(Note: While it would be a joy to teach Asian
literature as such, that is impossible within the current curriculum at this
high school. So, I chose a selection
that I could use to further develop our overall approach to the course I teach,
Also, as an
aid to teachers in
SUMMARY:
In
“Almaden,” a Korean woman living in
ACTIVITIES:
Pre-reading:
1. Give brief background on Korean history and culture, and their affect on modern Korean literature. See attached.
2.
Discuss the affect of point of
view on a story. Ask students to
recall how point of view has influenced their understanding of selections we
have read previously. (E.g. How would
Cather’s “A Wagner Matinee” be altered, if Aunt Georgiana were the narrator,
rather than Clark; or, what would be the affect on “Winter Dreams” by F. Scott
Fitzgerald, if it were told in the first person, rather than the third?)
3.
Also, ask students to consider the
importance of social context. Read the
description of the man’s clothing, which could easily be misleading (4), and
point out that his clothes reflect the “disco” phase in American dress, popular
in the 1970s. Ask students what the
clothing might have suggested about the man, had they not been told that men
did dress that way in the ‘70s. Ask for
details from other selections we have read that might have been misleading
without information about social context.
(E.g. Mrs. Mallard’s reaction to her husband’s “death”, in “The Story of
an Hour” by Kate Chopin, is only understood when readers consider the lack of
freedom pampered women had in the nineteenth century; or, the proud tone in
“Harlem; The Culture Capital” by James Weldon Johnson becomes logical when the
uniqueness and success of the situation are understood; or, the illogic of
farmers being paid by the government not to plant, during The Great
Depression, must be appreciated before Faulkner’s “The Tall Men” really makes
sense to the reader.)
4.
Distribute analysis template
(attached).
Post-reading:
1. Use discussion questions, below, OR begin with the reading quiz,
attached.
Discussion questions: (these can also be used as essay questions, or writing prompts) Have the following questions ready to hand out - one per group. Have the class get into their teams, or form groups. Each group should answer one of the following questions, which will then be used for class discussion. (Using the analysis template as a guide to reading should have helped prepare students for this activity.)
2. The following are questions for discussion. Students should be reminded to cite the text
in all of their answers:
The woman
and her husband seem to have almost no relationship at all. From the information included in the story,
they seem to be unable to have even the simplest conversation. One may infer that the husband has an
old-fashioned view, even an old-fashioned Korean view, of a woman’s role in a
marriage, for the readers are told that his response to her attempts at
interesting conversation is to scold, “’Go on home and get the stew going, will
you?’”(5). He
seems to expect a woman to work, and cook, and not to have ideas.
However,
the story is told from a limited third-person point of view. The readers’ understanding of events is biased
because they know only what the woman knows.
Without knowing how her husband feels, readers have only the woman’s
perspective of their marriage.
Also, from
the woman’s perspective, it seems that she and her husband do not even have a
satisfying sexual relationship. We are
told that “In Korea, where the woman had been wooed and married, lovers didn’t
embrace in parks, subways, or other public places”(6).
Although her sexual reactions to the man are described, “…when she saw his
protruding nipples, she felt a warm prickle in her bosom” (6), the only
reference to her married life is a vague one: “When she couldn’t fall sleep at
night she drank a glass of wine, went back to bed,…”(9).
Where is her
husband? Because of the author’s choice
of point of view, the reader does not know.
The woman’s
relationship with the man really exists only in her mind. Again, the reader must infer this, because
almost no information is given about the man.
The reader does not know what he thinks or feels, except that the woman
is pretty, for the man tells her husband, “Nice sister you got there”(7).
The
narrator does state that “the unspoken tension between the man who bought it
(the wine) and the woman who sold it also rose” (7), but the reader has little
evidence of that. The reader sees the
man’s apparent relief when he realizes the child in the shop is not hers
(7). And when he sees her on the street,
on her way to do laundry, the man stopped his car, and “…leaned out the window
to look at her” (8). But he doesn’t
speak.
What the
reader does know is that the woman begins to think about the man more and
more. Her vague fantasy of “…walking in
the woods with an affectionate man…”(5) evolves into
one in which the woman is “…sitting across from Almaden
at this table lit with a red candle…”(8).
