Chiu 3
Whitney Chiu
Professor Isip
English 1301. S16
16 November 2014
Blessed I Don't Live In North Korea
This is such a messed up thing to say; but the whole time I was reading this book, I felt SO relieved I wasn't Shin or lived on North Korea. This book made me feel blessed to live in America and have a real family. I felt really bad for Shin when I read about how his own mother wasn't a real mother. His mother was just his birth giver. His mother basically lacked what every loving mother had. She didn't love him like my mother would. And it just made me feel happy to have the family that I have.
Chiu 1
I always knew that there was a bad side of Korea and a good side but I never knew which side was which. Well after reading this book, it was pretty obvious to me which side was the bad Korea. But before reading this book, I had no idea of what was going on in North Korea. I always thought concentration camps meant Hitler. I'm not very into History or Historical Events so that is the reason why I never knew North Korea was so terrible. I could not believe it when I read that there were and probably still are labor camps in North Korea. I always thought those were ancient and so 1900's. I thought it was so sad how he was born into all the crap he had to live through in North Korea. I can't imagine myself working in those conditions or doing anything he had to do. I personally love eating so if I was starved like he was I would be so depressed. I also can't handle how much he was beaten in North Korea. I would try my best to get on their "good side" (if they had one) so I wouldn't be beaten or starved.
The way Shin lived, surviving was the best thing ever. It's not like how we have it. We don't only survive but we get to chase our dreams and get paid for doing whatever job we chose to do. For Shin, he spent his childhood doing unpaid labor. And he developed survival skills, which were snitching and stealing. I would never be able to work the whole day and not get anything back for it. I think it's so messed up how there are so many camps in North Korea that does that. I feel really bad for everyone who is trapped in North Korea, because they have no idea what they can do with their life. They can all be successful in their own ways but they are trapped.
When Shin had to watch his mother and brother get executed, my instinct was to feel bad. But I was also so happy because Shin hated his mother and brother. If I were in his shoes, I would snitch on them even when they haven't started on planning to escape. The sad part was how Shin never had a mother figure in his life. But he got to escape so I felt proud for him. I have no idea how he could've climbed though those electrical fences because I wouldn't be able to do that. Also, it's shown on his body what he has endured. There are burns on his back and legs and his fingers half gone. If I were him, I would get cosmetic surgery to remove it all, but I guess he keeps all those flaws there because they describe him. The flaws are him.
Chiu 2
When he got to America, he was free but he wasn't exactly happy. I felt so bad because he finally got to escape that hell hole, and he ends up being free. But he didn't have anyone there for him. I think everyone needs a person in their life they can talk to. My favorite show is "Grey's Anatomy", and Christina and Meredith from that show are each other's person. I think Shin really needs a person so he can be joyful and not paranoid like he is now. I'm really happy I read this book. This book taught me which Korea was the bad Korea and changed my view of how
even if I was having a sucky day, at least I didn't live in North Korea. And I have a person, so that's also great.