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History of asian american people essay
History of asian american people essay
History of asian american people essay
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In “The Unwanted”, Kien Nguyen is a child born to a Vietnamese mother and her white American soldier lover. In 1975, the time of the Communist takeover, the U.S. left Vietnam. Kien, his pregnant mother and his younger brother Jimmy, also Amerasian, made it to the roof of the U.S. embassy in Saigon, waiting for the return of a helicopter that never made it back for them to escape. The next ten years Kien and his family endured many hardships. This book is full of extraordinary courage, determination and will. Kien was subjected to many injustices, most of which were inflicted by the males in his life and community. Kien’s mother’s boyfriend, Lam, was a cruel man who took advantage of people around him. He raped the family maid, Loan, and he raped Kien as he slept alone at night. Lam was a sociopath and very manipulative, he took advantage of Kien’s family. Kien’s cousins were also cruel to him and his brother. They were poor, and took great joy in tormenting Kien and Jimmy. His cousins were glad to have others around who were considered “lower” then they were. Tormenting Kien’s family made the cousins feel better about themselves. When the boys were given a dog, the cousins kicked it to death while laughing. It was mostly males, but there were also female figures who took part in the violence surrounding him. His aunt was a person who had the power to stop the violence, but she only encouraged it. She got a sense of power by having Kien’s family being so destitute and dependant on her. The direct traumas that Kien endured were many. When he was a young boy, he experienced security and the joy of healthy relationships. He was surrounded by comfort and luxury. By the time the Communist party took over, his family was left with nothing. One of the first traumas he endured was being left on the roof top at the U.S. embassy. If the helicopter could have landed safely, his family would have been taken to safety. He had to leave his childhood home and move to the home near his aunt’s house, where he was tormented by his cousins. He witnessed the maid, Loan, being raped by Lam, and then he himself was raped by Lam. His beloved dog was kicked and beaten to death by his cousins. He attended school, and was a good student who forged a bond with his teacher, then his teacher mysteriously disappeared. He was instructed not to ask any questions about her disappearance. T... ... middle of paper ... ...eel as though she were going to go crazy. The structural traumas that Harriet endured were what every slave had to live with, racism being the biggest. Because she was black, she was considered property. And her children were property, even though they were half white. Poverty kept her down, also. Because of her desperate situation living on Dr. Flint’s property and fearing things would get worse, Harriet was forced to do something she wouldn’t have done under other circumstances. She had sex outside of marriage, and she conceived her first child. This did have the results she wanted. She also had to be very manipulating and cunning. Harriet would have never abandoned her children, but she was also forced to do that. This was ultimately for their own good, but it was very painful for her. She was concerned with how the community would judge her. She drew on the strength of her grandmother during these times. Knowing her grandmother loved her no matter what is one of the biggest things that kept Harriet alive. Her uncle Ben also had much love for her, and later, the love for her children, allowed her to keep her mind on the end result, which was freedom for her and her children.
Kien Nguyen, the author of The Unwanted, is a very interesting character because of the ways he describes the entire situation he is in. As an author, Kien is providing the reader with vivid details and constantly showing terrific scenes. However, as a child and one of the characters in the book, Kien is a very considerate and caring person. Throughout the book, Kien took good care of his younger brother, Jimmy. It showed that even though Kien himself is a child and is still innocent, he took into consideration to protect his younger brother.
In this chapter, O’Brien contrasts the lost innocence of a young Vietnamese girl who dances in grief for her slaughtered family with that of scarred, traumatized soldiers, using unique rhetorical devices
“The Unwanted” is the most interesting and inspiring memoir that I have ever read. In “The Unwanted”, Kien Nguyen, the author, narrates a real story that happened during and after the Vietnam War from his own personal experience. His family used to be a wealthy family, and they had been capitalists until the fall of Saigon. After the Communist took over the government, he and his family lost everything such as wealth, social status, and hope. However, he never gave up and tried his best to escape from Vietnam for the United States. Finally, he made it and had a better life in the United States even though he had been through the war, the mental trauma from the society, and lots of unhappiness in his adolescence. I think “The Unwanted” is acceptable
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...
When the law was passed it made Northerners participants in the institution of slavery. Since Harriet was extremely opposed to the law when it was passed, it spurred her into action. As her upbringing taught her, she became an instrument of the Lord, and created the epic narrative of Uncle Tom’s Cabin. She claimed that the words came to her from god with the purpose of ending slavery. (Gordon, 2011)
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
world in science and Hammond needed all the opinions he could get on if it
The Tale of Kieu is the most popular and adored Vietnamese literary work to date. It is a beautiful epic poem composed by Nguyen Du. The epic tells a breathtaking story of the woes of a young girl named Kieu. Through the life of Kieu, Du explores the concept of how much of our lives are preordained by fate or the cosmos, and how much is free will. From beginning to end, readers are captivated by the main character’s misfortune, resilience, and strong moral character. The Tale of Kieu is a riveting read that will challenge readers to think deeper about concepts such as fate, destiny, and karma.
