Journal 4
Alive in the Killing Fields
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Setting
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Reader Response Questions
COMMUNITY
What does it mean to have a community?
In my novel to have a community means to have you family and friends working in harmony with you in the rice fields. A community is a place where there are no Khmer Rouge constantly coming to attack you and no Vietnamese trying to control Cambodia. A community is a safe place where you can live at peace with the people around them.
What is “community” for each character?
The community for each of my characters in the novel is a harsh one because of the Khmer Rouge and rice farms. People are constantly getting murdered and have no rights. The community that Mop and his family are in has no peace and everyone is constantly fighting for their lives. Eventfully the community gets better when the Vietnamese take control but many people still don’t have rights. Although there is no more murder, you are still not free in the community.
What happens if an individual doesn’t have one?
In my opinion in this story many people didn’t have a community. Everywhere was unsafe and dangerous and even life threatening? I don’t think anyone would like to call a place that is harming to oneself and their family, their home or community.
What are the different types of community that exist in the novel? (friends, neighbours, family, etc.)
The main communities in the novel are the rice farms (Cambodians), the Khmer Rouge and the Vietnamese. They all live in different places with every different living conditions.
Does each community have its own social norms? If so, what are these? How are they enforced? What happens if an individual doesn’t adhere to these norms?
Khmer Rouge- Lives in a community where violence is the answer to everything. No regrets when killing innocent people. Make Cambodians their slaves. They are extremely violent to those who work under them, such as innocent Cambodians. Show no mercy when killing. Have a great deal of power at the beginning of the novel because of their guns and heavy arms. The Khmer Rouge remain in the country on the rice farms when the Vietnamese take most of their power.
Cambodians- Are working under both Khmer Rouge and Vietnamese. They’re at the bottom of the food chain. They have horrible living situations and many die of starvation. Many are mercilessly killed by the Khmer Rouge. Constantly fighting for survival.
The Vietnamese- The Vietnamese come to Cambodia near the end of the novel. They take power over the Khmer Rouge, and make most of the killing in the city of Battambang stop. Try to make it seem like Cambodia is going to be the same as it was before the Khmer Rouge started their slaughter spree. In reality the Cambodians still have very little power with the Vietnamese in charge.
Are communities marginalized in the novel? If so, how and why?
Most of the Cambodians so far have come to the city of Battambang away from the Khmer Rouge to live with the Vietnamese soldiers. The Vietnamese and Cambodians live mostly in peace and soon the Khmer rouge will cease to exist.
POWER
What does it mean to have power in the novel?
To have power in this novel is to be either the Vietnamese or the Khmer rouge. The Cambodians have very little to no power. They are constantly getting murdered or ordered around by the Vietnamese or the Khmer Rouge, working in the city or on the rice farms. Power means food and many of the Cambodians have starved to death.
How do characters achieve power? When do they have it? When and how do they lose it? Are some characters granted power due to privileged positions?
The different groups have achieved power by the amount of guns and members they have. Although there are a lot of Cambodians, they are very peaceful people so when the Khmer Rouge and Vietnamese came with guns, they had no choice but to succumb to their power and work as their slaves. Everyone listens to the people with all the power and the ones who are heavily armed. The choice is they listen or they die.
Who is disempowered? In what ways?
The disempowered group is the Cambodians. They are being forced into slavery and many of their population was killed the brutal murdering made by the Khmer Rouge. They are at the bottom on the food chain. They have no way to fight again the Khmer Rouge or Vietnamese. They stand no change against the heavy machinery the other powerful groups have. The Cambodians have no guns.
Is power usurped (taken control by someone else)? If so, how?
The book starts by the power being taken from the Cambodians by the Khmer Rouge. After the Khmer Rouge enslaved many of the Cambodian’s and killed even more the Vietnamese came into play to “help” the Cambodians. Soon the power is taken from the Khmer Rouge and given the Vietnamese. With all the heavy machinery the Vietnamese take control and the Khmer Rouge stands no chance. The more people and guns you have the more power you have.
Who are the characters who resist the dominant power structures? Why do they, and how?
The Khmer Rouge try to take the power back from the Vietnamese and then many of the Khmer Rouge populations ends up being killed by the Vietnamese. This leaves the Vietnamese in power dominant over all the different groups. The larger the army and the more machinery you have the more power you obtain. The Vietnamese use guns against the Khmer Rouge to receive more power and be at the top of the food chain.
What are other types of power that exist in the novel? What are the benefits of this type of power?
Another type of power that exist in this novel is the power the Mop has. Throughout all the hardships in Mop's life in this novel he still manages to obtain enough power to survive and live on through all the danger caused by the Khmer Rouge and the Vietnamese. Mop also receives more power when he moves to America and is able to live his own life. He's no longer a slave and lives in peace and happiness.
