The novel Inside Out and Back Again by Thanhha Lai takes place in Saigon, Vietnam, and Alabama, U.S.A, in 1975 through 1976. It revolves around Ha and her family, refugees from the Vietnam war. People become refugees for many reasons, mostly because of war or natural disasters. Like Ha’s experiences, refugees face many challenges as they flee and find a new place to call home.
When Ha was in Vietnam, she had a lot of strong traits. Some of her most important traits, however, were her defiance, rebellious nature, and overall bravery. Ha’s story is similar to many refugees’ stories in a lot of ways. One of the ways that her story is like other refugees’ is the similarities between why they had to flee their country. Ha and her family had to …show more content…
When Ha arrived in America, she had no friends. “What friends? You’ll make some. What if I can’t?” (Lai, pg. 137). This is very similar to what happened to the teenagers in “Children of War”. “But I miss my friends in Sarajevo.” (Children of War, paragraph 21). When they had to leave their country, they left behind not only their homes, but their friends as well. Ha was also inside out because she couldn’t do simple things like count past twenty in the new language she had to learn. “I count up to twenty. The class claps on its own. I’m furious, unable to explain that I already learned fractions and how to purify river water.” (Lai, pg. 156-157). Ha felt dumb because she wasn’t able to do as much in America as she could in Vietnam. In the Til Gurung speech, his wife did not speak any English. “...my wife was unable to understand any English. Just taking the bus and going to the store was a challenge for her.” (Til Gurung Speech, paragraph 4). She couldn’t do things that seemed easy, either. Another way Ha was inside out was the unfamiliarity of America. “I think that they are making fun of the Vietnamese flag until I remember no one here likely knows that flag’s colors.” (Lai, pg. 144). Ha didn’t know that the mustard and ketchup on a hot dog was a normal thing in America, and thought it was a mockery of her country’s flag. The refugees from the Til Gurung speech faced the same issue. “..I help explain important documents and laws to my community members….where to find our cultural foods in Oakland, how to use the bus…..” (Til Gurung Speech, paragraph 1). They needed people who knew the area to help explain culture, interpret, and teach them how to do things like drive and
When Ha was in Vietnam, she had a lot of strong traits. Some of her most important traits, however, were her defiance, rebellious nature, and overall bravery. Ha’s story is similar to many refugees’ stories in a lot of ways. One of the ways that her story is like other refugees’ is the similarities between why they had to flee their country. Ha and her family had to …show more content…
When Ha arrived in America, she had no friends. “What friends? You’ll make some. What if I can’t?” (Lai, pg. 137). This is very similar to what happened to the teenagers in “Children of War”. “But I miss my friends in Sarajevo.” (Children of War, paragraph 21). When they had to leave their country, they left behind not only their homes, but their friends as well. Ha was also inside out because she couldn’t do simple things like count past twenty in the new language she had to learn. “I count up to twenty. The class claps on its own. I’m furious, unable to explain that I already learned fractions and how to purify river water.” (Lai, pg. 156-157). Ha felt dumb because she wasn’t able to do as much in America as she could in Vietnam. In the Til Gurung speech, his wife did not speak any English. “...my wife was unable to understand any English. Just taking the bus and going to the store was a challenge for her.” (Til Gurung Speech, paragraph 4). She couldn’t do things that seemed easy, either. Another way Ha was inside out was the unfamiliarity of America. “I think that they are making fun of the Vietnamese flag until I remember no one here likely knows that flag’s colors.” (Lai, pg. 144). Ha didn’t know that the mustard and ketchup on a hot dog was a normal thing in America, and thought it was a mockery of her country’s flag. The refugees from the Til Gurung speech faced the same issue. “..I help explain important documents and laws to my community members….where to find our cultural foods in Oakland, how to use the bus…..” (Til Gurung Speech, paragraph 1). They needed people who knew the area to help explain culture, interpret, and teach them how to do things like drive and