(C.A.R. - Creative Product) A Tale of Assimilation
The Story of a Father
Written by Jason Yi, Ashera Tupas, & Shakira Figueroa
Peace, beauty, and freedom
My country, freed from the Imperial Japanese rule
My family, freed from misery and oppression
That was my home
But War was declared
And my father fought for our country
The smell of smoke and napalm filled the air
The rest of my family had to find a new home
Our country now divided
My father never returned from Pyongyang
We had lost something-- everything
The thought of home far from the grasp of my hand
We dwelled in a dirty, wretched house
With nothing valuable to sell
Our table was empty, with nothing to fill our hollow stomachs
It was so cold, that place was not home
My mother and brother fell ill
I walked to school, I ran to work,
I took care of my family, repeating the same routine again and again
I couldn't allow myself to call this place home
After years of struggle, we immigrated to America
Away from the stalemate and into the arms of peace
Came from Korea to America
To live the American dream
A culture so different, a culture so strange
I had to make a change
Talk, act -- live American
And now I could call this place home
The Story of a Son
Written by Brian Cheng, Reena Rejano, & Ziping Yan
Land of the free, home of the brave.
America, how cool, how amazing
To be me, be myself, but
Who am I?
I am American! Born and raised
Places to go, people to see; so patriotic
Oh how great it is to be
A proud American.
But wait, I don’t look like the others,
We all act the same.
People look at me different;
They say I am Korean.
What is that even like?
Not so sure. Can’t speak the language.
Never been told anything
Always been American
Just like the others, how I wanted it.
Somehow I still feel strange.
Like something is missing. Is it ‘cause
I am Korean?
It bothers me; Not fully American.
Should I give up and stick to my roots?
What does it mean to be Korean?
Father, I don’t even know.
But wait, all the history, the struggles,
All the pain my father went through. Rough,
But empowering. I belong here, I can proudly say
I am Korean