(Assignment #12) The Body: Second Review

     To say the truth, just after I completed reading the story, what I felt was, ‘so what?’ When Mr. Garrioch commented on one of my blog essays, “Do you think the elements of a hero’s journey are more evident in ‘The Body’ than in ‘Rita Hayworth and the Shawshank Redemption’?”, I replied that they weren’t, because the hero in ‘The Body’ did not bring ‘the elixir’ with his return. However, in fact, I had not found out the hidden elixir in the story. After I carefully meditated and read a review, I discovered the true value of the story. The adventures, which seem to be meaningless, considering that the result was only a corpse which they couldn’t even take with, were in fact a trip destined to the elixir of maturity.

     When I was an 8-years-old kid, I was sitting in a car, and suddenly I started to imagine about death. What would I feel during I die? Would it be like falling asleep? Then what would I feel after I die? Wouldn’t I feel anything? Then suddenly I was so scared that I burst out in tears. Death is abstruse. Perhaps it might be impossible to be understood not only by an 8-years-old kid but to anyone alive. And death is horrifying. The intense instinct of an 8-years-old kid implied that death is horrible, and made the kid cry. However, despite the esoteric and dreadful attributes of death, to be mature, one should at least achieve the most simple and universal understanding about death: death is karma to everyone. Furthermore, one approaches maturity closer by confronting death in an indirect way. In my own experience, the atmosphere of the funeral, for example, the forlorn and repetitive sounds of the prayers, and the poignant smell of the incense, made me think quite deeply about the fate of a human being, brevity and meaninglessness of life, the reason I live, and identity of myself. To sum up, death makes one mature. Therefore, in ‘The Body’, even though the four protagonists seem to make indiscreet decisions as mere children when they plan to see the corpse, they are ultimately heading for maturity. Perhaps the reason Gordie felt sort of an obligation to seeing the corpse was that he knew he was destined to maturity.

     The tests and sufferings in the trip make the kids mentally stronger. While the kids cross the dump, run away from a train, and eliminate the bloodsuckers, they attain firmer mentalities, and prepare to confront the horrible truth of death. Meanwhile, during deep conversations, Gordie and Chris help each other find their identities, which were veiled by ignorant family and prejudiced society. They realize that they should break the confinement of the irrational values of the family and the town, and pursue greater values. Then the children approach the body. The corpse is more horrible than they expected. Dried strain of blood above his mouth, eyes turned over, and bugs all over his face……. Gordie feels sick and horrible, but at the same time, he realizes the aspects of death and karma. Chris seems to be overloaded by the sudden and tremendous inflow of the truth of mortality,. Even though he shows great masculinity and bravery during the fight with juvenile delinquents, after the j.ds leave, he plunges himself into the muddy water and screams and cries. However, eventually, Gordie and Chris overcome the experiences, accept the truth presented by the corpse, and become mature.

  

     The adventure starts with a mere curiosity that how would a corpse look like. However, the sufferings during the trip let the children find their identities and become mentally stronger. The corpse shows them the terrifying attributes of mortality and let the children lose innocence, as the subtitle 'Fall from Innocence' states. The conflict between the juvenile delinquents adds manhood and courage to their maturity. Finally, the children return, with the elixir of maturity. The novella portrayed the course of children becoming mature in such an honest and beautiful way.  

(Assignment #11) Experience in KMLA - Reflective Essay

* Since the topic is quite sensitive, to keep the anonymity of the teacher, I denoted the name of the subject as subjectA and name of the teacher as Mr.A. 

Last subjectA class was the most impressive class in the second semester. Instead of teaching some banal subjectA knowledge, Mr. A gave us lessons about the desirable attitude of a student in a school and society full of contradictions and irrationalities. I felt great sympathy toward his lessons. This essay is about Mr. A’s lessons that I should keep in mind for my life.

Mr. A told us that recently so many irrationalities appear in KMLA due to financial deficiency. For example, on last Saturday, KMLA held a fundraising concert to gather enough money to build a new dormitory. Audiences, mostly families of the students and preliminary freshmen, might have enjoyed the concert. However, the students who performed could not simply enjoy. Every student was forced to participate in at least one performance. Therefore, many students were compelled to join in a chorus performance with stupid dances, regardless of their volitions. They had to sacrifice numerous self-study times for practice. Compelling students to perform and depriving their time to study for the fundraising of the school are obviously out of order.

