From Shon Mordo:
"We are so fortunate to be young, new lives opening before us, they believed. And yet the life in school that opened before me made me feel old in a world that was struggling to be young. A silence grew inside of me because I couldn't say that it was sometimes sad to be Hmong, even in America." (151)
Compare Kao Kalia Yang's experiences with immigration to the US with her grandmother's experiences.
From Brian Truong, in reference to Part II, pages 84-85:
How would you feel about your father looking for another wife?
From Vivian Ng, in reference to page 36, the scene of crossing the river:
Why didn't the brothers give money to Yang's father?
From Patrick Bacungan:
"I was feeling a strong push to reinvent myself. Without my realizing, by the time high school began, I had a feeling in the pit of my stomach that I had been on simmer for too long" (197).
Why did Kao want to suddenly reinvent herself? What was she describing when she talked about the pit in her stomach?
From Sherwin Mendoza:
What makes education hard for Kao Kalia Yang?
The author of "The Latehomecomer", Kao Kalia Yang is not American and the language she has struggled to learn is not her first language. Learning English is difficult for Asian people to do because of different grammar structures between Korea and America for example. It might be similar experience when people who can speak English fluently, but they can not speak Korean, Japanese, or other Asian languages even though they learn how to speak. I think learning a new language and a culture which are totally different from my home country are very hard to adjust to them.
ReplyDeleteQuote 1:Kao Kalia Yang's experience is very different from her grandmothers because she is still young. Because she is young she has more opportunities than her grandmother had back in laos. Yang also doesn't fear immigrating to america while her grandma does fear immigrating. Her grandmother fears that when she dies, she will not be able to find her way back home to visit the spirits of her husband and parents.
ReplyDeleteQuote 2: I would not feel very comfortable because the person he would look for is not my biological mother. When a child is born they share a deep connection with their biological mother and not having that connection makes it hard to bond with the person.
Quote 3: They did not give him money because the brothers were very poor. Most likely the two rafts were all the family could afford so they could not help him at all.
Quote 4:She wanted to reinvent herself so that she can get over her fears of speaking. She was always quiet before high school and she picked high school as a time to move on from it.
Quote 5: Education was hard for Yang because she did not speak in class.
Education makes Kao Kalia Yang hard because i think she wasn't able to speak english as fluently as she can write. Spelling and remembering words wasn't so hard for her to do. But the way she speak/spoke in English was harder for her than knowing the letters that made the words.
ReplyDeleteEducation was hard for Yang because, in her words, "English was hard on my tongue. I was learning the meaning of words and how to write them, but my voice sounded different to me in English. I didn't like how I stuttered and breathed through the words..."(145). This lack of comfort and confidence in her ability to speak English made her a very quiet child when at school, thus harming her chances of making friends and communicating properly with her teachers.
ReplyDeleteI had one question after I finished the Latehomecomer. First, it was an amazing book. It struck home because I lost my grandmother to cancer not to long ago. So I could relate to Yang's feelings. The question that I have is if Yang's mother ever went back and try to find the pictures of her family that she hid in the bamboo thicket right before they crossed the Mekong river into Thailand. Yang wrote that her mother promised herself that she would return one day to find them, or at least attempt to find them. I still wonder if she did return to Laos to search for the pictures of her family.
ReplyDeleteQuote One:
ReplyDeleteI think that Yang's experience to immigrating to America was an easier transition than the one her grandmother experienced. Yang was able to learn English but her grandmother was never able to learn the language (that's why she never became a citizen). So while Yang could communicate with strangers for the things she needed, her grandmother was unable to, which would be a little frustrating. Also, although both came to a new world where everything was different, it's easier as a child to learn new things (like a new language) than as a senior citizen. And generally, the older you are, the more set you are in your culture and the ways you're used to. For example, how her grandmother would rather take the stairs than the escalator because her clothes (traditional Hmong clothes) would get stuck.
Yang's parents had four more children after coming to America. Because they had to work for living, Kao and her older sister had to take care of their siblings, who were too young. Maybe, it is one of the reason why Kao couldn't concentrat studying. Also, Kao was too shy to speak out in English and make friends in the school. She barely spoke in English at the school and thought that her voice or what she said in English were different from when she speak in her mother tongue.
