Social Justice Inquiry Based Essay

In the book that I just finished, Never Fall Down, by Patricia McCormick, the Khmer Rouge takes Arn along with his village captive in Cambodia. To survive, Arn plays music for the Khmer Rouge so they won’t kill him. Later on, Arn is forced to be a child soldier for the Khmer Rouge fighting against the Vietnamese. Various characters have power in different ways. Arn has power and he uses it to help him stay alive.

Early on in the book, the Khmer Rouge ask for volunteers for the band. Arn volunteers thinking he will get a little more food or the Khmer Rouge will like him and not kill him. He learns the music so well and leads the band, everyone knows him around the camp. When he steals food, the Khmer Rouge notice but do not say anything because they need Arn to lead the band and play music. This gives Arn power. He can bend the rules more because the Khmer Rouge will not be so quick to kill him.

Later in the book, Arn and everyone else in the camp become soldiers for the Khmer Rouge. Many of the other kids look up to Arn. This gives him power over the Khmer Rouge. In order to win, the Khmer Rouge need the children to fight and as spies. The Khmer Rouge need Arn to set a good example and be loyal so the other children will follow and they can do better in the War.

At the end of the book, when Arn is in a refugee camp, he is one of the wealthy donators favorites and gets extra food and clothes. This gives him power over the other kids because he has a way to leave the refugee camp and escape to America. The other kids have nothing.

This relates to humanity because although it may not be this extreme, everyone does things to better their life or stay alive. As humans we want not only to live but also to have important meaningful things that make us happier. In Arn’s case, it is to escape to a better place and reunite with his family.