Blog #17- Young and Restless in China
Here is a link to the actual site, where you can view the documentary.
1. Why do you think Miranda Hong describes her generation of Chinese as “confused”?
I believe Miranda Hong describes her generation of Chinese as “confused” because of the drastic changes that she has seen in her generation. Before the 1990’s, Miranda Hong mentions her childhood when the people of China used to carry ration tickets in order to buy goods like oil and fabric. However, after the 1990’s, Miranda Hong realized how the old traditions quickly changed the modern ideals. She saw and experienced a world of economical, political, and social change as her generation entered the 1990’s. These changes in China were caused by the change in the system of social organization in economic and social activity. The change from communism to a growing democratic community occurred so fast that Miranda Hong’s generation’s (people’s) beliefs before 1990 greatly differ and contradict to their adulthood ideals. This contradiction is what I think is the reason why Miranda Hong believes her generation of Chinese as “confused.”
3. In what ways do you think Ben Wu, the entrepreneur launching the Internet café, is representative of the “new” China?
It is obvious that Ben Wu’s creation of the Internet café is a representation of the “new” China. Unlike the “new” China, the “old” China used to be a country of communism where people did not have the rights to talk among themselves about issues criticizing the government. Basically, there was no freedom of speech which gave the people of China no opportunity to speak out their opinions in public. China in the past also did not allow the use of internet because the government was afraid of public opinions. However, things have changed, as China eventually became a nation that uses internet and technology to represent the “new” China’s culture. Ben Wu’s launch of the Internet café clearly represents the technological growth of China, and it also represents the progress of economic ideal. The transition where internet is allowed to be used in the “new” China shows how freedom, public opinion, opportunity, and democracy have developed in China.
7. To what extent are the struggles of the rapper, Wang Xiaolei, unique as a Chinese artist?
The rapper Wang Xiaolei definitely experienced a rough childhood. With his parents divorce while he was young, he had no choice but to spend his life with his grandfather who was financially deprived. With this in hand, Wang Xiaolei had no choice but to stay as a financially deprived man. Being looked down upon by others, Wang Xiaolei knew that in order to survive in this world, money was needed. He came to enjoy rapping and started because of the influence of African American rappers in the United States. He believed that rapping was the only way to speak out his mind to the public about the hardships and uneasy feelings he had to face. Throughout his rap, people can sense the emotional and critical tone of his words as he goes on accusing the community on how it only helps the rich people rather than the poor. As I said before, he was and still somewhat is financially deprived. This makes him a man who has to rap in order to live. But this isn’t the reason why he raps. He raps because he loves to do so, and because he wishes to speak out his mind, like underground rappers in America who are living in the ghetto searching for an answer to live a good life. Rap is his love and he mentions how he is really happy to have over twenty-thousand fans. He doesn’t just rap to gain money. His goals are different from the rappers who did not experience financial problems in their childhoods.
- Here is a picture of Immortal Technique, a rapper just like Xiao Lei who voices his opinion about the government and the world. His lyrics are considered controversial but they do have meaning. His raps are based on facts, a kind of rapper different from those like Lil Wayne, 50 Cent, Soulja Boy, and etc. (who rap to earn fame and great sums of money)
Here is the official site of Immortal Technique. I’m pretty sure you will be interested.
Blog #15- The Woman Warrior at 30
Based of your reading of the first two chapters of The Woman Warrior, what do you make of the author’s writing style? Here is a passage from the an article provided in this link “The Woman Warrior at 30″.
…the most remarkable, and often overlooked, quality of The Woman Warrior is
that it is a book without a genre. At various times it has been described as a memoir, an autobiography, a novel, a manifesto; yet anyone who spends 10 minutes with it understands that none of these labels really apply. Not because Kingston sets out to exaggerate the “facts” of her own experience, à la James Frey, but because she deliberately acknowledges that to write autobiography is to stand at the borderline between memory and invention. Like the “ghosts” in its subtitle (the word refers to the white Americans around whom Kingston grew up in Sacramento), The Woman Warrior stubbornly refuses to be either entirely fictive or entirely real. Perhaps the second most remarkable thing about the book is that in its wake, the American literary world still seems to regard the tissue-thin boundary between memoir and fiction as absolute and inviolable.
