55 pages • 1 hour read
Ocean VuongOn Earth We’re Briefly Gorgeous
Fiction | Novel | Adult | Published in 2019A modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more. For select classroom titles, we also provide Teaching Guides with discussion and quiz questions to prompt student engagement.
Essay Topics
Little Dog frequently uses animals (butterflies, buffaloes, monkeys, etc.) as metaphors to understand his family’s history. Examine the use of such metaphors in the text. What are the most important ones? Why does Little Dog use each particular animal?
Examine the generational trauma exhibited by Little Dog’s family. How do Lan’s experiences in Vietnam influence the behavior of her descendants?
For Little Dog, names hold great significance. However, Little Dog is not even his real name: it is a nickname given to him by Lan. What is the significance of this nickname?
Little Dog frequently comments on the ephemerality of beautiful things. What is the significance of the title, On Earth We’re Briefly Gorgeous? What is significant about the place in the narrative where this revelation occurs?
Little Dog feels detached from his roots: disconnected from Vietnam yet barred from being a “normal” American. What aspects of his personality, identity, and upbringing lead to this feeling?
Much of On Earth We’re Briefly Gorgeous takes place during the modern opioid epidemic. How does drug abuse factor into Little Dog’s life? How does it inform the way he interacts with the world around him?
Examine Trevor. What affect does being gay have on his traditionally masculine, all-American ideals? Does it factor into his drug abuse and eventual death?
Rose tells Little Dog to be careful because he is “already Vietnamese” (219). This phrase reverberates throughout this part of the novel. What does this mean to Little Dog? How does going to Vietnam change his perspective on his identity?
Little Dog is frequently preoccupied with the inability of language to capture the nature of reality. In what ways does this tension play out throughout the novel? Does he ever reconcile with it?
On Earth We’re Briefly Gorgeous is Little Dog’s letter to his living mother who will likely never read it due to illiteracy. What is the significance of the novel being a letter? How does the fact that Rose will likely never read it influence what Little Dog reveals about himself and his perspective on his family?
Related Titles
By Ocean Vuong
