Islander 29 - Identity

29

IDENTITY

INTRODUCTION Dear All, We are pleased to bring you Islander Issue 29, Identity. This issue was written in the last CCA block of the school year 2020/21 and expertly laid out this term by a new layout team. In it you will find a variety of articles around the theme of identity. We hope you enjoy reading and that some of the articles are thought-provoking.

For the perceptive amongst you, Issue 28, Perception, has not yet been published. This has been due to layout difficulties and the problems we all experienced during the pandemic. We will publish this online as soon as we have the articles together.

Sincerely.

NLCS Islander Magazine

01 SCIENCE

IDENTITY AND SNS

Lucas Shin, Y11, Mulchat Name, age, location, working company and family members. This is some of the infor mation that people might fill in on social network sites such as Facebook or Instagram.

Those SNS sites are beneficial in terms of allowing people to introduce themselves conveniently online, without having to meet people and repeat the same information.

However, have you ever imagined s o m e o n e s t e a l i n g yo u r o n l i n e personal information and taking hold of your identity in the real world?

Identity theft refers to a situation where one uses another's identity for illegal purposes, such as committing theft or fraud. Consequently, even if you don’t commit a crime, you might suddenly become a criminal.

SNS platforms are exposed to serious danger since hackers can take your personal information by looking at your profile or getting into your account and look at the conversations you had with friends. From this

process, the thief could take the information about you. They could even steal the information of your friends and the society around you as a result of your online connections. However, you can prevent identity theft by following some essential measures.

Fir stly, focus on making your account safe and solid by making it difficult for hackers to log into your account. The best way to achieve this would be by setting a strong password and changing it regularly. If you have a weak password, it would leave people a very easy job to steal your identity, by directly logging into your account.

Imagine, using a simple password is like leaving your car keys inside the car and leaving the car with the door open. If a stranger can log into your

Edited by: Mr. Thomas

account, they will act like it is you. To set a strong password, include various kinds of characters such as numbers, capital letters and symbols.

Secondly, show as little personal information as possible. For example, do not expose important personal information when using your social media accounts. Try to enter as little personal information as you can into your profile. Writing basic information such as name or the current job would be okay, but writing detailed information such as a home address or the telephone number could be dangerous. There have been some instances where people steal other’s personal information by just looking at the picture that others have posted.

Be extra careful when you upload the photo of things you have bought since hackers could steal your personal information and card information by looking at your receipt.

The third approach would rely on your effort to minimize the possibility of your account being hacked. When you receive any messages from a stranger asking you to click the link, you should be really careful since this link can directly allow your account to be accessed by the hacker. If that hacker changes the password, it is very hard to get your account back. If you see a link that looks unfamiliar to you, don’t click it. The hacking method that is commonly used in Instagram is that hackers send you a direct message asking you to click if you want to get the verification badge on your profile.

However, always keep in mind that Instagram will never directly send a direct message to their users.

Identity theft often happens via social media platforms. There are risks which may ruin your life, without you even knowing it was happening. Take those simple measures beforehand and prevent your personal information from

getting exposed to others.

ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE

AND ITS ROLE ON HUMANS Jayden Lee Year 8, Sarah

Edited by: Hyunjoo Annette Cho, Y13, Halla

In a society where individualism and being independent is encouraged, we are fond of believing that we are essential in making ourselves. Of course, external things also affect who we are, but we think that our actions and thoughts are what defines us.

However, as human beings are social, it is clear that much of our identities are shaped by our interactions with other human beings, our roles in their lives, their roles in our lives, how we influence other human beings and how they influence us. Today, we are connected more than ever before, meaning that in our society social media has become a crucial part of some of our lives, and our identities are now shaped by interactions. As humans have a fear of missing out on current trends, we have an urge to make sure our identities in social media are up to date. This improved version of ourselves on social media is often different from our identities in the real world, which makes us quite uneasy and uncomfortable. This is called cognitive dissonance, which is when our beliefs or ideas contradict our actions.

We live in a time where an advanced, conscious artificial intelligence system is becoming more of an actual thing rather than a far-fetched science fiction idea. Once artificial intelligence becomes advanced enough, there is a good chance that we will use it in our everyday lives, with us interacting with real human beings less and less.

AI will most likely control everything that doesn’t require a human personality, such as driving, cleaning our houses, or even organizing our finances. To understand the concept of humans interacting with artificial intelligence and robots better, we need to understand the concept of humanrobot interactions and the 4 stages, or types of AI. Let’s start with the stages of artificial intelligence. The first stage is the simplest one, Reactive Machines, a basic machine that performs basic operations. It provides an output to a given input. Simple as. There isn’t any learning involved, nor is there any memory, it just has simple instructions to do this if that happens. One of the best known examples of this type is Deep Blue, which is a chess computer

made by IBM. The second type is called limited memory AI, a machine that can store past inputs or data to create predictions or results to an extent. An example of this is selfdriving cars. These cars use sensors to detect all kinds of traffic to safely navigate roads. Our penultimate type of artificial intelligence is called the Theory of Mind AIs. This is where Artificial Intelligence begins to gain an understanding of oneself and others.

They can form representations and “thoughts” about other beings and understand that other creatures in this world have thoughts and feelings that can be affected by what they do. The final type of AI is self-aware AI, aware of themselves, other people, objects, and creatures just like any other person. They can learn from previous experiences and can store much more information than any human being.

This type of artificial intelligence is the closest we can get to some sort of artificial consciousness, and is the type that many people are worried about because of media such as movies or books. In fact, we can program limits into the AI so that it does not become aggressive.

One of the most famous rules for guiding us in this area is the set of rules called Asimov’s laws which goes like this.

First Law: A robot may not injure a human being or, through inaction, allow a human being to come to harm.

Second Law: A robot must obey the orders given by human beings except where such orders would conflict with the First Law. Third Law: A robot must protect its existence as long as such protection does not conflict with the First or Second Law. Isaac Asimov also implemented a fourth law, otherwise known as the Zeroth law, as, in some of his novels or stories, robots with conscious minds were put in charge of the governments of entire planets.

Z e ro t h L aw : A ro b o t m ay n o t harm humanity, or, by inaction, allow humanity to come to harm.

These sorts of laws could be applied to self-aware AIs, rendering them harmless and incapable of destroying humanity. Of course, it would be obvious that we would have to exercise extreme caution when activating these sorts of programs.

A limited self-aware AI could most likely replicate and mimic human personalities far better than human chatbots these days. As it is commonly known that much of who we are is shaped by our daily interactions with humans and creatures, our personalities won’t be too different from before. It is also possible that our social skills might deteriorate, which could be similar to many people’s social skills worsening due to a long time in quarantine. If we can build a stage 4 AI, it is very much likely that it would be very intelligent, as it would have direct access to any for m of infor mation it can get to through the server it is on. This means that it would also be able to study human emotions and behavioural patterns. Stage 4 AI would easily be able to understand anything a person would say or mean in a conversation.

They would also be able to respond in a way that would very much satisfy the person they were replying to unless they didn’t want to, which could be prevented by limiting the program even further. A conversation wouldn’t be as ideal to one person or another, and it would be quite certain that they would prefer talking to a robot that would be able to reply perfectly. Everything is perfect in its perspective. A personality, for someone else, might be very much likeable, but it might be annoying for someone else. Stage 4 AI, when developed, made safe, and limited, would be able to adapt.

If humanity cannot create a stage 3 or 4 AI, we might simply be stuck with the ones that can perform basic tasks like cleaning, driving, or cooking. In the future, robots and AI will most likely take over many jobs and, once they become advanced enough, there is a chance that they will also start replacing humans for careers that are generally considered to use a lot of creativity, such as artists or composers. We can see this through the many pieces of art

created by artificial intelligence. Many careers will be replaced by artificial intelligence or automation in the future, which might cause unemployment t o s k y r o c k e t . A n d r e w Ya n g , a businessman/politician/philanthropist has taken to calling this “The Great Displacement”. In his book, called “The War on Normal People” he expressed his concern about automation and how our technology is advancing quicker than people can, and why universal basic income will be our main source of income for the future.

If we are to sum this up simply, we cannot be sure of anything at this point. We don’t know how much we’ll be dependent on AI, what kind of careers will arise that might let us still have daily interactions with human beings, or what type of artificial intelligence is the limit for humanity.

There are so many possibilities and, frankly, we don’t know much about humans and how their minds work.

Our minds might not be fazed by this new type of interactions and might adjust accordingly so that our personalities stay the same way. It all comes down to how we deal with this entirely new sort of technology. Right now, the only thing definite is that in this world with technology advancing, the way we treat other human beings, ones with their personalities, thoughts, and emotions, should not be changed by the technology around us.

Online Identity is a social identity that an internet user establishes in online communities and websites. It usually differs from people’s real-world identity and varies by the platform they use.

Then, what is the difference between offline identity and internet identity and how are the changes in online identity shown? This article will lay out the difference between real and online identity, positive and negative effects of online identity, and how it changes by age.

People come to show different identities in the online world as they make new relationships and become anonymous.

People create their own ID based on the websites they use, which acts like a name in the real-world. Online networks act as a veil for the users to create their own personas and change their behavior.

For example, Facebook or Instagram allows people to make online friends and create an online identity for the user by adding comments on articles with specific topics. Users may also further establish their identity by providing information on their status, school, hobbies, and by uploading pictures. Comments on recent news or articles uploaded by celebrities or politicians show the user’s thoughts and feelings. People are likely to behave differently from real life on social media, especially because of the social pressure found through comments on them. This encourages them to maintain a certain image. When online, they build up another identity based on the reactions

of other users, which lead them to continue posting contents. As a result, people build new online friendships and expand their friendship circle.

They edit and embellish their profiles to entice more people and increase their followers. According to the Pew Research Center, 43% of teenagers felt the ‘pressure to only post content that makes them look good to others’ and 37% of teenagers felt the ‘pressure to post content that will get lots of likes/ comments’ (PEW Research Center, 2018). This certainly demonstrates how social media causes people to form online identities that differ from reality.

Moreover, there are some cases of people abusing anonymity in cyber crimes, ‘online identity theft.’ The number of cases has been increasing.

According to the Identity T heft Resource Center, there were 1,473 re ported data breaches in 2019, a 17% increase over 2018. Other than data breaches, there are other different kinds of identity thefts. For instance, some well-known methods for criminals to access other’s personal information are phishing, skimming, Wi-Fi hacking, and dumpster diving.

Phishing is simply cybercriminals sending fraudulent emails or texts that look legitimate. They induce users to download or enter malicious software, which is called malware. After users access the software, criminals could sell personal information on the dark web to earn money. Skimming happens

when criminals replace card readers in shops with a counterfeit device. This device captures data in credit cards and could be abused. Wi-Fi hacking is when criminals snoop on data when the user’s device is connected to a nonencrypted public wifi. Some online thieves even create fake Wi-Fi hotspots.

Lastly, dumpster diving is when criminals steal mail and patch the user’s information together. They might get users’ important information such as their bank account number or credit card details. Then, what could people do to protect themselves from getting into cybercrimes and protect their own identity?

The easiest and most common thing people could do is to use strong passwords. It is better for the user to use different passwords on each website. Also, it is essential for users to keep software and operating systems u p d at e d . T h i s e n s u re s u s e r s g e t information about the latest security patches and decreases the potential for computer viruses. Using antivirus software is useful for scanning, detecting and removing threats before they become serious cyber problems.

Lastly, users should not open spam messages or emails in case the website might hack the user’s computer or extract important personal information.

Emily Lim Y11, Sarah

ONLINE IDENTITY

Edited by: Minseo Cha, Y13, Halla

Now that the abuses of online identity have been explored, what might be the positive aspects of having an online identity? Creating an online identity allows people to easily make new relationships without restrictions from time and space. It also enables people to freely express their feelings or other information such as religion. For instance, according to Pew Research Center, one-in-five Americans share their religious faith on social networks. It was also found that young people, aged 18~29, were twice as likely than Americans over the age of 50, to share their religion online. This reflects the generational differences in media consumption. However, it is also the case that there is a greater percentage of elderly adults watching religious TV programs than young people. Nonetheless, online identity helps others to understand each person more holistically and deeply by providing a lot of information including religion.

In conclusion, online identity, which can be found frequently in daily lives, can be shown in different kinds of methods. Although there may be misuse of online identity such as theft, it also has positive effects and enables people to enjoy their social network service (SNS) activities and expand their social relationships. Online identites differs and it is one’s choice whether to make their online identity similar or different to their real-life identity.

CYBER IDENTITY AND THEFT Yeonghu Jung Y10, Sarah The number of people using social media has increased about 16% in the last 3 years due to the huge development in inter net network technology. As more people use the internet, keeping personal information becomes more important and the number of people whose identity has been stolen has increased rapidly.

Therefore, knowing and understanding how to prevent their identity from being stolen is now one of the utmost importance.

Before investigating the ways to protect people’s information, it’s essential to know briefly what a cyber identity theft is. Cyber identity is the thing that makes you ‘you’ online and cyber identity theft is literally stealing another’s personal infor mation or

details, anything like their password, e-mail address, name and age. The reason why it’s dangerous is because if the person’s identity is stolen, it will be sold or given to someone else.

That information can be used for any purpose by anyone, for example, an anonymous person can take money from your bank account easily without you noticing it.

Cyber identity theft is one of the most dangerous and common cyber crimes.

Even things like using other people’s username and pretending to be them can be identity theft, which actually happens often. Identity theft is not only about stealing money and hacking into others' accounts. Any activity that uses another person’s identity can be committing a crime. Therefore people

must be careful what they do online because identity theft is a serious problem today. It is so serious that in many countries students are being educated about cyber security.

As the number of inter net users increases rapidly, so has the number of people having had their identity stolen.

Theft reports increased to 4.7 milion by 2021 compared to 2018 when it was 3.1million. Of all internet users,1 out of 1,000 people are being attacked.

The 5 most common thefts are stealing account information, credit/debit card information, driver’s license, email address or password and social security number. A stolen email address is a particularly serious offense because the friends of the stolen account can be the target of the theft very easily. Therefore

it’s essential to know how to protect your own identity such as deactivating the email account.

As with other crimes, identity theft has common targets. They tend to be people aged 18 to 24, who have incomes of over $75000, have weak passwords, and young children having cyber identities. Crime reports from 2006 states that 29% of the crimes targeted people who just became an adult or who will be soon. This is because they have no experience of identity theft. Most of the identity theft has the purpose of taking money which is easier to do from those who have high incomes. Surprisingly, children’s identities are commonly stolen because people think their identities are safe and so have a low chance of being caught. Even though they are the most common targets, it can happen to anyone so everyone needs to be careful.

In order to be safer, it is important to remember how to protect yourself from the thieves and, better still, put it into practice. There are lots of precautions and most of them are quite simple and easy. First, keep checking your bank accounts. You have to be aware that your bank account is not absolutely safe. Second, do not note any passwords or personal information online. That information can be easily stolen or seen by other people. Third, use complicated passwords. If you are using complicated passwords, it’s harder to find out your password, which means it’s much safer than passwords like ‘abcd1234’ or ‘YYMMDD’. Fourth, use secure services wisely. There are tons of services and programs like ‘bitdefender’ or ‘norton’ and they can search for computer viruses or attack programs and remove them. Fifth, only use reputable websites when you buy online. As there are many famous shopping websites, there are equally a high number of fake websites for hacking or stealing. Sixth, learn to distinguish between spam mails and safe mails. As your email address is open to lots of people, there is a high chance of getting dangerous mails like when you click it, it will install a virus into the device. Seventh, keep checking

that your security number is completely safe. You can check whether someone is using your security number or not in ‘www.identitytheft.gov’. Last, but most important, stay alert. You need to be careful and sensible when you move around the internet.

In conclusion, as the amount of internet users increases, people are threatened by identity theft. People have to be aware of it and be on the watch out for it. Therefore, it’s essential to know how to protect yourself and also educate teenagers about cyber security in order to stop the crimes happening.

02 IDEOLOGY

Midnight, July 1, 1997. Hong Kong returns to Chinese control after a century and a half of British colonial rule. In a newly established system of “one country, two systems'', Hong Kong would become a part of China, yet as a special, one-of-its-kind administrative zone its systems remain the same - at least until 2047. Hong Kongers would continue to have rights to speech, press, assembly, and religious belief. Hong Kong has long been a world class hub of finance, culture, and trade, famous for its weaving of Western and Eastern influences into a small urban area on the Pearl River Delta.

