The Mistake of a Hero

The Mistake of a Hero

Everyone has a hero in his/her heart. My hero is my uncle, and my grandfather’s hero at first was Mao Ze Dong, who was a hero in China. Many old generations, like my grandfather’s, respected Mao Ze Dong as if he were a God and did everything correctly. From 1966 to 1976, Mao Ze Dong initiated the Cultural Revolution to punish the people who he thought would damage the government because he was trying to keep the society safe. However, the revolution was a catastrophe for the whole country. It made the country lose a lot of money and killed many people who were patriots. Furthermore, the revolution of my grandfather’s hero made a strong impression on our family that we will never forget. The impression consisted of disappointment and indignation.

First of all, in the revolution, my grandfather was betrayed by a friend whose name was Jian. Before the revolution, my grandfather used to leave home early and come back late. He finished his work, and then he helped Jian who could not do heavy work but needed to keep the job to raise his family. Nevertheless, one day Jian told the officials that my grandfather was against the revolution. Thus, he got monetary award for that information and retired. In his eyes, money was everything even if it meant betraying a good friend. For my grandfather, the revolution showed that friendship between him and his friend was so fragile. At the same time, all of my family realized that people would be extremely selfish in order to get money. Our family could not forgive my grandfather’s friend because he indirectly killed my uncle even though he begged for forgiveness.

In addition, the Cultural Revolution took away a family member from us, and caused permanent damage to my grandfather’s right side of his leg. In the revolution, there were two perspectives. The left side, which the government called completely correct, was legal; the right side, which damaged to the country’s safety, was illegal. If the government suspected a person was supporting the right side, he was criticized and imprisoned. At that time, my grandfather was considered as partial to the right side just because he liked reading books. Nevertheless, my grandfather pleaded not guilty. However, when he was arrested, the officials physically punished him. Nobody came to help him even though they all knew my grandfather was innocent. My family realized that my grandfather would die if no one helped him, so my uncle who was my grandfather’s nephew went to the prison and rescued my grandfather. Unfortunately, my uncle was physically punished and he died from his wounds. It seemed like the officials just needed to kill one person no matter who he was. Therefore, my uncle went to heaven and became our whole family’s hero.

Finally, our family tried our best to reduce my grandfather’s guilt and let him know it was not his fault. All my family did not mention my uncle or the revolution in front of my grandfather. However, many times I saw he sat behind a door and his eyes filled with tears. Before my grandfather died, he referred to my uncle. He said he would prefer if he had died instead of my uncle. I knew that he blamed himself for my uncle’s death. Furthermore, I also blamed myself because I could not help my grandfather reverse the punishment. I knew he was going to apologize to my uncle in heaven.

There were thousands victims who died like my uncle during the Cultural Revolution. The Cultural Revolution was implemented by a country’s hero, Mao Ze Dong, but none of Chinese citizens could stand up and say that it was an inane policy. Fortunately, after the revolution, all Chinese people learned that heroes are also human beings, and they can also make some mistakes. They understood the Cultural Revolution was a mistake which passed through killing lives and cost ten years of suffering.

Let’s Fly to Freedom

                                     Let’s Fly to Freedom

Nothing is going to change when someone always lives stuck in the past. On October 1^st 1949, Chairman Mao was pacifically standing in the front of Tian An Men Square in Beijing. Once he declared China is liberated, a sea of faces in the front of him cheered excitedly. That was a new beginning to most of the Chinese, most of them. A new era created secretaries in charge of all businesses of the village areas, and one of them had transformed the life of my father. My father was poor when he was young. The secretary denied my father to attend high school due to his poor family environment. He was forced to give up his education and jumped into rough family farming. Obviously, he became a poor farmer while some of his classmates had already become successful businessmen or officers. It had nothing to do with his talent; it was just his misfortune. As a result of my father being denied an education and the poor family environment in China, we immigrated to the U.S. where he has seen I can be free and build myself a better life.

A shameful mean decision by the secretary caused a tough but positive family. My father started to struggle with his farming duties after the secretary turned him down. He maintained all of the family farming and just got a little reward because of the policy. He continued to live with his poor condition until the age of twenty seven and then had an arranged marriage, which was an advanced age to marry in his generation. Accordingly, he married my mother, who he had never met before. He had to work every sunrise to sunset to support his cherished family. Nonetheless, this was just the beginning of my independence. I started to do my heavy housework when I was ten. My father sighed when he saw the first meal his little girl cooked for him, for his helplessness to create a comfortable family environment for his daughter. As a father, he didn’t want me to do any heavy work. Nevertheless, he just worked as hard as he could, and he had never complained about his unjust encounter. He had never grieved about the past and looked toward the future; this is an invaluable thing he taught me in my unique childhood.   