In addition, the school does not seem to have any solution to maintain the quality of education after the construction of the new dormitory. The school claims that they need bigger number of students to preserve the school finance. However, even now school does not provide enough space for classrooms and sufficient number of teachers. After the number of students increases, deterioration of education quality would be inevitable. KMLA would lose the title of ‘Elite Institution’ or ‘High School of Dream’. Mr. A even mentioned that some teachers in high position are promoting the construction to accumulate more personal careers and achievements.

Fundraising concert is only a mere example; there are so many situations in the school that are against justice. Mr. A introduced them to the students, and we were all astonished. The school really seemed to put higher priority on money than on justice. Furthermore, he told us that we were the ones that could change the situation. A student would easily think that he or she does not have enough power to change the immoralities. However, we do have the power. Throughout the history, high school students were the ones who changed the history. GwangJu Anti-Japanese Movement was led by a group of brave high school students. The tremendous demonstration against the import of American beef was also triggered by high school students. Righteous high school students with solemn and ardent spirits have changed the society. KMLA students are the only ones who can terminate the irrationalities of the school.

He also told us that leaving the unjust past in pleasant memories is very dangerous. Even though the students had complained about the irrational reality of the concert, after they finish the performance and receive applauses, they suddenly tend to let the concert stay in delightful memories, saying that “Anyway, besides the purpose, the concert was great”! Then, they neglect the problem. The students would not endeavor to solve the problem, and the irrationalities would continue to exist. Therefore, the students should dispassionately look at the reality.

I have thought that I am quite a righteous man. I have thought that I am kind of a guy who cannot endure unfaithfulness, and fight against them. However, as I listened to Mr. A, I could not be confident to myself. I questioned myself whether I am being coward and overlooking the situations, even though I know that they are unjust. Mr. A taught us that we, as a teenager, have the power to change the injustices, and that we should understand the situations in a dispassionate point of view. He gave me bravery and spirit. I will keep his lessons in mind, and try to change the irrationalities, by starting from the small endeavors. Furthermore, I will maintain the courage and righteous spirit he gave me not only as a member of a school but as a member of a society in the future. 

A Hero with the Elixir of Hope

     A novel that has a hero tends to follow a particular structure. In a hero’s journey, a hero, who has been living in the ordinary world, faces a call to adventure. Then, the hero meets allies and enemies, and is tested by hardships during the adventure. In the middle of the story, the hero confronts the ordeal, which is the greatest fear, such as death. After overcoming the ordeal, the reward is given. Then, the hero defeats more hindrances in the course of finishing the adventure. Finally, the hero returns with the elixir. Stephen King’s novel ‘Rita Hayworth and Shawshank Redemption’ is also a story about a hero called Andy.

     Andy Dufresene has been an ordinary banker. However, he is accused wrongly of murdering his wife and a pro golfer who is in adulterous relationship with her, even though he is innocent. He is sentenced to life imprisonment and went into Shawshank prison, a new stage of adventure. In the prison, he meets a friend called Red who can deliver contraband into the prison. He provides a rockhammer and posters of actresses to Andy. Andy is often harassed by the sexually aggressive imprisoners. However, one day he listens to a guard muttering about the amount of tax on inheritance from his brother. Andy approaches him and tells him a way to avoid taxation. After the incident, more prison staffs get financial advices from Andy, and they provide Andy privileges and protection from the aggressive prisoners. He overcomes the hardships in the prison.

But after several years he confronts the ordeal. One day, a prisoner called Tommy tells Andy that his former cellmate boasted about killing a pro golfer and avoiding punishment. Andy thinks that he found the opportunity to clarify his innocence and gain freedom. However, Warden Norton simply ignores the story. He confines Andy in a solitary for months and sends Tommy to another prison. Norton cannot let Andy free because Andy is useful to him; Andy is washing his black money. However, after the months in the solitary, Andy is rewarded with resolute motivation to break out of prison. He escapes out the hole he have dug in the wall for seventeen years with the rockhammer and have covered with the posters. He crawls 500 yards in the sewerage pipe, enduring the odor of excretion and presence of mice, and finally succeeds in prison breaking. He brings the money that has been saved for him, and leaves to Zihuatanejo, a place he has dreamed to live in peacefully.

We can find the structure of a hero’s journey in the summary. The story has the sequence of ‘the ordinary world’, ‘the call to adventure’, ‘tests, allies, and enemies’, ‘the ordeal’, ‘the reward’, ‘the road back’, and ‘return with the elixir’. From the course of overcoming the hardships and ordeal and eventually escaping from the prison, Andy’s aspects as a hero are clearly demonstrated.

