Dictee

Yu Guan Soon was a Korean revolutionary who was “the only daughter born of four children to her patriot father and mother” (30). The “Clio History” chapter describes Yu Guan Soon’s singular role in Korean history. She is presented as a “Joan of Arc” figure in terms of her martyrdom for the cause of Korean independence: She was tragically murdered at the age of 17 after being arrested for her involvement in the March 1, 1919 protest. She traveled from one location to another informing people of the protest; because of this role, she was deemed the leader of the protest. After being arrested, she was interrogated and stabbed but did not reveal any information. She was sentenced to seven years in prison, where she was tortured and beaten and eventually died from these injuries.

Initially, Cha emphasizes Soon’s singular courage and her near mythical status in Korean history as a heroic figure. Cha includes a cropped photograph featuring Yu Guan Soon alone on Page 24. On the final pages of the book, Cha includes the whole photograph, which shows Soon surrounded by a large group of women of varying ages. The solo photograph and the photograph in context emphasize Soon’s connection to the women she knew and shared a similar life with. Cha is suggesting that though Soon’s story was silenced and is now finally being heard and acknowledged, there are still numbers of women whose stories have not been explored. Soon’s work was not done, but her influence lives on well past her tragic death.

Hyun Soon Huo is Cha’s mother. In the chapter “Calliope Epic Poetry,” Cha honors her mother’s memory by writing a letter to her. It chronicles her mother’s difficult life as a young woman growing up in Manchuria after her family fled Korea as refugees from the Japanese occupation of Korea. It then tells the story of her life as a teacher in Manchuria, where she was required to teach for three years to receive financial reimbursement for the loans for her teaching degree. Cha highlights her mother’s need to hide her Korean language as it was outlawed in China due to the restrictions imposed by Japanese imperial powers of this era.

Her mother’s sudden illness is left ambiguous; in a dream sequence, her mother is compared to a Christ-like figure being tempted by food offered by three women, just as Jesus was tempted by the Devil in Matthew 4:1. Cha’s mother’s pain and isolation are described further following her immigration to America, where her appearance and language alienate her; immigration authorities are suspicious of her even after she has become a citizen. In the final scene of “Calliope Epic Poetry,” her mother’s long wish to see an independent Korea is finally realized.

In later chapters, the focus shifts from Cha’s mother’s experiences to Cha’s relationship with her mother. Cha draws a parallel between her mother and herself and Demeter and Persephone in that they are separated by language and lived experience. “Melpomene Tragedy” includes a scene in which Cha and her mother argue with Cha’s brother to prevent him from attending a 1962 protest of the undemocratic election of Syngman Rhee. This shows her mother’s desire to protect her children from harm. Her mother is less political and more focused on protecting her family, therefore, they move to the US in the 1960s to remove themselves from the increasing political instability. 

In the final chapter, “Polymnia Sacred Poetry,” Cha fuses mythological stories from the Greek and the Korean tradition to create a new myth in which a young girl seeks medicine for her ailing mother, referring to the earlier depiction of her mother’s sudden illness while teaching in Manchuria. Cha brings the myth to an end at the moment when the child is entering the mother’s room to give her the medicine that will cure her. Cha’s mother is a symbol of Cha’s relationship to her identity and her ongoing journey to find a place in which she belongs. 

St. Therese of Lisieux is a French nun who died at the age of 24. She was born in 1873 in Alencon, France. Her mother passed away from breast cancer when Therese was only four years old. Therese was raised by her father and elder sisters and became close to her older sister Pauline. When Pauline left home to join the convent at Lisieux, Therese was heartbroken. Therese frequently felt alone and melancholy in her childhood due to the death of her mother, and religion became an important part of her life well before she joined the convent at Lisieux. She suffered debilitating illnesses and sought comfort in religion. This increased her desire to follow in her elder sisters’ footsteps.

In Dictee, St. Therese is connected with Joan of Arc, the national hero and martyr for the French people. The photos in the chapter about St. Therese, “Erato Love Poetry,” are not pictures of herself: In the first photo, she is dressed up as Joan of Arc, and in the last photo, actress Renee Maria Falconetti is performing as Joan of Arc. The mythos of Joan of Arc is featured in the quotations from St. Therese’s book, The Story of a Soul, which she wrote while she was on her deathbed. St. Therese’s spiritual fervor is displayed in her wish to be like Joan of Arc and to die for a meaningful purpose.

Cha connects the concept of love with that of sacrifice and martyrdom: In “Erato Love Poetry,” spiritual love and erotic love are intertwined as Cha uses unique formatting to intersperse the film scenes of a strained romantic relationship with St. Therese’s contemplations on God. St. Therese writes that she wishes to wed her “Divine Spouse” (101), creating a wedding invitation for a wedding that no one can attend, as it is a private event at the monastery. In addition, St. Therese’s feminist thoughts are displayed in her complaints about how women are “misunderstood” by the church and that women are braver than men. The inclusion of St. Therese in the book presents another aspect of spirituality and religion. It also explores the martyrdom of women from a universal lens, as St. Therese was from a different time and culture than Cha, her mother, or Yu Guan Soon.