However, this unique identity of Hong Kong seems to stand fragile; perhaps it has been from its very roots, and it will be in the future.

In 2019, protests broke out against a proposed bill that would allow ex t r a d i t i o n t o m a i n l a n d C h i n a , implicitly allowing Chinese-backed local authorities to detain and extradite fugitives of Hong Kong to the mainland. Hong Kongers called it “legal kidnapping”, highlighting the Chinese attempts to devalue the “one country, two systems” arrangement.

The protesters went onto the streets and chanted for democracy- a value they were guaranteed and promised.

In that, the ter m ‘Hong Konger’ has recently become increasingly

synonymous with concepts of democracy and freedom of speech.

L o c a l s e c o n d a r y s ch o o l s t u d e n t Athansor Harris says, “I see these two places (Hong Kong and mainland China) as distinct from each other.

A true Hongkonger knows and is not afraid to express the differences between Hong Kong and China.”

Yet, the Hong Kongers that stood on the frontlines of the protests are not only caught in the middle of one of Hong Kong's largest political struggles, but also in a crisis of identity.

Their identities are torn between their homeland’s colonial past, its relationship with China, and its opaque future. Hong Kongers are fighting not only for the democracy of their city, but for who they have become in this post-colonial world, for who they ought to be, and for what values they must stand for, living in this robustly identitychanging city.

A University of Hong Kong poll in June 2019, when the protests began, found that 75 percent of people aged 18 to 29 identified as “Hong Konger,” as opposed to “Chinese,” “Chinese in Hong Kong,” or “Hong Konger in China,” the highest proportion since the poll began tracking identity sentiment in 1997. Overall, 52.9 percent of respondents across all age groups identified this way, up from 35.9 percent in 1997 (this enquête has been

conducted twice a year since 1997).

Now, the unique identity of a Hong Konger seems more than just a cultural phenomenon.

A Hong Kong-born student studying in the UK, Angie Dai, adds that she has always identified herself as a Hongkonger, but never had a solid idea of what it really means to be one.

"It was not until I found myself constantly going back to the topic of Hong Kong culture that I realised the social divide between Hong Kong and China,” says Dai. "Mannerisms and politics are not what solely defines the ‘Hong Konger’. Being a Hongkonger is the rush of pride I feel when I tell others how unique my home city is.”

turned towards Chinese-supporting c on s ervat ive part ies, ac c e pt in g Chinese political and economical interventions as being natural. Many in fact benefit from Chinese capital in Hong Kong; for them, supporting China is a matter of survival. Others have prioritised their democratic political ideologies, giving support to the democratic and liberal side of parliament. This has led to political divisions within Hong Kong, and unity of the people of this small city itself is unlikely to be reached.

It remains to be seen how these identity conflicts work themselves out.

However, the population of Hong Kong is again divided by a multitude of complex factors. Some such differences are caused by the financial and political dissent within the city. For generations before the restitution in 1997, Hong Ko n g h a s b e e n a s k y - ro c k e t i n g economy, praised for its openness as an international metropolis. It has long been a prosperous centre of worldclass finance and culture. Today, Hong Kong may still be a vibrant city, but the economic achievements of mainland cities like Shanghai and Shenzhen seem to have at least partially overshadowed its original brilliance. Some people no longer feel the pride they once felt living in Hong Kong, and have

Edited by: Ms. Seo

香港

POLITICS OF IDENTITY IN HONGKONG Jeremy Kim Y12, Halla

IS BIDEN A BETTER PUBLIC SPEAKER

THAN TRUMP? It has almost been a year since COVID-19 spread worldwide. Let’s face it, it is the reality we are stuck in for an unprecedented time, and yet it’s hard to grasp that this is what we have to be accustomed to. And the amazing reality is that we, as incredibly remarkable and complex beings, have allowed ourselves to adjust and adapt so well in such a short amount of time.

But one thing that was impossible for us to grasp was the increasing number of deaths of our loved ones, leaving us behind while fading away to infinite darkness. The spread of this infinite darkness led the whole United States

continent to narrow their grief into the hands of one election, which was to decide who was to take on the major obligation in the prevention of COVID-19 death rates. Two opposing people with two different political approaches stood on the podium, under the spotlight of hope and expectancy from millions, presenting their uniquely formed identity, or rather authentic speeches of the Party, to win over the US citizens’ votes. The result was both shocking and expected but what did these two politicians exactly possess within themselves that differentiated the two individuals? This all goes down

Shona Park Y11, Noro

to their formed identity whether it is innate or performed. Donald Trump and Joe Biden, two significant figures in American politics who never seem to be able to cooperate, indeed have different perceptions, personalities, and experiences resulting in divergent identities.

Identity is a very broad term, and a lot of qualities within an individual truly establishes the characteristics of each politician. Hence, identities can be conveyed in minor things, the most unexpected things such as gestures, accent, choice of words, and public appearances. Trump is indeed

well known for his public speeches where diverse hand gestures are utilized and his aggressive tone and surprising word choices contribute to his overall image. It is no surprise that you can get extremely lost in his speeches, transcribing him can be a definite challenge. When he deviates from his written speech his rambling remarks are full of intruding statements bouncing to whole different thoughts before settling onto his written script.

Most of his speeches use non-sequiturs distinguishing him significantly from the rest of the politicians. While some people find it incomprehensible, others find it attractive. His uncompleted sentences assemble to form a blurted mess almost making it incoherent for the public. His prosody combined with his frequent use of gestures, forward lean posture, and intense gazing is largely factored out by the crowd. However, in textual form the cues are nonexistent and some people get lost in his words. One other identity that is shown through his speaking style is his incomplete sentences. He occasionally uses vague implications with a shrug and a raised eyebrow allowing the listeners to conclude his speeches with their own conclusions. This conversational tone creates more intimacy than a simple scripted piece. Some people favour this, thus, audiences walk away from the rallies regarding his speech as a casual conversation. Another factor that makes Trump’s style of speaking so appealing to many is his use of catchphrases which are an updated version of the time-tested speech mechanism of the salesmen. For instance, it is visible to see his frequent use of “believe me” and “many people are saying”, this tends to make his speech authentic and trustworthy to the audience than just stating his baseless claims outright. Stalling for time, he never repeats phrases and adjectives but rather spends time on emphasis and strengthening the association of these points.

So what does Trump’s speaking style imply? We can scrutinize Trump’s way of thinking by reflecting on his

haphazard sentences and concise snippets. It suggests he is full of dissipated thoughts not focused on one distinct point, short-lived attention, and moreover, he lacks intellectual discipline and analytical skills. More sophisticated thinkers and public speakers are able to utilize hypotaxis effectively, which is a formal way of embedding a sentence that contains subordinate clauses or phrases that merely build on and add to the main clause. He also approaches people in emotional states, taps into fear and insecurity, but enables the public to express that fear through anger. And anger gives the illusion of empowerment. In style alone, however, only "emotional" appeal may not be enough to portray a strong leader. Leadership requires discipline, concentration, and an ability to ignore what's irrelevant or needless or personal or silly, however, Trump talks honestly enough that you can see what he's like, who doesn’t possess the intellectual capacity to exercise his powers wisely.

Now let’s have a look at Biden who in fact has been very successful in winning the presidential position in the most recent election. When reviewing the entirety of Biden’s speech it echoes ‘democracy’ above anything else. Audiences can easily interpret the strong democracy identity that Joe Biden had built upon. With the use of present tense structured speech, President Biden focuses on the theme of unity leading up to the inaugural address, these sentiments align naturally and clearly support his message. This sharply contrasts with Trump, who highlighted both success and fear above all else. Moreover, we can identify President Biden with somewhat intellectual skills whose speeches are not easily comprehended in the average readability index. The richness of diverse literary devices such as alliteration, juxtaposition, and repetition adds to the overall mood that is projected, unity, love, and hope.

One other key thing that could be identified from Biden is his childhood stutter. He has been brought up and has been affecting his public image in both positive and negative ways. It has

taught him resilience and the power of words, and it is his lingering tendency to bungle words and phrases which Trump’s campaign has tried to utilise as a tool to cast doubt on his cognitive abilities. It is not unknown that Biden also has a tendency in delivering uneven performances on stages that severely undermines his political messages. He often gets lost in the circuitous routes at the ending remarks of his sentences, sometimes even mixing up countries and dates creating a choppy speaking style. Despite his halting speaking style, he has won the votes of Americans.

Regardless of each individual's beliefs or personal political affiliations, each president identifies themselves by their spoken words for their inaugural address. Identity is indeed broad but words shape and alter the public image that is displayed to the public. It can be said that for America’s 46th president, Joe Biden had won Trump over with his democratic words.

Edited by: Warrick Kwon, Y11, Noro

Seungho Ham Y13, Halla

How does religion influence the personal identity of young people?

Personal identity is established in numerous ways. It sometimes blooms inside our mind, or changes from the effects of the surroundings. Religion plays a significant role as an internal and external factor in the formation of personal identity. This is because religion often gives directions to the formation of identity by teaching beliefs and standards of behaviour. Young individuals, lacking in experience or succeptible to suggestions can make significant changes in their identity depending on their religious experiences.

Sometimes religion is an opportunity to form a positive identity as it emphasises sound ideas, but some religions inject unhealthy beliefs and abuse them to use young people.

Believing in a particular religion leads to the rapid formation of personal identity.

Religious studies professor Chung Jinhong said that believing in religion is like setting standards for one individual, which greatly contributes to establishing one's own identity. It is true that the biggest obstacle to forming your own identity is the confusion caused by the vagueness of morality and what is right. Hence, as most religions have their own philosophical and moral standards or gospels for the believers to follow, they positively contribute to forming the identity following the standards the religion stands for. Let’s assume a certain religion asks its believers not to lie, there is a young individual joining that religion, and many other believers strictly follow the gospel. This condition would suggest to the young individual that lying is a sin, and hence he would likely establish a not-lying self-identity. Hence, if religion teaches moral beliefs, it could likely lead young individuals to a more engaged stand with their own identities.

However, the blind attitudes towards approaching the teachings and beliefs of the religion could act as an obstacle in

forming a personal identity. Teachings and beliefs of the religion might dictate the thinking and suppress the formation of the personal identity. Let’s take the example above to think back on this issue. Again, if a certain religion asks its believers not to lie, some young individuals with an unstable identity might have misconceptions or prejudices and consider people who are lying as sinister. As this belief becomes fixed, young individuals might condemn themselves or others due to the lies made, and this strong belief will encourage them to adopt a binary mindset.

Even if the real cases are not as extreme as the above, in reality, religions might stiffen children's identities. Experts suggest that the ‘Nice Guy Syndrome’ is common in people born within specific religions. Nice Guy Syndrome is a psychological obsession with maintaining one's image as a good person. It may sound good, but this may eliminate self-esteem and may confuse the form of the self-identity of the young individuals. In Korea, more than 75% of people visiting psychiatry due to Nice Guy Syndrome are cradle believers. Juveniles are likely to believe and follow everything they are told, hence vulnerable in not filtering or judging about the information they are exposed to. This indicates that religious belief is likely to provoke an obsession with being a good person in young people.

To conclude, it is true that religions could hold a significant influence in forming self-identity. Influences could play positive or negative roles in selfidentity. For the former case, it could make people more virtuous and enable them to secure their own belief. For the latter case, it could make people obsessed with those beliefs, and excessively have guilty feelings and moral mysophobia. Therefore, young people, especially children and juveniles within a religion should be aware of excessive belief, to protect their identity from being buried in religious beliefs.

Brandon Lee Y10, Noro

TAOISM, IDENTITY

AND LIFESTYLE

These days, people are having a hard time surviving in their lives, which is the same as the ancient days. War, fights, developments in technology; these kinds of things are common conflicts for humans to deal with in their daily life today and in ancient times. People try to survive in school, in workplaces, the frustrations of parenting, finding h o u s e s, a n d i m p rov i n g l i v i n g conditions for themselves and their families. These are mostly similar to the conflicts they had in ancient times, but in some ways more stressful because of societal pressure.

Normal people in normal conditions become stressed and annoyed, and this makes their lives quite difficult. But, there are people who are called “Taoists”, who believe in inner peace, and sharing and have suffered less of these conflicts.

Ta o i s m , a r e l i g i o n t h a t emphasizes living in harmony with the world called “Tao”, is as bygone as other better-known religions like Christianity, Buddhism, Hindu, and Islam, the four most popular re l i g i o n s, wh i ch h ave s i m i l a r teachings, designed to help you have a better life. This looks similar, but there is a big difference between Taoism and the other four religions because Taoism does not have a god to believe in. Taoists believe in harmony, a value that means all living creatures ought to live in a state of harmony with the universe and the energy found in it. Living things that structure the world are the gods in Taoism which, because of specific enlightenment, become more powerful than human beings.

While other religions believe that God will make them change, Taoists believe that, if they challenge everything and give sufficient effort,

Edited by: Shona Park, Y11, Noro they can feel the enlightenment that God feels, which all Taoists want to succeed in doing. Taoism’s main teaching is about inner peace, patience, no stress, and having no worries. These main teachings reflect social reality, the Taoists have a special balance going on in society.

Taoism builds identity and lifestyle by teaching their beliefs from ancient times about har mony with the universe, specifically, a circular system called “Yin” and “Yang”, showing the balanced connection between “Yin”, which represents female, dark, cold, and the Earth, and “Yang” which represents male, light, and the heavens structuring the entire universe. People today reference the teachings of Taoism by the basics of being friendly to people who are friendly to you, being patient which will make your work better, and other teachings that can be related to success. Many Taoists have intensely positive mindsets producing lower stress rates and higher positive feelings about their life. Furthermore, the basic teachings of “Yin” and “Yang”, change the thoughts of people about their negative life, not only thinking that it will make them a better person but negative things can be metamorphosed into positive things. In Yin and Yang there aren't bad or good, so many people change their stereotype of good and bad in their own thoughts. Taoism refers to the identity of themselves in reality by their teachings, and Taosim also refers to the lifestyles of people due to their beliefs and values of Taoism.

“Life is a series of natural and spontaneous changes. Don’t resist them.

That only creates sorrow. Let reality be reality. Let things flow naturally forward in whatever way they like.” T he quote is from the initiator of Taoism, Lao Tzu, telling his disciples that we

shouldn’t resist the flow of life and just live in reality with no big change. This quote impacts a lot of Taoists today because many people become Taoists due to their tiredness with modern life and society. Because of the teachings of being calm and finding peace inside your body, many of the lifestyle Taoists currently engage in meditation, trying to find inner-peace in their busy reality.

Meditation makes the brain rest a bit by reducing stress and inflammation.

Taoism also improves concentration and memory skills, they become more accurate, being able to be a more peaceful human in society.

16% of the Taosits are religious Ta o s i t s wh o b e l i eve i n s u p e r i o r t r a n s c e n d e n t c reat ures and als o believe that they can be the superior transcendent creatures unlike lifestyle Taoists who believe that if they feel the enlightenment they can understand the world’s sequence and reason which will make them wiser in living their lives. These religious Taoists are more similar to Islam and Christianity, in believing this kind of supreme creature, but they think no creature has the power to create the cosmos, unlike other monotheism beliefs like Allah. Also, they believe in spiritual immortality, the spirit of the body joins the universe after death. But, religious taoism can be applied in one of the roots in shamanism having a similar formality in believing creatures that are not human, some in animals, or natural spirits.

Taosim benefits the whole world by its teaching and the religion of Taoism. It has a big impact on society; promoting the concepts of holistic wellness, traditional arts; people developing some Tao into martial arts; celebrations; tourism. Also, the teachings of Taoism helps us to live better lives and, making

our lives happier, finding a reason to live and feel enlightenment which, like lifestyle Taoists, we can enjoy our lives by thinking about the teachings Taoism shows regarding how important we are.

03 IDENTITY

Sunwoo Heo Y10, Noro

BEINGYOURSEL?FF YOURSELF BEING

BEING YOURSELF

FREEDOM

“Identity cannot be found or fabricated but emerges from within when one has the courage to let go.”

