All around the world, people are being forced to leave their homes due to war, persecution, and unequal treatment; these people are called refugees. When they flee, refugees leave behind their homes, family, friends, and personal possessions. They make risky escapes and their lives could be easily taken from them. Refugees often become distant and depressed as they experience these traumatic events. In the novel Inside Out and Back Again by Thanhha Lai, ten year-old Hà and her family live in South Vietnam: a war torn country. Hà was like any ten year-old; she liked to stay close to her mother and got jealous when things didn’t go her way. She loves her home and wanted to stay, even when the war between the North and South got closer to home. …show more content…
They experience traumatic events such as dangerous escapes, torture, and prolonged stays in refugee camps. Many refugees feel alarmed and frightened when they are forced to flee from home; this goes for Hà as well. The article “Refugees: Who, Where, and Why” states, “Some refugees cannot return home, nor can they stay in their country of asylum. They must resettle in a new country” (Gevert 11). Many refugees cannot return home; they can’t go back to their familiar way of life. They have to start anew. In the poem “Once Knew”, Lai writes, “Water, water, water everywhere, making me think land is just something I once knew” (Lai 82). Hà is seeming to forget what land was like and what pleasures it brought. The poem “Last Respects” told us that Hà really began to change. The author writes, “Brother Khôi nods and I smile, but I regret not having my doll as soon as the white bundle sinks into the sea” (Lai 86). Her brother’s chick died, and to make him feel better, Hà sacrificed her doll. That doll was like a symbol of her childhood, but now that it’s gone, it’s time for Hà to mature. Mostly all refugees go through changes due to wartime or persecution, but there’s still a chance for them to get back on their feet and keep on …show more content…
The article “Refugee Children in Canada: Searching for Identity” states, “successful adaption can bring with it the opportunity for growth” (Colak and Fantino 589). Refugee children have a better chance of adapting to their new surroundings more quicker than adult refugees can. The authors also wrote that “settlement support services, schools, health and social services, and the community at large play a crucial role in assisting and supporting children to adjust” (Fantino and Colak 589). In Hà’s case, her family is her backbone. They support each other and keep each other uplifted. In the poem “1976: Year of the Dragon”, Lai writes, “This year I hope I truly learn to fly-kick, not to kick anyone as much as to fly” (Lai 259-260). This really shows us how much Hà has changed. In Vietnam, she was a bit rude and selfish. Now, however, she’s less violent and has really grown up a lot; she sees the world differently now. Refugees go through many ups and downs, but there will always be
Having been ripped from their world by violence and chaos, refugees find themselves adrift in a completely different realm. To clearly observe such a struggle, look no further than Clarkston, Georgia, and the works of author Warren St. John. In John’s novel Outcasts United: An American Town, a Refugee Team, and One Woman’s Quest to Make a Difference, the challenges of refugees in Clarkston are chronicled and encountered in many ways, including discrimination and bias from other races and cultures, inadequate English education in the past and present, and the desire to belong in a world refugees are not sure they fit
14 million refugees, men, women, and children are forced to flee their homes, towns, and family. The refugees are scared to stay but have to leave (Gervet). Refugees have to face losing a loved one to losing a little thing like a doll both hurts them greatly. Like many refugees, Ha the main character in the book “Inside out & Back again” by Thanhha Lai, have to face the similar losses as other refugees.Many refugees, like Ha, face the feeling of turning “Inside out” when they mourn the losses of their loved ones and their precious belongings, then they are able to turn “back again” with acceptance and support from their communities and friends.
Even though Little Saigon provided Vietnamese American with economic benefit, political power, this landmark also witnessed many difficulties that Vietnamese experienced. Vietnamese American experienced many traumatic events prior to migration such as war, journey on boats, therefore many of them suffered posttraumatic stress disorder, stress, and depression. Significantly, Vietnamese refugees who went to the re-education camps sustained torture, humiliation, deprivation, brainwashing and several other punishments from Vietnamese Communist. Those refugees have higher rates of having mental disorder. Language barrier is another obstacle that...
