On Earth We’re Briefly Gorgeous

Use these questions or activities to help gauge students’ familiarity with and spark their interest in the context of the work, giving them an entry point into the text itself.

Short Answer

1. The conflict in Vietnam ended two years after the United States ceased combat operations in 1973. Official US orders were to evacuate only United States citizens and their dependents, but this presented a “terrible moral dilemma” for US personnel. What was the dilemma? What does the disconnect between official policy and lived experience reveal about not only this war, but conflict in general?

Teaching Suggestion: It may be helpful for students to have some context of the Vietnam War prior to answering this question. Consider reminding students that the Vietnam War is at the epicenter of the novel, and that the narrator’s story is rooted in his family’s experience of the war itself and as immigrants after it.

• This 30-second trailer to Rory Kennedy’s film Last Days in Vietnam briefly establishes the chaos surrounding the fall of Saigon in April 1975.
• This 7-minute introduction to Kennedy’s film explores the “terrible moral dilemma” faced by US personnel during the evacuation of Saigon.
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