As Kien begins to lose faith in his
future, he devices a plan to write a letter to the U.S. Embassy in Thailand as
a means to revive himself from hopelessness. Luckily, they respond and ask him
to go forth with the process of applying for the O.D.P. (Orderly Department
Program). During this process, Kien faces the bureaucratic red-tape of filling
out paper work, having them signed, but one document he or his mother are
unable to complete is the Real Estate paper work. Although in the end the paper
work did not matter, his persistence and determination is what gets him to
America. The first lines from the U.S. Embassy states, ‘You have written to us
several times in the past, requesting an application to resettle in the United
States of America’ (280). He received this letter only after so many attempts
at reaching them. This is a clear indication of his unrelenting diligence and
tenacity. Even before this letter, Kien is unrelenting in his courage and
determination to do what is needed for the well-being of himself and his family.
This is evident when he goes on a journey to find food while his mother is away
with Mrs. Dang. Kien goes from his aunt’s house, to the market place, to Loan
residence walking several kilometers. He does not give up while he and his
sibling struggle to continue suffering from starvation, exhaustion, and
hopelessness. His ability to strive and be resilience in the face of adversity
is a proof of his innate will and power to survive.
By Elilta Z.
By Elilta Z.
Elilta,
ReplyDeleteYour blog entry is very interesting I absolutely agree with your conclusion that Kien was extremely persistent. Some could even say he kept hope alive, even though he mentions several times how he had lost hope it is evident in your post that his actions say differently. Reaching the end of the book it is encouraging to see how far he has gotten and even though he struggled throughout and even to the end with the US embassy, it was all paid off.
-Tori R.
Kien's government at the time restricted him of many experiences. the paper work he needed to sign was insignificant, but his attempts were persistent. Kien had the characteristics needed to survive the loop holes of communist bureaucracy. The system's label doesn't matter if the they are implementing the same policies. People are still being discriminated, and more people are struggling to survive. Kien, on the one hand, is on the brink of hopelessness, but when he has almost given up. Hope is around the corner like his feet to the sand.
ReplyDeleteBy Ivan R.
Elilta,
ReplyDeleteI agree with your insight. It is evident that Kien's character serves as an embodiment for tenacity and diligence. In an environment that relentlessly deprives Kien from living, but rather forces him to enter a mode of survival. Through this survival mode, Kien demonstrates that he has hope that there is a slight possibility of escaping Vietnam. Kien shows his resiliency and even though he comes close to giving everything up, he manages to keep his ground and move forward.
By Estephanie M
I definitely agree that Kien's will is very strong. Time and time again, Kien and his family are exposed to very negative situations. Kien, above all, experiences very traumatic ordeals, including sexual assault, starvation and severe beatings. Through everything he has been experienced, I found it very inspiring to know that he never gave up the desire to escape the world he was stuck living in. Even when the real estate papers were an issue, he did not give up. When times got rough, Kien persevered and pushed on in hopes of getting out of whatever situation that came up. One thing is for sure, Kien is inspiring for his strong will and ability look hopefully to the future, even in the darkest of times for him. This memoir is a testament to the power of will. Kien's will saved his life, and his words are comfort for those who have experienced severe trauma, especially traumas caused by war.
ReplyDeleteAndrea M.
I find it interesting that there can be so many different takes on Kien's will or his lack thereof. Other posts on here, and even one I previously commented on, noted how Kien's hope for a better future tends to get shattered. While I agreed on that point, I also agree with yours in that he definitely has a strong will and keeps moving forward. I think until he finally was able to write the letters applying for the ODP, he wasn;t too hopeful for better things to come. Prior to that, his will was much more based on survival - from day to day, moment to moment - rather than living and willing for a future. Perhaps I am being too bleak in my observations or take on the reading, so I could be wrong. But nonetheless, there is an opposition or conflict of will(s) within the text and it could be worth further exploring.
ReplyDeleteJordan M.
Kien's persistence to get his family out of their current living situation is extremely admirable. He is forced to jump through so many hoops that it is truly heartbreaking when we think for a moment that hope actually might be lost. There is also a significant difference in his attitude about escaping compared to his first attempt with Aunt Dang. With his second attempt it seems that he is more fueled to save his whole family rather than just himself. What is most remarkable about Kien and his journey to escaping Vietnam is that even when things were at their worst, he still managed to keep moving forward and ultimately did more than just survive, but created a whole other life for himself.
ReplyDeleteI definitely agree with your insight. As a young adolescent, Kien has lived through so much violence, yet he remains persistent to survive. Kien lives in a mode of survival because the environment that surrounds him has oppressed his existence. The most difficult experience that Kien had to overcome was Lam's violation. This situation was the worse experience of Kien's life, yet he moved forward on a path of pain with the purpose of reaching a better life. Within a negative environment, Kien manages to look forward to escape Vietnam. All the horrible situations in South Vietnam pushed him out to pursue a descent life far away from every mistreatment.
ReplyDeleteBy Estephanie M.
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