junewoni

rating: 8.5/10 While I read this story, I was curious about what 'the tower' means. Why should Caroline go up to the top of the tower? When she went up, I felt like she was defying her circumstances. She was to break the recognition that women should behave modestly and stay inside their husbands' barriers. Because I am a boy, I can not fully understand the stereotype or social pressure that women suffer. The only thing I can be sure of is that it is hard to draw a line between overprotectiveness and respect. If a boy learns that he should protect the woman, the boy becomes a man who wants to control everything with his wife. "Lady First" and "Gentleman" may be old trends nowadays. In the 2020s, men and women should respect and push each other rather than protect and control. Also, my grandmother came to my mind. Her thought can not be free from what she learned in her youth because she lived in an era in that women should follow men. The recognition of ...

  rating: 9/10  This story had features of feminism related to urban horror and problems with the Internet. The non-named woman experienced a weird situation. She lives in an office Tel which doesn't seem comfortable. She is obsessed with her privacy. The whole story seems very weird and horror. However, the most horrible thing is that this story is too realistic. When I surf on Internet, almost half of the pop-up advertisements are sexual content and contain headlines such as 'Raise your own cute female character' or something. That kind of advertisement is everywhere, even on Youtube or Google. Indeed, nowadays, because young generations are available to use those platforms easily, they may learn the wrong attitude toward gender. This circumstance is leading society to be full of distrust and anxiety. In this story, she might become anxious and obsessed with her privacy because she is directly affected by the horrible advertisements. Those advertisements and words are so ...

rating: 9/10 I liked the casual contents of this story. They act like triggers that make me recall some experiences from my childhood. While reading this story, each of my friends came to my mind. In the first place, the husband didn't understand Robert and had a stereotype against a blind person. However, when Robert made him know the difference between physical looking and emotional looking, he became intimate with Robert. Especially in KMLA, I have many friends who had a unique first impression. Some of them seemed very confident and had no interest in their reputation or gossip. Some of them seemed very timid and selfish. When I first looked at them, I unconsciously determined each of them and ranked them with my stereotypes. However, after knowing them, I realized that the uniqueness of their outlook doesn't indicate who they are. All of them had compassion, emotion, or need for attention. Not determining a person by their look is necessary to have a good relationship with...

  rating: 9/10  <Hunters in the Snow> was impressive because the story reflects reality very well. Especially for me, I could feel empathy for both Frank and Tub. There are many groups in that I am involved in KMLA society, and my image and status in each group are different. I usually feel like Frank but sometimes in Tub's or Kenny's position. When some friends make fun of me, I feel like I can shoot them with a gun. However, sometimes when I am stressed out, I make fun of my friend. I think this is one of human nature. People's feelings are self-oriented and not considered from the other person's view. That's why Frank couldn't realize that Tub felt like that. The 'friendship' seems ironic in this context. They are friends, but each doesn't try to take care of the other. Also, they don't know each other very well. It might be the reality of what people call friendship. I also should think about if I really know my friends, and if I really...

rating:8.5 I don't understand this story well because the message is something so philosophical and vague. The story is plotless, and the main character, Anders behaves weirdly. Thus, I focused on the feelings of the story and imagined that if I was Anders.  What will pop into my mind if I'm going to die? After I imagined it, I could slightly understand why Anders did not remember his loving people or great event in his life. If I was Anders, I also might not think of my family or influential people in my life. Of course, they were important in my life, but they can't determine my life. Though I'm young, I think life is a complex sequence of similar events and people. Too many events and too many people mess my life up. I envy Anders in this context. I haven't found some fundamental theme that integrates my life yet. It is meaningful trying to find the worth of my life. 

 rating: 9/10  This story is weird. All people in this world don't recognize the problem with using young girls as decoration. Eva was the only one who sympathized with the semplica girls and helped them. With this unique format and method, I felt excited. Also, the mood of this story was exclusive, so it was easy to read.   George Saunders may want to say about moral corruption due to the social atmosphere. Specifically, the story shows that the middle or lower class follows the culture of the upper class. The narrator's family was one of them following the semplica girl's trend of the upper class. It is natural because no one can accept their disabilities in front of their loving people. However, more money doesn't mean good. In this context, I think of <The Greatest Getsby>, which also contains the idea of moral corruption in the upper class. By the way, I felt sorry for my parents. They also might have pressure not to show their weakness to me.

  rating: 9/10 The story moved me very much. I think people sometimes, or usually, consider other people only as a means to satisfy their good. Also, if someone has no use, they don't care about her. In this story, Pelayo and Elisenda find the old man with wings that look like an angel's. At first, they had no interest in the unique figure, but when they knew he was profitable, they exploited him. They took care of him only because they could earn money from him. Though Pelayo and Elisenda must be criticized and seem awful, I think most people are not really different. Even in KMLA, most students pretend to be kind and genuine to others when they need something from others. Even I pretend to be kind and sometimes feel I'm a liar. Thus, the story reflects a reality though it uses characters who are a bit different from humans in the real world. Considering weak people as a means to earn profit and exploiting them does occur realistically. This cruel reality makes me sad.

  rating: 8.5/10 The story was not hard to understand, and it may be the first story that I could read with no pressure. The expressions were more acceptable to me. For instance, through the song "I'm a naughty girl," I could make an image of Polly more easily. I felt more comfortable with the story than other stories of 'Dubliners,' so I gave it a high rating.   In the story, Mr. Doran chooses to get married to Polly, considering his public reputation. I fully understand Mr. Doran because a reputation has a considerable impact on one's life. However, I still wonder why he didn't leave. I think he could leave the town, and it must be better for him because he won't be happy with a wife who has just become an adult. I think this is another 'paralysis.' He didn't choose to get out of the terrible condition though he had a chance.   Also, I felt the marriage might not be a pledge of pure love. What made the marriage was not pure love but a soc...

