Reading the work: "Tears of an Idol" _ Jeon Sang-guk

Reading Deeply: Reading "Tears of an Idol" through Questions and Answers

1_ Conflict ｜Evil and Another Evil
What is lynching?
Why does the teacher emphasize 'smooth sailing'?
Why did Ki-pyo tear the tracksuit his homeroom teacher gave him?
Why did Hyungwoo cause the cheating incident?
Why would the homeroom teacher be angry at Ki-pyo's running away?

2_ Jewish ｜ Helpless Reason
Why didn't Jude tell the adults that he was lynched?
Why did Jude say that Hyungwoo's tongue was amazing?
What kind of writing is “Things that make us sad”?
Why did Judae lean more towards Ki-pyo than Hyung-woo?

3_ Symbol | Tamed Idol
What kind of drama is “The Third Classroom”?
What was the sign so afraid of?
Why is the title 'Tears of an Idol'?

Reading Broadly: A Look Beyond the Work

Author's Story | Chronology of Jeon Sang-guk's Life and Works
A Story of the Times | Late 1970s
Reading Together | School and Violence, Submission and Overcoming
Rereading | The Character Education Promotion Act and the Problem of School Violence
Reader's Stories | Who is the Best Class President? | Roundtable Discussion

References

A guide to appreciating short stories in textbooks, planned and written by the National Korean Language Teachers Association.
The 'Question Marks Guide to Korean Short Stories' series

1.
I dream of a literature class overflowing with wild imaginations and lively questions!
The National Korean Language Teachers Association has been pondering the question, "How can we make literature classes exciting and fun?"
And finally, I found a way to 'find it with a question mark'.
This is not a literature class that has been conducted so far, that is, a class that provides students with uniform and mechanical information about the work, but a method in which students read the work and find answers to the questions they actually have.
Through this, we aimed to break away from one-sided literature classes that were consistent with fragmentary understanding and forced memorization, and to establish a foundation for a user-centered literature class that allows students to understand and empathize with the work.
The 'Question Marks Guide to Korean Short Stories' series is a stepping stone to help this type of literature class take root in schools.


'Korean Short Stories with Question Marks' selected short stories that have been widely read for a long time among those included in middle and high school Korean language and literature textbooks.
After reading these selected works directly to the students, I collected all the questions they had.
Among them, we selected those that were frequently asked, meaningful, novel, and original, and created a list of questions in a set manner.
Then, current Korean language teachers looked up books and papers and answered the questions based on what they had studied.
It is written in simple language that is easy for students to read, and includes appropriate illustrations, photos, and reference materials.
In this way, I tried to approach the more universal meaning of the work.

'Question Marks for Korean Short Stories' is a new, unprecedented content that provides reading materials and information that can elicit diverse and profound thoughts.
It will not only open up the horizon of 'student-centered novel appreciation' but also allow students to become closer to literary works.


2.
Read representative Korean short stories from textbooks in a single book, both deeply and broadly!
The 'Question Marks to Find Korean Short Stories' series was born from the regret over the current educational reality where students are increasingly moving away from literature due to memorization-based, problem-solving-based literature classes.
And it is being created with the will and passion of teachers who want to make literary works come alive and breathe close to students.


This book goes far beyond the fragmentary interpretation and understanding of novels found in existing textbooks or reference books.
Because it covers historical, cultural, social, and literary information in an easy and fun way based on questions that students actually ask after reading the work, it is very helpful in fully understanding a single work.


This book is structured as 'reading the work - reading deeply - reading broadly'.
'Reading the Work' is literally a section that contains the entire novel.
We also included illustrations that will enhance the fun of reading and stimulate your imagination.
'Deep Reading' is filled with meaningful questions that students have while reading the work, selected from among them, and teachers' answers to them.
It focuses on the background, characters, events, and themes related to the work itself, and allows readers to internalize the work in various ways while reading.
'Reading Broadly' allows for a broader understanding of the work by examining the elements surrounding the work, the author, and the circumstances of the time.
Additionally, the results of students reading and working on the work were included, allowing students to get a glimpse into their peers' thoughts on the work.
And by introducing other works with similar materials or themes through ‘linked reading,’ we were able to broaden the reading experience and the scope of literary appreciation.


3.
Tears of an Idol - The Power of Power to Overcome Violence
"Tears of the Idol" is a novel published in 1980, and is set in a school in the late 1970s.
This work features a homeroom teacher whose absolute goal is to achieve a 'smooth sailing' without accidents for a year, 'Gi-pyo' who is a symbol of power not only in the classroom but also in the school, and 'Hyeong-woo', the class president who is popular with the children and exemplary in many ways, but also hypocritical.
The events and conflicts that unfold between them, and their inner thoughts, are described by the sharp and cynical observer, 'Judae'.

At first glance, these are the types of characters you would see in any school, and you might think it's an ordinary story.
However, considering the historical context of the late 1970s, the significance of this novel is not trivial.
This is because, although it is a story within a novel set in a school, it reveals insight into the reality and power of the time, such as ‘freedom’ and ‘oppression.’

After reading this book, you will naturally understand why it is titled "Tears of an Idol," what meaning the characters' actions and the events they experience hold, and how the conflicts and confrontations between the invisible characters are created and resolved.
Also, through this novel, we will be able to get one step closer to the chilling truth that the author wanted to tell us that we did not know.