It seems to me that Kingston’ s novel seems to be a one of a kind. I have to agree with the article that The Woman Warrior has no definite genre. While reading the book, it was hard to differentiate what was fiction and what was non-fiction within the stories told in the book. The book talks about the life experiences of Kingston and also adds fiction tales, such as the story of Fa Mu Lan, to teach the readers a certain lesson. Above all, the novel shows a vivid picture of what the Chinese American culture was.
I have to say that Kingston’s writing style is one I have never seen or read before. In some parts of the novel, I had a hard time comprehending what was going on. I didn’t realize how the narratives of each chapter were different and how it was constantly changing. As I read on the chapter, I eventually came to realize that as I finished each chapter, I was getting to understand the larger idea of what Kingston’s personal life was like. Kingston frequently uses conversational quotes from her mother to elaborate on the essence of what she is trying to teach the readers. I found it interesting how in chapter four, Kingston doesn’t mention herself in the whole chapter. The only time she actually presents herself is by saying sisters and brothers of Brave Orchid. I just thought it was interesting because her point of view changes time to time within the novel.
If you have too much time on your hands, you should definitely think about buying this book.
It will be an interesting read.
Wonderful Chusok Break (Hell)
The one week Chusok holiday was a blast! I was so happy to go to hagwon for ten hours every day (even Sundays) just to prepare for my next SAT reasoning test. I don’t understand why I needed to go to hagwon and study countless hours. Studying at home by myself seems way more effective for me. From eight o’ clock in the morning to six o’ clock in the evening, I was stuck in a prison full of evil teachers and defenseless students studying for the same test like me. Lunch breaks were ten minutes, giving me no time to eat. All I could do was buy food from Family Mart to fill my stomach.
Here are my friends that kept me company
throughout the week.
He seems to be having fun just like I did.
Why can’t Korea be more like America, where parents encourage their children to self study instead of sending them to certain SAT academies? Chusok was pretty much a week of hell.
Diaspora
Consider the idea of change - how did the Ibo people change in reaction to the forces above? In what ways were changes positive or negative?
Since the Ibo people were influenced by the missionaries to convert to a different religion, they became less loyal. For instance, during the market day, Okwonkwo had decapitated one of the missionaries, however, the men of Umuofia didn’t chase after the remaining missionaries. Okwonkwo was the only one who stood his ground; however, he realized that the other men were weak because of the European diaspora had changed the Ibo society. Thus, Okwonkwo saw that there was no hope in their clan and gave up. These changes caused negative outcomes because it destroyed the Ibo culture. Then again, the changes can be seen as positive because the society has the ability to become rich.
Consider the major contact points and change agents that impact the Korean-American diaspora. What are they? To what extent do they create change?
- Music
- Fashion
- Hagwon
These three points can be seen as the biggest diaspora today. Music is a huge agent that impacts Korean-American diaspora because Korean music has changed greatly over the years because of American songs. Pop songs in America caused Korea to imitate the same style of music and the media in America influenced Korea to follow a certain trend. With this in hand, it also changed the Korea’s fashion sense. In Korea, Fashion has changed in that people must follow a luxurious style (rich and high status) of clothing to look good in front of people. The media’s diaspora is changing the way the world thinks constantly. These thoughts are viewed as “right” and so people get the idea that these certain things must be followed. Hagwons have caused great changes in academic institutions in Korea and America. Studying in school should be seen as enough, however, students are sent to extra academies to improve their grades by studying the same thing over and over again. This can be seen as a waste of money, and causes greater competition among students as everyone tries to reach perfection.
Why is the title of the novel Things Fall Apart? Where does the title originate from? (see post below on “The Second Coming”). How is the title relevant to the idea of diaspora?
