Wendy E Simmons Analysis

1984 demonstrates a dystopian society in Oceania by presenting a relentless dictator, Big Brother, who uses his power to control the minds of his people and to ensure that his power never exhausts. Aspects of 1984 are evidently established in components of society in North Korea. With both of these society’s under a dictator’s rule, there are many similarities that are distinguished between the two. Orwell’s 1984 becomes parallel to the world of dystopia in North Korea by illustrating a nation that remains isolated under an almighty ruler.

What if everything you knew was a fabrication of reality and the only escape for you or your loved ones was sacrifice? This is the basis for The Orphan Master’s Son, a book by Adam Johnson that details the lives and lies of North Korea. Focusing on a misidentified “orphan” by the name of Pak Jun Do, The Orphan Master’s Son chronicles the life of Pak Jun Do, as he maneuvers the strict rules of the North Korean government in order to live another day. Throughout the novel, Jun Do endures a tough life under a merciless tyrant and a suffering father, remains loyal to his oppressors despite their torment, learns to accept his position in society no matter where he is taken, and inevitably exposed to the truth of his reality. These four themes

In writing Escaping North Korea Mike Kim brought to light the struggles North Koreans face in North Korea, then escaping, and seeking asylum. Kim, before working on the China-Korea boarder, had his own financial planning business but one trip to China changed his world drastically. After hearing the stories of North Korean refugees, Kim found his calling to help these refugees escape a tyrant leadership and create a new life for themselves. Kim in writing Escaping North Korea described his experiences in aiding these refugees escape a repressive country. Escaping North Korea addresses the aspects of life in North Korea that led for them to escape, the problems they face once crossing to China and the

Before even learning of a word to describe this condition, Yeonmi used the same principles to cope with her life growing up in North Korea. By following this conflicting thought process of believing two mutually exclusive ideas simultaneously, it is actually a way for her own subconscious to adapt to the stressful environment. Not only is it difficult to admit everything you have been taught was a lie, but it is dangerous to doubt what you have been told when living in an abusive environment. Not to mention, in North Korea, this danger is only greater and doubts can raise suspicion. However, coping can be maladaptive as well, such as in the case of her self-harm during her time in the Resettlement Center (219). Doublethink is a survival tactic for North Koreans, and a direct result of their life of abuse by the

She can represent any individual in North Korea who accepts their circumstances and develops false consciousness. For example, when Bernard begins to talk about his opinions and social stability, she proclaims, “How can you talk like that about not wanting to be a part of the social body?...everyone works for everyone else” (61). In the second meeting, Junelle discussed how this quotation portrays that Lenina is one of the many citizens who have been brainwashed and manipulated into believing that “Everybody’s happy nowadays” (79). In North Korea brainwashing is also present as they teach young children their own moral values and beliefs, which will result in a stable society allowing communism to persist. This is evident in another article where a Korean man explains how he saw his first public execution and all he could think of was “He committed this crime, he threatened our paradise, he should be punished” (Kim Joo II). Brave New World’s government and prevailing ideas of living can me strongly related to the ways of life in North

Simmons preconceived ideas about children, of the country in which they live, were challenged by her trip to North Korea. This lead to personal growth, Simmons learned that it is important to be open to different types of notions and not just believe that what she believes is always correct, once Simmons realized this it was easier for her to explore different notions. Showing the reader that Simmons personal growth was important in order for her to completely change by using courage she had to show in North Korea. One of the notions Simmons had when she came into the country was that “children will show you the truth,” (Simmons 138) this notion was altered by what she saw next. She saw the children doing as they were told, put on a show for

The similarities between the novel 1984 by George Orwell and the North Korean government are extensive. North Korea’s tyrannical young leader Kim Jong-Un possesses universal control over the country's population of 24.9 million people. In 1984, the protagonist Winston Smith opposes Big Brother and this therefore leads to his downfall and the forced betrayal of the only person he ever loved. North Korea contains several political prison camps similar to the “ministry of love”, a place for the imprisonment and torture of rebels to Big Brother and the Party.