As a hero, Andy brought a fabulous elixir with his return. The elixir is hope. The other imprisoners were ‘institutionalized’; they adapted themselves to the circumstances of the prison where freedom and justice were not allowed. Eventually, they got to love the suppression and cruelty in the prison. For example, after Brooks Hatlen, who had been the head librarian in the prison, was paroled, he was frustrated to the excess freedom in the world outside. Eventually, he did not last a year after the parole. However, Andy was different. He always maintained hope about a free and peaceful life in Zihuatanejo. His soul full of hope was too large to be confined in a small cell. Through hope, he could overcome the hardships and the despair of institutionalization, and could break out of the prison. Therefore, Andy’s escape gave the inspiration of hope to all the other prisoners, and to the readers of the novel. Andy is a hero who brought the elixir of hope. 

Provincial Values Exist

      The society today is globalized. Due to the development of transportation and communication, people can easily approach other people in different places and cultures. Therefore, people interact with various groups all over the world, and learn from the values of the groups. However, values that only belong to certain group or groups still exist, and the values enormously affect the people in the group.

     Religions are the examples of the groups that have the provincial values. Christians put great significance to the belief that God is the only divine existence. Meanwhile, the ones who believe in Confucianism greatly value the ritual of praying for the divine souls of their ancestors. Therefore, Christians blame Confucianists for denying the existence of the only God, while Confucianists denounce Christians for not showing respect to their ancestors. In fact, in the early 1900s, when Christian first came into Korea, the values of Christians and Confucianists often collided extremely. The religions prove the existence of the values that only exist in certain groups.

     Values that belong to members of certain group are also found in Korean Minjok Leadership Academy, also known as KMLA. For example, English Only Policy (EOP) is highly valued in the school. EOP is a school regulation that restricts the students from using Korean. In KMLA, EOP is considered as a tool to accomplish advancement of Korea by accepting various civilizations and cultures based on Korean tradition. However, people outside KMLA disagree that Korea could reach a higher level if students do not use Korean. EOP is a value that only belongs to the members of KMLA.

     Values in a group are accommodated during a long time, separate from other groups. Therefore, they can be distinct from the values of other groups. In addition, the values have the power to influence the members because they should adapt to the values to stay within the group. Therefore, values that only belong to particular group or groups exist.

     In conclusion, as the examples of religions and EOP demonstrate, some values are provincial; they only exist in particular groups. In a globalized society, one should be able to maintain the decent traditional values of the group while accepting the advantages of the values from other diverse groups. 

(Assignment #10) TED Review: Brian Greene on String Theory

     As a student who dreams to be a physicist, I always have desired to learn about the string theory, which is one of the most pivotal theories in modern physics that has a key to unify all the laws of physics and solve the enigma of the universe. But since the theory is too abstract and esoteric, I have not had a chance to study it. However, through the TED video, I could learn the theory quite elaborately in an easy way because the man clearly explained the theory with lots of examples, metaphors, and graphic images.

To understand the string theory, one should comprehend the background of the development of the theory. First, in 1907, Einstein suggested an unprecedented and novel theory that gravity occurs because the space warps and curbs due to the presence of the matter. Inspired by the idea, a German mathematician Kaluza tried to apply the same logic to electromagnetic force. He adopted the fourth dimension of space, and demonstrated electromagnetic force by warp and curve of the hypothetical dimension. The derived equation corresponded to the orthodox ideas about the force, and the hypothesis seemed to be authentic.  

<Einstein's theory on gravity - space warps and curbs!>

However, the hypothesis arose two relevant questions. The first question: Can an additional dimension exist, even though it is not recognized? The question was answered by Oskar Klein. According to him, a tiny, curled-up dimension might not be able to be seen. As we cannot recognize the width of a thin wire from far away, we cannot feel the tiny dimension because the dimension is too tiny. Therefore, an additional dimension might exist if it is extremely tiny and curled-up.

The second question: Does the real universe follow the theory? The answer is ‘no’. Unfortunately, several researches and experiments done in ‘40s and ‘50s conspicuously proved that the world does not follow the theory. And here string theory comes out.

String theory demonstrates all phenomena by stating that tiny vibrating strings of energy compose the whole universe. As the strings of musical instruments vacillate and make euphony, the strings of energy vacillate and make matter. As the pitch of a sound depends on the length of the string, the type of a particle depends on the vibration frequency of the string. Even though the theory seems to be eccentric, the theory definitely provides us a path to the unification of all physical phenomena, considering that every matter and forces consist of the strings of energy.

