In Trinh T. Minh-ha’s film, Surname Viet Given Name Nam, Vietnamese women are interviewed about the constant repression they faced during the time of the Vietnam War, yet what is repeated throughout the film, and as the title suggests, is that being Vietnamese, despite what they struggled through, will always remain a part of their identities. The series of interviews given in the film recount hardships experienced by women and show what they had to endure in Vietnam on a daily basis in regards to their gender identity. The expectations for women to marry and have children were unforgiving and provided another means for them to be scrutinized under even more regulations. Minh-ha’s use of song throughout the film gives the viewer a sense that …show more content…
Near the end of the film, the husband’s role is reintroduced as it relates to the four virtues and three submissions (the husband, father, and son) of the Vietnamese woman. Perhaps this claim over Vietnamese women’s lives is what makes their identity as distinct members of their country even bolder; rebelling by claiming they are worthy of their cultural identity and therefore their social identity as well. A statement like “surname viet given name nam” is one that elicits the connection that these women have to their country, something they can exclusively call their own. This is offset a bit by a line in the credits that reads “special thanks to: the husbands of the women in the film for their patient cooperation” as if it was a burden to them to have their wives speak in a documentary highlighting their individual voices. This only stresses further the need for these women to be recognized as individually valued members of
In A Viet Cong Memoir, we receive excellent first hands accounts of events that unfolded in Vietnam during the Vietnam War from the author of this autobiography: Truong Nhu Tang. Truong was Vietnamese at heart, growing up in Saigon, but he studied in Paris for a time where he met and learned from the future leader Ho Chi Minh. Truong was able to learn from Ho Chi Minh’s revolutionary ideas and gain a great political perspective of the conflicts arising in Vietnam during the war. His autobiography shows the readers the perspective of the average Vietnamese citizen (especially those involved with the NLF) and the attitudes towards war with the United States. In the book, Truong exclaims that although many people may say the Americans never lost on the battlefield in Vietnam — it is irrelevant.
Readers, especially those reading historical fiction, always crave to find believable stories and realistic characters. Tim O’Brien gives them this in “The Things They Carried.” Like war, people and their stories are often complex. This novel is a collection stories that include these complex characters and their in depth stories, both of which are essential when telling stories of the Vietnam War. Using techniques common to postmodern writers, literary techniques, and a collection of emotional truths, O’Brien helps readers understand a wide perspective from the war, which ultimately makes the fictional stories he tells more believable.
“The Sacred Willow” portrays four generations of a Vietnamese family that stretches from the traditional mandarin culture of northern Vietnam, the French occupation, the Vietnamese war, to life in the US. A main portion of this book is centered around the narrator Mai’s father Duong Thieu Chi and his struggle of working in the government while raising a family during the time of French Occupation. Throughout Mai’s accounts, her father’s internal conflict between good and bad as well as modern and traditional are highlighted to symbolize the 20th century Vietnamese sentiments towards their country and their call for independence. The books begins by Mai retelling her great grandfather and grandfathers’ lives which are important because it gives reasoning to explain how the French occupation drastically changed her father, Duong Thieu Chi’s life, career, and decisions.
It requires a reflective and sincere look on life. Many people from different walks of life look to find themselves and do not succeed because they fear being exiled or regarded as being defiant towards their family. “Lost Sisters” although the reader might think there are two separated women represented in this poem, there is a perception that Cathy Song has an alter ego. The first half is her origin and draws close to her Korean-Chinese roots. The second half is distinct from a heritage and closer to her American culture.
Young or old, male or female, the war was told differently by every person who was involved in the battle, no matter how small their role. Despite the cacophony of standpoints vying to tell the definitive tale of what happened in Vietnam, the perspective of
In his memoir, Where the Wind Leads, Vinh Chung demonstrates the theme that times of despair and hardship will eventually pass, but it is the motivation to succeed which will make that time fruitful. While relaying the story of his family’s past, Chung gives an overall theme of success and prosperity which accompanies the distress and conflict brought about by the encompassing Vietnam War. As Chung stated, “[W]hat I do know is that the same pressure that can crush coal into dust can also turn carbon into diamond . . . Tough times produce tough people” (14). Though this theme of success can be grounded in one’s desire to prosper, Chung shows a deeper desire from which this success stems.
