70 pages • 2 hours read
Andrew X. PhamCatfish and Mandala: A Two-Wheeled Voyage through the Landscape and Memory of Vietnam
Nonfiction | Autobiography / Memoir | Adult | Published in 1999A modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more.
Essay Topics
At one point in the narrative, Pham feels extreme guilt for wanting a “Hollywood” sense of catharsis while visiting Vietnam. What does Pham mean by this? Provide several examples of moments when Pham’s expectations of Vietnam didn’t mesh with reality.
Pham lists both positive and negative encounters with several Vietnamese groups (or individuals) along his journey. Detail two positive encounters, two negative encounters, and explain how they impacted Pham’s concept of home.
Pham’s father was the Province Director of Propaganda for Phan Thiet. What does this mean, and why does Pham connect this role and his father’s subsequent fate to the taxi driver who gets angry at Pham for taking photos?
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