ESCAPE FROM CAMP 14
CHAPTERS 22,23, EPILOGUE
Claire Kocur
Juliette Blew
Shannon Uram
Amanda Driscoll
SUMMARY
CHAPTER 22: SOUTH KOREANS ARE NOT SO INTERESTED
Takes place in South Korea where Shin almost becomes homeless. He quit his job serving beer in a pub,
and had no money to pay for rent.
Shin did not like his life in South Korea because he struggled to fit the bill of an average South Korean.
 Pg. 174 “Shin was attempting to find his way in a society that is singularly overworked, insecure, and
stressed out. South Koreans work more, sleep less, and kill themselves at a higher rate than citizens of
any other developed country…”
 Pg. 174 “’This society is unforgiving, relentless, and the competition is constant,”’ –Andrew Eungi Kim
(sociology professor at Korea University, an elite school)
South Korea puts a lot of pressure on its citizens to be the best of the best, and to be hard workers. It
was difficult for Shin to be accepted into society because he was unemployed and no one was interested
in his tragic life story since he was coming from North Korea.
Through the events Shin faced in South Korea, he realized his life goal: he would leave South Korea
and become a human rights activist to spread awareness of labor camps.
Main Topics:
 South Korea is very uninterested in North Korean affairs
 South Korea is more interested in their growing economy than reuniting with the North
 This chapter primarily portrayed the basis of the South Korean lifestyle and in what ways it was
difficult for Shin to fit in.
SUMMARY
CHAPTER 23: U.S.A.
Shin moves from South Korea to southern California and becomes a speaker for a group called Liberty
in North Korea (LiNK). They give him housing, a salary and a 10 year multiple-entry visa.
He struggles to talk about the events that he endured in the camp.
 Pg. 178 “’The things I went through were mine alone…I believe most people will find it nearly
impossible to know what I am talking about.”’ –Shin
 Pg. 180 “’He cannot enjoy his life when there are people suffering in the camps. He sees happiness as
selfishness.”’ –Andy Kim, friend of Shin’s in LiNK
Shin struggles to enjoy life and find his self-worth. He is constantly haunted by memories of the camp.
(Stealing food, leaving his father behind, the death of his mother and brother)
 Pg.181 “’I am evolving from being an animal,’ he said. ‘But it is going very slowly. Sometimes I try to
cry and laugh like other people, just to see if it feels like anything…”’ – Shin
 Pg.181 “’Sometimes Shin sees himself through the eyes of his new self, and sometimes he sees himself
through the eyes of the guards in the camp…”’ –Andy Kim
Shin befriends a South Korean family that takes him in as their own son. He is envious of their love for
each other and for him. He thinks of himself as a monster for betraying his mother and brother.
Shin turns to Christianity to get him through the nightmarish thoughts in his head.
He quits LiNK to be with his new love, Harim, a South Korean woman interning with LiNK.
SUMMARY
EPILOGUE: NO ESCAPE
Shin moves in with Harim and her parents in Sammamish, Washington.
Shin and Harim began travelling to China to spread antiregime pamphlets in North Korea.
Many of his friends warned him that it was dangerous because North Korea was imprisoning
defectors.
Shin continues to become more human.
 Pg. 192 “’Now that I am out, I am learning to be emotional. I have learned to cry. I feel like I am becoming
human.”’ – Shin
 Pg. 192 “’I escaped physically, I haven’t escaped psychologically.”’ – Shin
Shin speaks to an audience six months after his first speech, and he is able to talk about his
life. He finally is able to use his experiences to rally others to become human right activists.

The final chapters show Shin’s transition throughout life. They show how different events
allowed him to transform from the “animal” in the camp to a human. At the end of the book he
begins to really incorporate himself and enjoy life’s daily activities.
DICTION: CHAPTER 22
There is a variation of concrete and abstract words, but there are many abstract
words.
 Words like “unforgiving”, “relentless”, “success-obsessed”, “status-conscious”, and “education-crazed”
are all abstract words to describe the South Koreans. (pg. 174)
There were very few words that were unfamiliar, one was..
 Quagmire- “a soft boggy area of land that gives way underfoot”
 “…South Koreans, who publicly cherish the virtue of brotherly love, have been inexplicably stuck in a deep quagmire of
indifference…” pg 172
 These unfamiliar words overall show the education and the credibility of the author.
Some vivid words or phrases include..
