Don't Say It, Do It!

Gathering of Pearls was written by Sook Nyul Choi, who was Korean. This book is about a girl called Sookan who is a Korean too, and she went to America for education, like what Sook did. I have read 12 chapters, and I like this book so much, because Sookan and I is in the same situation. Sookan shows her tough heart and personality when she faces to so many troubles from different part of her life. I have met most of her troubles in my first year at Cheshire Academy. Finally I learned that we should always have our goals and we should work extremely hard for achieving them.

We should always have our goals. The first time I came here was my second semester of freshman, and that was the first time I came to America. It was 8 PM at New York City. I just got off the flight, then I met Mr. Poisson. He asked me:" Do you want to use bathroom?" I thought that bathroom was the place to take shower, so I answered:"No, thanks!" I congratulate oneself for that I had went to the "bathroom" before I met Mr. Poisson. In this book, Sookan also gets in the same situation. " "Don't you like this one?" "Yes, I don't like it," I replied, noticing the high price tag. "Sookan, what do you mean?" Ellen asked, looking very puzzled. " 'Yes, you like it' or 'no, you don't like it.' Which is it? "I mean I do not like it," I said, sorry to be disagreeable " (Choi 13, 14). We were all embarrassed, because we used wrong English. However I didn't study hard in my freshman year, and I played video games everyday. I lost myself, and I didn't even know what should I do until I got my grades. Then I decided that I will get a better grade, because I don't want to be embarssed and shamed. Result is that I am hard working now, and I am not playing video games too much. As long as we have a goal, we will not lose our passion and hope. As we can see, goals are one of the most important things that we should have.

We should also work hard for our goals. My freshman year grade was so bad; however I have Second Honors and Effort Honors in my last semester. After I gave myself a goal, I went to extra help almost everyday, and I always go to the writing center. Working hard really helps us to achieve our goal. I will keep working hard for a higher level. Sookan takes world literature, Greek culture, world religions, and early Europe history, andnone of them is easy. She knows that shehas to work hard, because scholarship is not easy to get. " At the end of the hall was the showe room, the only room in the building where the lights were kept on all night. There, at the end of the long row of showers, were five sparkling clean bathtubs. I heated to the tub in the corner and spread out my blanket, placed my pillow at the back, and laid my books on the floor" (Choi 73). This is the way that she uses to study after lights out. I don't mean that we should study after lights out; however we should work hard. As we can see, we should always give ourselves a goal, and we need to work for the goal.

Goals are not the thing that we speak every day, they are the thing that we do every day. No matter how bad situation that you are in, you can always find the way to get out. Finally, giving yourself a goal and working hard for it. One day, when you look back you will be pride of yourself.

Citation:
Choi, Sook Nyul., and Sook Nyul. Choi. Gathering of Pearls. Boston: Houghton Mifflin, 1994. Print.

Thinking question

1. What was Sookan's feeling when she was reading letters from her mother and sister?

2. Why did Ellen take Sookan to her family?

Study Guid 6-12

Gathering of Pearls Study Guide: Chapters 6-12

Chapter 6
1.The problem between Sookan and her sister is that her sister wants her write her about everything happen in her school life, however Sookan has no enough time to write it down. In Sookan's mind she wants to fellow her sister, however she has no time to do it, and she think her sister does not about her feeling.

Chapter 7
1. Ellen thinks that check out the social scene is very important.
2. Ellen considers that everone should choose for themselves, however Sookan’s always makes decisions for her. So Sookan starts thinking if she really should follow her sister’s opinion.
3. In my opinion she should not lisen anyone. I consider that she should make her own chooses. She has a really strong heart, however she also care people’s emotion too much.

Chapter 8
1.Because she missed the affternoon attendance.
2. If I were her, I would not sneak out, because I do not think she should do this just for writting the letter. She can find another time to write.
3. It is aout what did she do in the past weeks, and telling her sister how she misses her and others in Korea. She also tells her that she has not too much time to write letters to her.
4. She may be angry first, because she thinks Sookan is not fellowing her decisions. Then I consider that she would be upside, because she loves Sookan so much. When she find she is not like she was before, she will feel sad.

Chapter 9
1. Gice at least two reasons for each. It is good, because she can learn more American culture, and she also can get a better relationship with Ellen. It is also bad, because she cannot understand everything during holidays, and she misses home more.

Chapter 10
1. Shower room
2. She felt a sharp pain in her stomach
3.plenty of sleep

Chapter 11
1. The letter from mom is more care about Sookan’s feeling, however the letter from sister is telling her what she should do. It makes Sookan feels bad when she read her sister’s lettter. As we can see, mom is more gentle and she cares Sookan more. Sister is more tough.

Chapter 12
1. Korean food
2. Butter cookies and brownies.

3. Who joins them?Sister Reed jioned them.
4. This gathering helps her get 3 very important things. First she understans that why her mother loves cooking so much. Second, she has Marrci and Ellen who is really good friend. Third, those two thing gives her more power to study and live in college.

Chp. 1-5 study guide

1.       Sookan describes women in the U.S. as having much more freedom than she was accustomed to in Korea. Google “U.S. women’s roles 1950s” and read a little about the lives of women in this time period (remember that she mostly interacts with educated women who come from wealthy families). What were their lives like? In 3-5 sentences, describe what you found out.

