2024 AP Lang Rhetorical Analysis Simu Liu

In the summer of 1993 I noticed that my English
flash card lessons were starting to pick up, along with
talk that my departure date to Canada was drawing
Line even nearer.
5 I didn’t like that one bit.
My whole family—my yéye, na ̆inai, gu ̄gu, gu ̄fu ̄, 1
even my cousin JingJing—spoke of this “Canada” as
if it were some sort of idyllic paradise, a place of
abundant snacks and endless affection.
10 “You can eat whatever you want,” Na ̆inai would
say, as if I didn’t already have pretty regular access to
all of my favorites on Héxìnglù. 2
“You will finally reunite with your parents,” my
gu ̄gu added reassuringly, as if I didn’t already have
15 five amazing people around me who loved me.
Looking back, it felt kind of cult-y, like gospel
from the Church of Canadology that I was supposed
to just accept. I played along, even though I was still
rough on the exact terms of this proposition. Sure, I
20 welcomed the thought of meeting more members of
my family . . . but I had no idea that said new family
members would come at the cost of everyone that I
knew and loved.
So, with about as much agency as any
25 four-year-old possessed, I kept on, ever the obedient
child, dutifully memorizing my English flash cards.
 (píngguo)—Apple.  (ma ̄o)—Cat. 

(xia ̄ngjia ̄o)—Banana.  (bàbama ̄ma)
—Parents, whom I would meet in the winter.
30 An air of excitement permeated our household in
the days leading up to my father’s arrival in late
December. Word had come to us that Bàba 3 would fly
over to pick me up and escort me back to Canada,
while Ma ̄ma would meet us at the airport once we
35 landed in Toronto. If my grandparents were dreading
letting me go (they were), they went to great lengths
not to show it. We made a big WELCOME BACK
sign in giant letters and hung it on our door. I wore
my nicest clothes on the day, an outfit of absolute fire
40 consisting of a collared rugby shirt with blue and
purple stripes, a pair of brown overalls with yellow
polka dots and a vest that looked like a burlap sack.
That’s right, I was pattern clashing way before it was
cool.
45 My gu ̄gu and gu ̄fu ̄ came over and we prepared a
feast that filled our little round table: white
mushrooms with sliced pork, large tail-on shrimp,
bean curd, soy-sauce ribs and Russian-style red
sausage—my father’s favorite, apparently.
50 The food is starting to get cold when we hear a
little knock on our door. I perk up anxiously as my
yéye answers, opening the door to reveal a scrawny,
square-faced man with bowl-cut hair wearing a big
cozy sweater along with the bleary gaze of exhaustion

55 that comes after an eighteen-hour train ride from
Beijing. This man who resembles an Asian Eric
Forman from That ’70s Show is my bàba, the man
who I had waited my entire four-and-a-half-year life
to reunite with.
60 This is the man who is going to bring me to the
promised land of Canada.
“Máomao! 4 It’s me!”
I freeze.
I had imagined this moment in my head many
65 times, as I’m sure my father had. I wanted to run to
him, embracing him enthusiastically and without any
reservations, as any child would run to their own
father—but I just . . . can’t. Everything about this man
is foreign to me, from his voice to his smell. I had
70 only seen his face in photographs, only heard
recordings of his disembodied voice. He feels almost
like a celebrity, someone I recognize from
somewhere, but who is himself unknown and
unknowable.
75 I scurry to my na ̆inai’s side nervously. I’m sure my

father was a little disappointed, but he respected my
space, taking only a small step toward me.
“Do you know who I am?”
I ponder this for a moment.
80 “You . . . you are Zhenning Liu.” 5
Everyone around me bursts out laughing. The ice is
broken, and I laugh along, even though I don’t get the
joke. “Zhenning Liu” is exactly who this man is to
me; not “Dad,” not “Father,” not “Bàba” . . . but a
85 stranger, an acquaintance at best.
Slowly, over the next few days, it dawns on me that
this stranger is going to take me away from my
family, my home and everything that I have ever
known.
1 grandfather, grandmother, aunt, uncle
2 Hexing Street
3 Father
4 Chinese nickname for a small child
5 the father’s full name