Jeannie Parent, Bakersfield College, and Laurie Potter, Long
Beach City College
The Power and Passion of
Narratives
CATESOL 2011
Jeannie Parent, Bakersfield College, Laurie Potter, Long Beach
City College
CATESOL 2011 Parent/Potter: The Power and Passion of Narratives
Fulbright-Hays Group Projects Abroad
Bibliography and Resources for Course Modules
Note: The following list includes literature, non-fiction, web resources and other media used
for the research and development of course modules for this project. The list includes
recommendations and references from other scholars/colleagues, including George Dutton of
UCLA, who was a presenter to the group at preparatory meetings.
Fiction
Dickason, Christie. Indochine. New York: Bantam Publishing, 1988.
Dinh, Linh. Night, Again: Contemporary Fiction from Vietnam. Seven Stories Press, 2006.
Duong, Uyen Nicole, Daughters of the River Huong. Fairfax County: Ravens Yard Publishing. 2005
Duras, Marguerite. The Lover. Boston: Pantheon Publishing, 1998.
Greene, Graham. The Quiet American. New York: Penguin Classics,1957/1996 Reprint.
Havan, John. Mandarin: A Novel of Viet Nam. Orchid Press, 2008.
Huong, Duong Thu, Paradise of the Blind. Trans. Huy Duong Phan and Nina McPherson. New
York: Harper Perennial, 2002.
Huong, Duong Thu, Novel without a Name. Trans. Huy Duong Phan and Nina McPherson. New
York: Penguin Books. 1995.
Khang, Mavan. Against the Flood. Curbstone Press, 2000.
Le, Nam, The Boat. New York: Vintage Books. 2008
Marlantes, Karl. Matterhorn: A Novel of Vietnam. Grove Press, 2010.
Nguyen, Du. The Story of Kieu. Yale University Press, 1987.
Ninh, Bao. The Sorrow of War: A Novel. London: Vintage, 1998. Trans. By Frank Palmos.
[Winner of the Independent Foreign Fiction Award]
O’Brien, Tim. The Things They Carried. Boston: Mariner Books, 2009.
Phung, Vu Trong. Dumb Luck. University of Michigan Press, 2003. (Trans. Peter Zinoman and
Nguyet Cam Nguyen).
Rabe, David, The Girl by the Road at Night. New York: Simon & Schuster. 2010.
Non-Fiction
Laurie Potter (lpotter@lbcc.edu) and Jeannie Parent (jparent@bakersfieldcollege.edu)
CATESOL 2011 Parent/Potter: The Power and Passion of Narratives
Appy, Christian G., Patriots: The Vietnam War Remembered From All Sides.New York, New York:
Penguin Books. 2003.
Bizot, Francois. The Gate. Vintage Press, 2004.
Chong, Denise. The Girl in the Picture: The Story of Kim Phuc, the Photograph, and the Vietnam
War. New York: Scribner, 2001.
Covington, Richard. “Rescuing Angkor.” Smithsonian Magazine. Vol 34, No 11, p. 42-51: Feb.
2004.
Duong, Van Mai Elliott. The Sacred Willow. Oxford University Press, USA: 2000.
Freeman, James M., Hearts of Sorrow, Vietnamese-American Lives. Stanford, CA: Stanford
University Press. 1989.
Grey, Anthony. Saigon. London: Pan Books, 1983. [“An Epic Novel of Vietnam”]
Halberstrom, David. The Best and the Brightest. Ballantine Books, 2003/2009 reprint.
Hayslip, Le Ly. When Heaven and Earth Changed Places: A Vietnamese Woman’s Journey from
War to Peach. New York: Plume/Penguin, 1990.
Him, Chanthrity. When Broken Glass Floats: Growing Up Under the Khmer Rouge. W.W. Norton
Press, 2001.
