Commencement Speech

Today we are graduating and I can't help going back to think about all of the memories that have been created over the last four years. I first came to high school not knowing what to expect because I had been home schooled for almost all of my life. Looking back I am amazed at how much I have grown and changed. From being so very quiet and shy little Marie, to a less quiet and not so afraid high school graduate. It amazes me how much God has done in my life over my high school experience. How he helped me be able to talk to people more and actually say something when I gave a presentation. I have done marching band all four years. I remember the first competition as a freshmen, being scared to death of playing in front of all those people, but by my last competition senior year, it was different. I was no longer afraid, but playing the loud piccolo with confidence. Now we are ready to leave and go onto new things and experiences. But we should always remember our friends and experiences ect. from here.

Forgotten

Tell what you noticed about the characters or people in this section. Try to analyze what made them act as they did or the decisions they made.

When the Vietcong started attacking Vietnam the life of Kien Nguyen changed forever. Because his mother was wealthy, everything would be taken away from them and because his father was an American, he would always be looked down upon for being a "half breed". When the Vietcong was close to their town, his mother was advised to flee their village, took them away to Saigon. Her problem was that she waited too long to get out of the country. She acted this way because, for one she didn't want to leave her parents behind and they refused to leave their country. She also didn't realize the severity of the situation, so they waited in Saigon and after a series of events watched the last plane, out of Vietnam, fall from the sky.

After the Vietcong took over Saigon, all people were forced to go back to their towns. People everywhere were scared into spying on their neighbors. Those who were once poor and who had become part of the cong party weaseled their way into the wealth of the capitalist families. Everyone was afraid and so they picked on this "half breed" child. During this time people were not able to be who they wanted to be.

Both Kien's mother and her servant, Loan, were pregnant with Lam's child (he was Vietnamese) and both of them tried to abort the child after Lam deserted them in Saigon. Because Loan's child was younger, she was able to abort it. Kien's mother, however, ended up giving birth to a mentally challenged child. She was desperate and sold everything that she had left to feed her children. She even secretly gave blood to get money for Kien's schooling, because he was a very smart child. In her desperate state, she would go into fits, scaring and hurting her children. She covered their heads with black dye and had their hair cut short to hide their blond curls.

After Lam's escape from Saigon failed, he came back to their family. Kein's mother did not want him back, but because he was the only male (minus the elderly father) their "leader" put him in their family. She wanted nothing to do with him and so he raped Kien to get relief. This made the boy scared to death of him and eventually the mother was able to pull it out of him. He wanted to leave them because he was miserable and she "helped" him out, but really she was able to get him arrested by using the fact that he raped her servant Loan, among other things.

Other events happened as well which made his life worse. I think that everyone acted the way that they did because either they were desperate and didn't trust anyone or they wanted to get money/power out of this "communist" community.

Amir and Atonement

I think that at this point in the book Amir wants atonement for what he let happen to Hassan. He does not see how they can be friends again, because he can not forgive himself. They used to go together and play or read under the trees, but now Amir avoids Hassan like the plague. I think that Hassan knows that Amir saw the whole thing and yet he still wants to be friends. If Amir would have asked for forgiveness and changed, he would have received atonement, in a way, because Hassan was willing to forgive him. He was a loyal friend, but Amir was a coward.

When Amir and Hassan go to the pomegranate tree one last time, Amir tries to get rid of his guilt by provoking Hassan to hit him back with the fruit. Hassan, however, just makes him feel worse by taking his hits.

Amir wants to tell someone what happened, but he doesn't have the courage and so he hides his guilt inside. I don't think he can "receive atonement" for what he did, until it is out in the open.

