Broke Quote by Andrew Lam
“When I came to the United States in 1975 I was eleven, and within a few months my voice broke. I recited commercials like a parrot and I got yelled at quite often. My older brother one night said, "You speak so much English when you're not supposed to, that's why your vocal chords shattered. Now you sound like a duck." I thought it was true. I went from this sweet-voiced Vietnamese kid who spoke Vietnamese and French to this craggy-voiced teenager.”
About This Quote
Immigrant children may be mocked for language changes, leading to self‑doubt and altered identity.
In simple terms: Language pressure can damage self‑esteem.
Key Takeaway
Embrace multilingual identity.
Themes
immigration
identity
language
bullying
Mood
reflective
empathetic
Type
personal
cultural
When to use this quote
- school
- community integration
Practical Applications
- celebrate linguistic diversity
- support language learning
Questions to Reflect On
- How does language mockery shape identity?
- What supports bilingual confidence?
![“After twenty years and thirty stories, thirteen pieces were finally selected and the collection was born. So far, the blurbs from [authors] Maxine Hong Kingston, Gish Jen, Robert Olen Butler, Oscar Hijuelos and others, have been most encouraging.” quote by Andrew Lam](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/a5b/andrew-lam-21834_books_after-twenty-years-and-thirty-stories-th_940826.jpg)
