Descriptive Essay

The moon shined dimly. Wind blew through the opened window. Curtains fluttered, casting dancing shadows over the wall. Shadows stained the three posters on the wall. The room was messy. Things were strewn across everywhere. Socks and dirty laundry overflowing the laundry basket scattered on the floor. Collection of hats and coats hung messily on a hanger on the wall. Desk was covered with pens, papers, books, and a plate. Luxurious-looking red reading lamp on the desk stood foreign to the darkness of the room. A black office chair was laid quite far from the desk, in the middle of the room. On the bed against the wall, there were blue bed sheets, newspapers, and a jacket. A glass of water together with a pile of books and a clock radio laid on the small table beside the bed. The room could have been a lively place if it were not for the dusky moonlight and wind. A bright colored wooden dresser stood in one corner of the room. Vivid ornaments and some picture books were on the shelves above the dresser. The room also had a stereo and two speakers, along with a collection of CDs in a brown wine crate. Several concert tickets hung on a dark notice board on the wall above the stereo as well,

 

Paragraph Revision

Every student can benefit from engaging in extracurricular activities. In-class curriculums have clear limits on their kinds, form and their benefits. Those activities are inevitably biased on academic and theoretical knowledge. Therefore, extracurricular activities are necessary to supplement social and practical ability of students. For example, students can learn how to cooperate through extracurricular activities. When students play team sport as an extracurricular activity, they can learn to be unselfish and to have responsibility on their own parts in order to achieve success of the whole team. Such learning gives students life-long benefits; helping them not only during their school life, but also after graduation when they become social members. Students aren’t able to learn such importance and skills of cooperation on regular curriculum in-class activities are mostly consisted of individual studying and thinking. As shown in this example, extracurricular works are advantageous for students in that it teaches students practical knowledge. Thus, students should actively engage in extracurricular activities.

Debatable issue: Policy towards North Korea

Roughly, two different directions exsist in policies regarding North Korea; hard-line approach and moderate approach(sunshine policy).


The overall direction of policies toward North Korea has been a controversial issue of all time. The issue is complicated and multilateral; concerned with not only the relationship with North Korea but the international politics, domestic situations, or political beliefs of people.


Recently, due to the several incidents as Yeonpyeong island incident or the warship Cheonan incident, the controversy over this issue has deepen.

 
1. Sunshine policy

The Sunshine Policy was the foreign policy of South Korea towards North Korea until Lee Myung-bak's election to presidency in 2008. Since its articulation in 1998 by South Korean President Kim Dae Jung, the policy resulted in greater political contact between the two nations and some historical moments for the Korean peninsula; the two Korean summit meetings in Pyongyang (June 2000) which broke ground with several high-profile business ventures, as well as brief meetings of separated family members. In 2000, Kim Dae Jung was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize as a result of the Sunshine Policy.

 

 The term sunshine policy originates in The North Wind and the Sun, one of Aesop's fables. In the fable, the sun and the wind compete to remove a man's coat. The wind blew strongly, but the man clutched his coat and kept it on. The sun shone warmly, and the man voluntarily took off his coat to enjoy the fine weather. The main aim of the policy was to soften North Korea's attitudes towards the South by encouraging interaction and economic assistance.

 

The national security policy had three basic principles.

 

No armed provocation by the North will be tolerated.

The South will not attempt to absorb the North in any way.

The South actively seeks cooperation.

These principles were meant to convey the message that the South does not wish to absorb the North or to undermine its government; its goal was peaceful co-existence rather than regime change or re-unification.

 

Kim's administration also outlined two other major policy components. The first was the separation of politics and economics. In practice, this meant that the South loosened restrictions on its private sector to invest in North Korea, limiting its own involvement essentially to humanitarian aid. This was initially meant both to improve the North's economy and to induce change in the North's repressive government, though the latter goal was later (at least officially) de-emphasized.

 

The second component was the requirement of reciprocity from the North. Initially it was intended that the two nations would treat each other as equals, each making concessions and compromises. Perhaps most criticism of the policy stemmed from the significant backpedaling by the South on this principle in the face of unexpected rigidity from the North. It ran into trouble just two months into the Sunshine era, when South Korea requested the creation of a reunion center for divided families in exchange for fertilizer assistance; North Korea denounced this as "horse trading" and cut off talks. A year later the South announced its goal would be "flexible reciprocity" based on Confucian values; as the "elder brother" of the relationship the South would provide aid without expecting an immediate reciprocation and without requesting a specific form of reciprocity. The South also announced that it would provide humanitarian assistance without any expectations of concessions in return.

 

The logic of the policy was based on the belief that, even in light of its continuing famine and economic deprivation, Kim Jong-il's regime will not collapse, disintegrate, or reform itself, even if the South were to apply strong pressure. It was believed that military tensions can be lessened through bilateral and multilateral frameworks. This emphasized the normalization of political and economic relations between both the United States and North Korea as well as Japan.

 

2. Hard-line policy

Article: South Korea dumps Sunshine Policy with North, opts to go solo

In a strategic move to delink from North Korea, the South has dumped the decade-old Sunshine Policy that was ushered in to eventually achieve the unification of both Koreas.

