So, Why Are We Writing This Essay?

Inchan Hwang

Mr.Garrioch

Junior English Composition Class

19 November 2012

     Why are we writing this essay? Our English writing teacher, Mr.Garrioch, says he wants something to grade us with. So, we are writing this essay as a battle against 'B'. Although our writing teacher has given us six essay options which are very intriguing and enjoyable, the faces that I'm seeing right now are desperate, frustrated faces. Why do we have a time limit for writing an essay anyways? What's the purpose of it? Do we really need to be evaluated upon our ability to quickly spark up topics to write about and ability to express our opinions within time? This ability may be useful in SAT, AP tests. However, I believe that to enhance our ability to write fully developed, insightful, and grammatically refined essays, we must write in a more liberal environment. 

     In this sense, I think a blog is a fine workshop to think and write with enough time and deliberation. However, something is going wrong these days. Students are not spending enough time and enough thoughts on blog postings, and some are even posting scribbles that are less than a hundred words. We stopped reading others' postings and commenting on them. As a fine evidence, not a single person has visited my blog for a whole month. I really felt as if I was writing a diary as my summer vacation homework - I know that this would be evaluated soon, but I don't necessarily have to write on this regularly and maintain the quality of the postings. I would really love to work hard on my blog. However, if nobody gives me feedbacks, how would my writing improve? I'll be making same mistakes over and over again. Also, I have tons of assignments behind me. I would rather work on my assignments for other classes before trying to write a perfectly satisfactory essay that I don't really know whether I should really be satisfied with it or not.

     So, why am I, along with many other students, stopping when I reach a "good enough" level? I think it's because receiving an 'A' on all classes is so important. Frankly, who would be writing this essay with such an effort and fervor if this essay wasn't graded? We would be dozing off instead. I don't exactly know what created this atmosphere or culture where most students are motivated not by their desire to learn but by penalty points, grades, college admissions. However, I guess it's because we are so overwhelmed with our assignments. Since we all know that there are tons of incoming assignments, we are forced to rush on the assignment that we're working on right now. We are also forced to deter from pursuing our real academic interests because in order to get admitted to a "good college", we must stay "balanced" and receive A's in every class that we take. In order to do so, we choose to reinforce our weaknesses rather than to flourish our talents and aptitudes. Since reinforcing our weaknesses is such a hard job, we study the subject just as much so that we can receive an A.

Is It Alright To Prohibit Kids From Playing Games After Midnight?

Inchan Hwang

Mr.Garrioch

Junior English Composition Class

25 November 2012

I personally believe that policy that prohibits kids from playing games after midnight is absurd. However, there are positive effects as well.

This policy encourages kids to sleep. It is vital for kids to have a sufficient sleep because sleeping is crucial for kids’ growth. If one does not take enough sleep, he or she is likely to become aggressive and to have hard time concentrating in classes. This must be harmful to the kid’s.

     This policy protects kids from being “spoiled”. Online game community usually becomes very impolite after midnight since the players will almost be comprised of adults. In that environment and kid’s tendency to mimic others, kids are prone to inappropriate words, actions, ideologies, etc. Eventually, adult culture gradually seeps down to kid’s culture. This hypothesis is valid at least in Korea. Kids spit out inappropriate words without any sense of guilt. Where else could they have learned these inappropriate words?

Ten Flash Fictions.

1. Played before the quiz, I laughed. Messed up my quiz, I cried.

2. “Thank you for the Christmas presents daddies!”

3. Mmm… Is this new kind of milk? It’s very cheesy.

4. “Fire! 911! Help!”

“It’s about time you stop kiddo”

5. Q: Who do you like more: your mother or your father?

A: My first mother.

6. “야 성재야. 이 숙제 진짜 어렵다.”

Defendant 황인찬, violated EOP, 2 points, accused by Hwang Sung Jae.

7. If you want to rotate your internet explorer screen, press (ctrl + W)

8. Man vs Wild: The final adventure

9. “Let's ask about our marriage to my parents tomorrow. I love you Tom.” 
“Me too, James.”