In Korea women did not have much power. for example her mother doesn't have a job. In America during that time period, women also did not have much power. So, I think it is a same life she may had in Korea. 

Chapter 2

1.       Define pocket money (p. 13) and honorific (p.15).

       Pocket money: I consider that it is the money she use to pay for the book.

       Honorific: respectful

2.       How does Sookan know that color coordination is important to Sookan?

       Because it can help her to get into US culture.

3.       What does Sookan’s scholarship pay for?

       Her fee of classes, and dorm

4.       What does Sookan need to do in order to maintain her scholarship?\

       Working for the dining room.

5.       What does it mean to “go Dutch” when two friends go do something together?

       Paying as half each person.

6.       Compare Sookan’s personality and life to Ellen’s. How are they different?

       Sookan is more shy, but Ellen is more outgoing. Sookan has a better relationship with her sister than Ellen does.

Chapter 3

1.       What courses doe Sookan take in her first semester at school and which is most difficult?

       She takes world literature, Greek culture, world religions, and early Europe history. Early Europe history is the hardest.

2.       Who is Marci? Describe her appearance and personality.

       Marci is her roommate.She is very shy. 

3.       What job does Sookan get to earn extra money for books?

       Babysitting.

4.       How does Sookan feel about her older sister? Describe her conflicting emotions.

       She obey her sister, and she loves her sister, however she still get some problem. She has a lot of studying to do, and she has to write journal everyday which makes her feeling terrible.

Chapter 4

1.       Define melancholy.

       Melancholy: super sad

2.       Why is Sookan melancholy after reading her mother’s letter?

      She wants to help her mother with something, but she cannot to do, because she is studying in US. 

3.       Describe Sookan’s mother (her character and personality).

       She loves Sookan so much she tried to tell her that everything is alright at home, but Sookan knows that it is a hard time for her family, so Sookan 's mother is also a strong woman.

Chapter 5

1.       Does Sookan enjoy babysitting? Why or why not?

       Yes, she does. Because she had a really good time with children and Ms.Bennetrt, and she also did some extra works and she gets some flowers from them.

2.       While babysitting, what does she learn about the roles of men and women in the U.S. that is different from their roles in Korea?

        She learned that in America men sometimes would do what women usually do, However in Korea men did not do the work that they thought women should do.

3.       If you were babysitting, would you have done all of the extra things that Sookan did? Why or why not? Why do you think she did them?

       I would do the extra works, because I love helping people. I always think that helping others is helping myself. Everyone was in the problem before, so everyone knows how bad it feels like. I would do every fever if I can do it.

Letter

I have been in the university for 2 weeks. Everything is alright. I has a good roommate who is a American. I am confusing about the culture difference. I tried to act like a American student, however I failed. I don't want to be special, but I am the only Asian in here. I like to talk to you, but my roommates has a really bad relationship with her sister. I don't know the reason. I saw what you bought me thank you so much. How is everything going? Is mom alright? Weather is getting cold. Remembering ware some warm closes. Love you and mom. 

Fairness and Freedom Never Lose Power

  M

The most recent movie I saw is The Hunger game: Mockingjay. This movie is not same as its first and second seasons. The first and second seasons is more about the main character fight for the hunger game. However the third season is more about the war between two communities. But the topic is always about the fairness and freedom. The story starts at the time when the revolutionary took Katniss from the hunger game. Then Katniss became the Mockingjay, and she works for the revolutionary to against the president. However one of her best friends Petta is used by the president as a weapon to against Katniss.

   Fairness is always be talked at every time period. In this movie we can see so many things that tell us we need fairness to make a better and brighter world, a world can protect most people's benefit. For example, in the movie there are two totally different system. The system in the government is that lower class perple have to work for the higher class. In that country you can see the poor people lives in small village, and some of their technologies are even slower than us. However the place that president lives is gorgeous castle, and the technology is too fast to believe. After Katniss was taken, the government kill everyone who live in Katniss's hometown. In the revolutionary community everyone get their own close, food, and space, even the highest people do the same thing. I consider that fairness is a way to hold everybody together to clear the estrangement. I hope everyone can have a fair life.

   Not only the fairness is important, but also the freedom. In the first season of this movie, Petta loved Katniss so much, he even want to save her life by losing his life. However, the government control him, and they torture him everyday. They also give him some medicine that can change his memmories. At the end of the movie the revolutionary take Petta back. Then Petta try to kill Katniss when he sees her. They finally find out that government changed his memmories to make him hate Katniss. Petta does not have any choice and freedom. Everyone has power to choose what they want to do, like Katniss. She always does what she wants to do. She is so brave because she is the only one who can fight the government. I want to be a person who fights for the freedom.

   Freedom and fairness are the very basic thing for us to fellow and protect. None of us would like live in a world full of violence and unfear things. However it is hard to clean all the bad thing. But, I still believe that we can do it, if we are all together, so start now let us do it together. We should do what Katniss did. If we see anything unfair or anything that take freedom away, we should stand up and try our best to stop them. I suggest that everone should watch this movie, because you can always learn something from it.