Overall, I found Deng’s
recollections of life as a refugee both in Africa as well as in America one of
the best refugee stories we have read or watched about so far. While only
halfway through his autobiography, I have already expanded both my knowledge
and understanding of refugees and their journeys and stories ten-fold from the
stories of Asgedom in Of Beetles and
Angles and the Lost Boys in God Grew
Tired of Us. Deng’s story takes both of the stories we have read and adds a
completely new level of reality to them. While the two previous stories told
incredible accounts of life back in the camps, Neither of them came close to
those stories told by Deng. I feel as though while Asgedom and the Lost Boys
told their stories of life before America, Deng has the most intact memories of
what life was like, or at least felt they were pertinent to share. Asgedom
shared the stories passed down to him, as he remembered very few personal
memories from his time in the camps and in Africa. The Lost Boys on the other
hand, while remembering vividly their time in the camps in Kakuma, spent very
little time in the course of the documentary sharing them. Whether this was due
to their own accord or that of the documentary producers, I feel as though a
large majority of their stories are held back in the refugee camps, and not
necessarily their time while in America. Deng on the other hand, had an
incredibly complex way of intertwining both a story written in the “present” of
his robbery, and “telling” the people around him the story of his time in
Africa. What I also found very surprising was his tearing apart of and
acceptance that many refugee stories are slightly if not more than so,
emphasized and exaggerated from the truth. While this does make a lot of sense,
I found it astounding that he was so open about coming out and admitting it.
While this does through my “definition” of a refugee story off a little bit, I
look forward to hearing the rest of Deng’s story.
Jack,
ReplyDeleteI definitely agree with you that this has been by far the most powerful refugee story we have read so far. Deng seems more intent on sharing his story from his own unique perspective rather than have it tainted by some outside interest.
Jack,
ReplyDeleteHe is real! Your point about reality playing a eminent role in the novel is very profound. Yes, we, as readers, instantaneously feel more invested in the novel as a whole because of the reality that it reaches. The writing may be embellished and possibly laden with hyperboles; however, Deng's story is captivating and strikes the gut of each and every reader. It because of this reality, complimented with a fast-paced intertwine of the past and present, that readers become fascinated by Deng's recount.
Jack,
ReplyDeleteI totally agree with you, and I like your analysis into the depth with which Deng describes his experiences. I too found the tale enlightening.