<Vibrating string of energy>

Meanwhile, according to the calculation derived by the string theory, the space should include ten dimensions. The ten tiny, curled-up dimensions intertwine and coalesce themselves and form a complicated structure. Therefore, if we observe the world in the tiniest scale, the space would be composed of the incoherent intertwinement of dimensions.

<Intertwinement of tiny, curled-up dimensions>

The theory has a profound significance; it can explain the mystery among the twenty numbers of the universe. The universe can be described by twenty physical quantities such as the mass of an electron, the gravitational constant, and the electromagnetic constant. The numbers are so exhaustively balanced that the smallest change in the numbers might lead to the collapse of the universe, and scientists have been zealous to find out how the balance is accomplished. If the string theory develops furthermore and scientists become able to calculate the vibrational patterns of the strings and the geometry of the ten dimensions, they would eventually discover the order of the nature that balances the twenty values.

Experimental results should advocate the theory to make the theory resolute. Recently CERN is preparing an experiment that would prove string theory. In the particle accelerator, particles will undergo numerous head-on collisions. Then, if the theory is correct, some of the debris of the collisions would be relegated from the tangible dimensions and enter other dimensions in a form of a particle called ‘graviton’. Therefore, if the energy in our dimensions is decreased after the collisions, the existence of the additional dimensions would be proven.  

<CERN particle accelerator>

The video introduced string theory to me in an entertaining and comprehensible way. Contrary to the abstract documents about the theory which I could not even attempt to read, the explanations in the video were relatively much easier to understand. The graphic animations greatly helped me making images in my head and understanding them.

String theory definitely seems to be marvelous as it leads to the unification of all laws of nature and explanation to the minute balance of the twenty significant physical values. I want to learn more deeply about string theory. I would challenge reading the documents and books and watch other lectures about the theory. If I become a physicist, I would be glad to participate in completing the theory. Now I am fanatic to string theory!

(Assignment #9) Review: Verbal Jint_Go Easy (Album)

★★★★☆ 9/10

Verbal Jint is a great Korean rapper who established Korean rhymes. He appeared in the Hip hop scene in 1999, and improved the Korean rappers’ rhymes from childish monosyllabic ones to polysyllabic ones. Now he is one of the most famous rappers to the fans of underground Hip hop. His elegant voice and smooth flow is better than anyone else in Korea. His first EP album ‘Modern Rhymes’ and second LP album ‘누명(Disgrace)’ are on the list of the top 100 greatest albums in Korea since 1990. He is obviously the greatest Hip hop artist in Korea. Recently, he put out his fourth LP ‘Go Easy’. The title ‘좋아보여(You Look Good) became popular to the public and ranked very high on K-pop chart. I listened to the album and was impressed, so I decided to write a review about it.    

The album ‘Go Easy’ has three big differences from his previous works.

First, as the title of the album insists, the topics of the songs are ‘easier’. No more swagger, no more attacks to haters. Of the twelve tracks, eight are about love, and the other tracks are also about easy topics such as the delight of living optimistically and trivial troubles in life. The following video is one of his previous songs about attacking haters. 

Second, acoustic beats and melody are dominant in the album. The acoustic sounds make the atmosphere of the songs warm, and let the album become popular to the public. I feel that the sounds of guitar and piano are harmonic to the voices of Verbal Jint. I love all the acoustic songs. The acoustic tracks are 원숭이띠 미혼남(Monkey-year Single Man), 좋아보여(You Look Good), 우아한년 2012(Gorgeous Bitch 2012), 약속해 약속해 2012 (I promise I promise 2012), and 깨알같아 (Tiny as a Grain).

Last, Verbal Jint shows his vocals more than usual. Even though he is a good singer, he only rapped in most of his previous works. However, lots of tracks includes his vocal in the album. Since his voice is so elegant, his vocal is also enjoyable. In the tracks 우아한년 2012(Gorgeous Bitch 2012), 어베일러블(Available), and 깨알같아(Tiny as a Grain), Verbal Jint sings, and does not rap at all.  

Now I will start the review on the specific tracks.

1.      원숭이띠 미혼남 (Monkey-year Single Man) (Feat. Zico of Block B)

Acoustic guitar matches so well on this song. VJ places rhymes in the appropriate places and shows great rapping. The lyrics are entertaining, along with the bouncing flow. Zico’s featuring verse is also great. Although his delivery of lyrics is not perfect, the verse matches well to the atmosphere of the track. Zico’s rapping is always addictive.

