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The Cowboy’s Wife
MiSSS SScott is Hà’s fourth-grade teacher in Alabama. Hà dislikes MiSSS SScott from the start, as MiSSS SScott doesn’t seem impressed that Hà so carefully pronounces the s sounds in the teacher’s name—and she doesn’t understand that Hà’s name is pronounced differently than “ha-ha” laughter. MiSSS SScott also treats Hà like Hà is wholly uneducated, when really, Hà was almost at the top of her class in Vietnam and just can’t communicate in English how much she knows. It also bothers Hà when MiSSS SScott talks to the class about Vietnam and shows them pictures of naked, burning girls and emaciated refugees trying to escape the country, rather than happy pictures of Tet celebrations or papayas.
MiSSS SScott Quotes in Inside Out and Back Again
The Inside Out and Back Again quotes below are all either spoken by MiSSS SScott or refer to MiSSS SScott. For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:
).
Part 3: Alabama
Quotes
I tap my own chest:
Hà.
She must have heard
ha,
as in funny ha-ha-ha.
She fakes a laugh.
I repeat, Hà,
and wish I knew
enough English
to tell her
to listen for
the diacritical mark,
this one directing
the tone
downward.
Related Characters:
Related Themes:
Page Number and Citation:
Explanation and Analysis:
I’m furious,
unable to explain
I already learned
fractions
and how to purify
river water.
So this is
what dumb
feels like.
I hate, hate, hate it.
Related Characters:
Related Themes:
Page Number and Citation:
Explanation and Analysis:
Things will get better,
just you wait.
I don’t believe her
but it feels good
that someone knows.
Related Characters:
Related Themes:
Page Number and Citation:
Explanation and Analysis:
No one would believe me
but at times
I would choose
wartime in Saigon
over
peacetime in Alabama.
Related Characters:
Related Themes:
Page Number and Citation:
Explanation and Analysis:
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MiSSS SScott Quotes in Inside Out and Back Again
The Inside Out and Back Again quotes below are all either spoken by MiSSS SScott or refer to MiSSS SScott. For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:
).
Part 3: Alabama
Quotes
I tap my own chest:
Hà.
She must have heard
ha,
as in funny ha-ha-ha.
She fakes a laugh.
I repeat, Hà,
and wish I knew
enough English
to tell her
to listen for
the diacritical mark,
this one directing
the tone
downward.
Related Characters:
Related Themes:
Page Number and Citation:
Explanation and Analysis:
I’m furious,
unable to explain
I already learned
fractions
and how to purify
river water.
So this is
what dumb
feels like.
I hate, hate, hate it.
Related Characters:
Related Themes:
Page Number and Citation:
Explanation and Analysis:
Things will get better,
just you wait.
I don’t believe her
but it feels good
that someone knows.
Related Characters:
Related Themes:
Page Number and Citation:
Explanation and Analysis:
No one would believe me
but at times
I would choose
wartime in Saigon
over
peacetime in Alabama.
Related Characters:
Related Themes:
Page Number and Citation:
Explanation and Analysis:
