This Time for the Romantics...

It is confirmed. One need look no further. Andersen is far more emotional than the dry and detached Grimms. 

But I like it.

In fact, when I read something, especially literature, I look for a certain degree of ‘literariness,’ or the difficult union between poetic beauty and dramatic passion. Sometimes that is the sole reason I read. If not, my life would be a barren desert. So one can see that I would prefer Rousseau over Voltaire, Delacroix over Ingres, and now Andersen over the Grimms… Because this story resembles-and even parallels-some of the greatest Romantic classics I have read, I jotted down a few lines I found beautiful on a separate notebook I keep for such moments of joyful discovery.

Ex.) “...but the sea maid has no tears, and for this reason she suffers far more acutely.” The tear in this story has a great significance. Tear is a form of self-expression. Those who don’t liberate sorrow from the wells of their heart will suffer great pains. Release and confession are the will of truth. With the inability to do so, one can only be reduced to a coward, victim, tragedy, and so on, manipulated by the limits of human knowledge-all the while feeling the love for humanity still-like the sea maid. Perhaps the writer pursued and emphasized truth more than anything else. If so, I must take this opportunity to express my humble agreement. 

The Life and Letters of Tchaikovsky

Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky is one of the most famous classical music composers. He was born to a mining father and a devoted French mother, from whom he inherited lifelong melancholy and restlessness. Throughout his lifetime, he struggled with the pressure to have an ordinary family life while hiding away his homosexual desires. This long and private misery finds expression in his music, especially in his latest symphonies.

When Tchaikovsky was eight years old, his family moved to St. Petersburg. His parents believed that he was bound to become an officer in the future. In deference to his parents' wishes, Tchaikovsky attended the Juvenile Department of Law School. After graduating, he realized that he is not suited for an official post, so he entered a conservatory. On 1866, he graduated and started teaching diapason in Nikolay Rubinstein (1835~1881)'s conservatory. That March, Tchaikovsky composed a symphony called "Winter Daydreams" inspired by Felix Mendelssohn's "Italy" and various Russian folk songs. He also composed his first opera, "The Voyevoda," and it was performed in the Bolshoi Theater in Moscow in 1869. Shortly after his huge success, the composer and pianist Mily Balakirev approached him and asked him to write a symphonic poem on 'love and death,' the most beloved topic in Russia during the nineteenth century. Tchaikovsky accepted the request and composed "Romeo and Juliet," a work that was to become a representative of his. 

The series of successes kindled a stronger passion for ballet music in Tchaikovsky. In 1877, he stepped into the world of ballet music by composing "Swan Lake" for the Moscow Royal Ballet Team. It, however, was a massive failure. Rubinstein criticized the music as "unworthy." After that incident, Tchaikovsky released music outside of Russia whenever possible. A few years later, his married life was devastated; he had found a new love - Mrs. Von Meck. He presented to her "The Fourth Symphony" that contained his justification about their 'destiny.' Afterwards, he ceaselessly composed works with the theme of 'destiny' such as "Eugene Onegin," "Queen of Spades," "1812 Overture," etc.

At the age of forty-four, Tchaikovsky began to realize that he could no longer wander about without a home to return to. So he purchased a villa in a quiet province near Moscow. Around that time, the death of his sister brought him a panic attack as well as severe sickness. He nonetheless composed a symphony called "Pathetique," his last account of the many 'destinies' that troubled every part of his life. Seven days after the work was performed for the first time in theaters, the master of ballet music died at the age of fifty-three.

[Film Review] The Ark of Mr. Chow

Chinese Comedy Peppered with Romance, “The Ark of Mr. Chow”!

Whether you’re looking for a comedy, satire, or romance, The Ark of Mr. Chow is for you. The movie opens with Mr. Chow, the Head of the Management Committee for the Youth Class-a special college program for young geniuses-traveling across China to recruit possible candidates for the class. After visiting all kinds of places from crowded city to remote countryside, he recruits twenty-two students, five of whom are the main characters of this movie. They come from diverse backgrounds and possess distinct characters: the well-behaved Way, reckless Mike, mysterious Dafa, eccentric Fang, and reserved Zhou Lan. 