‘‘Once I have chance to change, I won’t let it slip!’’ my father said that to me when he was recalling his childhood. His voice was clam, whereas the expression in his eyes was intense. My father spent his entire earnings to immigrate to the U.S and he even had to borrow some from his relatives because of he didn’t want me to follow in his steps. He has a tough childhood, which made him as a giant in my generation. He led my family toward boom by his hard work. He always gives me the best, like a candle gives its all to the tiny blaze. I think this is the way he wants to tell to the others; he doesn’t want anyone to look down upon him or his family. His brilliant determination had led my family to face a new beginning of our lives, and nobody can judge him about this time.

Compared to my father, I am a greenhouse flower. Living in the U.S. it is easier to capture the success of my life. I am not afraid of the income; I put whatever I earn into my pocket. I am not scared of the system behind the socialism; I can do whatever I want to do legally. The U.S. is a place where I don’t have to undergo the experiences my father had. The United Stated of America is a free and ideal country, which my father wants to provide to me. I profoundly want to thank my father. I am a fortunate girl who skips in time of tribulation in order to gain a better life.

No one is settled at the beginning of his or her life. To be a person that I want to be is to depend on myself. The secretary changed the early life of my father, yet he modified his older life by himself. Nonetheless, it’s clear that a futureless path can develop to be a splendid avenue. When my father was young, he didn’t grieve about the misfortune in the past. He just looked toward the future and lived positively. He is a good example of how misfortune may be an actual blessing. 

Wenchuan Earthquake

May, 12, 2008 is a day that Chinese people will never forget. At 2:28 in the afternoon on May, 12, 2008, a strong earthquake suddenly came to Wenchuan, Sichuan province. At that moment, Wenchuan changed out of all recognition, beautiful buildings became ruins, many people were buried under the rubble, and some lives instantly disappeared with the collapse of the buildings. The earthquake disaster of Wenchuan has resulted in a very great loss of life and property. This earthquake disaster of Wenchuan changed me a lot because it has helped me to appreciate life, family and love.

From this disaster, I have understood that life is so tiny, and it has made me more appreciative of life. I was so afraid when I saw the news on TV that the earthquake killed 69,227 people, 374,643 people were injured and 17,923 people were missing. Before the disaster, how many lives in the moment of life have been mercilessly deprived? At the same time, I also understood clearly that humans are obviously so small and weak in the face of disaster. I have always been aware that I am going to die someday, but I do not think I have ever really appreciated my life. Although I have never experienced a disaster like that, I actually began to cherish my life more than before. Over the years, I wanted to try some extreme sports because I thought that I have only one life and only one chance to do all the things that I want to do. I hoped I could try different things. However, accidents can happen at anytime and anywhere. Because I only have one life, it does not have second chance. Thus, I have begun to cherish my life.

In general, children attach to their parents when they are young, but since the earthquake I find myself more attached to my parents even thought I am not a child anymore. To be honest, I did not like this in the past. I did not enjoy spending time with my family and often went out with my friends. The earthquake caused many children to become orphans and made a lot of families fragmented. These facts told me that family, who are the closest people are also not always with me. Especially when we are growing up, parents are getting older. I recently started becoming attached to my parents and value my family. I think in life, the greatest success is having a family, the career and ideals are based on a family. As a result, when people are trying to spend time with their friends, I am planning spend more time with my family.

During the earthquake, there were many touching stories which made me understand more about love. I still remember one of those touching stories about how the firefighters saved a life. They removed the cement board and they were stunned by the scene--a mother was kneeling down with her hands on the floor. There was a three-month-old baby under her body, but the mother had stopped breathing. This mother used her body to protect her child, so the child would not be hit by the stones. She saved her child. The rescuer also found a cellphone from the baby's body, and there was a message written by the mother: "Dear baby, if you can survive, remember that I love you". What forced her to give up her life to protect her child? Was love; love is the most powerful force. In the past, I hated my mother's nagging and even argued with her a lot. Now, I know that mother's nagging is a kind of love for me.

