SMART-Ending- change

* choose one character and describe the change they had undergone from beginning to end

-Change of Kitty Coleman

The character that showed a big difference between beginning and ending was Kitty Coleman, who is the elegant and beautiful woman. At first, she was only a quiet and inactive missus. Although Kitty lived in great house, had handsome husband and cute daughter, she wasn't happy. She got a lot of stress from everywhere(especially from her mother-in-law), but didn't try to get rid of stress. However, the big event occurs! Kitty is in love with Mr.Jackson, a man who is in charge of the cemetry, and the baby between them begins to grow in her. However, she had to lose the baby and gets a grief. In my opinion, losing baby was the reason of her change. Since losing her baby, Kitty changes a lot. Although it was not her intend at first, she met the woman called Caroline Black, a suffaragette. Then, Kitty herself becomes an active and enthausiastic suffaragette, who works for right of women to vote. As she is holding a large meeting in her house and organizing numerous rallies and speeches, she becomes an passionate and active person. Despite the fact that she became to change in good way, I couldn't understand her real intend because of the 'emerald necklace' incident. Although she and her mother-in-law didn't have good relationship, I couldn't understand why Kitty made the suffaragette necklace with emerald that was given by her mother-in-law. At first I only thought as a 'revenge'(?) toward mother-in-law, but when I finished the book, I guessed that it was because she wanted to show her strong passion and pride about working as a suffaragette.
As I mentioned above, Kitty Coleman changed a lot from beginning. In my opinion, the most heartbreaking change was the broken relationship with her daughter Maude, who is undergoing some changes herself. Since Maude still needs help and love from her mother, I was a little bit angry at Kitty just as her husband. But I couldn't stop my tears when she was about to die and think that she was living her whole life for her daughter. In my opinion, Kitty always loved her daughter but didn't know how to express because of the loneliness and sadness which came from losing the baby that was growing inside her.

SMART-middle- describe

*Become one of the characters and describe your experiences during a certain event.

*I became Richard Coleman, who is main character Maude's father.

I was greatly surprised with Kitty several times. These days, Kitty seemed to have some great and radical event going on her. I knew something was happening to her by old sense, but I could not guess what it is. I am not a fool- I know just by looking at her eyes. Her health was not good yet, but her facial expression got influenced by some passion in her heart. I should have noticed back then. If I knew right away when I felt her changing, then she might not be influenced by that suffrage thing that deeply. I felt so sorry for Maude, my little princess. Although she is already almost thirteen and I don’t express my feelings well, I love her very much. So I could not keep myself from exploding when I heard the news about Kitty. I should admit that Maude is growing up and is no more a child, but still she needs love and care of her mother. Of course, I was furious at my wife since she worked as an active suffragette and caught by a police. Mother and my Coleman house will have an ingrained disgrace. However, that was not the whole reason of my anger. I was angry at myself, who did not pay lots of attention to my wife. I knew she was undergoing a change, but I never put an effort on knowing what the change is. Since the person who could stop her wasn’t there at the time next to her, she got deeply influenced by such topic. Also, I was quite shocked when I found out that Kitty does not know much about Maude. In my opinion, I think I have more knowledge, or attention, toward Maude than her. Really, Maude is growing into a lady and she needs a wonderful example of good lady, and good mother so she can be just good as her role model. I thought that Kitty will be good example of Maude although she has some drawbacks to solve out. However, she did not even show her love toward Maude because of all those suffrage things. I was so furious that I shouted at Kitty for long time. Later, Maude said she had never seen me angry like that. I felt genuine apology to her. She is a sensitive girl, and I think she noticed the fact that Kitty is more spending time on working with Mrs., I mean, Ms. Black. Maybe I should talk to Maude more, and say that Kitty always loves her, although she does not express the feelings often.

SMART-beginning2- letter

*to reader from character

Dear Ray Choe,

Hi, I am Gertrude Waterhouse. I received your letter yesterday and I could think about many things while reading your letter. Thank you for sending me the letter first, since I could learn many things from you although I am older than you. Sometimes adults have to learn things from younger ones, too. I was quite surprised that my conservative parts and jealousy toward Mrs. Coleman showed strong to you. The hardness of my jealousy is quite lower than you think, but I could not deny that the fact that I have a jealousy in myself now. I know that jealousy makes a person lonely and sensitive, and I will work hard to overcome my feelings toward Mrs. Coleman. Although she has many features that I don’t have, maybe she will feel same as me since every person has almost same feelings and thoughts in themselves. Also, I thought about my conservative parts, which was represented by a ‘mourning clothes’ in your letter. I could not really accept your thoughts and opinions toward me and my thoughts, and I think it is because of the difference of place and time. Although the things I and most people in this country in this time pursues are ‘old’ and ‘old-fashioned’ at your time, it is most common and traditional things in here. I know that several things are changing and they will be accepted in future, but still traditional items and thoughts are just as important as modernized and digital(anyway, what does “digital” mean?) items, since it all has some tradition, which can not be denied or modified even if hundreds of years have passed. Also, I am asking you one question: did future people combined traditional items and digital items harmoniously? I am very concerned and have curiosity about the future of our society. If it is able, maybe I will be able to do it also when more time passes and I mature more. Because our perspective is different, I think we can not have exactly same opinion or thought toward some things. I feel it is natural, and I am saying that from my heart since I tried hard to understand and accept your words. Understanding the words is different from accepting the words. And just one more question: what country do you live in? I am not familiar with the word ‘Chosun’, although you explained that the Chosun dynasty was hundreds of years ago. Maybe it is one among Asian countries? Please answer back my questions when you write to me next time. Anyway, it was interesting to receive your letter. It made me think about many issues.