Atonement

ATONEMENT-

Atonement is sort of like paying for or making up for a past mistake/sin. Like for example Jesus was the atonement for our sins. There are things that we cannot take back, we made the mistake and we have to live for the consequences, but because of his atonement we ultimately still have forgiveness. You can do something wrong and not be able to change it, but you can always get the forgiveness. And in getting forgiveness from God, you do not need to atone for it, because he made the ultimate sacrifice. I think that in the book it is possible for Amir to gain forgiveness and atonement for his sins. He can never take back what he did, but I think that if he asked for forgiveness, he could make things right between him and Hassan.
Amir waits too long and never tells anyone. He can no longer hear words from Hassan that he is forgiven, but it is obvious that Hassan did forgive him because he tells his son that Amir was the best friend that he ever had. I think that when Amir takes in Hassan’s son as his own that he is atoning for his sins. He made a mistake and ruined his friendship between Hassan and himself, but now he is helping H’s son and having a relationship with him, like he wished he could have with Hassan, in a way.

The beginning

The Unwanted, by Kien Nguyen.

Ok, so the main character is the author and he is writing a memoir of his childhood. His name is Kien Nguyen. His mother is from Vietnam, but his father is American. The father lived with her when he was over fighting the Viet Cong. When the U.S. troops left, he left also. He left behind his son, Kien, only a few months old. He also left the mother with a lot of money. His younger brother was also born this way. She married the second man, though later she would deny it for their safety, and had another son, Jimmy. When this man left for America, he also left their mother a decent amount of money. She bought a mansion when she was pregnant with Kien and named it the Nguyen mansion. She also started a partnership of a bank, where she spent a lot of time and made a lot of money. Kien spent a lot of time, talking about his mother in the beginning. Her hands were her prized possession and at one time she had been a hand model. She was also a beautiful woman, but she was very self centered and treated her servants like dirt. They had lots of money and the children were happy, until the Viet Cong got closer to their town. He mentions that there will be a problem with him being a "half-breed" in the new society. I assume that they will lose their money and that he will have a hard time growing up because he will be constantly teased for being part American. That is what his mother was trying to hide when she built a wall around their mansion, her shame.

Nhatrang is located on the northeastern cost of Vietnam. Not there are many resorts ect. because it is a beautiful place. The people living there, however, live in poverty.

what's in the picture???

Exhausted, I sat down on a huge rock resting by the stream. I had gotten lost from the rest of my men, fallen behind in this jungle of rocks and trees. I wasn't sure exactly what to do. I couldn't cry out for help because that would ruin the secret operation. I was afraid that if i looked for them I might run into the enemy first, but if I stayed still...would the enemy find me? That seemed the best way to go. If a few soldiers went looking for me they would have better luck if I stayed in one place. I could hide and watch for them, jumping out when I heard them coming. Then I would be safe from anyone else in the forest. Lost in thought, I stared at the water rushing over the rocks and mud of the stream. Foam formed on the edges of the waves and splashed up near my seat.
Suddenly a loud noise brought me back to reality. I jumped up. Frightened I ran for cover. Was it my troops or was it the enemy?

His way or mine?

There can be many different things that affect the decisions that people make. They have to think about costs, what choice will be the most beneficial, if it is possible for them to do a certain thing, if money is involved they need to decide how much they can afford.

What factors influence your decisions and how you make them?

I have found, in making decisions, that I don't always make the best choices, but Jesus sees the bigger picture. Because of this I try to look to Him first when I am making decisions because when I get His "advice" I am definitely a lot better off.
With making college decisions I have to think about what I can afford and if paying the bigger price is worth it or not. I also needed to decide what I want to major in and do with my life. This is a hard choice and I don't think that I could make the right one without Jesus because I am finding that He uses my weaknesses for his glory and is showing me that He made me to do things that I never thought I could do. It's also funny because when He shows me pieces of His plan, I have this burning desire and passion for them. I think that this is neat because it would take me a lot longer to find out what I was made to do, on my own. It is so amazing that God makes possible the things that I thought were impossible!!
So as I make my decisions I continue to look to Him. I don't see the big picture now, but I know that no matter what happens He has a plan for my life and I am excited to see what He is going to do inside of me.

My decisions will affect my family and friends because where I decide to go to college and what I decide to do with my life will impact how much I see them. I guess it will affect the society because what I decide to do will determine my impact on others
around me.

After College I will have to decide what job I am going to pursue. This, along with college, will help decide how I will impact the world.