Kornfield, Jack, ed. Teachings of the Buddha. Boston: Shambhala Publications, 2007 (1993)
Lam, Andrew, East Eats West: Writing in Two Hemispheres. Berkeley: Heydey Books. 2010
Lam, Andrew. Perfume Dreams: Reflections on the Vietnamese Diaspora. Heyday Books, 2005.
Lawrence, John. The Cat From Hue. Cambridge, Mass: Perseus Books, 2002.
Mam, Somaly. The Road of Lost Innocence. Speigel and Grau Publishing, 2009.
McCain, John. The Faith of My Fathers: A Family Memoir. Harper Publishing: 1999/2008 reprint.
Moore, Harold G. & Joseph Galloway. We Were Soldiers Once...and Young: Ia Drang - the Battle
That Changed the War in Vietnam. Presidio Press, 2004.
Nath, Vann. A Cambodian Prison Portrait. White Lotus Co., Ltd, 1998.
Ngor, Haing. Survival in the Killing Fields. Basic Books, 2003.
Nguyen, Bich Minh. Stealing Buddha’s Dinner. New York: Penguin Books, 2008.
Nguyen, Kinh, The Unwanted: A Memoir of Childhood. New York: Little Brown & Co. 2000
Laurie Potter (lpotter@lbcc.edu) and Jeannie Parent (jparent@bakersfieldcollege.edu)
CATESOL 2011 Parent/Potter: The Power and Passion of Narratives
Osborne, Milton. Southeast Asia: An Introductory History. 10th ed. Crows Nest, Australia: Allen
& Unwin, 2010 (1979).
Pham, Andrew X. Catfish and Mandala: A Two-Wheeled Voyage Through the Landscape and
Memory of Vietnam. Picador Publishing, 2000.
Quintiliani, K. & Needham, S. Cambodians in Long Beach. Charleston, SC: Arcadia Publishing,
2008.
Sachs, Dana, The House on Dream Street: Memoir of an American Woman in Vietnam. Berkeley:
Seal Press. 2000.
Tram, Dang Thuy. Last Night I Dreamed of Peace: The Diary of Dang Thuy Tram. Trans. Andrew
X. Pham. New York: Three Rivers Press, 2007 [One of Chicago Tribune’s Best Books of 2007]
Yathay, Pin & David Chandler. Stay Alive, My Son. Cornell University Press, 2000.
Film/Video
Apocalypse Now
Indochine
The Lover
Heaven and Earth
The Killing Fields
Platoon
The Quiet American
A Soldier’s Sweetheart
The Vietnam War with Walter Cronkite: The World of Charlie Company
The Scent of Green Papaya
We Were Soldiers
Cambodia: Pol Pot’s Shadow (Frontline Documentary)
Enemies of the People (Khmer Rouge, 2010)
Cambodia – Year Zero (Modern History Sourcebook)
S21: The Khmer Rouge Killing Machine (Documentary)
Vietnam: Looking for Home (Frontline Documentary)
Who’ll Stop the Rain
Hamburger Hill
Good Morning, Vietnam
Laurie Potter (lpotter@lbcc.edu) and Jeannie Parent (jparent@bakersfieldcollege.edu)
CATESOL 2011 Parent/Potter: The Power and Passion of Narratives
Inside the Vietnam War: National Geographic
Rice People (Cambodia)
The Burnt Theatre (Cambodia)
Web Sites
http://www.yale.edu/cgp/ Cambodian Genocide Program
http://www.websitesrcg.com/border/index.html Thai border/refugee camp information
http://www.amnh.org/exhibitions/vietnam/ American Museum of Natural History exhibition on
Vietnam
http://www.clemson.edu/caah/history/FacultyPages/EdMoise/vsaig.html photos of Vietnam
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IN46a_PjKFM BBC documentary on Angkor Wat
www.hslb.org Hist Society of Long Beach
www.yale.edu/seas/vietpubs.htm Yale University publications of Vietnamese works
Web Sites on the war:
http://www.u-s-history.com/pages/h1880.html
http://www.fallofsaigon.org/
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-12206551
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Th%C3%ADch_Qu%E1%BA%A3ng_%C4%90%E1%BB%A9c
http://www.lib.berkeley.edu/MRC/pacificaviet.html