– Doug Cooper

“I am no bird; and no net ensnares me: I am a free human being with an independent will.” ― Charlotte Brontë, Jane Eyre

“Be who you are and say what you feel because those who mind don’t matter and those who matter don’t mind.

- Dr. Seuss

DIVERSITY

“Be yourself; everyone else is already taken.”

- Oscar Wilde “Don’t let the noise of others’ opinions drown out your own inner voice."

[Stanford University commencement speech, 2005]” ― Steve Jobs What is your name? Speak Yourself !"

— Kim Namjoon

ARTS “Sketching is almost everything. It is the painter’s identity, his style, his conviction, and then color is just a gift to the drawing.”

– Fernando Botero

GENDER “A girl should be two things: who and what she wants.” ― Coco Chanel, The Gospel According to Coco Chanel: Life Lessons from the World's Most Elegant Woman “What matters most is not 'what' you are, but 'who' you are.” ― DaShanne Stokes “I am not an angel," I asserted; "and I will not be one till I die: I will be myself.” ― Charlotte Brontë, Jane Eyre

“I think every person has their own identity and beauty. Everyone being different is what is really beautiful. If we were all the same, it would be boring.”

– Tila Tequila “I think... if it is true that there are as many minds as there are heads, then there are as many kinds of love as there are hearts.” ― Leo Tolstoy, Anna Karenina

RACE “Individual cultures and ideologies have their appropriate uses but none of them erase or replace the universal experiences, like love and weeping and laughter, common to all human beings.”

– Aberjhani, Splendid Literarium: A Treasury of Stories, Aphorisms, Poems, and Essays “Love has no gender - compassion has no religion - character has no race.” ― Abhijit Naskar, Either Civilized or Phobic: A Treatise on Homosexuality

"In politics, If you want anything said, ask a man. If you want anything done, ask a woman."

— Margaret Thatcher “For the record, feminism, by definition, is the belief that men and women should have equal rights and opportunities. It is the theory of political, economic and social equality of the sexes.”

— Emma Watson

"You yourself, as much as anybody in the entire universe, deserve your love and affection." - Buddha A psychological identity relates to self-image- one's mental model of oneself, self-esteem, and individuality.

During adolescence, the so-called ‘critical period’ of teenagers, profound changes take place leading to the process of self-discovery. Teens develop a so-called adolescent identity, in other words, a central feature of teen life. Their identities are shaped by lots of factors — family, cultural and societal expectations, experiences with institutions like school and the media, and friends. People in youth ought to take active steps and make decisions about their identity, while selecting the best environment to promote their selfdiscovery. Young people also take active steps and make choices that shape their identity. They select their environment and people they want to be around.

Some traits that are identified as aligning to age in early adolescence, where people desire to identify themselves in multiple ways outside of their role in the family, they seek to Increase

awareness of themselves as part of a peer group, develop flexibility in how they present themselves in different situations, and experience greater stimulation to feedback from peers From middle adolescence, people begin to imagine their own adolescent identity and role in the larger world, actively exploring adolescent identity alternatives, consider themselves and their beliefs in relation to broader social-cultural groups, and taking stronger stances on social, ethical, or moral issues by perceiving oneself across different places and social groups. Greta Thunberg springs to mind.

Lastly, in late adolescence, people experience a profound consideration of self in terms of adult roles or career goals, consider their context within intimate relationships, balance idealistic views about who they might become, and make strong commitments to social group identities.

As the development of adolescent identity prioritizes self-esteem and identity-building, deficiency in any of those developments, such complexes

may be created, for example an inferiority complex. The problem of inferiority complex among adolescents is becoming increasingly alarming.

Teenage years are the prime years s p e n t d eve l o p i n g t h e bu rd e n o f inferiority feelings. It is a kind of psychological obstacle that occurs usually in puberty and its reasons are complicated but its effects negative and harmful. While healthy self-esteem can aid in navigating life with a positive and optimistic attitude and believe people with unhealthy self-esteem encapsulates intense feelings of inadequacy possibly resulting in extreme shyness, selfisolation, or social submissiveness.

When this advances, this feeling often stems from the belief that one is in some way deficient or inferior to virtually all others.

While there isn’t a single definition for a cause or treatment, inferiority complex arouses constant tension between one’s mental and physical s t at u s, wh i ch l e a d s t o c o g n i t i ve distortions that erode self-esteem. This cycle will repeat itself until we take a step forward. According to the Mayo Clinic, these steps include (Genefe Navilon, 2018)

ADOLESCENE IDENTITY AND INFERIORITY COMPLEX Melanie Kang Y13, Halla

1. You must confront your history and painful emotional recollections.

Is there a time in your life when you felt particularly traumatized by feeling inferior to something or someone? Who do you truly believe you are inferior to? You must investigate the underlying cause of your inferiority complex.

Understanding these levels might assist you in locating the source of your problem.

2. You must be kind with yourself.

For someone like you, practicing selfcompassion may be the most difficult thing to do. You're always the first to be critical of yourself. But, in any case, try to be kind. Self-care is essential. Not only in your head but also in your body and spirit. Consume more nutritious foods. Meditation could be practiced.

Get out there and do the things you adore, and take care of yourself 3. Try to surround yourself with people who uplift you.

Do you have any toxic relationships?

Then you need to cut them. Yes, even if it means they’re with your nearest and dearest. In fact, an inferiority complex can be linked to difficult parenting or challenging circumstances growing up. Instead, choose the kind of relationships that make you feel good.

Be with the people who make you feel that you’re enough. You will notice a big change in your life.

4. Learn to say no and practice the art of “silence.”

You want to please people so much that you never say no to them. But you should. It might be hard for you, especially with your extreme desire to want to prove yourself. But saying “no” is another form of self-care. Don’t do anything that is not helpful or enjoyable to you just so other people might like you. In addition, you don’t always have to tell everyone everything just to seek validation. This only distracts you from focusing on yourself. Instead, learn to appreciate the art of being silent. It doesn’t mean you can’t reach out to people, but you also don’t need their

validation to make yourself feel better.​ 5. Be more assertive.

If you’re too afraid to try things because you fear failure, then this is something you need to work on.

You’re missing out on possibly the best opportunities because you think too much. The important thing is you go out there and try.

Remember you are not inferior to anyone in this world. Be yourself and enjoy life.

Edited by: Stella Yeom, Y13, Halla

WHAT IS IDENTITY?

Jessica Kim Y10, Noro Edited by: Melanie Kang Y13, Halla

Everyone struggles with existential questions; “Who am I?” and “Who do I want my future self to be?” One reason why may be that the answer is so complex. Identity encompasses memories, experiences, relationships, and values that create your sense of self, which includes memories as a child, with a friend, partner, and parent.This amalgamation creates your character over time. Identity is also demonstrated by external characteristics over which a person has little or no control, such as height or race.People who are overly concerned with the impression they make, or who feel that a core aspect of themselves such as gender or sexuality is not being expressed, can struggle with their identity. Reflecting on the discrepancy between who you are and who you want to be can be a powerful motivation for change.

The advantages of having a strong identity is that you have a clear sense of “who you are”, which makes it easier for a person to make decisions.

Pe o p l e c o n s t a n t l y f a c e c o m p l ex decisions and circumstances, and with no prior belief of what to do, choosing between many options will most likely be impossible. Thus, having a clear vision of what kind of person you are makes it much simpler to decide how you should behave and have confidence to choose between many options you face while making a decision. However, having a strong identity can also be dangerous as well. The stronger your identity is, the more you will tend to protect your identity. This can block you from things such as being openminded, truth-seeking, and being kind to others. It will be extremely difficult to think objectively about something you identify strongly with. Therefore, if the self you build is unhealthy, it will be very nearly impossible to change it.

That is why we should put importance on creating a healthy self when creating an ego.

The healthiest self-views are those who have positively transformable self-views. People with a positive, transfor mable view of themselves

believe in their potential and make a clear value judgment. Recognizing my true self as it is, without distortion or exaggeration, is the first step towards having a healthy self-view. The next step is to dream of positive change little by little every day. People with false self-conceptions go back and forth between underrated and overrated egos. This is just a false illusion. Those with healthy identities first try to judge themselves accurately and constantly improve their deficiencies. This effort is obviously noble. Take the 100m race as an example. We certainly cannot be as good a player as Ushine Bolt since he is obviously a natural athlete. But in order for us to live a wonderful life, we have to be on the scary starting line of the 100-meter race. If you're afraid to stand there and just repeat the shabby words "I can't," you'll have to live your whole life dreaming of false fantasies with only overestimated or underestimated self-observation.

You have to train every day. You have to train yourself. You should try to be better, even a little bit. A healthy self-view can change a person's whole life. Let's not say we can't challenge ourselves because we don't have time.

Let's think about the spare time. No matter how busy you are, you still have some spare time. Whatever you do, if you make good use of your spare time, you can bring out your full potential in that time. You have to get out of your overrated, underrated view of yourself.

A healthy self-view is not complacent or anxious looking at the present, but a smile of satisfaction and effort little by little for a better future.

Injoon So Y11, Sarah

IDENTITY OF Identity is like a cup of cocktail.

It is a mixture of different features of a person including race, ethnicity, language, values, and more. These characteristics all come together and create a final product called identity.

This unique cup of cocktail can answer the question of who you are as a human being. Recognising and determining one’s identity is essential to adolescence. Identity can directly lead to one’s confidence and selfesteem. Confidence and self-esteem are essential for teenagers since they are in the stage of deciding which careers and majors they would like to pursue in the future. With low self-esteem, students might set underestimated goals that might influence their future careers. However, if the teenagers have confidence in themselves, they would be able to establish goals within their capacity. Therefore, as a teenager, it is important to recognise one's identity.

To find one's identity, it is important to know what an identity is. An identity is what makes up who 'you’ are. Imagine you are Alice from Alice in Wonderland, and you ran into the caterpillar. It asked you the big question, “Who are you?”. How would you answer the question? You could be made up of where you come from, your religion, or your ethnicity. Why

TEENAGERS

Edited by: Warrick Kwon, Y11, Noro

do you have to have a strong identity?

People who have a strong sense of identity have confidence in themselves and therefore have a higher chance to be calmer and courageous. One tip to having a strong identity that would be helpful is if you know the values you think are important. Values are a group of characteristics or ideas and areas that you think are important in your life. For example, the value that I think is essential is honesty. However, this does not mean that everyone should have the same values as each other.

Everybody is unique, and therefore, has unique values. Having different values might be a chance to learn from other people. If people have different values, then you would be able to see the world from a different person’s perspective and learn other values. This would help you to stay open-minded. Then what are some ways that could help you to recognise your values? Firstly, you could think about factors that motivate you.

These factors could include things such as what type of sport you like to play, what your favorite subject at school is, or what your favorite book might be.

These factors all somewhat contribute to the acknowledgment of the crucial values. For instance, my favorite subject in school is science, and the sport that I play often is basketball. Based on the subject that interests me, I could derive some values that I think are crucial such as curiosity or exploration. By playing basketball with my friends, I could develop values like teamwork or cooperation.

Finding confidence in yourself could be a milestone in building a stronger sense of identity. Having confidence in oneself is extremely important since self-confidence allows you to recognise the aspects that you are talented in.

Let's assume that there is a situation where there are two people A and B. They both have the same qualities but ‘A’ has high confidence in himself, whereas ‘B’ has negative views in general. ‘A’ is proud of himself that he has some aspects that he is talented at, and makes realistic goals that could help him improve his skills if he succeeds in achieving them. ‘A’ is not

afraid of failing because he knows that even if he fails, he believes that he can overcome his hardships. On the other hand, even though ‘B’ has the same talents as ‘A’, he keeps on doubting his skills due to the fact that his failure could significantly influence him in a negative way and decides to give up on making attempts that could help him enhance his skills. Eventually, as time passes, it is pretty obvious that ‘A’ would become more skillful compared to ‘B’ as ‘A’ has confidence in himself and tries to expand on a variety of qualities whereas, ‘B’ is timid and anxious about the fact that mistakes that he makes would severely impact him in a negative way. Where confidence is your willingness to try new things and improve based on the original skills that you have, self-esteem is you being able to feel self-assured and self-reliant even on things that you aren’t talented or an expert at. Sometimes, it may be challenging for you to feel highly selfesteemed when you think that you are a stranger amongst the people and you seem to be doing the wrong thing compared to others. However, you don’t need to be discouraged because of these reasons, as everybody is unique. For example, at the beginning of the book ‘Alice in Wonderland’, Alice is portrayed as a peculiar child since she keeps on babbling strange words and follows a talking white rabbit into a hollow pit. At this stage, she doesn’t know who she is and is on a journey to finding her identity. She can't decide what size she wants to be and she went through multiple changes in size. Under the process of fighting against the red queen and going through trial and error, she ends up discovering her true identity and feels confident in herself. As evidence, Alice at the beginning of the story barely attempts to challenge the red queen to get into a duel. However, as she finds her identity through her journey she gains confidence. By the end of the story, she becomes capable enough to challenge the queen herself. Knowing who you are and knowing your value can give you the power to fight the challenges you face.

Confidence is similar to a muscle in the sense that it needs to be constantly stretched in order to be active and flexible. There are a few effective ways that you could use to stretch and train your confidence. The first way is to reevaluate your goals. Confidence gets more solid as you achieve more and more things. The success that you feel and your achievements are what motivate you to have faith in yourself.

The goals that are being set don’t always have to be something huge or important to like making a big choice.

It could be something minor such as finishing your math homework or helping your family by cleaning up the mess you make. All of these small actions gradually add up and contribute to the growth of your self-confidence.

The second approach is using the most minimal amount of negative talk to yourself. Negative words are one of the biggest factors that contribute to cutting down one's confidence. These negative words create a negative mood, thus giving you the feeling that you might not succeed leading to a low state of confidence. Hence, it is extremely important that you encourage yourself and minimize selfcriticism. Meanwhile, this doesn’t mean that you should leave your flaws as they currently are. Rather, you should search for a solution to this situation which could be through constructive criticism. Constructive criticism might seem like a difficult and contradictory word by its first impression. How can you give someone criticism that is constructive when criticism deteriorates and brings negative impacts to other people. Unlike what it seems like, constructive criticism is a helpful way of giving feedback that provides specific, actionable suggestions. Instead of giving general feedback which might be challenging for the respondent to perceive and alter, constructive criticism provides specific recommendations that could lead to positive improvements.

Finally, one thing that you should always remember is that everybody is unique and deserves to be respected, including yourself.

Logan Kim Y10, Geomun

Edited by: Ms. Tannis Waugh

IDENTITY

Who are you, and who do you feel attracted to? In this writing, I will talk about sexual attraction and gender identity. People in our community always look and talk about homosexuals in a rather negative perspective. It is estimated that 10% of the population is homosexual, which is seemingly a lot.

Two males having sexual relationships have a higher chance of getting infected

by HIV, reaching a high number of 35%, so what makes them want to be homosexual?

There are a total of 8 identities we are divided by. It goes by age, ability, race, ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation, socioeconomic status, and religion. People say that it is normal for a man to like a woman, or a woman to like a man, as that is what it is for the majority of people.

Your identity changes for who you like from the other’s perspective. I believe that this is nonsense. Have you heard of homosexual, or heterosexual, or even homogenous and heterogeneous mixtures that we learn at year 9 in chemistry? If you have, you will know that heterogeneous mixtures are mixtures that visibly become one substance, such as coffee, and a homogeneous mixture are 2 or more substances in one container, but still are visible, such as water and oil. People surely are meant to be with a gender not of your own as reproduction will not occur if not. But it is surely not easy to stop, to urge your love towards someone, even though you will be called a ‘Homosexual’.

The first problem on sexual identity is people’s perspective against h o m o s ex u a l s. A c c o rd i n g t o Pe w Research (https://www.pewresearch. org/g lobal/2020/06/25/g lobaldivide-on-homosexuality-persists) it is said that less than half of the people on Earth have a negative p e r s p e c t i v e t o w a r d s t h e m . Fo r us, Koreans, we have 44% of our community that does not disagree with being homosexual. The most surprising thing is that 44% is quite a lot in comparison to the other countries, such as Nigeria or Ukraine, reaching 7% and 14% respectively. This first of

all shows that people seem to dislike people they adore, and also can prove how we need improvements for the perspective of LGBTQ+ people. Gay marrage is also illegal in many different countries. This is a problem, probably the biggest problem as it is the key factor towards their identity.