ReplyDeleteIf my father had looked for an another wife for having a son, I would have understood because many old Koreans prefer a son who continues their family, blood line. But deep in mine, I would have definitely felt terrible and I wouldn't see my father. I think distinguishing or perferring "Boys" or "Girls"
I think that school was very hard for Kao when she first got here because it was hard for her to adjust culturally. She had a hard time speaking and could not talk as well as she could write. I also believe that she wanted to reinvent herself because as i said she could not speak that well in public. She wanted to participate more in class and not be mute and she decided that the perfect time to reinvent herself is when high school started for her.
ReplyDeleteEducation for Kao Kalia Yang was difficult for her because everything in america was very different from where she originated from . America was foreign to her especially when discovering all the technology, schools, and media. For the fact that she was not born to speak English was the hardest because she was not able to translate and communicate in the environment she first came into.
ReplyDeletequote2: To be honestly, I don't like the part which his father went to meet another women on the other side of the camp. I feel sorry to her mom. However, I can understand the Hmong people's tradition which is to have sons. I don't feel that the father really wants to meet another women, but in order to fit him into their culture, he has no other choice. Since I didn't grew up with this kind of tradition, I will definitely go against this idea if my father go looking for another woman.
ReplyDeletequote3: I think the brothers didn't give Yang's father money is because they didn't have money either. After affording the raft, they might have nothing left to give. The only thing the brothers can give each other is to emotional support.
quote5: I think the language barrier and the culture difference make her education more difficult. Since everything in the USA is different from what she used to live. It takes time for her to adjust.
Quote 1: It is much easier for Kao to immigrate and adjust compared to her grandmother. Children at times may not truly be aware of their surroundings and situation compared to adults. Her grandmother has lived a life and adjusting to America would be a nearly impossible endeavor. Kao having immigrated young would be able to adapt more easily. Although life was still different, she had many years ahead of her to adjust.
ReplyDeleteQuote 5: Education is hard for Kao because she has been taken away from any location that might have been considered home and placed in a new foreign location. She is expected to learn completely new concepts that may differ from her traditions. The language barrier also makes it more difficult to completely adjust. Special teachers are required early on in order to transcend the language barrier.
How would you feel about your father looking for another wife?
ReplyDeleteI honestly would feel betrayed if my father remarried especially if it was through necessity rather than love. My parents tried having sons but they had two daughters and tried again just to end up with more girls. Twins for that matter. So I feel bad that instead of a son, they got two girls, my twin sister and I. After that, they gave up. I already feel guilty that I wasn't born a boy like what my parents wanted. If my dad found a woman to fill the void my mother or I couldn't fill I would honestly feel devastated, like we weren't good enough.
question: how would you feel about your father looking for another wife?
ReplyDeleteanswer: for our times, eduction, culture, and not being in that situation the author's family was in nor having experienced that place/culture, it seems weird and wrong. i wouldn't be alright with it. i could understand to some extent the reasonings behind it. and the expectations of the culture and time that the author does provide. but i don't have to like it.
Quote 1: Kao is still young and she has a lot of opportunities for her future in the new world.
ReplyDeleteHowever, her grandmother cannot think positively about immigration to the US, because it must be very difficult to assimilate new culture and language at her old age, and she may feel unmotivated to do new things in her life.
Quote 3: I was wondering the same question when I was reading this passage. I think his brothers were also poor and didn’t have any money to give or rend to their youngest brother, Yang’s father. I think they spent all of their remaining possessions for rafts in order to survive. If they still had some money, I believe they would give Yang’s father because even when they rent something for his wedding.
Quote 5: I think language barrier was the hardest part for her education.
Language is an essential tool when we communicate each other and learning something new. It is the hardest part for me too, lack of English language skill always makes me hard to acquire everything new such as making friends, learning culture, politics, current events and news… even though I would like to assimilate new country.
In reference to Vivian's question, i think that the brothers didnt have any more money to give to her father. I'm pretty sure they wouldn't hold out on him, considering their family seems to be very strongly connected. So it was basically give their remaining money to their brother, or help their own family.
