Finding Peace and Letting Go

Chapters 13&14

Term: didactic

In the last two chapters of When Heaven and Earth Changed Places, Le Ly is still troubled by her family's separation after the years that she lived in America. Le Ly would like for her family to resolve their differences. On April 10, 1986, Le Ly and Tinh were preparing a farewell dinner for Le Ly. At this farewell dinner, Le Ly's family gathers to wish her luck on her journey back to America. As everyone in Le Ly's family is talking casually, one of Tinh's children comes up to Le Ly and says that Auntie Ba has come to eat supper with them. At first, Le Ly is in disbelief because Ba and Mama Du do not get along well at all. Le Ly ran over to where Mama Du was sitting and had thanked her for what she had done. Mama Du had told Le Ly, "It seemed like the right thing to do, Bay Ly. I got to thinnking about it last night. I asked myself, 'What good does it do to teach Bay Ly about charity and forgiveness if you've forgotten those things yourself?' What an old hen I've become, feuding with my number-two daughter while my own life dribbles away--water from a leaky cold jug! And what was I teaching Ba in the process, eh? How to hold a grudge? 'No,' I decided, 'that simply won't do.' So here we are..." Mama Du had taught Le Ly a valuable lesson. She told Le Ly that all she had done was feud with her daughter, and she lost years with her that could have been spent forming a beautiful relationship. Mama Du's response to Le Ly was didactic in the sense that it taught Le Ly a lesson. It taught her how to live with love instead of hate, courage instead of fear, and hope instead of despondency. All of these lessons were applied in Le Ly's life, and because of these lessons, Le Ly was a remarkable woman. 

Finding a Family

Chapter 12

Term: dilemma

Since Le Ly was without a job, she had been offered a job as a waitress. It was through this job that she had met a man named Jim. She showed him where she worked and Jim had come to watch her work and she had said this, "I told him I had learned, if nothing else, that a "regular life"-one with work and wages and self-respect-if not very glamorous, was for me." After talking to Le Ly, Jim had said that he was looking in Danang for a woman who would take care of him, and that woman was Le Ly. She was hesitant at first because of how fast things were moving, like in the war. Also, Le Ly was still hurt by her experience with Red. However, Le Ly and Jim lived happily together, but Le Ly kept having a recurring dream that haunted each time she dreamt it. The dream involved Jim driving a jeep, but he would not slow down no matter how loudly Le Ly cried. After these dreams is when Jim started to exhibit alarming behavior. Jim had been out drinking quite a bit with his friends and one night he had come home and was choking Le Ly. She was struggling for air and trying to break free from Jim's grip. The next day Le Ly had told a man in a jeep what happened to her that night and he drove her to a station. Jim was then relocated and had to move away from Le Ly. Once again, someone in Le Ly's life disappointed her and left her lonely. Throughout the past few chapters, Le Ly has had a recurring dilemma. She is left alone and without a man for her son to look up to. Le Ly has struggled with finding someone who can care for her and her son. However, whenever someone else comes into her life, she tries to be as open as she can. Le Ly is trying very hard to create a better life for her son and herself.

Almost in Paradise

Chapter 11

Term: argument

Le Ly begins working at the hospital in Danang in chapter eleven. She is thrilled to be working here because the staff at the hospital is very kind and she has a sense of self satisfaction in the work she is doing. " As good as I felt about being able to support my mother and son through honest wages, I felt even better about doing so in a way that helped other people and hurt no one in the process." Le Ly had said these words after she had been working in the hospital for only a day. However, after a few more days Le Ly had noticed that one of the Vietnamese administrator's was showing an interest in Le Ly, and she was not interested in him at all. Thankfully, one of her colleagues, Red, was able to get her moved to a different part of the hospital. Red began to show an interest in Le Ly also, and Le Ly was a little bit unsure of Red at first, but she began to have feelings for him. After seeing Red for awhile, he had gotten Le Ly to quit her job at the hospital and get a job as a dancer for a night club. Le Ly did not want to do this job and she left Red. Now Le Ly was unemployed and lonely. When Le Ly trusted Red the way that she did, she was doing something that would have normally been outside of her comfort zone; consequently, she was hurt when her relationship with Red ended. In fact, their relationship ended with an argument. This argument involved Red calling Le Ly names and this particularly hurt Le Ly, but she was glad to be out of Red's control and back into a world where she was comfortable. 

Getting in an argument is something that everyone has done. Sometimes relationships are broken because of arguments. When I read this chapter, I thought of how some people hold grudges after arguments, and they should not do that if they ever want to mend broken relationships. However, people need to know the kind of relationships that could get them in trouble later. Le Ly knew that Red was trouble so she abandoned the relationship.