Another problem the community of homosexual people face is that they are being abused, physically, all over the world. In places like Iran and Yemen, it is ‘legal’ to punish gay people, so many harrassments occur while people have made significant legal and political gains in the United States, including the freedom to marry. It surely is a great progress. Our society will not move as the government orders us to, for some weird reason. It’s not as if many people understand the minds of criminals.

Thus, it will not be the government that will be aiming to change their perspectives, but all people in general.

Thank you for taking the time to read my text.

Edited by: Bonnie Hyun, Y13, Halla

Ian Yoon Y11, Noroh

ENJOY AS A BASEBALL FAN

Sports fans have pride in being in communion with their own teams. When people ask you about the team you cheer for, you answer with your favourite team, most of the fans see their sport team as a religion. For example, fans have uniforms and other cheering items such as scarves, caps and shout a chant to cheer for their teams. In addition, all the baseball teams are based on the specific region so people living in the regions basically represent the teams. Hence, throughout the article it will focus on the various issues regarding politics, social class, and specific regions.

There are political issues related to the sports team since some specific regions support different parties. For example, in South Korea, Gwangju is famous for being the stronghold to support the democratic party.

On the other hand, Daegu is known as the stronghold for supporting the republican party.

These opposing ideologies shown in two regions also relate to baseball since whenever the two teams have a game, it becomes famous for political reasons. Furthermore, it is a tradition for presidents to throw the first pitch for big games like the Korean series.

Whenever they do the first pitch, presidents always visit the stadium located in the region where most people support the president. Therefore we can clearly see the political identities related to baseball fans and not only the baseball teams are for the true fans but there are other specific reasons as well.

To drive the point further, there are specific social classes that support different baseball teams in South Korea. For example, for teams that have their home city in the rural areas, there are more fans

that are working class than the teams in capital cities. This is also shown in the passion of fans for each team, in the stadium it is shown that teams located in the countryside have more fans that cheer more passionately in and out of the stadium. The reason is that people who are working tend to release their stress by cheering for the sports team. Hence, the teams in the rural areas have stronger and passionate fans than the teams in cities. Fans cheering for teams in the cities have weaker fan sentiment since there is more entertainment in the cities and people aren’t as passionate about sports as in the countryside. Conclusively, depending on the region where the teams are located, the fans’ identities are shown clearly and the different passions and interests they have for their teams.

Lastly, there are various ways baseball fans show their i d e nt i t i e s . One of the ma in ways is to buy jerseys for their baseball team. Whenever people come to the stadium, it is easy to tell what teams the individuals cheer for. Jerseys are worn by people not just because everyone else wears it, but in fact they are willing to show what teams they are supporting and to make people perceive their identities as a baseball fan. Moreover, the caps and other cheering materials also help to clarify their identities.

In conclusion, these identities are significant because as a baseball fan if your team is doing well, the pride makes people show off the teams they are supporting. Identities are shown in various ways and the political and social factors affect how people support the teams.

Eunsoo Lee Y9, Geomun

Edited by: Shona Park, Y11, Noro

PHYSICAL APPEARANCE & IDENTITY

Society asks a lot from both men and women and continuously increasing plastic surgery rates demonstrate this. In 2017, about 17.4 million plastic surgeries were performed in total while in 2018, more than 17.7 million cases of plastic surgeries were recorded. Although there are always people who go through these procedures because it is necessary for them, most of the patients who receive plastic surgery go through thye painful procedure in order to please the eye of society. 90% of the plastic surgeries are undertaken for cosmetic reasons. For women, the rate of cosmetic surgery increased by 429% since 1997. Women are asked to possess an “ideal body type”, commonly referred to as an “hourglassshaped body”. In the past, women were more discriminated against and men were always considered superior to women as the figure at the top of the hierarchy.

However, now, men suffer in society’s intimidating glare as well because society wants them to have an athletic, muscular body with tanned skin, many of them experience their self-esteem plummeting below the ground. According to CNBC, 78% of British men hope to obtain their ideal body shape (specifically, being more muscular) with 1 in 3 of them willing to give up one year of their life for their ideal body shape. As the beauty standard of modern society constantly changes, so do our minds. The more we are exposed to today’s beauty standards, the more it will make its way into our identity. Our appearance and identity have a durable bond fixing them together.

There are two types of actions in a relationship: delivering and receiving.

This relationship applies to identity and appearance as well. They both equally impact each other as will be illustrated in the following paragraphs.

Firstly, our identities heavily influence our appearance. Identities are highly influenced by personality and one’s personality has a crucial impact on our physiology. For instance, if a person is an optimist, it is most likely that they smile easily. When people make certain facial expressions a lot, their facial muscles change positions or locations, or may even develop or degenerate. Usually, people who smile a lot may have dimples or wrinkles around their mouth, which

are representative features of positive people. On the other hand, pessimistic people are most likely to possess wrinkles on their foreheads and their eyebrows will be furrowed because they frown more often. Not only is one’s identity reflected in one’s facial features but it also impacts the person overall: their posture, clothing, hairstyle, and personal grooming are also impacted by their identity. For instance, an optimistic person is most likely to have a straight posture as they tend to have high self-esteem and confidence, while pessimistic people are most likely to have bent postures.It is our nature to reveal our identities to others. That is why people change their hairstyles, do makeup, and read self development books. The changing of postures and altering of face muscles and wrinkles are better examples of the close relationship between one’s identity and appearance. The creation of wrinkles or dimples are not a choice: it is a reflection of each of our characteristics and personalities. All the actions that seem everyday are in fact a portion of yourself. Your identity is revealed to others even in your everyday lives.

The fact that your identity is mirrored upon your appearance shows the close relationship between your identity and physiology.

Conversely, just as our identities are highly influential to our appearance, our appearance also deter mines our identities. As demonstrated by Berit Brogaard, a Danish–American philosopher, there are specific features o f o n e ’s a p p e a r a n c e o f b e i n g a particular kind of person. For example, there are certain people who look trustworthy, who look dishonest, and the list goes on and on. But who made the standard of looking trustworthy, and who made the standard of looking dishonest? The concept of looking like a specific kind of person has been generalised over time and currently, most people are stuck in that stereotype.

For instance, people who possess high eyebrows and protuberant cheekbones are perceived as trustworthy by the majority of people. Throughout the history of our society, specific kinds of people have been generalised into certain categories relating to their

personalities. Are these specific kinds of people programmed to have certain traits and personalities since birth? Obviously, no. However, they have been programmed by society and its stereotypes. A person’s facial features don't suddenly change. Their basic facial features last until their death.

Stereotypes from our society deal with appearances of people. In particular, if a person looks one way, they are deemed to be judged as a specific kind of person and if a person looks another way, they are to be judged to be another kind of person.

Our society is ruthless; it asks a lot from children as well. Society will constantly expose stereotypes to children and, over time, generalise the stereotypes relating to appearance. The younger the age, the faster people will adapt to the situation. Children, when constantly exposed to stereotypes regarding their appearance, will start to change their own natural characteristics to match the stereotypes. Naturally, children are chased into the tight box of stereotypes, and will be unable to escape from the box until they grow into adults. Once they become adults, they will still hold the stereotypes that have been forced onto them and think that it is natural, hence, will impose the stereotypes once again to other children without any guilt. This is a vicious cycle. The root of this cycle is planted deeply, perhaps it has existed along with the humans since their emergence. Nothing about the stereotypes are ever certain, however, Brogaard’s research shows us that being oppressed by the stereotypes relating to appearance has a potential to change our identities, as well.

It is fascinating how our identities are reflected in our appearances and how, in reverse, our appearances may result in changing our identities as well. The receiving and delivering relationship between appearances and identities easily explains certain situations in society: why a certain person acts one way or another, why certain groups of people act similarly to each other, and why there are some people acting in a specific way. Now, ask yourself: How did your identity and appearance impact each other and change you? Was the change rightful? Was your change natural or was it forced on you, even without your awareness of it?

DEFINITION Eunice Kim Y11, Jeoji

Edited by: Minseo Cha, Year 13, Halla

Students on the threshold of adulthood tend to memorize an inordinate amount of vocabulary for their exams and, according to several articles, the number of words a high school student should know exceeds 50,000. If they are asked whether they ‘know’ any of the words they have looked at, they would probably give a muted positive answer – a simple nod may follow a reflective affirmation. Most adults are satisfied to see and hear this, but there is one thing they have overlooked; can students define the word with their own words? Simply put, is being able to match a word and a given definition correctly the same as actually ‘knowing’ the word?

I assume that they are never the same: simply being able to recognise the word does not mean that the person actually knows the word. What actually is ‘knowing’ and how can it be proven? I would define ‘knowing’ as a state of being able to define the word in words that the person has not been told by someone else to use. Many people have a misconception about their state of ‘knowing’ the word and simply memorize the words themselves, instead of trying to fully understand the meaning.

A good example of social misconception is the American Spelling Bee, a competition where people memorize words and are told to spell random ones out of them. Having a higher score in the competition may prove that one has a greater memorizing ability, but it does not prove whether one has greater knowledge than the people who end up lower in the rankings.

Students are directed to study and memorize words immortalised in the definition punched by the machines onto the pages in the dictionary; just like people are told to find their identities and behave in a fixed framework based on the definition of their identity made by society.

However, people should recognise the fact that identity is not what we define for people but it is what the person defines on their own.

First and foremost, identity cannot be defined, in a sense of defining it in a matrix of words. Although there may be two words with similar meanings, they are not used in the same place nor have exactly equivalent meanings. Thus, if one does not have a complete understanding of the word, it would not be possible to explain what each word means and when or where to use it. These words of various meanings and usage should be perceived

differently by people from the stage where people tend to think memorizing more words means knowing more words; the words should be conveyed through something else, other than a short sequence of words. Likewise, people should face their identities from a different perspective. People often participate in activities in which they need to define themselves in a few words. Everyone chooses words to define themselves and act as if their identity has been defined through it; but does the activity set their identity?

If so, there would be millions of people who all have the same identity, defined by the same sets of words. However, it is not sensible as different people have different identities: otherwise the identity would not be called the ‘identity’. Further more, the fact that words –like identity– cannot be understood through other words is clearly shown in language academies where they force their students to memorize thousands of vocabularies every week and carry out tests to examine whether the students are able to match a word and a sequence of words that defines it. It may be an effective way to make students memorize loads of words, but it is fairly certain that it would not be a successful method for students to ‘know’ many words. To emphasize, memorizing what the word is is not equal to truly understanding the meaning of the word if it is not possible for students to explain the word in their own words as they only get to memorize the given words as the definition. To be straightforward, the state of knowing and being able to say that one ‘knows’ the word is different, meaning that the word cannot be defined simply in several words just as identity cannot be defined simply by others.

Moreover, identity is what one defines on his/her own. In terms of vocabulary, the true understanding of the word would enable one to explain it in independent ways. This is important as there are often more than one interpretations for one word depending on the context and its usage. An equally spelt word could both work as a noun and a verb, and to a more complicated degree, a word may convey diverse

meanings that are completely different from each other. For instance, the word ‘pigeon’ is officially defined as ‘a stout seed- or fruit-eating bird with a small head, short legs, and a cooing voice, typically having grey and white plumage.’ Another definition of the word is ‘a gullible person, especially someone swindled in gambling or the victim of a confidence trick.’ On the other hand, it symbolizes peace, love, piety, beatitude, and harmony in other contexts. As well as the words of different connotations, identity alters and could be interpreted in many different ways depending on environment and situation.

In this sense, identity can also reflect an idea of being independent. Being able to define one’s own identity does not have to be grandiose but can be basic, such as deciding the lunch menu solitarily rather than eating what one’s companions want.

If these actions are not possible to be taken, the level of understanding one’s identity would be considered equal to that of those who use the word without understanding the meaning. The people desiring to elucidate their identity must now admit the fact that not everything can be defined through our language, through words. Then, how should identity be conveyed? I believe that there is no such thing as ‘defining’ one’s identity. Isn’t defining just choosing preferences from diverse choices others have made? The definition is just a different sequence of words chosen by others. No one knows about others better than the oneself, and this is the critical reason that the expression of identity must be done by the person him/herself.

To sum up, people should consider “expressing” their identity instead of defining it by simply listing some words.

More specifically, identity can not be defined but expressed as there is no rule for the person to keep. The expression could be done through art, music, essays, or even through sports – through any activity that one likes. It works similarly for the words, especially when explaining a word to a young child; it is better to use body language or pictures to let the child catch the meaning of the word on their own. The definition of ‘defining’ has been fixed strictly in society, but it is important for society to recognise the more effective ways to convey the nature of the object, including words and identity.

Edited by: Minseo Cha, Year 13, Halla

Does the universe decide what kind of person you will be?

Or is it you who decides what kind of person you will be?

Or is everything just a lie where there is no raison d’être at all?

Of course, it would be convenient for us to believe in the existence of destiny. The faith that everything is decided for us and we are on the path of finding out what the universe has to offer us is extremely comforting. However, the moment in which we accept the existence of our predetermined fate, we are faced with a whole new question: what if I do not like my destined life? The word ‘destiny’ does not connote a happy ending to everything; in fact, to me it has the connotation of an ironclad, unchallengeable truth that I must stay on course because it is what the universe has already decided for me. The direct cause of this is because there is nothing worse than the fear of us being stuck in something that we do not hope to be doing. For instance, I would not want to spend my entire life behind a hotdog stand even though that might be what the universe has destined me to do the same way a person destined to serve the nation may be more driven by worldly desires such as fame and wealth.

Hence, we wonder: ‘If you find your destiny, will you feel happy?’.

To examine this question, one preliminary issue must be dealt with: how can we tell what happiness is? The answer is, we cannot. Only you can. Think of your mind as a checklist. An exhaustive one that lists every single detail which outlines the conditions or prerequisites for you to feel happy. The list might be about whether or not you have had breakfast, which music you wish was bursting out of the loudspeakers and how much sleep you had the night before. Of course, there may be more spiritual elements in your checklist e.g., ‘do you feel like the society that you are living in is a just society?’, but the general idea is that there is a list of conditions which you would answer for each moment of your life. After finishing your checklist, take a look back and count up the number of ticks there are in the checklist. The more ticks there are on the checklist, the happier you will be whilst engaging in that

IS MY WAY OF HAPPINESS PREDETERMINED?

Warrick Kwon Y11, Noro

action. In broader terms, the more ‘ticks’ on the checklist an action or event is able to secure, the more utility there is to that action or event.

Based on this analogy, we can grasp a straightforward understanding of happiness and utility which all seems to be abstract to the common eye.

Happiness can be interpreted as the state of having a lot of ‘ticks’ and the checklist would be one’s standard for evaluating the state of happiness.

This is where our identities come into play: the set of criteria used to judge whether we are happy or not would be best characterised as the passions, the preferences and the ideologies that we possess. To illustrate, the happiness that arises from viewing an aesthetically pleasing artwork is based on one’s identity associated with the consumption of art. That is to say, I am fascinated by the works of Monet only because I believe that artworks should be calm, impressionist and portray landscapes. That would be my artistic appetite, i.e., my identity as a consumer of art. This equally means that it would be no use for anyone to show me an artwork of Jackson Pollock or Matisse, intending to observe an inspired facial expression from me.

In essence, the checklist is my identity; ticks indicate the magnitude of my state of happiness.

Throughout this process, one evident fact reg arding happiness can be obtained: that the formation and the utilisation of this ‘checklist’ is at the crux of happiness as without acknowledging what is on your checklist would mean that you are unable to follow the route to happiness.

So, how do you know what is on your checklist?

