Escape From Camp 14 Sparknotes

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Did you know that at this moment, numerous innocent prisoners are being forced to work for no pay and are held captive as punishment for crimes of their relatives? This is because of North Korea’s labor camps, also known as political prisons. In these camps, prisoners are denied all of their basic rights and are given the minimal amount of food, clothing, and other necessities. Shin Dong-hyuk was born in one of these camps, and he tells his story in his biography, Escape From Camp 14. The book talks about the horrible living conditions inside the camp. It also talks about the harsh punishments, distrust, and snitching. Of North Korea’s three social classes, the prisoners in these camps are at the bottom. Accordingly, these prisoners are treated …show more content…

They are given one outfit for them to wear every single day, that often would not be replaced until three years later. Along with the other prisoners, Shin Dong-hyuk was given one shirt, one pair of pants, and one pair of cheap, holey shoes. His mother made him socks and underwear out of rags, but after her execution he wore none. The uniforms are made by other prisoners at the camp’s garment factory out of rough, uncomfortable fabric. Shin was required to wear these garments in the camp until he was 23 years …show more content…

The prisoners are denied a proper education. Instead, they are taught about the camp rules and being loyal to the government. Shin had three teachers throughout his life, and he never knew any of their names. Because the camp guards are also the teachers, they are very strict and harsh to their students. They are focused only on teaching the students to be loyal to the government, no matter what, so they do not develop personal relationships with their students. The students are not even allowed to make eye contact with the teachers or ask any questions. In Escape From Camp 14, Shin tells about how one six year old girl had stolen corn found in her bag. The teacher immediately beat her to death with a chalkboard pointer, all while the entire class was watching. Although the students were treated horrendously, they soon learned not to be querulous, as one child had to learn from experience. When he smarted off to the teacher, he was tied to a tree and beat by all the other

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