Shin Dong Hyok was born and raised in a North Korean gulag, the life he was forced to live was the only life he knew existed. To us, or at least to me, it seemed as though this lifestyle, the way these people were treated in these camps was completely barbaric, it was something that doesn't really happen, something that we only read about. This makes it strange to read about someone who only knew this life and nothing outside of the walls of his prison camp. Shin assumed that everyone lived the way he did and he never thought it was unfair.
Shin's life relates to the life of the Party members in 1984. To the reader it's clear that the each of the members of the Party are treated is wrong or unfair, but to them it's standard, they love the Party, and they think there's anything bad about it enforcing the idea of Ignorance is Strength, a piece of the Party’s slogan which is similar to the saying that ignorance is bliss. Winston however, is one of the few who can even vaguely remember how life was previously causing him to be unsatisfied with his life now
It's hard to accept that Shin found this way of life normal. The world I was born into is the world I know, the world I find normal, making it shocking to know that Shin never questioned the way he was forced to live in, showing how much surroundings affect one's thinking. Ignorance is bliss. It makes sense when Shin says sometimes he wished he could go back to before he knew about the rest of the world, before he knew about anything because in a sense his oblivion never brought him problems, he "only had to do what [he] was told", finding his life now more difficult than it was in the camp. Shin having lived in the camp for so long knew nothing more than it, being pushed into a bigger world and seeing completely new things has to be hard.
I agree with most of what you're saying in your post. I liked the comparisons you made between 1984 and Shins life. It would be interesting to see how else this compares with the society and whether this sort of way of life goes beyond just North Korea and stretches into other nations. Anuraag raised a very good analogy on my post about the article (https://saumya22.wordpress.com/2010/09/30/lack-of-lightning) about how we as people do the same with the transition between high school and elementary school. Another interesting idea I came across was how is it possible that we could have stopped North Korea from becoming the way it was and how Orwell was trying to warn us, this was inspired by tom (tom7794.wordpress.com). I personally agree with you but I also think it was hard for Shin to question it because he genuinely thought that was how everyone lived. Although me and many other people do agree with what you said Jorina did bring up some of the points that you have about why would he want to go back to the torture, ( jorina-hlenglish.blogspot.com)
ReplyDeleteThe transitions between high school and elementary school, I see how it make sense, but only to an extent. Essentially aren't we being prepared for each step? Elementary to middle? Middle to high? High school to college? So though what we do is almost decided for us in elementary school, it changes as we get to a higher grade. Every year we get more freedom, more responsibility, so the transition itself is extremely slow, 12 years actually. Compared to being in one place, compare it to being in the 1st grade for 20+ years and then suddenly being put in 12th grade. I'm not so sure if you can call it the same...
ReplyDelete