Devastation of War - Research Paper Example

Devastation of War The poem “refugee ship” is more explicit about one being a stranger to her own ethni A mother whodid not like the idea of her daughter being a slave to the Spanish culture and as such tried to keep the daughter in the darkness about her ethnicity brought up the girl. The mother did not teach the girl about the culture neither did she teach her about the language. The grandmother of the girl tries to do what the mother did not do by trying very hard to teach her the culture and the language so that she can be conversant with the Spanish lifestyle (Chmidt and Crockett, 5). Though she tries to learn, she struggles to pronounce the words though that was expected, as she had no up bringing on that matter. The girl feels so confused and hence feels trapped between the kind of personality her mother raised her to be and who she is expected to be by the society. She is conflicted because is a refugee from two different cultures and the "ship...will never dock..." because the ship represents her life and she must live that life to become what she is to be. In the poem the “refugee ship”, a picture is painted of one who is confused because of the two cultures she has to deal with (Chmidt and Crockett, 5). In fact, she does not know what the meaning of the things mean and misuses some words inappropriately. She voices her frustrations while talking about the ship never docking. In fact, it can be deduced that she is culturally homeless. This poem provides a clear picture of what could have happened as a result of immigration. Learning another culture would be difficult as one would not be aware of what he or she becomes as a result of the confusion that emanates from not being able to comprehend the other culture and master it for the sake of survival. The poem “refugee ship” is a classical picture that tries to paint a picture of the experience of the Vietnamese while using the boat as a transportation mode (Chmidt and Crockett, 5). An in-depth analysis of the poem would paint a picture of what happened from a different perspective. In the poem, there is a granddaughter and the grandmother trying to get along, but one major challenge is that they are not in agreement as they cannot understand one another because of the language barrier. It seems though that the two are in a different world. This paints a picture of the Vietnamese during the time of fleeing the devastations of war. As an immigrant the first challenge one would face is the problem of communication as one is not a position to talk back because they cannot understand. During the war that turned the Vietnamese as refugees and immigrants, majorities were exceptionally affected. The culture shock was one of such that was a big challenge. At that time, racism was also a major issue and thus, they had no choice, but to face the challenges that came with their new status are immigrants. Canada was one of those countries that hosted a number of immigrants from Vietnam. For instance, if any of the refugees or immigrants looked at the poem refugee ship, then it would remind them who they were in the past and how they acquired their status. As refugees, the Vietnamese lost a lot in terms of cultural preservation and development in life. For example, many children missed some important stages of childhood at the time of war, as some could not enjoy or have the privilege of growing up with their friends a factor that is very important for childhood development. Some could not also attend school and it therefore meant they lagged behind as their ability to read and write were not enhanced. A major devastation of was the traumatic experiences of war. War has the staggering capacity to destabilize a society in a short time. Many individuals who were aware and unaware of the war have felt the devastation of that combat. A lot of people were forced to flee from their native home because the war had become a serious issue and lose of life had become eminent. Almost 2.5 million people were said to have lost their lives with many more millions being displaced. At that time, one common law was that no one had to leave the country to go anywhere as the communist government prohibited this. It is critical to note that Vietnam was divided into two. One wing was leaning towards China and the other was basically guided by the communistic regime. Any time a full scale erupts, the people are set to suffer as they are likely to be caught up in the war. Initially, the Vietnamese had a stable society with a rich culture and a lot of things to desire before the war. The uniqueness of their operations and what they did was well in order. The war destroyed all the foundations already established by the people, thus, the instability. A visible outcome of the war was the displacement of families and this was traumatic in the sense that many who had lost their valuable things had to start a totally different life. Some were transformed into poor people simply because of the war (Nghia-M, 10). For instance, some had seen many people being killed and thus, such like memories would remain in their minds for a long time. The stigma that comes with one being a refugee was also a serious issue for the Vietnamese. The effects of this displacement I believe must have affected the family, as they had to start from scratch in terms of building their lives and the fact that they were immigrants was even worse for them (Thuy and Fischman p. 30). Compared to other children, the traumatic experiences must have affected the several people even into adulthood, and this is testimony when many of the Vietnamese try to reflect on the days when they experienced the devastations. The Vietnamese must have suffered gravely through the devastations of war and thus, it must have affected their way of life and how they do things. From the time the war ended, many Vietnamese have gone back to have a sensation of the impact of the devastation. This shows a people who are so much attached to their country (Nghia-M, 30). The immigration caused the people to scatter to different places some to Europe and some to Asia. Many would suggest that the Vietnamese culture was eroded from the time of war and even in the time of immigration. The traditional cultural practices must have been lost to those who got displaced. Anyone trying to understand the Vietnamese must understand them from three points of view. Understanding from the period before the war, during the war and the post war period would provide a holistic approach in drawing conclusions that are well informed. War erodes the stability of a society and the people as a whole and the effects of war are very grave. Works Cited: Nghia-M. -Vo, The Vietnamese Boat People, 1954 and 1975 - 1992. Jefferson, NC: McFarland & Company, 2006. Print. Schmidt, Jan Z, and Lynne Crockett. Portable Legacies: Fiction, Poetry, Drama, Nonfiction. Boston: Wadsworth Cengage Learning, 2013. Print. Thuy, Kim, and Sheila Fischman. Ru. Toronto: Vintage Canada, 2012. Print. Read More