2.      좋아보여 (You Look Good) (Feat. 조휴일 of 검정치마)

     As this song is the title, the song is bright and enjoyable. Piano harmonizes well. The story in the lyrics is novel. The lyrics describe a situation where the narrator meets his ex-girlfriend with another man by accident while driving. The thoughts of the narrator are expressed candidly and beautifully. The music video is also great. Usually, I hate raps that cut syllables within a vocabulary. However, when VJ does the same thing in the bridge of the song, the rap is enjoyable and addictive. I also like 조휴일(of 검정치마)’s featuring. The hook keeps wandering in my head.

3.      넌 내게 모욕감을 줬어 (You Gave Me Insult) (Feat. Koonta)   

I actually do not like this track. Koonta’s reggae voice and VJ’s rapping do not seem to harmonize well. Moreover, the beat becomes very strong in the hooks but diminishes suddenly in the verses, so I cannot concentrate on the rapping. Also, the rapping is bland particularly in this track. He seems to talk to himself in some parts and interrupts me to sympathize in the lyrics.

4.      우아한년 2012 (Gorgeous Bitch 2012)(Feat. Okasian & SanE)

Verbal Jint sings only, and Okasian and SanE raps. Okasian’s rap is too banal, while SanE’s rap is too bouncy. I think SanE’s verse can harmonize more in the track if SanE does not focus on brilliant rap skills but places rhymes only in appropriate places. He shouts “San-E, i-yeop!” when VJ is calmly singing, and the shouting does not fit in my ears, either. However, I really like the melody, especially when violin sound appears sporadically. The guitar sound in the background of the hook is also great. VJ’s sweet vocal is enjoyable, too. He uses his elegant voice in his best. In a nutshell, I like the melody and vocal, but the raps are a little disappointing.

5.      긍정의 힘 (Power of Optimism)

     This track is comfortable and warm. I like the lyrics that described the trivial joys of life. The song seems to be a typical warm song of Overclass(Verbal Jint’s crew). The hook is impressive. “Positivity~~”

     I really love all the following five tracks. They are all awesome love songs.

6.      Want you back (Feat. Nodo)

Nodo produced the track and participated in the hook. Nodo’s beat is fascinating, especially the humming of a woman in the background. Nodo’s calm voice matches quite well in the track. As a whole, the track has a dreamy and peaceful atmosphere.

7.      Luv Songz (Feat. 태완)

     The lyrics consist of the famous love songs in K-pop, so the lyrics are quite entertaining, even though the topic is not different from the typical love songs. VJ raps splendidly on this track. Even though the rap is calm and soft, it gives me a strong impression. 태완’s vocal is great, too. I like the part where VJ raps, “So sick of luv songz ~ them songs to my ears.”

8.      약속해 약속해 2012 (I promise I promise 2012) (Feat. 조현아)

     VJ’s voice above the guitar melody in this track makes my heart melt! The track is a sweet love song that promises genuine love. The acoustic guitar melody, atmosphere, lyrics, 조현아’s vocal, and VJ’s rap symphonize so nicely.

9.      어베일러블 (Available) (Feat. Lady Jane)

Even though the song is a little monotonous, the song keeps wandering in my head, obviously because it is a great song. The song conveys the thoughts and feelings of a man of one-way love in a beautiful way. When he shouts out “I’m available!” in the hook, his voice definitely stabs my mind.

10.  깨알같아 (Tiny as a Grain)

     This track seems to be a climax of the whole album. I really love this track. VJ’s falsetto is so beautiful in this song, maybe because he has such a gorgeous voice. Acoustic melody fulfills its role once again. It is a calm but powerful song. His vocal is best in this track. The music video seems to be abstruse but marvelous, too.

11.  My Audi (Feat. The Quiett)

     This track is the worst in the album. The atmosphere of the album crashes down when the track appears right after the climax ‘깨알같아’. Beat is banal. Hook is lacked. Verbal Jint only rhymes with ‘My Audi’ in his rap, making the verse boring. The Quiett wasn’t good either. If this track was replaced to other songs, the album would have been much better. Even though the topic ‘car pride’ is novel, the track disappoints me a lot.

12.  우리 존재 화이팅 (Hooray to our Existences)

     The song is a sprightly and amusing track, appropriate to place the last in the album. It encourages the listeners to live more vividly. I particularly like the part where VJ shouts out in the last of verse 2. The hook is so cute.

On the whole, the album is great. After the album was released, I played the album almost 5 times every day, but I have not fed up. Verbal Jint’s elegant flow did not change. Since he puts rhymes only in appropriate places, he makes me feel that he is really good at rap without any elaborate rap skills. In addition, the hooks are very addictive. I was humming the hooks all day long after I listened to the songs. Even though some tracks disappoint me a little, generally I am very satisfied to the album. He goes easy, but never loose.

