Inside Out And Back Again Analysis

Refugees share similar experiences and emotions when they move to a new country. The book Inside Out and Back Again splits these feelings into two categories, “inside out” and “back again”. Refugees from around the world experience these feelings. For instance, it is easy for a refugee to feel “inside out” when learning a new language, or they can feel “back again” when they find a familiar object that reminds them of their past. Many refugees mainly struggle with learning a new language, but to make them feel more comfortable, they can find satisfaction in items from their home land.
Ha from the book Inside Out and Back Again and the refugee explaining his past in his speech “World of Difference Benefit Luncheon” both feel “inside out” because

To begin, an example of this comes from the book Inside Out and Back Again where Ha is reminded of her home from the smell of incense. To specify, she says how “swirls of incense reach me, hovering like a blanket tugging me in” (Lai 233). The smell of the incense reminds Ha of her previous home in Vietnam and she remembers the good times before the war. Also, in the article, “Panic Rises in Saigon but the Exits Are Few,” Butterfield demonstrates how refugees plan to remind themselves of their home before they flee. An example of this is when he states “...Standing in the broiling sun with small bags, holding their few belongings” (Butterfield). When refugees need to evacuate, they could take very few belongings with them to remind them of their homes from their previous country. Finally, another piece of evidence from the book Inside Out and Back Again shows how Ha is reminded of her home with a gift from her friend. For instance, Ha says, “Pem comes over on gift-exchange day with a doll to replace the mouse-bitten one I told her about” (Lai 239). Ha could only take one choice item from Vietnam. She choses to take her mouse-bitten doll, but she doesn’t have it anymore, her friend bought her a new doll so she has something to remind her of her home from the past. To conclude, refugees can feel “back