"The Catcher in the Rye" Quotes

Recently, I re-read "The Catcher in the Rye" by myself because I enjoyed it a lot when I first read it. However, I decided to try to read it in depth rather than know the story line. While reading, I found some significant quotes that convey the theme of the novel:

1. "The best thing, though, in that museum was that everything always stayed right where it was... The only thing that would be different would be you.

- Holden expresses his fear of change. In the novel, Holden refuses to become an adult and lose the innocence of a child. The Museum of National History, therefore, symbolizes Holden's want to stay as a child.

2. Catcher in the Rye

- Obviously, the title "Catcher in the Rye" is the most important symbol in this book. When talking to Phoebe, Holden says that he wants to be the person who catches children that are going to fall off the cliff. Cliff symbolizes the barrier of an adult and a child. Holden wants to keep his innocence as a child and to avoid becoming an adult. He wants other young children to be innocent as well. Therefore, whenever he observes a kid becoming an adult, he wants to go to him or her and stop from becoming one.

3. "F*** you" scribbles on the wall

- Holden finds several swearing scribbles on walls of Phoebe's school and the Museum of Natural History. He becomes depressed and worried when he sees one because he can imagine a young child reading this scribble and asking someone about the meaning of it, and another child answering what it means and all students coming to know what it means and using the word. Again, he hates the idea because children will lose part of their innocence after knowing such a bad word.

"Snow White and the Huntsman" Criticism

1) Kristen Stewart's performance

  I personally think that it was a good choice to cast her as Snow White. She's pale and              looks tired. However, her performance ability as an actress is in question. I've seen four movies that she's in ("Twilight", "Speak", the short scene in "Jumper". and "Snow White"). Her roles were different in each movie, but her expression was the same. She does not seem to be absorbed in her role.

2) No Enough Explanation

  The detailed reason for Snow White's revival is not explained in the movie. She was poisoned by Evil Queen, but she became alive suddenly. It is not certain if Huntsman's kiss is what made her become alive again, and it is very awkward that Snow White became a warrior right after death.

3) In the last scene, the Queen was obviously more powerful than Snow White, but she was killed so suddenly by one stabbing. Its ending is not coherent and so sudden.

Short Story Assignment

Dream Never Dies

1

 The oldest boy of three children, who was a middle school student at most, was scattering bone dust to the sea. From crematory and all the way to the sea, only one song was repeated. Everyone who passed by the funeral company recognized the song and asked why they would play the song in the funeral.

  "Oh my God, so this is the composer of this song's funeral? I became of huge fun of him after listening to this song. I really liked the way he talked about the dream. I was looking forward to listening to more of his songs, but I guess I can't do so now. I'm really sorry that he passed away in such a young age."

  Everyone felt so sorry for this person's death and donated flowers, so by the time his bone dust arrived at sea, his car was full of flowers. He was the one that would be commemorated as an unfortunate legend musician, Kim Sung Gong.

2

  Sung Gong was predestined to become a lawyer by his parents before he was born. He was named Sung Gong so that whenever his name was called by someone, he could remind himself of his duty to succeed. Sung Gong's parents always taught him about society he would belong to later, competition, and huge rewards for the winners of competition. Sung Gong, too, thought obeying to his parents was the best way to satisfy himself as well as his parents, and enjoyed his life until high school.

  Sung Gong successfully graduated high school and was accepted by the university his parents wanted him to go. After he graduated the university, he went to the best law school in Korea and became a lawyer. He became a renowned lawyer at a relatively young age, married another lawyer and had three lovely children. He often visited his parents so that they did not feel lonely. Everyone envied him, and he seemed to be the happiest person in the world.

  However, while all people around him were admiring him, Sung Gong himself did not seem to be happy. Not so many people could recognize his mood, and even they did not know the reason. He had everything, but nothing could fill his mind.

  When he was an university student, Sung Gong participated in a club. He became the manager of the most popular club in the university, the music band, just for socializing with other students, and there weren't any other reasons. Also, he was embarrassed to tell band members that the only instrument he could play was flute that he learned for school. He was indifferent about the music band in the beginning, but as he made schedules for performance, watched the members practice with passion, and saw the audience become crazy with excitement, he became curious. He started learning music with drum, then electric piano, and then guitar. By the time he became a junior, he could play any instruments and even compose songs by himself. He was a genius musician.

  However, his joy did not last long. After graduation, his parents told him to stop staying in the band.

  "We let you waste your precious time playing stupid instruments just because such club activity is helpful for you to get a good job. Now you have stayed in band long enough, so stop playing music."

