#1 TOEFL essay
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Describe a custom from your country that you would like people from other countries to adopt. Explain your choice, using specific reasons and examples.
Freeway is stuck and every road turns into parking lot. Most of the television programs are talking about the nation's biggest movement; half of the country is waiting, and the other half is struggling to meet them. Stuck roads and different vehicles are easily noticed in Korea twice a year; Sulnal(New years day) and Chuseok. Every country's custom about big holidays differs a lot, and in my motherland, all the families living apart gather and reinforce the bond between the members. This custom of my country is good at educating different areas and gives big influence to families living far apart from each other. so that I have any doubt that it will also have good effects on other countries when they adopt it.
Unlike many other countries, Korean families gather in extreme big scale at least two times a year. Historically Koreans followed confucianism and had faith in buddhism. Our ancestors placed huge emphasis on etiquette and courtesy, "예“, between friends, couples, families and many different relationships based on them. Since most of our ancestors lived in form of extended-family, manners between family members were emphasized the most, and nowadays when most people are forming nuclear family, ”예“ is still thought to be very significant. Nowadays, the size of families got much smaller and Sul-nal and Chuseok almost became the only holidays when every family gathers. When everyone including elderlies and children come together, they learn about the basic manners first. Elderlies give words of blessings to children, tell them how they should use their life wisely, and other useful informations and advices. During 4 to 5 days, everyone learns at least a small thing from other members who used to live far away. Education done during holidays turns out to be so meaningful after all the family scatters to their own place.
As mentioned before, the size of families got much smaller as time fled by, because culture changed a lot too. Koreans usually emphasize "정(Jung)", feeling love and familiarity to people around them, and less than a hundred years ago, "정“ between members of extended-families were very strong. Since family members live far away from each other now, Chuseok and Sulnal became the two biggest and only holidays when whole family can meet together. Those holidays become really huge and significant because family members hadn't met each other for a long time and only had to miss each other. During the holidays people not only educate each other but also play different kind of games like 윷놀이, 화투 and so on. Few days with family members help the family's bond get much stronger based on entertaining games, gives sense of belonging as a family, and at the same time stability generated by relief amongst them.
To sum up, one of the Korea's best custom which I want to disseminate and make other countries to adopt is a huge moving and gathering of a family on special holidays because without any hesitation I can say that family's relationship develops a lot during the holidays, and we can learn so much things from families including elderlies.
Hi I'm Yong-han Jung!
답글삭제I really like your essay that you pointed out 예 and 정 are the customs that other countries also have to adopt. But to comment on your essay, I thought it would be better if you have pointed out the examples of 예 and 정 in our daily lives not just emphasizing on holidays like Sul and Chuseok.
your introduction states that being stuck in traffic is an integral part of the holiday season. . . did you mean the bond that can develop within the family while trapped in the car? I think I'll pass, thanks.
답글삭제