The title Things Fall Apart originates from the Yeats’ poem, “The Second Coming.” This title is Things Fall Apart because of the diaspora of the Europeans. The European missionaries convinced the Ibo people with their religion and have caused the Ibo to convert and abandon their traditions. The Ibo people started supporting the European ideas but Okwonkwo was the only one who remained strong and thought of fighting back the changes that occurred within the Ibo society. However, Okwonkwo failed as he saw that everyone became weak, and eventually committed suicide. The title of Achebe’s novel relates to diaspora because diaspora was what caused the destruction of the Ibo society. Seeing this, Okwonkwo resorts to suicide and everything fell apart as the men and women of Umuofia converted their religion. The book showed how things were falling apart within the Ibo society.
William Butler Yeats: “The Second Coming” (1921)
William Butler Yeats: “The Second Coming” (1921)
Turning and turning in the widening gyre
The falcon cannot hear the falconer;
Things fall apart; the center cannot hold;
Mere anarchy is loosed upon the world,
The blood-dimmed tide is loosed, and everywhere
The ceremony of innocence is drowned;
The best lack all conviction, while the worst
Are full of passionate intensity.Surely some revelation is at hand;
Surely the Second Coming is at hand;
The Second Coming! Hardly are those words out When a vast image out of Spiritus
Mundi
Troubles my sight: somewhere in sands of the desert
A shape with lion body and the head of a man,
A gaze blank and pitiless as the sun,
Is moving its slow thighs, while all about it
Reel shadows of the indignant desert birds.
The darkness drops again; but now I know
That twenty centuries
of stony sleep
Were vexed to nightmare by a rocking cradle,
And what rough beast, its hour come round at last
Slouches towards Bethlehem to be born?
1. What is the meaning of the phrase “Things Fall Apart” within Yeats’ poem?
I believe that the meaning of the phrase “Things Falls Apart” within Yeats’ poem means that the world is sooner or later going to end. The poem mentions how anarchy is loosed upon the world, which will eventually cause chaos and disorder as humans use violence to solve problems. Yeats’ poem mentions about how the second apocalypse is at hand and how humanity is failing all together. This poem could also be a warning of how people can change the dreadful outcome of the Second Coming.
2. What does the Second Coming refer to in general?
As mentioned in the notes of Yeats’ poem, the Second Coming refers to the promised return of Christ on Doomsday, which is the end of the world. I believe this means that the Second Coming is the renewal of the world. The notes in The Second Coming I believe is how Christ will return on Doomsday and cleanse the world once more from all the sins and mistakes humanity has made within the past two thousand years.
3. What does the Second Coming refer to in Yeats’ poem?
The Second Coming in Yeats’ poem refers to pretty much the same thing as above. He seems to be listing out the different ways of how the world is going to end. He imagines that the civilizations are collapsing because humans are becoming savages and uncivilized. The Second Coming in Yeats’ poem overall probably means that the world is going to change and be fixed once again from the mistakes and stupid mistakes humanity has made during the years.
4. As you read Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe, note how the novel both takes up and changes Yeats’ version of the Second Comng. Who or what in the novel represents a “rough beast” that slouches towards Bethlehem to be born?”
Within Things Fall Apart, it is obvious that the European missionaries represent the “rough beast” that slouches towards Bethlehem to be born. The movement of the missionaries caused Umuofia to change and become weak, causing the men and women in the clan to abandon their own traditions. The Christian missionaries influenced the people of Umuofia to convert their religion and believe in only one supreme god. Due to their diaspora, the people of Umuofia fell apart, which convinced Okwonko that there is no point in living anymore. This eventually leads to Okonkwo’s death.
Here is a link that will lead to a site that tells specific details of Biblical references of the Second Coming- The Second Coming of Jesus Christ.
Man’s Best Friend
Dog Soup
- (Disturbing image of dead dogs used in Korean restaurants. Forgive me)
I never really had a disgusting or weird dish before in my life. However, I do recall eating dog meat with my father’s colleagues a long time ago. Many of my friends considered eating dog food evil and so they called me a demon. Even I considered eating a man’s best friend an evil act and never had the intention of eating one. I was tricked by my father that the food I was eating was hot chicken stew. Gullible as I was when I was a young kid, I didn’t even see the sign of the restaurant and believed my father and his friends. But I have to say, eating dog is just like eating chicken. They have both the same texture and flavor. I am pretty sure no one will know the difference unless they are told that they are different types of meat. Thinking about chewing dog meat within my mouth was nauseating because at the time, I thought about my cute little maltese being eaten alive by me.
