Inside Out And Back Again Essay

It’s estimated that %50 of all refugees are under the age of 18. Inside Out and Back Again by Thanhha Lai is about Ha who is 12 and her family fleeing Vietnam and coming to the U.S. They faced many challenges coming to the United States but one of the most difficult was learning the new language, English. Many refugees, like Ha struggle with learning a new language when arriving to a new country until they find someone to teach them and help them through the troubled times of settling into their new country. Refugees like Ha suffer from lack of language skills when moving to a new country, making it a difficult time for these refugees. First off, in the article “Refugee Transitions”, Til wrote, “When we first arrived, my wife was unable to understand any English. Just taking the bus and going to the store was a challenge for her.”(Gurung). Til Gurung’s wife lacked many language skills which

Washington teaches Ha English. To start, in the article, “Refugee Transitions”, Til writes, “After a year of tutoring, these things are no longer a problem for her.”(Gurung). Many organizations like Refugee Transitions are helping refugees like Til’s wife learn a new language and help them settle into their new lives. Furthermore, this sounds like when Ha is getting taught English from Ms. Washington, “MiSSSisss WaSShington has her own rules...My vocabulary grows!”(Lai 166). Ms. Washington in this situation is helping Ha learn English, which is going to help Ha through her whole life, and help her complete daily tasks. Lastly, Ha says to the bullies chasing her, “Enough time for me to turn and yell Gee-sus, Gee-sus…”(Lai 219). Now that Ha is learning much more about English she can stand up for herself against the bullies. Once refugees, like Ha learn a new language it is easier for them to live their daily lives and to feel more confident every