  Sung Gong thought his eyes would come out with madness and wanted to scream in despair, but he dared not to stand against his parents' such resolute attitude. Next day, he met the band members and declared he would leave the band. He just left like that, and no one held him back, since they were so shocked.

  The more Sung Gong achieved his goals his parents had set for him, the more he thought about the amazing experience he had twenty years ago. He could vividly see him on stage playing instruments and his fans screaming with excitement. Late at night, after his family was asleep, Sung Gong would sneak out of the bedroom and imagine him drumming with chopsticks on his both hands. He would do this for an hour everyday and go to bed with sweat all over his body. It was the only joy he could feel in his life. One day, however, he became too excited and made noises, so he got caught by his wife.

  "What are you doing at midnight? Dancing with chopsticks?"

  "What? My back hurt, so I was stretching. And these are not chopsticks."

  "Anyway, I don't care if you were dancing or stretching, but could you be quiet when you're doing it? You almost woke children up. And I'm really tired, too. You know this trial that I'm in charge is a very tough one, right?"

  "...Ok. I'm sorry. I won't do this again. Now go back to bed. I'll follow you after you fall asleep. Good night."

  Now he could not even spend one hour for his hobby. He became more and more stressed.

3

One day, when he felt he could not bear the stress anymore, he visited the university late at night to refresh his mind. While walking around the buildings, he met his old friend: one of the members in the band.

  Two people went to the bar they used to go after performance. It was little bit awkward, but two people were very happy to see each other. They started typical middle-aged men's conversation.

  "So, how's your life going? You are a doctor now or what? If I'm remembering correctly, you wanted to be a dentist, right?"

  "Yeah, I did. I wanted to be a dentist. But you know what? I'm still a musician. I'm the leader of the band. The name of the band is still 'Nerds' because all members are from our university. Haha, 'Nerds'. You suggested that name, right?"

  Sung Gong could feel his hands trembling with excitement and wanted to ask hundreds of questions at once, but he tried to behave the way he believed was mature. But, he obviously failed.

  "You chose band over being a dentist? Are you serious? Can you support your family with the money you earn? Did your parents allow you to do so?"

  Little bit drunken, the friend didn't answer him immediately but looked at him for a few seconds. Then, he opened his mouth.

  "You know my parents. They never let me, but I kept begging them for permission literally a dozen times everyday. I even protested. I was very scared to fight with my parents, but I knew I would become crazy if I couldn't become a musician, and I told them that. They finally gave up. And yes, as you said, I'm very poor. I'm a hungry musician, hahaha. That's why I'm not married yet. I know I can't support my family with this earning, and now, I want to focus on music. In our society, I'm a lower class who can barely eat. But, I feel I'm alive only when I'm on the stage."

  "That's stupid. Hey, band is only for young people who don't have to worry about supporting their families. You should have thought it as a light hobby and quit after graduation. Why don't you grow up?"

  "Hahaha, you didn't change at all. When you withdrew from the group, you said that the band was only for your diverse experience and time killing. You wanted to stay in band you graduated, but you got bored of it and could not withstand lame music anymore. Other members were furious, but I wasn't. Do you know why? I could see what happened the last day at your home and what you were feeling when you said that. You were sorrow itself. And you turned your back when the tears were about to roll down. And I know that you occasionally visited our performance and left without saying anything. And..."

  "What do you want to say? What's the purpose of saying all these nonsen..."

  "I'm saying that you are lying and that you came here because you could not forget about your experience yet."

  Sung Gong was extremely embarrassed, so he left the bar. His friend said,

  "Just come visit me once and see how I do, will you? Come late at night, regardless of the day. I stay here for the whole day."

  That night, Sung Gong could not sleep. All experiences he tried to forget were brought up in his head at once, and he was so confused. He took a sick leave the next day and contemplated for hours. Then, he decided to go see his friend in the campus secretly.

  He arrived there at 10:30. The concert already began. He listened carefully far from the stage, and he suddenly realized that the song the band was playing was the one composed by him. He wanted to tell anyone near him that the song was his song, but nobody paid attention. Then, the song stopped suddenly. While the audience was confused and asked what was the matter. Sung Gong's friend grabbed his mike and shouted enthusiastically,

  "Ladies and gentlemen, now my old friend would finish this song. He hasn't played music for twenty years, but his passion hasn't changed. Now give him a great applause. He's the guy who best fits to the band the 'Nerds' because his name is Sung Gong. Come on up here, Mr. Success!"