Unfortunately, you do not know what exactly is on your checklist. You simply wait until it shows up. In other words, the experiences that you undergo during the course of your life are what form your checklist. To illustrate, you would never realise whether or not you enjoy the works of Monet until you have actually seen one. To utilise

the Empiricist argument of scientific truth, axioms and propositions are formed through what you encounter and how you make sense of the world around you with these experiences. In this context, such empirical evidence functions as opportunities for one to shape their course of thought and opinion. Whether or not these opportunities are destined to occur is another debate. A determinist would argue that experience is bound by fate, a strictly dictated set of predetermined events which eventually find their way into the lives of men. However, this may be unintuitive considering the arguments for the existence of a free will. Free will arguments contend that one has a complete say over the decisions that one makes although it is necessary to take into account the idea that we are all products of social interaction and hence even unconsciously we are impacted by the realms of the world that we are living in. For instance, there may be social norms that one must abide by hindering one’s ability to follow their passion derived from free will. Still, it is nevertheless true that through this process of induction, regardless of the experiences being built upon destiny or individual agency-based decisions, you will gradually form your identity.

The identity that has been formed through this process is the key to living a happy life. On a microscopic level which examines the individual in relation to the individual themselves, identity is what guides individuals to follow their own passion. Being able to pursue something that one wholeheartedly enjoys is something that leads to satisfaction and happiness.

Identity is this map: by forming an authentic stance and insight towards how one should live one's life, one can maximise the amount of happiness enjoyed during life. Moreover, on a macroscopic level which examines the individual in relation to the society and the interactions individuals make within this society, identity plays an even greater role.

T h at i s t o s ay, o n e ’s i d e n t i t y i s more than a mere decision of one’s preferences. After one gains insight into

what one does and does not prefer, action to adhere to this belief succeeds: the act of belief takes place in this stage where the individual inputs the newly obtained standard onto the checklist. When these beliefs occur this becomes one’s identity.

During this process, the act of ‘believing’ in something after identifying that the belief serves one best is more than a mere selection process such as believing in the idea that chocolate ice cream tastes better than vanilla ice cream. Rather, it is the action of opting into an interest group where individuals form coalitions with those who share the same belief.

For instance, my identity as a democratic believer does not gain significance in my life if I internally believe that people should have an equal say in the process of governance. What really gives belief power is the bondage it involves: the presence of a social category between people with shared ideas is the basis of every society.

The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is a commune of those with shared identities: an identity that supports a constitutional monarchy, the concept of a border, the Magna Carta and the common belief that diligence and justice are virtues. As much as identities have become a significant part of who we are, how we think and when we feel happiness, identity has been and continues to be the ultimate building block of the very society that we are able to live in.

It is perhaps this crucial role that one’s identity plays in the lives of individuals which sparks such g reat unrest and intolerance amongst the members of society. The power derived from bondage between shared beliefs can easily become a double-edged sword. The stronger the bond becomes between those on the inside, the prickier it becomes for outsiders, i.e. those who believe in different ideas.

Devotion and determination for a cause often is the catalyst for great intolerance and unacceptance within society. This has precisely been the case for all clashes through the course of history: a social unrest centred around various ‘mutually exclusive’ beliefs.

And that, perhaps, is the inherent identity of men: to prove them wrong and myself right, if there was anything like an ‘inherent identity’ at all.

IDENTITY ECONOMICS: How identity affects economic outcomes

Identity economics suggests that we make economic decisions based on monetary incentives and our identity. A person’s sense of self or identity affects economic outcomes.

This was outlined in Akerlof and Kranton’s (2000) seminal paper which expanded the standard utility function to include pecuniary payoffs and identity economics in a simple gametheoretic model of behaviour, further integrating psychology and sociology into economic thinking.

Akerlof and Kranton propose a new concept of utility by incorporating the psycholog y and sociolog y of identity into an economic model of behaviour. Their utility function reflects various social categories and predicts how people in those categories should behave. This method can be used in almost any type of individual interaction.

The main idea of this concept is that everyone has their own sense of self or identity. There are numerous social categories to which an individual is assigned, each with its own set of physical characteristics and prescribed behaviours. Every individual in society, according to Akerlof and Kranton, is assigned to one abstract social category, either a ‘man’ or a ‘woman’. A person may then either follow or break one of these prescriptions, depending on their social category. A breach “evokes fear and distress in oneself and others,” while behaving in the context of the social category “affirms one’s selfimage”. As a result, a given or chosen type of identity linked to activities unique to a social category will alter not only a person’s own benefit, but also the profits of other members of his social community.

This concept could aid us in comprehending aspects of economic behavior that are not covered by conventional approaches, including behavioural economics. Identity economics, according to Akerlof and Kranton, may explain behavior that seems to be detrimental, such as having

a specific physical body image. In addition, this concept evokes a new type of externality problem. Meaning that someone's behaviour will evoke responses in others, which is the same as acting in accordance with one's own identity, which can irritate people who have different ideas on how to behave.

It's also possible that changing identities explains the change in preferences. This could happen due to advertisements, a new stage in life or a peer group, thus the choice of school, place to live or activities in leisure time can influence identity and thus preferences. Still, not all parts of identity can be chosen, since there may be cases where an individual is constrained by society, including ethnicity or other remarkable characteristics.

Overall, the choice of one's own identity and the constraints that an individual may face in making that decision are critical economic determinants that, ironically, have not been taken into account in most economic analyses.

Another important consideration i s t h e s o c i o l o g y o f p ove r t y a n d social exclusion. In this case, the predetermination of belonging to some social minority restricts individuals in their choice of identity, hence belonging to some minority and trying to behave and to identify as someone from the dominant culture may involve different difficulties. One may be accepted while possibly evoking negative stereotypes in the dominant culture. Another difficulty is the potential suffering of one person trying to fit into another culture by changing their identity. “This social exclusion may create a conflict; how to work within the dominant culture without betraying oneself.”

The concept of identity influencing individual decision-making yields many options to understand how to prevent social exclusion and to design policies for reducing poverty effectively. When economic incentives are ineffective in organisations, identity may be the answer : A worker’self-image as a jobholder and her ideal as to how her job should be done, can be a major

incentive in itself.

Organisational identification was found to be directly related to employee perfor mance and even indirectly related with customer evaluations and store performance in a study on 306 retail stores. Also, when employees were encouraged to create their own job titles such that they better reflected the unique value they bring to the job, identification increased and emotional exhaustion was reduced.

In some cases, identity can also have negative implications: bankers whose professional identity was made salient for instance, displayed more dishonest behaviour.

Bonnie Hyun Y13, Halla Edited by: Kevin Lee, Y12, Halla

Throughout our formative years, we are constantly trying to figure out who we are and the purpose of existing. Whether it's trying new things to figure out what you want to be, or it's throwing ourselves into a different environment to discover who we are, the process of discovering yourself is not very hard. Everything we do and everything we go through shapes us.

To have our own identity, we need to research our backgrounds and experiences. There are a few different factors that shape our identities without us even noticing.

Parents are one of the most important influencers that shape our identity because we spend our early years with them. As we spend more time with them, we learn ideologies from our parents. As we are exposed

to the Internet, we also have more opportunities to build our ideology from the Internet. However, influence from family is still the biggest and the most important. Imagine how you lived your life when you were seven. Didn’t you listen to what your parents told you? That might just be seen as a process of growing up; however, the small demands from your parents shaped your identity. That’s why in Korea there’s a mental disease called good boy syndrome. Good boy syndrome is simply a mental pressure that kids have that they have to behave in such a way as to keep their parents happy. As your parents shaped your identity from when you were little, you cannot get away from it even when you are a grown adult. Family is very important in your life, but because

they are so important, their influence becomes so large that you might lose your own identity as well.

How about religion? Religion is one of the common factors that many of us have. When people suffer or endanger themselves, they need a safe place to rely on; and people often find a place to be religious. As religion is full of stories, beliefs, and rules, they easily shift our identities. For example, if we believe in Jesus, we’ll likely believe in the Genesis creation narrative even if there’s more scientific evidence for Darwinism.

Because everyone believes in a different religion, their identity starts to differ from that point. Differences in religion shape people’s identities because what they believe will shape their characteristics and the way of thinking.

The government can easily shape

FACTORS SHAPE YOUR IDENTITY Annette Cho Y13, Halla

Edited by: Mr. Davies

people’s identities because they control the country and laws. As they make rules for people to follow, people’s identities will build based on the rules.

This is why people from different countries have different cultures, perspectives and beliefs. At the same time, propaganda from the government contributes to the development of identity. By utilising propaganda, it will shape people’s minds in the way that some governments hope for. For example, when the Nazi party ruled in Germany, they started many different propaganda campaigns through media, education and force. As most citizens were exposed to the propaganda, even though they didn’t mean to, they started to believe Nazism and followed Hitler.

It shows how easy it is for a government to rule over the people in one country.

Governments’ rules are everywhere for people, they easily shape people with the rules they have.

Last but not least is the Internet, which we are exposed to everyday.

Technology is very developed and people are sharing their daily lives on the Internet. They use Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat, etc to share their life story, ideas, thoughts with people on the Internet. When people share themselves on the Internet, it’s the same thing as sharing their ideologies as well because people’s ideology gets influenced by the things they see.

Hence, when people read those stories on the Internet, their ideologies are easily shaped due to different things they are exposed to online.

We can’t say these are the only factors that affect people’s ideology and identity. However, these are the factors that people get exposed to and influenced by. As parents are around us in everyday life, they shape our identity. Religions that we choose to believe will also shape us as we act and live in the way that our beliefs tell us. The government rules us and we have to follow them if we don’t want to get into trouble. Finally, the Internet shapes us as it exposes us to different experiences and perspectives. All in all, it's important to think from time to time about every little experience you've ever

had and every little detail about your upbringing that has shaped your own ego. It gives you your own identity. Not everyone is the same because we all grew up in different environments and situations.

04 FICTION FICTION

Edited by Mr. Davies

By Ziu Choi,Y8, Mulchat

EVERADO EVERGREEN

“Most people are other people. Their thoughts are someone else's opinions, their lives a mimicry, their passions a quotation.” Like the quote from Oscar Wilde, De Profundis, some people like myself tend to be unrevealing. I often halt and think, do I even have an identity? Do I ever exist in others’ lives? And this is all because of my brother. Every time his papers are decorated with smiley faces and circles all around with a gigantic gold A+ while mine? red Xs everywhere and a big fat F- splotched on with a red pen. Once, I swore to myself that I, Emerson Evergreen, would work harder to do better in school than my little brother. Well, long story short, it didn’t work out, it lasted about three hours in total.

Identity is defined as the fact of being who or what a person or thing is. My identity is “Everardo Evergreen’s failing sister” and I’m not even sure if I want to be called that everyday in school. Having this “genius” brother helps me attract friends like a magnet, only just to push them away again. No alternative than this, I tried to write a poem to my brother.

Covering my complete identity Like shadows, covering my only path Your annoying whispers echoing through The thin fragile glass, like an open door.

When I slipped the poem under the evergreen door of my brother’s room, I heard my aunt’s command to me. I gingerly went downstairs into the unknown, and caught a glimpse of the rusty steel gate, worn by our brutal past. My mother died and then my dad commited suicide, leaving us with our insane aunt who cares more about Bingo! than us.

I slowly but surely looked around and noticed the windows wide open with rain dripping through along with dead finches, local in North America. There were four birds, but only two flapped around avoiding obstacles, surviving the crash. It was as if it reflected my life. I have been naturally alone since childhood, after being ripped from my whole family, and I have been trying to keep my brother alive.

A black raven was flying across the window, only to suddenly jolt and plummet down to my windowsill. I felt a strange surge inside my stomach and I dashed upstairs as quickly as I could to observe the scene. After a while, my aunt confidently strode into my brother’s room, where he was probably studying for his A levels. And then I heard a piercing scream and peeked into his organised room. The sight that laid before me was just more shocking than the time the police came into my room just to find me listening to music sprawled on my bed after my parents passed away. There was my aunt, her tattered dressing gown dripped with blood as red as the roses embroidered upon it. On the floor lay my brother, in a weird position as if he was imitating a dried up squid.

Even though I might seem like an irresponsible and idiotic sister, I dashed to his now limp body, wailing. My “aunt” was holding a kitchen knife, as if it was her most prized treasure. Terrified after imagining all the things she might do to me, I skidded down the hallway which stretched out endlessly in front of me. And I locked my trembling self in my room. Frantically rummaging through my unsanitised room, I finally found a ball of yarn. As soon as I tied it around my waist delicately, I heard another jerk of the door. The wood began cracking ever so slightly and I faintly heard her whisper.

“I thought your parents were enough to stop you, that I could kill them and that was it, I could finally reach my goal…”

I was speechless and it was as if time had stopped for a split second and soon after another shiver went through my body as she continued.

“Come on, open the door for your loving aunt. I won’t do anything to you...”

Another puncture greeted my eyes and I was chewing on my nails desperate for a solution. I could hear my aunt's vain attempts to yank open the door and pounce on me. I smashed the fragile window and it broke into thousands of pieces. It was as if my life was being shattered all together. When I was in deep thought, the rusty door sprang open and in came my growling aunt. I had no choice but to jump out holding the battered string with all my might. My aunt screamed with rage at losing the chance again, and I heard a snap from my windowsill. The next second, I was plummeting to the rigid ground and landed with a holler followed by a thud. When I gathered myself and looked around, I saw a grey figure in front of me. I was going to die, still without an identity. The last thing I heard was an evil laugh before falling into unconsciousness.

WHEN A PERSON IS

By Theresa Lee (Y9,Joji) Edited by Mr. Davies

Masks with a single paper taped on it.

Taking it off is a crime - would you want to be sent to the pit?

The word defines a person as part of the society.

People do not label each other - they label themselves - an everyday behaviour They are what makes the hierarchy embed into the meritocratic society.

Kakorrhaphiophobic. That’s a word to describe everyone. Fear of failure.

When a person is young, they would be labelled as “future”.

When a person is at a working age, they are labelled as “worker”.

When a person is old and cannot work anymore, they are labelled as “useless”.

When a person is a child, and are falling behind others, they are labelled as “stupid”.

When a person is not able to not accomplish much, they are labelled as “disgrace”.

When a person is exceptionally good, they are labelled as “hero”.

When a person is at a young age and is exceptionally good, they are labelled as “exceptional”.

When a person is “odd” or does not “fit in”, they are labelled as “freak”.

When a person is impaired, they are labelled as “crippled”.

If someone dares take off their mask in public, they are marked as “traitor”.

If someone is superior to others, they are marked as “aryan”.

Then there is Them. They are the ones who make the labels. They are Them.”

These are the labels and people accept them. Taped onto the very masks they don - worshipping it like a stray god. Vivid on every mirror, every glance, every vision. The small town is busy; but somehow, the atmosphere has an eerie tranquility. Afterall, who would dare to cause such disturbance in this orderly, quiet, peaceful town. Everyone at work. What a marvellous sight.

Children, well disciplined, scribbling away on their little school notebooks, in that magnificent building. Their parents, working.

The father either in an office or at the field. The mother, either at home, or at the market. Such order, such beauty. The masks stay on while people laboured away, content with their petty life. This was all Their achievement. Their pride, blood, and identity.

Heterochromia; a rare physical trait affecting up to one percent of the human population. A condition where a person has two different eye colours. You would be surprised. In a world where all people wear masks, eye colours stand out like a massive red streak on a white canvas. What would happen if a baby is born with two - not one - eye colours? Freak. What if a baby was born with twelve fingers instead of ten? Freak. Freak. What if a baby was born with no limbs at all? Freak. Freak. Freak. They are taken away the minute they are born. To unknown places. Isn't it sad? Isn’t it dreadful? The moment you are born, you are marching to the pits of death.

A child, scrunching up paper, littered with piercing, bloody spikes. The red, drawing attention from fellow students. They crowd around the child. The child is crying, burying his shame and guilt into the fateful questions. Tear drops slip under the mask, soaking the paper pink. Scarlet ink blending with the salty spring. Ripping off the paper labelled, “future”, replaced by “stupid”. The child had failed Them. They would have to teach the youth a lesson that would last the short lifetime remaining.

To home, the child went, to the despondent future they went. Would it be the hole or special treatment? That’s for the parents to decide.

The mother glanced at her perfect son. The mask firmly in place, jet black hair falling down on the paper-white plastic - the label “exceptional” pasted firmly. Proud. Through the black eyeholes, she smiled. The son did not smile back, for his eyes, once forest green, were milky white. The two people were in a hospital. I can’t see. Smile, melted away like the pride she felt for the son. Anapirophobia - a word describing a social prejudice against those who are disabled. As soon as the doctor walked in, the paper was replaced. No more exceptional child; just a crippled one. The boy was pulled out of his school - no one knew what happened to him. Even his parents.

