“No Surrender”

Language: English

MAIN DESCRIPTION 1:

DM: “My dad would always say ‘no surrender’, I would always hear it growing up and no matter what it is basically, kinda just like to not give up, always push through. He said this phrase whether it was school sports, etc. He would continuously say this to me so that I wouldn’t give up on my hopes and dreams. It was almost like his mantra that he instilled in me and I’ve used it ever since.”

INFORMANT’S OPINION 1:

JL: What do you think this phrase means?

DM: “He thought that if he told me this then I would take it to heart, which is what I did. I used this phrase as motivation for whenever I faced a tough obstacle. I think it means to never give up when faced with hardship. Also, that I should never surrender or at least give it my all which I did for my academics and my athletics in my life.”

PERSONAL INTERPRETATION 1:

JL: I never really understood the meaning of “no surrender” as my parents never said it to me growing up. But I think I’ve definitely used this phrase when I faced my own challenges. It became a reminder to push through difficult moments instead of giving up. I believe I have used this phrase when I faced my own obstacles.I feel like I’ve instilled this mantra in my life as I keep going during tough times instead of quitting. I see how this way of thinking has benefited me in school sports and everyday life. It’s a simple idea that drives me to keep pushing forward and stay strong no matter what difficulties come my way.

Lei Gong

Text:

“雷公 (Lei Gong)”

Translation:

The Thunder Father, the Thunder God

Context:

“I remember it being a more folkloreic thing. Becuase there were these gods, and it wasn’t authoritatively taught to us or anything. It’s more of like a- my parents would use it as a way for discipline thing… It’s funny because they only ever use him a lot because he’s the one that causes the thunder, and that scares children. It’s kinda a way to explain where thunder comes about. But it is the idea that if you behave badly, the thunder god will come to judge you. He punishes the morally guilty. So whenever you are misbehaving, he is gonna strike you down. It is related to thunder because you kind of caused it. And whenever it did thunder, and I didn’t do anything. My mom will reinforce that: ‘You hear the thunder? He is coming. Listen to how angry he is.’”

Analysis:

J: Turns out it is just a tactic for the parents to manipulate their children…
P: Yeah- but also,I guess the fact that it exists- in Chinese, it is a personification of the judge of guiltiness. It is really interesting that it passes down. Our parents say it.
J: Right, it is like- culturally, how our (Chinese) parents teach their children by scaring them instead of teaching them actual lesson.
P: Yeah, yeah. So I always have fascination about this. Even when I know it isn’t real now, I still have a fascination with thunder and rain. It makes you pay attention to it.

Lei Gong is not only a figure featured in Chinese legend; he is also taught to children as an invisible figure who judges them. It is interesting to see how the loud thunder in many cultures and legends always symbolizes judgment. But it is not hard to imagine having to come up with an explanation for loud bombing noise from the sky other than some omniscient beings.

Jeep Ducking/ Duck Duck Jeep

Object:

Rubber Ducks

Context:

The informant and the interviewer were walking around the USC campus and spotted a Jeep with a great amount of rubber ducks in it, thus sparking this conversation.
People who own Jeeps like to give rubber ducks to other Jeep owners. You can spot a lot of Jeeps with many different types of rubber ducks on their dashboard. The informant theorized that it is a millennial trend. They recall that it started during quarantine as a way to bond the Jeep community together.

Analysis:
A heartwarming game within the Jeep community, it is well needed during quarantine. People still keep it up nowadays, but more as a collector to show off the different rubber ducks they own.

Chivo

Text:

“Chivo”

Translation:

Cool
(Direct translation: Billy goat)

Context:

The informant heard this word often from their dad. In Salvadoran, it means cool and awesome. The informant states they use it when someone does a cool skateboard trick. “Chevere” is a word branched off from it, meaning good, interesting, or enjoyable.

Analysis:
It is interesting how the direct translation is “billy goat”, which relates to the modern day slang “goated,” also used to describe a cool action.

More Lost Than A Goat In The Garage

Text:

“Mas perdido que una cabra en un garaje.”

Translation:

More lost than a goat in the garage.

Context:

The informant heard it a lot growing up, usually in the context of whenever they or their siblings did something stupid. It can both be used in physically lost in a space or described a ridiculous action.

Analysis:

It is a clear simile from literal textual meaning, but also a fun and lighthearted way to tease someone because of the ridiculousness nature of this phrase. The mention of goats might seem random, but through some research, I learned that goats are important livestock in El Salvador. Perhaps there are more situations of goats ending up in a garage than we think there could be.