So Far from the Bamboo Grove Blog

The book, So Far from the Bamboo Grove, by Yoko Kawashima Watkins, shows how Yoko, her sister, mom, and her brother survive after the Koreans are freed from the Japanese. This book took in the time period of about 5 months. The thought that came to my mind while reading the book was that how hard it would've been to move to a different place permanantly after living at a place for 12 years and not being able to move back. I got to learn how the Korean communist treated the Japanese after their freedom, and also learned how they were similar to the things that the Japanese did. I was glad to read a book about my home country and was happy to know about the events that occured throughtout the book. After reading this book, I would give it a rating of 7 out of 10. The ending was not as good as it should've been, because the author could've added what happened after Yoko and her sister reunited with their brother, and could of also talked about their dad and what happened to him. The author also should have added more info on the Russians instead of talking a little bit about them. The book was also very short and could of had more detail at the end. The good things about this book was that the reader got me thinking whats gonna happen next? Are they going to die? The author also made it hard for me to put the book down and stop reading. This book also made me think deep thoughts like did countries have to kill other innocent citizens even after the war ended? I mean because of this, so many people in the world died. For example, when Japan attacked Korea, so many men got killed, and women got raped, and the Americans dropped the bombs on Japan to make them surrender.

So Far from the Bamboo Grove Questions 2

In the book, So Far from the Bamboo Grove, by Yoko Kawashima Watkins, there were many events throughout chapters four to seven that made the deepest impression on me. Many of the events were when the Japanese were walking or working and suddenly communist Koreans would come out, kill them, and take their belonings. I never knew that a country could be so crewl. Instead they could just take them as prisoners, but there is no reason to kill. First when Yoko's family was going back to their homeland, I knew that there would be some havoc, but not severe ones. Instead many places were bombed and burried under the earth. When Hideyo escapes from the factory, he starts his way for the Seoul station. When he sees Korean communist soldiers, he acts like he is an animal and is very smart while knowing where he has to hide when he sleeps. Mrs. Kawashima stops at Kyoto instead of going to their hometown. This is probably because she doesn't want them to go. She might think that it is still dangerous in the Japanese lands. Although she cares for her childrens education, I think that she is saying that to make an excuse. Ko is sometimes very bossy and mean but after about an hour she pretends that she is the nicest sister in the world. If I was in a difficult situation, I would want her and also not want her with me, becuase she is very good and getting food, and has no fears of whatever, but on the other hand, she makes everyone feel bad and discouraged greatly.

So Far from the Bamboo Grove Questions

Many Koreans in the world today hate the Japanese for what they did to the Korea during World War II and how they bothered them for about fourty years. After the war, although Korea gave revenge to Japan, I think that reading this book, they should of not done it, because it brought many deaths to the people in Korea, but also a majority of the population in Japan. In the book So Far from the Bamboo Grove, by Yoko Kawashima Watkins, I learned how the the people of my nationality, bothered the Japanese in order for revenge. This book shows how the Japanese including Yoko's family survived during the time after the war. This also shows that when Japan invaded Korea, this was how they treated Korea. Yoko's family lives in Korea, because before Japan lost the war, they had a lot of power over Korea, and could live an easy life in Korea. Being a Japanese citizen helps them before the war ends, but after the war is lost, the Japanese are tortured like the way that they tortured Korea. Although Yoko's family is Japanese their family and many other familys did not want any more people dieing, and saw everyone else equally and as a person. Whey Yoko's family is inside the train, Korean communist soldiers come in looking for her family. Although they are looking for them, the Korean nurses help them by making them look like they were sick. The irony in this is that since Japan had bothered Korea, it would look like that they would turn them in, but since Yoko's family helped some of the sick people by providing food and giving them comfort, the Korean people did not turn them in. Although Yoko calls here sister as "Honorable Sister," they sometimes say bad things to each other. Ko is probably very bossy because they are in a difficult and a very dangerous situation. She has no time for her little sister to whine for sleep and food, when the food is limited and there is no time to waste by sleeping. On the way to the Seoul train station, Yoko's family face many hardships. There are problems because there is no true male to guard them, and the lack of food, sleep, and danger roaming in the forest gives them a lot of fear and stress.

