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  • Essay / "The Vegetarian" and "The Tree": A Comparison of the Characteristics of Death

    Both Han Kang and Anne Finch present the idea of ​​impending death that cannot be avoided. However, both authors present ideas in different ways as they use To do this, Kang and Finch both use death as a way to look back and reflect on the past that led to the present. In Kang's The Vegetarian, especially in part three. : Flaming Trees, she uses Yeong-hye's stubbornness, due to her mental state, to finally make In-hye understand that death is not necessarily such a bad thing, and that this prospect is something. important to consider when death is being discussed, however, this perspective also comes into play regarding the loved ones of those who die Kang uses the relationship between In-hye and Yeong-hye in Flaming Trees to show the inability to. In-hye understands Yeong-hye's seemingly calm notion towards her own death. describes death as something sacred, perhaps something as important as birth, and therefore should be celebrated for all one's achievements in life, no matter how big or small they may seem, but also believes in a sort of karmic aspect. Finch carefully uses a rhyme scheme that highlights words that describe his view of death as honorable and as a generally positive experience that is a part of all life. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”? Get the original essay Throughout Flaming Trees in The Vegetarian, from the third page, there is this notion from both the hospital staff and In-hye. that Yeong-hye needs to be saved, as both parties are constantly working after Yeong-hye to try to get her back on her feet. However, no one ever stops and asks what exactly Yeong-hye wants. Everyone just assumes that everything she says is invalid because she is mentally ill, as she continues to be ignored even in the first and second parts of the novel (The Vegetarian Mark and the Mongolian Mark, respectively) . In The Vegetarian, her husband Mr. Cheong doesn't pay any attention to Yeong-hye unless it affects her image and simply ignores her problem when she tries to talk about it: "Don't you even ironed my white shirt? (Kang 18) he said after she told him she had a dream. This is just one example of the type of response she receives when she tries to explain what she's going through. In Mongolian Mark, as In-hye's husband asks about her condition: "Why don't you eat meat?" I always wondered, but somehow I couldn't ask. (98), he only asks because he is sexually fascinated by her "...he said, struggling all the time to suppress the sexual images running through his head." (98). Besides, if he was really worried, he would have tried to help her after he had sex with her. No one until In-hye in Flaming Trees even tries to truly understand her condition out of concern for her safety or well-being. However, at this point it is too late as she has gone too far. It is only when she is “leaning in the corner of a room” (133) that she hints at what she wants. She says, “Everything is fine now” (133). In-hye couldn’t tell what Yeong-hye meant here: “It was unclear who these words were meant to comfort; the boy or herself. (133), but it is clear that not only is she not trying to comfort herself or the boy, but she is trying to bring peace to In-hye. In-hye has been worried about her for so long, andas far as the text is concerned, she is the only one to do so at this point, "her parents...made no extra effort to visit Yeong-hye" (142). Yeong-hye embraces the idea of ​​death or at least is not opposed to it, as she resists medical help, "[Yeong-hye] also tried to remove the IV needle" (150) and later asks In-hye, “Why, is it such a bad thing to die?” (162). What Kang means here is that death should not be universally viewed as such a painful thing. However, death is also not a problem that affects just one person, as it deeply affects the loved ones surrounding the dying person. In fact, she says not everyone sees things the same way, using mental illness as an extreme but effective example. His argument is also supported by a quote from In-hye: “It was a fact. She had never lived. Even as a child, for as long as she could remember, she had done nothing but endure. (166). What is death to someone who has never known life or to someone who is not satisfied with the life they lead. For these people, death may seem like something new, like something that brings hope or a solution to all their problems. When the only thing someone has done in their life is “endured,” then death may seem like the only answer to make them feel like they can find peace. Why is it so irrational for a young person who has suffered so much throughout her life to wish life were simpler? Why is it crazy that this girl who suffered yearns for a life with less conflict, like the life of a plant? This is how Yeong-hye feels. Finch shares a similar view on death with Kang in that death is not necessarily bad and can be liberating, but views it in a more positive light. In “The Tree,” Anne Finch uses certain words that tell of the good deeds of a tree towards its guests and visitors. The simple AABB rhyme scheme that Finch constructs