Project Analysis
By: Evie Komenda
Mrs.Denton Period 2
World History/ English
November 11, 2024
My project is about trying to understand some of the important themes in The Rent Collector and as well as why and how the main characters in the story said and did what they did. Specifically, I imagined interviewing the characters of Sopeap Sin and Sang Ly and asking them questions that related to the book’s themes and some of the actions they took. I also included some follow up questions and some illustrations of the main ideas, and included an explanation of what I hoped to better understand in choosing to ask the different questions that I did. Some of the main themes in The Rent Collector were the power of education and literacy to change people’s lives for the better, the importance of stories and literature even to people in extreme poverty, the ability of people to overcome incredibly difficult circumstances through connecting with and learning from each other, and the power of hope and forgiveness. I tried to come up with questions for Sopeap and Sang that explored these themes, and especially how their personal experiences and lessons they learned might apply to people outside of Cambodia or that are facing different kinds of challenges. The events of the story The Rent Collector were also heavily influenced by the terrible history of Cambodia, including the awful things done by the Khmer Rouge. In my interviews I also tried to explore lessons that can be learned from Cambodia’s terrible past so that we can avoid things like that happening in the future.
Final Response
Which theme from The Rent Collector do you relate to most? ( use at least two quotes from the book )
I most relate to the theme of sacrifice because everyday I have to sacrifice hours and hours working hard at dance and pom. I can really relate to Sang Ly because I know how it feels to work and work and feel like you're not going anywhere and it continues to feel like you have to start over again and nine of the work and money was worth all the sacrifice you gave. But I also relate to her in the fact that we need to sacrifice because it’s what we love and in Sang Ly’s case she loves Nisay and wants to keep sacrificing and hoping it will get better with him. In the story Sang ly says “Most teachers will agree that the true mark of a hero, what sets them apart from everything else, is sacrifice. A hero gives something up, sometimes even his own life, for the good of others” ( Wright 103) I also know that a part of sacrificing is not focusing on what you have given up and not being sad about the way life is at that very moment. The Healer says to Sang Ly in the book, “ It doesn't matter where you live, Sang Ly, It's how you live” ( Wright 201) I think only by letting go of what you’ve sacrificed can you grow from that sacrifice and I also know by you letting go you'll feel so much happier and free from holding onto all your past mistakes just as Sopeap did.
What have you learned about Cambodia, genocide, poverty, literacy, etc., during this unit?
It is so poor that people literally live and survive in giant garbage dumps.
I learned about the Khmer Rouge and they killed all of the very smart, amazing, innocent people.
There’s a large part of the world that has adults that can’t read.
No one talked about a crazy genocide that happened in Cambodia that ended up being a huge, huge deal.
If you're born into poverty it's really hard to escape it, especially when most of the people around you are suffering as well.
What is the most important lesson you learned from reading this book? What will stay with you?
The most important lesson I learned from this book The Rent Collector was finding hope when things feel really unfair and difficult. There were times in my life when things were very hard for me and I felt very discouraged but nothing comes close to what Sang Ly and Sopeap Sin had to deal with. Sopeap Sin actually saw the people she loved get killed and lose everything she worked for and Sang Ly had a sick child that wasn’t getting better and she was poor and lived in an actual dump. Despite their circumstances, they were able to find joy, connection, and friendship and really bonded over something they loved which was literature. That shows me that whatever I face I’ll be okay.