When Hyejin and I met for our last session, we finished up talking about how flexible and adaptable the form of the personal essay could be. It acts as if all objects were equally near the center and as if all subjects are linked together—a freedom many other styles of writing lack. After I finished up my final points and tips for writing in this style, we read over the short essay she had written for our last assignment.
She wrote about prostitution, and her execution was great. Since it was her first draft, she had problems leaving out a few articles and prepositions, but besides that her writing had definitely loosened up. I asked her how she had changed her writing style so quickly, and she said he had done what I had suggested in one of our meetings. She planned her topic in Korean, and translated some of it into English, and whenever she had trouble translating a mood or feeling, she would refer to her Korean-English dictionary. She completed the assignment through more translation than she usually uses, but it helped her figure out a more open tone than her usual academic voice.
She wrote how prostitution, although illegal in Korea, is an implicitly accepted form of vice for unmarried men. Most of the men will lose their virginity to prostitutes, because it’s unacceptable for a woman to have sex before marriage. This sample of writing, finally, had her emotions and opinions painted all over it. After this last paper, I am very proud of the progress we were able to make together.
Before we said goodbye, she mentioned how our sessions together inspired her to write in her journal more. I was glad to hear it, even if she usually wrote in Korean. I told her to attempt to write more in English so she can get better at expressing her ideas in English. Saying goodbye to Hyejin was hard, but I really did enjoy our short time together.
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