Escape From Camp 14 Essay
Shin is a man who was born in a North Korean concentration camp and, prior to his escape, knew no other life. Growing up, Shin believed in the rules of the camp and was brainwashed to think that his situation was normal. He was beaten, starved, abused, held captive in horrible conditions, and brainwashed. All of these things robbed him of his basic human rights. Fortunately, he met a man who was a new prisoner who taught him about life outside the camp and eventually he was able to convince himself to escape. No human should be put through such horrible or dehumanizing times. This is where the Universal Declaration of Human Rights comes into play. The Universal Declaration of Human Rights, “was adopted by the UN General Assembly on 10 December 1948, was the result of the experience of the Second World War… to guarantee the rights of every individual everywhere” (un.org). According to the UDHR, Shin was robbed of many rights that every individual deserves to have and is born with.
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Article one of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights states, “everyone is born free and equal.” In Escape from Camp 14, a guard is being taught how to think of and treat the prisoners.
He is told by his superior to relate them to, “dogs and pigs” (Escape from Camp 14, p. 36). Instead of being treated like human beings, the prisoners were treated as animals. They were not treated equal to the guards or camp runners. This heavily violates the notion of the UDHR that everyone is born equal. Instead, prisoners were not only treated as unequals, but they were also brainwashed to believe that they weren’t equal, which is an incredibly sad thing to
believe.
Article three of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights states, “everyone has the right to life, liberty, and safety.” In Escape from Camp 14, prisoners are killed for incredibly trivial things. One instance that sticks out the most was an event Shin witnessed while at school. The teacher went around checking every child’s pocket for food. He found some corn in the girl’s pocket and using, “his long wooden pointer, he struck her on the head again and again... Later that night, she died" (Escape from Camp 14, p. 25). First of all, this wasn’t even an offence. The young girl was simply trying to keep herself from starving which is something she shouldn’t have ever been worried about. Second, the teacher committed murder for finding corn in the girl’s pocket. This is an unbelievably gross violation of the human right to life.
Article one of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights states, “everyone is born free and equal.” In Escape from Camp 14, a guard is being taught how to think of and treat the prisoners.
He is told by his superior to relate them to, “dogs and pigs” (Escape from Camp 14, p. 36). Instead of being treated like human beings, the prisoners were treated as animals. They were not treated equal to the guards or camp runners. This heavily violates the notion of the UDHR that everyone is born equal. Instead, prisoners were not only treated as unequals, but they were also brainwashed to believe that they weren’t equal, which is an incredibly sad thing to
believe.
Article three of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights states, “everyone has the right to life, liberty, and safety.” In Escape from Camp 14, prisoners are killed for incredibly trivial things. One instance that sticks out the most was an event Shin witnessed while at school. The teacher went around checking every child’s pocket for food. He found some corn in the girl’s pocket and using, “his long wooden pointer, he struck her on the head again and again... Later that night, she died" (Escape from Camp 14, p. 25). First of all, this wasn’t even an offence. The young girl was simply trying to keep herself from starving which is something she shouldn’t have ever been worried about. Second, the teacher committed murder for finding corn in the girl’s pocket. This is an unbelievably gross violation of the human right to life.