Genre
Non-fiction
Setting and Context
Set in Phnom Penh, Cambodia.
Narrator and Point of View
First-person narrative
Tone and Mood
Sad, disheartening, hopeless, depressing
Protagonist and Antagonist
The central character is Loung Ung.
Major Conflict
The major conflict comes when Khmer Rouge seizes power, forcing Ung and her family to flee the village.
Climax
The climax comes when Ung and her siblings reunite after a long separation due to the terror brought about by Rouge’s terror army.
Foreshadowing
The greed for power foreshadows the brutality subjected to the people of Cambodia by the Khmer Rouge.
Understatement
The effects of war are understated. Before the brutal attack by the Khmer Rouge army in Cambodia, Ung and her family were living a privileged life because her father was working as a senior government official. However, when the brutal army takes over the city, Ung and her family flee from one village to the other, and at last, they end up in labor camps.
Allusions
The story alludes to the negative impact of political conflicts in a country that subjects innocent citizens to unnecessary misery.
Imagery
The imagery of suffering is depicted to readers to see the negative impacts of an internal conflict within a country. For instance, Ung's family life takes a drastic turn when Rouge's brutal army takes over the city. Any person who opposes the army is put in a labor camp, and children are trained as soldiers.
Paradox
The paradox of life is evident in the text. Ung and her family are living an affluent life during her childhood. Ironically, things take a drastic turn when the conflict erupts, and they end up living in poverty and misery.
Parallelism
There is parallelism between Rouge's plan and the Cambodian people's aspirations.
Metonymy and Synecdoche
N/A
Personification
Conflict is personified as futile.