10. “I hate this noisy alarm clock!”

News: A father kills his 1-year-old son with a punch

film review: One Great Imaginary Friend

Inchan Hwang
Mr.Garrioch
Junior English Composition Class
23 November 2012 

     Heading towards the end of the movie, Ben meets his online game friend Scarlet. Together with Scarlet, Ben formulates an epic suicidal show to give bullies and bystanders a lifetime lesson. However, at the very last scene of the movie, Scarlet turns out to be an illusion, or imaginary friend, that Ben created. What a surprise!

     This form of plot – in which an imaginary friend functions as a helper or mentor in hero’s journey format – can also be seen in the film <Fight Club>. In these two films, both protagonists are characterized as pathetic, cowardly, and impotent human being. 

Ben-X

Fight Club

However, their imaginary friends lead them by setting up plans, making decisions, and most importantly, transforming the heroes into courageous ones. In <Ben-X>, Ben changes from a pathetic autistic teenager to a courageous hero who rehabilitated his life-long enemies, bullies, by executing a national scale suicidal show. Similarly, in <Fight Club>, the “narrator” (his name cannot be identified in the movie) changes from an impotent business man obsessed with buying luxurious furniture to an anti-social “real man” who encourages other men to express their hidden belligerent nature. In other words, the protagonists face the ordeal with the aid of their imaginary friends - breaking through their environments such as bullies, mothers, social expectations, morals that were restricting them.

Ben-X

Fight Club

     I think these main characters created their imaginary friends because they couldn’t express their desires actively; since external restrictions have forced them to stay “normal” and to be satisfied with their current environment. In case of Ben, he is always urged by his mom to say “yes mama” whether he wants to say it or not, bullies always tease him and ridicule him, and his almightiness in games does not apply in real life where he is just a pathetic autistic teenager. However, with extraordinary charisma and courage, imaginary friends freed the protagonists from their current state. So, we can conclude that the protagonists’ unconsciousness – craving to unleash their desires – was embodied as an imaginary friend form so that protagonists could avoid acting independently.

     This format is significant in a way that it provides a film a twist and it successfully provides an unconventional hero-like character without losing reality of the film. In many films that embed the monomyth format, hero-like characters have, in most cases, supernatural powers. If Scarlet gave Ben courage with some supernatural power such as “force” in <Star Wars>, <Ben-X> wouldn’t have been seen as a non-fictional film and it would have weakened the messages that <Ben-X> tried to send. However, since Scarlet is only an imaginary friend, the plot becomes perfectly plausible since we did have, in real life, witnessed people who create imaginary figure and talk with it. With this plausibility, <Ben-X> can effectively convey its themes such as school violence, treatment for autism and effects of playing games.

    
     <Ben-X> was interesting film to watch. It is unorthodox, using a real game “Arch Lord” as a subject matter, presenting an imaginary figure, and inserting documentary-like interviews. These presentation methods were very refreshing since I was inundated with typical Hollywood movies and Korean movies. Although the themes – school violence, treatment for autism, consequences of gaming – were a bit disjoint, this film still successfully elicited many thoughts. I give <Ben-X> two thumbs up.

: A Fine Kick on Mindless Carnivores!

Inchan Hwang

Mr.Garrioch

Junior English Composition Class

3 November 2012

     A fine “kick” – is how I would like to describe the documentary <Earthlings>. With powerful imagery and compelling narratives, <Earthlings> coerces its audience to deliberate upon the subject of “Speciesism.” I never thought that a single documentary could present such a huge shock to me. Although I didn't – couldn't - stop eating pork, beef or chicken, at least I now know what I’m doing and what my actions mean - practicing “Speciesism” and mocking the power of human rationality and human compassion. At least I’m choosing to eat meat after intellectual debate with myself. There’s a huge discrepancy between acting based on intellectual choice and acting based on primitive instincts. In this sense, I believe that the documentary <Earthlings> did a significant job of enlightening people by providing the adequate information using an adequate format.

