Song about War: "The Torn Intestines of Miarai Hill"

The song I chose is set during the 6.25 Korean War, when the North Koreans invaded South Korea in 1950, after WWII had ended. One of the songs about the Korean War is "The Torn Intestines of Miari Hill." The meaning of the title is that the events happening in the song is so tragic and loatheful that you feel your intestines are torn apart, like your heart. The song is about a yourng man taken as a hostage of the South and he is being dragged to the North over the Miari hill. As the young one was running away, but lost in the mist of smoke from the gunpowder. Suddenly, chains painfully snaked and tightened around his wrists. He was being dragged by the North Koreans, taken as a hostage. He limped and limped on barefeet. He kept whipping his head around in search for help. The young hostage falls asleep while thinking about his father. During the winter, when the strong wind and snow from the North blows, what pain the young hostage must be in. Nothing more is wished other than the young hostage to return. How hateful and loathful is the Miarai Hill.

The song goes like this (translation):

The hill you were crossing, the hill of farewell,
Lost in a mist of gunpowder smoke,
Couldn't see anything but a haze,
The one had chains painfully tightened around his wrists,
His head kept whipping, whipping back in panic,
Limping painfully on barefeet,
The hill, the one was dragged across,
The abysmal, loatheful hill of anathema.

Lost in thoughts of his father,
The young one falls asleep,
During the winter, the endless nights,
When the strong wind and snow vehemently, violently blows,
How dreadful the life in prison must be!
Even after decades past, even after centuries past by, please just return, nothing more is wished,
The hill that was crossed with tears and pain,
The abysmal, loatheful hill of anathema.

Duty or Friendship? pg. 261

Is duty more important or friendship? Which is worse, betraying one's duty or one's friend? Personally, I think betraying one's duty is worse. Of course, if one's duty is house chores, yes, without another word, betraying one's friend is worse. However, what if the duty is a important top secret mission duty, for example, going to an enemy's department and figuring out secrets? Or setting a time bomb in an enemy's building? In those cases, you work with a massive group of people to plan those conspiracies. Is it better to betray the duty now? No. What if the enemies suddenly get more angry and kill you? What if the people that you once worked with, are angry you betrayed your duty and betrayed them, and start revenging on you? Would that be more important, than spilling your friend's secret of how she peed her pants when she was in second grade? No. If you betrayed your friend, yes, it hurts. You feel immense gush of remorse. However, you can always apologize, you can explain, that you couldnt betray your duty. Though it does not mean she would definitely forgive you, but at least both of you guys are alive.

Under Pressure pg. 261

What qualities enable people to perform well when facing heart-pounding fear or stress? Think about your own experiences or those of someone you know, as well as in news stories or fiction you've read. Then, jot down your thoughts about people taking action when the stakes are high.

Qualities that enable people to perform well when facing heart pounding fear or stress is eagerness and determination to get things right. If you are more focused and determined to accomplish something, you usual accomplish it with a great deal of determination and endeavors. As for my experiences, it is sports. At the last few minutes of game left, I would focus more and be most determined and endeavor to win the game. However, it does not work the same way in academics for me. Also, one of my classmates is very competetive, so she must also work well under extreme pressure. She stated once that she would only work under pressure and stress. In those typical fantasy fictions I read, those angels and vampires and faeries fight their battles against dark forces better when they are in desperate situations, which they are under pressure. As back to me, I do not work better under pressure. Like I stated above, in academics, like presenting presentations, or giving speeches, I do not perform better under pressure, it is quite the opposite, I do worse. So for me, I have to manage my time well, and be relax, to perform well.

Vengeance

Vengeance means the desire for revenge.

Quickwrite: Poe was a master at writing stories of revenge. What experiences could lead someone to seek revenge? How could an obession with vengeance lead to tragedy? Include examples from stories or movies.

Experiences that lead someone to seek revenge? Misunderstandings can lead someone to seek revenge, along with injustice, unfairness, and mistreatement. Obessions with vengeance lead to tragedy because one may die from revenge, which is a tragedy, sacrificing oneself in order to revenge. There are many motives behind revenges. For example, there are murder, mistreatements (rebels), even for love, and many other kinds. An example is from the story, "The Trapper Trapped" a African traditional fable, retold byRoger Abrahams. In this story, the Goat and the Fox are enemies, and their quarrels are endless. The Goat had met a Leopard. The Leopard was seraching for medicine to cure its cub. The Goat set up a trap for Fox, which he told the Leopard that the Fox has the medicine. However, the Fox had revenged and set up the trap for the Goat, which he said the medicine requires Goat horn, and at last, the Goat was killed by the Leopard for his horn. The moral of the story is "Beware, lest you fall into the trap you set for someone else." Thought the moral is about not falling in a trap, this story is a perfect example for the quickwrite. These two animals seek revenge because they just couldnt get along and had hatred in both of their hearts. Also, this obsesssion with vengeance led to tragedy because the Goat had died, due to the desire for revenge.

The Grass is always greener on the other side: Impossible

The quickwrite says:"All of us, at some point in our lives, we have felt that the grass is greener on the other side of the fence, which means we have envied other peoples' lives. We believe that having what someone else has will make us happy, until we experience the unexpected negative results of envy. Jot down your feeling about envy. Have you ever seen or felt its negative effects?"

Seriously, Quickwrite? Seriously? Are you sure? Are you a 100% sure that all of "us" had envied other peoples' lives? You are so hilarious. I, have never been jealous of other peoples' lives. Sure, I've envied that other kids got more lollipops than I did. However, I admit, I am spoiled. There is nothing for me to be jealous of. I have everything I need. A perfect family, the best warm and cozy house, my own room, a laptop, mp3, and a endless list of things i have, and had had. I have everything. I would never, ever wish I had someone else's life. If I had to chose which person's life I had to live, I would rather choose death. There would be no point in living if I lived someone else's life. I mean, well I dont have striaght A++, and I am not 180 cm, but those are what keeps me going! If everything was absolutely perfect, then what's the point of living? Those tiny, minor imperfections, are what I need to work on. I need to get the highest grades and grow very tall, and feel the wonder of living! I would never, ever, ever, in my whole entire life, wish I had someone else's life. My life, is perfect, with the minor imperfections that could become perfect with my endeavors.

I'm sorry, I am very mad at the quickwrite for asking such an impruedent and idiotic question and stating that all of "us" had been jealous and envious of others, and wishing "We" had other people's lives. (Which I never ever ever had or will wish.)