  Sung Gong did not know what to do. He refused it and tried to get out of it, but he was in the middle of the frantic crowd. He then realized that he stepped into the crowd from the edge unconsciously. The audience pushed him all the way through to the stage, and he was standing in front of dozens of people. His heart was beating crazily because he was nervous, and because he was excited. He had not stood on the stage in front of so many people for twenty years. He unconsciously grabbed the guitar and started playing suddenly without telling other members. The drummer and the singer hurriedly caught up Sung Gong and the performance was a huge success.

4

  After the performance, Sung Gong began to think about his career seriously. He knew he was born to be a musician. He felt he was alive for the first time in twenty years. His heart was still beating fast. Sung Gong closed his office for a month to have time to consider deeply. His parents and wife asked him what was wrong, but he wouldn't answer. He told them he would be away for a while, saying that he wanted to rest. He said he was going to stay in a countryside until he felt refreshed to get back to work.

  His stay in a countryside lasted longer than expected because he really couldn't make a decision. He tried to write an autobiography, but he couldn't, simply because he didn't have any important or significant experiences that affected his life. Then, he finally decided to pursue happiness in mid-40s.

  When he came back, the whole family was worrying about him. He comforted them and told them to sit down and listen to him, since this could shock them. Then, he declared his grand decision.

  "Mom, dad, and honey. Listen carefully and don't try to persuade me because I'm determined to follow my decision and no one can make me give it up. Today, I'm going to quit working and become a musician. One of the band members whom I worked with when I was in the university still leads the same group. I'll join them."

  There was a complete silence for a few minutes. Sung Gong's mom opened her mouth.

  "I beg you a pardon?"

  "You heard me, mom. The way you understood what I said is exactly what I mean. I'm going to be a musician. For my whole life, I have always obeyed to you and done what you wanted me to do. But, I'm a grown-up, and I deserve to enjoy my own life.

  "Honey, now it's your turn to decide. If you still want to be with me, you'll have to follow my decision. If you don't, it's fine. I'll give you all possessions and rights to raise our children. Just give me permission to see my children at least once a month. I'll give you one week to think about it. I'll be somewhere near my university, so come see me. If you don't contact with me in a week, I will think it as no. Bye-bye."

  He slammed the door and went out of his house. He was kind of sad about the fact that he disappointed his parents for the first time and he was separated with his family, but opposite to his mind, he was running across the road like a child. He ran until he arrived at the closest instrument store. He had plenty of money, so he bought his guitar, electric devices, piano and drums at once. Then, he found his friend and told him about the decision. He welcomed him for his bravery. In twenty years, Sung Gong became the member of 'the Nerds' again.

5

  Sung Gong just played anything he could think of. He composed new songs, too, for the performances. His wife didn't show up finally, but he didn't care too much about it. He forgot everything soon and concentrated on sounds.

  Six months later, Sung Gong ran out of money. He gave up all the possessions for the rest of his family, so what he had in his wallet was all. He never ran out of money before, so the word "financial difficulties" sounded very ambiguous to him. Nevertheless, the time of ordeal that comes to every musician didn't just pass Sung Gong. He made many songs and had many fans, but their investment was too little. Then, his ideal about being a band musician started to break into his pieces. He thought he was ready to accept the hardship, but once it came to him, it was unbearable. Without money, he couldn't eat what he wanted, and most seriously, he couldn't afford to compose new songs. All the members worked part-time jobs and paid for equipments together, but the money was never enough. They couldn't help but make songs with lower quality, and cold fans soon turned their backs to other bands. His friend told Sung Gong that it was very common and he had to get used to this quickly. He tried to get used to it, but it was obviously still difficult.

  It was after Sung Gong and his band had an unsuccessful performance again. The audience booed for horrible music sounds and performance. Sung Gong could not look up because his wife came to see him. It was approximately two years after he left his wife. She let him see their children once in a while, but she wouldn't show up because she was so angry that she was betrayed. Now, she was looking at him pitifully.

  "Honey, let's go back now. You've done enough. You wouldn't have recognized it, but I visited you several times. I still care about you. I still can't believe that you betrayed me, but I'm forgiving you. I need you, and you need me, and most of all, our children need you. You don't have to work for a while, if you want to. And if you still don't want to start working again, just choose another job that you can really enjoy. I know this is too harsh for you. Give it up before it's too late."

  His face was still facing the floor, but his voice was clear and determined.

