[알림] 요코이야기 지침서와 11월 5일 공청회 참석 협조 요청
작성자 KSAA
작성일 08-10-29 08:17
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각 한글학교 교장 선생님들께,
안녕하십니까? 수고가 많으시지요.
여기 요코 이야기 퇴출 운동의 마지막 힘을 쏟아야 할 때 입니다.
11월 5일 오후 1시 가주 교육국에서 공청회가 있습니다.
그 공청회의 직접적인 관계자에게 우리가 퇴출의 타당성에 대한 편지를 써 보내야 됩니다.
뜻있는 분들의 많은 동참을 바랍니다. 그리고 11월 5일 오후 1시에 공청회에 참가하실
분들을 모집합니다. 교통편과 점심을 재공해 드립니다. 많은 분들이 공청회에 참석하여
우리의 뜻이 무엇인가를 보여 주어야 합니다. 참가하실 수 있으신 분들은 저희 연합회로
전화 주시면 감사하겠습니다.
(213) 388 - 3345 그리고 서명서는 (213) 388 - 3350 으로 fax 해 주시고 원본 서명서는
우편으로 보내 주시면 감사하겠습니다.
회장 안 진 드림
미주한국학교연합회
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LRDC에서 2가지의 text book과 교사용 지침서를 살펴봤습니다.
1)'So Far from the Bamboo Grove' published by Glencoe Literature Library
'So Far from the Bamboo Grove' Study Guide published by Glencoe Literature Library
2) 'So Far from the Bamboo Grove' published by McDougal Littell
'So Far from the Bamboo Grove' Literature Connections Souce Book published by McDougal Littell
-Autobiographical Novel 이라는 장르의 문제성:
위의 1)의 Study Guide의 P5,P10 에 autobiographical novel이라고 나와있습니다. 더불어, 학생들과 할 activity의 하나로 'making time line based on the historical events that frame the narrative in 'So Far from the Bamboo Grove'. 사실이 아닌 허구로(정확하지 않은 시간과 공간배경) 묘사된 정황을 가지고 time line을 만든다는 것 자체가 옳지 않습니다. 학생들에게 역사적 사실을 다룬 책으로 오해의 소지를 줄 수 있습니다.
P24,Related Readings list 또한 대부분이 nonfiction으로 학생들에게 이 소설 자체의 내용을 nonfiction으로 간주할 수 있도록 합니다.
-학생들의 Emotional Well Being 을 보호해야 하는 것이 교육청의 법이라고 알고 있습니다.:
사실이 아닌 정황 묘사로 인해 California 의 multi-cultural 수업 상황에서 한국 학생들이 느낀 수치감과 소외감 등은 이미 보고된 바 있습니다. 이런 상황은 학생들의 정신적 충격은 물론, 타민족 학생들과의 사이에 갈등의 요지를 줄 수 있는 가능성이 충분히 있습니다.
-Fiction이라는 사실이 꼭 명시되어야 하고, 수업 중에 다루어져야만 합니다. 하지만, 역시 fiction이든 아니든 학생들에게 남을 인상은 무엇보다 강합니다. 특히, 한국 역사에 대해 거의 처음 접하게 되는 나이이므로(6,7학년) 더욱 민감한 내용이 됩니다. 처음으로 머릿 속에 각인된 인상은 쉽게 잊혀지지 않습니다.한국인에 대한 인상, 일제시대 피해자였던 한국인이 잊혀지고 가해자로서 학생들에게 기억에 남는 일은 없도록 해야하기에 'Recommended Reading List'에서 빼져야 하는 것입니다. 저희는 이 책이 도서관에 비치되어 있거나 학생들에게 자유롭게 읽히는 것을 반대하는 것이 아닙니다. 적어도 수업시간에 3주 정도의 시간동안 교사에 의해 지도되기에는 학생들에게 역사적인 오해를 줄 수 있기에 빠져야 한다는 것입니다.
아무튼, 자료를 덧붙입니다.
김현주 드림
실리콘밸리 한국학교
한국 역사 및 문화 교육 위원회
<1> 2007년 4월 24일,6:30PM 쿠퍼티노시 교육청에서 있었던 board meeting에서 제가 발표한 script 입니다. 11/5일의 board meeting보다 규모는 작겠지만, board meeing에서의 public hearing에서 쓰였다는 점에서 참고하실만 할 겁니다.
Good Evening,
My name is Rosa Kim. I am the president of Korean history and culture education committee in Silicon Valley Korean School. Our committee is consists of Korean American parents in this Bay Area.
On behalf of the Korean American parents, I would like to say that we, as a community, strongly object to the use of the book "So Far From The Bamboo Grove" written by Yoko Kawashima Watkins, which is being used in 7th Grade English Curriculum in Lawson middle school. We find this book to be racist, historically inaccurate and devoid of any moral value. The events that the author depicts in the book as her true-life experience have been exposed by historians to have been fabricated.
This book has caused an untold amount of harm to Korean-American students throughout this country for the past twenty years. For the reasons stated above, we ask to have the book "So Far From the Bamboo Grove" removed from the 7th grade English Curriculum and recommended reading list from the Cupertino Union school districts' school.
The novel takes place in 1945, immediately following World War second, and is a fictionalized autobiography of an 11-year-old Japanese girl named Yoko who is fleeing Korea. Despite being described as fiction, the author has repeatedly claimed the book reflects the true events in her life.
I will be going over three main concerns why we feel this book should be removed from the curriculum.
1. An unbalanced and distorted picture of historical events.
2. An extremely negative and racially biased portrayal of Koreans and the resulting adverse impact on the environment for Korean-American students.
3. Highly objectionable contents, such as rape and assault scenes, inappropriate for middle school age students.
From now, as my research, one county and four schools in East Coast already removed the book in their curriculum permanently.
Before I finish, I'd like to let you know this. Korean American parents, we are deeplly concerned about Korean American students' emotional well-being. There was a 5th grade boy who disappeared for 2 hours during Yoko's lesson in a school in East Coast. They found him under a library desk crying. We hope it would not happen to our children again. There is no reason they get suffered by biased historical truth. Please let me tell my children your school is doing right thing. Your school is teaching true history. You are learning truth at school.
Thank you for your time and your consideration.
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<2> Speech script of a Korean parent in the meeting with review committee of Cupertino School District
Good Morning Everyone,
My name is Hyunju Rosa Kim. I am the president of Korean history and culture education committee in Silicon Valley Korean School. Our committee consists of Korean American parents in this Bay Area.
Today, I'd like to talk about concerns of Korean American parents regarding to this book taught in middle school classrooms.
First, I have to point out sufferings of Korean American students after the class of this book. There has been many reports that Korean American students feel very uncomfortable during the class. Even asked why Koreans were so mean to Japanese in World War Two.
This is very embarrassing situation to the most of Korean American parents. Historically, this can be likened to a Nazy girl writing about a hardship by Jewish people after world war two. What a historical irony it is.