http://www.history.com/topics/vietnam-war
Web sites on the Story of Kieu
http://www.deanza.edu/faculty/swensson/kieu.html
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JfvfeJdluEc
http://yalepress.yale.edu/yupbooks/book.asp?isbn=0300040512
http://www.deanza.edu/faculty/swensson/bestessays_giacduyen.html
Web sites on the Sorrow of War
http://www.thingsasian.com/stories-photos/1960
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=haVr238s--4
https://facultystaff.richmond.edu/~ebolt/history398/Bao_Ninh.html
Web sites on Dumb Luck
http://www.sheridanprasso.com/LATimes%20review.htm
http://www.press.umich.edu/titleDetailDesc.do?id=12132
http://sseas.berkeley.edu/people/cv_zinoman.html
Web sites on the Paradise of the Blind
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paradise_of_the_Blind#Major_characters
http://en.academic.ru/dic.nsf/enwiki/3612679
Web sites regarding Oral Histories
Laurie Potter (lpotter@lbcc.edu) and Jeannie Parent (jparent@bakersfieldcollege.edu)
CATESOL 2011 Parent/Potter: The Power and Passion of Narratives
Baylor University: http://www.baylor.edu/oralhistory/
Columbia University: http://library.columbia.edu/indiv/ohro.html
“Texas after Violence,” a website dedicated to human rights:
http://www.texasafterviolence.org/why.oral.history
University of North Carolina: http://www.unc.edu/depts/wcweb/handouts/oral_history.html
Vicki Ruiz, at UC Irvine - profile at:
http://archive.today.uci.edu/Features/profile_detail.asp?key=110
Laurie Potter (lpotter@lbcc.edu) and Jeannie Parent (jparent@bakersfieldcollege.edu)
CATESOL 2011 Parent/Potter: The Power and Passion of Narratives
Handouts for
Connecting Cultures through
Oral Histories
Jeannie Parent
jparent@bakersfieldcollege.edu
Laurie Potter (lpotter@lbcc.edu) and Jeannie Parent (jparent@bakersfieldcollege.edu)
CATESOL 2011 Parent/Potter: The Power and Passion of Narratives
Oral History Project Release Form
I, _________________________, hereby give and grant to the ESL Department of
Bakersfield College, the absolute and unqualified right to the use of my oral history memoir
conducted by ___________________ on _________________. I understand that the purpose of
this project is to collect audio and video-taped oral histories of first-hand memories of a
particular period or event in history of a classroom project
I understand that these interviews (recordings and transcripts) will be kept by the
Bakersfield College ESL Department for the use by future students and educators. Responsibility
for reproduction, distribution, display, and the creation of derivative works will be at the
discretion of the project coordinator. I also understand that the recordings and transcripts may
be used in public presentations including, but no limited to, books, audio or video
documentaries, slide-show presentations, exhibits, articles, public performance or presentation
on the World Wide Web.
In making this contract, I understand that I am conveying to the ESL Department of
Bakersfield College all legal title and literary property rights which I have or may be deemed to
have in my interview as well as my right, title and interest in any copyright related to this oral
history interview which may be secured under the laws now or later in force and effect in the
United States of America. This gift, however, does not preclude any use that I myself want to
make of the information in these transcripts and recordings.