Power on Earth

Chapter 10

Term: anecdote

Le Ly decides that she will leave Vietnam in Chapter ten. This decision was not easy for her to make because she wanted to keep her son safe, but she also wanted to make sure that her mother would be taken care of by her older sisters. Le Ly had earned about four hundred American dollars one day from a man who had been dubbed the name "Big Mike." He had helped her get the money by pleasing GI soldiers who were about to return home. Le Ly was not pleased with her actions at this point in her life, but she knew the money would help her family in more ways than she could imagine. Later on, Le Ly realized that she would need to get a better job in order to have a legitimate reason for earning so much money. She had received a job at the hospital in Danang.

After Le Ly's reunion with her mother was cut short on the account of Bon Nghe's exit, Le Ly and Anh had to make it back to the hotel for a metting at a restaurant with party officials, Xa and Long. The purpose of the meeting is for Xa and Long to figure our where the Vietnamese people in the States feel about the socialist republic. Le Ly's response would be classified as an anecdote: "Most of them are still hurt and angry. They are ho khong chap nhan che do cong san-they cannot accept their country under communism. Not everyone who served in the army or the government or worked for the Americans was corrupt. Many were and still are fine patriots who will always love their country. Most of them have relatives in Vietnam whom they're worried about. In '75, remember, even the honest ones lost everything. Because of this, they seldom smile. It's hard for them to start over-to make the most of American life. Even now, they refer to liberation, your chao mung victory holiday, as mat nuoc [the day we lost the country] - a day of mourning and resentment. And that's how many of them act: like children who are still grieving for lost parents." This response said that even though the war had been over for quite awhile, the feelings from the war were still alive.

Daughters and Sons

Chapter 9

Term: round character

In this chapter, Le Ly is reunited with her mother after moving to America. She is back at Tinh's house where her mother asks questions about Le Ly's life since she had left Vietnam. Le Ly had also seen Bon Nghe the night before, but they had to pretend they had not seen each other because of Le Ly's strict visiting privileges. As Le Ly looks at her mother she observes this: "Tears glisten in my mother's eyes as they now pour from mine. Still, I do not yet have her permission to hug her and hold her and cry out all the tears I've been saving for all these years." Le Ly is saying how even though her mother is right in front of her, she is still somehow out of reach. Her mother still has not quite come to terms with the fact that her youngest Bay Ly is right in her midst. As Le Ly and her mother continue talking about the family, Le Ly brings up her sister Ba, and suddenly Le Ly's mother seems to shy away from the subject. She had lost contact with Ba and disapproved of her husband Chin. Later on, Tinh tells Le Ly that Mama Du will soon look past Ba's differences. That same night Bon Nghe comes back to Tinh's to visit everyone including Mama Du. He explains how at first, he was unsure of how he felt about Le Ly coming back to visit. He had worried that America had changed her for the worst; however, he never does accept any of Le Ly's gifts that she had brought back from America. This chapter revolves around Mama Du, a round character. At the beginning of the book, she had shown concern for her children, but also knew how to help them develop. Now, the title of the chapter is appropriate because her daughters and sons are ultimately the lights of her life. Le Ly seeing her mother was something Le Ly wanted to happen on her trip back to Vietnam, and even though her mother had a difficult time showing it, Mama Du was happy to see Le Ly. This is part of how Mama Du's round character evolved. Before, she was able to show her emotion quite easily, especially when she was angry, but now, she has become more content with her life. 

Sisters and Brothers

Chapter 8

Term: declarative sentence

At this point in the book, Le Ly has returned to her Ky La to be reunited with her family. She has seen her sister Hai, and her daughter Tinh, and Tinh's family. Le Ly is thrilled to see a part of her family that she has been missing for years. Le Ly begins to think that she is putting her family in danger by being at their home because she is afraid the Communist informers or the government will see that they are keeping an American in their home, but Le Ly is willing to abandon her American lifestyle in order to keep her family out of jeopardy. 