My father and his colleagues seemed to enjoy eating dog meat. Maybe I’ll become just like them and eat dog meat occassionally. But for now, I still believe killing and eating dog meat is the act of the devil. People, don’t eat dog meat.
Valuable Lesson
The overnight was a trip that taught the volleyball team a special lesson. We lost to the team which we thought was the weakest in team in the conference, and beat the team that we believed to be one of the strongest in the conference. We basically underestimated TCIS and got killed in their home court. In the past, we have owned them 3-0 every game without even trying. However, on the friday night we played the worst possible team in volleyball history, we got owned even though we tried really hard. Feeling so useless and weak, we feared the Daegu team even more, hearing that they had a 6 foot 7 inch tall player. Playing early in the morning made us think that we would get pounded even more by our opponents before the game. To the volleyball team’s great surprise, we pounded them 3-1.
And so, we learned a valuable and very simple lesson from our overnight trip. We shouldn’t underestimate any team and should always get prepared to work hard in every game to earn a victory. By the way, the overnight was pretty sad for the boy’s volleyball team because all the other teams won their games. We were the only losers the first night.
Loving Volleyball
I am really glad that I decided to participate in extracurricular activities this year. I joined the varsity volleyball team and found out that it offers great benefits. A game of volleyball brings out the active side of me. I am usually portrayed as a lazy, tired, and dull high school student as I walk down the hallways of SIS, hwoever, when I’m on the court, people view me differently. Playing a game of volleyball to me is like visiting and riding the rollercoasters within Six Flags. I love blocking and spiking the ball hard to the ground. It gives me great pleasure. Not only is it fun, but it is also healthy for you, for it requires alot of energy. The game requires continuous jumping, diving, and hitting. This builds my body and gets the sweat out of me. But the thing that I really love about volleyball in SIS is that we get to go to overnights, allowing me to play games and hang out with my friends within bus rides and the hotel.
Volleyball is great. Too bad it is my last year playing volleyball in SIS.
I hope this is my best year.
SIS, My Home
Unlike the majority of students who are in Seoul International School right now, I have been going to SIS since Junior Kindergarten. I have never transferred schools before and spent most of my life learning from teachers and socializing with classmates within the walls of SIS. When I was younger, I’ve experienced pain as many of my friends had left school to step into new schools within the United States. However, I experienced great joy as well, as I made many more friends with the new students that kept coming to SIS every year.
I’m spending my 14th year in SIS now. With a semester more to go to apply to colleges and hopefully get into a college of my choice, I will not stop studying. This short period of time determines my future, and I will not waste it away by lying down on my bed thinking about other things. Though, while I’m working away getting ready for college, I will also spend a great time socializing with my friends within school, making many memories for me to cherish at the end of the year.
A semester isn’t that long anyways. I have to wait till december until my applications finish, then everything will be over. Second semester, the whole senior grade will be partying. However, I will not forget to study a bit during second semester.
Inspector Gadget
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/06/12/technology/personaltech/12basics.html?_r=1&oref=slogin
Jean Piaget was a pyschologist who studied human development. Children these days have all kinds of cool gadgets, from super stylish and handy cellphones to gameboys like PSPs and Nintendo DS. I remember my parents giving me a used cellphone that was old and low-tech right before I became a freshmen in high school. Kids nowadays who are in elementary school are using all types of cellphones, gameboys, and MP3 players. I didn’t have the opportunity of using these high-tech gadgets when I was an elementary student. It may be a good idea for kids who have the money to enjoy these types of gadgets at a young age, but I think it is more suitable for older kids to use high-tech gadgets. Younger kids wont be using devices like cellphone everyday because they don’t really need it.
The things that I will need when I leave Korea for college will be a laptop and a new cellphone. These are gadgets that everyone will need when they start going to college. I will be a busy student involved with researching, writing essays/reports, mailing, and etc. In order to be socially active, I will need a cellphone to call people in and outside of college to meet them and interact. These aren’t “cool” gadgets, but gadgets that I will “need”.