A man, holding his application like it was a sentence from Death himself - maybe it was, maybe it wasn’t. The bold letters, scrawled together to make one word. To make one word that would propel his life into ridicule - to disgrace. He can’t face that.

No one can. What would his perfect wife say? What would his perfect child say? What would his perfect friends say? Would they leave him? Don’t be dense; of course they will. Who wouldn’t? The letters scream at him. The red, dripping letters. Rejected.

Just why? He had thought he had tried his best - countless interviews and job applications. He had thought he would make it this time. He had only one chance to get one job and he was free. Free from being a disgrace - he would be a worker, just like everyone else. He could have been a perfect citizen, just like They wanted.

An old dog collapsed in the field he had worked at for fifty years; it’s time he has to “go”. People crowd around him. The feeble little man, wheezing, trembling, dying, smiling. Ripping off the paper labelled, “worker”, replaced by “useless”. Still smiling, chuckling even. Is dying that pleasurable? Or is it just nostalgia? The man was not a failure so surely, he had nothing to regret.

He is gone in an hour. Shipped away to unknown places. Quite literally, people would chuckle. Who knows where his dying body will end up? They would be so sad, the labourers thought. They would be so sad to hear that we lost another worker.

Stop. Stop. Stop. Not another budge. Stop filling out that paperwork, stop staring at the whiteness of your mask, his mind screamed at him. The white brim of the eye holes was constantly interfering with his vision. The lack of breathing holes wasn’t

helping his lungs either. He just wanted to take it off; rip the thing off his face. In and out - breathe. He couldn’t. The weight of the mask was sickening. Almost like it was suffocating him; into a world where he was just another automation acting on their program. Despite the fact that he was, quote on quote, a hero, he despised the label with all his soul. He loathed it so desperately. Just for a second he would take it off. The boulder would be lifted from his back. Bang. Turning heads. Pointing fingers. Shrieking banshees. Traitor, traitor, traitor. They kept chanting. Stop. No. I didn’t mean to. Regret tumbling out of his lips. Was this the consequence of his feeble rebellion? People came up on him. He was a hero no more. He was no on the hands of Them. Freedom, sometimes, costs a lifetime. What do you choose? Comfort or freedom? Freedom or acceptance?

People are lined up. Rows and rows. Young and old together. Male and female and those who dared to be called something else. People who failed, who are dying, who are crippled, who are queer, who are different. A gaping hole, dug up for just this purpose. To get rid of the error in a working program; the typos in a perfect essay; the smudge on a beautiful painting. It does not affect society - but it is better to get rid of these failures. Humans killing humans. What a nice society we are living in.

Lifeless robots rain down from heaven into hell. We often joke about it; jokes about which death is the most painful. Truth is, we’ll never know. And even if we do ask the dead, each and one of them would claim their death was the most agonizing. It is foolish to joke about how painful dying is. Since, once you are dead, in this society, one thing is clear: you are just part of an infinite cycle that will go on without you. They will go on without you. The world is just a spinning mess; you’ll have to run to catch up, or you’ll be left behind.

Who is this “They”? Who are these mysterious figures that set the rules? It is not one man, or woman, or a child. They are you. You set the rules, you create the masks, the labels, and everything else! What a wonderful achievement this is! To give everyone a name. To make them feel like they are part of a group. This is the system that will set your identity based on your ability, your practicality, your status in society. And They rule over that system. The world is a spinning mess; you’ll have to run to not lose the favour of Them.

Embrace all of them. Those who are old, who work, and who are young. Care for the sick, the poor, and the unique. Treat those who are disabled; either from birth or from an accident. Accept those who are different or unique. Respect those who are smart but don’t compare. Who cares if some are talented and some aren’t? This society cares. Welcome to the meritocratic world.

“I’ve gotten so used to wearing a mask that I couldn’t even identify myself in a line up. I look at myself in the mirror and all I see are all the roles I have to play to survive.” - Scarlet Jei Saoirse.

NEVER CHANGE

By Victoria Park,Y8,Sarah

Behold!

The charming Princes, riding On their handsome horses, The lovely Princesses, gazing dreamily down their towers, The jolly Nymphs and Maidens, Dancing merrily in Nature.

But how tragic it is!

That Princes can only ever be Char ming, handsome, cowardly, jaundiced; That Princesses can only ever be Lovely, dreamy, vain, thoughtless, That after all, nothing can be two things, And that it is what it is.

Kings will be born with a beard A child wearing a heavy crown, And speaking in a funny, commanding voice.

For a King will always be a King, And what you are born as is What you will be till your breath becomes air.

And of course Princes will be born With their charming smirk and their grace, Their infantile faces radiating with pulchritude.

Even when being suckled, the Princes Show that divinely winsome finesse.

Well, of course ‘tis that way! Of course.

The Princesses, with their long hair, Will smile that winning smile of theirs, As they will look longingly at the Princes, Or perhaps they might stare at a mirror Whilst they brush their cascading hair, And balance a book on their heads.

A month, a year, and a decade.

Yet still they shall remain the same, And nothing changes, never.

Though the colour of the leaves may turn Or be it that the buds start to flower, Inside they will never change.

THE WAY YOU ARE

By Sunwoo An,Y9,Sarah

Edited by Seungho Ham, Y13, Halla

All day, she asks, Why she is not as beautiful as her; Why she is not as perfect as her; Why she is not as loved as her; But does she pause even once to ask, Why does she have to be someone else?

All day, she thinks, Maybe if I put on more makeup; Maybe if I wear those clothes; Maybe if I talk like she does; But does she stop even once to think, Maybe if I acted like myself ?

All day, she agonizes herself, I should change my face; I should eat less; I should laugh like she does; But does she hesitate even once to tell herself, I believe in myself ?

No, she does not pause, She does not rest, She does not hesitate, To think once, That she is perfect the way she is.

One day, one sunny day, She starts asking, Starts thinking, Who am I? And she grasps for an answer, But the answer will not come easily.

She will have to experience, She will have to try.

But deep inside, she knows.

The deeper recesses of her heart tells her, You are perfect the way you are, You are loved the way you are, And you do not have to be someone else.

You are beautiful the way you are.

THE MECHANICAL WOODPECKER

By Stella Lee, Y12, Halla

Edited by Bonnie Hyun, Y13, Halla

That wasn’t very successful, was it? She questioned me once she saw the watermelon being dropped to the ground. Like a block of lead plummeting down to the sand, softly landing, no crash, no nothing. I didn’t reply since replying was pointless in this situation. As if I denied her statement, she would hit me and if I encouraged her to continue, she would cry on and on; her screeching voice like nails on a chalkboard, the scratching of an unborn child. So instead, I stayed silent and she lost interest sooner or later. The clouds above us were immobile, silent as they watched as fall, fall, fall. If I drop down, would I survive?

The second question she asked me. This time, I had to answer as it was a definitive statement. A subtle fact, urging me to go on, intrigued by her own subjective boredom. Probably, was my reply.

The air between us was saturated with untold tension, dripping down, making me want to drop down to my knees. Then prove it, was the respective reply. I gulped, audibly, there was no use in hiding my excitement. She knew it, I knew it, we all knew it. It was evident from the start, wasn’t it? The inevitable plummeting of the watermelon and the sound of its tender flesh meeting concrete got smothered due to the mechanical woodpecker drilling the ground; in search of something that didn’t exist. You have a choice, to jump or not to jump. To lead me or to follow me. But in reality, what’s the difference? Yes, she was right. There was no difference anyhow. After our fall, everything would be just the way it was: the mundanity of everyday objects, people softly whispering to their loved ones, the teddy bears being crushed by a trash compactor.

Yes, it was all the same. Still, I couldn’t help but yearn to see her demise first. So I told her, you could be my god, my messiah that would lead us to our respective destruction. She laughed, clearly and loudly. That was a bit cheesy, wasn’t it? That was the reply. The word of god. Yes, I acknowledged. Yes, it was. Okay, she lithely stretched her bow-like body, a sprinter ready for a jump not taken. Yet. And then, and then, She ran across the top of the building and jumped untilI you couldn’t see her glimmering headband anymore and then and then thud! I heard the sound of classic music playing, probably from some abandoned theatre somewhere, the lyrics mumbled and muffled. It went on like this: I’m laughing, You’re laughing, We’re laughing. And I supposed that the jumbled unintelligible mutter between them had some kind of meaning but I wasn’t interested. I also didn’t look downwards because it was evident what I would see. A girl, mangled, sad, singing at the top of her lungs, reviving. I detested rebirth so I left.

THE MAN BEHIND THE DARK

By Sophia Park,Y10,Jeoji Edited by Mr. Davies

Click-click, clatter, clatter, Click, Enter In the darkroom, from the rectangle box, a bright shade of white illuminated the room. The sound of clicking and typing was all that could be heard. With a sudden ‘bop’ sound, on the screen, there were a few new letters. After seeing that his words were uploaded, he then left the room, with a triumphant smile.

His comment made waves on the internet. More words were added under his. The comments were increasingly more exciting than his. He has been working as an online truth-teller, where he feeds up others with ‘tea’. It has been such a normal routine for him, he even forgot the name of the person who he was supposed to write about. Well, it was only a daily occurrence. While he was out of the room, grinding a fresh batch of coffee beans. Grinding the coffee beans, he was humming to the acoustic guitar music. The sweet and bitter taste surrounded him, the corners of his mouth were going up. Today was a new, fresh day, and he was so delighted to see how the new day was going. Wearing his jacket, he left the house.

When he opened the door to his office and went to his seat, people were saying, “Good morning, Mr Smith.” He smiled at them and sat down. It was a brand new day and he was waiting for the treat that he would encounter at the end of the day. He was the most popular man in the office. Always polite to others helped him reach the image he desired. After work, he went to his home, walking down the same paths he walked in the morning. As he went inside his house, a comfortable feeling greeted him. He took off his jacket and darted to the darkroom. This was his treat for the day. He was full of wonder about whether his comment had made waves on the forum. And oh yes it did. Under his comment, hundreds of users tagged one wanting to know more as they agreed with his words. He grinned, and this time he did something a bit different. He didn’t just post some words, but instead uploaded something worth so many pixels. Grinning, he said. “Guess we have to see what happens” A few days passed. Mr Smith acted just as how he always lived his life. Always getting compliments from his workers, known as a kind figure in society. One day a famous figure had died, due to the recent bad comments she received. He just shrugged and went on reading the next slide. Somewhere else in the world, the police officers were there. They just couldn’t get any hint about the recent suicide. They never knew that someone had uploaded a collection of photos and the police officers were unable to find the suspect. When they tracked the IP of the computer, it was located in Russia. How in the world were they able to find out about it? Online crimes were always hard to find out as they could easily hide their identity, they could pretend to be someone else. Only if it was no one, would they have been sitting here? Feeling the anger working on a crime for so long, they were so curious about why and who has made this happen.

On a sunny morning with birds chirping, at Mr Smith’s house, the doorbell rang. Mr Smith answered, “Who is it?” and opened the door. Soon silver handcuffs were snapped on his wrist and he was dragged away to face his crime.

The sun shone above the house, yet the whole house was dreadful, and there was no feeling of life. Inside the house, one of the rooms, one room, where one square was vibrating, yet the room remained locked.

For the people in the company, they were astonished that such a great worker had left them without saying anything. But if they knew who he was, then who is he really? Is he the same man they knew or the man who went to jail? Unable to define his identity, this was the end of Mr. Smith.

NIKKI LEE AND THE YUPPIE

By Kristie Youn, Y12, Halla Edited by Mr. Thomas

Identity is most often thought of as the unchanging core of a person, what they think of themselves. Changing an identity is, naturally, considered a significant deal in life. In fact, most of the large events in life evolve around the shift of identity in people: graduation and marriage, for example. These once-in-a-lifetime events are held to formally acknowledge to people that they are different beings from before, an adult or a partner to someone, perhaps something else. However, one artist opened up a wholly different perspective about this concept in the 2000s: Nikki Lee. Her idea of identity was most distinctively displayed in her college graduation work ‘Project project’. In this series of photographs, she dressed up and joined people of different subcultures to feel and be a part of them. She learned how they dressed, how they spoke amongst themselves and took pictures while being immersed in the culture. She was welcomed with open arms from the art society for her radical new take on the seemingly concrete idea.

She explained that she was trying to show her opinion on identity; everyone can have multiple identities in their life, and it is changed by the environment they’re in, by the people they talk to, things they wear and places they live in; in her arts, identity is a fluid concept that can shape itself into different containers.

The strength of her argument about society, despite there being no definitive answers, is in her experience with the project itself. She testified that she limited her real experience of her work to be over in less than 2 months, because by then she could feel herself actually turning into one of the people in the subculture, albeit her being a student in disguise.

Her most renowned work was the ‘Yuppie project’, in which she dressed up as a Yuppy -an old term used to describe white, young Americans with high-end jobs and tried to blend in with them. She commented that this project has, in fact, been the most boring one out of everything because the Yuppies lacked what the others had plenty of: stories that lived in people and their subculture. Being so busy, these people didn’t have any stories to tell like the senior citizens or exotic dancers. They didn’t form a culture, and although everyone grouped these people together as ‘Yuppies’, they were a group of people, not a culture with an identity, at least according to Nikki. These groups of people, who were so easy to see in the streets of NY, were only an empty shell of display because they didn’t have any identity to embrace people with.

Niki Lee’s take on identity is greatly reviewed by the arts society to this day. Her photographs raised awareness about the new perspective, as well as the dark truth about the rapidly industrialized society of the US, and ultimately the world.

Nothing, everything was stolen - Jewish Identity

By Jian Yeo, Y8, Noro Edited by Mr. Thomas

“There was never [religious] faith in the house. I think of myself as being Jewish and Irish, despite the fact that I'm English.

I’m very proud of being Jewish” -Daniel RadcliffI stumbled into the lusterless, neglected, prison-like-building. The surging wind spun around me indignantly as if it was trying to dissuade me from entering. The guards standing beside the doors propelled me to go further. I stepped on the ground well worn by countless others.

“Chuff-chuff !”, the old rusty wheels of the train which I had alighted started to move moderately, hiding itself slowly amongst the fog and through the dim daylight. This train was for people going to the concentration camps. The Nazis took people who didn’t know what was happening and led them to the camps. When the people alighted the train, they didn't even have time to look at the surroundings which made the place more terrifying. The grunting of the engine along with the screeching of the wheels competed with the cries of people refusing to go into the building, creating a cacophony. Tears of sorrow were running from people’s eyes. As I stepped further into the building, dead bodies were lying on the ground and the walls wreaked with mold.

The world I was living in was a catastrophe. Chaos. A dystopia. The Nazis went everywhere and caught the Jews, then put them in concentration camps. Jews were at the bottom. Even beneath the ground we were standing on. They had no rights, no freedom, and no life. Everything was trapped in a cage, even their dreams carried on the wind, turned to dust. There was no way to escape, the guards were observing the whole area to catch any prisoner trying to escape. This camp’s name was ‘Auschwitz’ where we were told that ‘Work sets you free’. This was nonsense. They never freed us; they tortured us until we died. Few survived, only the people who had risked their lives to escape.

Numerous people have tried to escape from this camp, but it was almost impossible. There were what seemed like an infinite number of soldiers, guards and people who blocked the entrance and exit. Once, a man named ‘Tadeusz Wiejowski’ succeeded in escaping. He had help from the Polish civilian workers and got himself disguised as a worker. After this, people gained confidence in escaping, but the soldiers and guards became stricter and got their eyes widened, determined to let no one out of this camp. I saw people getting caught and put in the gas chambers from where they will never be able to escape again.

Everyday I saw tired and struggling people from hard labors and shrieking sounds from severe punishments. People got whipped by a cane at dinner, at work and at night time.

The coldness and threat of this place wrapped around my body, making it shiver painfully. I I I saw some girls weeping and the sound of it spread through the barrack. People were begging for food as one meal was a piece of bread and a cup of cold coffee. My life was flaming away to soot. My hope and faith was locked. The love I usually had disappeared. My freedom was banned…

Today, out of the concentration camp, survivors are living normal lives with their families. However, the memory of the camps is never erased. The severe violence and pain, cruelty hasn’t faded for all. Nobody, except for the victims, will know how this really felt. It is hard for us to understand how different a world we are living in often without pain, without violence, but with freedom. It is our responsibility to defend those things and remain vigilant against people who would hurt others based on who they are.

