Analytical memoir comparison

Multiculturalism in Australia is enjoyed and celebrated, however, there are several differences
between the many cultures. Many cultural groups experience effects of racism, mainly based on
stereotypes. This is problematic for the youth growing up in Australia. As they grow up, they realise
the people of Australia are more accepting. Both Aditi Gouvernel conveys this in her memoir, Wei-
Lei and Me and Hop Dac in his memoir Pigs from Home. Through these memoirs, it is evident
that both Gouvernel and Dac encountered challenging situations in their childhood, which often
lead to bigger problems such as isolation and aggravation. In Gouvernel's memoir, she felt isolated
as she suffered from the racial stereotypes as a result of her cultural background, this resulted in
her not able to express her true identity. While Dac reveals his identity through the foods he eats in
his time of growing up in Australia because of the memories that lie behind them. Both Gouvernel
and Dac express their interest for an individual identity, and the two authors construct their
perspectives of growing up in Australia through the use of aesthetic features including figurative
language and sentence structures.

Gouvernel and Dac have both used simple sentences to communicate their perspectives on
different situations. Gouvernel clearly depicts her rage and her bravery through the deliberate use
of simple sentences. She establishes her rage through this sentence pattern by describing her
fierce desire to fit in and to settle the differences between herself and her peers. Her response to
the antagonist, Barry, humiliating and bullying Wei-Lee demonstrates a furious, livid tone and
results in the act of violence. This is conveyed through the simple sentence "Anger rose inside
me," (Gouvernel, pg. 78, 2008). Similarly, Dac uses simple sentences to draw empathy from his
readers. His tone is indignant and aggrieved rather than angry and frustrated. When he states that
"Pig shit is the most repulsive smelling of all shits," (Dac, pg. 53, 2008) he makes the reader laugh
and feels comfortable with the informal relationship he has created. When the word "repulsive" is
read, nothing positive comes to mind and when the reader hears the word "shit," the reader would
think of human or animal feces. Just this one simple sentence gives the reader the effect that this
memoir so far is negative and will proceed to be negative. This simple sentence expresses Dac's
feelings towards pigs and what he had to grow up with. Although revealing various tones,
Gouvernel and Dac utilise simple sentences to express their perspectives on growing up in
Australia.

Furthermore, Gouvernel and Dac both present similes and distinctive tones to further depict their
feelings and emotions further about growing up in Australia. Gouvernel expresses a melancholic
and disheartening tone through similes, for example, "...the kids around me jumped off it like a
crew abandoning a sinking ship" and "...like my body carried an infection their immune systems
couldn't fight". These similes convey the tone of bewilderment and sadness as her peers
humiliated and excluded her making her feel isolated. On the contrary, Dac uses similes to
communicate his perspective of growing you in Australia. He uses a paranoid and distrust tone to
draw empathy in the reader. When Dac says "A pig is like the ocean; don't ever turn your back on
it," (Dac, pg. 54, 2008) he shows the reader that he does not trust pigs and was very suspicious.
Ultimately, both authors have used similies to exaggerate the tones in the memoir to stir emotion in
the reader and communicate their perspectives.

Dac and Gouvernel use language features in deliberate and efficient ways to convey their
perspectives on growing up in Australia. Despite the creation of different tones, both has used
sentence structures and figurative language to contribute their emotions and feelings towards the
reader and show their identities. Gouvernel's and Dac's use of language features are highly
effective in conveying their perspective and evoking empathy within the reader, successfully
working to express their identity while growing up in Australia.

REFERENCES
Gouvernel, Adito. (2008). Wei-Lei and Me. In P, Alice (Eds) Growing up Asian in Australia (pg. 75-
81). Melbourne, Black Ink
Dac, H. (2008). Pigs from Home. In P, Alice (Eds) Growing up Asian in Australia (pg. 53-37).
Melbourne, Black Ink.