Perseverance In North Korea Essay

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In the heart wrenching In Order to Live, Yeonmi Park details the disturbing history of North Korea as well as the gripping story of her journey to freedom. Some of the themes found in her memoir could parallel in some ways to aspects of one’s transition between high school and college. A theme I may relate to my experience is the idea of perseverance in in the face of hardship.
All throughout her life, Yeonmi exhibited remarkable resilience and perseverance. In the disgustingly oppressive North Korea, it was vital that she have these characteristics. In one instance, due to the nature of North Korea’s economy, there was a seven-month period in which, while her father was in prison, her mother had to leave often to conduct illegal business to provide her starving children with food. This resulted in Yeonmi and her sister Eunmi having to live by themselves and in this, the girls, especially Yeonmi, showed their perseverance. Despite the sacrifices they had to make, including dropping out of school, and the criticism they faced due to their family issues, the girls kept their heads up. Yeonmi was so young and shouldn’t have been expected to sacrifice what she did, but she did and she did it with a strong attitude. She had this same strength and resilience when she decided she want to make the journey to South Korea. Despite the relatively safe life …show more content…

I feel it is nothing alike; I was born in a free country to loving and supportive parents who never let us experience poverty or anything other than what was expected in children’s’ lives. Additionally, especially in terms of my education, I never had much trouble. So, even though my college experience isn’t going to be exactly a walk in the park, I feel I am adequately prepared to take on the challenges to come. However, when those challenges do arise, as they did way more so for Yeonmi, I am determined to persevere in the same way she did her whole

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