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Show And Tell Short Story Analysis

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“We are more alike, my friends, than we are unalike” (Angelou) is a quote people interpret in different ways, this quote can be interpreted and applied to the short story “Show and Tell.” The theme of people are similar in unique ways internally even though they are very different externally, is present in both the short story “Show and Tell” by Andrew Lam and the poem “Human Family” by Maya Angelou. One of the ways the theme is present in the short story is the connection between Billy, Bobby, and Cao. All three of these boys come from very different backgrounds but have a similarity they are not aware of. Each boy is fatherless. Billy is a bully and his father is present in his life, however he is a Vietnam war veteran and only talks about …show more content…

“The soldiers named VCs came with guns and they took his daddy away” (Lam 274) this quote from Bobby when he is interpreting Cao’s drawings shows how Cao’s father was taken away during the war and later killed. Cao’s father was killed by the Vietnamese side who injured Billy’s father. The similarity of all three boys not having a father figure shows how people can come from all different backgrounds, all different ethnicities, all different lifestyles, and still have something in common. “Human Family” by Maya Angelou reads “In minor ways we differ, in major we're the same” (Angelou) this means that everyone has small differences and that is what makes us unique but in major ways, such as not having a father figure, we have similarities. In this short story, the similarity between all three boys is not having a father figure present. Another way this theme is present in the short story is when Cao and Bobby make a connection through their shoes. When Bobby asks Cao where he got his shoes, Cao takes some time to realize what he is talking about. “Ssssues, ssues… Saigon” (Lam 267) this quote from Cao shows how Bobby and Cao made a small connection through something as silly as

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