While Lucy's treatment was unjust, her reaction can hardly be described as "polite." Her reaction to the nun's question effectively solidified the nun's view that Vietnamese people were impolite.
Lucy mentions that she often had nightmares about Vietnam. How do the experiences of other immigrants compare to hers? Many Korean immigrants felt strong ties back to Korea during Japanese occupation and especially Word War II. What effect can this have on assimilation into American culture? Lucy mentions how she often felt like an outsider. Could this be due to the tie she felt back to Vietnam, even if it was negative?
Nguyen's introduction is masterfully done, beginning on the first page with a utopian depiction of his life and relationship with Meo, which he then yanks away sharply right at the beginning of the next page. The intended effect of drawing the reader in allowing him/her to experience in part what he experienced is successful.
I wonder how the curriculum of Nguyen's school changed once the communists took control of South Vietnam. Less children were attending, due to many being barred because of their family's "involvement" with the former government."
The end portrayal of Ly seems fairly romanticized. It rings of the conclusion to teenage novel. A negative consequence of this is that it limits how seriously one can take the essay. It would have been a much more insightful piece of work had Ly written it herself.
What could the long-term plans of the Khmer Rouge have possibly been, killing off all the professionals. Did Pol Pot have any plans whatsoever to establish a stable country? Around the same time, we also saw Mao Zedong's government set to eliminate intellectuals and certain people in positions of power, which as they found out, isn't such a great idea if your goal it to actually run an entire country.
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