“The Happiest Refugee” is a great story of courage in the face of huge problems, so is “Home to Mother“. Anh Do’s story is one of escaping, at the age of two and a half, with his family to a better life. Molly’s story was escaping a harsh new life to return to the safety and comfort of her family. Anh Do tells his families’ true story while Molly’s story is written by her daughter Doris Pilkington Garimara who retells the events her mother experienced at age 14. “The Happiest Refugee” describes events that happened in the 1970’s, just after the Vietnam War ended, and tells about the flight to freedom of one refugee family. The events in “Home to Mother” happened much earlier in Australia’s history, during the winter of 1931 when Aboriginal children who had white fathers were automatically taken away from their families by the authorities to be ‘educated’ in Native Settlements. Molly leads her sister and cousin on an amazingly difficult and dangerous journery to find the ‘rabbit-proof fence’ that will guide them 2,500 kilometres home.
I wonder…
What incidents in each of these ture stories captured your imagination and gave you a new understanding of refugees/stolen generation?
What issues and challenges were faced by Anh, Molly and the family members who were with them on their dangerous journeys?
What similarities and differences can be seen in the two stories?
Which text “The Happiest Refugee“, or “Home to Mother” influenced you the most and why?
That is so true Ms T. Walking 2,500 km? Thats nuts! What gives 3 girls aged 14, 12 and 9 the courage ,bavery, and strength, to walk THAT far? In answer to your question about differences and similarities, there are many of both. One of the similarities is they are both escaping. A difference is they are escaping in different conditions and in different places. Molly is escaping from the way mid 20th century people treat Aborigional people, whereas Anh is escaping from a wartorn country. One is running 2,500 km, one is fleeing by boat. Hope this helped!
bnic109.
I totally agree bnic109. I think that they found the courage to walk THAT far because they were very poorly treated, had a jail to live in and a metal bed to sleep in! I reckon they were so fed up they left for their home country. Whereas Ahn is trying to get to a better country to live in. Ahn’s home, in Viet Nam, was in war time so they escaped to Australia and his Dad said” What a great country!” so I think that they loved Australia. I think that Ahns story influenced me more than Mollys because some pirates dangled his baby brother over-board, they barely had no food and water, there was a chane that they would drown, and there was a HUGE wave that nearly capsised the boat! Can you think of any thing else that hapened on their horible voyage?
I definatly agree with you bnic109 and Mrs T. Those three girls (Molly, daisy, and Graciey) must have been extremily brave to walk that far(2,500km), especilaly Molly to have led them the whole way.Like bnic109 said there were both similarities and differences. They were both trying to escape but different places, different ways and for different reasons. Molly had been kidnapped from her home and taken down to Moore River because she had a white Father. So Molly was trying to escape and go back to her home but she had to do all of this by foot. On the other hand Anh was escaping his home of Veatnam to come to Australia because his country was unsafe and was in war. Anh and his family came to australia by boat. Molly’s story influenced me most because of the trip they had to go on to get back to their home and how brave they were. Bnic109 how would you feel beeing taken away from your family?