 rating: 8.5/10  I like 'Eveline' because it is not hard to understand compared to previous stories. "Should Eveline run away from her current life?". If she follows Frank, her sisters will be left abused by her father, but she can start her new life. However, will she be happy? Does Frank truly love her? Nobody knows. Indeed, the 'dust' and 'sea' increase uncertainty about her life with Frank. Therefore, there is no right way to choose, and Eveline is in 'paralysis.'   If I were Eveline, I would choose to leave. There is no doubt that she went through tough life with no respect. However, she is accustomed to this bad environment, even her father's violence. It makes her confused and hopeful. Though her life with Frank may be uncertain, she should try to be free from the obsession that limits her life.   As I researched some documents in JSTOR, the situation of Ireland engulfed by Empire is revealed in the story with the isolation of Evelin...

Rating: 9/10 I believe 'coming of age' comes when people realize that they can't control the world. The world is more complex and not ideal. I also experienced that in KMLA. Until last year, I believed that I could get enough achievement in the study while playing soccer or doing some extra activity. However, I soon realized that I had to give up something to achieve my desire. Especially in KMLA, the intelligent students beside me make me intimidated. At the sight of a young boy, everything was beautiful, especially Mangan's daughter. He went to Araby because she wanted to go there. However, the reality that the boy faced was horrible. Though he took a lot of effort to reach there, nothing was greeting him.  As the boy felt horrible, it was hard for me to accept the reality that I had to give up. However, I've also grown up. Now I know what to do, how to achieve it, and I can practice what I planned. Thus, I believe the boy will become mature. As many successful pe...

 rating: 7/10           What is so unique about this story is that James Joyce didn't end his sentences. Not giving a clear message might be appropriate considering the feature of the topic. The story is strongly related to religion. Indeed, Catholicism is a religion that had a strong influence on politics, and people couldn't doubt the fate of Catholics for a long time. No one asks themselves whether it is right, and James Joyce was against religion, so he might intend to plant the seed of doubt in the public mind. I was irritated because I couldn't combine scattered clues into the conclusion. I still can't even guess about Father Flynn and his odd behaviors. The people around his coffin were soulful, nervous, or respectful. However, the story they told was kind of weird. Also, the narrator, who was in a close relationship with Father Flynn, felt freed. The word 'freedom' contrasts with 'paralysis.' The death of Father Flynn changed the narrator's...

 rating: 9.5/10 I like 'Gooseberries' because it was preceptive and realistic simultaneously. The advice which Ivan gave to his acquaintances was obvious. 'There is no happiness. Just do good.' I partly agree with the thought. There might be someone who becomes unhappy due to our pursuit of happiness. Thus, we should consider the effect of our behavior. For instance, in this story, Nikolay only focuses on his happiness. He exploited his peasants. He desired to have some estate, and he didn't care about anything else. Can we say that Nikolay is a happy person? Though he could get his land and pretty large property, I don't think so. Likewise, I don't think it is happiness if built with other people's unhappiness. However, going against Ivan's claim, there is happiness. I gave a high rating because Chekhov also pointed out the reality. Ivan felt real happiness when he swam in the pool. Alyohin didn't bother his peasants, but he seemed to live a hap...

 rating: 8.0 The story was simply about adultery, and I don't prefer the topic which is not proper for common morality. In this story, there wasn't love. The surface and inside were always different. The characters don't consider each other but follow their urgent. Gurov seems like a sociopath. When the lady was full of guilt, he felt bored. Also, Gurov was saying love with the despise. His attitude toward the lady made me think that he made the relationship to escape from his dull life. The 'love' of Gurov was not from the heart but the body. He followed her because she was so attractive. When he returned home, he pretended nothing happened and behaved as usual.  Honestly, I also have many faces. I also act differently and sometimes deceitfully. Though I don't like this type of aggressive story, I rated a high score because this story was very realistic. Chekhov revealed the nature of humans, which humans don't want to notice. I can get that no one can blam...

 Rating:9.5/10 'The Student' was vague to understand. I need a piece of religious knowledge and the hero's journey to interpret. The second step of a hero's journey is a call to adventure. In this story, the call was the light of widows' gardens. Due to the light, he found a way in the freezing weather and got into the special world, the widows' garden. Because I am Christian, I religiously comprehended the story. I think that the widows were growing apart from God. It might be the result of poverty or the loss of their husband. Under this harsh condition, they doubted the existence of God and became loose. They even forgot Easter. Thus, when Ivan told the story of a weak, foolish Peter, Vasilisa was moved. Also, the fire might be Chekhov's gun which symbolizes the spirit of God. In the bible, after Easter, there was fire above each Christian, and it was the spirit of God. Considering these, I believe the story's message is that God is always with us. De...

rating: 9.0 I enjoyed reading this story because this story was different from other typical fiction related to adventure. For most adventure stories, the main character is an extraordinary hero who overcomes the obstacles during the experience and finally achieves something precious. This process is called a hero's journey. However, in the story, the main character named 'Eckels' was just a coward who couldn't face the dinosaur and even run away. This story follows a hero's journey, but the main character is unique. I thought there was a reason why the author made his main character not cool, and I found that Eckels is similar to the human individual. People might be weak and insignificant compared to nature. Indeed, humans still can't go against the laws of nature. However, like a butterfly effect, a person's small advance or impact can change the whole history though it might not seem significant at that moment. Regardless of the intention, the consequenc...