"I'm not Korean, Japanese or even Chinese. I'm actually Canadian", said Earl as he introduced himself to the class. That was very surprising because he certainly seemed Asian. He also added shortly, "I love poems. Do you?" In group discussions, he would wildly express his excessive love towards reading poems with such enthusiasm that it made the members of the group very uncomfortable. At first, I felt very uneasy around him, too. To me, he was a weird poetry lunatic with a unique fashion sense. By the look on other student's faces, it was obvious that they felt as I did. But it didn't seem to bother him at all that the students in the class viewed him as 'odd'. During the group discussions, students read their given poem out loud in a casual manner but Earl refused to be ordinary. The moment he opened his thin lips to read out the last part of Robert Frost's "The Road Not Taken" poem, everyone in the room got quiet. "Two roads diverged in a wood, and I--I took the one less traveled by, and that has made all the difference!" His voice filled the room, reading as though he was reciting his poem in one of the poetry reading society. I bet he would have gotten the highest prize in the most passionate poetry reading if it was a poetry reading contest.
That wasn't enough for Earl. His excitement for literature exploded when he was presenting the PPT our group had made for group presentations. Literally, he would move around the room freely as if he was gently dancing to the rhythm of what he call the 'poem spirit' as he started speaking in front of the class with his eager dreamy-like voice. Sometimes in the middle of the presentation, he would slam the desk in front of him with his fist when he was overcome by his emotions. "Poetry has feelings too! Treat them with respect!" he would shout. That was interesting enough to get the audience's full attention. Thanks to Earl, English Literature class was never tedious.
Although he seemed strange at first, people started enjoying his presence in the classroom. He really didn't mean any harm to anyone. He was candid, never hesitating to express his beliefs to the class. Later, I found out that he already graduated from SungKyunKwan Univeristy majoring in law and has a decent job in Insa-Dong as a broker selling artworks. He already had a job, but he loved literature especially poetry so much that he came to HUFS to take classes and learn more about them.
Now, whenever I read poems, memories about him come back to me. I respect his genuine attitude towards what he really enjoys doing and how he pursues them not concerning other people's judgment. He was never afraid to be different, to be himself. I bet I'm not the only one who thinks that way about him. Someday when I do meet him again, I hope he's never changed.
Kyeong Ju Seo
ReplyDeletePrf. Jonny Bahk-Halberg
Intermediate English Writing (2)
15 October 2015
Dramatic Earl
The first word that popped inside my head when I saw him was that he was 'eccentric'. Never have I seen such a strange student in my English Literature class with such a notable appearance. He was a man in his late 20s probably around the age of 28. His long pitch-black hair was shaggy which was very old fashioned, like one of those outdated haircuts in Japan. Pale white as a vampire, I couldn't stop wondering whether he put white powder on his face or if he was sick. Compared to his narrow shoulders and skinny fragile body, he had a strong square-jaw face with big cheekbones that stuck out on each side of his face. As if that impression wasn't strange enough, he dressed all in black from head to toe; black shirt, a black tie, black suit and black Oxford shoes. I really thought he just came back from a funeral. With his black suitcase held in his left hand, he sat down right in front of me holding out his right hand to shake mine saying, "Call me Earl". That was how I first met him in class.
"I'm not Korean, Japanese or even Chinese. I'm actually Canadian", said Earl as he introduced himself to the class. That was very surprising because he certainly seemed Asian. He also added shortly, "I love poems. Do you?" In group discussions, he would wildly express his excessive love towards reading poems with such enthusiasm that it made the members of the group very uncomfortable. At first, I felt very uneasy around him, too. To me, he was a weird poetry lunatic with a unique fashion sense. By the look on other student's faces, it was obvious that they felt as I did. But it didn't seem to bother him at all that the students in the class viewed him as 'odd'. During the group discussions, students read their given poem out loud in a casual manner but Earl refused to be ordinary. The moment he opened his thin lips to read out the last part of Robert Frost's "The Road Not Taken" poem, everyone in the room got quiet. "Two roads diverged in a wood, and I--I took the one less traveled by, and that has made all the difference!" His voice filled the room, reading as though he was reciting his poem in one of the poetry reading society. I bet he would have gotten the highest prize in the most passionate poetry reading if it was a poetry reading contest.
That wasn't enough for Earl. His excitement for literature exploded when he was presenting the PPT our group had made for group presentations. Literally, he would move around the room freely as if he was gently dancing to the rhythm of what he call the 'poem spirit' as he started speaking in front of the class with his eager dreamy-like voice. Sometimes in the middle of the presentation, he would slam the desk in front of him with his fist when he was overcome by his emotions. "Poetry has feelings too! Treat them with respect!" he would shout. That was interesting enough to get the audience's full attention. Thanks to Earl, English Literature class was never tedious.
Although he seemed strange at first, people started enjoying his presence in the classroom. He really didn't mean any harm to anyone. He was candid, never hesitating to express his beliefs to the class. Later, I found out that he already graduated from SungKyunKwan University majoring in law and has a decent job in Insa Dong as a broker selling artworks. He already had a job, but he loved literature especially poetry so much that he came to HUFS to take classes and learn more about them.
Now, whenever I read poems, memories about him come back to me. I respect his genuine attitude towards what he really enjoys doing and how he pursues them not concerning other people's judgment. He was never afraid to be different, to be himself. I bet I'm not the only one who thinks that way about him. Someday when I do meet him again, I hope he's never changed.