Year of Impossible Goodbyes-Theme

In the book, Year of Impossible Goodbyes, by Sook Nyul Choi, there are many themes, but in my opinion, pride in their nationality and beliefs and courage are the most important. When Japan invaded Korea, all Koreans were to throw away any Korean teaching books, or any Korean writing material. Instead they were to speak, learn, and write in Japanese. Although anyone who didn't follow this would get punished greatly, Sookan and her siblings would get taught from their grandfather secretly when the guards weren't at their house checking for valuables and Korean books. Sookans mother also always had her belief in God and always believed that the war would end with Japan losing. During the whole time when Japan and Russia took over Korea, Sookan's family always had there hearts to Korea. While Sookan attended the Japanese school, the boys were making sharp bamboo poles while the girls made sharp rocks. The president said that when the white devils come, they will attack them with those items. Then a boy says, "Stop, stop, stop! Don't you know that we will stab you b******s first! We'll help the Americans destroy you all ! You killers!" Although all the other students were gasping, Sookan started clapping for him because of her pride for Korea and the people of Korea. Sookan and her family faced many years of pain and distress, but their pride and courage to the end.

In the book, Year of Impossible Goodbyes, bye Sook Nyul Choi, the main character is Sookan. Sookan is a girl who is brave, can take care of others, and is prideful. For example, in her Japanese school, a boy told the Japanese that he and other Koreans were going to help kill them. Instead of being quiet, Sookan started to clap for the boy. Sookan was born in Kirimni, Pyongyang(North Korea) and lives with her mother, aunt, younger brother, and her grandfather who dies later in the book. To her family, she is a helpful girl who has respect for her own nationality and for her own family. Although she is nine years old, she is small for her age, and can attend school later then other nine year olds, because they think that she is less than nine years old. She hates the Japanese for taking away her father, brothers, and the sock girls. Although she hates the Japanese, she knows that she must respect them and follow their rules in order to not get punished. Then finally when the Japanese lost the war and the Russians invaded, Sookan is happy for a while, then starts to cry because the Russians took away her mother. Sookan is a girl who cares for her family members, is very brave, and extremely prideful for her country which is Korea.

Year of Impossible Goodbyes-Plot

In the book, Year of Impossible Goodbyes, by Sook Nyul Choi, the main character Sookan, her family, and her friends face hardships from Japan and Russia. In this book, there is a rising action, climax, then a resolution that looks like it has fixed all the problems, but later in the book, there is a bigger rising action, climax, and then the final resolution. First of all, the Japanese have invaded Korea. The Japanese take all of North Korea's valuables, freedom, pride, and forbids them to learn any of the Korean history and language. Instead, Japan makes Korea have Japanese names and makes them attend Japanese schools. The first climax is when Sookan's grandfather dies. After he dies, the Japanese soldiers take away the sock girls who make socks for the Japanese army, and destroyed the sock macking factory to make more weapons for the soldiers in the army. Then finally, the good news comes. It was said that they were losing and were going to surrender to the Americans. The war ends and people in Korea now have bags of rice and many other valuables things that they couldn't have during the war. Sookan and her family think that they are safe but another climax happens. Russia starts to come to Korea and Sookan hears that they were going to stay in the North side of Korea. First when Russia comes to North Korea, they act all friendly and supply Korea with happiness and tell them that they will be different from Japan. Korea believes this, but later Russia starts closing all the ways to get into South Korea except a few secret passageways that they don't know of. Then Sookan's uncle comes and tells Sookan's that after they've closed all the roads, they would take over North Korea and use it for their own good. He gives Sookan, her mother, and her brother valuable items and say that someone that he knows will take it to lead them to the other side. During the check of the passports, Sookan and her brother are seperated from her mother. The guide ditches the children and now Sookan and her brother must find their mother by themselves. During this time, they find a person that tells them that the Russian soldiers took away little kids, and their mother might already be on the other side. They trust him and follow his directions on how to get to the south. The start running on the dirt road to a barb wired fence and although they bleed because of a small hole, they try to crawl under the fence. The resolution of this story is that at the end, Sookan and her brother get reunited with his mother, father, and her brothers.

Setting for novel

The book, Year of Impossible Goodbyes, by Sook Nyul Choi, takes place in Pyongyang, North Korea in the time of spring 1945. This was the time periodwhen the Japanese took over Korea and made them look like the Japanese people and speak only the Japanese language. In the backyard of Sookan and her family, there is an old pine tree with pale green needles. The ice are melting, and you can feel the warmth of the sun but the air is heavy with the sounds of weapons in the air. This was the time of world war two when you could hear the cries of both South and North Koreans floating in the sky.

In this book, everyday Sookan's female family members and other female workers would have to make socks for the Japanese army. Later a captain would come to the factory which was right next to Sookan's house and have an inspection. He would check if they were working, and checking if they were giving the young kids education. The Year of Impossible Goodbyes is not only just a book, but a book that shows thoughts and feelings of the people who lived during world war two.