Language Learning Journal #4
“Confession” - Yun Dong-ju
David Kim
30262888
david.kim123@richmond.edu
As I read and studied the poems of Yun Dong-ju, I felt that I was learning more about my target language and having a better understanding of the culture and history. I thought it would be nice to finish this semester with another poem of Yun Dong-ju, so I chose Confessions by Yun Dong-ju. Confession was written in 1942 by Yun Dongyu, during the Japanese colonial era. The main theme of this poem is constant self-reflection accompanied by history. The first paragraph talks about his shameful self discovered in the copper mirror. This can be also seen as people who lost their country. The second paragraph of the poem shows that there is no need to repent for a long time because it is a shameful history. The third paragraph is about repentance of past frustrations and repentance for failing to overcome the depressing circumstance. ‘One happy day’ can be interpreted as the day of independence of his own country. The next paragraph shows his resolution through self-reflection. The last paragraph of the poem illustrates the future life of living in frustrating situations. Confession contains the conscientious attitude of the writer in the form of self-examination as the work reflects on himself living a cursed life in the Japanese colonial era. This work was written in the age of twenty-four. I could see his deep spirit through analyzing and dismantling himself based on Oriental ethics from an objective view. Yun Dong-ju finds dynastic relics and his face through a medium called a blue rusted copper mirror. This mirror is itself 'me' and reflects me. Not only does he reflect on and repent of his past life through the mirror, but he realizes his current embarrassment in light of the future, which is a 'one happy day.' So the mirror in this poem is not just an instrument of inner self-reflection, but a medium of historical awareness. It is a window into the future. He writes a penitent note about his life living without any joy, while thinking of another penitent note to write on ‘one happy day.’ The meteorite refers to a shooting star and is often reminiscent of death, so the writer’s self-awareness in this passage is very depressing and tragic. However, it could be very emotional of predicting his fate, considering that Confession was written just before he moved to Japan. He died in jail six months before his country's independence after being arrested for independence activity in Japan. In fact, many symptoms of shame are revealed in Yun Dong-ju's poems. Most of his embarrassment is linked to affection and shared emotions such as greed, hate, and pain. This seems to come from the ontological questions and reflections about himself and the pure consciousness of self-loathing and compassion that follows. Yun Dong-ju's poem derives from a sense of disorientation and loss. The ontological self-awareness and suffering in emotion collide with the purity of his heart and result in the poetic emotion of shame. As a Korean myself, I am truly proud of him and I want to carry on his spirit and courage.
Korean Resource
https://www.artinsight.co.kr/news/view.php?no=51661
English Resource
http://dh.aks.ac.kr/Korea100/wiki/index.php/Beloved_Poet_and_Independence_Activist,_Yun_Dong-ju
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