Sunday, October 20, 2013

201201914 An yumi/ Describing Place/ Tue 11am

Stars sing

 Sometimes I want to go out to where I can be alone. I love being alone at outside hearing the sound of wind, small, unclear voices of people talking about random things which usually have nothing to do with me. I like to be in "half silence," which does not mean a complete silence, but when there only exists some sounds that are not directed to you and just gently staying around or passing by you. But it is very hard to find such outside places where you can be alone and enjoy half silence without being noticed by anybody, especially when you are living in the dorm in one of the smallest campuses in Seoul, the most buzzing city in Korea.

 Fortunately, I found a place I had always been dreaming for. It is in the campus which means I do not have to walk for a long time to get there. Because the place is near the border of the campus, you will see there a big, tall cement wall standing up high. The place is about seven by seven feet formed between the wall and a building. Three sides out of four were closed by the wall and building. If you are able to ignore the only one open side through which you enter that square, you will feel you are locked in a small square. I like to lock myself in somewhere small and closed. But there, I can do that even without missing the breeze of autumn night and the soft sound of classic guitar from somewhere far in the campus; I can really be in half silence.

 A sole street lamp whose light is dim stands at the corner of the square. I do not know why they had to install it here, but anyway it is there, meaning you can do much more things than you can without that little dim lighting. Dim lighting is perfect for the place. Dim lighting is enough to see what kinds of geometric patterns are carved in the wall. And dim lighting does not really disturb you when you want to look up a piece of the autumn's night sky between the buildings. Since it is dim, your hand is enough to cover the little light making its way into your sight.

 The night sky you look up is never the same kind of sky that you can see in the Saharan desert, Morocco. Unlike stars scattered across the night sky like salt poured in a black dish, stars here are countable, yet still pretty and worth looking up if you consider here is not Morocco, but Seoul. I am not that nature-friendly person. I do not know well how to appreciate Mother Nature. However, standing in the middle of a gray but cozy square and looking up the piece of night sky really brings peace in your mind. You are the only one there listening to the little murmuring sound of night breeze and people talking somewhere. It feels as if the sound comes from stars up in the sky. Now, I think I understand what happened to the writers who wrote this line: Stars sing.

 Even though the place became my favorite place, I do not go there as often I used to a month ago since it got a little bit colder recently. The soft autumn night breeze has changed into a little violent, wicked wind. However, I will go there whenever I need to. As I said, I am not the kind of person who loves and appreciates Mother Nature. When I go there and get the feeling of understanding such things as singing stars, anybody will do. But I am not generous enough to share the place with someone. I am sorry.

 

 

2 comments:

  1. 1. i got why she loves the place.
    3. very visible, like dim light, black dish..etc.
    4. calm and peaceful.
    5. she likes to visit there to find peace, like kind of a shelter.
    6. i don't know what to say about this quetion.. 'cause this writing is fine, i think.

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  2. From Dabida Kang

    1. What did you like best about this essay? Be specific as possible.

    I like the atmosphere you’re trying to convey like the cozy feeling as if there is nothing to worry about.

    2. Did the writer describe the place clearly? List any parts that were not clear to you.

    ‘Because the place is near the border of the campus, you will see there a big, tall cement wall standing up high.’ I did not quite get this meaning and imagine where it is.
    3. Did the writer appeal to the different senses? List two sensory details that you especially liked.
    Seeing - Unlike stars scattered across the night sky like salt poured in a black dish,
    Touch(?maybe) - soft autumn night breeze has changed into a little violent, wicked wind.

    4. How would you describe the mood or the atmosphere of this place?
    cozy, a bit of loneliness,

    5. Why do you think the writer chose to write about this place?
    Because it is her secret place to enjoy the ‘half-silence’

    6. How could the writer improve this essay when he or she revises? Make only one suggestion
    Since the title is ‘stars sing’. I’d like to read more about the stars. How they look- (maybe..)

    ReplyDelete