Christinabc’s Weblog

Last year, in Mr.Melgaard’s writing class, we watched many documentaries about North Koreans and also read a book about a North Korean refugee. I think dealing with North Korea is very controversial topic.

While I was watching this film, my opinion about reunification became clearer. Haejung was attending a special high school in order to adjust to South Korean society. Many young North Korean refugees attend this high school in order for them to learn Korean culture and Korean language. Before they came to South Korea, they did not even get proper education. They were brainwashed that South Koreans are cooperating with evil Americans therefore South Korea is a horrible country compared to the North. They did not even use computers until they come to the South. The cultural gap between South and North has become so huge that it would be really difficult for North Koreans to adjust to high-tech South Korea.

It has been over half a century since South and North separated. Although North and South are the same, Korea, they speak and think differently. If suddenly the two nations were to reunify, then there will be severe conflict between the two different cultures. It is very hard to force only North Koreans to adjust to South Korean ways. However, it is more difficult for South Koreans to adjust to North Korean ways because South Korean have already experienced westernization.

I already consider South and Nort Korea to be two different countries. We have too many differences to consider us the same. Other than immediate reunification, I hope South and North can interact more freely. Opening the border to trade and tourism will be a good start. Reunification is not the only option. We should explore thing gradually, even if it takes 50 more years.

The author mentions of William Faulkner, James Joyce, Mark Twain, and Larry Mcmurtry to explain McCarthy’s style of writing. In comparisons to those authors, McCarthy’s writing style is descriptive and very silent. Also he uses precise dictions and simple punctuation.

McCarthy’s writing is very descriptive of animals and landscape. He explains carefully of animals to give more detailed images of those animals. However, McCarthy’s descriptions of humans are very brief. This shows that humans are not the main part of the story in the large landscape.

The article explains that McCarthy’s dialogue is very realistic since most of conversations are actually from real cowboys’. He directly uses words and phrases that  real cowboys use. Same as dialogue in the book, McCarthy uses very realistic diction for readers to understand the situation more easily and realistically. Since McCarthy uses pretty realistic dictions and dialogue, readers are able to concentrate more on the story.

1)  In order for me to disconnect from media, I think I should get rid of every electrical devices such as computer, TV, and etc. I always tried to be away from internet or television, but I always find myself in front of those. It is like addiction. However, I think also the current society makes people to be friend with media. For example if you are not watching TV at all, most of friends will think that you are an alien. Also most of assignments are related to using internet or some software that it is very hard to stay away from media. So I think I cannot unplug my computer for even a day.

2) Most of my friends are crazy about using facebook or cyworld (Korean facebook like site). However, I do not find any point of doing those so I rarely visit those sites. I am lazy and am not interested in uploading my pictures.

3) I am very aware of marketing online. Few weeks ago I watched a Korean documentary film about the success of Google. It was pointing on the special advertisement technique google had. Other than putting huge advertisements on the main page, Google left these place clean and added ads on the side pages. Whenever users click those sites, Google get paid by those sites. I think in these days, online advertisements are more useful since many users around the world can see.

4) While I was watching this film, I was very surprised. I always knew that problems with internet were serious but I did not realize that those problems are this serious. In Korea, I always thought verbal abasements were serious and some celebrities committed suicide because of serious verbal abasements online. However, I did not know actually normal civilians can actually can be affected by this. I was very surprise with Ryan’s case. Since I am not a big fan of using facebook or something to be friends with others, I did not see any problems with this. However, by watching this film, I was more aware of the issue and I had to spend time to think about this issue.

Korean students start a day going to school and end a day coming back to home from hagwons in about 2 am. They get tutored to for everything such as how to write, how to read, and etc. Without hagwons, most of Korean students cannot survive inside and outside of their schools. It seens that it is very easy for Korean students to get over 2300 in SAT and get 4.0 GPA with help of hagwon.

However, what is the problem with that?   

These Korean students cannot survive when they are in colleges. They are just used to get helps from hagwons. Whenever they have tests, they go to hagwon. Whenever they have to do homework, they go to hagwon. Hagwons do everything for them so students cannot live without hagwons. But when these students go to college, they cannot get helps from hagwons. In fact, they fail and suffer in  college.

Also, they are not familiar with the plagiarism issue. In Korean schools, they do not think that plagiarism is a big issue. Also some hagwons advise students to cut –and- paste other people’s work logically. However, this can lead a big problem in American college. In the States, plagiarism is a big deal but Korean students just don’t know.

In order to prevent these problems, I think Korean students should be more focused on how to improve their English writing skills, not only their GPA and SAT scores. I think knowing how to write an essay is the most important thing if people are trying to study in America. Also students should be more focused in reading novels other than textbooks. I just hope students to also think about graduating college, not just getting admitted to colleges.

Before watching The House of Flying Daggers, Crouching Tiger, and Hidden Dragon, my images of women warriors were just image of Mulan. I watched Mulan when I was young and I thought she was very brave women. I thought Mulan was able to become a successful warrior because she disguised as man. However, watching these movie clips helped me to understand more of women warriors.

First, what I found out of women warriors is that they are generally oppressed by the surrounding and becoming stronger. As they cannot be treated equally as men, they are gaining more power to not be defeated by men. Although they want to be apart from men, their lives are always under men’s control.

Women are playing role in these movie clips. They were major characters carrying out the scenes. However, they cannot be independent from men. They are fighting with men but at last, men are the true winners. If they want to be successful as warrior, women disguise as men. They are fighting intensely but never kill anyone except special occasions. Nature is well depicted in the clips. In the fighting scenes, nature becomes good tool. Cameras are projecting nature in order to show intense fighting.

