Paradise of the Blind

by Duong Thu Huong, Thu Huong Duong

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Paradise of the Blind Questions and Answers

How is the global issue of disillusionment, or appearance versus reality, seen in the last two pages of Paradise of the Blind? How does Duong convey this global issue through authorial choices? What is the significance of this?

In chapters 1-3 of Paradise of the Blind, Hang makes a trip to Kiev with her friend. What then happens?

Discuss how one of Huong’s female characters is a means by which the author offers a critique of the male-dominated culture around her. Include a brief description of the character’s specific cultural context (her background and role in society), how she responds to that context, and how the character’s response is a means by which the author offers her own call for the reinvention of hope and rediscovery of human dignity.

What would be a good essay topic based on Paradise of the Blind?

What is the setting of Paradise of the Blind?

What are the most significant recurrent symbols in Paradise of the Blind? What do the symbols represent? Through what examples are the symbols seen?

How was your understanding of the cultural and contextual dimensions of the text developed through the dialogue?

Paradise of the Blind has three main settings: Hanoi, the countryside village, and Russia. How do the respective settings assist in meaning and character development?

What does the phrase "hell's money has no value in the market of life" mean in Duong Thu Huong's novel Paradise of the Blind?

Analyze the setting of Paradise of the Blind and discuss how it conveys the significance of a particular global issue.

Possible points of comparison between fog and duckweed. comparison between presence of fog(in cripple's songs and englishman's paintings) and duckweed(flowers).

In Paradise of the Blind by Duong Thu Huong, what are the dominant religious beliefs of the culture of origin? To what extent do religious considerations of the culture appear in the text?

Explore possible interpretations of the title of the novel. Does our understanding of the title change as the novel progresses? 

Describe specific instances where Duong's portrayal of Vietnam is shown to be negative in Paradise of the Blind. How does this portrayal enhance Duong's intention in establishing the setting?

Develop a global issue or thesis statement that connects the novel Paradise of the Blind with Diego Rivera's mural Man at the Crossroads. What do the respective authors/artists both have to say about a certain global issue? How is the global issue expressed in both works?

What does the train ride and Uncle Chinh's apartment in Moscow symbolize in Paradise of the Blind?

As shown in the novel Paradise of the Blind, despite all that happened, did the Communist Party actually fulfill its initial objective of "leveling" society as the basis for the reconstruction of a new Vietnam?

Please could you give some symbols or examples of commuism being flawed in Paradise of the Blind?