Starting in 1978, a dozen tertiary institutions including Peking and Qinghua University began enrollment for students under the age of 15 who display high levels of intellect. They were to become members of the “Youth Class.” The movie is set in 1998 when learning ideologies and environment were undergoing major shifts in China. Director Xiao Yang, himself part of the Youth Class in the 90s, draws from his own experiences to vividly portray the changing reality and comment on the issues he faced. Several scenes show Mr. Chow, the Head of the Management Committee for the Youth Class, under tense situations with the Chancellor who calls him out for being insensitive. “10 out of the 22 recruited students failed their psychology tests,” the Chancellor starts, “How could they study at a university?” The Chancellor represents the changing China that increasingly put emphasis on students’ overall personal development over traditional academic curriculum. Mr. Chow then walks up to the furious Chancellor and gently persuades him to keep the Youth Class “for the International Math Competition, for the glory of the Ministry, for the glory of the Motherland.” Mr. Chow embodies conservatism and its futile sense of hope that the elite education could fix today’s class struggle when it is the very cause of these tragedies. The kids, innocent victims caught between the two clashing ideas, must find their way to craft their own future against societal expectations. After the movie, audiences will be confronted by life’s questions such as What determines happiness? How is being different a fortunate or an unfortunate thing? Could our past give answer to the future?

Sounds too serious? Don’t go away yet. The movie is a comedy, after all. The social commentaries are presented in a lighthearted way, occasionally aided by romantic narratives. In one scene, the popular girl Elaine and her friend stand in front of a bulletin board reading an invitation to a party. The friend begs Elaine not to sit next to her because then “nobody talks to me.” So Elaine says okay. Then the friend begs her again, telling her to sit next to her because if not, “nobody will talk to me.” 

Top-class actors also add another layer of entertainment to the film. The rising actress Zhou Dongyu, playing the withdrawn Zhou Lan, nonetheless makes her presence shine by penetrating the hearts of the audience through real-life display of subtle emotions of having a crush on Mike. What’s more, the legendary Sun Honglei plays as Mr. Chow, bringing to life one of the most conflicted characters in Chinese cinema history. 

Dr. Zhivago and Russian Literature

Chinese and Russian arts are so raw and alive. They unashamedly display the truth and embrace humanity in its entirety - the ugly, the beauty, the in-between, and the nobodies. That's humanity and it's so beautiful. Korean literature is like a shy, timid coward compared to those unafraid giants. That doesn't mean it's inferior in any way; never underestimate the potential of the fearful. Yet, imagine being trapped in a room versus living in a wide plain. Who would be more audacious, more endless? We easily locate the answer in works of art, because art is creation of people and people are creations of environment.

Anthony Browne - Zoo

05.17

Dear Father,

Today, we went on a field trip to the Bronx Zoo. We left the school at ten in the morning and came back around one in the afternoon. Everyone in class brought maps to the zoo like they were ready to become experts like the locals! Some parents accompanied and helped us find our ways in the crowed zoo; I deeply appreciate them. 

The trip was quite different from what I was expecting the place to be, where large, marvelous animals roam about. The first series of exhibits we saw was indoors. It was stinking! The giant rhinos just laid there, staring at us. Next, we saw the California sea lions on the outdoor exhibit. I noticed how the pool was too small for those playful ones. We then continued walking to see an expressionless gelada with mountain goats. The mountain goats were facing the back, so I could only see their abundant white fur. Near that cage was the sight of exhausted giraffes. I could feel that they didn't like our attention and the incessant camera flash. We also saw a grizzly bear. The bear seemed so bored, moving back and forth with no aim in its eyes, and that bored me, too.

In the birds' exhibit, we saw the bald eagles. However, before I even got a good look of them, I had to move away for the preschool kids, who, also like us, were on the trip. Meanwhile, flamingos kept eating and eating while standing. They did nothing besides that. Peacocks were relatively free to be on the streets, but they were walking around unpleasantly because people stopped them frequently to stare rudely long at their beautiful eyes on their feather when it opened. 

We kept walking around, cage after cage. In between the walks, we took brief rests, during which my mind wandered far, and traveled back in time to when I finished reading Zoo by Anthony Browne. I was probably seven then. The story features a boy who visits the zoo with his family. Not knowing what he is walking into, he is basked in anticipation and happiness. When he returns home, his mind is filled with conflicts and inquiries. He did not feel comfortable watching the animals being idle and frustrated behind the bars. The boy's mother tells him that as long as they had fun, it is alright. When I was little, I would find comfort in the mother's words because I loved going to the zoo to see animals. I visited the zoo again five years later today, father. It felt really different.

Papa's sweet darling,

I. C.