The Late Homecomer Analysis

In her essay “On Going Home,” author Joan Didion speaks to new parents about how the experience of “going home” after starting a new family can trigger feelings of disconnection between families, old and new. Written from Didion’s own experience returning to her childhood home for her daughter’s first birthday, the essay describes her nostalgia for her previous home and how she regrets being unable to, as a mother, provide the same familial experiences she had as a child. Using relatable invention, imagery-inducing arrangement, and syntax that inspires more deliberate reading by the audience, Didion effectively convinces her readers of the familial fragmentation that occurs with the creation of a nuclear family.

Home to many people is where you live but to Didion it was where her family was. The story starts out as an innocent retelling of how it is her daughter’s first birthday and how she is celebrating it with her family down in Central Valley California. Yet as the essay goes on it starts to become a blast to the past into Didion’s childhood. She describes the family she has made and the family she came from and how there is a distinct difference

Ha’s mother is grieving the disappearance of her husband and the fall of Vietnam to Communism. The fallout of the Vietnam War causes separation for Ha and her family. Once in America, Ha finds that many in the small township move to ignore her culture and her heritage. Vietnamese culture and

The quote by Alfred Lord Tennyson “‘tis better to have loved and lost than to have never have loved at all.” is very powerful and very true. From the story How Much Land Does a Man Need? by Leo Tolstoy provides evidence of the truth of this quote and is also presented in the story The Fault in Our Stars by John Green. These two stories highlight the life lessons of loving something and losing it compared to not having had it at all. This quote can also be put into real life because everyone needs to make a few mistakes in order to learn and losing something allows for life lessons as well. Tennyson’s quote can be applied to a lot of things in life, like literature and even reality.

In the beginning stages of his life Tayo lives with his mother who spends her time getting drunk and sleeping with various men. His mom did not care for his physical or mental health and eventually sends Tayo to live with his “Auntie.” Although Auntie takes care of Tayo physically she does not make an effort to provide a nurturing environment for him emotionally. Auntie fed Tayo and gave him a place to sleep, however, she also made it clear to him that he was excluded from the family, always keeping him close enough to watch but not including him. Silko proved Tayo’s alienation in this depiction of Auntie and Tayo’s relationship, “She wanted him close enough to feel excluded, to be aware of the distance between them.” Auntie was not true to herself or her roots. She was constantly torn between maintaining a pure image and staying true to her Indian roots. She was a devout Christian and looked down on Tayo for not being full Native American. Auntie and Tayo’s mom themselves were not stable and therefore they were unable to provide stability for Tayo. His mom left the reservation but instead of making a life for herself she ended up spending all her money on alcohol and sleeping with lots of men. Tayo did not know his dad but his dad was a white man, because of this Auntie looked down on

The reader sees the battle Ha has with herself, constantly wondering what it would be like to be back home. Ha tells us, “I would choose wartime in Saigon over peacetime in Alabama.” Another example of them trying to protect and keep their culture is when they expressed to their butcher about grounding the pork, the butcher in simplest terms denied and ignored her. As for the balancing of American cultures the family attempted to do things that their culture would do, thus trying to fit in better. They get suggestions, from the cowboy, about ways they can be more accepted by their neighbors. This includes things like getting baptized in the church as well as attending church weekly. Ha did not see why she had to return to the church every single week. These are just a few of the examples in the book that add such realness to the story. Ha’s experience within the classroom is another level of truth of their

In the book The Prehistory of Home Jerry Moore discusses the importance that home structures have had for humans over time in different places of the world. He says that “In addition to their basic and fundamental function of providing shelter from natural elements, dwellings are powerful and complex concentrates of human existence… our dwellings reflect and shape our lives” (Moore, 3). He believes that homes are representations of the existence of individual humans as well as their surroundings. Jerry Moore is successful in explaining the importance of home in archaeology throughout history with colorful examples as well as a comparison of the importance of the home in the past to the importance of the home in the future.

Fadiman begins the book by introducing Lia Lee and her family, stating that they were immigrants from Hmong, now residing in Merced, California. She spoke about how Hmong traditions varied greatly from American traditions. Foua, Lia Lee’s mother, had delivered all of her children by herself and her husband, Nao Kao, was always around to provide anything that she needed. Lia Lee was the first one in her family to be born in a hospital. At the time of the birth, no one Foua knew spoke any English. Although Foua thought some things that occurred in the hospital were odd, she was happy with how everything had turned out.

There is a big connection between our family and our identity. Family shapes us into the person we become and takes a big part in developing our identity. No matter if their influence is life changeable or not, their presence in our lives is enough to create changes. In the book, Hunger of Memory, Richard Rodriguez described his life as a Mexican-American trying to adapt to the new ways of life and how this has cause him to become distant with his family. On the other hand, in the essay, “The Love of My Life”, the author Cheryl Strayed discussed the affects her mother’s death had on her and her outlook in life. Both authors can relate in terms of the importance of how family helps in shaping one into the person they become. Although identities can be self-built, our families are important in the process because they provide the support needed to build and find identity.

A main theme in this novel is the influence of family relationships in the quest for individual identity. Our family or lack thereof, as children, ultimately influences the way we feel as adults, about ourselves and

YANG, Kao Kalia. The latehomecomer : a Hmong family memoir. 1st eds. Minneapolis: Coffee House Press, Coffee House Press, 2008, 277pp. (ISBN

In every home, there is a different definition of family and how family should treat each other. Two short stories were read by an author named Flannery O’Connor. “A Good Man is Hard to Find”. It was about a dysfunctional family who encounters a criminal named “The Misfit”. The grandmother which is the main character is very judgmental towards others and sometimes her own family at times. This story starts off with a disagreement on where to go for a family trip, but they decide on going to Florida for the family trip after a while of arguing. On this trip, it showed what type of family they are. They talk about everything with one another as well as bicker and fight but at the end of the day, they are still family and love each other. They come together the most in panicking situations such as the accident and waiting for a car to help them. The point of this paper is the theme of family. Specifically, family is a theme in this short story because it depicts a dysfunctional family; the family you see on a crazy television show and can’t get enough of because they’re funny but also they have serious moments. There 's the two troublesome and annoying kids, the hot-headed dad who tries to maintain control of a situation and fails, the wife busy attending to the baby, and the grandmother, who 's a case all to herself (and also the main character). Though the story starts out seeming like a comedy, it takes a serious turn when the family encounters a criminal, who kills them

1. The author, Leslie Chang, contends that “the history of a family begins when a person leaves home”. Do you agree or disagree with this statement? Tell why, and then give examples from your own life or from published material outside this book to defend your opinion.

Also, Love must be between wisdom and ignorance. She says Socrates mistook Love to be the beloved instead of the lover and that is why he thought Love to be beautiful and good. The loved thing is perfect and beautiful.

The primary theme in Home is that of good versus evil within man. Also how man react to different situations that involve good and evil choices. There are many different examples within the text that talk about the good and evil choices of man. The time period that this novel takes place is very racist because African Americans haven’t learn the civil rights that they have today. Many examples of racist and evil acts