In 2014, a young North Korean defector named Yeonmi Park spoke about her experiences fleeing the country at the One Young World Summit. She shared that a Chinese man had attempted to rape her as she and her mother crossed the border, and that her mother had taken the place of thirteen-year-old Park to protect her. She also recounted a North Korean saying, “Women are weak, but mothers are strong,” as she spoke of her mother’s bravery (Park, 2014). Many mothers will go to far lengths to protect their children from the world, ranging from extreme examples, such as Park’s mother, and less drastic protection, such as putting sunscreen on their children to prevent sunburns. Media reflects this unique quality of the mother-daughter relationship

In the nonfiction article, “Without You, There Is No Us: My Time With the Sons of North Korea’s Elite” by Suki Kim, Kim describes her time in North Korea as an English school teacher and the different procedures that the government uses to manipulate and control her. Under all of the distress and disorder, she discovers that true beauty lies within. Kim’s central idea of the text is that people in North Korea are unable to achieve enlightenment because the government has control over nearly every aspect of their citizen’s lives. This concept progresses over the course of the text by demonstrating the propaganda that North Korea’s government beholds and the list that Kim provides which explicates the rules and regulations she must follow; if this is not accomplished, then there may be very harsh consequences. Towards the end of the text, Kim completely divulges her original concept by stating that the children are beautiful entities, divergent from the government in many ways.

The Aquariums of Pyongyang by Kang Chol-Hwan is a memoir about a young boy’s life in a North Korean gulag during the dictatorship of Kim Il-sung. His story is profoundly touching, recounting his glorious childhood, sudden imprisonment in a labor camp, and successful escape to South Korea. The memoir gives insight to the life of North Koreans from the 1960s to the present, as the dictatorship tightens and the economy fails. The account is the first of its kind and is filled with the unimaginable horrors that have faced generations of North Koreans. Along with his personal story, the author offers his personal criticisms of the government and presents the difficulties in solving the problems that plague the country.

Escaping North Korea is the hardest challenge to overcome due to the harsh conditions people live in. This piece of evidence from the article “Escaping North Korea” supports the topic.“But this killing lodged in her mind. Yeonmi watched in horror as the woman she knew was lined up alongside eight other prisoners and her sentence was read out.” “As the executioners raised their weapons, Yeonmi covered her face. But she looked up again, just in time to see an explosion of blood and the woman’s body crumple to the ground.”First of all children are invited to watch terrible executions. This would give children unforgetable memories. Secondly the people in the city are forced to live in poor houses without working water. In the text Yeomni recalls “ they were forced to move from a comfortable house in Hyesan to a minuscule apartment.”

In conclusion children in North Korea face many challenges due to the policies that are set in place for their country. The ideology of the North Koreans only play a minor role in the development of children from an educational institutional prospective. This ideology that is incorporated in their educational system and infiltrated in the minds of the citizens of North Korea permits them from having a vague and yet eclectic sense of knowledge from an international point of view. Famine, parental choices, poverty, malnutrition and the mandatory labor force are other factors as well that hinder the advancement, earning power and independence of the new generation. Every policy set in place to compensate for the lack of environmental resources

When I was ten years-old, my life changed profoundly. Everything my life had consisted of was suddenly separated from me by a fourteen-hour plane-ride. My family’s decision to move to South Korea to accommodate my father’s job would prove to have an immense effect on my character and leadership abilities.

The Korean War split a unified country, creating two drastically differing sides. South Korea is seen as an economic power and a hub for advancement and innovation. On the other hand, North Koreans have suffered from detrimental social reforms. Under the strict regime of dictators Kim Jong-Un and Kim Jong-Il, personal freedoms have been stripped from the North Korean people, turning North Korea into a world-renowned symbol of poverty and suppression. Had these reforms not occurred, would North Korea be seen under such a negative light? The Giver, a dystopian novel written by author Lois Lowry, attempts to explain such a situation. The Giver recounts the life of a teenage boy named Jonas living in a futuristic society completely free of emotion and pain. Jonas is later able to realize the monotonous life he lives in by receiving memories from the Giver, an old man in charge of storing all memories from times before the society existed. History has repeatedly shown that the restriction of personal freedoms will always result in a dull and declining community, unable to make any sort of progress.

Since the 1950s during and after the Korean war, North Korean people have been fleeing their country for political, religious, economic or personal reasons. The main cause of defection is that the social rights of North Korean people have been severely violated under the Kim family’s political dynasty.  The violation includes famine, imprisonment, torture, murder and enslavement. North Korean refugees go through the life threatening process to get a better life while going through many obstacles.