There is no reason our students feel their grandparents were offenders to Japanese. It is absolutely absurd for emotionally sensitive ages to feel guilty about what their grandparents are said to have done, which is not true.
Also, we can easily imagine not only Japanese students but also emotionally sensitive students feel bad or even hostile about Korean classmates. Why do we have to endure this unhappy possibility? I believe the school authorities together with parents and teachers must be responsible for every kid's emotional well-being.
In addition to that, all students need to know the right history, without any biased or unbalanced perspective. Maybe, some of you would think this is English literature text book, not history book taught in history class.
But, Please do not underestimate the power of stories in textbooks. In one way or another, every one of us has been shaped by the stories we have read and absorbed in the past. All stories, including fairy tales, can sometimes permeate your inner life and become part of you.
I've prepared some materials for your reference. First one is the language group data in Cupertino Union School District. We can see how much multicutural the Cupertino schools are. And, Korean students are about 5%,which is also very considerable number.
The second one is about Multicultural Education by professor Gloria Ladson Billings, in Univ. of Wisc. She said Culturally responsive education should be "An approach that empowers students intellectually,socially,emotionally, and politically by using cultural referents to import! knowledge, skills and attitudes" and "Bridges and explains the mainstream culture while valuing and recognizing students' own culture.".
The third one is an article from Journal of Children's Literature which is professional journals for English teachers. The article analyzed professionally the Yoko's book and pointed out issues from the view of educational experts.
Thank you so much for your concern and I really appreciate I could have a chance to speak in front of you on behalf of Korean American parents in this area.
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<3> letter to Cupertinoo District Board members from a Korean parent
다음은 작년, Lawson Middle의 한 학부모께서 'So Far ...Grove' 의 수업을 거부하면서 vice Superintendent, Ms.Denman과 board member들에게 보낸 편지입니다. 저희 대책위원회의 입장을 대표해서 보낸 편지이니, 1년 간의 학부모로서 저희들이 벌인 교재 거부(removal) 운동의 이유와 핵심이 잘 나와있습니다.
Dear Ms. Denman and other board members,
My name is Diana Park. I’m a parent in Lawson Middle School.
On behalf of the Korean American residents in the Cupertino Union School District, I would like to say that we, as a community, strongly object to the use of the book “So Far From The Bamboo Grove” written by Yoko Kawashima Watkins, in the 7th Grade English Curriculum or in the recommended reading list. We find this book to be racist and historically inaccurate. The events that the author depicts in the book as her true-life experience have been exposed by historians to have been fabricated.
This book has caused an untold amount of harm to Korean-American students throughout this country for the past twenty years. For the reasons stated above, we ask to have the book “So Far From the Bamboo Grove” removed from the 7th grade English Curriculum and recommended reading list from the Middle schools in Cupertino Union School District.
The novel takes place in 1945, immediately following World War II, and is a fictionalized autobiography of an 11-year-old Japanese girl who is fleeing Korea. Despite being described as fiction, the author has repeatedly claimed the book reflects the true events in her life. And to a sixth grader it’s being introduced as a true story.
I will be going over three main concerns why we feel this book should be removed from the curriculum.
First, the book has graphic descriptions of scenes of rapes and violence that are inappropriate for 7th grader. Some of the graphic details of rape scenes are found on the page 82, “I saw several Korean men dragging girls to the thicket and saw one raping a young girl. The girls were screaming for help in Japanese,” and on the page 88, “In the weeds was a Korean man on top of girl. She was kicking wildly and screaming.”
Some of the examples of assault scenes are found on page 34, “…medic yanked the baby…quickly tossed from the train. The tiny body floated…like a rag doll..,” and page 97, “No. Divide the treasures…machine gun went of…looked down coolly at the man he had just killed,…”
Second, the book doesn’t provide material that stimulates growth in factual knowledge, literary appreciation, and ethical values. It only offers a revisionist's view of skewing history. According to the book, Koreans were terrible oppressors, causing harm to benevolent Japanese people. History is being said about quite the opposite through books,records, confession even today about what has happened under imperial Japanese occupation. Most students may have first exposure to the World War Second tragedies through this book. We believe this may cause unnecessary argument on historical fact, and result in emotional conflicts in our multi-cultural class environment. Actually, we are hearing some Korean Students feared to go to school after the class. This is not just for Korean-American students. It can cause negative impact on the relationship between Japanese-American students and Korean-American students as well as other clas! smates.
Third, the book fails to offer a balanced view of historical events. Its prejudicial view is both astounding and outrageous. At every turn, Koreans are depicted as brutals. Korean males are simply homicidal and sexual aggressors. Koreans are depicted as predators, seeking out the Kawashimas and making their journey back to Japan arduous in more than a half of the book. Nowhere does the book even hint at the atrocities committed by the Japanese, totally skewing the true climate in Korea at the time. During the Japanese occupation of Korea, which spanned from 1910 to 1945, hundreds of thousands of Koreans were killed or wounded, while others were drafted to fight for Japan or forced into labor. This book represents the first exposure to Asian history for the vast majority of the 7th graders. Offering a completely biased and distorted view of historical events, basically a piece of propaganda that perpetuates Japanese ! denials of their aggression, we are doing a great disservice to our children. A 7th grader is not sophisticated enough to appreciate the book for its literary value without being influenced by the untruthful description of Koreans and events happened in Korea,1945.
We are not advocating the banning of this book. That is not our goal. We are deeply concerned about what this book could result in our children's innocent mind.
It is our contention that 7th graders do not have the ability to read this book with a critical eye. The first Asian history exposure CANNOT be distorted view. This book should be read after the students have a true and full understanding of Asian history and can be fully critical of Kawashima’s writing and motives. We don’t want to raise a group of students with distorted and biased view of the complicated relationship between Japan and the rest of her neighbors. Our children at this impressionable age are a blank sheet of paper to be filled with truth and understanding. We must take extreme care what the first impression we leave on this precious page. You know as well as we do, one can never completely erase the first image. This first image MUST NOT be distorted.
In conclusion, we object to this book on three concerns. First, we object to the book’s contents of rape and assault scenes that are inappropriate for 10 and 11 year olds. Second, we cannot allow negative and racially biased portrayals of Koreans which can also make conflicts between students of multi-cultural identities in our classroom. Finally, we cannot condone the distortion of historical facts through the contents in this book. Even though its historical background is explained in class, the fictional descriptions in this book will remain in 7th graders' mind.
Thank you for your time for this lengthy appeal and your consideration.