She imagines what his life is like from the little information she has,
that he cooks for himself, and from the cheap wine he buys. They never speak
except for what is necessary to buy and sell a bottle of wine. Most of what she does know, she has learned,
ironically, from his conversation with her husband.
Although
they have almost no real relationship, the one they have develops over
the course of one year, from spring to winter.
It begins when the woman recognizes him as a regular customer in the
liquor store that she and her husband have recently bought or begun to
manage. This is followed by her
discomfort when “he stood stock-still looking at her, eyes intent”(4) which prompts her to remember the price of the wine he
buys. Summer arrives, and the woman
seems jealous of couples shopping together in the shop, the women with flowers
in the hands. The man appears shirtless,
and the woman is surprised to find herself attracted to him physically.
After this,
the woman begins to feel “the unspoken tension…”(7)
between them. However, she still does
not think of the man when he isn’t in the store. When the man seems relieved that the child in
the store is not the woman’s, their attachment moves up a notch. The woman finally learns more about him, from
the man’s conversation with her husband.
With this, she is able to flesh out her daydreams, replacing “the
affectionate man”(5) with “Almaden” and incorporating
the few details of his life into her fantasy.
The man
remarks on her looks to her husband; he stops and leans toward her on the
street. But, as the holidays approach,
he arrives one evening without enough money for his bottle of Almaden, and asks
her for credit. He never returns.
The first indication that the woman feels isolated is revealed in her relationship with her husband. “She felt he had the soul of a beggar; he was a hungry man who could never be satisfied” (5). She notices he does not speak to others the way he speaks to her, “…in a scratchy tone of voice, in half-sentences? The layers of irritation that clouded his brow, the discontent that framed his lips – did he reveal them only to her?” She catches herself observing him “as if …observing a stranger” and feels “disgusted almost to the point of nausea” (5).
Besides this, the narrator describes her fantasies, suggesting that she is alone in her life, or dissatisfied with it.
Finally, the narrator describes her envy of the happy women who wait in her shop while their dates buy a bottle of wine. “…she envied them their enjoyment, their night out, their bottle of wine. She felt these were the chosen people, people whose eyes didn’t have to be dark, whose hair didn’t have to be black, people who weren’t afraid to express their affection”(6). Clearly she is separated from, isolated from these people, not only because they are happy and she is not, or because they have dates and she in unhappily married. She is ultimately separate from them because she is Korean, and they are not.
The effect of this is to demonstrate two similar yet different concepts to the reader. The first is that most people are lonely sometimes, most people are envious sometimes, and most people are unhappy sometime, whether New Yorkers, Koreans, or anyone else.
Conversely, because she is Korean, because her appearance is different from that of most of the New Yorkers around her, she feels different. The woman seems to foster the familiar lament: “I didn’t ask to be me,” or, “Why did I have to be born this way.” She appears different, but she is like everyone. Perhaps, her isolation is her own fault. After all, she takes no control over her life. She doesn’t leave her husband, or even talk about her difficulties, as far as the reader knows. When Almaden disappears, she only hopes that some else will appear.
Whether the woman in “Almaden” is a victim or not in unclear, but she certainly feels that she is one. She is the victim of her marriage; her husband doesn’t respect her, seems not to love her, only gives her orders and ignores her.
Further, she is a victim of her tradition, because she comes from culture in which lovers do not express their feelings. Thus, she cannot be expected to resolve her problems with her husband. Neither of them would know where to begin; neither has any cultural experience with talking about his/her emotions.
This also leaves her incapable of developing a relationship with Almaden. When he “stood stock-still looking at her, eyes intent”(4) she felt uncomfortable. She doesn’t speak or even smile. When he realizes she is not a child’s mother, she doesn’t take advantage of his interest to start a conversation. And when he stopped his car on the street and “leaned out the window” she still doesn’t speak, even though he stays and watches her when the light changes and she crosses the street in front of him.
