When Chou was describing Hong’s experience she described Hong’s language as if it were like spitting to show just how upsetting and angry it made her just to talk about what she witnessed. Because the soldiers made an example out of that boy, they made it
Throughout the book the characters Loung and Chou demonstrate persistence by the struggles they overcome The first struggle that Loung is faced with, are her suicidal thoughts. The author describes when Loung had an overdose, “I pop four pills into my mouth. But the pain is still there. I pour out another handful.
The Khmer Rouge has taken over Cambodia. This is much like what is happening in the Soviet Union. It may look different but the mass murdering and cruelty has lead both countries into a state which is not looked at kindly. Each country was in the same situation from the standpoint of the citizens. Rights were taken away, torture and cruel deaths occurred, and the death of many was looked at by the powerful as a worthy cause to the country as a whole.
Duch remembers specific details of some individual prisoners and their torture, while still trying to minimize his role as merely a man doing his job. The interview segments provide a resonating glimpse into the psyche of a torturer and killer. Today, the former site of S-21 serves as a museum about the genocide, and films like Rithy’s own S-21: The Khmer Rouge Killing Machine have helped educate the public about the atrocities committed by Pol Pot and his regime. Rithy Panh’s book is another important and fascinating document in that process.
Loung vented the feelings and emotions she was feeling after her overdose. Doing this made her stop thinking about Cambodia and was therapeutic. Loung was able to overcome the obstacles of her depression through writing about her trauma and perseverance, which forever changed her life from almost killing herself. Lastly, the last obstacle Loung overcomes
Causes of the Cambodian Genocide The Cambodian genocide took place from 1975 to 1979; it is estimated that some two million Cambodians were systematically murdered by the Khmer Rouge and its followers (Power 90). In Alexander Hinton’s article, “A Head for an Eye” he recounts in details the experience of Gen, a survivor of the Cambodian Genocide. After the Lon Nol government was overthrown by the Khmer Rouge, the Communists began their witch-hunt in an attempt to identify and kill anyone who was associated with the former regime, as well as the educated, the Vietnamese, the Muslim Cham, the Buddhist monks, and other “bourgeois elements” (Power 101). During the investigation, it was revealed that Gen’s father was a teacher–this fact alone was
Loung states, “My mind drifts off to find Chou. Chou had the luxury to weep openly at our separation, as was expected of her for being the more fragile sister. But I had to stay strong and smile for her” (13). This shows how hard it was for Loung to say goodbye to her family, and it didn't help that she had to be the “strong sister”, and couldn't even cry. Another example of why losing her family was hard for her was that she could not bring them to America to see her.
This novel explains what people would do to get away from those affairs in third world countries like Cambodia. I loved this book because it helps me understand what goes on in other, poorer countries like Cambodia or others in that region. During the vietnam war
First they Killed my Father, by Loung Ung, is a story told from the eyes of a young girl who lived through the Khmer Rouge genocide in Cambodia. As you read this book you begin to find yourself learning valuable history, straight from the source. Loung explains how her and her family were forced out of their home town in Cambodia, when Khmer Rouge began to takeover. A few days after Khmer Rouge took control in 1975, the Khmer Rouge forced roughly two million people in Phnom Penh, and other towns/cities into the countryside for agricultural work. Thousands of people died and were executed during the evacuations.
Loung Ung’s First They Killed My Father is a vivid, detailed memoir of a young girl’s experiences in Cambodia throughout the Khmer Rouge era. It records in expressive detail the horrors suffered by the Ung and her family while living under the oppressive rule of the insane Khmer Rouge. Meanwhile, First They Killed Her Sister by Soneath Hor, Sody Lay and Grantham Quinn is a lengthy criticism in direct opposition to the aforementioned memoir. Although the authors of First They Killed Her Sister made some excellent points throughout their assessment of First They Killed my Father such as showing how Ung having misrepresented some aspects of Khmer culture and history, they completely and utterly failed in their attempt to discredit her based on the claims that she perpetuated racial tension and distorted what really happened in 1970s Cambodia, which breaks down the few good points they did have. The critics correctly assert and prove that Ung misrepresented certain aspects of Khmer culture and history, showing that at times, Ung’s description of what had happened was distorted or partially fabricated.
‘First They Killed My Father’ is a historical memoir that combines a variety of literary devices that allowed readers to empathize and build a connection with the author and Cambodia. Written from the perspective of author Loung Ung, she fights through the genocide and her losses as she fled with her family all over Cambodia. Her personal battles touched readers consequently of her use of key themes, the relationship between characters and the events that unfold in her memoir. All this combined contributes towards the reader putting themselves into her shoes, understanding her perspective and connecting with a part of Cambodia’s history. The key themes within the book are what Loung strives for and embodies the spirit of the novel.
First They Killed My Father is a memoir written by Loung Ung and her account of the Cambodian government overthrow by the Khemer Rouge. The account begins when Loung is five years old, as she recalls living in Phnom Penh with her six siblings, Meng, Khouy, Keav, Kim, Chou, and Geak, her mother, and her father. While living in the city, the Khemer Rouge storm the city and overthrow the government, while forcing all people in Phnom Penh to evacuate. After evacuating their home, Loung and her family are sent to labor camps where they are punished and starved for four years. In her memoir, Loung reflects on the people she lost and the hardships she endured, while at the same time showing her family’s unbreakable love and courage.
She is a hard worker and a good fighter, driven by rage and hatred. Along with leaving the camp, Loung has to leave her sister Chou as well. “Chou, you're older than me, stop being so weak” (pg 130) Loung says this in response to Chou crying during their final goodbyes. Loung takes pride in being emotionally and physically
The novel First They Killed My Father has a vast collection of themes that were prevalent throughout the course of the story. The theme that is the most prominent is Family can help you endure all. The author of this heartbreaking memoir, Loung Ung, who was five at the time, describes her experiences under the barbarous and ruthless dictator, Pol Pot. Loung Ung, her parents, and her six siblings lived a normality where life, liberty, and the security of a individual were considered basic human rights. On April 17, 1975 the invasion of Communist Khmer Rouge took all aspects of public life and private life.
Life in Cambodia After the Khmer Rouge Have you ever lost someone very important to you? For example, losing your grandpa because he was in the military protecting your country. That’s how it felt for families during the Cambodian Genocide. Families from all across Cambodia lost their loved ones because they were educators or soldiers. Pol Pot’s plan was to get rid of almost all the older people because they could’ve gotten in his way of the ideas he was trying to propose.
