독후감(The Politics of the Quotidian)

[강치범]

The Politics of the Quotidian

Her goal was to become a philosophy professor. The hair raising standard test score made her possible to get the scholarship at the boarding school and she was the top student at the college. After the postgraduate school, she began to have a self-doubt because she had to accommodate herself to the reality, endlessly postdoc and never tenure-track.

While she was teaching an undergraduate class, a male student shouted "You don't know what you are talking about." The revolting student confronted her so piercingly that she told him "You don't belong here right now." Then he not only left the classroom but resigned from the registration on the same day. She felt the toxin slide in her body since she had never experienced such an odd humiliation in her life.

She really wanted to talk about the incident with someone who could make her feel relieved. When she talked about it at the instructor's meeting, the meeting didn't give her any helpful clue. When she met M who took a postdoc fellowship, he made her more exasperate.

At the department office, the secretary checked her class enrollees on the computer as the teacher asked. There were twelve. Her knees wobbled with a shock of the number discrepancy. The last time, the classroom computer showed eleven after the incident occurred although there had been twelve throughout the semester. The teacher asked her to open the student's profiles. She refused because it was out of her jurisdiction. She went back to her classroom and opened the computer which was old and shabby, finding still eleven. Immediately marching back to the secretary, she demanded her to open the profiles with the fathomless fury. The discrepancy of the enrollee's number was so important for her that the vicious argument was going on. As secretary grabbed the phone to call the security, she got out of the office. "You don't belong here right now." The secretary laughed. She determined to quit her academic job.

The exit committee would like to have a word with her. The committee would not have believed if she told the truth. Then she decided to lie. She knew how tough the academic job market was. Only three ethnic philosophy positions were available in the country last year. The thirty-two-year old philosopher might have to change her career, probably, something totally different. Therefore the consequences would bring her a self –destructive effect. Despite recognizing the considerable difference between her dream and the reality she could never dare to leave the academic job before.

The secretary made her feel so angry that she would blow up unless she offered herself something to soothe her angry feeling. As soon as she determined her fate, she felt like releasing a hostage inside her. The profound knowledge of "The Politics of the Quotidian" seemed to evaporate When she was overwhelmed with the angry feeling. Ironically the philosopher whom we believe more thoughtful than us became easily victimized by the emotional tides.

The incident made us feel pity to see her fate. It would be accredited to the undernourished mind despite the overfeeding brain. The relentless studying with the pride of superiority over others might deprive of the chance developing her emotional maturity. The compelling story cracked the complexity of human nature.

WRITTEN BY CAILLE MILLNER. MARCH 6 2017 CHI B KANG.              

[nicos]

이번 작품이 아마 지금까지 읽은 작품 중 가장 헷갈리는 작품일 것 같습니다. 소설에 장치가 너무 많고 중의적으로 읽힐 수 있는 부분이 많아 작가가 무엇을 말하려고 했는지 헷갈립니다. 회장님이 독후감이 늦게 올리신 걸 보면 회장님도 고심 많이 한 것 같습니다.^^ 이번 토론이 너무 기대됩니다.

[강치범]

하수필가 일은 끝냈고 이제 김훈의소설 흑산을 영역하려고 연구하고 있읍니다
보내주신글 politics of quotidian은 내용이 복잡하고 간단히 이해하기 어려워 Internet 검색을 해보니 저자가 욍따 당하고있는 것이 한두군데가 아니더군요 (학생, 동료교수, 학교사무실 또 exit committee member등 모두에게서) 저자가 백인이아닌것도 중요한이유 같고. 저도 딸이 영문학교수를하고있어 가슴이 찡합니더. 혹 작품분석에 도움이 필요하시면 Google search 에들어가서 politics of quotidian을 찾아보세요.
건투를 빕니다.

[강치범]

1. In the title, the word is spelled “Quotidian.”

2. In the second sentence, her score “made it possible for her to get the scholarship…” is the correct way to word this.

3. I didn’t understand the meaning in the second paragraph where you say, “She felt the toxin slide in her body…”

4. In the third paragraph, “he made her more exasperate” should be “exasperated.” When we describe someone’s feelings with a verb for, it’s usually the –ed form that we use.