General Lee Soon Shin: A Hero that will be Remembered Forever

     The society consists of numerous people. All people have roles, and influence the society in any way. Among them, a very few people enormously improves the society. People call them ‘heroes’. A hero exerts great abilities and decent spirits to make huge advancements in the society. Therefore, the greatest heroes would be remembered forever. Lee Soon Shin, a Korean general in the 16th century, is one of them.

     Lee Soon Shin was a general who saved Korea from the biggest crisis of the Joseon Dynasty. In 1592, Japanese army assaulted Joseon. The war is named ‘Imjinwaeran’. The Japanese were armed with high-technology weapons and were trained well. However, due to the dispute between the cliques, the Joseon government could not unite. The army was not trained well, too. Therefore, at first, the Joseon army lost to Japan army in every battle. Japan became confident and attacked severely. Joseon Dynasty confronted the crisis of collapse.

     However, one day, Korean army beat Japan for the first time. Joseon marines led by General Lee Soon Shin destroyed most of the ships of Japan. The battle was named ‘Ok Joo Battle’. After the first victory, general Lee Soon Shin led most of the marine battles to victory of Korea. Japan could not attack more, so they retreated. His clever strategies, knowledge about the topography, and ‘Turtle Ship’, the battle ship invented by General Lee, made the victories possible. Unfortunately, General Lee was shot by a gun and died in the last battle, which occurred during the retreat of Japanese army. He left his famous quote, “Don’t imply my death to the enemies”.

     General Lee Soon Shin was a hero who saved a country. If General Lee did not exist, Korean would have been defeated by Japan, and the Koreans would have become slaves of the Japanese. However, due to his bravery and wisdom, the Korean marines could beat the Japanese, and eventually brought victory to Korea. Ever since, General Lee is remembered as a hero to every Koreans. Koreans respect his loyalty, and feel proud that he was born in a country same as theirs. Undoubtedly, the new generation of Korea would learn about him and feel the same way, too. Therefore, General Lee would be remembered as the greatest hero in the Korean history forever.

     In conclusion, General Lee was a great hero, and he will be remembered forever in the hearts of every Koreans. If one desperately dreams to have the courage and wisdom of General Lee and tries hard, he would also be able to be a great hero that can greatly improve the society. 

Three words that symbolize me

     One easily recognizes the beauties and defects of the others. However, one cannot easily look into himself or herself and find out his or her characteristics easily. After a painstaking process of self-meditation, I found out my characteristics and came out with the three words that best represent me. I concluded that flower, fire, and red symbolize me.

First, flower exists in me. Flower shows the way how I love. Even though a flower desires to deliver its stamen to a female flower, it cannot move because the root deeply thrusts in the floor. The flower hopes that the nature, for example, the wind and the bugs, would deliver stamen to the other flower. In the same way, even though I want to deliver my mind to my love, my cowardice in love does not let me to move. I anticipate that my love would naturally know my mind, but I cannot feel certain.

Next, fire represents me. Fire symbolizes passion. However, it cannot go close to others because they would be hurt from its hot temperature. I love in a similar way. Even though I love passionately, I cannot go close to my love, worrying that they would not appreciate the love.

     Finally, the color red symbolizes me. Red emblematizes passion. On the other hand, an embarrassed face blushes, turning red. Passion and embarrassment co-exist in my love. Therefore, red stands as a symbol of my love.

     In conclusion, flower, fire, and red show how I love. A life reaches love in its ultimate stage. Therefore, since the three words best express the way how I love, they are the most appropriate words that represent my life. 

Petition of Appeal

** This essay is a petition of appeal to the student court. I was wrongly accused of the housefather, but the Judicature rejected my defending speech. Therefore, I wrote this essay to prove my innocence once again. 

--------------------------------------------------------------

Dear honorable judges,

The student government, especially the Judicature and the student court, has been one of the biggest sources of pride in our school. However, the student court often confronted difficulties. Some students misused the student court, which is supposed to protect only the innocent students from improper accusations. Therefore, the housefather started to distrust the students and try his best to deny the students’ rights. Distrust always has been the biggest hindrance of the student court. And now, even the judicial committee seems to distrust the students, declaring an innocent student to be guilty.

