In this short story, Archer chronicled a young man's experience in meeting a Hungarian professor of English who distinguished himself in translating Hamlet. While the old man loved the English language, he had never been to visit the UK. When he was young, he could not afford to go. Then when he had saved up enough, his government was not about to grant him permission to go.
My mother's youngest brother went to China for studies in his teenage years, way before the communist take over. He chose to stay on after others left for Hong Kong or Taiwan. A few years after that, his fiancee swam to Hong Kong and entered as a refugee. He regretted but then it was really too late, his every step was watched for years. Easily for twenty years he did not meet with his siblings. Only my grandma, who was above 65, could apply for a visit using letters of invitation.
It took bilateral trade relations to break the ice, finally even my parents in their mid-fifties could visit communist China. Then the tide of mainland tourists begun to flow our way. My uncle and auntie came to visit my country and met up with everyone in the family. It goes to show that no matter how repressive a regime is, one day it would fall. Even with the dead body of Chairman Mao preserved, the country is taking its rightful place in the world. The tyranny of one man could only keep that country backward for just so many years.
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