  "I'm not going back, honey. It's only been two years for me, but these friends have suffered this for decades. All musicians, even the ones who succeeded, suffer from this hardship. And now this is very tough to keep working as a musician, but I really love what I do. Our children are smart, so they will understand me when they grow up. I'm sorry."

  Sung Gong's wife was waiting to see if there was anything else he wanted to say, but he wouldn't. She sighed and left him. After she was gone, Sung Gong burst into cry. His companies tried to console him, but he couldn't stop for a long time.

  After his wife visited him, he was more absorbed in music than he had been before. He realized that he could not play music only to enjoy his life: musician became his career, and he had to put efforts to compete with other bands and succeed. However, he started drinking at the same time. He couldn't stand even one day without alcohol because of loneliness and stress. People worried about him, but he didn't care about his health. He became more and more desperate and his health started to emaciate.

6

  Sung Gong lived a relatively comfortable life, compared to his friends. His parents were wealthy, so he didn't get part-time jobs to pay for tuition or anything. He got a car as his twentieth birthday present, while his friends were saving money for years to buy one. His parents supported him financially in every aspect of his life. When he got married, his parents bought the couple a house, while his friends worked for ten years to buy a small apartment. To a person with this kind of history, being a hungry musician was especially difficult. Whenever he saw his empty wallet and his songs were rejected by the audience, he became so gloomy that he thought he could never stand this stress.

  Yet, he did not stop pursuing his career. He wanted to tell himself that his choice was not wrong and he would be happy ultimately. He wanted his children to be proud of him. He stayed in his workroom for the whole day, and he would drink until late at night. Not so many people wanted him to play music for them, but he wrote songs anyway. He was a prolific songwriter.

  One day, his stomach started to hurt. He thought it was another symptom of indigestion. He suffered from indigestion almost everyday because he drank too heavily. But, while the pain settled in an hour or so ordinarily, this one was little bit different. Far from disappearing, the pain became more and more serious as time passed. He vomited, and there was blood in it. He thought it was weird, so he went to the hospital to examine his body. The examination was shocking: he got hepatocirrhosis.

  "Why didn't you come earlier? It must have been extremely painful. Your liver is already in a seriously bad state. If you came little bit later, you would have died for sure, but you have possibility to survive if you care about your health from now on. Also, never, ever drink again. One sip of alcohol can be fatal to you. And I suggest you hospitalized since today."

  Sung Gong's body shook madly with fear. And he thought three things: the one was that he couldn't afford hospitalization; and even if he was hospitalized somehow, he wouldn't make it anyway; and the last thought was that he had to finish his masterpiece before death. When he was thinking about the third one, he suddenly became very cold and calm. He only got painkiller from the doctor and went right back to the workroom.

  This time, he did not grab a pencil or guitar first before making a song. He had written random songs when the melody was brought up in his mind, but this one had to be different, since it was going to be his masterpiece. He wanted his masterpiece to be known to many people. He wanted to talk about his dream and happiness acquired from it. He had a harsh time to pursue his dream and he was going to die very soon because of that pursuit, but he still was proud of himself for his brave decision. Whenever he felt extreme pain in the stomach, he would eat painkiller and start working on his masterpiece again. He sometimes fainted, but asked his members not to take him to the hospital, so they would await him to wake up by himself. The members gave up persuading him to go to the hospital, and tried their best to support him.

  Sung Gong fought against the disease alone pretty well, but he finally surrendered to it. He threw up blood and fainted. He didn't get back his consciousness, and finally passed away in the hospital.

  His members were so frustrated. They told Sung Gong's family about it, and instead of crying in front of his corpse, they went to the workroom and picked up his works and read them. It was marvelous. The melody and lyrics made them cry for a long time. Sung Gong's friend replaced his position as the director and recorded the song in an album. The song ranked the top in music chart. It was a huge success, and the band became famous so suddenly. It became even more famous when the band broke up after huge success.

  So, this is Kim Sung Gong's biography. He chose a safe way when he was young, but he bravely changed his career to enjoy his life. His life was short in length, but he remained as one of the greatest musicians in history because of one song.

I have no regret for my decision

Kim Sung Gong

You say that I don't know the world,

You say that I'm immature and pathetic

Partly with worry, and

Partly with scorn.

Maybe I don't know the world.

Maybe I started off the route

That nobody chooses.

But, I don't regret

My choice.

You may not see it,

But I'm enjoying the beauty of it

I have no regret for my decision

Sometimes I cry, and

Sometimes I'm frustrated.

Sometimes I want to follow the majority, and

Sometimes I want to walk the same route with others.

