Loung Ung's First They Killed My Father
After the Khmer Rouge takes over the city of Phnom Penh in 1975, the Ung family struggles to stay together. Days go by without food and rest, making it hard to stay strong while traveling. Over the course of several years, the family becomes separated and several members die, leaving Loung Ung to question the concept of her family. From Loung’s perspective in her memoir, “First They Killed My Father”, her family is vital although they are forced to separate and start new lives. However, after all of the losses she is forced to cope with and the separations of different family members, she remains loyal to her family and does not forget its importance in her life. She constructs a portrayal of her family by describing how all of the deaths and atrocities affect her and her family. Despite certain circumstances, Loung’s concept of family stays the same.
Until the age of five, Loung Ung lived in Phnom Penh, one of seven children of a high-ranking government official. The families lived in a moderate apartment …show more content…
She enjoys being in her mother’s presence especially when she gets to get driven in the cyclo with her mom. When she takes a cyclo she sits on Ma’s lap and “bounces and laughs as the driver pedals through the congested city streets” (2). Loung Ung also enjoys going with Ma and Pa to a noodle shop for breakfast with her other siblings. Ma is usually the one who yells at Loung for misbehaving but Loung respects what she says. For example, Ma yells at Loung to sit still and asks, “Don’t you ever sit still? You are five years old. You are the most troublesome child” (2). Being that Ma’s scolding needs to be acknowledged, Loung listens to her mother and behaves. At the beginnng of the memoir, Loung simply explains her daily life in Phnom Penh, which consists of spending time with her family, going to school, and playing with her
Until the age of five, Loung Ung lived in Phnom Penh, one of seven children of a high-ranking government official. The families lived in a moderate apartment …show more content…
She enjoys being in her mother’s presence especially when she gets to get driven in the cyclo with her mom. When she takes a cyclo she sits on Ma’s lap and “bounces and laughs as the driver pedals through the congested city streets” (2). Loung Ung also enjoys going with Ma and Pa to a noodle shop for breakfast with her other siblings. Ma is usually the one who yells at Loung for misbehaving but Loung respects what she says. For example, Ma yells at Loung to sit still and asks, “Don’t you ever sit still? You are five years old. You are the most troublesome child” (2). Being that Ma’s scolding needs to be acknowledged, Loung listens to her mother and behaves. At the beginnng of the memoir, Loung simply explains her daily life in Phnom Penh, which consists of spending time with her family, going to school, and playing with her