 

In its annual report, the South Korean Unification Ministry has categorically said billions of dollars and cross-border exchanges failed to change the mindset of Pyongyang, leaving aside any improvement in the lives of North Koreans under the Communist regime.

 

The report which was released on Thursday shortly after the North's request to resume the jointly-run Mount Kumgang resort that was shun by Seoul in 2008 when a South Korean tourist was killed by a guard.

 

The report has blamed the North for the lack of progress on reuniting separated families or providing information about South Korean prisoners of war. Seoul and Tokyo also allege that the North Korean agents had abducted their citizens in the 1960s and 70s.

 

The turnaround in South Korean policy is reportedly pushed by the North's alleged sinking of its Cheonan vessel in which 46 sailors were killed. South Korean President Lee Myung-bak's government has also stressed that the North should stop its nuclear program for any resumption of talks or bilateral ties.

 

"There are no positive changes to North Korea's position that correspond to the support and cooperation offered by us," the report said, according to Reuters, which is said to have obtained the report.

 

Eversince the 1950-53 war that divided the Koreas along the 58th parallel, both the nations remained technically at war though the administrations of Kim Dae-jung and Roh Moo-hyun from 1998-2008 tried to restore normalcy under the Sunshine Policy that brought Kim the Nobel Prize in 2000. Kim visited North Korea in June 2000 and apparently allowed aid to flow clandestinely.

 

The policy comes at a time when the Myung-bak's government is seriously considering global role bereft of any North Korean shadow that had taken away the sheen from the South's progress in the region. The National Branding efforts by the South and the recently held Group of 20 (G20) summit are the new initiatives by the current government to forge ahead a new global image for the country that was bogged down by the North's nuclear issue.

 

The Sunshine Policy, which became a milestone early this decade, raised hopes that the North with its advanced missile and nuclear capabilities would eventually merge with the developed South and herald a new Asian power in the region.

 

However, the North's nuclear tests and its retreat from the Six-Nation talks on its nuclear program led to frequent disruptions in the peace process while the sinking of the ship in March brought forward the final curtain.

 

Though Pyongyang has not reacted so far to shelving of the Sunshine Policy by Seoul, media reports say it is preparing for another round of nuclear tests.

 

(http://www.ibtimes.com/articles/83844/20101119/korea-sunshine.htm#ixzz1KofDvEjS)

Research on rhetorical devices used in Martin Luther King's speech

Alliteration

 

Alliteration is a literary, rhetoric device using rhyme. It means the repetition of similar sounds in the first syllables of a series of words or phrases. By using alliteration in several parts of his speech, Martin Luther King Jr. achieved emphasizing effects, and made that part of speech more memorable by giving auditive stimulation to the audiences. For instance, in the sentence "in whose symbolic shadow we stand today" the 's' sound is repeated.

 

 

 

Anaphora

 

Anaphora is a figure of repetition that occurs when the first word or a sequence of words is/are repeated at or very near the beginning of successive sentences, clauses or phrases. Anaphora emphasizes the part of speech or writing where it is used and heightens the emotion by imprinting the repeated expression to the audiences or readers.

In King's speech, "What we need in the United States is not division. What we need in the United States is not hatred. What we need in the United States is not violence and lawlessness" in which the phrase 'what we need' is repeated, "But one hundred years later, the Negro is still not free. One hundred years later, the life of the Negro is still sadly crippled by the manacles of segregation and the chains of discrimination. One hundred years later, the Negro lives on a lonely island of poverty in the midst of a vast ocean of material prosperity. One hundred years later, the Negro is still languished in the corners of American society and finds himself in an exile in his own land." that 'one hundred years later' is repeated, and the repetition of 'I have a dream', 'Let freedom ring from' shows the use anaphora.

 

 

Allusion

 

Allusion is a figure of explication using a brief reference to a well-known person, place, event, literary work, myth, or work of art, either directly or by implication. It is intended to increase the credibility and persuasiveness of a speech or a writing by quoting famous expressions. Though, it is left to the reader or hearer to make the connection between the reference and the speaker's intention.

King used allusion at the beginning of his speech. The expression "Five score years ago" reminds the audiences of the phrase "four score years and seven years ago" in the Gettysburg Address of Abraham Lincoln. This reference gives the impression that King's speech talks about an important issue related to the rights of Americans as the Lincoln's speech did. Also, King quoted phrases of the Declaration of Independence and the Bible, offering authority and a sense of holiness to the speech.

 

 

Ethos

 

Ethos is one of the three methods of persuasion Aristotle mentioned. It means the credibility of the message speaker delivers, based on the overall image of the speech and repeated features shown throughout the whole speech. The credibility is also formed through the speaker's characteristics in case the speaker is held in honor and respect.

King made his speech persuasive by speaking in clear and confident voice through the whole speech. Also, even though the speech was made to assert African American's rights, King never blamed white people for oppressing blacks. This makes King's speech seem more objective and impartial. The fact that King was a widely respected minister gave authority to the speech and made it more serious and important, increasing the persuasiveness of the speech as well.