POEMS BY:

JAY KIM, Y12, HALLA

It will rain on this fateful day of April It will rain on this fateful day of April Life is but a flower that feeds on The bounties of the earth, from where we one day Rose and we will one day return.

It will rain on this fateful day of April When the concealed buds of yesterday Open up their tightly packed lips Wanting freedom, ascend themselves into the fiery winds of May It will rain on this fateful day of April When the battered and the worn With their battle-scarred petals and lack-lustre luminescence Wanting rest, descend into the ready earth, donning their death-crown And fall into eternal slumber It will rain on this fateful day of April O what meaningless folly life must have been!

To endure the hardships predestined for us, only to expire into thin air in the end!

Yet the beauty and identity of life lies in our role in painting The vast and fluorescent world we reside.

To each their own color, To each their own craft To each their own dance, To each their own destiny And the world itself becomes a painting Of ambition, of passion, of love.

It will rain on this fateful day of April The rain bombards the plains all day and all night Washing away what is left of the antique The vibrant red blushes to a lovestruck pink The crashing waves of blue wade away into the hues of the sky In this moment, the world flows like a river The tidepool churns as if it were paint Mixing together the old to give birth to the new It will rain on this fateful day of April.

A piece of me There’s definitely stuff in there, alright. But I’m not too sure what happens inside.

Sometimes I open the door and there’s a million delightful things waiting for me the moment I peer inside, the stuff that makes you feel good and relaxed.

But there’s times as well when I open the door and bad stuff comes out. Malicious, eldritch entities trying to force me out. Those are definitely scary.

And there are times when the door is locked shut, even though I push with both my hands and a single foot.

I like to think of those moments as periods of ambiguity, when things are neither mellifluous nor malevolent.

You know, the stuff in between.

Maybe it’s that one piece of chemistry homework that I forgot to do.

Maybe it’s that one bit of dinner that I thought tasted funny.

It’s never one big chunk, always scattered into millions of tiny shards.

They’re all tiny bits of me, all telling a different tale.

Pick one up, and you’ll never understand what it is.

Pick up two, and you’ll still be in the blue.

Pick up more, and the more it starts getting to your head.

Are you tired yet?

Do you really want to know who I am?

I really want to know who I am.

Too bad that there’s nine-million, six-hundred forty-two-thousand, seven-hundredeighty-one pieces of me left to fetch until you really know who I am.

I don’t even know where most of them are. I don’t even know what most of them look like.

The mountain over yonder has a slice, the rat three blocks down has nibbled on another.

But I’m sure that the pieces don’t have to be put back together.

I’m sure it wouldn’t matter if we forgot about it.

I’m sure it’s all fine.

Snake Think about it.

We could be completely different people in the next hour.

Maybe in the next minute.

Maybe even in the next second.

We could change into a different outfit, or get out of our old ones.

We could change the way we think, do things we haven’t done before.

It’s not just you, everyone else could change in a matter of seconds.

You could make new friends (maybe even for life) or new enemies (hopefully not for life).

You’ll come out of every moment in life being changed in some way, Really, we’re all just snakes.

Once in a while, snakes squirm out of their old scales and scurry onto their new ones.

The old scales are just left there in the middle of nowhere.

And what’s left of them is a mold of what they previously looked like, a translucent statue of their physical being.

It’s wondrous really, to see them frantically scurry off into the distance, leaving only their old gummy coats behind.

You can pick one up, and immediately you’ll see what that snake has gone through.

Maybe there’s a bit of fur stuck between the cracks from its breakfast.

Maybe it’s stained with a bit of blood, and God knows where that came from.

But here’s the point.

Let’s say you had a pet snake and you named him George. Even if, one day, George decided to slither out of his old scale coat, he’ll still be there. Just because he’s not wearing the same scales doesn’t make him any less George. He won’t be Francis or Clement, he won’t suddenly change his preference of snake feed, and he’ll still remember you and everyone else he met(hopefully).

In a way, we’re all like George.

We might change the way we do things, but that doesn’t make any of us any less...us.

By Cathy Kim, Y9, Jeoji Edited by Mr. Davies

DO YOU WANT TO BE A JOBLESS BILLIONAIRE ?

“What do you want to be when you grow up?”

When I was asked that question, I always halted. What did I want to be? While the other person stared inquiringly at me, I would grin and say; “A jobless billionaire!”

Then they would sigh at me, always on cue, and shake their head condescendingly.

“You know, I think it’s time that you started to think seriously about what you really want to do,” Mother once told me, her eyes still clear and all-knowing in her drunken stupor.

“I know.”

Even while I assure Mother that, yes, I would think about it, I find myself dreaming about an alternate reality where Father would be alive and Mother would be sober. She would welcome me with open arms as soon as I came home from school, and Father would be there next to her, holding my hands as he guided me inside to whatever surprise he had in store for me that day.

I glance at the broken glass laying on the table, the one-room flat stinking of the painful past. I gingerly stepped past Mother, who was now snoring, her hair soaked in stale beer. I picked up my bag, battered with age, and tiptoed to the door. I heard a snort behind me, and startled, I jumped.

“Evaline.”

I paused.

“Don’t go.”

“Sleep some more, Mother.”

“Don’t go - there are monsters here. Hiding in the shadows. They’re out to get me.”

“Mother -” Her eyes were wild. Her gnarled hands, coming towards me in a frantic attempt to keep me in this prison.

“No! Stop! Please, no -” I ran out, not looking back at the shattered monster molded from pain.

“Evaline -” Her voice stretching out behind me. An eerie wail filling the empty streets, each syllable burning itself deep inside me. I stumbled, as each word hit me right in the stomach.

Picking myself up, I ran to the bus station, only to find that the bus had just left. The moment lapsed with another memory.

“Where’s Father, Mother? Why is he not home from work yet?”

Mother looked at me, her face pale in the streetlights.

“He’ll be home.”

Her voice sounded casual, but her trembling lips betrayed her worry.

That day, I watched as the ambulance drove away the remains of my Father in a black body bag, Mother’s howls filling my ears as the world broke into pieces. Things were never the same again.

No. I can’t let myself be dissolved in self-pity again. I rose and sighed. There goes any chance of getting good grades; not that I had any chance in the first place.

When I arrived at school, panting like a dog, it was already noon, and students were streaming out from the main school building, like a creek rushing from a broken dam. I hurried to join them, but they singled me out, forming a circle around me.

“Hey, it’s the freak-girl!”

“Is your mummy worse today? Drank more booze than usual?”

“Hey miss, Freak-girl’s here!”

Once, the teachers tried to ‘protect’ me. They ran an anti-bullying activity every month, tried to force the other kids to include me. They even tried the guilt-tactic, making me stand up in front of the class and tell them a story of my sad, sad, life.

The result was obvious. They soon gave up and now ignore the cruel comments directed my way.

“Why are you late?”

“I … missed the bus, miss.”

Even though they gave up on making me “normal” long ago, they still had pity for me, enough to let me off the hook for being late every day.

“Okay, but come on time tomorrow.”

She knows I would never do that, never could do that.

“Yes, miss,” I say, just out of courtesy.

The school bell rang. As I turned back, she said, “Hey, Evaline?”

“Yes, miss?”

“Remember, the door to my counselling office is always open.”

“Yes, miss.”

“Please, feel free to come every time you feel lonely, or if,” she lowered her voice, “things go bad at home. I could always

arrange another Social Services visit.”

“Yes, miss.”

I would never let the Social Services get close to Mother. They would take her away from me. Put me in an orphanage.

Although Mother had never taken care of me, she was still my Mother. The only parent I have left.

The school grounds were now empty. The wind kicked up layers of sand and dust, blowing them away.

If only I could leave like that. Carefree, no attachments.

I entered the school building, the silent, swaying trees paying their respects towards me. Like they are saying goodbye.

Returning home from school was the worst part of the day. Being among the bullies, the nicknames, the jeering, were way better than the depressing cloud settled at home.

I trudged through the streets. One of the kids, riding the bus, called, “Hey, Freak!”

The passersby stared at me. Some with sympathy, others with disinterest. An old woman clacked her tongue as she passed by, throwing to me a piece of cheese she had rummaged from her grocery bag. It landed with a sickening thump by my feet.

The yellow-green shade of the cheese seemed to suck me inside. For a moment, I could see myself through the old lady’s eyes. A poor, starved girl, with second-hand clothes. A poor girl who looked like she would be blown away by a gust of wind. I breathed in and out, fighting back the bile that was threatening to engulf me.

So this was what I had become. A pathetic, father-less, neglected child. Someone who should be either pitied or jeered at.

That was who I was. That was my identity, who I will be for the rest of my life.

No, a small voice echoed in my head.

No, it said, with more certainty.

No, I repeated, softly, then with more strength. I will not be someone people can crush and shatter. I will not be weak. I will stand strong.

I picked up the cheese, and threw it as hard as I could. It sailed away and away, finally becoming a single dot in the cloudless sky.

Looking up at the disappearing speck, I felt the crushing cloak of sorrow, regret, and disappointment torn from me in a flurry of hope - hope for a new beginning, a new me. I whooped and turned for home, stepping light, not shedding a single tear for the past left behind me.

05

MINORITIES

MINORITIES 소수 少数 Minorité меньшинство

REUGEES ARE HUMANS TOO

Ryan Kim, Y10, Noro Edited by Mr. Thomas

Around the world, there are 26 million refugees. There are 79.5 million people known to be forcibly displaced from their home country by 30th June 2020, according to the UN. This data tells us that the amount of refugees around the world is approximately three times the population of South Korea today. Today, displaced people are a massive problem. The UNHCR states that nearly 70% of the refugee population comes from just five countries around the world, so finding a solution seems urgent. Furthermore, in order to get closer to completing the Sustainable Development Goals(SDG) set by the United Nations, it is essential to find a solution for the refugees, who are included in all the humanity goals set. However, while doing research on the refugees, I came up with the following question: Who are they?

The refugees are the people who have left their home country because they decided that they could no longer stay in their own country. Therefore, although the refugees have a legal nationality, the reality is that they are people without a country. So, I ask myself the question again, what is happening to the identities of refugees as human beings?

The first and foremost problem of the displaced people is that they cannot easily receive any legal protection from any government. They do not have a country. At all times, we should have in mind that the majority of the refugees risked their lives because they decided that it was more dangerous to stay in their own countries. For example, Syria has produced 4 million refugees from its civil war. In such situations, it is for certain that the displaced people cannot expect any legal protection from their own government at all.

Out of the near 100 million displaced people, approximately a quarter of the population are accepted as official refugees by other countries. Although the refugees are provided necessities, it still does not mean that they are given the citizenship of their destination.

In the case of the UK, in order to be naturalized as an official citizen,

you need to pay 1,236 pounds for the application, on top of demonstrating the basic knowledge of a British citizen. Until the refugees become available to meet the requirements, the blank in their national identity will stay forever.

During the process to achieve citizenship, refugees can work in certain countries such as the UK or South Korea. However, the refugees then have to face problems outside the legal challenges. The fact that the refugees are allowed to work legally in the country does not necessarily mean that they will find a job. Having come from completely different countries and cultures, there are still barriers, the first being the language barrier. The lack of communication skills when trying to get a job are likely to be critical. Even if they have the intelligence to do work in the tertiary industry, the refugees might have to do simple labour just because of communication problems. Especially around Jeju, it is easy to see immigrants and refugees working in restaurants speaking somewhat strange Korean.

Because of the language barrier, it is often difficult for the refugees to easily communicate with the locals.

As a result, statistics show that “Some refugees do dirty, difficult, dangerous and dull (4D) jobs that locals spurn, such as cleaning offices and caring for the elderly. This 4D dividend enables locals to do higher-skilled and betterpaid jobs that they prefer. Lastly, the refugees in other countries cannot possibly be free from discrimination and xenophobia. For example, in the UK, the different ethnicities of the refugees were found to have a direct impact on hiring decisions, regardless of how great their academic abilities were. Furthermore, discrimination does not only occur in workplaces.

According to a study in 2018, “non-EU born migrants were over twice as likely to describe themselves as members of a group that faces discrimination because of nationality, religion, language, race or ethnicity, compared to EU-born migrants”. Such results show that the refugees tend to be belittled as human

beings and discriminated against in numerous situations.

However, despite the depressing disadvantages of being the victims of war, the support for and perception of refugees is improving. Since the problem of the refugees has grown so big, the United Nations decided to be a part of the solution themselves. The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, or the UNHCR, is developing solutions to increase the quality of life for those who had to run away. T he UNHCR aims to help the refugees, especially the newer generations, to overcome their unfortunate disadvantages. Along with supplying necessities for the refugees, the UNHCR tries its best to provide education, help in assimilating with different cultures, and resettlement of the refugees in the case of the US. Furthermore, the nearby countries that refugees arrive in are trying their best to cope with the immigrants and forcefully-displaced people. In the case of Lebanon, the country right next to Syria, 21.8% of the country’s population consists of refugees.

Yet, it is too early to be complacent about the current amount of help.

While UNHCR’s solutions are highly supportive of the refugees, such shortterm solutions cannot last forever, nor does it solve the fundamental problem of displacement. Furthermore, in the case of Lebanon, the country’s ability was unable to cope is obvious. The burden needs to be shared amongst all the countries of the world, not just the neighbours.

BILLY MILLIGAN Eunsuh Kim, Y11, Sarah Edited by Minseo Cha, Y13, Halla East

Can you believe that there could be more than one person in a single body?

Can’t you believe it? If yes, you cannot help it. However, there has already been such a case. Billy Milligan, an American guy, is the main character of this story. Billy Milligan was a man with a mental illness called Dissociative Identity Disorder (DID). Due to a traumatic childhood, he contracted the disease at the age of five and created his first divergent personality.

Billy Milligan was born in 1955. He grew up in Ohio and moved to Miami, Florida, after his parents got divorced.

After moving, his mother married another man, Johnny Morrison. Billy was sexually assaulted by Johnny Morrison, and this caused him to create his first identity, Christine. Christine was a 3 year old girl who was blond and could not read. Billy also made Shawn and a boy with no name.

When he tur ned 9 in 1964, his identity was completely divided into 24 identities, including his original identity.

Several years later, he was arrested in 1977 for raping 3 girls at Ohio University. After being arrested, Billy was prosecuted because of 3 kidnappings, 3 armed robberies, and 4 rape cases.

As a part of his defense, he was tested by Dorothy Turner, a doctor who was working at a mental health care center in Columbus, Ohio, and she concluded that he had a dissociative identity disorder.

He had 5 main identities and 19 subidentities. The first main identity was the original identity, himself: William Stanley Milligan. The second identity was 22 years old Arthur from England.

He was the smartest identity among all 24 identities and wore glasses, could

speak many different languages and controlled who could take control of the body. The third identity was Ragen Vadasconivinich, a Yugoslavian. His nickname was the ‘keeper of hate’, who took care of dangerous situations.

He had the strongest power, was very skilled in martial arts, could control the adrenaline inside his body, and was very violent. The fourth identity was 16-year-old Tommy. He was an antisocial and aggressive artist who is very talented at escaping and handling electronics. His last main identity was 18-year-old Allen, a born-to-be negotiator and swindler, and the only smoker among all identities.

Even though he genuinely had d i f f e r e n t i d e n t i t i e s, a t t h e ve r y beginning, the police officers and doctors refused to believe him. They thought he was acting in order to be found not guilty. However, after being diagnosed with DID, his identities became an issue. This was because Billy was a dropout student from high school, but his identities were very talented in some fields; for example, Arthur was able to speak Arabic and African languages fluently, and Tommy was able to use electronics proficiently.

Since he was proved to have other identities, in the end, he was found innocent.

After being found innocent, Billy was committed to many different mental hospitals including Athens State Mental Hospital. He was cared for by David Carl, a psychologist.

He was finally discharged from the hospital in 1988, being diagnosed as perfectly cured of DID. In 1991, he became a movie director and owned Stormy Life Productions. He lived in California from 1996 and died of cancer in 2014.

Now, can you believe that there

could be more than one main identity in a body? I hope so. This story is not fiction, it is a true story based on someone’s real life. Thus, be careful.

