Cultural Norms In 'Children Of War'

Ha from the book, Inside Out and Back Again and the refugees from the article, “Children of War” both struggle to fit in with others in their new country. When Ha begins going to her new school, she states, “Both laughing, chewing, as if it never occurred to them someone medium would show up. I don’t know where to sit any more than I know how to eat the pink sausage snuggled inside bread shaped like a corncob, smeared with sauces yellow and red.” (Lai 144) The quote states that Ha is not familiar with the cultural norms in America. Because of this, she has trouble fitting in. The tables in the lunchroom were split between colored and white. She had no clue where to sit, since she was neither. She had never eaten American food, so she had no idea what she was supposed to do with the hotdog. …show more content…
In the article “Children of War,” Amela says, “That’s a fact. All you know about the U.S. is from the movies.” (Brice) She explains how it was hard to fit in with everybody in America because they really didn’t know anything about it besides the beaches and cities they saw in movies filmed in California. Another example is when Ha has recess, she shows that she can tell school won’t be easy for her. “A pink boy with white hair on his head and white eyebrows and white eyelashes pulls my arm hair. Laughter.” (Lai 145) Ha explains that at first she thought that this was just because he was curious, like she was when she saw the golden fuzz on a rescue ship sailor’s arm. She soon realized that this wasn’t the case when the pink boy began poking her cheeks and chest to impress his friends. The author describes this scenario in a way that helps us understand how separated she felt from everybody else. In conclusion, Ha and other refugees both face similar challenges when they arrive in