Korean Job Discussion Forums

[wintermute]

Just going to toss this out there - if it lands on stony ground, so be it!

This is basically a series of group discussions for advanced students of all ages, but you could focus on a particular language aspect as well.

The idea came from a memorable English class I experienced as a high school student - we looked at "Hansel and Gretel" illustrated by Anthony Browne, and discussed the symbolism in the various illustrations. It really opened my eyes to how an artist can incorporate a lot of hidden messages in their work.

Anthony Browne's illustrations are fascinating - very child-like and surreal, and often have ideas or images hidden in the picture.

http://www.ateliermelaniedromain.fr/post/2009/01/19/Exposition-Anthony-Brown

The two images I used are 4/5ths of the way down the page. Ctrl-F "Hansel" to find them more quickly. The first is the family sitting round the table, the other is the stepmother standing over the bed. They are very evocative images - the students were immediately interested.

Basic outline:

Without preamble, give each an A4 printout of the first image.
"They say a picture is worth a thousand words. This picture is from a childrens book. What does it tell you about the family? Tell me their story!"

Looking for things like:
The bare lightbulb and empty table suggest they are poor and hungry
The doll lying face down on the floor suggests crushed childhood dreams - or a murder crime scene!
The mother watching TV. There is a plane taking off on it, suggesting she dreams of escape.

After getting groups to share their ideas with the class, reveal that the story is Hansel and Gretel (did they guess?). Get them to remind you about the plot of the story if they can (make sure to mention the witch, and the fact that at the end of the story, after they kill the witch and return home, their stepmother is dead as well. Hmmm...)

After discussing the idea that artists can hide information in their work, give them the second picture and ask them to find the secret! The big reveal in the picture is that the stepmother and the witch may be the same person! (repeated witches hat imagery, shadow on wall with "hat", red shoes by the closet - "There's no place like home!") You could make it competitive if you want.

You could stop there, or introduce other material, now they are primed to spot hidden messages and symbolism.

For example, next I showed Brown Eyed Girls "Sixth Sense"
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IgJVNAbkTwc

K-pop has recently been incorporating western music industry imagery into their photos and videos - Sixth sense is a good example. The imagery is quite obvious, and the ending is negative, in a way that is totally unnecessary and contradictory to the revolutionary theme of the video.

The lyricist also helpfully explains the imagery in an interview, and says of the ending: "The tragic ending shows that no matter how hard the four tried to break free from whatever was repressing them, they remained the weaker force in the face of �the Absolute�."

http://www.allkpop.com/2011/10/lyricist-kim-eana-explains-the-symbolism-behind-brown-eyed-girls-sixth-sense-mv

So the ultimate message is "there is no hope of resistance against the police state and its masked ruler". Nice.

That brought me to the conclusion, "Do you think the B.E.G want to send that message? Do you think they grew up dreaming of one day being famous, so they could tell millions of young people that there is no hope? Or do you think that they, like Miryo in the video, are being forced to promote someone else's message? Food for thought."

Hope that is useful!

[schwa]

That Browne link is awesome, some really funny images.

I've done art appreciation lessons with mixed-level middle schoolers & they complained at first it was hard but ended up enjoying it. I've used Magritte (who I notice Browne refers to) & Escher, whose works print out beautifully on A4.

The key for me was keeping it simple. First, having them simply identify objects in the pictures, then meanings, & finally having them talk about how the pictures made them feel. Generated some good vocab & thoughtful responses.

A lot of Korean kids are attuned to art. Theres a nice element of surprise in that they're not expecting it in english class. Good idea. Have fun with it.