Maybe I don't know the world,

Maybe I started off the route

That nobody chooses.

But, I don't regret

My choice.

This has been my dream, and

This will be my dream.

I have no regret for my decision.

Mars

  Mars is the planet that has the highest possibility of having creatures. Through many expeditions, scientists have found evidence that water once existed on Mars. Some scientists think that if there was water on Mars, the second-best environment for creatures, lives could have existed on it and some of them could have moved to Earth when small pieces of Mars containing lives crushed Earth as asteroids. NASA is still searching for more evidence and traces of life.

  This information that NASA provides is very interesting. However, I have one question about the research itself, even though I'm not an expert in astronomy or something. I wonder why scientists narrow the range down to planets that have water and have "mild" temperature. Scientists don't explore Mercury because it doesn't have water and has too hot atmosphere. I think these factors for sustaining life are too "Earth-centred". "Mild" temperature for lives on Earth isn't necessarily required for extraterrestrial life, if there is one. The universe is unimaginably big, and there can be infinite possibilities of life form, such as animals that do not need oxygen and die if exposed to oxygen. There is one type of bacteria that can only survive in boiling water even on Earth. 

True Love Poem

Eternity

Other people love your rosy-cheek,

But I love your gray-hair, too.

Other people love your beauty,

But I love your wrinkles, too.

Other people love your health,

But I love your death, too.

Other people forget you after you're gone,

But you are still alive in me.

True love stories never have endings. - Richard Bach

Acrostic Poem

Beauty

Inimitable smell of perfume

Magnificent, panoramic view

Amazing flavor of food

Great sensitivity of hand

Elegant euphony of orchestra

Monster Energy Drink

5 People Died After Drinking Monster Over 3 Years

 Five people have died of excessive ingestion of caffeine from Monster Energy Drink over 3 years. A 14-year-old girl from Maryland recently died after drinking large cans of Monster in two consecutive days. Her mother sued Monster Beverage and its stock ended down by 14%. People are urging the FDA to enforce caffeine levels in energy drinks.
 I'm curious about how the trial will end up because I think that both the girl and the company are responsible for this. If you look at the bottom of the drink, it clearly says that no more than 500mL is recommended a day because caffeine can harm  people's health. The girl ignored it and drank more than the recommended amount. Also, she had a heart disease and she was aware of that. If so, she should have been more careful when drinking Monster.
 The company is also responsible because it put too much of caffeine in the drink. When I drank it, I thought it was unnecessarily too strong, and therefore stopped drinking it. The company was irresponsible to put such a huge amount of caffeine to make it stronger.
 Again, I believe that both girl and the company made a mistake, so I'm very curious about the judgment of the trial. And I feel sorry for her and other 4 people who died of caffeine toxicity caused by drinking energy drink.

P.S.Y's Other Songs

Psy is a world star now. 

His song, Gangnam Style, has ranked No. 1 in Billboard Chart in the U.S. and in many other countries. So many people around me practice and dance his so-called "horse dance".

However, I want those new fans of Psy to listen to more of his songs because I personally think other songs are better and more exciting than Gangnam Style. He has written many songs, but among them, I want to recommend "Champion" and "Bird". It has been years since these songs came out, but they are still very popular in Korea. I and my friends sing these songs every time we go to karaoke ^^

Here are links:

Champion

Bird (Sae)

And see how crazy people become in Psy's concert!

He appears at the back stage and yells at people, saying "why are you still sitting on chairs??? Stand up right now!!!" (00:20)

Psy Concert

A Letter to My Friend in Heaven

A Letter to My Friend in Heaven

Dear J.Y.,

Hey, J.Y..

It's already been a year

Since you jumped out of that apartment window at night.

I cried a lot when I first heard the news.

You just couldn't bear your destiny of

Having to compete with your friends,

Having to be compared to your siblings, and

Having to let your grades be more important than everything, right?

I understand how you would have felt.

You just wanted to enjoy life at school with your friends,

Be respected as a person, and

Be in harmony with your family.

I totally understand you.

But, your choice was the most foolish one a person could make.

You should have shared your anxiety with other people,

Rather than suffer by yourself.

There are more people than you think

Whom you can rely on when you have a hard time.

I'm very angry at you,

But if that was the best choice you could think of,

Then maybe I should pray that you don't regret it, right?

I wish you are happy right now.

However, I, and other friends of yours,

Will engrave in our minds that

We will never let this tragedy happen again.

I already miss you a lot, but I have to say goodbye now.