Have you ever heard or read the novel “ Inside Out & Back Again ?” It’s written by Thanhha Lai , but she goes by Ha in the novel . If you haven’t keep reading this and I will tell you some things about it . All the people in the country has to basically flee their homes . Some have to leave their things behind . When they find their homes , they are happy about not having to deal with the war anymore . The characters feel inside out and back again because every year they can make a difference from last years . Ha and her family’s life was related to the universal refugee because they were forced to leave .
As a young teen, she huddled in a bomb shelter during intense artillery shelling of her hamlet, escaping out a rear exit just as US Marines shouted for the “mama-sans” and “baby-sans” (women and children) to come out the front. She got as far as the nearby river before she heard gunfire. Returning the next day, she encountered a scene that was seared into her brain. “I saw dead people piled up in the hamlet. I saw my mom’s body and my younger siblings,” told Ho Thi Van. She lost eight family members in that 1968 massacre. In all, according to the local survivors, thirty-seven people, including twenty-one children were killed by the Marines. She then joins the guerrillas and fought the Americans and their South Vietnamese allies until she was grievously wounded, losing an eye in battle in
In the movie Inside Out, Riley is forced to move to San Francisco from Minnesota. She has to leave her old lifestyle and must adapt to her new lifestyle. Her emotions (Anger, Sadness, Disgust, Fear and Joy) get in the way, she has a difficult time adjusting to the new house and school. When Joy and Sadness get lost in long-term memory, Fear, Disgust, and Anger have a difficult time filling Joy’s duties in order to make Riley can be happy. With the conflict of the emotions Riley is unable to feel anything and she decides she wants to go back to Minnesota, where she is happy.
“War torn nations left bullet-ridden ruins, native people forced to flee and find new homes in foreign places-this is the reality of the refugees.” First of all what is a refugee? Refugees are normal everyday people who are forced to flee their homes because they are afraid to stay in their home country. And when they do flee, they may be obliged to leave behind family members, friends, a home, a job, and other special possessions. One of these refugees is a war torn child that suffered the harsh realities of the 1975 Vietnam war. In the novel “ Inside out and back again” A young girl by the name of Ha faces a series of unfortunate events, which can be the mainspring of the nightmares to many. Besides Ha, there are many other refugees who
The decision to leave one’s native country is a result of a wide variety of push factors, where war is no exception. Refugees have a unique migration experience, as seen through the Vietnamese refugees of the 1960s and 1970s. Refugees’ traumas lived in their war-torn home countries, follows and integrates into their everyday lives, even years following their flee. Specifically, refugees’ experiences and distress persist and influence family dynamics. This is seen in Thi Bui’s memoir, The Best We Could Do, where she shares not only what her family’s refugee journey was like from Vietnam to the United States, but also the implications it had on her family’s unit. Bui uses medias res, symbolism, and graphic weight to show how the turmoil of the refugee journey that her family had to endure, has manifested into the damage of
Refugees share similar experiences and emotions when they move to a new country. The book Inside Out and Back Again splits these feelings into two categories, “inside out” and “back again”. Refugees from around the world experience these feelings. For instance, it is easy for a refugee to feel “inside out” when learning a new language, or they can feel “back again” when they find a familiar object that reminds them of their past. Many refugees mainly struggle with learning a new language, but to make them feel more comfortable, they can find satisfaction in items from their home land.
