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Tam / Anh’s Father
Younger brother to Anh, older brother to Tram, and son of Anh’s mother and Tam. Born in Vietnam, Khoa was a baby when the family made the dangerous escape from the country on a fishing boat. During the journey, he almost lost his life when one of the pirates who attacks the family’s fishing boat dangles him over the edge, threatening to throw him in the water. Like his siblings and mother, Khoa suffers greatly from the family’s abandonment by his father soon after they arrive in Australia. He is so enraged at Tam that when Anh implores Khoa to make up with him years later, Khoa refuses. Eventually, however, he reconciles with his father. Khoa is notable for his charitable and creative qualities. He has a talent for filmmaking, and his charity work with at-risk children utilizing film leads him to be recognized as Young Australian of the Year—an important award that marks a high point in Khoa’s life, as well as the family’s.
Khoa Quotes in The Happiest Refugee
The The Happiest Refugee quotes below are all either spoken by Khoa or refer to Khoa. 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:
).
Chapter 2
Quotes
Back on our boat one of the pirates grabbed hold of the smallest child. He lifted up the baby and ripped open the child’s nappy. A tiny slice of gold fell out. The pirate picked up the metal and wantonly dangled the baby over the side of the boat, threatening to throw the infant in. My father screamed at the top of his lungs, “We must save the child! We will fight to the death to SAVE THE CHILD!”
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Chapter 5
Quotes
The school had two mottos. First: “Men for Others”—done deal as far as Mum was concerned. Here was a school that was going to teach her boys to look after others and, if she hadn’t drummed it into us enough at home, we’d get another dose at school. The other motto was: “Born for Greater Things.” Boom! Dad’s happy.
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Chapter 11
Quotes
There were a bunch of speeches and then the prime minister stepped up to the microphone.
“The 2005 Young Australian of the Year is . . . Khoa Do!”
Jesus Christ! Khoa’s done it. My brother just won Young Australian of the Year.
Khoa, the baby dangled over the side of the boat by the pirates, the toddler that Mum dressed in little girls’ dresses, the fat kid who thought the homeless woman was going to eat him… had just won Young Australian of the Year.
Mum was bawling tears of happiness.
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Khoa Quotes in The Happiest Refugee
The The Happiest Refugee quotes below are all either spoken by Khoa or refer to Khoa. 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:
).
Chapter 2
Quotes
Back on our boat one of the pirates grabbed hold of the smallest child. He lifted up the baby and ripped open the child’s nappy. A tiny slice of gold fell out. The pirate picked up the metal and wantonly dangled the baby over the side of the boat, threatening to throw the infant in. My father screamed at the top of his lungs, “We must save the child! We will fight to the death to SAVE THE CHILD!”
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Page Number and Citation:
Explanation and Analysis:
Chapter 5
Quotes
The school had two mottos. First: “Men for Others”—done deal as far as Mum was concerned. Here was a school that was going to teach her boys to look after others and, if she hadn’t drummed it into us enough at home, we’d get another dose at school. The other motto was: “Born for Greater Things.” Boom! Dad’s happy.
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Chapter 11
Quotes
There were a bunch of speeches and then the prime minister stepped up to the microphone.
“The 2005 Young Australian of the Year is . . . Khoa Do!”
Jesus Christ! Khoa’s done it. My brother just won Young Australian of the Year.
Khoa, the baby dangled over the side of the boat by the pirates, the toddler that Mum dressed in little girls’ dresses, the fat kid who thought the homeless woman was going to eat him… had just won Young Australian of the Year.
Mum was bawling tears of happiness.
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