Rhee Jae Sun: 04/05/11

Progress Report Table (week 1)

Week
Wk 1, 28 March.

What we aim to complete?
1. Finalise the 10 events

Have a brief summary of each event
Each team member would have to do 2 summaries each.

2. Decide on the storybook outline

Based on any few of the 10 events.
Each team member would have to suggest one each.
Choose either one or combine them.

3. Characters and settings of storybook

State which events would be used
State which characters there will be
State the setting
Sketches for the storybook

4. A snapshot of each member

Caption would be their names, roles and index.

What we have completed?
1. Finalise the 10 events
2. Have a brief summary of each event
3. Have a story outline for the book.

What have we NOT completed?
1. Decide on the storybook outline

Choose either one or combine them.

2. Characters and settings of storybook

State which events would be used
State which characters there will be
State the setting
Sketches for the storybook

Areas we want to improve on or change?
1. Choose either one or combine story outlines.

Outline of the storybook

The following are 3 options of the outline of the storybook that I plan to do on.

1) It shall comprise of bravery, pride and identity. You have to protect and stand up for what you believe in or where you are from. Hence my suggestion is to have a story about siblings who resented the Japanese. Though they were angry, they did not behave aggressively or in any harsh manner.
Sun-hee got beaten by her teacher for calling her friend's Korean name by accident. She was angry and wanted to stay angry so that she could remember what she tolerated. When Tae-yul was older, he wanted “revenge”, a false suicide while he was a kamikaze. In the end,

Korea

was free from the rule of the Japanese.

2) Tae-yul joining the army and Koreans finally free from the Japanese shows bravery and freedom. There will be a nice ending as it will appeal to younger minds. These two events will also be able to teach them moral values which they can apply in their real life.

3) It shall comprise with patriotism and identity. The siblings, Sun-hee and Tae- yul would be mistaken for being chin-il-pas. Sun-hee is a good student who does well academically, evidently she topped her kanji test. Korea and Japan borrowed the system of character writing from China, that's why excelling in kanji did not mean she betrayed her country. However, others think Sun- hee did otherwise.

On the other hand, Tae-yul was resented the Japanese. He joined the Japanese army with a secret mission of going against the Japanese in the middle of of the war. However, others also thought he was a chin-il-pa for helping the Japanese in the war.In both cases, they were mistaken for but did not bother for their love for Korea never faded. The siblings remembered their identities.

Summary of each of the 10 events

When Koreans had to have Japanese names

As the Japanese emperor wanted to promote Japanese culture and at the same time to stop Koreans from rebelling against him, he forced all Koreans to take on Japanese names. When Uncle heard about this, he flew into a rage and refused to take his Japanese name. Abuji managed to calm him down and Uncle relented.

Sun-hee’s punishment

For the next few days after the Imperial edict, there was a terrible confusion in school. Students had to learn their classmates’ new names and call them by those names. Sun-hee was careful to use everyone’s Japanese name and respond to hers. Nonetheless, she grew tired of being cautious and chose the most unfortunate moment to call a classmate by her Korean name. Somehow Sun-hee did the very thing she tried so hard not to do - she said “Myung-gin” instead of “Megumi” in the presence of Onishi-san. Sun-hee was caned.

Keoko called chin-il-pa

Keoko was called a chin-il-pa because she did well in her Kanji studies. She was sad that everyone is despising her because of this. She was disappointed in all this hatred. They were Koreans and yet they had to learn Japanese and it was not her fault she had to do well because she was a hardworking girl.

Kitei Son ; the Olympian
Kitei Son is a Korean but has a Japanese name as the Emperor wanted all Koreans to take Japanese names. So when Kitei Son participates in the Olympics, everyone will know him by his Japanese name. He would be wearing the Japanese flag on his uniform; his Japanese name would be in the newspapers. This way nobody would know that he is Korean - everyone will think that he's Japanese. When Uncle heard about this on the radio, he got so angry that he slammed his hand over the radio so hard that he knocked it over.

