Le Ly, desperate for money and a stable income, agreed to sleep with two Americans for $400. Luckily, Le Ly only had to sleep with one as the other left for America before she slept with him. In one of my favorite television shows,
Make It or Break It, Chloe Kmetko, the mother of aspiring United States Olympic gymnast, Emily Kmetko, does everything she can to support her daughter. Emily's gymnastics fees take up most of the single mother's paycheck. The rest barely supporting the family of Emily, her brother, and Chloe, goes toward her brother's medical expenses. Chloe results to becoming a waitress in a strip club. Though Emily is embarrassed by her mother's occupation, Chloe took the only job she could get so she could support her daughter's Olympic dream.
In 1986 Vietnam, Le Ly and Anh grow closer in their reunion. "I'm beginning to see you differently since those first few days in Saigon, Bay Ly. Before, you
were s tourist - a dear little ghost from my past whom I wronged very badly. Now, after seeing you with the
Ban Viet Kieu and with your family and with these officials - well I don't know. You have a talent for helping people look past their pain and into their hearts - to see the things that really matter" (272).
The very last paragraph of the chapter enraptures a
theme of the book as a whole. "Overcoming our pain from the war. Learning to trust when we're afraid. Learning to honor the past while letting go of it at the same time. These are the things you came to Vietnam to learn" (273).
Laura,
ReplyDeleteI like the term here of rhetoric and your quote,"The very last paragraph of the chapter enraptures a theme of the book as a whole. "Overcoming our pain from the war. Learning to trust when we're afraid. Learning to honor the past while letting go of it at the same time. These are the things you came to Vietnam to learn" (273).
I want to encourage you to lift your analysis and edit lit term posts to include WHAT MAKES THIS PARTICULAR EXAMPLE [OF EACH LIT TERMS] EFFECTIVE IN THE BOOK or WHAT IS THE AUTHOR'S PURPOSE IN USING THIS LIT TERMS HERE?
Mrs. Sander
I like the comparison between the story and the TV show; it shows how struggling women still today have to take on less-than-desirable ways of earning money in order to support themselves.
ReplyDeleteHI
ReplyDeleteI really liked your blog. It is very interesting and gives mucho insight on the book. Also you did very well incorporating outside sources for support.