I herein warrant that I have not assigned or in any manner encumbered or impaired any
of the aforementioned rights in my oral memoir. The only conditions which I place on this
unrestricted gift are:
1. ______________________________________________________________________
2. ______________________________________________________________________
3. ______________________________________________________________________
__________________________
Signature of Interviewee/Donor
_________________________
Date
__________________________
Type or Print Name
__________________________
Address
_______________________________________________________________________
Laurie Potter (lpotter@lbcc.edu) and Jeannie Parent (jparent@bakersfieldcollege.edu)
CATESOL 2011 Parent/Potter: The Power and Passion of Narratives
Oral History Project
As we have seen, there are students from many cultures in this class, and you will now have an
opportunity to share yours with your classmates. You have learned how to interview others, so
now you are going to do an interview of someone you know. You will be doing an oral history of
an immigrant, preferably someone in your family, in which you inquire into your culture by
asking questions about his or her upbringing, traditions, holidays, or anything he or she wishes
to talk about. It is his or her story. Then you will transcribe the interview, summarize and
present it to the class, and finally, write a short essay about the experience.
Steps involved in the project:
1) Equipment: you will need to use your audio recording equipment – the mp3 or digital
recorder.
2) Choose your contact; ideally it should be a family member who has immigrated here. If
you don’t have an immediate immigrant family member here, you can get another
immigrant story, perhaps a story of the life of a friend or neighbor. But the interview
MUST BE IN ENGLISH!
3) Set up the location and time of the interview. It needs to be in a quiet location without
TV, music, or crying babies that will distract you or the interviewee. Also, the recording
will pick up background noises and you won’t be able to hear the interviewee’s answers
to your questions.
4) Interview process:
 Most important, get permission. Have the interviewee sign the release form. I would
like to be able to use these oral histories to show future students, so your subjects
must give permission.
 First, give an introduction into the microphone which includes the date, location,
and names of interviewer (yourself) and interviewee.
 An oral history interview is not a dialogue between the two of you. You are listening
to what your family member has to say. That person should talk more than you do.
 Ask open-ended questions first (what, why, how, where, when, who). Use follow-up
questions only to pursue details. Do not ask yes/no questions or questions that elicit
one word answers.
 You may take notes even if you are recording, but don’t let note-taking disrupt the
flow of what the person is saying.
 Eye contact and active listening are important!
 Give the interviewee time to answer questions; don’t jump in to fill in awkward
silences.
 If this is a person you know well, don’t agree or disagree with a memory. Let the
person talk; it’s his or her history – not yours.
 Keep it short, to 15-20 minutes. Otherwise the transcription will take too long. You
can do a longer oral history for your family later – and maybe even make a scrap
book.
Laurie Potter (lpotter@lbcc.edu) and Jeannie Parent (jparent@bakersfieldcollege.edu)
CATESOL 2011 Parent/Potter: The Power and Passion of Narratives
Finish recording by_____________. Bring recording to class so that you can start typing
the transcription in the lab.
5) Processing recording: As soon as the interview is over, download the recording to the
computer or a flash drive so you won’t lose the information. Label the information.
6) Sample Questions: (You may think up other questions also.) Do NOT ask them all! Just
ask few questions, depending on how the person answers, and let the person talk. The
interview should be 20-30 minutes but no longer than 30 minutes.
 Describe your favorite holiday traditions, family get togethers, etc.
 Describe your experience adapting to the U.S.?
 What is your favorite childhood memory?
 What was your experience like going to school as a child?
 What did you do for entertainment when you were growing up?
 Where did you meet your spouse? How old were you? How long did you know
each other before you got married?
 Describe a traditional job in your culture (if you have had one).
 Describe your journey to the U.S.
 Others: _____________________________________________
 ___________________________________________________
7) There may be painful moments during the interview that you hadn’t expected, so bring
a box of tissues, and be respectful. Don’t just end the interview if someone becomes
tearful. Take a break and come back if you have to.
8) Transcribe the interview; that is, write up the questions and answers EXACTLY as they
are. That is, do not correct grammar or stammering. For example, it may look like this:
Maria:
Grandpa:
Describe your favorite holiday.
Well, let’s see. I like New Years. It’s like this day when, you know, like all
the family get together. Well, first we go see our grandparents, and
then…
Don’t change the words. Type exactly what the person says.
Transcription is DUE _______________ . (Turn in a copy. Keep a copy for yourself.)