Dear judges,

According to the court decision, my defending speech was denied because I had no sound evidences other than the signatures of the homemates. However, I don’t understand what kind of evidences the judicial committee expects from me. A CCTV tape? My fingerprints in the room? I would be glad if I could provide those firm evidences, but in a small society like KMLA, practically, I couldn’t find anything more than the signatures. Judges, please be realistic, and please understand that the signatures were the most sound evidences I could provide. In addition, the court decision also did not provide any evidences that could prove my guiltiness. I have my homemates’ signatures at least, but the judges do not have anything to refute my innocence! In this case, ‘presumption of innocence’, the basic principle for a democratic court, states that the judges should believe that I am innocent. Once again, I am innocent, and the judges should believe me.  

Dear judges,

The court decision says that the judges could not get definite answer about my innocence from the phone call. However, according to my roommate 윤지훈, during his phone call with the judge, he gave a clear answer that I stayed in my homemates’ room and did not come to my room even once. Therefore I cannot agree to the court. I attached his signature about this fact. In addition, since 윤지훈 and I are not quite friendly, I did not have any reason to go to my room where only 윤지훈 is in. Moreover, the fact that I moved all my stuffs including my laptop, books, cookies, and alarm clock to 김태현’s seat strongly supports that I did not go back to my room.

Dear judges,

According to the court decision, the judges respect the housefather’s standards about the situation. However, the housefather simply ignored the situation. In other words, the housefather did not have any standards. He definitely saw me in my homemates’ room. But when I later tried to tell him about my situation, he cut my words and ignored me. What is the school court for, if the judges respect the housefather’s indifference? I believe that the school court should defend a student if the housefather accused the student without any concern to the student’s situation. What the judges respected were not the housefather’s discernment and standards but his ignorance and unconcern.

In addition, the judges respect what the housefather said about 통금방관 at 혼정. However, what he said at 혼정 was clearly against the school regulations. The school regulations state that a student is accused of 통금방관 when the student knows but does not stop his or her roommate violating curfew. Therefore, when he mentioned that a roommate of a curfew violator is accused of 통금방관 regardless of the situation, he was obviously ignoring the school regulations. The judges agreed to his dogmatism and arbitrariness. The role of the Judicature is not surrendering to everything what the housefather says. Rather, it is to protect the students’ rights from his irrationalities, and to prevent the housefather from neglecting the school regulations. 

Dear judges,

I understand that the judges are being very careful not to accept the lies in the defending speeches. However, indiscreet distrust might generate so many victimized innocent students like me. At least, without any evidences that prove guiltiness, the judges should believe the defendant. Distrust is the biggest hindrance that can threaten the essence of the student court. Once again, I am innocent. So judges, please trust me, and make wise decisions.

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윤지훈 is my roommate and 김태현 is my homemate. 

통금방관 is the name of the regulation. If a student knows but does not stop his or her roommate violating curfew, the student receives three penalty points. 

혼정 is the name of a daily dormitory event. Every members in the dormitory should gather from 9:15 pm to about 9:30 pm. 

(Assignment #8) 'The Body' Reading Journal 1

     I read the first thirty pages of Stephen King’s novella ‘The Body’. Since the story did not progress much, I will only give a summary and explanations about the point of view of the story.

     The four twelve-years-old boys Gordie, the narrator, Teddy, Vern, and Chris are great friends. They have a treehouse and enjoy playing card games and looking at girly books there. Teddy has an insane father who had injured Teddy’s ears and is now in a VA hospital. Teddy is dumb, and has crazy hobbies such as ‘truck-dodging’. Vern has a juvenile delinquent brother called Billy. He has a nickname called Penny because he keeps digging to find out the pennies he had buried four years ago. Chris has a cruel father who often beats him. He is smart, but he often plays truant in school. Gordie had an elder brother Dennis who engrossed all the love and attention of the parents. Gordie felt himself to be an Invisible Man. However, his brother is dead now. His parents are terribly sad and tired. He often imagines his brother coming out of his room, pallid and bloody, and croaking “It should have been you, Gordon. It should have been you.”

    One day, Vern appears in the treehouse and suggests to the other three to go to see a dead body. He had overheard what his brother talked with his friend about the dead body. The dead body belongs to a missing boy named Ray Brower. The four boys are excited. They establish plans, and decide to go see the dead body.

     Meanwhile, in the middle of the story, Gordon’s short story 'Stud City' shows up. The main character Chico has a father, a stepmother, and a younger brother. His elder brother was dead due to a car accident. Chico has great complaints to his father’s remarriage, and even thinks that his brother died due to his stepmother. He has sex with his girlfriend in his house. He drives her to her house, and comes back. He meets his family, who just came back. He fights with his father.