Chi-won implies that the woman is
incapable of initiating a conversation, or of advancing the “relationship” in
any way, because she was raised in
First, the
lack of names makes the situation more universal; the woman and her husband could
be any woman and husband. Paradoxically,
this in some ways diminishes the idea of the woman’s isolation. Chi-won depicts
her as someone who feels alone: as a Korean in a Western city, and as a woman
in a loveless marriage. But the effect
of her namelessness is to show that she could be any woman alone in a large
city, or stuck in a marriage where communication has failed. Her husband could be any husband, more
involved in his life than his wife.
Reading
Check Quiz
DIRECTIONS: Place the letter of the best response on your
answer sheet.
1. Almaden is
a. a brand of wine.
b. a candy made from
almonds.
c. a city in
d. a
2. The man is
wearing
a. a diamond earring.
b. a jogging suit.
c. three gold chains.
d. two different shoes.
3. What does the woman realize will happen if
she forgets to renew her license?
a. She’ll be arrested.
b. She’ll be deported and sent back to
c. She’ll be reported to the N.Y. State Liquor
Authority.
d. She’ll go to jail.
4. What shows the woman’s husband that she
hasn’t already paid a particular bill?
a.
The company calls and explains.
b. He
notices that the invoice number is different.
c. He
remembers paying it himself.
d. He
finds it in the checkbook.
5. What did the woman daydream?
a. that her life with
her husband was like a beautiful photograph.
b. that she returned to
her home in
c. that she was walking
in the woods with an affectionate man.
d. that she worked in a
shop arranging cut flowers.
6. Why does the woman envy the enjoyment of the
couples who buy wine in her shop?
a. They are not married.
b. They are going to the theater.
c. They are not working, and she is.
d. They are not Korean.
7. The man explains that his wine doesn’t have
to be chilled because
a. he cooks with it.
b. he likes to add ice.
c. his girlfriend
prefers it warm.
d. it is for a sick
friend.
8. How does the man show that he finds the woman
attractive?
a. He asks her, “Would you like to have dinner
with me sometime?”
b. He says to her husband, “Nice sister you got
there.”
c. He sends her flowers with a romantic note.
d. He smiles and winks at her.
9. What name does the woman begin to call the
man, in her mind?
a. Mr. Yellow
Convertible
b. Gold Chains
c. Curly Locks
d. Almadin
10. How does the relationship between the man and
the woman end?
a. He disappears.
b. Her husband sends her back to
c. They argue.
d. They marry.
Other Activities:
In groups,
students will play “the language game.”
In this, each group is asked to find examples imagery and figurative
language in the story. They should write
these, with page citations, on a piece of paper. They will then be collected, and combined
into lists. The lists are divided up,
and redistributed to the groups.
In
each groups, the students must write different passages or a paragraph,
incorporating the examples of imagery or figurative language from
“Almaden.” They should be encouraged to
be imaginative and to create passages that are very different from those in the
selection. The students then read the
passages they have written aloud, and the class discusses how the effect of the
language from “Almaden” differs, (or doesn’t) in the passage created by the
students.
A
variation of this activity is to take the language from the first story,
“Almaden,” and insert it into a different story, any of several other selections
we have read, either simply adding it, or using it to replace other
language. The class again discusses the
effect.
Students
are led to be creative and use their imaginations, to examine the effects of
imagery and figurative language, and to consider the writing process from an
author’s point of view. (11.3.4)
Writing Assignments: (11.4.1, 2, 4, 10, 11, 12; 11.5.2, 6; 11.6.1, 2, 3)
A. Compare and contrast the woman’s sense of
isolation and/or victimization, in “Almaden” with
that of one of the following:
1. the speaker in “We
Wear the Mask” by Paul Dunbar and/or the speaker in “A Man Said to the
Universe,” by Stephen Crane.
2. Zora Neale Hurston, in “How It Feels
to Be Colored Me.”
3. the narrator in
Hemingway’s “In Another Country.”
4. Granny, in “The Jilting of Granny Weatherall” by Katherine Anne Porter.
B. How does the author use symbolism to
communicate mood and theme, in “Almaden”?
C. How does the author use realism to
communicate the theme, in “Almaden”?