Sincerely,
Gertrude Waterhouse

SMART-Beginning1-letter

*To character from reader

Dear Gertrude Waterhouse,

Hi, Mrs. Waterhouse. While I was reading the part about you, I could understand and feel sympathy about you a little bit. I know the jealousy you have toward Mrs. Coleman, who is more beautiful, elegant, and wealthy than you. I could understand your feeling well because I also had a jealousy toward others who are better than me in several things. I was jealous to friend who had good score and beautiful than me. However, I could overcome the jealousy and developed myself by competing with her in mind. I tried hard to do the homework well, study more than her, and do the presentation or test well than her. Since I tried hard to get better grade, I could overcome the jealousy and became good friend with her. If a person can develop one without competing, it will be great but if they can’t, it will be good to compete with others and try hard. Therefore, I understand your jealousy toward Mrs. Coleman, but you should compete and overcome your jealousy and be good friend with her or you will just feel jealousy every minute you see her. I am younger than you and I experienced the life little, but in my opinion, keeping jealousy as a jealousy forever would certainly not help oneself. So you should really try to overcome your feeling toward her.
I think I have many similarities with you. Not just because of jealousy, but also a little bit I am a little bit conservative as you, and I really care what I look like to other people. I could know your personalities by your opinion toward wearing ‘mourning clothes’ at the first part of novel. Since I don’t live in same time with you and I never saw or wore mourning clothes, I couldn’t understand you and Mr. Waterhouse’s opinion well. However, I asked my mother and she said that in Chosun dynasty, which is like hundred years ago, people wore mourning clothes for 3 years. I read about them more and could understand the conservative peoples’ opinion a little bit. Although I consider myself as a conservative person and think a lot about outer part, which is being showed to others, I think you should accept and understand the new things which are changing. Since the time that you are living in is experiencing many changes which will make the base of these days, you should find a way to harmoniously combine the tradition and changes. These days, almost everything is digital and modernized, but some people feel sick of it and go back to the analog things, which are representing the tradition. Therefore, you should not be grieved about the fact that people are accepting more digital and modernized things in your time.

Sincerely,
Ray Choe

TRJ #6- Original- Comparing Allie Nelson and Sujin Kim

When I read the novel ‘The Notebook’, I remembered watching the Korean melodramatic movie ‘Eraser in my head’. I could easily remember seeing that movie because of the fact that movie was the story of Alzheimer’s patient, just like second part of novel. Although Allie Nelson in the book and Sujin Kim in movie have many differences, there are some similarities between two of them. They have a husband who loves her very much. Chul-soo Choi is husband of Sujin, and he feels much pain while watching her but doesn’t leave her. Noah also shows a great love toward his wife Allie throughout his whole life. Furthermore, they had a passion and talent to their jobs, or works. Allie showed great ability and passion in painting, which she could gain again because of Noah. Before she knew she was ill, Sujin worked at suit designing company and was a capable designer. They are both lovely and beautiful woman, and have both tender and confident side. However, Allie married and lived with Noah for long time, like 45 years or more until she knows that she got ill, but Sujin knew the fact right after she married. Despite the fact that Allie is in her 60s (or 70s) and Sujin is in her 30s, two female characters have big similarity that they showed great love story with their husbands. Since I compared two of them and read the novel, I could more enjoy the book and think about the topic again.

TRJ #5- Writer's craft- characterization- direct and indirect

In the novel ‘The Notebook’, it is quite interesting to see the characterization. At first, novel shows characteristic of main characters evidently. I could easily recognize and differentiate characters from each other because the characterization was pretty good. Also, it was because three main characters have very different characteristics. For example, in page 73, there is the part where Allie compares Noah and Lon, two male characters, and two are very different. Lon is driven in his work, and always work comes first than Allie. Also, Noah is more romantic than Lon. There is great difference between two. Also, in page 55, Noah describes young Allie like this: ‘She was fiery, spontaneous, passionate-’. There were some parts that I could guess indirectly by reading a novel and watching their behaviors. Although the novel doesn’t mention Lon a lot, I could guess that he is a gentle man and is caring for Allie because he let her leave him and did not seize. I like the way author expressed characteristics, both direct way and indirect way. Since the author wrote direct characterization, I could easily know about the characteristics. Also, it was interesting to find the hidden characterization.

TRJ #4- Writer’s craft 1- sturucture- How does the view change from part 1 to 2?

Novel ‘The Notebook’ can be divided into two big parts. First, part 1 is the story when two main characters were 29 and 31 years old. Part 2 is where the time passed and they are in their 70s. In part 1, the story goes on with the third person point of view which is that author tells both character’s action and feelings. Therefore, I could know about main characters more easily and fast because the book showed both action and feelings. On the other hand, first person point of view was used in part 2. Noah became the first person and talked about the events in his point of view. Although I was a little bit confused in first who was ‘I’, the first person view was good because I could exactly know about how the person who is telling the story feels. Also, it was not hard to figure out Allie’s feelings because Noah already knows and explains in detail. I think the author changed the voice in between to show more effectively that time has passed and lots of things had changed. Furthermore, it would be hard to understand if the author wrote in Allie’s point of view since Allie is patient of Alzheimer’s. Although she recovers by power of love, it would be still hard. It was quite interesting that voice changed in middle, and I could understand and agree with the main characters more easily by reading both first person view and third person view.