Never Fall Down: Patricia McCormick

Jake Kosek

Non-Fiction Analysis

Hour 3

Never Fall Down by Patricia McCormick

The 1970’s was a very hard time for Cambodia due to the Cambodian Genocide. Many people were put into slavery and many were killed for no reason at all. The author brings the reader through the viewpoint of an eleven year old boy at the time name Arn. Never Fall Down was all based on what he could remember. The author’s purpose varies in this novel between how music saved his life and to inform others about what happened in Cambodia during the Genocide.

In the novel Never Fall Down by Patricia McCormick, Arn fell victim to the terrible acts of the Cambodian Genocide. Many died and many spent years working in rice fields as slaves for the Khmer Rouge. Everyday hundreds of people were killed because the Khmer Rouge thought they were not strong. Arn was worried that he was slowly fading and becoming weak. He knew he would soon be killed. But then he was told to play an instrument for a band at his camp. He was not very good when he first began playing but the old teacher told him everything he knew so Arn could be the best and survive because he was worth something. Once the old teacher was taken and never seen again, Arn jumped in and began to run the band. He made sure all the kids in the band were cooperative and very good at the instrument they played. If they were not good they were also never seen again. Arn began to grow relationships with the guards that were assigned to watch the band. He gained more freedom for example, he did not have to sneak around at night when everyone was supposed to be in their huts and he also gained more food because he was playing for some of the highest ranking Khmer Rouge soldiers. Music really did save his life because the way he played it satisfied the Khmer Rouge and they wanted to keep hearing this beautiful sound so they did not kill him.

In 1975 to 1979 the Cambodian Genocide took place that killed an estimated three million people. People were forced from