Harriet Jacob had spent seven years in hiding in hopes to make it to the northern states to be free. She finally achieved it when the Dr. Flint had died and way followed by his daughter’s husband in Boston to have her buy her freedom. I have heard her say she would go to the ends of the earth, rather than pay any man or woman for her freedom, because she thinks she has a right to it. Besides, she couldn't do it, if she would, for she has spent her earnings to educate her children."(Incidents, pg. 180). She would never give up and there was no way that she would give in and pay for her own freedom. She had devoted her life to raising her children and educating them. While Sojourner Truth continued to persuaded people about the women’s rights. These women worked to get the truth out about the treatment they had received while in slavery. The Life and Incidents of a Slave Girl would be more convincing then the speeches of Sojourner Truth. Harriet had been fighting for a case for herself and a better life of her children where they would not have to live like she
The first characteristic that shows Harriet Tubman as a hero is that she isn’t afraid to take risks. In the book on page 182 it says, “None of them would be safe as long as he was with them.” Then it goes on to say on page 182 paragraph one, “Harriet said they would not go without him.” This proves that Harriet was willing to take the risk of still taking Joe even though people could easily tell who he was and possibly get all of them in trouble. Also, in the book it says on page 94 paragraph 1, “She might die on the way, because of those inexplicable sleeping seizures”...”She might fall asleep in plain
First, Tom is an extremely mischievous boy, at least in the first part of the book He sneaks things and tricks people in the book. This makes Tom a boy that disobeys and misbehaves, for a good chunk of the book. Tom also is jealous of Huck’s life. Throughout the first part of the book, Tom makes it clear that he wants to be like Huck who doesn’t go to school, and gets to live a free and non proper life. As you can see, Tom doesn’t wants to not have to go to school or have to be proper.” In a word, everything that goes to make life precious that boy [Huck Finn] had. So thought every harassed, hampered, respectable boy in St. Petersburg.” This shows the Tom was jealous of Huck’s life. In addition to all this, Tom is cunning and the not so perfect son living with his aunt. Tom has a brother Sid who is a goody two shoes, while Tom is the complete opposite. In the aunt’s eyes, Sid is the perfect one, while Tom is not, but deep in the Aunt’s heart, she feels bad for Tom. Tom also meets Becky, a girl who Tom is deeply attracted to, “A lovely little blue-eyed creature with yellow hair plaited into two long tails, white summer frock and embroidered pantalettes."This shows how Tom sees her and shows his affection for Becky.”Tom stood a moment, to gather his dismembered faculties; and when he stepped forward to go to his punishment the surprise, the gratitude, the
They were not capable of surviving on their own without white guidance (Boston). Dr. Flint, the master over the plantation where Harriet Jacobs lived showed a great example of paternalism. He cared for Harriet but in a possessive way to which he continuously sought the woman for his personal needs. For Dr. Flint, the slaves he owned should be grateful towards him and be willing to do what he asked with no rebuttal. This wasn’t the case with Harriet.
She begins talking about her childhood and who raised her until she was three years old. The woman who raised her was Thrupkaew’s “auntie”, a distant relative of the family. The speaker remembers “the thick, straight hair, and how it would come around [her] like a curtain when she bent to pick [her] up” (Thrupkaew). She remembers her soft Thai accent, the way she would cling to her auntie even if she just needed to go to the bathroom. But she also remembers that her auntie would be “beaten and slapped by another member of my family. [She] remembers screaming hysterically and wanting it to stop, as [she] did every single time it happened, for things as minor as…being a little late” (Thrupkaew). She couldn’t bear to see her beloved family member in so much pain, so she fought with the only tool she had: her voice. Instead of ceasing, her auntie was just beaten behind closed doors. It’s so heart-breaking for experiencing this as a little girl, her innocence stolen at such a young age. For those who have close family, how would it make you feel if someone you loved was beaten right in front of you? By sharing her story, Thrupkaew uses emotion to convey her feelings about human
In the novel, John Hammond has cynical and greedy motivations; in the film, most of Hammond’s negative personality traits are the same. John Hammond is not the nice guy, he’s actually a real piece of work. He appears with his white beard, his soft, white shirt and trousers combo. He also has an amber-topped walking stick and a playful, ageless smile. Well, John Hammond is not quite the big softy he is in the film as shown in Crichton’s Jurassic Park book. In the film he comes across as a billionaire CEO turned philanthropist, but in the book he is more like a cold, heartless, ruthless person. This decision spirals out of control, rapidly growing into a company-wide problem which is now all on Claire. Deep down, Claire is not heartless and she is not cold. One of the most important scenes for Claire is when the dinosaur is ripping through the ACU team. The owner Masrani continues with the facade of company first, park first. Claire tries to maintain that same level, but it is now evident that she is losing that inner battle between what is right and what she was trained to believe is right. You see her start to break down and show concern for the park’s operation, the safety of the guests, the safety of the employees, the safety of her assets, and amongst her own worry of what others will think of her. She has to be in charge, she has to make another rash decision, but this time, she
The greatest distress to a slave mother was realizing that her children would inevitably inherit her status as a slave. Jacobs writes of a mother who responded to the death of her infant by thanking "God for taking her away from the greatest bitterness of life (Jacobs 16). Furthermore, when Dr. Flint, her master, hurled her son Benjamin across a room Harriet experienced a fleeting moment of panic, believing that he could potentially dead; however, when she confirms that he is alive she could not determine whether she was happy that he son survived. Harriet experienced inadequacy and doubted her femininity in times that she could not protect her children from the harsh realities of the world in which they were born.