Surrender – Ocean Vuong (Literature & Language Essay)

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Surrender – Ocean Vuong
While reading Surrendering by Ocean Vuong leads one down a path of nostalgia. Not everyone remembers how the started to read and write. However, reading Vuong’s story connects one to their story and makes one desire to remember their childhood. Vuong writes “when I entered kindergarten, I was, in a sense, immigrating all over again, except this time into English.” Even many people may not share his experience of immigrating to the U.S., starting school and learning to read and write were challenging experiences. These led one along a path that challenged the comfortability of learning language and using it however one pleases. Teachers came with rules and this to a kid was a disruption of how they perceived language before. However, just as Vuong grew into reading and writing, everyone grew into reading and writing and saw the importance of the many rules.
Another way to read the story would be to consider the discrimination some students often go through mainly because of English being their second or third language. Vuong is one among many t...