Diana Park
Cupertino Resident and
Parent of Lawson Middle School
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<4>
다음은 저희가 지난 가을 쿠퍼티노 교육구의 교육감으로 있는 Mr.Quon과 부교육감,Mrs.Denman 등과 '요코이야기'관련 회의를 했을때 발표했던 내용의 요약입니다. 이 요코이야기의 논쟁점인 'fictional autobiography'라는 명시가 책의 copy right 옆에 되어 있음에도 불구하고, 교사들이 보는 참고서인 'guide book(guide line)'에는 이 책이 잘못 다루고 있는 왜곡된 역사 부분에 대해서는 언급이 없고, 오히려 자서전에 대해 학습하는 대목이 나옵니다. 이는 학생들이 이를 사실을 다룬 자서전으로 오인할 수 있도록 만드는 것입니다. 그리고, 교사들의 참고서인 'guide line'에 학생들이 오해하지 않도록 역사적 배경을 설명할 수 있는 참고도서도 제대로 나와있지 않은 점에 대해서 지적한 내용입니다.
혹, 홈스쿨에서 이 'So Far from the Bamboo Grove'를 사용하고 있는 것을 발견하시면, 담당교사와 학교장 선생님께 이메일을 보내주십시오. 이메일을 쓰실때, 참고되시기를 바랍니다.
(현재, 쿠퍼티노 교육구의 경우, 작년 가을 이 교재를 사용할 시 지켜야할 조례(protocol)가 만들어진 상태입니다. 그래서, 저희 대책위원회와 교육구는 현재 그 조례를 통해 얼마나 교사들이 이 교재를 가지고 역사적인 왜곡없이 잘 가르치는가를 지켜보는 단계입니다. 이 단계에서는 학부모님들이 적극적으로 문제점을 지적해서 더이상 교재로 사용하지 않기를 요청하셔야만 교사와 학교에서 더욱 관심을 갖고 이 책의 문제점에 주목할 것입니다.)
1)So Far from the Bamboo Grove is not an autobiography but fictional autobiography. In this guideline, it was like autobiography. They even mentioned about how to write autobiography.
2)The historical background explained in this guideline is not balanced. It was explained in the view of Japanese side. There should be more mentions about why Korean communist Army was described to seek revenge against Japanese people. It is a textbook dealing with real history. When teachers teach this kind of historical fictional book in class, the situation in the book must be explained fairly in both sides not to be biased, even though it is taught in English literature class.
3) For additional Resources in this guideline, they listed up 7 books. The four of them was written about Japanese people and their hardship during World War II or 12th-century in the past. It was not balanced at all. For additional resources, at least one book written about what happened to Korean people during the world war II. This is text book, not book in the library. When it is taught by educators, and the book include a historical fact, educators have responsibility to teach historical facts. The historical background and additional resources in this guideline surely has one side view.
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<5>
다음 내용은 책의 본문에서 인용한 부분입니다. 한국인이 일본인에게는 공격자로 비치는 대목들입니다. 35년간 한국인들이 일본 식민지 하에서 당했던 고난에 대한 이해없이 단지 한 개인의 정확하지 않은 회고에 의해 묘사되는 공격자 한국공산군의 행동묘사는 역사적 지식이 없는 어린 학생들에게 잘못된 선입견을 심어줄 수 있습니다.
Graphic Details of Rape Scenes and Assault Scenes
Page 82, " I saw several Korean men dragging girls to the thicket and saw one raping a young girl. The girls were screaming for help in Japanese,"
Page 86, "A woman ahead of us, embarrassed, pulled down her trousers and panty and squatted.."
Page 87, "Drunken Korean...The group of men left us but they staggered among the people, hunting maidens for their pleasure, and whenever they found one they dragged her outside. Womens shrieks echoed."
P88,"In the weeds was a Korean man on top of girl. She was kicking wildly and screaming."
P34, "..medic yanked the baby...quickly tossed from the train. The tiny body floated...like a rag doll..."
P 73 "Since Koreans began attacking Japanese,"
P 24, "about to practice killing our enemies!(Japanese)"
P97, "Suddenly the short soldier's machine gun went off...he looked down cooly at the man he had just killed and walked off..."
P95, "Suddenly machine gun shots burst in the air...All dead."
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<6>
2007년 4월, 한국인 영어선생님인 '밥허' 선생님께서 171개의 초,중학교가 속해있는 Prince George's County에서 'So Far from the Bamboo Grove'의 문제점을 여러번 지적하고, 항의한 끝에 교재사용을 금하는(removal) 성과를 얻으셨습니다. 작년부터 쿠퍼티노 교육구에서 행해진 '요코이야기 교재사용 거부운동'에 도움을 주기위해 허선생님께서 직접 작성하신 자료를 보내주셨습니다. 참고하시기 바랍니다. 'So Far from the Bamboo Grove'의 내용 중에서 문제가 되는 부분을 직접 인용하여 그 오류를 설명하신 내용입니다. (밥허 선생님 자료 감사합니다. 밥허 선생님의 블로그 주소: http://kr.blog.yahoo.com/bobhuh.belps/)
Misleading Parts from So Far from the Bamboo Grove(ISBN 0-395-77138-2)
April 5, 2007
Bob Huh
Kenmoor Middle School
This book is sending the wrong message about Koreans at the end of World War II to middle school or elementary school readers. It is more suited for high school and college students as part of World War II units only after instruction in the history of the war. It is very disturbing and biased, and should not be used in the lower grade levels.
Page 21
The voice was shouting again. “Stop! All run to the river field. We are about to practice killing our enemies!”
(If this were the case, then American troops in Iraq are there to kill all Iraqis. Soldiers are trained to protect their people, not to kill enemies. During WWII, the enemy was the Japanese, not Koreans. This statement could lead American teenagers to think that all Korean soldiers are brutal and bad.)
Page 22
They mean us, I thought, the Japanese.
There was the thudding of feet as the troop ran down the bank. I could not stop shaking, and Mother’s arms, holding me tightly, trembled.
Very close to us the troop commander was explaining how to stab ‘the enemies’ and how to defend themselves. And how to drag bodies into the river or into trenches.
(All national solders are trained to defend themselves; however, the last sentence misleads readers to believe the Koreans were simply cold-blooded killers. The most disturbing part is the inference that all the Japanese were regarded as enemies and all should be killed.)
Page 41
All three soldiers were looking at Ko. “How old are you?”
She did not answer.
“The right size to have fun with tonight,” said the first soldier. “Leave all your belo—“
A plane swept above our heads and instantly we three, well trained, flattened ourselves. Boooooom!
(This does not represent the general population of Koreans at the end of WWII. It intentionally ignites emotional disturbance for innocent readers because of the clear reference to rape and bombing.)
Page 49
He saw the treadle sewing machine. Why had the robbers not taken this? Probably because they did not know how to use it.
(This statement infers that Koreans in general did not have the knowledge that allowed them to use a sewing machine at that time. The fact is that Koreans were proficient with sewing machines.)
Page 50
Then he went back to his own room to gather underwear, socks, and a sweater that had not interested the enemy soldiers. His overcoat was nowhere to be seen. In the bathroom he hastily washed his bloody face. I must go, he was thinking now. They may come back to finish stealing our belongings. He took a bar of soap and a bath towel.
