Theme in "When My Name was Keoko"

"When My Name was Keoko" is a very fun and interesting book especially because it is about Korea and what they went through during the Japanese occupation. I felt really bad for the Koreans that had to suffer through it. Some things made me angry at the Japanese because of what they forced Koreans to do. I guess Koreans have one perspective of them and the Japanese have a different perspective but I dont understand how they could be so cruel at some times. I'm glad I wasnt born at that time. It probably would have felt horrible to be living during that time. Even before I thoroughly read this book, I knew it would be a good book for me to read because I am a Korean. I know I shouldnt judge the people of Japan of right now because of what happened in the past but somehow I'm still not happy about them.
ANYWAYS
I think the theme in "When My Name was Keoko" is all about identification. Sun-hee's family and herself are going through an identity crisis because the Japanese are trying to change everything about Koreans. Uncle joined the resistance group because of what the Japanese are making them do. They are making them speak their language only, change their names, learn their culture, and respect their people. If they dont, they will get tortured severely. Identity is a very important thing in my book. Without identity, the story wouldnt even become a book. The Japanese occupation affected the Koreans a lot and they suffered through it. I wasnt happy about the identity changes that they were forced to take. Sun-hee's family was very angry about it but they couldnt really do anything.

Identity is very important to all of us and I dont think we should change it for any reason. We should all just be ourselves and love the way we are because God has made us in his special way. Sometimes I feel like I'm not good enough for anything and I want to change at some points but in the end I realize that people love me for who I am and not who I want to be. I wish everyone can just realize that we are all made specially and differently from each other. So stop keeping masks on and just be yourself! Even though we feel down and we dont like who we are than always turn to God and ask for guidance. GOD will always be there for us. =]

Character Development in "When My Name Was Keoko"

Tae-yul in "When My Name was Keoko" was the brother of Sun-hee, the son of Abuji and Omoni, and the nephew of Uncle. I thought that he had a major change in his character. Before Uncle had joined the resistance, everything was so calm and formal. Tae-yul and Sun-hee weren't allowed to talk back to or argue with an adult. But once that started happening, there were many complications and danger that could happen to their family.

Tae-yul started to argue with his parents. He began to do whatever he thought was the right thing to do without going and asking Omoni or Abuji first. He joined the Imperial Army just so he could save Uncle. He risked his life for Uncle. Tae-yul also knew that if he joined the army, his family could be provided with better food, clothes, and they would be treated much better.

Tae-yul is a very brave and committed person. He puts other's needs before his own. I think that even though sometimes, he does what he wants to do, he mostly does things for other people's purposes. He has developed from a boy who didn't stand up for his own thoughts to a boy who is risking anything for what he believes is a good thing to do.

←Linda Sue Park

Setting in "When My Name Was Keoko"

My literature circle book is "When My Name Was Keoko". The story starts when it is the year, 1940. In "When My Name Was Keoko", the setting is taken place in Korea during the Japanese occupation. The Japanese have been making new laws that has insulted the Korean's identity. Japan treated Koreans with disrespect and Koreans got angrier every time. This story is mainly about two korean children named Sun-hee and Tae-yul. They are the ones telling the story. At this time of history, Korea was one country and not split because it was before the Korean War.





I think that Korea is a very important place for me because my whole family is Korean and I live in Korea right now. I feel like I am really proud of my country and that I cannot be ashamed of it. It is so great that I have Korean blood and that it is a really tiny country but it has grown so much economically. When I read this book, I somehow feel the anger that Uncle has because of the way the Japanese treated Koreans. It is so sad and surprising how we were humiliated and shamed by the Japanese when they had no right. They had been very cruel and they didnt care about how Koreans would feel.





Even though not all of the Japanese did this to Koreans, sometimes I just assume that they dont think they did anything wrong to Korea. I bet that I might get mad at a Japanese if they insulted Korea again! Anyway I think this book is very interesting and I think that it is my type of book~ =]

MY SECRET~ =]

One time my best friend told me that she was going out with another friend that I knew. She hadnt even told her parents because she probably was afraid that her parents wouldnt let her go out. I thought it was so sweet because she was my best friend and the guy that she was going out with was a nice guy and they really matched. I was really happy for her. But she told me not to tell anyone because she didnt want everyone to know and tease them. So I promised that I wouldnt tell anyone. I kept my promise, of course, but somehow people started figuring it out. Even her mom, eventually, found out about it but thankfully she didnt stop my friend or punish her. It is really weird how so many people figure it out. But when people start knowing the secret, the person who told you might start being suspicious and not trust you anymore. At those times I told her that I never told her secret to anyone and that I have completely no idea of how people knew. Since we are best friends she trusted me. In the end, people did try to make them spend more time together and try to set up dates for them. But it wasnt in a mean way, so that was a good thing. They had a good relationship without any fights or conflicts between them.
I think that this secret showed that I can keep secrets. Although it was tempting to tell someone I resisted. I didnt want to let my best friend down so I promised myself that I wouldnt spill her secret out. Honestly I have told a secret at least once to someone else but when I am dedicated, I can be really stern about it. It is hard to keep a secret sometimes because people keep on trying to get some information about the secret and somehow persuade you to tell them. So I think that we should be more careful about who we tell because there is a possibility that they will tell everyone your secret without caring and ruin our relationship between the person you got the secret from.

COURAGE =D

A time in my life that I had courage was when I had to get stitches. I was playing around with my sisters in summer vacation and suddenly fell, head first, towards the edge/corner of my parent's bed. When I got up from that fall, I was a bit dizzy and I didnt know what exactly happened. But soon a drop of warm blood came from my head, above my eye. I became so scared that I couldnt say anything. I tried to scream for my mom (she was in the kitchen), but nothing but a silent, choked whisper came out. So I tried again and again and finally I called for her. She found a small white kitchen towel and folded it in a roll and put it on the cut and we ran to the doctor! By the time we got there, the towel was soaked with my blood from my head. The doctor put some ointments on it and told us that we would have to go to a hospital to get stitches. I was obviously really frightened to get stitches on my head. When I went into the emergency room, I noticed a lot of sick people and thought to myself that I should be more brave then them because they got it worse off then me but they seemed not that scared. I went into a empty, big room with one bookshelf and a place where I had to lay down on. The thought of getting stitches were scary enough, but to be in a room that was completely empty was worse. But still, the doctors and nurse treated me well and they soon were done. They had put about 15 - 20 shots around my cut and sewed 15-20 stiches, but I didnt feel anything. I think this was an example of courage for me because being in an emergency room with a big, deep cut right on top of your eye is not a very pleasant situation to be in.
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