The Wenchuan earthquake made people lose their homes and relatives, but the earthquake also let people harvest love and the true meaning of life. I have not experienced such pain, so I may not be able to truly experience the meaning of life. However, the Wenchuan earthquake let me know how to cherish my life and family better. It also let me know better the meaning of love. I hope to always cherish the people and things around me in the future.

An important Key

  

                                                                   An important Key

Columbus discovered the American continent over five hundred years ago, and people from all 

over the world began to immigrate. It still continues today. More and more people

have decided to leave their country and come to the American continent. Leaving their homeland and

crossing the world has changed their lives. My uncle decided to immigrate to the new world twenty

years ago and his decision has influenced my family. Spurred on by the fashion that causes many

people to immigrate, my uncle’s choice to do the same brought our family to U.S. where we have an

improved our lives but created an emotional and physical distance in my family.

  

 In the beginning, the success of his immigrant life provided a good example among

my family members. My family was proud of his success. When they talked about

him, their faces were  full of admiration. Sometimes, they used his success to teach his

children as a good example and encouraged them. Also, it was a good way to offer a

 new way to live. When we considered our futures, it gave us one more choice. Eventually, my uncle’s

 immigration raised the immigration boom of my family, and my family members began to think of the

 possibility. Now, half of my family members have followed his steps, and I think the number may be

 increase in the future.

       Even though the immigration has brought wealth to our family, his departure created an emotional loss

 or family. For instance, my grandparents have not seen him for many years and missed him very much. 

Parents always care about their children, especially when they leave and are far away from home. This is 

the natural instinct for the parents. When I was young, I went to visit my grandparents and I heard my 

grandma mention him. On the other hand, my uncle’s child was confused about him and did not know 

him very well. The reason was that he sent his child back to China because his business was busy and he 

wanted his child to grow up in his hometown where he was born. Therefore, my cousin grew up in China

and had not seen his father for many years. When he grew up and referred to his father, he always

looked at his father’s photos and felt strange. In fact, he does not have too much feeling with his parents.

  Furthermore, his immigration also developed our quality of life. Our family became rich after the

immigration. There is a common belief that if a person gets to the top, he will lead the surrounding people

to the high position. In our case, my family’s wealth level began to be enhanced and it developed our

material quality of live. With the development of our material quality, people start to pursue the quality

of spirit aspect. They began to send their next generations to elite schools to study. They wished their 

children could acquire more knowledge and have high degrees, and it is a kind of way to improve the 

spirit aspect.

   In conclusion, the emerging of immigrant boom resulted in my uncle’s departure and affected my family 

with making a good example, having an emotional effect and developed our quality of life. Immigration 

became the corner of my family’s life. It is an important key to open the door of new life. Make good use

of the key and it will lead to a new life and a new world.

The debts

Having gone through the rough Japanese colonial era and the Korean War, it is more than just impressive how fast the Korean economy has grown. On the one hand, the Japanese colonial rule gave Korea an indelible scar, but on the other hand, it was the initial point from which Korea opened its door to the world. It adopted foreign cultures and learned how to trade. Thanks to President Jung Hi Park’s brilliant manipulation of the vestiges of Japanese imperialism, enthusiasm for education was higher than ever before, and people began to build their own businesses. As a result, Korea accomplished the greatest economic growth. As money came to people’s pockets, people became more extravagant and lived in ease. Consequently, not long after they had enjoyed their affluent lives, they found themselves with no fortune. Eventually, Korea borrowed money from the IMF, International Monetary Fund, and they had to suffer from paying back their debts for years. Unfortunately, my grandfather’s family couldn’t avoid paying its debts, and its effects have lingered on my family as a little abnormal feature.

            My grandfather was one of the people who started a business and made enviable profits, which eventually disappeared, by supplying automobile parts. He sent his three sons to universities without financial worries, and he was about to bolster his last child, my mother. However, once the economic situation had gone bad, his company had financial difficulties because of decreasing consumer demand and ended up with terrible bankruptcy. Since my uncles were still busy undergraduate students, and relatives were having hard time to survive in the horrible economic situation, there was no one to help my grandfather who was sitting on an enormous amount of debt. My mother could have gone to a prestigious school, but she had to go college which was not her plan to get a full scholarship. She never used new books or stationary. At the age of twenty, she even gave up pretty clothes and cosmetic products. During those years, my mother, who had been a pampered little girl, was reborn as a strong woman. Right after she graduated from college, she found a job, so she could help her father to pay the debt.