(It appears that the author is saying that Koreans do not wear undergarments or they are not cleaned enough. Why did the author express that a bar of soap and a bath towel were also not stolen? American students may think that Koreans do not need those items because they do not clean themselves with them, even though North Korean Communists Army soldiers might come back to finish looting. The author’s hidden intention of disgracing Koreans is there.)
Page 62
Mother explained about the train. Then the man told us that he had sold his barbershop in a nearby town to a Korean friend. He was returning to Japan with his relatives. “Since Koreans began attacking Japanese, we cannot sleep peacefully.”
(Who invaded Korea in August 1910? What does the author mean by “attacking Japanese?” Koreans were "attacking" the Japanese who were in Korea in their homes.)
Page 69
We had been in Seoul for five weeks when one day Ko brought a warning. “We must get out of Seoul. I saw several Korean men dragging girls to the thicket and I saw one man raping a young girl.” Ko was shivering. The girls were screaming for help in Japanese, ‘Will you shave my hair again now?’
(Let’s not forget about the war brothels that the Japanese Emperor built to comfort his soldiers during WWII. Most of the women in these brothels were young Korean girls (12 to 40 years old) abducted by Japanese policemen or soldiers. The numbers reached the thousands. The author described similar scenes several times throughout the book denouncing Koreans and how they humiliated her and her family. No doubt, there were also Japanese women who were victimized by Korean soldiers during the war, but the number of Korean sexual victims was immense. They were systematically organized and executed by the Japanese government.)
Page 73
That day was a nightmare. Drunken Koreans, celebrating their independence, were all around us. One who swayed back and forth demanded of Ko, “Are you a boy or a girl?”
“A boy,” she answered.
“You sound like a girl. Let me feel.”
“Go ahead,” Ko said.
How I prayed someone would come to rescue us. No one was trying to help young women, for they knew that if they made the Koreans even angrier they might burn down the warehouse and the people in it. The Koreans were free of the Japanese Empire after all those years. The drunken man put his large hand….
(It is likely true that this happened, and I am so sorry that the author might have experienced this. This happened on August 15, 1945, Korean Independence Day, when thirty million suppressed Koreans, under Japanese oppression for 35 years, were celebrating. When an author writes a story, every word has meaning and intention in it. The author obviously denounces and disgraces Korea’s independence celebration by inserting this unbearable scene.)
Page 74
On Ko’s chest. “Flat,” he said. “Boys are no fun.”
At a small stream I stopped to drink and I heard a cry. In the weeds was a Korean man on top of a girl. She was kicking wildly and screaming. My knees began to shake, and, holding my sack on my head with both hands, I walked as fast as I could to Ko and Mother.
(Again, the author is using female figures to lead readers to believe that all Korean soldiers were brutal rapists, while neglecting to mention the atrocities committed by Japanese soldiers against Korean women.)
Page 81
Hideyo was shaking. He waited.
“All stripped.” A voice shouted.
“You’ll take all you want and give us junk again,” the deep voice said.
“Yeah!” another agreed.
“Shut up and do as I say.”
“No. Divide the treasures now or I will report you!”
Suddenly the short soldier’s machine gun went off, the loud burst echoing on the mountain. Smoke rose to where Hideyo was sitting.
(This scene isn’t related to their hardship. I don’t see any particular reason to include it. It just impresses one that Korean soldiers killed their own people to get more treasures, and this could lead readers to believe that Koreans are purely materialistic, placing no value on human life.)
Page 82
“Now you want to be dead or do as I say?” said the head of the group, and he looked own coolly at the man he had just killed, and walked off.
(During any war, inhumane behavior happens. Why did the author insert this segment here? Was it just to emphasize her belief that Koreans will murder anyone, be it their own or others?)
Ko and her mother, sister, and brother went through hardship for about five months between July 1945 and December, 1945. Hers was just one family, and it represents only a small portion of the entire history which unfortunately did happen. Her story disregards the thirty million Koreans who suffered rape, harassment, and murder for 35 years between August 1910 and August 1945 by the Japanese people. It does not represent the true history of World War II as pertinent to Koreans and Japanese.
This literature piece is being used for immature readers in American school systems. Even mature readers might be misled by the expressions and descriptions in the book. Young readers will easily disgrace Koreans without knowing the true history behind it.
This book should be prohibited in all elementary and middle schools because it is not completely true and is very biased. Students should be exposed to materials that are true and unbiased. It is the educator’s responsibility to teach young minds correctly using materials that represent all the facts.
---------------------------------
<7>
Stephen Walach라는 교사가 미국 학교 영문학 교사들이 많이 보는 잡지인 'Eglish Journal' 1월호에 기고한 내용입니다.
'So Far...Grove'가 왜 문제가 되는가에 대해서 교사로서 잘 서술해 놓았습니다. 이 책을 가르치려고 하는 교사들이라면 이 기사를 읽어보고, 한번 생각해보면 좋겠습니다.
이 책을 사용하려는 교사들이 있다면 forward 해 주시면 좋겠습니다. 다음의 주소를 클릭하시면 기사 니용을 보실 수 있습니다.
http://65.61.147.34/ftpimages/193/misc/misc_50773.pdf
------------------------------------------
<8>
List of schools that removed the book So Far From the Bamboo Grove from curriculum
Maryland:
• Montgomery County School District has decided to remove the book So Far From the
Bamboo Grove in all its schools’ curriculum for inaccurate historical content and for
creating an unhealthy learning environment for the its young Students.
Hawaii:
• State education Department has decided never to add the book So Far From the Bamboo
Grove to their curriculum. 120 books will remain in their library but no further books
will be purchased.
New York:
• Middle School 67 in Little Neck has decided not to use the book for creating an
unhealthy learning environment for the young students.
• Rye Country Day School has removed the book from the curriculum for inaccurate
historical content and for creating an unhealthy learning environment for the young
students after a student walked out of the classroom refusing to read the book.
Massachusetts:
• Newton Middle schools have decided to remove the book from 6
th
grade and move it to
their 8
th
grade curriculum. At the same time, a decision was made to add another book,
When My Name was Keoko, in order to achieve more balanced portrayal of Korea under
the Japanese occupation. They have also added extensive background information and
rewritten discussion points to eliminate any potential problems with the book, So Far
From the Bamboo Grove.
• Friends Academy has decided not to add the book to their reading list due to inaccurate
historical contents.
• Catholic Memorial has decided to remove the book from their curriculum for creating an
emotionally hostile learning environment for young students.
Rhode Island:
• Moses Brown has removed the book from their 5
th
grade curriculum and moved it to their
upper level class on Genocide and War Crimes.
Texas:
• Corpus Christi school requires parents’ permission prior to teaching the book due to
inappropriate sexual contents and violence.
*** 주교육위원회 회의장소***
California Department of Education
1430 N Street, Room 1101
Sacramento, California
916-319-0827
Korean School Association of America
680 Wilshire Pl. #415
LA, CA 90005
(213)-388-3345
안녕하십니까? 수고가 많으시지요.