She faces racism, discrimination, loneliness, and, over time, a growing sense of love for her new home. Ha’s life is turned “inside out and back again”. Before Ha had to flee Saigon, she was headstrong and selfish, but she was also a girl who loved her mother and couldn't wait to grow up. She wanted to be able to do something before her older brothers did it, and do it better. But most of all, Ha wanted to fit in, to be liked.
This becomes evident in a lack of information about the type of society, and the reader therefore lacks a complete understanding of how the women are oppressed. As a whole, this poem sets forth the idea that female gender is fluid, and asks its readers to questions what it means to be a woman in a male dominant
“Love and Honor and Pity and Pride and Compassion and Sacrifice” Nam Le’s “Love and Honor and Pity and Pride and Compassion and Sacrifice” is categorized in “ethnic story” narrated his Vietnamese life in order to meet an upcoming deadline even though finally he can’t submit his story because his father burns his work. Throughout the story, Nam the narrator talks about “the past” which he experiences when he was young including the recent experience that he has got from his father reunion. Not only does the story tell us about the past which, but it also shows a connection of time between past, present, and future. Likewise, the story shows the relationship between son and father which is the main theme of this story; and shows how the past is important and affect to them differently. Also, the story of the past could lead to the end of the story that can be interpreted like a prediction of the direction of their relationship in the future.
Aren’t words being used to describe a blockbuster war film, instead they describe just some of the experiences underwent by the Jong family. In the book Joy Luck Club, the Jongs are one of the multiple families such as the Woos, Hsus, and the St. Clairs, who’ve migrated from China. The Joy Luck Club chronicles the family’s struggles assimilating into the United States, with their ordeals in China looming over them. The Jong family consists of Lindo the mother, Tin the father, Waverly the daughter, and Vincent and Winston the two sons. Lindo’s experiences in an arranged marriage deeply transformed her thought process, and eventually influenced the way her daughter thinks too.
While women mostly “retain the name from which they were born, they are still considered a member of their husband’s clan.” (Purnell, 2014, pg. 240) There is not single leader of the Hmong, instead there are leaders for each clan whom are older males. While the father or husband is the decision maker of the family, the oldest son takes over decision making if he dies. Marriage within the Hmong culture is characterized as the daughter living with their husband and in-laws, and the boys marrying before they are considered adults.
O 'Brien use the symbolism the dancing Vietnamese and Mary Anne to show that war can destroy your humanity and innocence. It also use the allegory of the letters of Martha, and Linda, are used to show the past can either hurt or help you someone in war. The destruction of humanity and innocence it 's something terrifying, war can transform you completely into someone else that at the end you will no be able to recognize yourself. And in war you will need to take decisions that you may not like, you will need to get ride of things that you don 't want to let go of the past so you can be able to survive, and your decisions can hurt or help
Comparison of Why I Want a Wife and Sex, Lies, and Conversation Since we are kids, there has been a battle between men and women. The conflict is also of misunderstanding reactions of each one to problems with authority, financial problems, communication, etc. Women blame men for not wanting the relationship to work, while men defend themselves, saying that women are too emotional. These happen because men and women look for different behavior from the other one.
It was a wide belief among Vietnamese people that men are superior to women. Emma Watson, an actor who is also known as United Nation Women Goodwill Ambassor, said in her speech about the HeforShe campaign that “We want to end gender inequality—and to do that we need everyone to be involved”. (September, 2014). By knowing English, children especially young generation have chance to reach this information and have a hand in making changes which makes traditional culture become more reasonable. There should not be any risks in the loss of traditional Vietnamese cultural identity if the adults, like parents or teachers, carefully guide their children how to use those foreign knowledge as safely as possible.
Self-awareness is an initial step to understand the variations of cultures. It could help an individual to realize the essentials of his or her own culture that are usually neglected in daily life. In this essay, I would like to explore the Vietnamese culture under my own reflection and express my opinions about cultural variation discussion in international environments. At first, there is a variety of important factors that influenced Vietnamese culture but family is the most important point. In fact, a typical Viet family includes grandparents, parents and children living together under a same roof.