For Thursday: Escape From Camp 14, Chapters 16-20; also, Paper #3 assignment

For Thursday, read Chapters 16-20 of Escape from Camp 14. There are no questions this time, though we'll do an in-class writing response based on a specific passage in the work. We'll also discuss more writing techniques to help you with Paper #3, which I handed out in class (see below): 

Paper #3: The Conversation of Camp 14

Choose ONE of the following: 

Option 1: “Tibetans have the Dalai Lama and Richard Gere, Burmese have Aung San Suu Kyi, Darfurians have Mia Farrow and George Clooney...North Koreans have no one like that” (13).

Write a letter to a prominent celebrity (your choice) to interest him or her in taking up the cause of the North Korean camps and refugees like Shin. Why are the camps the “modern day Holocaust,” and why is this an issue that every American should be aware of? Assume that the celebrity knows little to nothing about the camps or North Korean life—it is your job to educate them, explaining the realities of the country, the camps, and Shin’s story. To help verify your story, find at least 2-3 additional sources that can either corroborate, flesh out, or add information to your argument. You should also consider what objections the celebrity would have to making North Korea his or her soapbox issue. What do you think keeps people from talking about it now? How can you address these fears or biases with simple facts and information about the human rights abuses going on in the camps?

Option 2: “Congress passed a law that accepted North Korean refugees for resettlement in the United States, which the North derided as an attempt to topple its government under the pretense of promoting democracy” (144).

Should the US actively encourage North Koreans to flee the country and find asylum in the States? Though immigration has become a dirty word in the current election cycle, is it America’s duty to save these people from human rights abuses? Do people like Shin deserve a chance at a better life where they can become productive (and appreciative) US citizens? Also consider that the more we encourage North Koreans to flee their government, the more the country becomes destabilized, which has long-range benefits to the US. However, many bordering countries, such as China, have begun to discourage refugees and are forcibly returning them to North Korea: what are there “naysayer” reasons for doing so? Are they the same reasons we should discourage bringing them here to the US? Or do the benefits outweigh the potential risks? Use Escape from Camp 14 to make your argument, along with 2-3 additional sources to corroborate, expand upon, or simply flesh out your argument.

REQUIREMENTS

• 4-5 pages double spaced
• You must respond to Harden’s book, Escape from Camp 14, using several passages for support
• Additionally, use 2-3 secondary sources to corroborate or expand upon the conversation of this book
• Use of the Naysayer, as well as consideration of Ethos, Pathos, and Logos
• DUE TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 8th BY 5pm