여기 요코 이야기 퇴출 운동의 마지막 힘을 쏟아야 할 때 입니다.
11월 5일 오후 1시 가주 교육국에서 공청회가 있습니다.
그 공청회의 직접적인 관계자에게 우리가 퇴출의 타당성에 대한 편지를 써 보내야 됩니다.
뜻있는 분들의 많은 동참을 바랍니다. 그리고 11월 5일 오후 1시에 공청회에 참가하실
분들을 모집합니다. 교통편과 점심을 재공해 드립니다. 많은 분들이 공청회에 참석하여
우리의 뜻이 무엇인가를 보여 주어야 합니다. 참가하실 수 있으신 분들은 저희 연합회로
전화 주시면 감사하겠습니다.
(213) 388 - 3345 그리고 서명서는 (213) 388 - 3350 으로 fax 해 주시고 원본 서명서는
우편으로 보내 주시면 감사하겠습니다.
회장 안 진 드림
미주한국학교연합회
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
LRDC에서 2가지의 text book과 교사용 지침서를 살펴봤습니다.
1)'So Far from the Bamboo Grove' published by Glencoe Literature Library
'So Far from the Bamboo Grove' Study Guide published by Glencoe Literature Library
2) 'So Far from the Bamboo Grove' published by McDougal Littell
'So Far from the Bamboo Grove' Literature Connections Souce Book published by McDougal Littell
-Autobiographical Novel 이라는 장르의 문제성:
위의 1)의 Study Guide의 P5,P10 에 autobiographical novel이라고 나와있습니다. 더불어, 학생들과 할 activity의 하나로 'making time line based on the historical events that frame the narrative in 'So Far from the Bamboo Grove'. 사실이 아닌 허구로(정확하지 않은 시간과 공간배경) 묘사된 정황을 가지고 time line을 만든다는 것 자체가 옳지 않습니다. 학생들에게 역사적 사실을 다룬 책으로 오해의 소지를 줄 수 있습니다.
P24,Related Readings list 또한 대부분이 nonfiction으로 학생들에게 이 소설 자체의 내용을 nonfiction으로 간주할 수 있도록 합니다.
-학생들의 Emotional Well Being 을 보호해야 하는 것이 교육청의 법이라고 알고 있습니다.:
사실이 아닌 정황 묘사로 인해 California 의 multi-cultural 수업 상황에서 한국 학생들이 느낀 수치감과 소외감 등은 이미 보고된 바 있습니다. 이런 상황은 학생들의 정신적 충격은 물론, 타민족 학생들과의 사이에 갈등의 요지를 줄 수 있는 가능성이 충분히 있습니다.
-Fiction이라는 사실이 꼭 명시되어야 하고, 수업 중에 다루어져야만 합니다. 하지만, 역시 fiction이든 아니든 학생들에게 남을 인상은 무엇보다 강합니다. 특히, 한국 역사에 대해 거의 처음 접하게 되는 나이이므로(6,7학년) 더욱 민감한 내용이 됩니다. 처음으로 머릿 속에 각인된 인상은 쉽게 잊혀지지 않습니다.한국인에 대한 인상, 일제시대 피해자였던 한국인이 잊혀지고 가해자로서 학생들에게 기억에 남는 일은 없도록 해야하기에 'Recommended Reading List'에서 빼져야 하는 것입니다. 저희는 이 책이 도서관에 비치되어 있거나 학생들에게 자유롭게 읽히는 것을 반대하는 것이 아닙니다. 적어도 수업시간에 3주 정도의 시간동안 교사에 의해 지도되기에는 학생들에게 역사적인 오해를 줄 수 있기에 빠져야 한다는 것입니다.
아무튼, 자료를 덧붙입니다.
김현주 드림
실리콘밸리 한국학교
한국 역사 및 문화 교육 위원회
<1> 2007년 4월 24일,6:30PM 쿠퍼티노시 교육청에서 있었던 board meeting에서 제가 발표한 script 입니다. 11/5일의 board meeting보다 규모는 작겠지만, board meeing에서의 public hearing에서 쓰였다는 점에서 참고하실만 할 겁니다.
Good Evening,
My name is Rosa Kim. I am the president of Korean history and culture education committee in Silicon Valley Korean School. Our committee is consists of Korean American parents in this Bay Area.
On behalf of the Korean American parents, I would like to say that we, as a community, strongly object to the use of the book "So Far From The Bamboo Grove" written by Yoko Kawashima Watkins, which is being used in 7th Grade English Curriculum in Lawson middle school. We find this book to be racist, historically inaccurate and devoid of any moral value. The events that the author depicts in the book as her true-life experience have been exposed by historians to have been fabricated.
This book has caused an untold amount of harm to Korean-American students throughout this country for the past twenty years. For the reasons stated above, we ask to have the book "So Far From the Bamboo Grove" removed from the 7th grade English Curriculum and recommended reading list from the Cupertino Union school districts' school.
The novel takes place in 1945, immediately following World War second, and is a fictionalized autobiography of an 11-year-old Japanese girl named Yoko who is fleeing Korea. Despite being described as fiction, the author has repeatedly claimed the book reflects the true events in her life.
I will be going over three main concerns why we feel this book should be removed from the curriculum.
1. An unbalanced and distorted picture of historical events.
2. An extremely negative and racially biased portrayal of Koreans and the resulting adverse impact on the environment for Korean-American students.
3. Highly objectionable contents, such as rape and assault scenes, inappropriate for middle school age students.
From now, as my research, one county and four schools in East Coast already removed the book in their curriculum permanently.
Before I finish, I'd like to let you know this. Korean American parents, we are deeplly concerned about Korean American students' emotional well-being. There was a 5th grade boy who disappeared for 2 hours during Yoko's lesson in a school in East Coast. They found him under a library desk crying. We hope it would not happen to our children again. There is no reason they get suffered by biased historical truth. Please let me tell my children your school is doing right thing. Your school is teaching true history. You are learning truth at school.
Thank you for your time and your consideration.
----------------------------------------------------------
<2> Speech script of a Korean parent in the meeting with review committee of Cupertino School District
Good Morning Everyone,
My name is Hyunju Rosa Kim. I am the president of Korean history and culture education committee in Silicon Valley Korean School. Our committee consists of Korean American parents in this Bay Area.
Today, I'd like to talk about concerns of Korean American parents regarding to this book taught in middle school classrooms.
First, I have to point out sufferings of Korean American students after the class of this book. There has been many reports that Korean American students feel very uncomfortable during the class. Even asked why Koreans were so mean to Japanese in World War Two.
This is very embarrassing situation to the most of Korean American parents. Historically, this can be likened to a Nazy girl writing about a hardship by Jewish people after world war two. What a historical irony it is.
