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Sample Student final exam answers 2019 (2019 final exam assignment) Part 3: Model Research Reports |
LITR 4340
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Virginia Deleon
Vietnamese Immigration: Survival in Times of
War
When deciding what to write my research report on, I
dove into the literature of the course and selected some of the most compelling
works to choose from. Being a minority, and first generation American, I felt a
deep connection with the writings of both immigrants and minorities. I have
experienced first-hand the difficulties of assimilating to the dominant culture,
while at the same time trying to retain some of my own Mexican heritage. My
formative years were spent speaking English at school with my teachers and
friends, but Spanish at home with my family. I danced to songs by Tejano queen
Selena Quintanilla and American pop
princess Britney Spears. I ate hamburgers
and tortas. In retrospect, I had the best of both worlds! As a child,
however, it did not feel like it. I felt torn between two worlds. Finding my own
identity took years of courage and self-exploration. Unexpectedly, I found that
my own experiences and struggles were mirrored in the readings from immigrants
and minorities from other cultures as well. Thus, I decided to take a step into
the world of another immigrant narrative: Vietnamese Americans.
After reading Le Ly Hayslip’s powerful
Child of War, Woman of Peace I became
compelled to research the Vietnam war and the vast numbers of Vietnamese
immigrants that fled to the U.S. in the 1960’s. Like Hayslip, many other
immigrants from Vietnam came to America in search of freedom and opportunity.
According to the Migration Policy Institute, “Large-scale immigration from
Vietnam to the United States began at the end of the Vietnam War, when the fall
of Saigon in 1975 led to the U.S.-sponsored evacuation of an estimated 125,000
Vietnamese refugees” (Alperin, Batalova). The Vietnam War played a critical part
in the lives of many vietnamese immigrants like Hayslip. Immigrating to the U.S.
during this time was a task easier said than done due to the unfortunate war
sentiments by the dominant culture. Additionally, my research paper aims to
explore other tragic conflicts that occured in Vietnam during the 60’s and 70’s
that led to Vietnamese immigration. Learning about the Vietnamese immigrant
narrative can help us further understand the important role they play in the
cultural history of the U.S.
When tackling the widespread history of
Vietnamese immigration, it is critical to travel back in time to the 1970’s.
More specifically, it is important to understand the reasons for the Vietnam War
and how it became the momentum for many Vietnamese immigrants to seek refuge in
the U.S. The Vietnam War, or as it is referred to in Vietnam “the Resistance War
Against America”, was a long and expensive conflict between South Vietnam and
its ally the U.S. against the communist government of North Vietnam. This
conflict essentially developed over a number of years because Vietnam had
already been colonized by several more powerful nations (France and Japan)
leaving them vulnerable to political instability. It was in 1945, at the end of
WWII, that this instability reached its peak. According to the History Channel,
“To fight off both Japanese occupiers and the French colonial administration,
political leader Ho Chi Minh—inspired by Chinese and Soviet communism—formed the
Viet Minh, or the League for the Independence of Vietnam” (History Channel).
While communism seemed to creep through Vietnam, the Cold War was in full
throttle and the U.S. was at the forefront of the battle.
As the political turmoil in Vietnam continued
trickling across the nation, the U.S. soon found itself involved. By the 1960’s,
the U.S. was already at War with Vietnam and the casualties on both ends were
only escalating. The violent affair reached an all time low, when finally in
January 1973 the U.S. and North Vietnam came to a peace treaty, effectively
ending the war between both countries. Nonetheless, the war continued between
North and South Vietnam (which did not end until 1975). After more than two
decades of violence and bloodshed, “2 million Vietnamese were killed, while 3
million were wounded and another 12 million became refugees” (History Channel).
Warfare and violence left many Vietnamese citizens without families or homes.
This violent narrative reflects that of many New World immigrants. Even today,
many individuals attempt escaping their own war ravaged homelands in hopes of
reaching refuge. It is through such happenings that the complex relationship
between Vietnamese immigrants and their new home: America—the
nation who was to blame for part of their own demise—begins.
In Warsan Shire’s poem entitled
Home, she begins with the powerful
lines “no one leaves home unless / home is the mouth of a shark” (Shire). These
two lines reflect the awful reality many immigrants must face. Leaving home is
not something they want to do, but it is something they must do in order to
survive. In the case of many Vietnamese immigrants or refugees, for instance,
they either left their homeland or stayed and suffered. For many this was an
easy choice. In Le Ly Hayslip’s case, for instance, she was forced to immigrate
to America in order to escape violence and persecution. According to the course
site, “At length Le Ly accepts that she will not achieve the traditional, stable
marriage and family she was taught to want as a young woman in Vietnam—a family
and village life she experienced only briefly in the few years of relative peace
between the French-Vietnamese War and the American-Vietnamese War” (Course
site).
This tragic reality is one that many immigrants and refugees must face. Their
own personal desires, like marriage and children, must often be cast aside in
order to simply survive. In Hayslip’s case, she had to also think of her family
members back in Vietnam and hope to someday help them escape the violence as
well. Luckily, her future was brighter than she could have imaged while back in
Vietnam and she would soon become a successful humanitarian and author. In fact,
“As her memoir ends, she establishes a non-profit non-governmental organization,
the East Meets West Foundation, which cooperates with Vietnameses Veterans
organizations to build health clinics in Le Ly's native village and elsewhere”
(course site). For Hayslip, all of the suffering from her youth turned her into
a strong and courageous woman.
One of the biggest themes explored in American
Immigrant Literature this semester has been that of empathy. Understanding that
we can only learn about each other’s experiences by putting ourselves in
another's shoes is vital for our nation. The great American mosaic can only be
built when all of the pieces are brought together. One of the brightest and most
interesting pieces of this mosaic happens to be the group of Vietnamese
immigrants and refugees that came to the U.S. after war ravaged their homeland.
The different waves of Vietnamese immigration during this time period brought
about many individuals who wanted to find freedom and opportunity. Writers like
Hayslip and celebrities like Michelle Phan are only some of these resilient
Vietnamese-Americans who emerged from the difficulties of their homeland only to
become successful members of their communities in the U.S. Although many
Vietnamese-Americans are now third or fourth generation, meaning they have
almost completely assimilated, the strength and resilience of their ancestors
will always be part of them.
Works Cited
Alperin, Elijah, and Batalova, Jeanne. “Vietnamese
Immigrants in the United States.”
Migration Policy Institute.
https://www.migrationpolicy.org/article/vietnamese-immigrants-united-states-5
History.com Editors. “Vietnam War.”
History Channel Website.
https://www.history.com/topics/vietnam-war/vietnam-war-history
