Tank, the Water Buffalo, and My Cousin Summary and Analysis

Tank, the Water Buffalo: Author Nhuong recounts his boyhood in Vietnam, starting from when he was six. His family owned a rice farm, and from July to January, frequent rains meant that the soil had to be tilled by water buffaloes. One of the family's buffaloes died from old age, so the father sought a replacement. The ideal buffalo had to have both the fiery temperament of the mountain-bred herds—so as to fight off tigers in the nearby jungle—and the patient and obedient temperament of the lowlands herds, so that the beast would be easy to handle. The father managed to find such a mixed-breed buffalo from a local merchant.

The calf and Nhuong grew up to be good companions. The buffalo was called Tank...