There is no reason our students feel their grandparents were offenders to Japanese. It is absolutely absurd for emotionally sensitive ages to feel guilty about what their grandparents are said to have done, which is not true.
Also, we can easily imagine not only Japanese students but also emotionally sensitive students feel bad or even hostile about Korean classmates. Why do we have to endure this unhappy possibility? I believe the school authorities together with parents and teachers must be responsible for every kid's emotional well-being.
In addition to that, all students need to know the right history, without any biased or unbalanced perspective. Maybe, some of you would think this is English literature text book, not history book taught in history class.
But, Please do not underestimate the power of stories in textbooks. In one way or another, every one of us has been shaped by the stories we have read and absorbed in the past. All stories, including fairy tales, can sometimes permeate your inner life and become part of you.
I've prepared some materials for your reference. First one is the language group data in Cupertino Union School District. We can see how much multicutural the Cupertino schools are. And, Korean students are about 5%,which is also very considerable number.
The second one is about Multicultural Education by professor Gloria Ladson Billings, in Univ. of Wisc. She said Culturally responsive education should be "An approach that empowers students intellectually,socially,emotionally, and politically by using cultural referents to import! knowledge, skills and attitudes" and "Bridges and explains the mainstream culture while valuing and recognizing students' own culture.".
The third one is an article from Journal of Children's Literature which is professional journals for English teachers. The article analyzed professionally the Yoko's book and pointed out issues from the view of educational experts.
Thank you so much for your concern and I really appreciate I could have a chance to speak in front of you on behalf of Korean American parents in this area.
-----------------------------------------------
<3> letter to Cupertinoo District Board members from a Korean parent
다음은 작년, Lawson Middle의 한 학부모께서 'So Far ...Grove' 의 수업을 거부하면서 vice Superintendent, Ms.Denman과 board member들에게 보낸 편지입니다. 저희 대책위원회의 입장을 대표해서 보낸 편지이니, 1년 간의 학부모로서 저희들이 벌인 교재 거부(removal) 운동의 이유와 핵심이 잘 나와있습니다.
Dear Ms. Denman and other board members,
My name is Diana Park. I’m a parent in Lawson Middle School.
On behalf of the Korean American residents in the Cupertino Union School District, I would like to say that we, as a community, strongly object to the use of the book “So Far From The Bamboo Grove” written by Yoko Kawashima Watkins, in the 7th Grade English Curriculum or in the recommended reading list. We find this book to be racist and historically inaccurate. The events that the author depicts in the book as her true-life experience have been exposed by historians to have been fabricated.
This book has caused an untold amount of harm to Korean-American students throughout this country for the past twenty years. For the reasons stated above, we ask to have the book “So Far From the Bamboo Grove” removed from the 7th grade English Curriculum and recommended reading list from the Middle schools in Cupertino Union School District.
The novel takes place in 1945, immediately following World War II, and is a fictionalized autobiography of an 11-year-old Japanese girl who is fleeing Korea. Despite being described as fiction, the author has repeatedly claimed the book reflects the true events in her life. And to a sixth grader it’s being introduced as a true story.
I will be going over three main concerns why we feel this book should be removed from the curriculum.
First, the book has graphic descriptions of scenes of rapes and violence that are inappropriate for 7th grader. Some of the graphic details of rape scenes are found on the page 82, “I saw several Korean men dragging girls to the thicket and saw one raping a young girl. The girls were screaming for help in Japanese,” and on the page 88, “In the weeds was a Korean man on top of girl. She was kicking wildly and screaming.”
Some of the examples of assault scenes are found on page 34, “…medic yanked the baby…quickly tossed from the train. The tiny body floated…like a rag doll..,” and page 97, “No. Divide the treasures…machine gun went of…looked down coolly at the man he had just killed,…”
Second, the book doesn’t provide material that stimulates growth in factual knowledge, literary appreciation, and ethical values. It only offers a revisionist's view of skewing history. According to the book, Koreans were terrible oppressors, causing harm to benevolent Japanese people. History is being said about quite the opposite through books,records, confession even today about what has happened under imperial Japanese occupation. Most students may have first exposure to the World War Second tragedies through this book. We believe this may cause unnecessary argument on historical fact, and result in emotional conflicts in our multi-cultural class environment. Actually, we are hearing some Korean Students feared to go to school after the class. This is not just for Korean-American students. It can cause negative impact on the relationship between Japanese-American students and Korean-American students as well as other clas! smates.
Third, the book fails to offer a balanced view of historical events. Its prejudicial view is both astounding and outrageous. At every turn, Koreans are depicted as brutals. Korean males are simply homicidal and sexual aggressors. Koreans are depicted as predators, seeking out the Kawashimas and making their journey back to Japan arduous in more than a half of the book. Nowhere does the book even hint at the atrocities committed by the Japanese, totally skewing the true climate in Korea at the time. During the Japanese occupation of Korea, which spanned from 1910 to 1945, hundreds of thousands of Koreans were killed or wounded, while others were drafted to fight for Japan or forced into labor. This book represents the first exposure to Asian history for the vast majority of the 7th graders. Offering a completely biased and distorted view of historical events, basically a piece of propaganda that perpetuates Japanese ! denials of their aggression, we are doing a great disservice to our children. A 7th grader is not sophisticated enough to appreciate the book for its literary value without being influenced by the untruthful description of Koreans and events happened in Korea,1945.
We are not advocating the banning of this book. That is not our goal. We are deeply concerned about what this book could result in our children's innocent mind.
It is our contention that 7th graders do not have the ability to read this book with a critical eye. The first Asian history exposure CANNOT be distorted view. This book should be read after the students have a true and full understanding of Asian history and can be fully critical of Kawashima’s writing and motives. We don’t want to raise a group of students with distorted and biased view of the complicated relationship between Japan and the rest of her neighbors. Our children at this impressionable age are a blank sheet of paper to be filled with truth and understanding. We must take extreme care what the first impression we leave on this precious page. You know as well as we do, one can never completely erase the first image. This first image MUST NOT be distorted.
In conclusion, we object to this book on three concerns. First, we object to the book’s contents of rape and assault scenes that are inappropriate for 10 and 11 year olds. Second, we cannot allow negative and racially biased portrayals of Koreans which can also make conflicts between students of multi-cultural identities in our classroom. Finally, we cannot condone the distortion of historical facts through the contents in this book. Even though its historical background is explained in class, the fictional descriptions in this book will remain in 7th graders' mind.
Thank you for your time for this lengthy appeal and your consideration.