     The film <Earthlings> incessantly exhibits shocking – somewhat abhorring – imagery throughout to effectively uncover human exploitation of animals. People hang cows and pigs upside down and slit throats, punish circus animals with inhumane methods, throw chickens on concrete walls and peel off living foxes’ fur. By using these bloody and shocking imagery, <Earthlings> “kicks” people who weren't aware of these cruelties or who didn't realize the magnitude of the violence. These imagery distinguish this documentary film from other methods of sending a message; No text could better depict the violence than the actual copy of real world. Images never lie, never exaggerate, and never distort the reality if not edited by the photographer. Only the interpretations may differ. This property of imagery is very crucial when it comes to conveying a message because it enables the audiences to fully accept that these violent acts are actually being committed right now. The quote “If people were to get their own food, everyone would become a vegetarian” becomes really tangible when presented together with devastating image of a cow’s blood spurting out of its throat. The images empower the information given in this film with credibility. 

     The detached tone and logical messages of the narration also helps <Earthlings> to convey information effectively. Considering the fact that contents of this film are very provocative and frustrating, it seems odd that the narration maintains a rather objective tone. However, it is because the narrator kept a detached tone that <Earthlings> was able to convey its messages with such a compelling voice. If the narrator spoke with an irate voice, those messages would have been seen as biased and incredible. Instead, by stating only the facts proven by the imagery, corollaries derived from those facts and statistics, <Earthlings> remains objective and trustworthy. For example, by providing statistics such as “Americans currently consume as much chicken in a single day as they did in anentire year in 1930”, <Earthlings> shows how much current human race is extravagantly devouring poultry compared to the past without engendering any rebuts. These elements form an atmosphere which leads the audiences to accept the information provided by this documentary film as valid.

     There are people who criticize this film as too unbalanced. True, this documentary shows only the “extremes.” However, I would like to ask them whether there is such thing as “moral killing” or a “civil” method of slaughtering. The main point of this film, at least to me, is not to criticize the magnitude of the pain, the stress, and the despair these animals feel due to such “inhumane” treatments, but is to inform people that these inhumane actions are prevalent and that their actions should be based on their intellectual choices rather than just primitive instinct-based choices. I believe that when trying to instigate people to deliberate upon their actions, these extreme images do a much better job than mediocre ones because mediocre images won’t have the impact to do so. For those who think that the imagery in this film is too violent to watch, I would like to say “but this is the truth, little boy!” Anyways, we do have to confront these uncomfortable truths if we want to make our world a better place and make ourselves a better people.

     <Earthlings> deserves appreciation just for the fact that it informed us about human cruelty towards other species in such a wide spectrum with such imagery probably attained through hardship. <Earthlings> provides crucial information about Speciesism, and thereby enables us to make decisions through our own logic and own emotions, not by instant hunger and instant favor. I was really surprised when I encountered a comment on IMDb that said “it's natural selection people!” about Speciesism. What’s the difference between this guy and the notorious Hitler? Mankind should appeal its “uniqueness” not by dominating and destroying other species but by showing that it acts not upon instincts but upon its reason and compassion.

Let's realize the truth.

three generation "athletics" competition

As the chief of the Department of Physical Education (D.P.E.), I cooperated with chief P.E. teacher Jung-Mira to plan “Three-Generation Athletics Competition” which was to be held on 9/15. This event was the first official school event that I took in charge of throughout my seventeen years of life. When I was first assigned to this onerous task, I was worried because every member of D.P.E. malingered whenever I ordered them to work. However, their actions were understandable because only work that D.P.E. did was setting up chairs for various ceremonies and to most of the members including myself, setting up chairs didn’t seem worthwhile. It seemed as if there was no way that I could encourage members of D.P.E. to work with passion.