 Pg 172, “.. taste for vengeance…”
 Pg 173, “…sea of fire…”
 Pg 174, “…witheringly critical eye…”
DICTION: CHAPTER 23
Like the previous chapter, there is a variation of abstract and concrete words, but the
abstract words are used to describe Shin’s personality and emotions.
 Words like “happiness”, “selfishness”, “chatty”, “playful”, “loved” are all abstract words. (Pg
180)
There was only one word that was unusual…
 Sanguine- “optimistic or positive especially in an apparently bad or difficult situation”
 “Shin’s self-assessment was less sanguine.” pg 183
 Once again, these words show the author’s level of education which reinforces his
credibility.
Some words or phrases that stood out were…
 Pg 179 “…haunt his sleep…”
 Pg 181 “…contaminated identity…”
DICTION: EPILOGUE
The majority of words from the epilogue are abstract, such as…
 “love” pg 191, “freedom”, “self-loathing” pg 192, “discomfort, disgust,
anger, and shock” pg 193
In the epilogue, there was only one unfamiliar word.
 Indict- “to charge or accuse of a serious crime”
 “He had harnessed his self-loathing and used it to indict the state that had
poisoned his heart and killed his family.” pg 192
Some vivid words and phrases include…
 Pg 192 “smoldering body”
 Pg 192 “poisoned his heart”
 Pg 193 “…Shin had seized control of his past.”
SYNTAX
Varied use of short and long sentences; variation of simple and
compound/compound-complex sentences
Longer sentences are used to describe the political and social situations of North and South
Korea. Compound and compound complex sentences are also used in this section as a great
amount of detail was revealed in an educated way. This gives the author credibility.
“After international investigators confirmed that a North Korean torpedo sank the Chaenon,
voters in the South Refused to rally around President Lee, who had said the North Korean
government should ‘pay the price’”. Pg 172
Shorter and simple sentences, sometimes utilized as their own paragraph, are used more often
when describing aspects of Shin’s daily life and his past. The author uses shorter sentences in
order to leave a greater impact on the reader, as many aspects of Shin’s life may be surprising
to some readers.
“Shin’s adjustment to life in the United State’s had not been easy.” pg 178
 Also, quotes from Shin are rather short. This is an example of Shin’s lack of education throughout
his entire life. These shorter sentences convey the lack of emotion in Shin’s life, as he was never
properly taught to feel.
“’This is really private and sensitive.’” (quote from Shin) pg 179
SYNTAX (CONTINUED)
Prepositional and verbal phrases are used often to assist in the descriptions
that the author provides about Shin’s new life.
“To fund it, they hoped to raise money from donations…” pg 190 (verbal
phrase)
“In the camp, when his teacher beat a six-year-old classmate to death…”
pg 192 (prepositional phrase)
Many parallels of 3 and 4 are used in descriptions of both the political and
social situation in North and South Korea and Shin’s adaptions to his new life.
“But South Koreans themselves struggle mightily to fit into their own successobsessed, status-conscious, and education- crazed culture.” pg 174
“He was sometimes content to sweep floors, sort boxes, and carry furniture.”
pg 184
THE CONNECTION: SUMMARY OF EVENTS
The final chapters and epilogue of Escape from Camp 14 detail Shin’s experiences
in South Korea and America. Shin struggles, first with finances in South Korea, then in
America with his attempt to talk about his time in Camp 14 and to form and maintain
meaningful relationships.
His hardships indicate the depth of the treatment he endured. His body was scarred,
but his personality and spirit were just as bad.
The epilogue, happily, results in Shin’s continued growth and metamorphosis from an
empty shell to an emotive person
THE CONNECTION: DICTION
Diction, or the choice/use of words, contributes to a work tremendously. As words
are the building blocks of stories, the words selected greatly impact the overall effect
of the story.
Abstract words are used to convey ideas that cannot be physically seen. They are
often used to convey emotion or reveal characteristics. Strong abstract word usage to
describe South Koreans indicate that either the author or Shin himself harbor negative
feelings towards the lives that many South Koreans live.
Vivid words and phrases also convey deeper emotion. For example, Shin’s
description in the epilogue of his escape show that he has begun to learn to be more
emotional and to express his feelings.
THE CONNECTION: SYNTAX
Syntax, or the arrangement of words/phrases, provides the
variation in writing that makes the reading more interesting and
gives detail.
A variation of sentences are used in Escape From Camp 14, as
well as parallels and lists. The enumeration of North Korean
injustices, for example pile onto each other, making already
horrifying acts seem even worse.
On the other hand, shorter sentences lacking detail make it even
more evident that Shin has a hard time showing his emotions.