Also in the Women Warrior, women are depicted to be powerless in some parts. However, in the other part, women are described to be strong and brave. The culture makes women powerless but women themselves work hard to gain power.  

1.China is going through major changes. The narrator says China is a country of young people. New generation is taking over old generation quickly. Young Chinese are restless; they are making changes and going through some challenges. Since 1990’s, China had totally changed. I think Miranda Hong described China “confused” because China is changing too quickly. Chinese had been restricted and closed for a long time. However, as China interacts with outside world, Chinese people are moving quickly to catch up other developed nations. They had waited long for developments, and I think these ambitions are exploding now in China. Most of developed countries went through this process, but I think China is going through this process too quickly. China is developing uncontrollably. If developments are going slowly, Chinese can check whether they are heading to right way or not. However, China does not have that much time to check whether they are doing good or bad. In fact, China is separating apart little by little. Young generations can accept these quick developments in China; however, old generations cannot adapt to these changes. They are too old to catch up this extremely fast developments taking place in China. All these factors make China confused.

3. Now, Chinese value education more than anything. Ben Wu had studied in New York. After his study in the United States, he came back to China. This trend of studying in the States and coming back to China is what new Chinese are doing now. First of all, Ben Wu’s educational background satisfies “new” China. After his study, Ben Wu came back to China and started internet business. New Chinese generation want to be rich as quickly as possible. So, they start their businesses. In fact, Ben Wu achieved successful result from launching the internet café. He is representing new china because he is restless man. Although he is already successful with his business, he is launching another café. Also this internet business is not the final destination. He has ambition to launch a business that generates electricity using solar cell; he is representing restless young Chinese. He is representing all the factors that new Chinese want to be.

8. I think Ben Wu is the most successful and happiest character in this documentary film. Although he is separated from his wife, he got everything what Chinese want. First, Ben Wu got education in the United States; this is what most of Chinese desire to have. Also, his first business, internet café, is very successful. He is planning to launch another business. Other than his successful business, I think Ben Wu has a pretty bright future. In a populated country like China, it is very hard to succeed. However, Ben Wu was able to attract American to invest in his business. He is keep expanding his business and he has a hope. He wants to build factories for solar cell energy generators. Ben Wu says he is trying to do this business not for money. He said he feels he should this business for China. I think Ben Wu is saying this because he earned enough money and he is having satisfactory life. If people are living under a great poverty, they would not do business that does not make profit. In that way, Ben Wu is happy to have that hope. I think Ben Wu is doing internet business for his future plan. I realized that having a great dream to achieve is happiest thing. If there is a dream, then that dream motivates people and makes them happy when they achieve that dream. Ben Wu is already a happy man but he has potential to be happier in the future.

I would like to introduce one Japanese boy band called Arashi. Although people say, “why do you like Japanese guys? They are our enemies!” I do not think that way. I think history is just history. Yes, Japanese treated Koreans horribly but I do not think because of that Koreans should eagerly hate Japanese. Personally, I do not like country, Japan, itself but I like Japanese and places in Japan.

I was able to know Arashi by watching Japanese drama where Matsumoto Jun was the main character. Since the time I watched this drama, I was memerized by Arashi. In order to understand drama in Japanese, I learned Japanese, though I am not good at it. I was very passionate about this group.

In 2007, I even went to Japan for a month to learn Japanese. By knowing this group, my life changed a bit. I always choose Japan for my trip if my parents ask. Also in order to go to their concert in Korea this year, I had to work hard to satisfy my parents. I think Arashi is a good factor to improve my life.

It was no surprise of this high drop out rate of Koran college students. I think especially in Korea, parents are pushy. Every Korean students only want to attend well known universities based on their reputations. However, in the States, there are so many universities that are not known but as good as Ivy League.

Korean students are so accustomed getting helps from hakwons and tutors. I this this is leading to high percentage of drop out. Studens were able to achieve high grades in Korea but when they go into college, they have no one to help them. Also students were too focused in only studying for SAT and tests, they are not able to speak English fluently that they are having troubles with some presentations in the class. 

In Korean society, I can often hear who went to good universities but I think I never had heard someone graduated from their universities. I think rather than Korean parents and students only try to seek for well known universities, they have to find schools that would fit them. They should well think whether they can survive in the school they are trying to attend.

My first reaction to reading Women Warrior was, ‘Is this fictional? Or nonfictional?’ Storyline seems to be fictional but the author uses “I” for story of Fa Mulan. However, by reading this article, I was able to understand little bit of the author’s writing style.

This book seems totally fictional about Fa Mulan. However, I think the author uses “I” in order to show that there is exactly no fictional or nonfictional storyline in this book. When the author talks about herself, Kingston, it is also the first perspective. This is showing that she is not exactly setting borderline between her true experiences and fictional story.

At first, I was little confused with the author’s writing style. This book keeps go back and forth with Kingston and Fa Mulan’s perspective. However, while reading the article, I realized that it was one of her technique to disguise her “real” experience. As Kingston smoothly goes back and forth with fiction and nonfiction, readers are thinking Kingston and Fa Mulan’s perspective to be the same without noticing strangeness.

I think it is hard to conclude what exactly is Kingston’s writing style. However, by reading just one or two chapters in the book, and reading the article, I think I am able to notice that the Kingston is the author who does not like strict guideline or genre. I think this book will be interesting!