How does a language become a “mask” for migrants, and what lies behind that “mask”?
English as a global lingua franca transcends geographical, cultural, and socio-political boundaries. While it facilitates the integration process of migrants and the articulation of diverse experiences, English also plays an ambivalent role in hegemonic structures.
Ceydanur Temurok explores the ambivalent role of English in On Earth We’re Briefly Gorgeous (2019) by Ocean Vuong. Through the letters of the protagonist, Little Dog, to his Vietnamese-speaking mother, the article examines how language becomes both a site of opportunity and a site of negotiation. Bringing together the concepts of hybridity, cultural translation, and the postmigrant bildungsroman, the article shows how migrants continually translate and reimagine their identities as they seek possibilities for belonging.
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