Written when the speaker, Little Dog, is in his late twenties, the letter unearths a family's history that began before he was born — a history whose epicenter is root The novel’s narrator, Little Dog, presents a coming-of-age story that includes his initial sexual experiences and his acceptance that he is queer. Ocean Vuong’s On Earth we’re Briefly Gorgeous is an intimate look at the many forms of addiction. Little Dog’s nuanced exploration of his personal journey leads the reader to the theme of gender and sexuality as complex and multidimensional. Struggling with distance learning? LitCharts Teacher Editions. The grandson of a Vietnamese woman and an American man, Little Dog spends his early years in Vietnam before moving with his family to Connecticut. Little Dog links the damage that Trevor sustains, in large part through fear of accepting his queer identity, to his pattern of seeking refuge in drugs. eNotes.com will help you with any book or any question. On Earth We’re Briefly Gorgeous by Ocean Vuong is the moving story of a young man known as Little Dog, written as a letter addressed to his illiterate Vietnamese mother.It reveals a family history that begins in Vietnam and moves to the United States when he is just a child, where he comes of age living with a single mother and his grandmother in Connecticut. Vuong’s protagonist, Little Dog, is Vietnamese American, and English is his second language. Personal appearance becomes objectified until a person can see their own reflection as a valuable thing, like any other aesthetically pleasing object. An epistolary novel, it is written in the form of a letter from a Vietnamese American son to his illiterate mother. On Earth We're Briefly Gorgeous is more about processing and articulating difficult memories than about direct communication. Learning to accept that men’s identity includes many different kinds of masculinity is an important process for Little Dog—one that requires him to detach his own ideas of masculinity from the heteronormativity of American society, which he ultimately maligns as hegemonic and dangerously oppressive. -Graham S. “Would not have made it through AP Literature without the printable PDFs. The project of On Earth We’re Briefly Gorgeous is analogous and deeply felt. For example, Little Dog puts his father back together using only his memories, and his Vietnamese identity is closely related to his grandmother Lan’s stories, and her ability to remember their life back in Vietnam…, Instant downloads of all 1377 LitChart PDFs Free UK p&p over £10, online orders only. He explores the ways that these expectations have affected Trevor, the young white man with whom he has his first sexual relations. While these perceptions change depending on where one lives, they are deeply embedded in one’s ability to accept oneself as a total person rather than regarding the isolated parts. To order a copy, go to guardianbookshop.com or call 0330 333 6846. Little Dog’s cross-cultural experiences allow him to realize the ways that a person’s perceptions of their racial identity intersect with their appreciation of their own beauty. ©2020 eNotes.com, Inc. All Rights Reserved. Our summaries and analyses are written by experts, and your questions are answered by real teachers. They're like having in-class notes for every discussion!”, “This is absolutely THE best teacher resource I have ever purchased. Ocean Vuong’s epistolary novel On Earth we’re Briefly Gorgeous is a letter from Little Dog, a young Vietnamese American, to his mother, Rose, who grew up near Saigon during the Vietnam War. “They say addiction might be linked to bipolar disorder,” Little Dog explains to…, Ocean Vuong explores both gender and sexuality in his autobiographical novel, On Earth we’re Briefly Gorgeous. This section contains 2,108 words (approx. Discussion of themes and motifs in Ocean Vuong's On Earth We're Briefly Gorgeous. “Do I look like a real American?” Little Dog’s mother, Rose, asks while trying on secondhand…, Ocean Vuong’s On Earth we’re Briefly Gorgeous examines the power of language and storytelling. My students love how organized the handouts are and enjoy tracking the themes as a class.”, LitCharts uses cookies to personalize our services. This Study Guide consists of approximately 38 pages of chapter summaries, quotes, character analysis, themes, and more - everything you need to sharpen your knowledge of On Earth We're Briefly Gorgeous. The novel focuses on Little Dog, a Vietnamese American, who knows from a very young age that he is gay. Ocean Vuong. Print Word PDF. On Earth We're Briefly Gorgeous Themes Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder and Mental Illness Rose and Lan both exhibit symptoms of mental illness and post-traumatic stress disorder.

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