The+Song+of+the+Buffalo+Boy

__﻿ Song of the Buffalo Boy __ By: Sherry Garland



__﻿ __

__Setting: __


 * Our book takes place in Vietnam in 1989.
 * All of these children were allowed to come to the America if they could prove that they were half American.
 * The main character of our book, Loi, is a seventeen year old, and is considered a con- lai.



This is a Map of Vietnam in which Loi comes from. Saigon is in the south and Da Lat is south, but north of Saigon.

__Main Characters and Traits:__


 * Loi-**
 * Loi is the main character of the book. She is brave and is not afraid to do what her heart tells her is right, even if it may hurt the ones she loves.


 * Khai-**
 * Khai is a young man who lives in Loi's village. Khai and loi are in love and wish to get married, but khai is just a poor buffalo boy who, according to Loi's mother and uncle, is not suitable for Loi to marry. Khai is smart and courageous through out the book.


 * Joe-**
 * Joe is a vietnamese boy who is twelve years old. He lives by himself in Saigon or Ho Chi Minh City, until Loi shows up and needs his help to survive. He is smart and good at earning money and finding food in the large city of Saigon.

__Book Summary:__


 * In this book Loi has to make the choice of whether to go to America to find her father who she has never met and knows nothing about or stay in her village in Vietnam, and marry the boy she loves. If she stays in her small village she has the chance of marrying a man, Officer Hiep, who only her mom and Uncle want her to marry. This is a very hard decision for her because she doesn't want Officer Hiep to hurt or arrest her Uncle Long if she says she doesn't want to marry him, but she doesn't want to marry such a horrible man who beat his last wife to death. So, she and Khai come up with a plan to fake her death so she is free to go to America adn they can be married. The problem is, she can only go after she has true evidence that she does have an American father, but it will be hard because her mom isn't with her. To make this even harder for Loi, she knows nothing about her father. The only thing she has is a picture of him that her mother kept. She thinks she will be okay though because she has Khai, who would go with her, but he gets left behind at the bus station. She gets in the bus, which will take her to Saigon or Ho Chi Minh City. She and Khai decide to meet each other there, but it takes over two weeks for him to come, and she is left in Saigon to fend for herself. Luckily, while she is their she meets Joe, who helps her get around and get food even when he wants to steal. They both help each other out of some scary situations and they both help to teach each other what is right and wrong, just like brother and sister.


 * We think one of the most important passages of the book is on page 87 when Khai and Loi make their plan to run away together. This is what Loi says: "Then it is set. We will go to Da Lat and help sell vegetables. And while the families load up to return, we will fake my accidental death, then run away and get married." We think this is important because this is a big step in the book for Loi. It shows that she isn't afraid to do what she is feeling, so she runs away with Khai. Although she is nervous and does, at times, feel like she wants to back out, she goes through with it, and stands for what she believes in. Another passage of this book that we think is very important is on page 235 when she chooses whether she wants to go to America or go home to Vietnam with Khai and get married together. This is what Loi says while talking to the translator of the American who set her up with the idea of going to America: "Please tell Raymond Smith," She continued, "that I have decided to stay here and marry Khai. If Smith could take Joe to America in my place, I would be very grateful. The photo will prove he is half American, in case he has some trouble at the airport." We think this is an important part because once Khai comes and meets Loi in Saigon right before she is about to leave. He says his home is in vietnam, in their village. Loi does not want to go to America with out him so she gives the ticket to Joe and goes home with Khai to get married.



This is a water buffalo like one Khai could have tended.



This is a picture of a buffalo and a boy like Khai who would have tended buffalo.

These people are vietnamese rice farmers like Loi.



This is a map of where Loi fled to after her fake death, Saigon or Ho Chi Minh City.

__ Our Symbol: __


 * Puzzle-**
 * We made the puzzle based on our puzzle, and we are going to choose some people to make it.
 * This is what our symbol will look like once you finish.


 * Meaning-**
 * The ticket represents Loi's ability to go to America or marry Khai.
 * The ticket i torn because she has to choose one, she can't do both.
 * We chose a water buffalo to represent Khai and the small village in Vietnam.
 * Not a living, breathing buffalo, but little, wooden buffalo that Khai carves. In the book, Loi carries a wooden buffalo that Khai made for her with her untill she has to sell it in order to buy food for herself and Joe.
 * Loi ends up going back and getting the buffalo back before she leaves Saigon.
 * To represent the chance to go to America, we used the outline of the United States. We also have some money in the corner to represent how Loi would have a good life if she decided to go to America