Word of the Day

Dissonance- noun /ˈdi-sə-nən(t)s/

- Lack of agreement

Synonyms Antonyms
conflict, division, disharmony agreement, peace, accord

Sentence:
Despite the peaceful intentions of the protestors, the dissonance among
the groups led to a small riot.
Why connect to the past?
Korean Literature
 Korean Literature
• August 15, 1945 and thereafter is celebrated as the National Liberation Day
in Korea or Korean Independence Day from thirty- five years of Japanese
colonial rule and from the tumultuous years of World War II.

• Just like other Asian countries, Korea experienced a lot of atrocities and
injustices during World War II.

• Koreans also lost much of control of their culture and heritage.

• After the war, USA took control of the Northern part of Korea, which caused
the separation of North and South Korea until the present time.
 Korean Literature
• According to Korean writers, modern literature after World War II should be
understood from the context of Korea’s turbulent years and its aspiration to
rise and rebuild Korea towards modernization and a peaceful society.

• “The Silence of Love” was published in 1926 and gained attention from
literary critics. It is Han Yong- Un’s most significant literary work.

• “The Silence of Love” may seem to express romantic love, but it is a

meditation on the colonial situation of the Koreans and an important piece
for Korean cultural analysis. That is why it is considered as a milestone in
modern Korean poetry.
The Silence of Love
By Han Yong- Un
About the Writer
 Han Yu-cheon (Han Yong- Un)
August 29, 1879- June 29, 1944
• Han Yong- Un was a twentieth century Korean Buddhist reformer
and poet. This name was his religious name, given by his meditation
instructor in 1905, and Manhae ( 만해 ) was his pen name.

• Manhae was born in Yucheon in Chungcheongnam-do, Hongseong.

During his childhood, he studied Chinese classics in Seodang, a
popular elementary school during the Joseon Dynasty. Prior to being
ordained.

• He was involved in resistance to Japanese influence in the country,

which culminated in the Japanese occupation from 1905 to 1945. He
lived in seclusion at Ose-am in the Baekdam Temple from 1896.
Han Yu-cheon (Han Yong- Un)
August 29, 1879- June 29, 1944

• In 1908 he went to Japan and visited

several temples to study Buddhism and
Eastern philosophy for six months.

• In 1919 he was one of the patriot

signatories to the Korean Declaration of
Independence.
The Silence of Love
By Han Yong- Un
 The Silence Of Love
Love is gone, gone is my love.
Tearing himself away from me he has gone
on a little path that stretches in the splendor of
a green hill into the autumn-tinted forest.
Our last oath, shining and enduring
like a gold-mosaic flower,
has turned to cold ashes, blown away
in the breath of wind.
I remember his poignant first kiss and its memory
has wrought a complete change in my destiny,
then withdrawn into oblivion.
I hear not his sweet voice; I see not his fair looks.
Since it is human to love, I, alert, dreaded a
parting to come when we met.
The separation came so suddenly
it broke my heart with renewed sorrow.
Yet, I know parting can only destroy our love if
it causes futile tears to fall.
 The Silence Of Love

I would rather transfer the surge of this sorrow

onto the summit of hopefulness.
As we dread parting when we meet, so,
we promise to meet again when we part.
Though my love is gone, I am not parted from love;
an untiring love-song envelops the silence of love.
 Word Meaning
splendor Great brightness
poignant Deeply affecting
wrought Worked into shaped by artistry or effort
oblivion The fact or condition of not remembering
dreaded To fear greatly
futile Serving no useful purpose
surge To rise and fall actively
summit The highest point
Persona
 Questions

• Who is the speaker?

• What point of view does the speaker take?

• To whom is the speaker talking? Is the voice meant

to be universal?
Persona
• The poet speaks through a
voice of a character he has
created, a persona. A person
who lost a loved one.
Persona
The point that the author is trying to
convey is that even though her love is
gone, she still remembers everything
about her love. Many things remind her
of her past love. The split came
unexpectedly, they still promise to meet
again even after they part
Mood and Tone
• What is the mood of the poem?

• What is the tone of the poem? Which words

reveal this tone?

• Does the mood change within the poem?

 Mood and Tone

• The Tone or the atmosphere in the poem is mournful

which creates a gloomy mood.

• It can be evidently observed from the lines stating how

broken her heart is with renewed sorrow.
 Mood and Tone

• The idea expressed in this poem seems straightforward: Lost

love, sorrow, and then the refusal to give up hope, resulting in
the emotional distinction between the love in itself and the
beloved.

• The writer rendered the crucial metaphor that turns sorrow

into hope as follows: I took the overbearing force of my grief
and poured it out into a wellspring of new hope.
Imagery
 Imagery
• The writer used the image of a woman who lost a loved one to
express his resistance against the Japanese occupation in Korea

• The idea expressed in this poem seems straightforward: Lost love,

sorrow, and the refusal to give up hope, resulting in the emotional
distinction between the love and the beloved. 
Meaning
 Meaning
• The writer is not just pertaining to the person who lost a loved one, it’s for his beloved
Korea.

• An example of the poem’s ambiguity, and the fantastic hold of his language
demonstrated by its author, is the line about the summit of hopefulness.

• The writer of the poem believes that time will come that his beloved Korea will
become free and independent.

• The poem Silence of Love revolves around the ideas of love and freedom and helped
inspire the tendencies toward passive resistance and non-violence in the Korean
independence movement.
Personal Response
• How can you relate yourself to the
circumstance of the poem?

• What insight do you get from the

poem?