Chapters 5-9 of “Your Paradise” by Yi Chong-jun Essay

Reading Summary

One of the main messages of the reading “Your Paradise” from p.73 to 143 is to explain the essence of the idea of the island of the dead. The reader gets to know how the role of the dead becomes more important than the role of the people alive. The main events are the expected inaugural speech the new director Cho, his expectations to promote a number of changes within the island, the already predicted reaction of the island’s inhabitants, and the real actions that can prove Cho’s intentions.

The reading helps to learn better Cho and the reasons of why he is so passionate with the idea to change the island. He concludes that “this island is afflicted by distrust and betrayal” (Yi 81). He learns that people are “still suffering from the psychological side of the disease that is far more debilitating than the physical side” (Yi 81). What he wants to do is to involve all people on the island in creating a kind of paradise. Still, people are not ready to trust his words. They have already heard the similar speech several decades ago and tried to change their lives under the guidance of a new director Shŭ. Their attempts were not successful and even frustrating as they imposed more restrictions with time. They do not want to believe that something can be changed; this is why they are not eager to take some steps and accept Cho’s ideas seriously until the statute has some powers over them.

The next day after Cho’s speech, Han Min committed a suicide. Different characters treat this even in different ways: Cho believes that it is a kind of a challenge for him, Sanguk admits that Min “has already started to speak” (Yi 106) as only the dead can speak on the island, but the director fails to “understand the words of the dead…” (Yi 106), and the majority of people defines his case as ordinary and not worth of attention.

What does it mean that only the dead can actually speak on the island?

This question can make the reader think about the true relations and possibilities of the people, who live on the island. It is not an easy task to comprehend what is happening there, and the analysis of this phrase is a good chance to share personal ideas about the problems, challenges, and backgrounds of the island.

Why do the people of the island not want to believe the Cho’s words about the possibility to change the living conditions?

In order to give the answer to this question, it is necessary to read the chapters under consideration thoroughly and learn the past experience of the inhabitants and their relations with one of the past directors, Mr. Shŭ. This question helps to learn better the essence of the statute and its true intentions. It is not enough to retell the story, but it is necessary to share some personal thoughts about its role and its impact on the people with leprosy.

What are the first actions of the director Cho that aim at changing the relations on the island?

It is necessary to analyze the possible reasons of why Cho wants to gather all representatives of the island at the same school and destroy the difference between the people with leprosy and the people, who have already cured from it. The outcomes of this decision should also be evaluated in this answer.

Works Cited

Yi, Ch’ŏngjum. Your Paradise. København & Los Angeles, CA: Green Integer, 2004. Print.