Truong Essays

Truong's essay about her birthday party in her American classroom very much reminded me of the end of Bich's story. Later in life, Monique, like Bich, has gained a new perspective on the struggles of her childhood. She is able to recognize her own feelings as well as her mother's. As a child, she longed to fit in with the other kids in school, simply to blend into the crowd instead of stick out with no hope of ever really blending. She wanted her mother to give her the typical birthday celebration that would signify that she was one of the whole, and her mother's attempts at this largely failed in the mind of a young girl. The cake was beautiful, made with more skill than any other mother had attempted. Instead of pride, she is embarrassed at the attention that it brings. Just like Bich, her idea of fitting in and being American was tied to the processed, boxed, quintessential standard American diet. Both girls turned to food because that was the one thing they had control over and could change about themselves. Their skin and hair would never change, but they could fit in at meals. With time, Monique realized that her mother was trying her best. She too struggled to fit in and to watch her children's unhappiness. This cake was a sign of her effort, a success in her mind as a mother showcasing her skill and feeing prideful in the moment.

Day 3

I really enjoyed the format of class yesterday. Breaking this novel into short stories that stood out to us was a helpful way to analyze the author's intentions and experiences. In this reading, one scene that stood out to me was when Bich decided to eat the plum out of the tree. It was interesting to experience this moment in which she tries to connect with her religion in the only tangible way that she can think of. She had admired her grandmother's faith in Buddha and the way in which she meditated and gave offerings, but it was clear that Bich was somewhat lost in her own idea of faith. Wanting to be American and fit in with the others, she is teased and pressured to accept Christianity, but this pressure was conflicted by the ideals of her own family. Rosa and her grandmother are very clear about religion in the family, but Bich is largely confused. Stealing the plum in the Christian family's tree is an ultimate test for her. It signifies the limbo in which she lives, and her attempt at connection.

Day 2

This section of the book involved many situations in which Bich was forced to confront the realities of growing up and a loss of innocence through conflicting identities. In her relationship with her sisters, she is largely left out and put down coming to the conclusion that she would not fit in or be welcomed by them at any point soon. Chrissy begins to rebel while Anh follows and Bich suffers some of the repercussions. She sees her sisters fully embracing American culture in the form of clothes, make up, music and relationships, something she longs to do herself, but she is still constrained by Rosa's restrictions. She begins to find her own alternate reality in her books. She enjoys reading because she is able to live through the characters, particularly through the descriptions of the meals that she longs to have herself. I thought it was very interesting when she compared her own immigration experience to that of the Ingalls family from Little House on the Prairie. At first, she is comforted by the similarity between the two experiences. Someone else had encountered the same difficulty assimilating to American culture as her own family did, but there was hope because Ingalls family made it and became "fully american." However, as she grew older and experienced more of life as an "outsider" she found several flaws within their story involving racism and judgement. She realizes that the life of these characters were unobtainable due to her economic and social status within American society.

"Stealing Buddha's Dinner" day 1

The first part of this story to stand out to me was the mention of the discovery of the Vietnamese market. This immediately reminded me of "Tastes Like Cuba" where both immigrant families forced from their homes to the United States find excitement, comfort and hope in the discovery of a place to provide something familiar for their families. In this story, the market is also described as a meeting place for many Vietnamese Americans to meet and build a community. Secondly, I noticed a very clear distinction between gender roles within the family. The girls and women congregate in the kitchen, served the father's friends at parties, mentions of finding a husband were very frequent in casual conversation, and Rose was largely abandoned for becoming pregnant out of wedlock. The father and Rosa come into conflict over these roles as she is strong willed and plays the role of financial provider. It is clear that this family resists conformity to their new surroundings. As other families adopted "American" names and cuisine, Rosa largely rejects this movement and seeks to preserve their roots despite the discomfort of the children. I, myself, felt somewhat torn in this conflict. I understood Rosa's motives but I could relate to feeling like a outsider and in a state of "limbo" between two identities that the children were experiencing. I found it very charming and innocent that the narrator was so enthralled by ice cream. I thought it was interesting that she used the Vietnamese word for ice cream more often than the English. Something to special to and loved by her was so directly connected to what she had left behind.