Omoni kept sharon tree

The government ordered that all Sharon Trees must be dug up and burned. Omoni decided to keep the last Sharon Tree. She gave Tae-yul instructions to dig up the Sharon Tree. They put the tree into a pot and covered it with soil. Then they hid it near the tool shelf and used a few old sacks to drape it over the tree. They also used a rotten straw basket and pieces of wood to lean against the pot and it was a good disguise.

This is a photograph of a sharon tree.

http://www.meridian.k12.il.us/Middle%20School/student_work/jones_native_%20trees/rose%20of%20sharon.html

Bicycle incident
Tae-yul was riding his bicycle down a street when he was spotted by 2 soldiers. He was ordered to stop and was mocked by the soldiers. When Abuji came along, the soldiers said they were commandeering the bike, but Tae-yul refused to let go of it. Abuji then prised Tae-yul’s hands from the bike and apologised to the soldiers about the incident. Tae-yul is angry at his father for not doing anything to intervene.

This is a photograph of an old bicycle.

http://www.faqs.org/photo-dict/phrase/7239/old-bicycle.html

The 6th number
A neighbourhood accounting happened, and old Mrs Ahn did not know what to do. As she was the only member of her household, she was required to shout her number position in the line. However, did not know how to speak Japanese, and instinctively shouted out the number 6 -in Korean. A Japanese soldier heard her speak in Korean and beat her on the head with his stick.

Scripts of the number 6 in kanji.

http://japanese.about.com/library/blkod80.htm

Omoni saves her dragon pin
By order of the emperor; the army commandeers all household objects made of metal. Omoni has only some jewellery, made up of silver bracelets, rings, gold hair ornament, a necklace and brooch. She drops the jewels in the bag with a bunch of other metal stuff other than her brooch which she saved under the hems of her skirt.

Kamikaze pilot
The story takes place in Korea in the 1940s period. Korea has been conquered by Japan and everyone is to learn the Japanese culture, including changing their Korean names to Japanese ones. World War II broke out and everyone has to help out with war preparations. However, many are unwilling to do so. Tae-yul has to become a kamikaze pilot and his uncle is wanted by the Japanese for he works for the resistance.

A photograph of a Kamikaze.

http://www.japanprobe.com/2008/05/09/memorial-for-a-korean-kamikaze-pilot/

Kore was free from the Japanese rule
Sun - hee came out to line up when she heard the line up call. However, the soldiers spoke in Korean, saying they were freed from the Japanese. Everyone cheered and was delighted over the wonderful news, happy that there will be no more cruelty to Koreans. Sun - hee cheered along with the neighbours, glad to be in the warmth of a true home.

An image of the Korean flag.

http://iphonasia.com/

< FINALISED >10 Events in the book that we will be working on

Sunhee and Taeyul had to change their name to a Japanese one.
Sunhee got beaten by the teacher for calling her friend's Korean name by accident.
Sunhee was called a chin-il-pa.
Uncle was upset over the announcement of the Korean runner's Japanese name over the radio.
Mother secretly keeping the Sharon Tree.
Japanese soldiers snatched away Taeyul's bike.
Mrs Ahn lining up and had to count in Japanese.
Mother kept the dragon pin.
When Taeyul was finally a part of the kamikaze
Korea was free from the Japanese rule.

Reason for blog

This blog is meant for a literature school project.

Task:
You are a children’s author. You have met Linda Sue Park at a writer’s convention and discussed her book, When My Name Was Keoko. She’s impressed with your books and has asked you to turn part of her young adult novel into a children’s picture book. You love her book and are delighted to be asked, so you accept.

--------------------------------------------------------

Hi, I am *Rhee Jae Sun, a children's author. I would be making a picture book, which will be a simplified version of the original literature text / novel, When My Name Was Keoko by Linda Sue Park whom I've had the honour of meeting. I have named this blog after myself, http://rheejaesun.blogspot.com/.
In the process of writing this book, I shall note down on what I have done and post the process and stages in the blog. Last but not least, welcome to my blog!

*Rhee Jae Sun is a group of students:
Clara, Jasmin, Gerald, Sherman, Shannon.