Every Falling Star: The True Story of How I Survived and Escaped North Korea

Use this activity to engage all types of learners, while requiring that they refer to and incorporate details from the text over the course of the activity.

“Live and Fight with a Clear Conscience and Deep Faith”: Propaganda, Folklore, and the Alternate Reality Exposed in Every Falling Star

In this exercise, students will analyze a North Korean propaganda poster of their choosing, evaluating it closely to reveal the truth it tries to conceal.

Service, selflessness, and above all an unwavering loyalty to the Workers’ Party of Korea—these are core themes found in North Korean propaganda art. For example, in this propaganda poster from 2006, a North Korean man holds one his hand over his heart while his other hand gestures to the hovering specter of his ancestor, a North Korean veteran who fought against the Japanese. This scene is meant to evoke in North Korean citizens a sense of history, nationalistic pride, and duty to “pay it forward.”  

At the beginning of Every Falling Star, Sungju clings to the folk stories and myths about the superiority of Kim Il-sung and the communist party often enshrined in North Korean propaganda.

In this exercise, you will analyze a North Korean propaganda poster of your choice.