ReplyDeleteAs for Sherwin's question, probably the language difference would be the most difficult part in Kao learning. Of course there are other factors that should be considered, like her age, her past difficulties and inexperience to the American learning system. But i believe that just the sheer difference in language makes it hard for Kao. Having to keep up with the different grammar and writing styles.
Regarding Patricks passage from the book, I believe that Kao was referring to mostly how she was conveying herself at school. I think that she finally realized that it was about time to, I guess, break out of her comfort zone and really take on school and life head on. For so long she was always the quite one in the class and she wants to change that. Kao also states later on in that same passage that she "wanted to bubble over the top and douse the confusing fire that burned in my belly. Or else I wanted to turn the stove off". Clearly Kao wants to become something greater, she feels she can become much more and do much more than she is arleady doing. Maybe shes searching for her own well being. Though she also states that if she doesnt change, or "bubble over" that she will just "turn the stove off", probably meaning that if she doesnt try now, she wont be compelled enough to try later on. As for the feeling in her stomach, I think that feeling is just that strong drive thats fueling this desire to "reinvent" herself. A feeling, or vibe that anyone gets when they have a strong desire to do something, but doesnt know how to do it, "or" even if they should do it.
ReplyDeleteQuestion:
ReplyDeleteWhy didn't the brothers give money to Yang's father?
Admittedly it was inconsiderate of Yang's uncles to have not helped their brother out, but I feel as though the situation was a fighting ground for everyone. Each brother had his own family to protect, and although their brother was important to them, I feel as that their first priority was to get their own kin safely to the other side of the river.
Question:
What makes education hard for Kao Kalia Yang?
I think there were many disadvantages that Yang faced, but a major one was that her heart was just not in it. She did not like English and she was just not willing to learn and take classes. It is understandable but it was a little childish..although she was in fact a child. Anything can become a struggle if you are not interested to try.
I think education was really difficult for Yang since she didn't know what's 'English' at all. Writing wasn't only a matter for her. Like for many other foreign students from Asia, her tongue couldn't follow the way that 'Americans' speak. It happened to me also when I just came here in the US. I definitely understand her situation.
ReplyDeleteI can kind of feel where Yang is coming from because of the fact that I have experience the same scenario in a way that i was not able to adapt a new culture in just a snap. She did not feel welcome and she did not have the confidence to associate with the people around her. I guess the language barrier was the most difficult thing to encounter because she could not express herself in a way that people would accept her.
ReplyDeleteEducation for Kao was really hard for her because of who she was at the time she came to America. Culture shock definitely affected her, in the way that she couldn't transition from one culture to and entirely different one in that short amount of time. Imagine switching from the life you know now, to a completely new way of life with a new language and all. How would that affect you? Surely understanding and attempting to express yourself would both be somewhat difficult and frustrating to a certain degree.
ReplyDeleteHow would you feel about your father looking for another wife?
ReplyDeleteI can relate little bit on this its just that its about my mother. My father passed away eleven years ago, and at that time my mother still kinda young. We want her to have some partner in life when she get old, someone to be with. She said "what for? I've got you guys!!" So, for me its alright to have someone as long that as that their happy...even if they passed away or still alive. As long as they dont hurt you and your kids..
Well, in Kao's father thats a different story.. For me thats not acceptable at all... Because if you really love someone, you will accept even if your kids were all girls. You should be contented on what you have!!!
Yang's father was put in a very tight spot. On one hand he had family and cultural traditions that were probably around for thousands of years. He needed to have a son to both carry on his legacy and also to carry his spirit back. And on the other hand he had the love for his wife. It is very hard to sit here and speculate what I would have done in his position. I would definitely say that I would stay with my wife and keep trying, but with his mother and all of his older brothers urging him to find a woman that would give him a son would make it very hard.
ReplyDeleteHow would you feel about your father looking for another wife?
ReplyDeleteI would really feel disappointed if my father would look for another wife, because because she couldn't physically carry out his needs. Also it wasn't for love too, but for his spirit in the afterlife.
She has a hard time speaking english because she feels different from the other American students. She doesnt want to be laughed at for her accent or stand out in a different way. Blending in seems easier to most people than standing out in a good or bad way. I think Kao Kalia Yang just wants to be a normal student but its not easy to be if you're labeled as an immigrant.
ReplyDelete