By Rebecca B.
When I originally set out to draw this, I imagined a little girl circling the Buddha with a mixture of curiosity and fright. What I put to paper instead, was Rosa looking at the Buddha statue with one arm raised as if to say "that's your custom," while Bich steals food from a fridge (and looking a bit frightened) bellow it (21). As Rosa's role as Bich's mother becomes larger and more cemented, the more she exerts her authority and control through food. Meanwhile, grandmother Noi, (whom I drew to the right of Bich) is lovingly carving a piece of fruit. From pages 1-43, Noi shows her love for her family in her treatment/history with food. When her husband died, Noi supported her family by making pho and noodles. Then when she and her sons are in an American refugee camp, she doesn't say a word about the money they spend on food for a party, but later scorns Bich's father for the purchase of a two dollar jacket. In this way Noi is the opposite of Rosa in her regard to food. Where Rosa is pragmatic Noi is loving, and for that reason they are on opposite sides of the Buddha. As for the uncles and father, I drew them as peripheries to show that they are there and that they do play a role (in that their money supports this food feud), but in a limited capacity.
This is a beautiful depiction of the conflict surrounding Bich's family as expressed through food. I like the insightful separation between Noi and Rosa, who serve different functions according to their roles in the family. Interestingly, it seems that all of Bich's family members act in the ways of Vietnamese culture, while Rosa is constantly reacting to them and insisting on making everything, including Vietnamese traditions, follow her ways. Bich meanwhile reacts to everyone, and she does so with a mixture of confusion, rebellion, and fear of not being able to fit into mainstream American culture.
ReplyDeleteBy Brianna C.
This picture perfectly depicts the reactions that Bich's family has towards her love for food. Where Noi is understanding and kind, Rosa is controlling and stern. She does not share the same interest as her step-daughter and outwardly expresses her differences. The placement of the characters is also done very well separating Rosa and Noi and putting them on opposite sides shows that they have opposite opinions. Also, Bich stealing food out of the fridge with a frightened expression shows that she was not comfortable with getting food from her own fridge because of Rosa's rules
ReplyDeleteBy Mike M.
This is a beautiful piece that depicts Bich's struggle and her family's struggle when it comes to food. Rosa and Noi play the largest role in her life when it comes to understanding food, and they both are so different. I like that you put her father and uncles in the background because throughout the book, they are in the background. Her father does not play as big of a role as I thought he would, and her uncles are hardly ever mentioned. Bich being in the middle of Noi and Rosa, underneath Buddha, shows her confusion as a person, and not understanding what she should be doing, especially in regards to food and the American culture.
ReplyDeleteBy Ashley P.
The drawing you did is beautiful and the reason behind it is just amazing! There really is a huge contrast between Rosa and Noi. They both somewhat help Bich with trying to fit in, but I feel that Noi helped her out more than Rosa ever did. While Rosa never took the time to talk to Bich, Noi would spend time with her and care for her. Though there isn't much dialogue between Bich and Noi, it's the fact that Noi is just there for her in general to give her food and spend time with her. These actions alone show how loving and caring Noi is compared to Rosa. Though it's also difficult for Rosa, she does try her best to help Bich like when she offers to show her how to use a knife. In all, this was a challenging learning experience for the whole family but everything seems to work out in the end.
ReplyDeleteBy; Krystal M.