Chapter 6 and 7

Escape From Camp 14

Chapter 6“The Son of a Bitch Won’t

Do”

Shin snitched on her mother and brother when he found out that they were planning on trying to escape nut was still considered a conspirator because the night guard took all of the credit

During investigation, they made him put his fingerprint on the family rap sheet that showed him that the reason why he was there was because his uncles had fled to South Korea during the Korean War

Shin endured grueling interrogation and when the didn’t get answers from him because he had no information, the tortured him and only gave him food every few days

These tortures included hanging him by his feet and holding him over a fire by piercing him in the side

He was finally let go after many days of going in and out of consciousness when he told the guards to check with a fellow classmate that could verify that it was him who sold his mother and brother out

Chapter 6 Summary

After enduring the torture, the guards say “Seeing Shin curled up on the floor of his cell, a guard shouted in the prison hallway, ‘That little runt is really tough.’”

“Confused and increasingly frightened, Shin found it difficult to speak. He was an informant. He could not understand why he was being interrogated as an accomplice.”

Chapter 6 Important Quotes

Adds to the tone & mood of the chapterTone and mood can be described as

ominous, frightened, or intense“Confused and increasingly frightened”“He was a bewildered 13 year-old”“Increasingly frightened, increasingly hungry,

and still struggling to understand”The author uses harsh words to create the

tone, and depict the intense situation accurately

Diction

The sad tragedies going on in this young boys life can be felt through his words. Throughout these two chapters there is a mix between both long and short sentences. When the young Shin is explaining a major event or turning point in his life, there is often a longer sentence to show this.

“The unforgivable crime Shin’s father had committed was being the brother of two young men who had fled south during a fratricidal war that razed much of the Korean Peninsula and divided hundreds of thousands of families.”This quote was the turning point when Shin realized why his family was really in that prison camp. It wasn't because he had done anything wrong or even that his father did anything wrong, but it was the problem that he had the uncles that did. He was born into this unhappy society and he couldn't change the family he was born into.

Syntax

The shock value of the torture seen in chapter 6 mixed with the reality of the situation helps to build credibility for the reader, but also show the horrendous conditions in this camp. The author is attempting to raise awareness for the cruelty in the camps, and is doing so by using the vivid details and diction. “Shin, crazed with pain, smelling his burning flesh, twisted away

from the heat. One of the guards grabbed a gaff hook from the wall and pierced the boy in the lower abdomen, holding him over the fire until he lost consciousness.”

Up until chapter 6, we don’t see Shin feeling true emotions and standing up for himself. He recognizes the unfairness of his situation when he is tortured instead of praised for following the rules. “...It took place in his cell because he was too weak to get up off

the floor. But he was no longer afraid. For the first time, he found words to defend himself.”

Connection

“The Sun Shines Even on Mouse Holes”

Chapter 7

Shin has a new cellmate whom he calls Uncle. He takes care of Shin and nurses him back to health from his time being tortured

Uncle was very kind to shin and was well liked by the guards so they were able to obtain extra food, water and even scissors to occasionally cut their hair

Shin healed and enjoyed listening to the stories that Uncle told him about life outside of the camp

Later, Shin was asked by the guards to be an informant on Uncle so he was truthful and told both Uncle and the Guards what was being said

At the end of the chapter, Shin is given a school uniform and is taken out of the cell and he never sees Uncle again

Chapter 7 Summary

“Shin did not want to leave the cell. He had never trusted – never loved – anyone before. In the years ahead, he would think of the old man in the dark room far more often and with far greater affection than he thought of his parents.”

“Uncle told Shin that both of them would one day be released. Until then, he said, they had a sacred obligation to stay strong, live as long as possible and never consider suicide.”

Chapter 7 Important Quotes

Used to evoke emotional response from readersUsed again to create toneTone in this chapter can be described as fond or

caring“The old man’s medical skills and caring words kept

the boy alive…”“It was Shin’s first exposure to sustained

kindness…”“He had never trusted – never loved– anyone before.”The word selection creates an emotional response in

readers at the first true emotions Shin feels for another person

Diction

Later on when Shin was released from his cell that he had shared with “Uncle” it was a turning point for Shin as a person. He was no longer a prisoner in that cell but he still did not want to leave. He finally trusted and loved someone.

“In the years ahead, he would think of the old man in the dark room far more often and with far greater affection than he thought of his parent.”

This one straightforward sentence has enough power to convey the theme of family. Not once did his own family care for him like his cellmate did. A complete stranger nursed him back to health, and for the first time in his life he realized he was not alone.

Syntax

In chapter 7, we see the polar opposite of the cruelty and misery of the torture, through the kindness of Shin’s cellmate. By meeting Uncle, the author shows the beauty of human relationships and compassion in healing a broken person both physically and mentally. To a boy who had only known abuse, competition and hate, Uncle was Shin’s first experience with real love. This chapter allowed the reader to see those who rise above their circumstances and garner hope.• “It was Shin’s first exposure to sustained kindness...

Uncle slowly reconfigured those expectations. The old man said he was lonely and seemed genuinely happy to share his space and his meals with someone else. He never once angered or frightened Shin or undermined his recovery.”

Connection