Korea – historical and cultural
background:
The area we
know as
Between
the 7th and 10th centuries, the Silla
dynasty ruled in the southeast, as a Buddhist state. Between the 10th and 14th
centuries, the center of government moved to
From
the 14th to early 20th centuries, the Choson
dynasty flourished. In this period, the
dynasty established a system that joined Korean politics and culture; while
this union created what seemed to be the ideal Korean society, it was a society
that resisted change. This is the period
that dominated Korean tradition. Unfortunately, its longevity actually made it
impossible to adapt to the 20th century. In fact, the country’s first treaty with the
outside world was forced on them by the Japanese.
The
Colonial Period, from 1910 to 1945, led to the rise of nationalism, and to
Japanese colonialism. Use of the Chinese
language and its exam system ended. This
period fostered, among Koreans, an intense disillusionment at the failure of
tradition.
The
liberation of
Modern
Korean literature is the product of this complex history. It is influenced by many outside influences,
especially that of
However,
while it is true that Chinese influence had a powerful, if discordant,
influence on
Thus, modernization in literature led to an interest in western thematic concerns, and a dramatic transformation in style as a result of the influence of realism in western literature. Coupled with the predominant feeling of victimization, these qualities contributed to the nature of modern Korean literature.
Sources:
Robinson, Mike, PhD, “Modern Korean
History and Culture.” Teaching East Asian
Literature in the High School.
Park, Chan E., Ph.D. “Transitions to Modern Korean
Literature.” Teaching
East Asian Literature in the High School.
Point of View:
Point of view is the vantage point
from which an author presents the actions and characters of a story. The story may be related by a character,
using the pronoun “I” (the first-person point of view), as in
Hemingway’s “In Another Country;” the story may also
be related by a character using the pronoun “you” (the second-person
point of view). This is somewhat rare, but can be found in some modern novels,
such as Bright Lights,
Further,
the third-person narrator may be omniscient – able to see into the minds
of all the characters. Or, a
third-person narrator may be limited – confined to a single character’s
perceptions, as in Eudora Welty’s “A Worn Path.”
An author
who describes only what can be seen, like a newspaper reporter, is said to use
an objective or dramatic point of view.*
*Alan C. Purvis, ed. Literature and Integrated Studies:
American Literature. (Glenview,
IL: ScottForesman, 1977.) 972-73.
Directions:
An author
chooses a specific point of view in order to best communicate elements of
fiction such as character, tone, plot, theme, etc. Working in groups, consider the affect of Kim
Chi-won’s choice of point of view, in “Almaden.” What is its overall effect on the story? How would the effect of the story be
different if told from a different point of view? Consider what the reader would know: if the
story were told from the man’s point of view, or the husband’s, or if the story
had an omniscient third-person narrator. (11.3.2)
Prepare
an oral presentation (11.7.18) which includes:
a.
an explanation of the effects of
different points of view,
b.
a portion of
the story rewritten in a different point of view.
You may use
visual aids. You may perform portions
of the story to demonstrate your conclusion.
Date:__________________________
Title:_____________________________________________________
Author: ____________________________________Pages:_________
Form:____________________________________________________
Sub genre:_________________________________________________
Setting: ___________________________________________________
Characters:________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________
Literary focus – Identify:_____________________________________
Identify an example or demonstration of that focus.
(Cite page numbers):
_________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________
Explain the effect of this on the selection:___________________________
_________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________
Theme – Analyze
the way the theme represents a view or comment on life.
Identify the theme:___________________________________________
_________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________
Cite the text: _______________________________________________
_________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________
Style
Analyze the ways imagery, symbolism, and figures of
speech affect the selection.
Examples: (include citation)_____________________________________
_________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________
Analysis:__________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________
Analyze the ways irony, tone, and/or mood
affect the selection.
Examples: (include citation) ____________________________________
_________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________
Analysis: __________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________
Other notes that might help
you:
Conflict:
Cite the selection:____________________________________________
How is the
conflict solved (or is it)?______________________________
_________________________________________________________
How do you know? (Cite the
text.)_______________________________
_________________________________________________________
Point of View:
How can you tell? (Cite the text.)_________________________________
_________________________________________________________
Plot:
What are the main events in
the selection?_________________________
_________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________
VOCABULARY:
by
Kim Chi-won
Maria
T. Kelsay
(219)223-2176
Maria.Kelsay@Zebras.net