HILD 12 – Twentieth-Century East Asia:
Modern History in Comparative and Transnational Perspectives
Take-Home Essay on Lost Names (Spring 2024)
Assignment
Choose one of the following prompts and write a four-to-five-page essay (double-spaced and in 12-point font with one-inch margins) that makes a compelling argument about both parts of the following:
1) Lost Names presents a vivid portrait of how Koreans dealt with everyday oppression under the wartime regime of “imperialization.” First, identify the various ways in which Koreans were forced to become dutiful and loyal subjects of the Japanese emperor. Next, analyze how several characters in the story responded to these pressures, highlighting similar/different stances that Koreans took to survive and/or remain true to themselves.
2) Although Lost Names is often read as a story about Korean nationalism pitted against Japanese colonialism, it also reveals considerable divisions among Koreans based on their various socio-economic class and gender positions. First, identify how class and gender disparities influenced the various actions/roles that Korean characters took in the story. Next, analyze how these characters responded similarly/differently to Japanese colonialism based on their position as members of distinct classes and sexes.
Preparation and Evaluation
Your essay will be evaluated according to the following three criteria:
1) The strength of your argument:
Your essay must have an argument and this argument should encapsulate both parts of the prompt. Your argument should be clearly stated as an underlined thesis, preferably at the end of an introductory paragraph and again in the first sentence of a concluding paragraph; if necessary, use two consecutive sentences to express your thesis statement.
2) The logic and clarity with which you develop your argument:
Having clearly expressed a thesis from the outset, each body paragraph should work toward supporting and advancing your argument in a clear and logical fashion. To do so, use topic sentences that introduce a single idea you want to present in each paragraph; refrain from long, convoluted paragraphs. Avoid spelling, grammar, and structural errors, all of which will hinder the development of your argument and will be downgraded accordingly.
3) The ability to support your argument with strong textual evidence:
Evidence presented should be supported with short quotations from Lost Names. Make sure to introduce short quotations (ie., As Kim writes, “…”) and explain their significance by embedding them in your overall argument. Use in-text citations [ie., (Kim 99)] rather than footnotes or endnotes. You do not need to attach a works cited page, but please include a title that encapsulates your overall argument and identify (1 or 2) the prompt you have chosen.
** In preparation for formulating and presenting a strong argument, I encourage you to attend a live ZOOM session on Friday, May 3, from 4:00 to 4:50 PM (PDT); you may also watch this recorded session on Canvas. The teaching staff is here to help you construct the best possible paper, but you will need to spend considerable time revising your ideas so that the final version presents a compelling and logical argument that is well supported by ample and meaningful evidence from Lost Names. For further information, see page two for “Some recommended questions to answer before trying to write a thesis statement.”
Submission
The final draft of your essay is due on Canvas by 4 PM (PDT) on Monday, May 6 (note: late papers will be downgraded one-third grade per day). Include a title, questioned answered, official name, and TA’s name.
Some Recommended Questions to Answer BEFORE Trying to Write a Thesis Statement
1) Lost Names presents a vivid portrait of how Koreans dealt with everyday oppression under the wartime regime of “imperialization.” First, identify the various ways in which Koreans were forced to become dutiful and loyal subjects of the Japanese emperor. Next, analyze how several characters in the story responded to these pressures, highlighting similar/different stances that Koreans took to survive and/or remain true to themselves.
**What specific projects can you find in the text that relate to the wartime project of imperialization as explained in class? Which character(s) are involved in implementing these projects? How are they carried out? To what end? Are they successful? In other words, how is each project of imperialization supposed to work, at least from the perspective of the officials who promoted them in the text?
**What characters can you find in the text who are forced to respond to imperialization? What does each do? After thinking about what each does, how would you characterize each person’s response? Are these responses similar? Different? Why or why not? Your thesis statement should explain how you organize these responses (i.e., many similar, few different; many different, few similar? Along a range?)
2) Although Lost Names is often read as a story about Korean nationalism pitted against Japanese colonialism, it also reveals considerable divisions among Koreans based on their various socio-economic class and gender positions. First, identify how class and gender disparities influenced the various actions/roles that Korean characters took in the story. Next, analyze how these characters responded similarly/differently to Japanese colonialism based on their position as members of distinct classes and sexes.
**What activities do various characters take in terms of responding to wartime mobilization? Based on these activities, how would you characterize or describe their roles? Break up your characters in terms of upper-class men, upper-class women, lower-class men, and lower-class women (see chart below).
**Taking into consideration these divisions among men vs. women, upper- vs. lower-class, how do characters in each group respond to the call for participation in the war? Based on these responses, what commonalities do you find across sex and/or class? Are class differences more significant than sex differences? Vice versa? Or are the similarities/differences simply a matter of kind?
**For both questions (especially the second one), I recommend that you write out your answers and then try to “map” them in some visual way to organize the information and your thoughts about them. Below, for example, is a way to visualize the information necessary to produce an effective thesis for question 2:
(SEX) Men Women
|
Upper-class men | Upper-class women
C |
L Who? Activities? Responses? | Who? Activities? Responses?
A-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
S Lower-class men | Lower-class women
S |
Who? Activities? Responses? | Who? Activities? Responses?
**Finally, remember that you should derive your responses primarily from Lost Names. However, you may you class lectures, readings, and films to contextualize (round out) your answers.