Then and Now: Finding My voice
1.LITERAL COMPREHENSION :
It is an autobiography writing in which Korean writer; Kim expresses her personal feeling, experience, hope, faith while bringing up in America. In America, she had faced the problem in culture. At home, her parents spoke Korean language but out side, she was forced to speak English. Even in her school, she was badly behaved. Many Americans called her as "Jap" or "Chink" because they thought that Korea was one of the states of Japan or China. So she felt that she had lost her identity. Actually, she also wanted to be the real citizen of America, for that she wanted to do something extra, so she had participated in cheerleader in school to prove that she was the real citizen of US and can do many things like white American. She also talks about Korean War that had happened in 1950s. In fact, that war took many Korean lives and separated them from their own homeland. Due to that war impact , many Korean started living in American as refugees . Similarly, she had also the great faith in fortune telling. She had also visited many Buddhist temples and shamans in Korea. One of the fortune tellers had told her that her goals and achievement of future had been shaped between the ages of 12 and 17. That time she had expressed her doubt in his prophecy. But she now realizes that due to the past experience of difficulties and hardship, she chose the field of history. She studied US racism, color discrimination, and social injustice. By the help of her those studies, she got an opportunity to understand herself.
2.INTERPRETATION :
It tells us the problem of living in bicultural situation. Many kids who bring up in foreign country are facing the same problem as the writer had faced. They faced the problem of culture, language, customs, and identity in foreign country. Such kids are obliged to speak other language outside of their home but at home, they speak their own language. They are behaved as if they are non-living things . In the essay too, the writer faced the same problems. She was U.S born Korean, so she had to speak two languages according to situation. Firstly, she was Korean, so she had to speak Korean in front of their parents while outside of the house, she had to speak English. Not only this much white behaved her as a foreigner and even they call her "Jap" or "chink".
So in the bicultural situation, one can feel dominated a by others and also becomes confused with two cultures.
3.CRITICAL THINKING :
In fact, this essay is not only the problematic situation of the US living girl, but it shows the all people's problem who have to spend their life in other country. It can be also an American problem if he spends his life in foreign country. In the text, at first the writer faced the problem of language. She has to speak two languages: American and Korean language. But that problem by the American may not face because English is an international language and it is spoken all over the world. So with the help of it, they may express their ideas in foreign country. Similarly he/she also may not face the problem of money in Asian country but in terms of culture, custom, habit, they faced the same reality as Kim faced in America. Similarly, from Kim's note, reader can notice the boastful di nature of Americans. They without knowing the reality, give wrong nationality like "Jap". Likewise, to maintain their superiority team, white still do not allow poor Asian to enter in their hotels.
4.ASSIMILATION :
After reading this essay I remembered Nepali brothers who go to earn money in foreign country. Though they love our Nepal and want to contribute for it, but due to various problems, they are compelled to go abroad. In foreign country, they faced the problem of language. They do great effort to learn another language. For example, they work hard there but get low salary. Not only this much, without any good reason, they are abused, beaten, and also killed. Similarly, few years back, 12 Nepali boys were beheaded 2sat by Iraqi. They had not made any mistakes but lost their life in the hand of terrorist.
*****************************************************************************
0 Comments