What does it mean to have a community?
In my novel to have a community means to have you family and friends working in harmony with you in the rice fields. A community is a place where there are no Khmer Rouge constantly coming to attack you and no Vietnamese trying to control Cambodia. A community is a safe place where you can live at peace with the people around them.
What is “community” for each character?
The community for each of my characters in the novel is a harsh one because of the Khmer Rouge and rice farms. People are constantly getting murdered and have no rights. The community that Mop and his family are in has no peace and everyone is constantly fighting for their lives. Eventfully the community gets better when the Vietnamese take control but many people still don’t have rights. Although there is no more murder, you are still not free in the community.
What happens if an individual doesn’t have one?
In my opinion in this story many people didn’t have a community. Everywhere was unsafe and dangerous and even life threatening? I don’t think anyone would like to call a place that is harming to oneself and their family, their home or community.
What are the different types of community that exist in the novel? (friends, neighbours, family, etc.)
The main communities in the novel are the rice farms (Cambodians), the Khmer Rouge and the Vietnamese. They all live in different places with every different living conditions.
Does each community have its own social norms? If so, what are these? How are they enforced? What happens if an individual doesn’t adhere to these norms?
Khmer Rouge- Lives in a community where violence is the answer to everything. No regrets when killing innocent people. Make Cambodians their slaves. They are extremely violent to those who work under them, such as innocent Cambodians. Show no mercy when killing. Have a great deal of power at the beginning of the novel because of their guns and heavy arms. The Khmer Rouge remain in the country on the rice farms when the Vietnamese take most of their power.
Cambodians- Are working under both Khmer Rouge and Vietnamese. They’re at the bottom of the food chain. They have horrible living situations and many die of starvation. Many are mercilessly killed by the Khmer Rouge. Constantly fighting for survival.
The Vietnamese- The Vietnamese come to Cambodia near the end of the novel. They take power over the Khmer Rouge, and make most of the killing in the city of Battambang stop. Try to make it seem like Cambodia is going to be the same as it was before the Khmer Rouge started their slaughter spree. In reality the Cambodians still have very little power with the Vietnamese in charge.
Are communities marginalized in the novel? If so, how and why?
Most of the Cambodians so far have come to the city of Battambang away from the Khmer Rouge to live with the Vietnamese soldiers. The Vietnamese and Cambodians live mostly in peace and soon the Khmer rouge will cease to exist.
POWER
What does it mean to have power in the novel?
To have power in this novel is to be either the Vietnamese or the Khmer rouge. The Cambodians have very little to no power. They are constantly getting murdered or ordered around by the Vietnamese or the Khmer Rouge, working in the city or on the rice farms. Power means food and many of the Cambodians have starved to death.
How do characters achieve power? When do they have it? When and how do they lose it? Are some characters granted power due to privileged positions?
The different groups have achieved power by the amount of guns and members they have. Although there are a lot of Cambodians, they are very peaceful people so when the Khmer Rouge and Vietnamese came with guns, they had no choice but to succumb to their power and work as their slaves. Everyone listens to the people with all the power and the ones who are heavily armed. The choice is they listen or they die.
Who is disempowered? In what ways?
The disempowered group is the Cambodians. They are being forced into slavery and many of their population was killed the brutal murdering made by the Khmer Rouge. They are at the bottom on the food chain. They have no way to fight again the Khmer Rouge or Vietnamese. They stand no change against the heavy machinery the other powerful groups have. The Cambodians have no guns.
Is power usurped (taken control by someone else)? If so, how?
The book starts by the power being taken from the Cambodians by the Khmer Rouge. After the Khmer Rouge enslaved many of the Cambodian’s and killed even more the Vietnamese came into play to “help” the Cambodians. Soon the power is taken from the Khmer Rouge and given the Vietnamese. With all the heavy machinery the Vietnamese take control and the Khmer Rouge stands no chance. The more people and guns you have the more power you have.
Who are the characters who resist the dominant power structures? Why do they, and how?
The Khmer Rouge try to take the power back from the Vietnamese and then many of the Khmer Rouge populations ends up being killed by the Vietnamese. This leaves the Vietnamese in power dominant over all the different groups. The larger the army and the more machinery you have the more power you obtain. The Vietnamese use guns against the Khmer Rouge to receive more power and be at the top of the food chain.
What are other types of power that exist in the novel? What are the benefits of this type of power?
Another type of power that exist in this novel is the power the Mop has. Throughout all the hardships in Mop's life in this novel he still manages to obtain enough power to survive and live on through all the danger caused by the Khmer Rouge and the Vietnamese. Mop also receives more power when he moves to America and is able to live his own life. He's no longer a slave and lives in peace and happiness.