            In middle of the crisis, my parents decided to get married, and the hard situation motivated them to make the heartbreaking decision for their future family. When they dated, my father was suffering from the IMF crisis as well. His family was originally poor, and to add insult to injury, the family income sharply diminished because of the bad economy. My father was a worker by day and a student by night to support himself. Before the marriage, there was one huge issue to consider. My mother’s job was in a different area from my father’s. One of them needed to quit a job, and obviously it was my mother. However, she wanted to keep working to help my grandfather to pay back his debt. Korea, back in the 1980s, was very conservative country. Ideal woman stayed at home all day and took care of the house working; it was unacceptable for one’s wife to live far apart from her husband for money. Despite that fact, my father understood her because he was going through the same hardship like my mother was. Eventually, they determined that they would be a long-distance couple.

           Although financial situation has gotten better thanks to my parents and relatives, my parents still have no plan to live together because they have to support my brother and me until we can be independent. My brother and I are living with my mother in a region which is three hours away from my father. My father has been visiting his family every weekend and calling us every night to say hello for the past twenty years. In spite of the distance, we have never been indolent to contact each other.

            Sometimes people feel regretful over my family, especially my brother and me. They think that we wouldn’t have the chance to feel a father’s love as much as other children would. Nonetheless, we have never thought that he is not with us. Thinking of how it would be for a fifty-year-old man to leave his family and sacrifice himself for work only for his family breaks our hearts. We owe him. He is always with us as a form of selfless love. Like my parents made an effort to pay back the IMF debt, it’s time for us to pay back the debt from my parents, which is love.

Tragic Memory

Tragic Memory

There was a war called the Korean War that occurred on June 25, 1950. The war is one of the most significant event in the history of Korea because it made Korea divided in two countries, North Korea and South Korea. The painful division affected on not only both countries but also many families and individuals' lives. Unfortunately, my grandparents who had lived in the northern area, which is now North Korea after the war, weren’t an exception. The war changed their whole life completely which was something they had never expected.

             The biggest sorrow, which the Korean War left behind, is separated families. Luckily, my grandmother was able to come to South Korea with her whole family. On the other hand, my grandfather was the only one who was able to escape from North Korea among his family members. All his other family members promised that they would meet again soon, but the promise was broken forever and could never be revised. My grandfather is in South Korea, but his family remained in North Korea ,so he doesn’t even know whether his family is still alive or not. In fact, there have been many search campaigns for separated families. That were supported by both two governments of North Korea and South Korea to find and reunite the separated families. My uncle, aunts, and my parents asked my grandfather to join the campaigns, but he always refused them. The reason was he could not be sure that his families’ safety after meeting with them because he doesn’t believe North Korean government. He thought that finding his family would put them in danger in case North Korea and South Korea ever had another conflict. My uncles, aunts, and my parents’ hearts are broken out because they can do nothing for him especially when he consoles himself by saying, no news is good news.

             As soon as the Korean war happened, every Korean had to run away and leave everything behind. People's property was devastated during the war. Until outbreak of the war, my grandparents had a bright future because they were very wealthy and well educated. Especially my grandfather, he used to read a bible in Latin and he speaks Japanese fluently and some English too. However, the future flew out of window by the Korean War. In addition, what they got after the war was only sterile, unfamiliar land that far away from hometown and dead bodies around. My grandparents had to suffer from the horrible situation. They were never able to get back their fancy life before the war, but they are always thankful for they survived. Often they talk to each other with sad smiles about how beautiful their houses were and wish to see them again someday before they die.

After the ceasefire agreement between North Korea and South Korea, in fact it has continued, many Koreans thought that the division wouldn’t last long. My grandmother’s family believed it firmly, and the evidence was the marriage of my grandparents. What they knew about each other was only where they lived before the war, but it was enough for them. Moreover, my grandmother said that her mother frequently reminded her that she had to marry a man who lived in the northern area so that they could go back home together after the war ends. Consequently, they could get permission of marriage from her parents without any problems even though my grandfather had no friends who could demonstrate what kind of person he is. If his hometown wasn’t the northern area of Korea, my grandparents would never get marry and I would not be here today.

             Even though the war end, my family and I can see that the war still means many things to my grandparents by where they live. They live in the closest area to North Korea, and they don’t even think of moving anywhere else. Moreover, the Korean War remains only a deep scar on both countries as every war does. It left not only a grave national loss but also individual’s horrible memory who went through the war. The only thing that could relieve the painful scar is a peaceful reunification of North and South Korea.