throughout the poem not only gives a heavenly rhythm to the poem, but also emphasizes key words that show his assertion that the tree deserves a good death. The first two lines end with the rhyme “Shade” (Finch 1) and “made” (2). This rhyme in context, preceding the third line "Of course, a return is due from me" (3), shows that this tree graciously gave its shade to the narrator and did not even expect that a "return » be done to him. Finch immediately opens the poem with one of the tree's many examples of altruistic acts to both set the tone for the rest of the poem and reinforce the tree's identity as a benevolent nature. Finch continues the rhyme scheme with "give" (5) and "receive" (6), "stay" (7) and "away" (8), and "released" (11) and "Reed" (12). In the lines: “When you give shelter to birds, / You receive music from them; " (5, 6) Finch further develops the idea that this tree is altruistic, continuing to build this tree so that she can not only justify that he deserves the honorable death he will later get, but also prove to the public that he deserves the privilege of dying in such a respectable manner. This tree's relationship with the birds is similar to its relationship with the narrator in that the tree simply gives without intending to benefit from the situation. Finch's lines "If the travelers under you remain,/Till the storms have exhausted themselves" (7, 8) give the reader yet another example of the tree's behavior, showing that it is normal and natural behavior of the tree. With the lines: “The shepherd here, free from the blight, / agrees with your dance leaves his reed; »(11, 12), Finch again shows the selflessness of the tree, but also shows the magnitude of the acts it performs for its guests. Finch uses the word “Scorching” to embellish the heat, making it seem as if the tree is saving lives here by providing its “cool shadows” (4). The phrase “Until this great store of sap is spent” (21) speaks volumes because it shows that this tree is dedicated to service and will live to serve as long as it has the power to continue to do so. The tree finds its happiness in the song that birds sing or in the company of travelers and shepherds; he doesn't need anything other than that. Finch uses all of these examples to really convince the reader that the tree deserves the death it will receive, as a final gift. Finch changes direction after recounting the tree's deeds and focuses on its death as she progresses through the poem. In rhyme, in particular, words like "strive" (23) and "living" (24), "wait" (17) and "Fate" (18), "wait" (25) and "End" (26) and “burn” (31) and “Urn” (32). In the lines "Till the fierce winds strive in vain / To shock their greatness while alive" (23, 24), Finch is trying to say that the tree is surprised to find that its time to disappear is came. The negative force of time hits the tree like a brick wall and shocks it, now that it knows it will no longer be able to serve anyone. However, he does not fight his destiny, but he will come out of it with grace. Finch’s lines: “No; may this wish await you, and may your destiny continue to blossom” (17, 18) tell the reader that the narrator has something special in store for the tree for which he was unable to show gratitude . It is here that Finch essentially implants the idea that the tree will receive a gift it deserves when it is passed down, because its "destiny" will be "flourished". This foreshadowing is a somewhat subtle tool that she uses to begin to get her point across. Finch sets up the situation so that the narrator knows what kind of funeral/death the tree deserves. Finch, in the lines: “Must attend thy lifeless hour,/Hold the ax and honor thy end; ” (25, 26), at this point, really hits home the idea that she laid the groundwork almost ten lines ago. She says again, more concretely, that the tree deserves a noble and proper death, because it lived to serve. For this tree, simply being cut down is not enough; of course the tree would still be useful to nature, but it seems cruel in a way. The way Finch chooses the tree to die seems much more appropriate. The rhyming lines, “But you must, like heroes of old, burn,/And a bright hearth will become your urn.” (31, 32). Here, Finch says that a death by fire seems like a pure death, even saying that the tree would burn "like heroes of old." Finch would agree that the tree lived like a hero and therefore deserved to die like one. Additionally, burning the tree seems to be a more personal death than simply cutting it down, as this could be seen as both the death of the tree and a sort of funeral service. Instead of being cut up and sent away, it is able to serve as a "hearth" one last time, generating warmth for its guests in its final moments. Not only that, but by being made into a home, the tree may die in the place where it has spent its entire life; it's home. In general, death seems more humane, as humans are cremated and given funerals as well. “The Tree” and “The Vegetarian” both offer a unique perspective on death, both linked to a reflection on the past. In The Vegetarian and “The Tree,” death is seen as something that stimulates reflection and remembrance. In Flaming Trees, In-hye denies the state of.