Essay Questions

What was the Vietnam War?

The narrator in the first story, ""Open Arms’’ fought in the Vietnam War alongside the Australians. He talks briefly about the people who died as a result and of the families and villages killed because of the war. The war started in 1955 and it lasted more than 19 years, until 1975. The war was between two ideologies: communism and democracy. The country was divided into two parts, South and North Vietnam, each part being supported by communist and anti-communist countries. America and Australia got involved as well, entering the war and fighting for the South Vietnam part while the Soviet Union and China fought for the Northern part. The Northern part eventually won and America and Australia were forced to retreat. Many Vietnamese soldiers who fought for the Southern part sought refuge in Australia and America, knowing that they will be executed because of their involvement. Thus, the narrator ends up living in America and reading about the situation of his home country in the newspapers. It is implied that the situation in Vietnam worsened after the Northern part won the war.

Why does the narrator claim that the grandfather escaped from prison in the story "The Trip Back’’?

At the end of the Vietnam War, the democratic forces lost and the country was ruled by a communist regime. Those who fought on the other side were in danger and thus many people fled from the country and sought refuge in other places. After the country became controlled by communism, everything from homes to lands was taken by the state. Free trade no longer existed and in a short period of time a large population of the country was starving even though they were living in fertile parts of the country. Anyone who dared to speak against the ruling class could be sent to work camps, harassed by police or imprisoned. The normal population suffered and continues to suffer under communist ruling and as a result many decided to escape even if it is considered illegal and those who are caught risk being severely punished. In many ways thus, the country was like a prison, holding its citizens inside against their will and abusing them for the benefit of a few. Those who did escape from the country considered themselves lucky and wanted to bring their families with them as well, making sure they have a chance at a better life.

What is a "bargirl’’ and why are such individuals significant to the narrative?

The narrator in the story "Fairy Tale’’ is a woman who used to work as a bargirl in Vietnam. When she meets an American soldier who promises her to take her to America and promises to make her his wife, she dreams of becoming a housewife and having no longer to work as a bargirl. During the Vietnam War, women who prostituted themselves tried to find customers in the bars frequented by American soldiers. In time, those women became known as bargirls and some bars even employed those women and the prostituted were able to make some more money by selling drinks to their customers before sleeping with them. This practice still exists today in Vietnam, many women working in bars as hostesses while also sleeping with their customers.