The Happiest Refugee

Throughout the story of “The Happiest Refugee” we learn that taking risks can have an effect on a person’s self-esteem and confidence.

This is evident in the cricket story, which is a positive experience for Anh. Up against a batsman “who was just impossible to get out”, none of Anh’s teammates were able to dismiss him. The captain of the team asked Anh if he wanted a bowl. Having very low self-esteem, there first answer was a definite no. Also, being Vietnamese, his cultural background affected his confidence in playing cricket. Anh didn’t even have a good backyard to practise in, like the ordinary Australian kids did; his was full of his grandma’s vegies, two ducks and a golden pheasant. These contrasts in backyards emphasise how much Anh felt that he was out of place by playing cricket.

However, there was nothing to lose, so he decided to have a go. After bowling a number of wides, he uses colloquial language such as “oh man” to show that he is scared of what his peers will think about him. Miraculously, after a couple of shocking deliveries, he was able to get the batsmen out, and he couldn’t believe it. To add to this, he got the new batsmen out the very next ball. The colloquial language used in the quote “all my teammates ran over and mobbed me” tells us that he has gained acceptance and a positive experience through taking this risk. His joy, happiness and relief towards this incident is summed up by his exclamatory statement, “WHOO-BLOODY-HOO!”

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