter of fact, this work intends to examine Ru as an autobiographical text that shows how the author undermines all the dualities that shape her story when she writes it on paper in order to arrive to an understanding of her relocated …show more content…
Then, I will introduce Ru as autobiographical novel that combines both factual and fictional aspects and that adopts an unconventional narrative structure. Essentially, the introduction of the genre and presentation of the historical facts lying behind Thúy’s story is the elementary focus in this chapter. I will herein refer to Philippe Le Jeune, Stuart E. Bates and Serge Doubrovsky to situate Ru in its autobiographical
To Live is both controversial and impactful in a cultural sense and the character development respectively. The author thoughtfully addresses the motif death throughout the novel and demonstrates how the motif affects the protagonist, Fugui’s character development. The moment when Long Er is executed in his presence changes his character and allows him to realize how fortunate he is to be alive, changes his outlook in life, and impacts the way he sees life at the end of the novel in contrast to the beginning of the novel.
...of humankind, reflecting on ubiquitous thoughts and feelings felt by all of humanity. The author depicts the inevitability of decay. suffering and death, and describes the everlasting traditions of war. and prejudices. The thoughts and actions of Ishmael, Hatsue and Kabuo. combine to illustrate that ‘accident ruled every corner of the universe except the chambers of the human heart.
Within his writing, Nam Le achieves autonomy by expressing authentic traits through the presence of the novel’s characters. In Le’s novel The Boat, the author introduces key behaviors and personas within the first story of the narrative. Though he could approach culture from a Vietnamese perspective, the writer offers a transnational impression throughout the story. By including various characters in numerous roles, Nam Le appropriately applies and articulates the title of his first story, “Love and Honor and Pity and Pride and Compassion and Sacrifice,” which focuses on the ideas of lineage, identity, and inspiration.
Yang makes her topic of the treacherous history of the Hmong people an appealing one with the story of her parents. She brings emotion into her writing that makes her readers feel as if they are there in the jungle, experiencing the fear and love these two lovers felt. Yang makes us aware of how hard it was for a young Hmong couple to survive in this trying time. Fate and destruction brought Yang’s parents together, and like other Hmong people, love kept them moving forward.
The memories of an individual will give shape to their own identity and how they are able to perceive the world around them; memories allow an individual to look back at where they were and where they are now and to see the contrast of their current life. In the text “Ru”, Kim Thúy, the narrator, finds herself looking back at her memories of her life and dreaming for more. When she arrives at Mirabel airport in Quebec, she is awestruck by the peace and beauty of it compared to her past in in the refugee camps of Malaysia and war torn Vietnam. Throughout her visit, she is able to dream of her future outside of her bleak memories of her past, and imagine a future without the constant strife of living in a post war life. Kim is able to use her memories to shape who she wants to be and allows her to truly admire where she is and where she wants to go, setting a path for her to follow throughout life. In the text, “Ru”, Kim Thúy uses her own past and memories to demonstrate the idea that an individual's memories will shape who they are and show them a life they want to live, whether it is a memory they want to revisit or a memory in which they wish to leave behind. Kim’s present is influenced greatly by her past and allows her to appreciate the little things all that much
Since its publication in 1981, Joy Kogawa's Obasan has assumed an important place in Canadian literature and in the broadly-defined, Asian-American literary canon. Reviewers immediately heralded the novel for its poetic force and its moving portrayal of an often-ignored aspect of Canadian and American history. Since then, critics have expanded upon this initial commentary to examine more closely the themes and images in Kogawa's work. Critical attention has focused on the difficulties and ambiguities of what is, in more ways than one, a challenging novel. The complexity of Obasan's plot, the intensity of its imagery, and the quiet bitterness of its protest challenge readers to wrestle with language and meaning in much the same way that Naomi must struggle to understand her past and that of the larger Japanese-Canadian community. In this sense, the attention that Obasan has received from readers and critics parallels the challenges of the text: Kogawa's novel, one might say, demands to be reckoned with, intellectually as well as emotionally.
