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Korean Job Discussion Forums
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Troll_Bait
Joined: 04 Jan 2006
Location: [T]eaching experience doesn't matter much. -Lee Young-chan (pictured)
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Okibum
Joined: 28 Jul 2006
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 Posted: Thu Nov 06, 2008 9:45 pm Post subject: |
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What? I love that book. I used it for reading groups in my 5th grade class two years ago. It is almost like banning Anne Frank's Diary.  |
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Troll_Bait
Joined: 04 Jan 2006
Location: [T]eaching experience doesn't matter much. -Lee Young-chan (pictured)
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| Posted: Fri Nov 07, 2008 2:48 pm Post subject: |
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I find this to be hypocritical on the part of the Koreans. They're always complaining that the Japanese are whitewashing their history, and yet they're doing the same thing. Worse, unlike the Japanese, they're not just doing this in their own country, but in other people's countries as well.
While not exactly censorship, it comes uncomfortably close. Some Christians want to ban Harry Potter books because they supposedly encourage paganism. Other people want to ban Tom Sawyer because of an unflattering term for African-Americans that starts with an n. Where does it end? |
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Whirlwind
Joined: 03 Jun 2005
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| Posted: Fri Nov 07, 2008 6:50 pm Post subject: |
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| Not really surprising. Koreans like to stick their noses in other people's business. They didn't do anything. The book is still available to read anywhere. It just isn't on the list. And hopefully some free speechers will get on it and it will be added in the future. Koreans love to re-write history and try to make it look like they are saintly. For example, they don't like to be mentioned as "dog eaters" even though they beat dogs to death and eat them. If you engage in vile behavior, you best stand behind it when we call you out . You don't do the whole "it's not true" when it clearly is thing. Live up to it. Own up to it. Koreans were just as brutal as the Japanese during WW2 and they did it in the name of the Japanese empire. You can't hide the truth, Korea. It's out there for everyone to see. |
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Troll_Bait
Joined: 04 Jan 2006
Location: [T]eaching experience doesn't matter much. -Lee Young-chan (pictured)
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| Posted: Sat Nov 08, 2008 2:56 pm Post subject: |
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Someone left an excellent comment which I'll reprint here.
http://www.rjkoehler.com/2008/11/06/yokos-story-thrown-out-of-california-schools/#comment-200087
| Laughing Bear wrote: |
Back in 2001 I had the opportunity to teach �So Far From the Bamboo Grove� in my high school English class. It was a freshman class which contained about 80% ESL learners, and while my story may not be representative, I think it is instructive as to how this book is appropriate and why I am so disappointed in the California decision.
I was teaching in an urban school district in the northeast at the time, and my small city had a large population of immigrants, including many who had fled from some unsavory regimes around the world. In addition to weak language skills, many of my students had economic and social problems as well, and trying to encourage them to read anything was a challenge. It was difficult to find appropriate texts for them, because while, for many of them, their reading was elementary, their experiences were far more sophisticated.
That said, when we started SFRTBG, I found a lot more of my students were engaged with this book than they had been with other books. The boys were drawn in by the adventure aspects of the story, and the girls were intrigued by the idea of a female protagonist. In addition many of the students were able to easily relate to Yoko�s experience having to flee from her home (I believe it was Manchuria� but it has been a long time since I read it myself). The writing was lively, the language was relatively simple, and the book was an excellent teaching tool� strong narrative arc, distinctive character traits, an evolving protagonist.
As with any book, there are many, many different ways to �teach� it. Certainly it could be twisted by a teacher with an anti-Korean agenda to read as a �poor Japanese victim� book� but honestly, it is hard to imagine a put-upon teacher, with all the other challenges he or she faces in the classroom, to even bother. Frankly speaking, it is a non-issue. Korea barely registers in the American consciousness at all, and outside of M*A*S*H reruns there is little exposure in the real world. If these Korean-American groups really see a threat, they ought to respond in a positive way, perhaps with an education campaign.
In my experience in the American classroom, I came upon two types of students. The first, the small minority of students with a burning desire for knowledge (and the only ones who might detect a pro-Japanese or anti-Korean bias in the book) were motivated by their own curiosity, and would hardly adopt this as the final word on Japanese-Korean relations. They would ask questions, and read further, and would discover their own truth. The second group, the large, large majority, could not care less about the intricacies of east Asian relations, and were just there because they were there. Lessons were something to be endured, and the best way to do that was to stare blankly at the teacher. In neither case is a student going to walk out of the class with a deeply held view of Koreans.
In my classes, the discussion of the politics took about five minutes. I explained at the beginning that the Japanese, during World War II, had controlled much of China and Korea, and that after they lost the war, the Japanese in these countries had to return to Japan. End of discussion. It was all that was needed to provide perspective.
I ask, in all sincerity and ignorance, are there any YA books written by Koreans or Korean-Americans that could be used in a classroom? I cannot think of any great (or even good) works written in English by Koreans, which is a terrible pity. If you want to control the way you are portrayed in the culture, you need to first engage the culture. Watkins� book was not chosen for reading lists because she was Japanese; it was chosen because it provides an alternative (i.e. not white) view of the world, and because it is a quality book. You can argue about the notion of using work from non traditional groups in the classroom (and I suspect that many here don�t agree with it) but since that is the prevailing trend at the moment, why not engage it instead of fighting an outdated, and laughable, �ban the book� crusade?
Finally, for all of those who see the removal of the book from a recommended reading list as a trivial matter, keep in mind that almost no school districts or teachers will select work that is not on these lists. Districts will not spend money on these books, and the internal politics of schools all but guarantees that these books will not be taught. Don�t be fooled by the benign �recommended� label; for all intents and purposes, this book has been banned. |
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