Bye, my friend. I will never forget pleasant memories I shared with you.

Sincerely,

William Park

V for Vendetta

V For Vendetta

  Today, I would like to introduce my favourite movie, V for Vendetta. The movie's setting 

is Britain that is under complete control of one powerful dictator, Adam Sutler. The High 

Chancellor Sutler, who is obviously named after Adolf Hitler, uses physical power and fear 

to control British citizens. He legislates laws to make people obey to him and punishes 

disobedient people harshly.

Adam Sutler

  Like Hitler, the Chancellor Sutler is a very charismatic and eloquent orator. He convinces 

citizens to vote for him with his rhetorical skills, and the more time passes, the more 

frantic citizens become about him. The colours and symbol of his political party remind 

people of Nazism.

  

The man introduces himself as "V"

 While there is no one who can stand against Sutler and his government, a masked man

called V appears suddenly and directly criticizes the corrupt government and obedient

citizens. V invades the government-controlled broadcasting centre and announces war

against the government. He says that after exactly one year from this day, with citizens

who are willing to fight with him, he will destroy the Parliament building. Also, while

waiting for a year, V kills corrupt government officials one by one, indicating that the

Chancellor will be dead in a year, too.

Adam Sutler tells Inspector Finch to arrest V

Extremely terrified, the Chancellor Sutler orders Inspector Finch to chase V and arrest 

him.

Inspector Finch

However, opposite to Sutler's wish, Inspector Finch comes to know more and more about 

the hidden secrets of the government. He finds out that the government is responsible 

for the most terrible biological disaster in Britain's history. The government invents a 

powerful biological disease and spreads the virus to Britain, killing nearly 100,000 

citizens. Then, the government announces that it has found out the remedy and sells it 

to people very expensively to get citizens' support, while making huge amounts of money 

at the same time. This discovery leads Inspector Finch to let the explosion of the 

Parliament building happen later, even though he can stop it. He also realizes that the 

change must take place in Britain.

While inventing a bio-weapon, hundreds of people are killed for the experiment

And, while scientists study to invent the weapon in a secret laboratory, thousands of 

innocent people are killed for the experiment. V is one of them. Out of thousands of 

people, V is the only person who has endured the experiment and had a successful 

result.

V without his cloaks and mask on. He destroys the laboratory and all the researches scientists have done.

Despite all kinds of effort Sutler has made to catch V, he eventually fails and the noticed 

day comes. He is killed on the very day by one of his own men, Creedy.

Creedy

Adam Sutler is about to die. It is funny that a person who has killed 100,000 people for his own sake fears death.

Sutler finally dies

After Sutler is killed, V has a battle with Creedy. He is shot dozens of times, but does 

not die immediately. He finishes his duty by killing Creedy and dies right in front of Evey, 

the girl whom V loves. His body is put into the train that has bombs to destroy the 

Parliament building and burns with the bombs.

As promised, the Parliament building is destroyed. This is significant in the movie 

because it symbolizes the victory of citizens over the dictatorship and powerful 

government.

Literally every citizen in London comes out to the street to watch the building 

collapse. Even though Sutler has kept threatening and warning people that following V 

will be considered as treason, they overcome fear and fight against the government 

bravely, all of them with masks on. Though weaponless, people disobey the soldiers 

with guns and defeat them.

Finally, Britain retrieves liberty. The story line is very dramatic and the end is moving. I  

was shocked when I first watched this movie because I never thought such kind of 

movie could be interesting. I was too used to action movies that do not have much 

of artistic values. However, this one was different. This movie is so powerful that it 

makes people think and debate about it even after the movie ends. I have already 

seen V for Vendetta three times, but I think I will watch many more times. I strongly 

recommend to watch this movie.

Hedgehog

Hedgehog

The most marvelous creature I've ever seen:

A moving chestnut burr and four legs attached to it;

Thin and sharp needles on its back,

Black and white beautifully harmonized in each of them;

As fine and smooth as white hairs on its belly when at peace,

But as sharp and dangerous as a knife when wary;

Greyish thin ears constantly moving forward and backward

To hear every single sound,

Shiny black wet nose sniffing curiously at unknown objects;

Long pink tongue continuously polishing its nose,

And putting food greedily into a shark-like mouth;

The grey mask around its nose and its nocturnal behaviour

Would make people think it as a thief,

But innocent sparkling eyes would eliminate all suspicions.

When you pick up something round with needles,

Check first if it's a chestnut burr or a hedgehog!

Edgar Allan Poe's Work

A Dream Within a Dream

Edgar Allan Poe

Take this kiss upon the brow!