Diana Park
Cupertino Resident and
Parent of Lawson Middle School
------------------------------------------------
<4>
다음은 저희가 지난 가을 쿠퍼티노 교육구의 교육감으로 있는 Mr.Quon과 부교육감,Mrs.Denman 등과 '요코이야기'관련 회의를 했을때 발표했던 내용의 요약입니다. 이 요코이야기의 논쟁점인 'fictional autobiography'라는 명시가 책의 copy right 옆에 되어 있음에도 불구하고, 교사들이 보는 참고서인 'guide book(guide line)'에는 이 책이 잘못 다루고 있는 왜곡된 역사 부분에 대해서는 언급이 없고, 오히려 자서전에 대해 학습하는 대목이 나옵니다. 이는 학생들이 이를 사실을 다룬 자서전으로 오인할 수 있도록 만드는 것입니다. 그리고, 교사들의 참고서인 'guide line'에 학생들이 오해하지 않도록 역사적 배경을 설명할 수 있는 참고도서도 제대로 나와있지 않은 점에 대해서 지적한 내용입니다.
혹, 홈스쿨에서 이 'So Far from the Bamboo Grove'를 사용하고 있는 것을 발견하시면, 담당교사와 학교장 선생님께 이메일을 보내주십시오. 이메일을 쓰실때, 참고되시기를 바랍니다.
(현재, 쿠퍼티노 교육구의 경우, 작년 가을 이 교재를 사용할 시 지켜야할 조례(protocol)가 만들어진 상태입니다. 그래서, 저희 대책위원회와 교육구는 현재 그 조례를 통해 얼마나 교사들이 이 교재를 가지고 역사적인 왜곡없이 잘 가르치는가를 지켜보는 단계입니다. 이 단계에서는 학부모님들이 적극적으로 문제점을 지적해서 더이상 교재로 사용하지 않기를 요청하셔야만 교사와 학교에서 더욱 관심을 갖고 이 책의 문제점에 주목할 것입니다.)
1)So Far from the Bamboo Grove is not an autobiography but fictional autobiography. In this guideline, it was like autobiography. They even mentioned about how to write autobiography.
2)The historical background explained in this guideline is not balanced. It was explained in the view of Japanese side. There should be more mentions about why Korean communist Army was described to seek revenge against Japanese people. It is a textbook dealing with real history. When teachers teach this kind of historical fictional book in class, the situation in the book must be explained fairly in both sides not to be biased, even though it is taught in English literature class.
3) For additional Resources in this guideline, they listed up 7 books. The four of them was written about Japanese people and their hardship during World War II or 12th-century in the past. It was not balanced at all. For additional resources, at least one book written about what happened to Korean people during the world war II. This is text book, not book in the library. When it is taught by educators, and the book include a historical fact, educators have responsibility to teach historical facts. The historical background and additional resources in this guideline surely has one side view.
-------------------------
<5>
다음 내용은 책의 본문에서 인용한 부분입니다. 한국인이 일본인에게는 공격자로 비치는 대목들입니다. 35년간 한국인들이 일본 식민지 하에서 당했던 고난에 대한 이해없이 단지 한 개인의 정확하지 않은 회고에 의해 묘사되는 공격자 한국공산군의 행동묘사는 역사적 지식이 없는 어린 학생들에게 잘못된 선입견을 심어줄 수 있습니다.
Graphic Details of Rape Scenes and Assault Scenes
Page 82, " I saw several Korean men dragging girls to the thicket and saw one raping a young girl. The girls were screaming for help in Japanese,"
Page 86, "A woman ahead of us, embarrassed, pulled down her trousers and panty and squatted.."
Page 87, "Drunken Korean...The group of men left us but they staggered among the people, hunting maidens for their pleasure, and whenever they found one they dragged her outside. Womens shrieks echoed."
P88,"In the weeds was a Korean man on top of girl. She was kicking wildly and screaming."
P34, "..medic yanked the baby...quickly tossed from the train. The tiny body floated...like a rag doll..."
P 73 "Since Koreans began attacking Japanese,"
P 24, "about to practice killing our enemies!(Japanese)"
P97, "Suddenly the short soldier's machine gun went off...he looked down cooly at the man he had just killed and walked off..."
P95, "Suddenly machine gun shots burst in the air...All dead."
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<6>
2007년 4월, 한국인 영어선생님인 '밥허' 선생님께서 171개의 초,중학교가 속해있는 Prince George's County에서 'So Far from the Bamboo Grove'의 문제점을 여러번 지적하고, 항의한 끝에 교재사용을 금하는(removal) 성과를 얻으셨습니다. 작년부터 쿠퍼티노 교육구에서 행해진 '요코이야기 교재사용 거부운동'에 도움을 주기위해 허선생님께서 직접 작성하신 자료를 보내주셨습니다. 참고하시기 바랍니다. 'So Far from the Bamboo Grove'의 내용 중에서 문제가 되는 부분을 직접 인용하여 그 오류를 설명하신 내용입니다. (밥허 선생님 자료 감사합니다. 밥허 선생님의 블로그 주소: http://kr.blog.yahoo.com/bobhuh.belps/)
Misleading Parts from So Far from the Bamboo Grove(ISBN 0-395-77138-2)
April 5, 2007
Bob Huh
Kenmoor Middle School
This book is sending the wrong message about Koreans at the end of World War II to middle school or elementary school readers. It is more suited for high school and college students as part of World War II units only after instruction in the history of the war. It is very disturbing and biased, and should not be used in the lower grade levels.
Page 21
The voice was shouting again. “Stop! All run to the river field. We are about to practice killing our enemies!”
(If this were the case, then American troops in Iraq are there to kill all Iraqis. Soldiers are trained to protect their people, not to kill enemies. During WWII, the enemy was the Japanese, not Koreans. This statement could lead American teenagers to think that all Korean soldiers are brutal and bad.)
Page 22
They mean us, I thought, the Japanese.
There was the thudding of feet as the troop ran down the bank. I could not stop shaking, and Mother’s arms, holding me tightly, trembled.
Very close to us the troop commander was explaining how to stab ‘the enemies’ and how to defend themselves. And how to drag bodies into the river or into trenches.
(All national solders are trained to defend themselves; however, the last sentence misleads readers to believe the Koreans were simply cold-blooded killers. The most disturbing part is the inference that all the Japanese were regarded as enemies and all should be killed.)
Page 41
All three soldiers were looking at Ko. “How old are you?”
She did not answer.
“The right size to have fun with tonight,” said the first soldier. “Leave all your belo—“
A plane swept above our heads and instantly we three, well trained, flattened ourselves. Boooooom!
(This does not represent the general population of Koreans at the end of WWII. It intentionally ignites emotional disturbance for innocent readers because of the clear reference to rape and bombing.)
Page 49
He saw the treadle sewing machine. Why had the robbers not taken this? Probably because they did not know how to use it.
(This statement infers that Koreans in general did not have the knowledge that allowed them to use a sewing machine at that time. The fact is that Koreans were proficient with sewing machines.)
Page 50
Then he went back to his own room to gather underwear, socks, and a sweater that had not interested the enemy soldiers. His overcoat was nowhere to be seen. In the bathroom he hastily washed his bloody face. I must go, he was thinking now. They may come back to finish stealing our belongings. He took a bar of soap and a bath towel.