After Le Ly's father had died, Le Ly had started to become more aware of the things going on around her such as a popular business at the time: slave traffic in Vietnamese girls. Le Ly could not quite wrap her head around the fact that these women were just being being sold off as merchandise, often complete with pictures to describe what was being bought. Le Ly observed the different types of prostitutes and hookers in comparison with other kinds. The one thing that had really bothered Le Ly about these businesses was the aftermath. One day, she had found a mutilated woman in a box in an American trash pile. She could she was a prostitute by the clothing that the young woman wore. This distressed Le Ly because she believed that humans should be treated with integrity. She was extremely upset to see the types of corruption taking place. The fact that both of these particular flashbacks take place in the same chapter is appropriate. Le Ly's family was never involved in any type of business like the ones mentioned. Her family took pride in their name and would never do anything to demote themselves. Le Ly had said in chapter eight, "Throughout all this, these were the people I admired most; those who kept up their spirits and did their best for themselves and their loved ones, no matter what happened. I patterned my life on what they taught me." This  group of declarative sentences is very powerful because it gave me an idea of who Le Ly's inspirations truly were. She surrounded herself with people who kept their spirits up. This reminds me of how I like to surround myself with positive influences. I like to be around people who will bring me up and not tear me down, which is exactly what Le Ly did. The song "My Wish" by Rascal Flatts makes me think of someone always being there. I thought of how Le Ly had people around her who had her best interest in mind which is the purpose of this song.

A Different View

Chapter 7

Term: theme

The theme of this chapter is learning to see things differently. In this chapter, Le Ly learns to have a new perspective on all things that would appear to be negative. When I thought about this chapter, I thought of optical illusions, which require an open mind in order to see the picture in its entirety. The picture above is an optical illusion that can be seen as two different pictures. In this chapter, Le Ly goes back to visit her father in Ky La. When she arrives at his house, he is badly beaten and in poor condition. He explains to her that the Americans came by and saw that he had a large bunker (this is where their family would hide for periods of time during the war). The Americans had assumed that since the bunker was so big, Le Ly's father was hiding Viet Cong members inside of the bunker. Her father said it was bad luck that he was beaten. He said the war was all about bad luck and bad karma. Once her father was well, he would come by to visit Le Ly and Hung, her son. Later on, however, Le Ly's father had tried to poison himself because he was lonely without family. He had died and this brought much grief to Le Ly's family. As the family went through the funereal ceremonies Le Ly had thought this about her family's actions after her father's death, "No matter how we mourned, though, we made it clear in our hearts (and to others when we helped them) that each charitable act we did was in the name of Phung Trong, so that his passage from hell to heaven would be hastened." This chapter's theme truly is viewing tragedy with a new perspective. Even though Phung Trong's death left Le Ly's family in grief, they were able to be happier that through their actions, Phung would reach happiness. Every now and then, everyone needs to look at situations in life from a different view. 

A Question of Faith

Chapter 6

Term: pathos

After Le Ly had been kick out of Anh and Lien's house, she had decided to change her mindset. On the flight to Danang she had said to herself, "Then, what I lacked in faith I made up for in hope." Even if her faith had led her down this path, she could always hope for a brighter tomorrow. This chapter is about Le Ly wondering if her faith will be able to serve her or if she will need more hope than faith in order to create a brighter future. When they had arrived in Danang, they had decided that it would be best if Le Ly could stay with her sister, Lan, who also lived in Danang. Le Ly would be able to stay there as long as she did chores and ran errands for Lan in exchange for a place to sleep. Lan was nothing but mean to Le Ly while she stayed at Lan's house. It seemed to Lan that Le Ly could not do anything right, and Lan was always scolding Le Ly. After Lan had enough of her sister's shenanigans, Le Ly was kicked out of Lan's house. Lan had let Le Ly back into her house a few days later because their father was upset with bot Lan and Le Ly. He was upset with Lan for kicking Le Ly out of her house when Le Ly needed her most, and he was upset with Le Ly for getting pregnant without being married. He had said that he never wanted to see Le Ly again. These words hurt Le Ly like none other. After awhile, he had tried to come to Lan's apartment to make amends with Le Ly, but Le Ly hid when she heard her father at the door. Even though Le Ly had not seen her father, she was relieved to know he was not angry with her anymore. Le Ly had also given birth to a son a few days later. In order to support her son, Le Ly had a job selling souvenirs to Americans. At this point, Le Ly has much to deal with in terms of supporting herself and now supporting her son. In this chapter, the reader may feel pathos, or sympathy for Le Ly. She has now at this point given birth to a son and is in a place that is not her hometown. There is no doubt that the path will not run smoothly for Le Ly. In order for her to create a bright tomorrow, she will have to take each day at a time. This quote really describes how each person can incorporate hope into their lives: "Learn from yesterday, live for today, hope for tomorrow."-Albert Einstein. Even though Le Ly has been doubting her faith this chapter, there is one thing that cannot be shaken from her: hope. 

