Sunday, May 28, 2017

Sunyoung Park / Chapter 4 part 2 B / Wed 1-2

3. which the "the ant and the grasshopper" is closer to real life, Aesop's fable of the maugham story? Why?

From rags to riches; is that still attainable?

You might have heard of rags to riches story a lot. Even there is a famous Korean proverb which implies same meaning. It is the proverb for person who started from the bottom without any support such as money, but eventually succeeds. It was used to point out people's own competency and effort rather than parents' inheritance or support. But we are facing a society where this proverb is uncurrecnt.

Of course, there were times when if people do their best, we could make a success even if we they are not from rich family. For example, there is a man whose name is Jeong-Sangsoo. He was so poor that they had to work more than 3 jobs at the same time. But he didn't stop there. He didn't lose the string of knowledge. He studied night and day whenever he had spare time. Finally he became a prominent lawyer.

How about nowadays? Is it still possible to succeed although people are not given great talents or properties? It is hard to confront, but it's the reality. As the society progresses, so many opportunities and qualifications that some people even cannot approach. Some opportunities are only given to people who can afford them. Even people are putting a quantitative criteria on people, thus they are not paying attention to the difference of situations.

To get to the strict point, we are living in the world where Maugham's story is much closer to real life.  But that doesn't mean, it is okay to live with what we are confronting. There certainly has to be change. 

1 comment:

  1. Hi, this is Hayeon Jin! It is good to find that you I totally agree with your assertion. I appreciate the part where you gave example, Jeong-Sangsoo, for the better understanding. I was able to follow what you want to point out. However, it would have been better if you explained more about the "Change" in your concluding paragraph. Overall, it was a fascinating essay! Thank you for sharing!!

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