And, in parting from you now,

Thus much let me avow-

You are not wrong, who deem

That my days have been a dream;

Yet if hope has flown away

In a night, or in a day,

In a vision, or in none,

Is it therefore the less gone?

All that we see or seem

Is but a dream within a dream.

I stand amid the roar

Of a surf-tormented shore,

And I hold within my hand

Grains of the golden sand-

How few! yet how they creep

Through my fingers to the deep,

While I weep- while I weep!

O God! can I not grasp

Them with a tighter clasp?

O God! can I not save

One from the pitiless wave?

Is all that we see or seem

But a dream within a dream?

 I became interested in the American poet-author Edgar Allan Poe after being introduced in class that he may have introduced short stories, so I chose one of his poems and read "A Dream Within a Dream". The poem seems to be about the speaker's sadness and despair after the loss of a dear person. Renowned for literary techniques, Poe displays many literary devices. Rhymes are used in every line of the poem(brow-now-avow, roar-shore, hand-sand, and so on). Metaphor, personification and irony occasionally appear. I think "the golden sand" in fourth line of the second stanza means clock, and "shore" and "wave" are personified because a shore cannot "torment" surf and a wave be "pitiless". Irony is used when it is said that "grains of golden sand" are few. The repetition of couplets emphasizes the narrator's opinion that life is pointless. I am very impressed with Poe's ability to use all kinds of literary devices in such a short poem while conveying emotion. 

Discussion: The Children of Hurin

<Turin's Tragedy: Fate? His Own Mistake?>

I found an interesting discussion topic related to The Children of Hurin that I introduced last week. The question is, is Turin's tragic death in the end the result of predestined fate or of his flaws in character. I think his tragedy is the result of own flaws and lack of leadership.

Turin has many fatal flaws in his character that have led him to the defeat against Morgoth, The Dark Lord, and ultimately the failure to save his country. Turin is far from other typical heroes in the legends because he is arrogant and stubborn. He despises other people as cravens when they oppose to his suggestion to fight and never listens to other people. In Doriath, Turin ignores Mablung's advice to stay there after accidentally killing Saeros. He leaves the country where he can stay most safely and chooses a harsh, nomadic life, believing that he can make a strong army with his leadership and abilities. It seems that Turin has already been determined to leave Doriath when Thingol and Melian refused to give him their men to fight the Orcs, even when they advised that he would not defeat them alone. In Nargothrond, opposed to Gwindor's suggestion to live in secrecy, Turin insists that they should fight the enemy and even ignores Ulmo's advice to be careful with unnecessary hostility, calling him a coward. The result of his arrogance and inflexibility is tragic: the bridge he built is used as a benefit for the Orcs to approach Nargothrond and the country collapses, along with King Orodreth and his daughter, Finduilas.

Turin has neither intelligence nor leadership. As a leader of the army, Turin often forgets or underestimates the necessity of strategies to win the battle. He just faces the enemy bravely and starts fighting without any plans. He never ambushes, thinking that plans are for cowards. He always survives in the battle with his skills, no matter by how many Orcs he is surrounded, but his men do not because they are ordinary soldiers. Moreover, Turin lacks leadership. Although he becomes a leader of groups which already have leaders, many feel troubled , jealous, and isolated to be with Turin. Turin attracts many women, making the lovers of these women jealous. Finduilas, for example, falls in love with Turin, so her previous lover, Gwindor is in despair. Niniel also breaks Brandir's heart by marrying Turin. Turin does not care about how his men feel and how he should act to keep them on his side. When Glaurung calls Turin "...thief of love, ..., usurper of Nargothrond" (179), it is not only mockery but truth.

Some people might think that Turin has nothing to do with his tragic end of life. All circumstances that happen since his youth have worked disadvantageously toward him. However, he has not tried to overcome them bu compromising with the world and becoming an intelligent, calm leader, and the result is his responsibility. If he were aware of his situation and more desperate to be a true leader of his men, Turin's tragedy would not have happened.

Book Report: The Children of Hurin

Book Report: The Children of Hurin

                  

Today, I finished reading an epic fantasy novel, The Children of Hurin, written by J.R.R. Tolkien, an author renowned for The Lord of the Rings. I have always been curious about Tolkien since I heard that he created his own language and adopted it into his book. Many authors have created languages and used them in their books, but what is unique about Tolkien compared to other authors is that he could express anything with that language. J.K.Rowling uses snake's language in Harry Potter, but cannot speak the whole language in ordinary life. However, Tolkien can. The languages of the Elf in his books are not created randomly but systematically, and he can talk in that language in ordinary life. This fact made me feel excited and pick up this book in a book store. 

