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Song Of Arir My Mother's Annexation Of Korea

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When I was younger, my mother’s attitude towards the Japanese always bewildered me. Any mention of the Japanese would trigger her to called them ‘crazy bastards’ or ‘cruel human beings’. As a ten year old child, this side of my mother was new to me, and it scared me. I could not comprehend the level of hatred and disgust that she had towards the people of Japan; and because she never educated me on the history between Korea and Japan, I could not relate to her. Even as I grew older, I was not very interested in learning about Japan’s annexation of Korea. However, as I read Song of Ariran, I began to understand my mother’s feelings, and how it could be hard to forgive those who hurt Korea. Song of Ariran has many values in that the growth and …show more content…

His frustration and impatience is conveyed through this story, which is something that cannot be found in a classic history textbook. One instance of when Kim San’s emotions are leaked through the pages is when he is trying to convince the other members of his party that an open democratic struggle, as opposed to an armed uprising, was a better choice. This was in response to the plan to march into Kaoyang and organize an uprising. However, the plan failed due to the lack of participation from the local farmers. When the enemy soldiers came and surrounded the village, the farmers quickly dispersed. At the same time, the revolutionary committee surrounded a primary school and held the students hostage, demanding ransom money so that they could buy guns. From the very beginning, Kim San opposed of this plan, but only helped to organize the uprising when he was called a coward and counterrevolutionary. When his peers and comrades did not agree with his opinion to stop armed attacks and called him a rightist and a Trotskyist, Kim San “became angry…and disgusted with their attitude” (282). He was frustrated that his fellow colleagues refused to change their ideals for the sake of the greater good. He knew that an open democratic struggle would be the best option, but because they were stubborn, the consequences were that the party organizations were falling apart

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