Analysis Of Thi Bui's The Best We Could Do

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Remotely Spoken Language Thi Bui is an Asian American author who has produced a work of note in American literature drawing from her Asian descent. Asian literature is rich with stories from experiences from the past and ideas as expressions of unspoken thought. Thi Bui’s illustrated memoir, The Best We Could Do, traces her parents’ history of their refugee experiences. The narrative and illustrations in this book form one of the great examples of Asian American Literature. Throughout the story, Bui uses her flashbacks as a medium for telling her parents’ story and experiences in how they immigrated to the United States as refugees. Thi Bui tries to understand the reason her dad refuses to go with them to visit Vietnam. Bui’s family revealed …show more content…

Asian are culturally not outspoken about their past to the younger generations. In Thi Bui’s story, as Vietnamese refugees, her father barely spoke about their past experiences of what happened in their country of origin. Thi Bui tries to understand the reason her dad does not want to go back to Vietnam and visit his dad. For example, Thi Bui asked her dad, “Will you go with us, Bố?” and her dad answers, “No. There’s no point.” (35). Thi’s father did not reveal details why there is no point to go to Vietnam when Thi Bui, Má, her mother, and the family travel to their country of origin. Bố does not talk about his past. He kept these inside him for years and unwilling to share his memories. After Thi found a way to talk to her father by asking to hear stories about his home country. Bố began to tell stories about his childhood, but there was no talking face to face. Bố’s father was abusive. Bố never opens his emotions of his traumas, which scars from the past events that happened to him in his childhood. Thi started to figure out why he behaved as they …show more content…

It is not customary for the older generation of Asians to express their past experiences to the younger generation. Traditionally there is no interaction between parents and their children in expressing their feelings to them, but this is something they can learn. The younger generation wants to connect with the history of the parents’ ancestors and the stories of their family who emigrated to America. The younger generation is finding a way to fill the gap in order to connect with the older generation. They are maintaining closeness by living not so far away from each other. They keep this tradition alive because it is important to tie them together as a big family. Asians always keep family togetherness to tie them close. Asian parents have sacrificed themselves to immigrate to America to make their kid’s lives better. They are willing to do anything to help their children have a better life than they had. Until this day, Asian parents keep their traditions in order to provide their kids with as much as they can for them to have a better life. This is a tradition of passing on to their children’s children as Bo’s ma wanted to provide food for him. Even though they seem emotionally remote and don’t speak about their past to their kids, they do not want their children to suffer as they did. The younger generation needs to actively trace their history because the history that shaped their parents is the

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