In the Shadow of the Banyan, Vaddey Ratner
Vaddey Ratner writes from the point of view of 7-year-old Raami, who, because of her identity, is taken, along with her family, by the Khmer Rouge. While classified as a work of fiction, Raami’s experiences are inspired by Ratner’s own life history during the Cambodian genocide.
For an overview of the text, please go to “Lost in the Killing Fields ‘In the Shadow of the Banyan,’ by Vaddey Ratner.”
Historical Context of the Novel:
Oppression and a lack of control breeds fear, which, unfortunately often leads to fanaticism. Such is the case with the Khmer Rouge, who felt oppressed due to French colonialism and the Western involvement in Cambodia during the Vietnam War and due to the class struggles and civil war from within. When the Khmer Rouge marched into Phnom Penh, the people were excited, as they believed that the civil war was over. However, the Khmer Rouge, under Pol Pot, aimed to turn Cambodia into agrarian utopia. They eliminated modern technology and viewed all perceived opposition – the educated, wealthy, royalty, religious figureheads – as the enemy, an enemy they sent for “re-edification” and to work in “labor camps” in the countryside. In reality, however, the Khmer Rouge tortured, abused, starved, and murdered countless Cambodians. Under the Khmer Rouge’s reign of terror, which lasted from 1975-1979, between 1.7 and 2 million people were killed.
Read more on the history of the Khmer Rouge
Definition Genocide
Genocide is a word coined by Raphael Lemkin in response to the Armenian genocide and the Holocaust. Genocide is made up of the Latin genos=race and cide=killing. Lemkin worked to ensure that this “crime with no name” received a name, and in 1948, in response to Lemkin’s efforts, the United Nations adopted the Genocide Convention which specifically defined genocide as “[A]ny of the following acts committed with intent to destroy, in whole or in part, a national, ethnical, racial or religious group, as such:
- Killing members of the group;
- Causing serious bodily or mental harm to members of the group;
- Deliberately inflicting on the group conditions of life calculated to bring about its physical destruction in whole or in part;
- Imposing measures intended to prevent births within the group;
- Forcibly transferring children of the group to another group.”
Evacuation map of Phnom Penh
What to look for:
- The power of stories and words – pay particular attention to the stories told throughout the novel and their overall significance/meaning to the work as a whole
- The symbolism of the banyan tree, tevodas, Buddha statues, birds
- The contrast between humanity/hope and inhumanity/indifference
References
“The Cambodian Genocide.” United to End Genocide. United to End Genocide, 2016. Web. 24 May 2016.
“What is Genocide?” United States Holocaust Memorial Museum. United States Holocaust Memorial Museum, n.d. Web. 24 May 2016.
10th Gifted World 