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8/12/2019 Prose 2 Essay
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Haley Hopkins
Ms. Nichole Wilson
AP Literature and Composition
21 April 2014
Prose Passage 2 Analysis
There are three points of view in the second half of The Orphan
Masters Son: that of an
interrogator, a third-person view of Commander Ga, and that of
Propaganda, otherwise known as
the loudspeakers, which spews propaganda left and right. Adam
Johnsons multiple perspectives
are written with different levels of style and connotation, but
they ultimately converge to
continue showcasing themes centering around power and the need
for intimacy.
Good Morning, Citizens!(Johnson 193), the loudspeakers blare.
The greeting is the
same, monotonous even though it is said cheerfully. Gather round
your loudspeakers for
todays news(193). These sections of the novel are written in an
unadorned style, as they are
messages from Kim Jong II to his citizens. The chilling but also
creepily comic voice of
Propaganda (Mudge) manages a cross between straightforward and
symbolic language, and
rarely includes dialogue. Besides setting a strangely, happily
authoritative tone, this perspective
allows for a glimpse into the totalitarian culture of North
Korea. Propaganda speaks to all under
the Dear Leaders reign at the same time: In your housing blocks,
on your factory
floors(Johnson 193). Whether the citizens are working or at
home, all must listen to
Propaganda as it flows through the thousands of loudspeakers,
speaking highly of the Dear
Leaders unending dedication(193) and essentially reminding the
North Koreansthat they are
totally and completely under his control. This underlying theme
of power and control is so eerie
because a single man holds it all; an entire country is on the
tip of his finger.
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The interrogators point of view is all-inclusive: the diction is
mainly simple, but includes
bursts of colloquialism, and its connotation ranges from
poeticwhen Commander Ga speaks -
to grotesque. Commander Gas poetic language mirrors the third
person perspective, and
provides insight into his and Sun Moons relationship: We cut
through Mansu Park, mist from
the riverchild running through the branches, kicking the nuts
down to parents(186). Gas
need for intimacy stems from his childhood, and is not uncommon
for many North Koreans, as
orphans are often crowded into buildings, left to hope for
something they should already be
receiving: love. It is with Sun Moon that Ga can finally attempt
to achieve a life of love and
happiness. The interrogators point of view is also important
because the characters surrounding
Ga can be heard when he is not in the room; these conversations
are usually colloquial and the
diction level lowers.
The diction level is higher, however, when the third person
point of view surrounding
Commander Gas life is taken. It is much more descriptive as
well: Commander Ga tried to
forget about the interrogator, though Ga could still smell the
cucumber on his breath smaller
details such as the scent of the interrogators breath are seen
only in this point of view, because it
includes the thoughts in Commander Gas head. What he does not
say during interrogations is
brought to light during these chapters. His yearning for
intimacy with Sun Moon is made crystal
clear through his thoughts, and the struggle for power is seen
during his interrogations. Johnson
seems to write in a higher level of diction, as well as in a
more poetic style, to mirror
Commander Gas inner thoughts and personality. He is cunning, he
is powerful but he is also
fragile.
Toggling between three perspectives is a feat not many writers
can accomplish, because
any changes in point of view must be purposeful. However,
Johnson manages to capture the
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horrors of North Korea through three different lenses, each
bringing one or more themes to the
surface. Commander Gas journey is ultimately the one that is
followed, but by allowing the
loudspeakers and an interrogator to have their own respective
perspectives, Johnson is better able
to paint a picture of struggles for love and power.