 

 

Pathos

 

Pathos is an another method Aristotle mentioned. It is the use of emotion in speeches that appeals to the audience's sympathy. Pathos makes audiences to understand the speaker's point of view and empathize with it, instead of accepting the speech only in a rational, analytic attitude.

King adopted pathos in his speech by mentioning children as "We can never be satisfied as long as our children are stripped of their self-hood and robbed of their dignity by signs stating: 'For Whites Only." or "I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character." By extending the objects of the problem to the next generation, King prompted stronger emotion-motherhood, fatherhood- and sympathy of the audiences. The use of anaphora also heightened the emotion. The emotion of the speech is heightened together with the repetition of phrases as 'I have a dream' or ' Let freedom ring'.

 

 

Reponse to "A point of view: Does more information mean we know less?"

Reponse to "A point of view: Does more information mean we know less?"

                                                                                                                               10a2 Heewon Yang

Does more information mean we know less? The article answers "no". Thanks to the advances in technology, people nowadays live among numerous informations. The amount, range, and the accessibility of information has greatly increased. Getting more information, however, does not mean having more knowledge. Even though the article has pointed such reality of today's information consumption clearly, it made some fallacies as well.

 

To begin with, the writer misunderstands the role of religion in information management and its values. First, the writer says that the external form of religious books make those books valuable. Though, even the time and cost poured on making religious books make those books look fabulous and expensive, the real feature determining their value is the content. Profound teachings and wisdom in the book are the true values of religious books. Second, the comparison of old religious book to modern materials is not adequate. Most importantly, the object that the modern books aim for are different from those of religious books, While religious books are published to spread the words of religious leaders, modern books are all made for a variety of purposes. Books each aim for simple delivery of information, persuasion, impression, and so on.

 

Moreover, the article has some flaws in technical view, The writer concentrates too much on asserting his own opinion. In order to be more persuasive, any kind of writings have to include some acknowledgement or reviews about opposing opinions. However, while the writer tend to use exaggerated expressions to deliver his claims, he lacks objective analysis and evaluation about today's information-related phenomena. What's more, the logical connection between each sections of the article are vague. For instance, the 'Elevate' part is not smoothly connected with previous sections. The writer talks about knowledges contained in books and the quality of contents in preceding parts, but suddenly starts to talk about material aspects such as craftsmanship behind a pre-Gutenberg Bible and paper copies of modern books.

 

The article successfully delivers the concern about today's information status; Despite the increased accessibility and diversity of informations, the amount and quality of knowledge people attain has not increased. Though, the writer makes several logical fallacies and technical mistakes which devalues the article. There are unclear realizations about the role of religion in the field of information conveyance. Technical flaws as too much emphasis on one point of view and logical misconnection exists as well.

It has been said that not all learning takes place in the classroom. Compare and contrast knowledge gained from personal experience with knowledge gained from classroom instruction.

It has been said that not all learning takes place in the classroom. Compare and contrast knowledge gained from personal experience with knowledge gained from classroom instruction.

                                                                                                              11a2 Heewon Yang

 

'Learning', according to it's dictionary definition, means the process of gaining knowledge through studying. 'Studying' means to spend time learning about a particular subject, or to consider and observe something carefully in order to be able to understand it fully. Therefore, people cannot stop learning throughout their whole life, because they constantly gain knowledge from studying specific subjects in academic institutions and experiencing things in their everyday life.

 

Knowledges thought in schools are mostly academic facts, each specified and intensified in a certain area. That is, people attain objective and well-classified information that are divided clearly into subjects as mathematics, science, and social studies from classroom instruction. For example, students learn that one plus one equals two. This equation is a definite mathematical fact; it has admit of no arguments depending on who uses it or what circumstances it is applied, and it distinctly belongs to the field of mathematics.

 

On the other hand, knowledges people learn through personal experiences are subjective and abstract. The knowledges people attain from an experience are all different by people. Even when two people experience a same instance, they get separate learning. Also, those knowledges do not deal with distinct information. They include abstract wisdom, influencing daily lives of people inclusively.

 

Despite such differences in details, both kinds of knowledge are basically identical. Even though the knowledges learned from classrooms and from experiences might differ in their form and field, what those knowledges aim for is the same. The objective of the knowledges, or the consequence those knowledges brings about is the growth of oneself. People achieve some kind of self-development through all kinds of learning. They broaden their academic knowledges or work in a specific field using informations they learned in schools. At the same time, they develop social skills or attain wisdom of life through knowledges from personal experiences.

 

As mentioned above, people learn academic knowledges useful for professional fields of work in classrooms. Through personal experiences, people achieve daily life wisdom. Learning, regardless of where it takes place, makes peoples' lives more affluent.

Assignment 1 - Ode to keyboard

Ode to the keyboard

There they stay, lying down in row.

In black boxes, they whitely show.

They wait for touch

And dream the day to catch

Beautiful hands to bring them hope.

No desire, no greed,

They are there with endless patience,

Waiting, for some to come

Who would make them sing.

After the times of waiting

When they meet the hand,

Finally do they move and stand,

Until they reach the end.

The ones they wait

Are not here yet,

Though never stop.

Lay them down for start!