     With a bit of apprehension left on my head, I began setting up programs for the competition. Last year’s Three-Generation Athletics Competition was very unsuccessful because majority of students could not participate in major events such as basketball, soccer and relay. I tried to form a competition which everyone could participate in. So, I extirpated all the elite sports such as basketball and soccer. Instead, I added team sports such as 공 튀기기. Also, I included somewhat bizarre obstacles in relay so that running fast is not a problem but passing the obstacles is.

     Another problem of last year’s competition was that it failed to make students cooperate. Since students had no actual reason to cheer for their team because nothing came back to them even if their team won and most of the sports weren’t very fun unlike watching professional players play. To solve this problem, I modified all the two-sided competition into a class-to-class competition and gave materialistic rewards instead of scores so that students could at least cheer for their own class to win the prize money.

     After planning all the events and recruiting players from each class, it was time for me to confront the final ordeal – encouraging members of D.P.E. to do their assigned job. First, I gathered all the members of D.P.E. by threatening them with penalty points. Then, I explained the significance of this competition on D.P.E. by explaining that it’s the only work that D.P.E. does other than setting up chairs, and for the D.P.E. to be assigned more meaningful works in the future, we must show that we can work out these official sport events with finesse. I tried to make them imagine a day when students actually look forward to another sport competition, a day when D.P.E. could be appreciated for its work just like other departments, a day when they could feel proud of their own department. But I failed to persuade the disinterested members; maybe I wasn’t eloquent enough. So I wrapped up the meeting by forcibly assigning tasks to each member one by one. Although my primary plan to make the members work actively mostly failed, I did succeed to persuade two members – a girl and a boy from the 17th wave. They told me that they were moved, watching me fighting alone to make this competition successful.

     I changed my plan; Instead of making members of D.P.E. servile followers by giving an impressive speech, I would rather inspire them to work along with me by working harder than anybody else at the site. This method seemed fit for both my character and environment; I was inarticulate and only two members of D.P.E. were ardently supporting me.

     On the D-day, Just like I planned, me and my two loyal co-workers worked and worked, ran and ran, shouted and shouted all morning. Watching us passionately work, one or two members of P.D.E. started to say “is there anything else I could help you with?” I was surprised, because among those members who wanted to help me out, there was a member who kept on saying “this thing is shit” all the time. Eventually, most of the members started working. With the help of other members, I was able to carry this complicated and condensed event all the way to the closing ceremony without even a slightest problem.

    After cleaning everything up with D.P.E. members, I sat on a hill. Under the blue sky, students were gathered together in classes and were eating chicken. They were laughing. It was such a sight – I regret not taking picture of the scene. Looking at the scenery, something crawled up to my throat. It was from somewhere deep down. I started crying. I cannot forget that moment. The days I skipped sleeping to create documentations of this competition, the moment students chastised my plan, the words that the two seventeenth waver told me went through my brain like a panorama.

     I reclined on the hill, looked up to the blue sky, and smiled.

Quotation from "The Martian Chronicles"

"Now I'm insane."

    A bemused Martian psychologist says, after realizing that the "hallucinations" didn't disappear even after their engenderer was killed. 

     Changing one's belief is not an easy task. It's even harder to change one's perception on a “fact” that had been taken for granted. However, people who defy and disprove these prevalent ideas actually exist. For example, Albert Einstein subverted the Newtonian mechanics, which was a principle that people doubtlessly extoled and utilized, by introducing theory of relativity. Also, Nicholaus Copernicus undermined the geocentric model, a prevalently believed representation of the solar system, by presenting a heliocentric model. These two scientists made a breakthrough by suspecting, rather than accommodating, the so-called-facts that they were steeped in ever since they were born. These kinds of people are the ones who can really change the world.

Unlike Einstein and Copernicus, this Martian psychologist conforms to the general idea that people claiming that they’re from Earth are insane. Even after looking, touching, smelling, tasting the rocket, he persistently claims that the captain is a crazy Martian. These kinds of people are the ones who bring stagnation to the society. These kinds of people will live a mediocre life wearing mediocre clothes, enjoy mediocre entertainments, producing mediocre ideas.

     We must enlighten ourselves. Let’s wake up.