"Roots"

This reading was particularly interesting to me. In my high school and even in my college history courses, the treatment of Japanese Americans during the war was largely overlooked or overshadowed by lessons involving foreign nations. This was interesting to analyze because it is almost considered human nature to  hide from or diminish our own mistakes. I found the comparison that the congressman made between those in internment camps and rape victims to be very eye opening. Society tends to turn on the victim as it seems simpler to place blame then to address a larger problem. Especially in a time of raging patriotism, I cannot imagine being the "other" so marginalized and physically segregated. I thought that the story involving the wife and husband in the internment camp was particularly touching as she described her confusion when she was forced into a camp even though she was an American citizen. There is something to be said for the inability to control the definition of one's own identity. This "limbo" or rejection is similar to other readings that we have read so far as minorities are confined to a small segment of society and never fully incorporated.

Villarosa and Maya Angelou

"Making Whoopi"
Honestly, I was only able to interpret this piece from a surface-level perspective. I thought that the meal and alcohol seemed as thought it was an outlet for Karen. In the moment, it relieved her anxiety in the situation and pretty much was used as the platform to introduce her desire to be with a woman. I thought it was interesting that the author's initial anxiety about her sexuality became the commonality in the situation. I honestly was somewhat confused on how to apply this reading. I couldn't tell if the author was offended by Karen's proposition or just simply taken aback and not attracted to her.

Maya Angelou:
I have always enjoyed Maya Angelou's writing. There is a certain level of comfort in reading her work. It flows smoothly, and you feel as if you can picture each situation she presents. I thought that these excerpts did a good job of portraying the conflicting roles that her heritage and skin tone play in the labels that society places on her and the pressures to be or "fit" into a certain mold. She is African, southern, black, and American. Especially when looking for a job, she is pressured to conform to a select few of the stereotypes associated with just one of these labels. The white man wants her to be the southern, black cook in the kitchen making soul food to ease his cravings. I really enjoyed the second excerpt with the battle between recipes which essentially use similar ingredients but are considered widely different by the two women based on their own backgrounds.

"Sugar", "Aubade: Some Peaches, After Storm", and "The Bean- Eaters"

This class, we are encouraged to think about he obvious level of metaphors in a poem and from there, take it step by step into the deeper meaning. I am actually very excited about taking this approach because I definitely struggle with poetry.

Aubade, Some Peaches, After Storm:
Taking the obvious approach, a storm rolls through a peach orchard and knocks many of the fruit off of the trees onto the soil. Depending on the state of ripeness, they can ripen too soon and their flesh become soggy and soft or they can remain stiff and spoil after skipping the edible stage. The peaches are dependent on some other saving them, without intervention, they are helpless.

The Bean Eaters:
I assumed that this poem was referring to an old couple in their home going about a rather monotonous day to day life with little stimulation. I almost got the idea that they were somewhat of hoarders towards the end? That may have something to do with the idea of the elderly collecting mementoes from the past. Beans are easy to cook, soft in texture, somewhat bland in taste and make for a very casual meal much like the couple's life.

Sugar
The opening scene of this poem at Angola struck a chord with me because, if the author is referring to the same place, Angola is the state penitentiary of Louisiana and I have visited this prison with my high school government class. The prison is still today partially self-sustainable, and prisoners farm the fields for crops used to feed the prison as well as sold to the public and suppliers. Watching the prisoners farm looked like a scene directly out of a movie involving slavery. Almost all of the prisoners in the field were black and the guards rode on horses with shot guns over their shoulders. Sugar cane is an abundant crop in Louisiana, and it is also heavily tied to the history of slavery in both North and South America. This poem was similar in content to others we have read as writers draw on this connection and the conflicting characteristics of sugar cane as it is so sweet and craved by so many but also so heavily tied to the past.