Session 8 readings

[Anonymous]

The readings were very interesting. Its interesting how Korea developed its authors at a time of suppression from the Japanese during colonialism. The theme of loyalty can be tied to the loyalty that Koreans need to have to their land, whether be south or north.

[Anonymous]

All that you wrote here, I also found very interesting. I can not imagine what those men went through when they out of nowhere did not have a job and were expected to bring food to the table every day. It must have a terrible feeling. I also think prostitution is well funded not mainly by the Koreas but rather by the armies stationed there (US army) I believe that if the US army was not there then prostitution wouldn't be such a big problem.

[Anonymous]

As the professor rightfully predicted, the meeting between Ban Ki Moon and Kim Jong-Un didn't happen. Being an expert on Korea gives her a healthy skepticism which I lack. Apparently this meeting has been "threatened" a number of times and has yet to occur. I'll keep my eyes one the news beyond this seminar to see if it happens.

[Anonymous]

This chapter had great imagery, and symbolism, detailing the relationship of Songsam and Tockchae near the 38th Parallel. This would definitely be something students would enjoy and it would definitely be accessible for them read, since it personalizes and humanizes people who were in Korea living during this time period. I would definitely have the students analyze this reading through a historical lens, and have them pick out parts of the content/vocab we have learned that are in the story as well as information we haven't learned that the story talks about and they would want to know more about. This story could also be done in skits, and students could play out different scenes from this chapter and add notes from the lesson that connect to this reading.

[Anonymous]

In reading this article in the Korean War, I found the legacy of the Korean War to be the most compelling. It seems that the Korean War created a legacy of polarization and mistrust between the two Koreas, and established the seeds for the development of both countries as we know them today. One of the most salient patterns that occurred as a result of the Korean War was North Korea's “bunker mentality” which continues to inspire it to militarize in preparation for defense. What is striking is the description of the decimated infrastructure of South Korea after the war. It is quite impressive to see how much progress is has been able to achieve given the state of the country right after the war.
edited by nramon on 1/10/2016

[cgao]

Please download and read the PDFs below for session 8 on Two Koreas.
edited by cgao on 11/10/2015

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[Anonymous]

"Cranes" is a short story included in our 10th grade literature anthology and I have glanced at it the textbook published by McDougall Littel, but without the contextualization afforded by this seminar I didn't fully grasp the layers of meaning waiting to be uncovered in this story. This story of the two Koreas resonates with me now that I understand it is about the distrust that exists across a line of demarcation artificially imposed upon people living on opposite sides of the same spectrum. I can now relate this story to films such as "Veer Zaara" and "Bajrangi Bhaijaan" which seek to bridge the divide that has become so entrenched in the psyche of people living in two distinct countries in opposition of one another. The tragedy is that only one to two generations prior, no such enmity or division existed and yet the distance is so starkly drawn today that the idea of living in harmony feels like at best like a fairy tale and at worst like a foreign concept.

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