Ocean Vuong: On Earth We’re Briefly Gorgeous (2019)
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Who is Ocean Vuong and what is his background?
Ocean Vuong is a Vietnamese-American poet and writer; he is gay and has experienced being an outsider
What genre is On Earth We’re Briefly Gorgeous?
It is a coming-of-age novel with poetic elements
What major social issue does the novel address?
The novel deals with the tragedy of opioid addiction and its impact on families and communities
How does the novel reflect Vuong’s perspective as an outsider?
It explores themes of identity, marginalization, and navigating a world that often excludes or misunderstands him
When and where was Ocean Vuong born?
Ocean Vuong was born in 1988 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon), Vietnam
What challenges did Vuong face as a child refugee?
At age two, he lived in a refugee camp in the Philippines before migrating to the U.S.; his father abandoned the family
What is notable about Vuong’s early education?
He was the first in his family to learn to read, at age eleven, despite suspected family dyslexia
Where did Vuong attend high school and university?
He attended Glastonbury High School in Connecticut and studied 19th-century English Fiction at City University of New York
What aspects of identity make Vuong an “outsider”?
He is both Vietnamese and gay
What religion does Vuong practice?
He is a practicing Zen Buddhist
Name Vuong’s major literary works and their years of publication
Night Sky with Exit Wounds (2017), On Earth We’re Briefly Gorgeous (2019), Time Is a Mother (2022), The Emperor of Gladness (2025)
Which of Vuong’s works received the T. S. Eliot Prize?
Night Sky with Exit Wounds (2017)
What is the narrative format of On Earth We’re Briefly Gorgeous?
It is an epistolary novel, written as a letter from Little Dog to his illiterate mother, Rose
Who is Little Dog addressing in his letter?
He is addressing his mother, Rose
What does Little Dog say in the opening of the letter?
“I am writing you from inside a body that used to be yours. Which is to say, I am writing as a son.”
What question does Little Dog grapple with regarding his family?
He tries to understand why his mother was violent with him and why her skin is lighter than his grandmother’s
Who is Grandma Lan and what is significant about her past?
Grandma Lan, whose name means Orchid, ran away from her arranged marriage at seventeen and worked as a sex worker; she had a child with an American man, explaining her darker skin
What is the significance of Little Dog’s reflection on his family’s skin tones?
It reflects generational trauma, history, and the impact of colonization and mixed heritage on identity
Who is Grandfather Paul in the story?
He is Little Dog’s grandfather
What does Little Dog realize about the war in relation to his mother?
He realizes that the war is still inside her and once it enters you, it never leaves
How does Grandma Lan’s schizophrenia relate to the war?
Her schizophrenia worsened after the war, making her fearful of situations like fireworks, thinking a war is happening
What happened to Little Dog’s mother as a child during the war?
She watched from a banana grove as her schoolhouse collapsed after an American napalm raid and never returned to school
What does Vuong mean by saying “our mother tongue…is no mother at all – but an orphan”?
Speaking Vietnamese is partial; it carries both language and the trauma of war, leaving a fractured sense of cultural identity
Why is the butcher scene embarrassing for Little Dog?
His mother cannot speak the words for ox tail and has to gesture, which makes Little Dog feel embarrassed
How has war affected the ability of Little Dog and his mother to communicate?
The violent interruption of education means they cannot have sophisticated or complete conversations in Vietnamese
What historical event does Little Dog describe happening in 1968?
The Tet Offensive, a massive North Vietnamese campaign that changed American public opinion about the Vietnam War
How did the Tet Offensive affect Little Dog’s family?
Lan hid fetal against the wall, Paul stood with a pistol, and the family experienced the chaos of sirens and mortar fire
Why does Little Dog learn the importance of language?
He realizes he needs to learn Vietnamese properly to belong and fit in with his family and culture
When did violence first appear in Little Dog’s life?
At age four, when his mother first hit him
How does Little Dog describe the role of violence in his upbringing?
Violence became mundane, intertwined with his understanding of love, and part of what it meant “to be an American boy”
When did Ocean Vuong and his family arrive in the United States?
In 1990, after spending time in a refugee camp in the Philippines
How does Little Dog experience outsidership as a child?
He is bullied for being gay and called “freak, fairy, fag,” learning that these words mark him as a “monster”
What early violent incident shows Little Dog’s vulnerability?
Someone shoved his face into a glass (page 24)
Who represents Little Dog’s first romantic/sexual experience?
Trevor, the boy he swims toward, marking the start of understanding desire and intimacy (page 108)
How does Little Dog struggle with belonging and identity in his relationships?
He feels like driftwood, trying to remember what he had broken from to get to this point (page 108)
How does Little Dog communicate his insecurities about being gay?
He asks his mother and Trevor for reassurance, e.g., “please tell me I am not…” (page 155)
What does Little Dog learn about language and identity from his mother?
He learns that speaking Vietnamese is also speaking war, so he becomes the family’s official interpreter, code-switching into English to represent both himself and his mother (32)
How does Little Dog describe the experience of being truly seen by Trevor?
He feels a coiled charge of possibility, being seen for the first time and taught to be invisible for safety (96)
How does Little Dog describe his first sexual experience?
He frames it as almost not happening, and only writes about it because the letter’s improbability allows him to tell the story (113)
What metaphor does Little Dog use to describe America in his novel?
He says it is “one nation, under drugs, under drones,” reflecting violence, surveillance, and oppression (183)
What does Little Dog mean by “to be gorgeous only briefly”?
Life is very short, so beauty and being truly seen are fleeting, and being seen makes one vulnerable to harm (238)