9) Present to the class a summary of the interview, with reflection, _________________
10) Write a short essay of the Oral History interview. Include the story into your essay, and
make a point about what you have learned from listening to your family member’s
story.
Essay is DUE _________________
Laurie Potter (lpotter@lbcc.edu) and Jeannie Parent (jparent@bakersfieldcollege.edu)
CATESOL 2011 Parent/Potter: The Power and Passion of Narratives
Oral History Project
Oral History Presentation (due _________)
You will need to do a PowerPoint presentation of a summary of the oral history
interview you did with a family member or friend, including pictures of the person,
place, and cultural artifacts. This should not be a retelling of every question and answer
in the interview. Instead, summarize the main points and interesting details of the
interview.
1) Introduce the person by giving his or her name and background information.
2) Explain what you were interested in finding out from this person. In other words,
what was the purpose of your interview? What types of questions did you ask? Did you
ask about his or her favorite cultural traditions? Or did you ask about his or her
childhood memories?
3) Summarize the interviewee’s main ideas. Do not quote exactly; paraphrase what the
person told you. However, if the person gave an interesting, funny, or moving anecdote,
you may include details. In addition, if he or she said something clever, touching, or
funny, you can include that as a quote.
4) Conclude with your opinion of the interview. Was it interesting? Fun? Surprising?
Would you do an interview again?
Note: In the PowerPoint slides, do not include too many words on each slide. It makes
the audience tired to read too much, and the audience also does not listen to the
speaker; instead they are busy trying to read your slide.
Also, DO NOT READ your PowerPoint slides while presenting. Know your speech well,
and glance down at the computer periodically instead. That way, you can address your
audience instead of looking up at the screen.
Laurie Potter (lpotter@lbcc.edu) and Jeannie Parent (jparent@bakersfieldcollege.edu)
CATESOL 2011 Parent/Potter: The Power and Passion of Narratives
Oral History Essay: (due _________)
The essay will be similar to the oral presentation, but typed and double-spaced. It will
consist of four paragraphs:
1) Introduce the person you interviewed. Give his or her name and background
information. How do you know this person? Describe the place and time of your
interview.
2) Explain the purpose of your interview; what were you interested in finding out about
the person? What kinds of questions did you ask? (However, do not list the questions.)
3) Summarize the answers of your interviewee, but do not quote all of the person’s
answers. Also, give a few details about anything in the oral history which will illustrate
the main ideas more clearly. However, you may quote the person here, if he or she said
something memorable.
4) Conclude with a reflection of what you have learned by doing this interview – not
about the person, but about culture, relationships, family, adaption, or something more
general. You may also include thoughts on how you would do such an interview
differently if you were to do it again, or if you were to collect an oral history on your
family for personal reasons. This conclusion is more in depth (and different) than the
conclusion of the oral presentation.
Laurie Potter (lpotter@lbcc.edu) and Jeannie Parent (jparent@bakersfieldcollege.edu)
CATESOL 2011 Parent/Potter: The Power and Passion of Narratives
Name ________________
Oral History Project
Transcript Evaluation
Always Often
5
4
Sometimes
3
Rarely
Not at
all 1
2
1. Includes introduction with date,
location, and person’s name.
2. It is clear from transcript who is
speaking: interviewer or interviewee.
3. Interviewer does mostly listening, not
much talking.
4. Questions are appropriate and open
ended, not just yes/no questions
requiring one word answers.
5. Verbal encouragement is given through
“Very interesting,” and “I see,” etc.
6. Interviewee’s story is appropriate (on
topic) for the assignment.
7. Transcript includes enough details and
information for a complete story – it’s
long enough.
8. Includes conclusion: interviewer thanks
interviewee for his/her time.
Total Points
(40 possible)
Grade:
Laurie Potter (lpotter@lbcc.edu) and Jeannie Parent (jparent@bakersfieldcollege.edu)
CATESOL 2011 Parent/Potter: The Power and Passion of Narratives
Oral vs. Written Language
There are some expressions and words that are used in conversation that we do not use
when we write. It is important to know the difference and to use academic or more
formal and precise language when writing. This exercise will help you recognize the
difference and learn to use words that are appropriate for written English and learn
which words you can leave out of your essay.
