Lucky Child: A Daughter of Cambodia Reunites with the Sister She Left Behind By Loung Ung (C) 2005

1. Lucky Child: A Daughter of Cambodia Reunites with the Sister She Left BehindBy Loung Ung(C) 2005 Mr. Rustin / May 19, 2011 / 3rd Period

2. [Poem] Cursed and Gifted Lucky and troubled child from a wounded land- Grasping shiny promises that splinter into broken glass- At first feeling helpless and hopeless in the land of opportunity. Tied to her memories of the homeland by her own desperate struggle to escape, Only fully learning to cut the chord when finally accepting the need for return. But the Shadow will always stay- Black Khmer clothing covering a part of her forever.

3. [Dynamic Characters] Loung – During the course of the novel, the main narrator changes both physically and mentally as she blossoms past the ruined child of war into a healthy, Americanized young adult. Meng – Loung’s oldest brother dramatically shifts his familial role during the course of the novel. Though he already shoulders the responsibility of guiding his young sister in America, throughout Lucky Child Meng develops into a loving husband and father. Additionally, Meng takes on the role of the Father for his entire family (in America and Cambodia) due to his new position as the eldest male Ung. Chou – Loung’s closest sister also undergoes heavy transitions during her extended stay in Cambodia. Always introverted as a child, Chou must break out of her shell slightly to contend with Cambodian life and to successfully take on her new roles of loving wife and mother.

4. [Symbolism] During her first years in America, Loung sporadically reverts to her child-like view of the world in an effort to cling to her withered sense of innocence. Minnie Mouse, one of the cartoon characters on her new sheets, becomes an imaginary friend and an outward reflection of her lost inner Child. The cemetery next door to the Ung’s new home in the United States very quickly invades Loung’s nightmares. Afraid of evil spirits, the young Loung marks her wrists and ankles with black Xs to protect her from harm while sleeping. The graveyard becomes an outer reflection of Loung’s haunted past, her heavy Shadow. While waiting for their departure from the refugee camp to travel to the United States of America, Loung looks up at the night sky and finds her father’s visage in the face of the moon. The uninterrupted curvature of the moon reminds her of her father’s full and healthy face before the terrible reign of the Khmer Rouge. For these reasons, the full moon acts as a symbol for the departed (but not forgotten) Pa.

5. [Propaganda Advertisement] America Land of the Free, Home of the Brave Join the millions of completely satisfied citizens in this perfect utopian society!!! Propaganda Techniques - Glittering Generalities, Transfer, and Bandwagon propaganda.

6. [Propaganda Technique] Glittering Generalities Propaganda • When preparing to move to the United States while living in a refugee camp in Thailand, Loung and some of her family members are indoctrinated into the American life through exposure to Hollywood films, “where each plot took place in a large, noisy city with tall, shiny buildings and big, long cars racing down crowded streets…I imagine myself walking among these people and living an exciting life far from Cambodia” (Loung 8). But Loung quickly finds that her expectations, generated by these gilded American screen images, are far from the actual truth. Before coming to the United States, Loung has been taught to expect an easy and immediate insertion into the everyday flow of American life. Instead she has to contend with her actual lonely American experience, “I have been going to school for two weeks now but I still have not made any American friends…I feel lost and alone in a field of pale skin and white faces” (Loung 65, 66).