Political Control and Repression

Paper Summary:

This paper discusses how two books, "Red Azaliea: Life and Love in China" by Anchee Min and "Lost Names: Scenes from a Korean boyhood" by Richard Kim, portray societies in which ordinary life is subject to extraordinary political repression. How do authorities in each case try to assert control? How do the protagonists come to an outlook different from the official line? Both of the central characters in these autobiographies suffer at the hands of oppressors, and both survive to live better lives. The authorities use power, control, and repression to hang on to their political authority, but all they do is create hatred and animosity in the people, and ultimately, their control comes crashing down around them.

From the Paper:

"Both of these autobiographical tales show the great cruelties and evils that can be inflicted on a society by an aggressor or a despot who employ extraordinary political repression. In "Lost Names," Kim's memories of occupied Koreas show how the Japanese attempted to infiltrate every facet of Korean life. The Japanese begin programming the young Koreans early by hanging the Japanese flag and propagandist slogans in their school classrooms (Kim 31). Throughout the book, the Japanese break the Koreans; spirit by stealing what is theirs by their hard work, and leaving them with next to nothing. For example, the Japanese take the prevalent and favored rice from the Koreans and send it home to Japan, leaving the Koreans feeling nothing but hunger and bitterness. "

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