Oral/Colloquial Language
Written Equivalents
I was like ten years old
I was about ten years old.
It is like you have your own classmates.
They have their own classmates.
You are kinda on your own.
They are somewhat on their own.
me and my mom . . .
my mother and I . . .
kids
children
these guys
some people (or young men)
you know
(no equivalent; leave it out)
my grandma, she came. . .
my grandmother came. . .
we’re gonna. . .
we (they) are going to . . .
they wanna . . .
they want to. . .
cuz
because
I mean I moved. . .
I (she) moved (leave out “I mean”)
Well, I think it’s important . . .
He thinks it is important. .
I been here 2 years.
years.
I have (she has) been here two
It’s nice – whatever.
It is nice.
A lot of stuff
many pieces of clothing/furniture
hanging out with friends
socializing with/associating with
Others: ______________________
_____________________________
_____________________________
_____________________________
Laurie Potter (lpotter@lbcc.edu) and Jeannie Parent (jparent@bakersfieldcollege.edu)
CATESOL 2011 Parent/Potter: The Power and Passion of Narratives
Directions: Below are some sentences taken from Oral History transcripts. Change them
into written language that could be used in an essay. Be sure to change the pronoun “I”
to “he” or “she” and use an appropriate verb tense. You may change other words,
shorten the sentences or combine them.
Example:
You know, I was so scared when I saw the dog cuz it was barking.
He was very scared when he saw the dog because it was barking.
1. Well, I think it’s a nice place. I mean I like it here.
2. Okay, this is 2004. Me and my dad, my little brother, and my aunt decide to
come to the U.S.
3. Wow. It [the U.S.] is very free. It’s like peaceful for me.
4. You know, like. . . okay, this is what a Korean student does. . . like when they are
in high school, they study!
5. I studied for my Bachelors and so it was about – I don’t know – let me see, three
years ago, but I stopped going. . . that’s not what I wanna do now, so now I’m
gonna be going back to school, but for culinary arts.
6. There were a lot of experiences that I had [in the U.S.] that were – you know –
really fun. . . we got to hang out with my grandpa, my dad and my uncles.
Laurie Potter (lpotter@lbcc.edu) and Jeannie Parent (jparent@bakersfieldcollege.edu)
CATESOL 2011 Parent/Potter: The Power and Passion of Narratives
Name __________________
Oral History Presentation
Directions: Listen to your classmates and take notes on their speeches. Write down one thing you learn
from their presentation and one question. You will be graded on your listening skills.
1. Presenter’s name _________________________Topic: _____________________________
Something of interest: ________________________________________________________
Question: _____________________________________________________________ _____
2. Presenter’s name _________________________Topic: ______________________________
Something of interest: ________________________________________________________
Question: __________________________________________________________________
3. Presenter’s name _________________________Topic: _____________________________
Something of interest: ________________________________________________________
Question: __________________________________________________________________
4. Presenter’s name _________________________Topic: _____________________________
Something of interest: ________________________________________________________
Question: __________________________________________________________________
5. Presenter’s name _________________________Topic: _____________________________
Something of interest: ________________________________________________________
Question: __________________________________________________________________
6. Presenter’s name _________________________Topic: _____________________________
Something of interest: ________________________________________________________
Question: __________________________________________________________________
7. Presenter’s name _________________________Topic: _____________________________
Something of interest: ________________________________________________________
Question: __________________________________________________________________
8. Presenter’s name _________________________Topic: _____________________________
Something of interest: ________________________________________________________
Question: __________________________________________________________________
9. Presenter’s name _________________________Topic: _____________________________
