Essay

Anh Do has a remarkable ability to bounce back from misfortune. Do’s family migrated from Vietnam in 1980 under tremendously harsh conditions when he was only two years old. Because of this, Do had a harrowing childhood, but this did not result in him becoming fatalistic. This essay will emphasise the qualities that have allowed him to not only survive adversity but, in the process, become a notable Australian entertainer. These traits include his positive attitude; his exceptional resilience; his distinctive performance as a comedian; his humour and refusal to play the role of victim; his lack of self-pity, and, perhaps most of all, his ability to adapt to ever-changing situations.

 

Do’s early life was distressing and full of hardship with his family suffering poverty and social disadvantages. They were forced to flee their beloved home country, Vietnam, when Do was only two and a half. On the way, they were attacked by two vicious bands of pirates who took everything they had. In his 2010 autobiography, The Happiest Refugee, Do tells us that, “they descended on us angrily, striking random faces to assert their intent.” The group was eventually rescued by a German Merchant ship, but not before they had been traumatised by the experience. They stayed at a refugee camp in Pulao Bidong, Malaysia, for three months before Do and his family were offered sanctuary in Australia. When in Australia, Do’s mother did not receive very high wages and Do and his brother felt very awkward during their high school years because they didn’t have the right uniform or the right books. Despite struggling with “the socio-economic mismatch of private school expenses versus his single mum’s wages”, Do never once complained to his teachers; he kept up a buoyant demeanor during his school years.

 

Perhaps one of the most striking first impressions one gets of Anh Do is his positive attitude. During his school years, a few teachers noticed that he was struggling with his school work. This was due to impoverished circumstances. They even suggested charity, but he refused to play the victim. He was - and still is - always joyful and his optimistic personality has seen him through his high school years with a degree of lightness and fun. Another example of his sanguine approach is when he did his worst gig. He was to do a gig at a place for veterans of war. This was an especially bad gig because just before he performed, the host held a minute’s silence for all the men killed by Vietnamese soldiers in the war. Seeing as Do was Vietnamese himself, he was in an especially awkward position. Do later recalled, “the tension in the air was so thick, you could have cut it with a knife”. Many people in his predicament would have turned tail and fled, but Do was confident and went ahead with his planned show, eventually winning the battle-hardened men over. He continued his task with a positive attitude and, with some strength of character, he managed to “slowly, slowly, win them over”.

 

Anh Do has a quality that many people have come to see as a crucial life skill. This is resilience. Resilience is a life skill that many people have come to recognise as one of the most critical aspects to human survival in today’s often harsh society. Do’s father was hit by a series of unfortunate events when Do was only a teenager, and he turned to alcohol. At the age of thirteen, Do’s father left the household, leaving his penurious family to fend for themselves. Despite having gone through such an upsetting event, Do is surprisingly optimistic about life. Many people in Do’s position wouldn’t have the same unyielding resilience, and would be scarred for life. In Do’s 2010 autobiography, he wrote that he had driven his father to leave by retaliating to his father’s blows, but instead of thinking, ‘Oh no! My father is leaving’, he thought: “Ah, relief… No more drunk in the house”. He became the man of the house, as his brother was quite a bit younger than him, and had to support his family. Suddenly, a burden of responsibility was set upon him. Many people who go through an experience similar to Do’s, would crumble under the mental strain and adopt a cynical attitude on life, but Do’s ability to bounce back helped him stay happy and confident. This resilience helps him through all areas of his life though, not just his personal life, but also his work life.

 

One of Do’s most distinguished achievements is his status as one of Australia’s leading and most loved comedians. Surprisingly, “the fact that Do is a comedian is a big, fat accident”. Do was thrown into comedy after he signed up to do a short routine at ‘open mic’ night, which was a comedy night for amateurs. By sheer luck, there was a woman in the audience who was running a comedy room in King’s Cross, and she liked Do’s performance. She invited him to perform for ten minutes the next week, and from there, Do’s career in comedy only went from strength the strength. His first big achievement in the field of comedy was in the “Green Faces” competition in Canberra. The winning prize was five thousand dollars cash, and Do was voted winner by the audience. Then, the first TV hosting role Do was offered was with a show called Rush TV. Do hired a producer, Brendan, and his stand-up comedy was really starting to flourish at this point. After travelling around Australia for a few more months, Do began to really climb the fame ladder, doing large television shows such as “The Footy Show”, “Rove”, “Pictures of You”, “Thank God You’re Here” and even “Dancing with the Stars”.

 

Anh Do has made a significant impact in today’s society by bringing humour and knowledge to people’s lives, and by his extensive charity work. Although it is something that is taken for granted from a comedian, Do’s ability to bring humour to people’s lives is a large part of how he contributes to society. As many people say, ‘laughter is the best medicine’, and Do has acted on this phrase, going to children at hospitals and trying to cheer them up. His charity work stems from his mother’s words: “Do as much as you can to give back to this beautiful country that gave us a second chance”. Do has done many things to help the marginalised or sick, such as requesting a portion of voting call costs (on “Dancing with the Stars”) to go to the Day of Difference Foundation. Even all of the profits from his autobiography, “The Little Refugee”, went to a school in Vietnam run by nuns. He has also done many documentaries such as “Anh Does: Brazil, Iceland, Scandinavia, Britain and Vietnam”. These documentaries inform and teach viewers, which is also part of Do’s giving back.

 

Anh Do has had a life filled with difficulties and obstacles that would defeat an ordinary person. This is why he is so notable. He has kept up his positive attitude and resilience all throughout his adulthood. He has become a well-loved Vietnamese-born Australian entertainer. I have learnt from Do’s hardships that to advance in life, one must have strength of heart. He has influenced today’s society substantially in positive way with his charity work, documentary shows and entertainment.  I believe that Do has more than fulfilled his mother’s plea in giving “back to this country [of Australia] that gave [them] a second chance.”