Dead on Arrival by Linh Term Paper

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More importantly, he clashes with his father, and has a rocky relationship with him. He writes, "I do not want to shoot my father" ("Dead" 118) at the end of the story, and the reader can feel his pain and his disassociation from the man. He is clearly proud of his father and his role in the government, but it is also clear that the two do not see eye-to-eye on matters. This is common the world over, and here, Dinh is like any other boy who clashes with his father. Ultimately, the emotions and the fears are the same. Dinh has great anger toward his father, and yet loves him at the same time. He could be any boy anywhere, and here, the differences between cultures disappear, and the oneness of the people of the world is clearly shown.

One major difference between the culture Dinh writes about and American culture is how the Vietnamese are much more in tune with the natural world. Dinh, like most boys, enjoys catching insects, but when he catches a cricket, he knows much more about it than many American boys would. Dinh and his friends are more in tune with the natural world. For example, he writes, "Some trees are so old that their branches sag and sag until they reach the ground and become new trees" ("Dead" 112). The natural world is much more important in Asian culture, and so, when Asians come to America, they may not understand or approve of how so many Americans take the natural world for granted.

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Thus, there is another difference indicated by the literalities of the story, and another area where Asian-Americans may have difficulty when they settle in America. In his short story "Eight Postcards from Vietnam," Dinh poignantly writes about the poverty and hardship of his country, indicating just one reason why so many of his people want to come to America to make better lives for themselves. However, Dinh's writing also indicates that the differences in culture and ideas are sometimes not so easily overcome. Dinh spent several years in America, but ultimately returned to his own country, hardships and all. The literalities of Dinh's work are poetic, realistic, and relate to two very different cultures that must blend into one if Vietnamese are going to truly enjoy their lives in America.

In conclusion, this short story is stylistically unique, and many of the vignettes inside the story are poignant reminders that young boys everywhere share many of the same characteristics, from clashing with their fathers to drawing, chasing crickets, and playing with their friends. The differences in cultures are obvious here, too, and this short story indicates why it is so difficult for other cultures to understand and assimilate into American culture. Americans take many things for granted that are not obvious at all to many other peoples of the world......

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