    

     In the movie ‘Inception’, a story about the reality, a story about the dream, a story about the dream in a dream, and more are progressed distinctly but relevantly to each other stories. ‘The Body’ also shows a similar narrative style that includes ‘a story within the story’. Until chapter 6, Gordie is the narrator. He introduces himself and his three friends, and tells about the start of their adventure to see the dead body. However, in Chapter 7, as the font changes, a short story 'Stud City', written by Gordon, shows up. The story is in the third person omnipotent point of view. Until now, Gordon’s short story seems to be totally irrelevant from the main story which is narrated by Gordie. However, I expect the connection between the stories to be revealed later on. In sum, ‘The Body’ adopts a narrative style that implants another story within the main story. This kind of narrative style is called ‘metafiction’. By using the tool of metafiction efficiently, the author would be able to make the story more exciting and suspenseful.

(Assignment #7) Metafiction _ The Real World

     Sometimes I think what would happen in the world when I close my eyes. I wouldn’t know if all the visible things disappear in the moment I close my eyes and appear again as I open my eyes. I can’t be sure that the world would exist when my eyes are closed! Perhaps the world would stop in every second I blink my eyes.

     I continue to think, and I conclude that I can’t be sure about the world even when my eyes are opened. Everything what I see might be only a false image. Maybe I am the only thing that exists in the world, and I am ‘programmed’ to sense the false images. Perhaps the world might be a Truman show. The circumstances around me might be artificially made up, and others might observe me living in the circumstances. Everything might be a fake, except me.

     Reflecting my life, my life has been so perfect. I am from a rich family. I am handsome and tall. I am the ace player of a basketball team. I always maintain top score even though I study less than others. I have never undergone failure in my life. People say I’m perfect. But, I’m not sure. This is not something like narcissism. I seriously doubt why my life has no lacking. Why am I so lucky? Why not someone else, but me? If I am the only one that exists, the mystery is solved. I know I exist. But I’m not sure others would. Maybe I am the main character of a reality show, which is about a perfect life, or its collapse. The world is so good to me to be genuine. I feel myself becoming terribly desperate and insane.

   So the question is: Would there be ‘a real world’? Would there be failures in the real world? Would there be truth in the real world? Then, how could I get there? If I’m the main character of the Truman show, would there be an observer looking at me in the outside world? Then, would he or she be able to let me into the real world? How could I give the observer signals?   

“Hey, something’s strange here.”

“Why, what’s happening?”

“I don’t know. I think one of the simulators got to know about the programming and all these stuffs.”

“What do you mean? That’s impossible.”

“Well, he’s killing everybody on the street.”

“Wh…What? Kill everybody?”

“Yes. He’s stabbing everybody with knives. And he’s writing phrases like “This is not even real. Show me the real ones” besides the dead bodies.”

“Wow…… but how could it be possible? How could he recognize this……”

“I have no idea. The only thing I know is that we should stop this before other simulators die.”

“Wait, you mean you’re gonna’ stop his simulation and summon him?”

“I don’t know. I think it’s the best way, unless he kills everybody even in here.”

“Well….. okay. Stop the simulation and bring him here.”

“Okay. I’m ready.”

Killing everybody: this is my choice. At least, it would be a signal to the real world. I don’t care what parents and friends would think. They’re not even real! I don’t care how many years would I be sentenced in prison. Time is meaningless anywhere in this world. I’ll be a threat to this fake world. I’ll make the balance of this fake world collapse. And I’m giving them message of blood. “This is not even real. Show me the real ones”. After each murder, I wait to be transferred to the real world. Nothing happens. Why, why? I kill more and more. I finally shout to the sky. “DAMN, TAKE ME TO THE REAL WORLD!” Then, I lose consciousness.

“So he’s that simulator?”

“Yeah. Still not completely transferred yet.”

“Gee…… This is cruel.”

“Huh? What do you mean?”

“I think I understand him. It is cruel indeed, to make a fake world, and make those simulators believe that they’re actually living.”

“Well, you know better than anybody that we are accomplishing numerous scientific achievements through this simulator experiment. All psychologists undergo experiments in our laboratory.

“But….. this is……”

“Hey, you think this world is real?”

“Huh? Of course, what are you talking about?”

“Come on. I’ll show you something interesting.”

“What the…..”

“Now you see?”

“This is…..”

         “Yes, the real-real world. The world you were living in is a Truman show of this world. And you are one of the simulators of this real-real world. Your world was also a fake. You’re one of the dullest simulators who didn’t even doubt about your world to be false.”