In an article about refugee children in Canada, the authors state “The community...play[s] a crucial role in assisting and supporting children to adjust and integrate into… society.” (Fantino & Colak). This quote demonstrates that with the community’s consistent support, refugees can have a sense of belonging in their new homes, which can be extremely important while trying to acclimate to society. In Inside Out and Back Again, Há says “She says it over and over like a chant, slowly. Slowly the screams that never stopped inside my head turned to a real whisper” (Lai 210) while describing the actions of Mrs. Washington, a neighbor and role model of Há’s. Mrs. Washington played an important part in Há becoming used to Alabama, clearly demonstrated when she helped Há calm down after she was bullied and disrespected by Pink Boy after school. Due to Mrs. Washington’s actions, Há could feel more supported during her struggle against the bully, and in turn she could feel like she was “Back Again” in her new environment. Há says in one of her poems that “Before school our cowboy shows up… he whispers to Mother and Brother Quang” (Lai 203). After being bullied, her family’s sponsor finally gives her support by trying to fight back against Pink Boy. Though this action doesn’t help Há at the the time, it helps Há feel like she is supported during her adjustment. This support, in addition to the support given by Mrs. Washington, results in Há feeling like she belongs, which helps her make it through her difficult journey of adjusting to Western society. The more support evacuees receive from their host communities, the easier life becomes for them and the more comfortable they become, which results in positive adjustment to their new
The grandmother is very old and has lived a very tough life in Vietnam. She “‘lost four of [her] children… twelve of [her] grandchildren and countless relatives to wars and famines’” (Meyer, 74) while in Vietnam. During her life she had very little time to enjoy herself, instead she had to focus on not only surviving, but also holding a family together and getting them through the hardships as well. On top of the Vietnam War, which killed an estimated 500,000-600,000 Vietnamese citizens alone (Weisner), she had to live through 2 additional wars and several famines. The implicated stress and hardships are almost unimaginable. This is evident in her stories and fairy tales she tells her granddaughters, which always have dark twist or no happy ending, or as the granddaughters say “The husband comes too late” (Meyer, 77) to stop the bad guy or save the
The social problem we have chosen to address is the mental health status of refugees. Refugees are exposed to a significant amount of trauma due to fear, war, persecution, torture, and relocating. The mental health illnesses that can affect refugees due to exposure to traumas include post-traumatic stress disorder, depression, and anxiety. Research indicated that refugees relocating from war-torn countries are particularly vulnerable to mental health concerns because many have experienced early traumas and face further post-traumas after relocation (Cummings, et al., 2011). However, despite the prevalence of mental health issues concerning refugees, mental health needs often go unrecognized and untreated.
...y to America was not an easy one for Hmong refugees. Prior to their arrival in America, they encountered starvation, illness, death of loved ones, and inhumane conditions. The elder Hmong watched helplessly as Hmong culture and traditions dissolved away. Once in their new home, life for the Hmong would be a constant struggle to assimilate into American culture, and most families depended on their children as translators and guides. For first-generation Hmong immigrants, escaping poverty seemed impossible, and most could only hope that education would provide their children a better life.
As a young Vietnamese-American boy, I have always been curious about my culture and ancestry. My family has gone through a lot of struggles before coming to states, but I never had a history lesson of what their lives were like. Being born in the United States, I didn’t have to experience the hardships that my parents and grandparents had to deal with it. A big part of Vietnamese history is having to deal with the Vietnam War and the impacts of immigration. The Vietnam War took place in 1954 and lasted until 1975. The war grew because of the spread of Communism from North Vietnam to the South. Refugees had to risk losing their family, friends, and their lives in order to have a chance of survival. Vietnam faced many obstacles throughout history
A refugee is defined as an individual who has been forced to leave their country due to political or religious reasons, or due to threat of war or violence. There were 19.5 million refugees worldwide at the end of 2014, 14.4 million under the mandate of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), around 2.9 million more than in 2013. The other 5.1 million Palestinian refugees are registered with the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA). With the displacement of so many people, it is difficult to find countries willing to accept all the refugees. There are over 125 different countries that currently host refugees, and with this commitment comes the responsibility of ensuring these refugees have access to the basic requirements of life; a place to live, food to eat, and a form of employment or access to education. Currently, the largest cause of refugees is the Syrian civil war, which has displaced over 2.1 million people. As a country of relative wealth, the United States should be able to provide refuge for many refugees, as well as provide monetary support to the refugees that they are not able to receive.