Something of interest: ________________________________________________________
Question: __________________________________________________________________
10. Presenter’s name _________________________Topic: ____________________________
Something of interest: ________________________________________________________
Question: __________________________________________________________________
Laurie Potter (lpotter@lbcc.edu) and Jeannie Parent (jparent@bakersfieldcollege.edu)
CATESOL 2011 Parent/Potter: The Power and Passion of Narratives
Evaluation for Individual Presentations
Presenter____________________________
Topic _______________________________
Criteria
4-Excellent
3-Good
2-Average
1-Needs to
Improve
Introduction grabbed
attention
Speech was well prepared
Introduction included a
clear point
Organization was clear
and logical
Speaker stayed within the
time limit
Evidence was given and
sources were cited
Pronunciation: clarity
Pronunciation: use of
intonation patterns
Pronunciation: use of
thought groups and
pauses
Visual aids were effective
Body language and eye
contact were appropriate
Notes were used without
distracting the audience
Spoke with appropriate
volume & speed
Comments: ____________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________
Grade: ________________
Laurie Potter (lpotter@lbcc.edu) and Jeannie Parent (jparent@bakersfieldcollege.edu)
CATESOL 2011 Parent/Potter: The Power and Passion of Narratives
ORAL HISTORY PROJECT
I had an informal interview with my uncle on June 29 th, 2009 after our dinner at
home. My uncle is Mr. Hung Le. He’s 48 years old. He has been in America for 26 years.
He lived in Los Angeles 3 years ago and now he lives in Bakersfield with his wife and his
16-year-old son.
I asked him to describe his trip to the United States and I also want to know why
a lot of people at that time had a desire to move to another foreign country.
He told me that was not a trip but was an escape. He escaped to the United
States on June 1982 with his younger brothers, who were 19 and 17, and he was 21
years old. They had to pay a large amount of money for an escape on a small boat. After
a long journey, they came to Indonesia and stayed at refugee camp for 14 months.
Finally, he came to the United States on August 1983. When he first came to America,
he was really happy because three of them were still alive. The reason why they had to
escape to America is because they had no rights, freedom and they even didn’t know
how to make a living when the war between Vietnam and America was over, especially
for citizens who live in South area.
It was so risky to escape to America at that time because if they were caught by
the Government, their whole family would be arrested and sent to concentration
camps. However, a lot of people still escaped from the country in a search for peace,
freedom and stable future. Most of people who live in South area had no rights and they
lived under pressure. In their quest for freedom, they prepared the trip with the
willingness to give up everything, including their lives. The journey was full of risks, such
as running out of water, food, fuel for boat, thunderstorm, tornado on the sea. On the
other hand, the most dangerous concern of an escape is the pirates. The pirates would
kill men by shooting them, throwing them overboard. All of women were raped and
then they were killed or taken as slaves or prostitutes. Many Vietnamese lost their lives
to this tragedy.
Laurie Potter (lpotter@lbcc.edu) and Jeannie Parent (jparent@bakersfieldcollege.edu)
CATESOL 2011 Parent/Potter: The Power and Passion of Narratives
The story of my uncle is an example of many Vietnamese in their quest for
freedom at that time. The fortunate people can live in America or another foreign
country. In contrast, the unfortunate people gave their lives to sea and their bodies
have never been found. This misfortune is the saddest memory they’ve never forgot in
their whole life.
After this emotional story, I realized that I’m so lucky when I was born at a
peaceful and modern society. I also have a chance to go to the United States not for an
escape but for studying abroad. I had a good opportunity to widen my knowledge as
well as learn more about new cultures. I have my instructors and my friends help me
and my family supports me a lot. All of them are really nice and adorable. I really
appreciate that. Thank you very much for everything!
Laurie Potter (lpotter@lbcc.edu) and Jeannie Parent (jparent@bakersfieldcollege.edu)
CATESOL 2011 Parent/Potter: The Power and Passion of Narratives
Laurie Potter (lpotter@lbcc.edu) and Jeannie Parent (jparent@bakersfieldcollege.edu)