(It appears that the author is saying that Koreans do not wear undergarments or they are not cleaned enough. Why did the author express that a bar of soap and a bath towel were also not stolen? American students may think that Koreans do not need those items because they do not clean themselves with them, even though North Korean Communists Army soldiers might come back to finish looting. The author’s hidden intention of disgracing Koreans is there.)
Page 62
Mother explained about the train. Then the man told us that he had sold his barbershop in a nearby town to a Korean friend. He was returning to Japan with his relatives. “Since Koreans began attacking Japanese, we cannot sleep peacefully.”
(Who invaded Korea in August 1910? What does the author mean by “attacking Japanese?” Koreans were "attacking" the Japanese who were in Korea in their homes.)
Page 69
We had been in Seoul for five weeks when one day Ko brought a warning. “We must get out of Seoul. I saw several Korean men dragging girls to the thicket and I saw one man raping a young girl.” Ko was shivering. The girls were screaming for help in Japanese, ‘Will you shave my hair again now?’
(Let’s not forget about the war brothels that the Japanese Emperor built to comfort his soldiers during WWII. Most of the women in these brothels were young Korean girls (12 to 40 years old) abducted by Japanese policemen or soldiers. The numbers reached the thousands. The author described similar scenes several times throughout the book denouncing Koreans and how they humiliated her and her family. No doubt, there were also Japanese women who were victimized by Korean soldiers during the war, but the number of Korean sexual victims was immense. They were systematically organized and executed by the Japanese government.)
Page 73
That day was a nightmare. Drunken Koreans, celebrating their independence, were all around us. One who swayed back and forth demanded of Ko, “Are you a boy or a girl?”
“A boy,” she answered.
“You sound like a girl. Let me feel.”
“Go ahead,” Ko said.
How I prayed someone would come to rescue us. No one was trying to help young women, for they knew that if they made the Koreans even angrier they might burn down the warehouse and the people in it. The Koreans were free of the Japanese Empire after all those years. The drunken man put his large hand….
(It is likely true that this happened, and I am so sorry that the author might have experienced this. This happened on August 15, 1945, Korean Independence Day, when thirty million suppressed Koreans, under Japanese oppression for 35 years, were celebrating. When an author writes a story, every word has meaning and intention in it. The author obviously denounces and disgraces Korea’s independence celebration by inserting this unbearable scene.)
Page 74
On Ko’s chest. “Flat,” he said. “Boys are no fun.”
At a small stream I stopped to drink and I heard a cry. In the weeds was a Korean man on top of a girl. She was kicking wildly and screaming. My knees began to shake, and, holding my sack on my head with both hands, I walked as fast as I could to Ko and Mother.
(Again, the author is using female figures to lead readers to believe that all Korean soldiers were brutal rapists, while neglecting to mention the atrocities committed by Japanese soldiers against Korean women.)
Page 81
Hideyo was shaking. He waited.
“All stripped.” A voice shouted.
“You’ll take all you want and give us junk again,” the deep voice said.
“Yeah!” another agreed.
“Shut up and do as I say.”
“No. Divide the treasures now or I will report you!”
Suddenly the short soldier’s machine gun went off, the loud burst echoing on the mountain. Smoke rose to where Hideyo was sitting.
(This scene isn’t related to their hardship. I don’t see any particular reason to include it. It just impresses one that Korean soldiers killed their own people to get more treasures, and this could lead readers to believe that Koreans are purely materialistic, placing no value on human life.)
Page 82
“Now you want to be dead or do as I say?” said the head of the group, and he looked own coolly at the man he had just killed, and walked off.
(During any war, inhumane behavior happens. Why did the author insert this segment here? Was it just to emphasize her belief that Koreans will murder anyone, be it their own or others?)
Ko and her mother, sister, and brother went through hardship for about five months between July 1945 and December, 1945. Hers was just one family, and it represents only a small portion of the entire history which unfortunately did happen. Her story disregards the thirty million Koreans who suffered rape, harassment, and murder for 35 years between August 1910 and August 1945 by the Japanese people. It does not represent the true history of World War II as pertinent to Koreans and Japanese.
This literature piece is being used for immature readers in American school systems. Even mature readers might be misled by the expressions and descriptions in the book. Young readers will easily disgrace Koreans without knowing the true history behind it.
This book should be prohibited in all elementary and middle schools because it is not completely true and is very biased. Students should be exposed to materials that are true and unbiased. It is the educator’s responsibility to teach young minds correctly using materials that represent all the facts.
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<7>
Stephen Walach라는 교사가 미국 학교 영문학 교사들이 많이 보는 잡지인 'Eglish Journal' 1월호에 기고한 내용입니다.
'So Far...Grove'가 왜 문제가 되는가에 대해서 교사로서 잘 서술해 놓았습니다. 이 책을 가르치려고 하는 교사들이라면 이 기사를 읽어보고, 한번 생각해보면 좋겠습니다.
이 책을 사용하려는 교사들이 있다면 forward 해 주시면 좋겠습니다. 다음의 주소를 클릭하시면 기사 니용을 보실 수 있습니다.
http://65.61.147.34/ftpimages/193/misc/misc_50773.pdf
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<8>
List of schools that removed the book So Far From the Bamboo Grove from curriculum
Maryland:
• Montgomery County School District has decided to remove the book So Far From the
Bamboo Grove in all its schools’ curriculum for inaccurate historical content and for
creating an unhealthy learning environment for the its young Students.
Hawaii:
• State education Department has decided never to add the book So Far From the Bamboo
Grove to their curriculum. 120 books will remain in their library but no further books
will be purchased.
New York:
• Middle School 67 in Little Neck has decided not to use the book for creating an
unhealthy learning environment for the young students.
• Rye Country Day School has removed the book from the curriculum for inaccurate
historical content and for creating an unhealthy learning environment for the young
students after a student walked out of the classroom refusing to read the book.
Massachusetts:
• Newton Middle schools have decided to remove the book from 6
th
grade and move it to
their 8
th
grade curriculum. At the same time, a decision was made to add another book,
When My Name was Keoko, in order to achieve more balanced portrayal of Korea under
the Japanese occupation. They have also added extensive background information and
rewritten discussion points to eliminate any potential problems with the book, So Far
From the Bamboo Grove.
• Friends Academy has decided not to add the book to their reading list due to inaccurate
historical contents.
• Catholic Memorial has decided to remove the book from their curriculum for creating an
emotionally hostile learning environment for young students.
Rhode Island:
• Moses Brown has removed the book from their 5
th
grade curriculum and moved it to their
upper level class on Genocide and War Crimes.
Texas:
• Corpus Christi school requires parents’ permission prior to teaching the book due to
inappropriate sexual contents and violence.
*** 주교육위원회 회의장소***
California Department of Education
1430 N Street, Room 1101
Sacramento, California
916-319-0827
Korean School Association of America
680 Wilshire Pl. #415
LA, CA 90005
(213)-388-3345
KSAA(bkcc)
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