Analysis Of Loung Ung 's First They Killed My Father

The killing of so many Cambodian people fueled the Khmer Rouge to begin a power grab, where they staged a coup to take control of the government. They succeeded and

Childhood wartime experiences have an impact on Ung’s life. Loung Ung is a Cambodian-born American human-rights activist and lecturer. She wrote a memoir called “First They Killed My Father” and talks about the war in Cambodia and experiences. As a result of the war in Cambodia, Ung’s childhood was impacted because she experienced no freedom of religion, a lack of privacy and a lack of individuality .

First They Killed My Father is based on a memoir of the genocide during Khmer Rouge seized power on Cambodia during1975. Depicts the era through the eyes of a child; story about gaining and losing of childhood.

During times of trouble it is the structure of families which bring stability and fuel resilience. Families often support each other to survive a trauma because they are support systems. The Cambodian genocide led by the Khmer Rouge regime attempted to tear apart families and exploit their special bond. The Khmer Rouge soldiers took towns captive or burned them, and recruited youths to join their cause (Pran IX). From 1975 to 1979, all Cambodians were forced to live in labor camps and were forced to work fourteen to eighteen hours a day with only a single bowl of rice to eat. Family members were separated from one another purposefully to lower morale. During this period an estimated one-third of Cambodian’s population died due to malnutrition, illness, and execution (Pran X). Children of Cambodia’s Killing Fields: Memoirs by Survivors compiled by Dith Pran is important because it confirms the horrors of the Khmer Rouge regime, explains how the Khmer Rouge gained power, and how the Khmer Rouge attempted to indoctrinate young children against their parents.

Pol Pot, the leader of the Khmer Rouge, claimed that this would help return them to their basic times creating a utopia, even though he went in the other direction. Khmer Rouge was the group of cambodian communist that took control. Him and his followers, killed 25 percent of their population by murdering, overworking and starving them to death. They mainly targeted doctors, teachers, monks, journalists, the rich, artists, and/or anyone with an education. They also targeted various religious and ethnic groups during the genocide like, religious enthusiasts, Buddhists,

It can turn the kindest people to a cold hearted person. (Insert fight between Chou and Lounge sisters). Even Chou who used to be a smart, gentle girl turned on her sister in a fight. It even has people stealing from their own blood, like loung did. (insert Loung stealing rice). She feels guilty but she feels the need to survive more then she feels the need to follow her conscience. They also steal from the corn fields, eventually they are found out, and the merciless people are turned on kim. Later on in the book Loung is at the river and a body of a Khmer Rouge Soldier stuck on the bank. Her and another girl push the body back out. “He was a Khmer Rouge Soldier. He deserved to die. Too Bad they are not all dead.” She never thought of wanting someone dead but the war changed her into someone who does. People feel the need to survive or die

In 1975, The Khmer Rouge became the ruling political party of Cambodia after overthrowing the Lon Nol government. Following their leader Pol Pot, the Khmer Rouge imposed an extreme form of social engineering on Cambodian society. They wanted to form an anti-modern, anti-Western ideal of a restructured “classless agrarian society'', a radical form of agrarian communism where the whole population had to work in collective farms or forced labor projects. The Khmer Rouge revolutionary army enforced this mostly with extreme violence. The book “First They Killed My Father: A Daughter of Cambodia Remembers”, written by Luong Ung, is the author’s story of growing up during this time period. She was five years old when the Khmer Rouge came

During the rule of the Khmer Rouge, many innocent people were put through harsh treatment including rape, slavery, and torture. Along with all of these things, many of these Cambodians were killed for being too weak to work or do anything else. Pol Pot, who was the leader at this time, has been estimated at killing around 2,500,000 Cambodians, which is nearly 20% of the population. During the novel it is apparent that the author 's purpose is to describe how life was during this time for a young boy named Arn, show how brutal survival was for those who did, and how the Khmer Rouge brainwashed their victims.

In 1975, the Khmer Rouge had taken over Cambodia becoming the ruling political party and had overthrown the Lon Nol government. They wanted Cambodia to form an anti-modern agrarian society. This novel is of political oppression set in Cambodia. First They Killed My Father is an emotional and heart wrenching memoir told by the perspective of a child, Loung Ung. It is an moving story told about a families survival with vivid detail and is more breathtaking and extreme as it is told from five year old Loung. As the horror begins Loung suffered through many journeys during her young ages; the deaths of her parents and siblings, being evacuated from Phnom Penh, her hometown, the knowledge she now has of the

In First They Killed My Father, Loung Ung talks about the downfall of Cambodia when the country is being taken over by the Angkar soldiers and Khmer Rouge during war. Loung Ung’s childhood wartime experiences in Cambodia impacted her life in multiple ways.

The year is 1975. Five-year-old Luang Ung is living a comfortable lifestyle with her family–she loves going to the market and listening to the radio, specially if it bothers her big brothers. Her life is pretty great, that is, until the day the Khmer Rouge arrive. First They Killed My Father: A Daughter of Cambodia Remembers, chronicles Ung’s own childhood growing up during the merciless Cambodian Genocide.

“I wanted to die so I didn’t have to face it. But I knew I had to keep going” (Ty). This is from a survivor of the tragic Cambodian genocide that is explained by Loung Ung in her novel First They Killed My Father. The story goes in depth of her struggles during the genocide being only the age of 5. She puts on a display of strength and perseverance during her journey as a victim of the Khmer Rouge. In the book, First They Killed My Father by Loung Ung, Ung explores the idea of composure to develop the theme that composure in tense situations will help all push through no matter the circumstances.

During the civil war the Khmer Rouge didn’t want to create too many inconsistencies in the culture and so they instead tried to slowly introduce communism to the Buddhist monks. However, they also knew if the Buddhists were free to do as they pleased they would eventually start an uprising. Pol Pot knew in order for his revolution to be successful he would need full control over the entire population. In order to do that he first needed to disband the hierarchies in Cambodian society. This way he would have no obstacles, no one would be able to seize power. The intellects and wealthy people were killed. In addition, because the Buddhists were some of the most prominent and highest ranked people in the Cambodian society Pol Pot also sought to get rid of them. However, during the civil war the Khmer Rouge was still trying to gain support, which they desperately needed from the Buddhist monks because they made up a sizeable portion of the population and had the support of the citizens. This was because in Cambodia everyone turned to the monastery for guidance, education,

Ever since the actions in Cambodia occurred, it has been debated whether it was an actual genocide. The general definition of genocide is the purposeful and methodical execution of a national, racial, political, or cultural group. The Khmer Rouge in Cambodia demonstrated that a government can be guilty of genocide against its own nation. The radical communist party led by Pol Pot took over Cambodia from 1975 to 1979. After 1979, the Khmer Rouge left a traumatized Cambodian culture that continues to undergo the repercussions of the genocide. People over the age of forty in Cambodia have stories to tell of fear, cruelty, hunger and the loss of family members. However, the Cambodian government is not making an effort to recognize the negative occurrences that have posed itself in the history of their culture.

The Cambodian Genocide, similar to every other genocide during the 20th century, occurred because of a government’s desire to equalize the citizens under their rule. Executed by the Khmer Rogue, the genocide involved the classification, displacement, and eventual extermination of around 25% of Cambodia’s population. In their pursuit of a utopian society, the Khmer Rouge capitalized on Cambodia’s fear of war to not only rise to power, but also rationalize their actions during the genocide. Despite hoping for peace after the civil war, the Cambodian people instead faced four years of genocide under the Khmer Rouge, where no citizen was safe from persecution.