In my representation, I portray a painful, bleeding identity that takes shape within the innocent lives affected by war. The top flag, with the yellow star, is the flag of Vietnam post-unification. At the time, it also represented the Communist’s influence in Vietnam. The bottom yellow flag, with the red stripes, represented South Vietnam during the war. The Communist flag is covered in blood and is seeping onto the South Vietnam flag to symbolize the devastating bloodshed that affected families in Vietnam and (as one will see as the book progresses) in America. The characters of Kim, Mai, Vinh, Hoa, Huan, and Bridget evoke this identity crisis which stems from this bloodshed I depict in my visual.
As for the Cherry Blossom tree, it is mentioned in “Gates of Saigon” on page 129. They are symbolic of beauty, femininity, and renewal. Using this symbolic meaning, the tree's blossoms are to represent the innocent lives. I stained the petals with a darker red as it grows closer to reaching the Communist flag. This serves to express the destructive touch of combat, which can spread from the soldiers to the casual civilians who are barely hanging on. In Phan's book, the aftermath of war has essentially robbed the character's agency in creating a wholesome new beginning.
The American flag is running off the page, symbolizing America's efforts to retreat during that time. Yet, as seen in Phan's various short stories, no one came away from the war unscathed. The chaotic, black lines connecting the Communist flag and the American Flag, represent the repercussions of war and how it can distort a sense of self as an American or Vietnamese civilian, refugee, or Amerasian. Explicitly speaking of Phan's book, a variety of characters are left to reconcile disconnected relationships caused by the devastating effects of war. Which inherently affect the way Kim, Mai, and Vinh and Huan shape their identity's growing up in America
By Paige M.
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ReplyDeleteI agree with your interpretation of America trying to retreat during that time. Not only did they retreat, Americans tried desperately to either forget, brush off, or remain ignorant of their efforts after the Vietnam War's end. But the consequences can't be forgotten, as you illustrated in the black lines connecting the Vietnam's post-unification/Communist flag with the American flag. Americans, Vietnamese, refugees, and Amerasians are affected by the devastating loss to Communism.
ReplyDeleteBy Lauren S.
This is a really interesting and symbolic representation of the war as demonstrated in this book. The contrast between the beauty of the cherry blossoms and the gore of the blood soaked flags really encompasses the combination of emotions we see in the collection. I also liked the way you placed the American flag slightly to the side, demonstrating the involvement of America to an extent, but obviously not in the way that the people of Vietnam were detrimentally changed by the war.
ReplyDeleteBy Julia G.
The influence the tree definitely emphasized the importance of the different issues conflicting the people who are affected by the Vietnam war. For that, it did bleed out the identity of the people adjusting to the circumstances of the war and how the femininity of the tree reinforced the impact as an aftermath of the war because it symbolized the redness of communism overtaking Vietnam and its role emphasizing the absorbing after effects that continued to linger. For that, the flag's redness of communism bled the blood of the people who died in the war too because the redness presented itself as the bloodshed stained in the Vietnam war.
ReplyDeleteBy Kevin L.
I agree that the war in Vietnam was something that affected nearly everyone in the country, and in the United States of America, but the visual only focuses on the negative. While I do agree that the people saw more negative come as a result of the war than positive, it seems as though nothing beneficial came from the American presence. Would you argue that Operation Babylift is a positive or negative byproduct of the war? Or a lackluster attempt at recompense?
ReplyDeleteBy Robert R.
This is a strong image, which captures the collection of stories well. The influence of the tree and the flags collects the sense of emotion and the efforts, which are made thoroughly. All four characters portray just a huge part of the war, but it also affected their lives as well as others in the story. The representation that is being demonstrated is such a strong reflective over life and death, and I believe that it is influenced through those whom fought the war to survive. This makes others think about reflecting the war and the effects that it had on those who were participants of such events.
ReplyDeleteBy Cory P