Viet Thanh Nguyen begins Nothing Ever Dies with “All wars are fought twice, the first time on the battlefield, the second time in memory.” Drawing from course material from Weeks 1-6, articulate in a 3-4 page (at least) essay why it is important, or not, nearly 45 years after the end of the Vietnam War on April 30th, 1975, to revisit histories and narratives of the Vietnam War. Is it necessary to continue to fight this war in memory? What are the relationships (cultural, social, economic, etc) that Vietnamese refugees, immigrants, and their descendants have to the memory of Vietnam?
Provide examples from at least three (3) readings/evidence from the films from class, and at least two (2) from The Best We Could Do that support your points.
Some additional questions to consider: How have narratives of this eponymous war been told, and how do the authors that we have been reading counter or support these narratives? Why might it be necessary to understand war to understand Vietnamese American communities? How has the plight of the refugee subject served to shape a Vietnamese American identity?