Losing Love

Chapter 5

Term: mood

As chapter five opens, Le Ly is older, this is during her travels as a tourist. She has a pedicab driver drive her to Anh's house to visit him after she moved to America and raised their son. As she anxiously awaits her reunion, the book goes back to Le Ly's pregnancy times. It did not take Le Ly's mother long at all to realize her daughter was pregnant. Lien had caught Le Ly praying in front of their family portraits. Since her son was a part of their family, she wanted to praise the ancestors. Le Ly had been pregnant for three months at this point, and Lien was not going to have Le Ly live in her house anymore. Anh was going to send a check every month until the baby was born in order to financially support Le Ly's medical expenses.    

In the part of the book that takes place more recently, when Le Ly is an adult, Le Ly has finally arrived at Anh's house. The house is a little run down and Anh is no longer with Lien. He is with Yen, his third wife. (Le Ly was considered his second wife.) As they catch up, Le Ly shows him pictures of their son. Anh is quite pleased with his college education he will be earning. Anh drives Le Ly back to her hotel and after their chat, Le Ly realizes something about her relationship with Anh. She realizes that her relationship with Anh was like the relationship between a brother and a sister. Which reminds her of her older brother Sau Ban. She was particularly close with Sau Ban because he was the youngest boy of the family and the one to leave home before Le Ly. Sau Ban had always spoiled Le Ly in many ways. He would always help her with her chores and make sure she was never in trouble. As Sau Ban had grown up, the Viet Cong was going to come and begin choosing people to be a part of the Viet Cong. Sau Ban had been chosen to be a part of the Viet Cong. In the war, many of the soldiers that were never heard of again were often assumed missing, never to return, or dead. When the family had not heard from Sau Ban in awhile, they had assumed he was dead. Later on, relatives had confirmed Sau Ban had died in the war. This loss was very hard for Le Ly because she was so close with Sau Ban. The mood during this chapter was saddening at parts, particularly when Sau Ban had died. The family was now worried that their father was the only man left in the family. In this chapter particularly, I could sense the mood of Le Ly as she wrote this. She knew that she could not let the death of her beloved brother get to her. She had to keep the memories close and her head held high. She learned a difficult lesson at a young age. Even though the events happening in her life were difficult to cope with, she coped with them and made the most out of her lost love.

Losing the Way

Chapter 4

Term: maxim

At the beginning of chapter four, Per is still helping Le Ly with her travels. Le Ly fills with emotion that she does not know how to handle, but she composes herself and reminds herself to stay true to herself. She says this maxim to herself at the beginning of chapter four, "Lack of awareness breeds surprise, and surprise, panic. And panic is the enemy of survival."She reminds herself not to panic and everything else will come in stride. A maxim is a concise statement offering advice. Le Ly says this in order to offer internal advice to herself. As Le Ly looks at Per, her helpful companion, she notices that his face reminds her of an old boss and her first true love, Anh. Before Le Ly and her mother were employees to Anh's family, they had to first escape. Ky La was becoming very dangerous and ever since the accusations of Le Ly's betrayal, Le Ly was in more danger than before. Le Ly and her mother were able to escape in the middle of the night and were on their way to Saigon, a very modernized city. Le Ly and her mother were able to get a job working for her mother's friend. However, this friend had a son who was interested in Le Ly and ever since Le Ly's rape, she had shown hesitation toward other men. Her resistance to Thai, the boy interested in her, ultimately led to her unemployment. Le Ly's mother was very angry, but they were eventually able to find other work. They worked for Lien and Anh, a married couple, and tended to their two children. One evening when Le Ly had to stay up to ensure Anh arrived home safely from a late-night meeting, Anh began to show an interest in Le Ly; however, Le Ly began to show an interest in Anh as well. In fact, Anh and Le Ly were in love with each other. Anh had cheated on his wife, Lien, with Le Ly and Le Ly would later give birth to a son because of this. This chapter is when Le Ly's actions truly start to shape her future. Though no one except Le Ly knows she is pregnant, this will later affect her entire family. While reading this chapter, I was reminded that every decision I make will not only affect me. I must remember that I have to choose my actions wisely. 