Moreover, Tayo's struggle to return to indigenous cultural traditions parallels Silko's own struggle as a writer who wants to integrate Native American traditions into the structure of her novel. Instead of simply following the literary conventions used by other American and European writers, Silko develops new li...
Fanny, was born in Katrinosalov, Russia which is now part of Ukraine on December 28, 1904. When she was still and infant, her family immigrated to Canada. This move caused many problems for her to overcome in her younger years. She had to overcome finical challenges as well as challenges due to her Jewish religion. A major challenge she faced growing up was simply that she was a female athlete. This would plague her most of her life, however she
On the surface the message is don’t be afraid to be different . The story is told from the perspective of Joy Harjo , which allows the reader to know that the memoir was written with real life experiances .
Gordon accurately depicts the varied and vibrant Asian culture, by showing the reader this world instead of simply describing it. Each of the men whom Gordon uses to tell the story undertakes expeditions which are mixed with hardships and triumphs. The varied spectrum of Asian cultures is covered. Readers will find Gordon’s take on tackling this topic fresh and straightforward.
“The story employs a dramatic point of view that emphasizes the fragility of human relationships. It shows understanding and agreemen...
The Tale of Kieu, called the most important piece of Vietnamese literature, is the story of a young Vietnamese girl's attempt to right the wrongs of her past lives by enduring hardship in this life. She is sold into prostitution and continuously deceived by men promising her love. The only man whose promise of love is not in vain is Kim Trong, the first man to pledge himself to her. Kieu is visited by a ghost who reveals to her the bad karma she earned in a previous life. Following Kieu and Kim Trong's vows of love, he is called off to attend to his family when his uncle dies. Soon after, robbers brake in to steal and vandalize Kieu's house, and they tie up her father and brother. In order to redeem them, Kieu sells herself into a marriage. Unfortunately, the man she marries then turns around to sell her to a brothel. This is the beginning of her life as a prostitute.
In the story “Two Kinds”, the author, Amy Tan, intends to make reader think of the meaning behind the story. She doesn’t speak out as an analyzer to illustrate what is the real problem between her and her mother. Instead, she uses her own point of view as a narrator to state what she has experienced and what she feels in her mind all along the story. She has not judged what is right or wrong based on her opinion. Instead of giving instruction of how to solve a family issue, the author chooses to write a narrative diary containing her true feeling toward events during her childhood, which offers reader not only a clear account, but insight on how the narrator feels frustrated due to failing her mother’s expectations which leads to a large conflict between the narrator and her mother.
Eva Hoffman’s memoir, Lost in Translation, is a timeline of events from her life in Cracow, Poland – Paradise – to her immigration to Vancouver, Canada – Exile – and into her college and literary life – The New World. Eva breaks up her journey into these three sections and gives her personal observations of her assimilation into a new world. The story is based on memory – Eva Hoffman gives us her first-hand perspective through flashbacks with introspective analysis of her life “lost in translation”. It is her memory that permeates through her writing and furthermore through her experiences. As the reader we are presented many examples of Eva’s memory as they appear through her interactions. All of these interactions evoke memory, ultimately through the quest of finding reality equal to that of her life in Poland. The comparison of Eva’s exile can never live up to her Paradise and therefore her memories of her past can never be replaced but instead only can be supplemented.
In Mariama Bâ’s book, “So Long a Letter”, the readers experience these injustices first hand through the main characters. Years after their marriages fall apart through polygamy and feelings of betrayal, when Modou experiences an unexpected heart attack and is unable to be saved, Ramatoulaye decides to write letters to Aissatou who is now in the United States with her four sons. In these letters, she talks about their memories together before they were separated from one another as well as providing Aissatou with news about her current life. She first writes about Modou’s death and the forty-day funeral of her late husband, but soon moves on to their lives as married women. Keeping the main idea of the story in mind, Bâ has her talk about their marriage, starting with Aissatou.