American Dream Boat

In the essay “American Dream Boat” by K.Oanh Ha, the author says that intercultural relationships are generally a good thing as long as the families of both partners compromise. Ha, was a Vietnamese girl who came to America with the “Boat People” when she was six years old. She then changed her name to Kristine and became Americanized. In college, she met a Caucasian American named Scott. They fell in love and got engaged. She decided to visit Vietnam to reconnect to her roots, but while she was there, her grandmother passed away. According to Vietnamese tradition, Ha couldn’t get married during the mourning period, which was three years. However, Ha and Scott’s family decided to compromise. Scott’s family brought traditional gifts in order to fulfill the traditions of a Vietnamese wedding ceremony while Ha’s family decided to let her get married without having to wait three years. I believe that intercultural relationships like Ha’s are generally a good thing as long as the families accept and respect each other’s culture and traditions. Support from family is extremely important in a relationship. In the story “ The Little Mermaid”, Ariel, who is a mermaid, falls in love with Prince Eric, who is a human. Ariel wants to go on land and become a human being but her father forbids her from having any contact with the barbaric fish-eating world. He stops Ariel every time he finds out she has tried to leave the sea. She is so in love with Price Eric that she makes a deal with the sea witch Ursula in exchange for human legs. Despite the obstacles she has to face, Ariel finally finds Prince Eric. Ariel’s father realizes how much Eric loves Ariel so he approves of their relationship even though Eric is a human. Ariel marries Eric in a wedding that both humans and mermaids attend. Both sides of the family accept each other’s life style and culture. Ariel’s father then turns Ariel into a human being and allows her to stay on land to live with Eric. They live happily ever