Turin is son of Hurin, the king of Hador. One day, Hurin and his allies fights against the Dark Lord, Morgoth, and they lose. Other kings are killed, Hurin is captured, and their countries are taken. On the way Hurin's family is taken to Morgoth, Turin escapes and swears to his mother, Morwen, that he will grow up strong and retrieve his country. Since then, for more than ten years, Turin wanders and explores Middle Earth. During that time, he fights against the Orcs whenever he sees ones. However, in spite of his great dedication of himself to win Morgoth, he loses to him and dies tragically. 

This novel is different from typical fantasy novels in that the main character fails to achieve his goal and surrenders to the evil. Also, compared to its light content, there are many themes and rhetorical devices that people can look at. For example, the colours of black and gold are used repetitively throughout the book as symbols of king, power, and darkness. Tolkien's language that occasionally appears is another factor that makes the book enjoyable. The story and content are not difficult to follow, so to anyone who wants a light fantasy novel with important themes in it, I recommend The Children of Hurin. 

                                

Samsung Lions V6!!!

Congratulations!

Samsung Lions V6

Samsung Lions, 

my favorite baseball team in Korea, won the 2012 pennant race for the sixth time, and two times in a row. Samsung Lions does not have many star players, but many baseball experts say its cooperation and communication skills among players and coaches are superior to those of any other seven teams. Without star players, every single player successfully accomplishes what he has to do and nobody shows off his achievement or ability. The media does not focus on particular players but all of them, so no one feels isolated or frustrated. 

Although Samsung Lions has been a powerful team since the advent of professional baseball league in Korea in 1982, it has only won six times. So on average, it only won once five years. This record shows how difficult it is for one team to win the pennant race twice in a row. And it's such a coincidence that Samsung Lions did so while I was away studying in Canada. I usually watch highlights of the baseball games almost everyday after school, and whenever I see my favorite team fighting well in harsh competition, I feel hope that I can achieve my goal, too, if I try hard like baseball players. Watching Samsung Lions play was especially helpful when I first came here, which is when I had great difficulties getting used to different culture and language. To me, baseball is not only entertainment but also a hope that keeps encouraging me to work harder. 

But, the season has not ended yet. Though most experts believe that Samsung Lions will be the final winner of this year, Post Season is waiting for the team, and no one knows how the season will end up. Whichever team that wins PO will finally compete with Samsung Lions, and the winner of Korea Series will be the true winner. The first game starts at Oct. 24.

Regardless of the results, the season will end in a month. Now, I have to think of another activity that will entertain me until the next season starts (next April), but I'm not sure if there is anything that I can be obsessed with as much as I am with baseball. :P

Physical? Sedentary?

        Kate Braid, the author of "A Plea for the Physical", feels that she is alive when she does physical activities. She works in construction sites and experiences dangers, but she feels excited rather than tired or frightened. She criticizes people who are lazy in moving their bodies and avoiding "dirty" jobs, which are actually helpful for them. However, my opinion is different from hers, and I think it is because Braid and I are from different generations. She is now an old lady who was born in 1940's, and I am only a teenager who is more used to sedentary life than physical life.

        Unlike Braid's statement about books and computers, I think it is opposite instead. Researching through books is time-consuming. Going to the library, looking for books that have information people need, and reading them take too much time. On the contrary, people can find information online in much shorter time. Last year in Social Studies class, I was supposed to research about Gabriel Dumont's life, and my teacher recommended reading books about him. After I spent a week reading them, I went online for more information and found the same information and more in thirty minutes. The process of "smelling ink and holding thick books" was waste of time. Computers, if used correctly, are much more efficient.

        Compared to students from previous generation, today's students are required to spend more time indoors studying. To them, therefore, sedentary lives are not considered to be "torture" and physical lives "liberation". This is totally a matter of people's viewpoints. Students can feel they are free and alive when watching TV or chatting online. They can also feel shovelling snow or exercising is torture. 

        I think Braid's opinion that being sedentary is torture and being physical liberation is too extreme and subjective. From her point of view, young people are lazy because they do not move their bodies, and they are pitiful because they do not know how to enjoy strenuous work. However, people including me are working as hard as her generation did, just with the difference in how. Now, I am writing an essay by typing, not by "feeling pencils smoothly moving on and erasing with an eraser", but I feel I am alive and free.