     

Open Wounds

Chapter 3

Term: flashback

At the end of chapter two, Le Ly is at The Embassy of the Socialist Republic where she filled out papers regarding her visit to Vietnam. She met a kind, European man named Per who will go with her to Ho Chi Minh City (the new Saigon). As Per and Le Ly talk about going back to home in chapter 3, Le Ly begins to remember that home is where one finds their heart. This book, even though it is a narrative, it consists of a plethora of flashbacks. A flashback is an insertion of an earlier event into the normal chronological order of a narrative. Many of Le Ly's flashbacks and memories of her childhood are what made her a strong woman. Le Ly was a spy, along with many other children, on behalf of the Viet Cong. In order to succeed as a spy, each person had to know all of the signals and different codes for situations. For example, one evening when the Republicans were about to move out, the signal for communicating this to everyone was hitting a broom on the roof of one's house. Each person had to also think quickly on their feet whenever they were questioned by Republicans. One night, Le Ly was out in a field when she saw Republicans making their way towards the village and she was able to alert her village by the color of her shirt. This action ultimately saved her village from a major threat. However, Le Ly was arrested and taken to the Don Thi Tran prison. Fortunately, Ba, Le Ly's sister, had a husband who was able to order for Le Ly's release from prison. After returning home, Le Ly was praised for her bravery by the village and was seen as a hero by smaller children and adults. Le Ly was later arrested and taken to My Thi torture camp, which was the torture camp feared by most. After three days of gruesome torture in the camp, Le Ly was released from the camp due to a family connection on the Republican side. The fact that Le Ly was released so soon from My Thi aroused much suspicion in her village. Many believed she had revealed secrets about the Viet Cong, and she was going to be killed because of her suspected betrayal to the Viet Cong. However, Loi and Mau, the two men who were going to kill her, raped her instead and she was taken to a relative's house after. She was not to tell anyone of her double rape and she would continue to live. After she came back to her cousin's house, she had told herself, "From now on, I promised myself, I would only flow with the strongest current and drift with the steadiest wind-and not resist. To resist, you have to believe in something." Of course Le Ly learned at a young age, if she was going to go against the majority(the current) then she would have to have a strong conviction in the opposition. This chapter showed how Le Ly had gone through tortures at camps and through rape, but these only made her stronger. This quote sums up Le Ly's experiences in chapter three: "That which doesn't kill us makes us stronger." -Friedrich Nietzsche. Even when things were nothing short of unbearable for Le Ly, she survived, and those experiences shaped her.

Fathers and Daughters

Chapter 2

Term: dialogue

In this chapter, Le Ly's relationship with her father is put into focus. Le Ly's father is the man in her life who is able to teach her a great deal about life. She talks about how he was more lenient than her mother and how he would not always know how to fix her problems, but for Le Ly, her father's support in her life was plenty. Le Ly spoke of a time when her mother had to leave for Danang and her father had to care for Le Ly. This is when Le Ly and her father became close and formed a particularly strong relationship. Le Ly's father told Le Ly stories about his brothers and sisters and their families. During this conversation, Le Ly's father had asked her if she knew what her job was: her purpose rather. She said that her job was to kill the enemy, avenge her family, and become a woman warrior. After this response her father pulled her toward him and said,"No little peach blossom. Your job is to stay alive-to keep an eye on things and keep the village safe. To find a husband and have babies and tell the story of what you've seen to your children and anyone else who'll listen. Most of all, it is to live in peace and tend the shrine of our ancestors. Do these things well, Bay Ly (Le Ly), and you will be worth more than any soldier who ever took up a sword." The dialogue between Le Ly and her father was a the focal point of this chapter. The dialogue is the conversation between two or more people. Their conversation about Le Ly's job in life played a part in who she became. Le Ly realized that her father had her best interest in mind, and this makes me think of how my father always has my best interest in mind. Being with someone who cares about you so much can really make a difference in one's life. When I read about Le Ly's relationship with her father, a quote came into mind: "Prepare the child for the path, not the path for the child." Le Ly's father was doing everything he could to prepare Le Ly for life and enlighten her with experience, but he cannot pave the path for her himself. This quote could be applied to all parents trying to help their children be prepared for the future. 

When Heaven and Earth Changed Places

Chapter 1: Coming Back

Term: Point of View

In the first chapter of When Heaven and Earth Changed Places, I learned that the entire book is told from the point of view of Le Ly, the author. The novel is an account of Le Ly's life, and the focus of Chapter one is her family. She talks about many of the lessons that her mother taught her and how important her brothers and sisters are to her.  Le Ly talks about how her and her mother share a special bond by saying "Because I was her youngest child, she told me about her life as the youngest daughter in her family." Le Ly's mother shares stories of her childhood with Le Ly while they work together in the fields. Le Ly's mother also talked about her own experiences and gave Le Ly advice based off of prior encounters with others. Le Ly's point of view is unique and is easy to comprehend when expressed in the novel. When I read this chapter, I thought of how much my family means to me and how my mother and I are very close. My mother is always telling me how things were different when she was younger and will follow these statements up with stories from her childhood. Le Ly's strong relationship with her family will help her to keep close to her what is important in her life.