Who knows, you might have another identity inside your body, and it might take you to court!

“The only true happiness lies in knowing who you are” - Laurell K. Hamilton

DID-

What Billy Milligan Suffered Alice Park, Y11, Geomun Edited by Ms Seo

D i s s o c i a t i ve i d e n t i t y d i s o r d e r (DID), previously known as Multiple Personality disorder is a psychological illness. According to the American Psychiatric Association, it is defined as ‘the existence of two or more distinct identities or personality states that are accompanied by changes in behaviors, memories or thinking’. DID is caused by a complex psychological condition with various symptoms. Being an insidious illness, numerous books that explain about DID have been published. The topic has fascinated authors with its complexity.

A normal person can experience different trauma which can lead them to suffer from the disorder. Most DID patients say that there are several causes of the disorder, such as: feeling the absence of safety, scarce basic necessities (e.g. water, food, shelter), and the experience of abuse or trauma.

It can include physical, emotional or sexual childhood abuse, and an unpredictable or stressful environment.

Experiencing these activities may lead a person to experience DID more easily.

W h e n t h e p at i e n t ex p e r i e n c e s severe trauma and stress during their youth, the symptoms usually appear starting from five to ten years old.

Unfortunately, to date, there are no direct cures for the illness. Instead, psychiatrists suggest that long term

treatment like psychotherapy can be helpful if the patient stays motivated to continue to receive the treatment.

DID has been a familiar disorder to us for some time. In 1939, United Kingdom's venerable author Agatha Christie wrote “And Then There Were None”. The book is about a man with numerous identities accusing others of a terrible crime. Starting from the beginning, there is a tense suspense throughout the book, and it ends with a strong twist to the plot. Moreover, one of the most brutal criminals, Billy Milligan, who kidnapped, raped and robbed 3 females, was found to have 24 identities. Due to his disorder, he did not plead guilty, and he was sent to a psychiatric hospital for treatment instead.

In conclusion, Dissociative Identity Disorder is a common mental illness that creates multiple identities inside a person. I believe it must be well monitored as some identities can be dangerous, and I also believe that more research should be done actively to make effective cures. Moreover, more work should be done to raise awareness about this illness, and help the patients to be less stigmatized.

INTOLERANCE

Of Non-Puritan Relgions in the USA and the Western World

Adam Kim, Y12, Halla Edited by Warrick Kwon, Y11, Noro

Racism is a major social issue in the United States. However, most media only focuses on white-on-black racism, as it is the conventional type of racism in the Western world. However, Islamophobia and Asian hate is on the rise recently and there has only been slight success in combating them.

Hence, other minorities, especially the Islamic or Asian population in the US, fail to receive attention from the public, therefore failing to raise awareness of the problem.

I s l a m o p h o b i a , fo r ex a m p l e, i s widely spread in most wester n nations, particularly in some nations with majority Christian believers.

According to the Daily Sabah, there was a 53% increase of Islamophobic attacks in France. Of course, with Islam being a minority, they are heavily disadvantaged in the United States.

The intolerance of religion in the US was already settled since a group of Puritans first stepped on American soil in the early 1700s. Having escaped f ro m h e av y p e r s e c u t i o n a g a i n s t Puritanism, the immigrants oppressed the minorities who disagreed with their religious views. Many view this attitude as hypocritical, as Puritans themselves had fled from England due to religious oppression from English churches.

For example, Anne Hutchinson, a preacher, was accused of heresy after questioning important Puritan ideas.

Not only this, but anti-Catholic views were widespread in the US; starting from the 1700s, anti-Catholic beliefs are presumed to be continued until the 1960s, when elected President John F. Kennedy was “disadvantaged” for being a Catholic candidate in the US. For example, the POAU, an organization which represents Protestants in the US, released a statement in 1960, saying that they are “uneasy” on various Catholic beliefs JFK had which go against Protestant beliefs deeply igrained in the US. From this, we can learn that religious discrimination in the US was prevalent for most of its history.

Not only does the intolerance of religion apply to Catholics, but this also applies to other religions, especially towards the 21st century.

The spread of Islamophobia in the US is, undoubtedly, due to the 9/11 attacks in 2001. Led by an infamous extremist Islam organization, Al-Qaeda, the 9/11 attack was the deadliest terrorist attack in history, with 2,977 casualties.

Apart from casualties, hundreds of thousands are known to have their daily lives impaired, from asthma and PTSD to various types of cancer. Causing a massive impact in the US, the 9/11 attacks have significantly worsened the image of the religion. Three Muslims were killed as victims of Islamic hate crimes only a week after 9/11; Islamophobia has been continually rising in the US, although not much support was given to them. In a survey conducted in 2008, one quarter of all Muslims believe that Muslims living in the US, Britain, France and China are not treated equally.

However, many hope, and expect a better future, as Joe Biden took power in 2021. Immediately after taking power, he ended Trump’s anti-Muslim executive laws, and he is expected to combat general hate, not limited to Islamophobia, inside the US. The future looks bright for the minority Muslim population inside the US, however there is much work to be done in the future to completely abolish the flawed Islamic stereotypes.

06

PSYCHOLOGY

Reading an article or watching the news is a daily thing to do. In the past, when people read articles that challenged their beliefs or perceptions, the information didn't occupy their minds a lot. They just moved on, thinking that maybe those events could really happen. However, this attitude started to change as the term “post truth” started to appear in the media.

Nowadays, when people see an article that might be controversial, they tend to doubt it and go through it checking

whether the article is providing logical reasoning and valid evidence. Before further elaborating on this matter, what exactly is post truth? Post truth can be defined as a situation in which a person would accept a certain statement based on their current emotions or individual beliefs, rather than going through the proven facts. Post truth is much more complicated than simply false beliefs.

Basically, in a post-truth society, all the articles and newspapers could have possibly been edited and rearranged

behind the scenes, controlled by partisan power, which here means a committed member of a political party or army. Most of the false statements made in articles are about politicians.

Their speeches include numerous lies and they make promises that they will never keep. In news and articles, they make these lies about politicians in order to create more supporters. This results in huge impacts on political identity. Because of this false news about politicians, people tend to believe

Olivia Ha, Y9, Geomun Edited by Shona Park, Y11, Noro

EVEN TRUTH LIES

the wrong facts and decide to support them. As a result, the politician gains power and the supporter eventually regrets getting deceived by the lies.The way the politician manages the country might not have been what the person imagined, further confusing their political identity. Further deception and bias created from news these days give readers a dilemma when choosing a party to support. Then, as a result of supporting a politician, later, they might actually regret it.

So where did all this post truth come from? The start of post truth was from the presidency of the 45th president of the United States, Donald Trump.

In his presidential election, he came up with a strategy to paint the opposing political party, the Democratic Party, in a bad light. He encouraged his supporters to chant ‘lock her up’ every time his opponent was mentioned. This is why we question whether things have gone too far. If this is all true, then the title in the Times magazine, “Is Truth Dead?” in bold red letters on the cover page, would not be an exaggeration at all. When people are deceived to believe in a political stance, as they continue to read the same lies, their beliefs will become stronger and bolder.

They are under the influence of bias.

When a person’s beliefs are too strong, their decisions are led by emotions and beliefs rather than facts and rationality.

This also means that they are losing their ability to think critically and accept logical reasoning. Therefore,

they slowly lose their ability to think coherently and to defend arguments with logic and rationality. As more people are influenced by the post-truth era, the real truth will keep on fading away, meaning that people lose their ability to efficiently analyze material evidence in times of political decision making.

If all this gets more problematic, there are extreme consequences that might follow. As the number of lies are exceeding that of the truth in today’s society, people are supporting the wrong political stands. If this gets more serious, the person would go into the phase of negativity, where they do not listen to any word that others say to them. These are cases when the person is talking about an idea that goes against their beliefs. They would not listen even if the person presents them with logical and valid reasoning.

Now the majority of the people are aware of post-truth and its possible consequences. However, the same people who have used the post-truth method before are reusing it again and again. But why? Why are they continuing on with post-truth even though they know that the people are now aware of the lies? The reason is simply because post-truth is actually successful. Even if many are aware, they are deceived every time. For instance, when Trump used post-truth, the citizens actually believed in him and he succeeded in making a good

impression of himself on the people. This resulted in the increase in the number of his supporters and that’s how he eventually won the presidential elections. Post-truth may seem like an effective strategy to create more supporters. On the other hand, it is a good way to make enemies as well. If people continue to use post-truth against the world, their illogical strategies will be noticed sooner or later. This will lead to extreme damage to reputation, meaning that politicians will be getting further away from their citizens. Since post-truth has become a serious problem throughout the world, we should tackle this issue. In order to do that, we need to approach this problem logically and think without biased thoughts. Even if we think that we are not going to fall for the lies, we should always remember that there are still people who are the audience for post-truth.

THE IDENTITY OF LOVE LOVE?

David Kim, Y12, Halla Edited by Seungho Ham, Y13, Halla

Love connotes warmth, safety and help for some, having powerful transcendent power. Some think of love as only true love, while the impulsive love of youth might harm people. The overpowering force of love consumes reason, time, logic and even life in some situations. Love is a violent passion which can be as powerful as hate. The transcendent power of love is portrayed in the play Romeo and Juliet. In the play, love is the cause of conflict, as well as the power which changes Juliet into a person who can speak her opinions. There are many conflicts caused by love, for example love causing Romeo suffering and inner conflict. Moreover, the conflict also affects Juliet, suffering inner conflict such as the conflict between their families. Furthermore, the two lovers worry about their love changing, drawing devastation down upon themselves.

The impulsiveness of young love is also demonstrated by the characters all dying at the end of the play. The young characters are easily drawn into duels, when insulted. A bit like today in some parts of inner cities like London where people are killed for insulting the wrong person.

Since the play was written in the Elizabethan era, patriarchal values of honor and masculinity were important. They had to defend their honor, leading to death. However, obsession with ‘honour’ will lead to death as shown by Tybalt’s and Mercutio’s death, and this shows the emptiness of honour. Even though they have risked their lives to defend honour, the result has only been death. I think that love, hate, and violence are all equally a violent passion.

Irrationality, there is no cause of love, hate, and even violence; this shows the ironic coincidence of love.

Marriage is usually thought as the destination of love, the honour, duty, or even shackles of life. In the play “Romeo and Juliet”, marriage was blocking true love between Romeo and Juliet, which draws one to a conclusion that marriage might not be the destination that people are wanting. As time passes, love has been developing in different ways than what we have previously known. Personally, the famous quote “brawling love” in the play might be reflecting the thoughts about love even today. The two different words create an oxymoron - which might not make sense - however emphasizes the extreme emotions that love creates. Love sometimes makes people feel like their emotions are aberrant, departing from the standard, and lead them to engage in whimsical actions. However, love, which has no reason or result, might be the most weird thing that humans suffer from.

ART 07

Minju Kang, Y11, Jeoji Edited by Warrick Kwon, Y11, Noro

NFL

NFT, also known as Non- Fungible Token, are tokens used to represent one’s ownership over items. Nonfungible means that each item has its own unique identity and cannot be replaced with something else.

In this way, fungible items could be exchanged because their scarcity can be a determining factor of the value of goods. Unlike this, NFTs allow people to “tokenize” items such as art, music, and even real estate. Those items can only have one owner at a time and are secured by the Ethereum blockchain, preventing modification of the record of ownership or copying in a new NFT. Tokenized items are gaining a new identity in the digital world. By utilizing NFTs, each art piece gains an irreplaceable and unique identity and clearly shows the ownership of each piece.

M o s t N F Ts a re t h o u g h t o f a s an evolution of fine art collecting, especially digital art. Digital art existed long before the blockchain, but just like almost all data, it was easy to copy and claim one’s property as another's.

Most digital artists, tired after years of creating content that generates visits and engagement on social media platforms including Facebook and Instagram while getting almost nothing in return, have dived into this trend of NFT. Speaking of artists in all fields— filmmakers, musicians, and even authors anticipate a future in which NFTs transform both their working methods and the values of art in the world, now that buyers are capable of truly “owning” and selling digitized art for the first time.

The concept of NFT is relatively new to our society. The whole industry seems absurd to people: art collectors paying six to eight figures for works that can easily be accessed and shared online for free. Critics assess the NFT rise as just the latest bubble, similar to this year’s boom of “meme stocks” such as GameStop. This phenomenon is attracting a strange group of not just digital artists and collectors, but also speculators who are eagerly looking to profit from the latest craze.

The NFT craze hit a new world

record in March when Christie’s, the art auction house, auctioned off a digital photo collage by an artist, who goes by the name of Beeple, for nearly $70,000,000, immediately making him the third most expensive living artist in art history. When an artist gains more popularity and followers, the original owner of the piece can resell it online, bidding for a higher price.

With every possible trade happening, the actual artist is able to make 10% m o n e t a r y p ro f i t w i t h s e c o n d a r y trading. The NFT art market opens a broad and transformative secondary market for digital artists; helping them attain a new identity online by getting noticed by online speculators looking for phenomenal digital artists.

When someone purchases an art piece in NFT, they are buying a unique identifier representing the digital artwork. Thus, the ownership of the piece gets recorded and stored in the blockchain. Owning the artwork by NFT does not limit how the artwork is viewed or shared digitally. Instead, it works similarly to interactive trading.

With NFTs, owning a digital artwork is highly transformable as each artwork’s identity is tradable and sharable among collectors, increasing its value gradually over time.

The only problems derived from digital artwork shared through NFTs are authenticity and uniqueness. When a digital artwork is created and shared online, anonymous users download and share them, and it is impossible to track those activities. Despite this issue, NFTs hold the potential to make the values of digital artwork similar to the ones of physical artwork. NFTs are capable of turning arts with digital identities into the form of assets in the real world.

As NFTs exist on the blockchain, it becomes impossible to replicate the identity of the original artwork. This trait of NFTs provides a way for digital artists to earn revenue from their artwork, stay authentic, and prevent hacking and duplication issues.

Digital art is gaining popularity due to the highly secured and viable mediums of sharing its identity through NFTs. This innovative approach via

NFTs paves a new way for artists and collectors. Art collectors are realizing the significance of the digital art world and becoming captivated. This innovative approach via NFTs paves a new way for artists and collectors. NFTs not only open diverse ways to generate new revenue streams for art but also financial owner ship. A part from transforming the digital art market, NFTs reevaluate how digital art holds substantial importance in the global art market.

I AM MY ART OR AM I? Amy Kim, Y11, Mulchat Edited by Shona Park, Y11, Noro

Art is a form of expression that presents the creativity and imagination of the artist, the creator of the artwork.

Artists can express their ideas and creativity through art freely, they are not subject to strict rules and regulations and there is a wide range of art forms. Visual art including painting, drawing, sculpture, and performing arts such as music, dance, film, are examples of art. There are different forms of art depending on how the ‘art’ is defined, and it is mostly defined as a creation with imagination and creativity which expresses the artists’ emotions and ideas. Art changes over time and it makes the audience interpret, consider and think about the message being conveyed. The artist’s own beliefs and thoughts affect their identities which influence the artworks as it reflects their own experiences and beliefs.

The artwork can contain different identities including an individual’s identity, a community’s identity, or cultural identity. As an artwork can take on any of the identities of the artist, it can represent the artist or the community that the artist inhabits.

Art is a subjective form of the artist’s expression so whether it contains p e r s o n a l i d e n t i t y o r c o m mu n i t y i d e n t i t y, i t c a n b e i n t e r p r e t e d differently. Furthermore, artworks have multiple meanings or messages and this can influence the audience’s beliefs, affecting their identities.

An example of art representing a community’s identity is folk music, music that reflects people's experiences.

It can also be described as the music of the people or the community. It is music reflecting cultural or national identity. An example of folk music that reflects the everyday experience of people is flamenco. Flamenco, Spanish folk music, can be recognised as music or dance with red ruffled skirts. Many people do not know it is a type of music of marginalised and persecuted people. It is a form of music created by and associated with the Spanish gypsies of the southern part of Spain to express their experiences of being

discriminated against by the rest of the community. Martinete is one of the songs of flamenco which developed from the Andalusian gypsies. The beat of the hammer against the anvil in the songs reflects on the labour of the gypsies and the sense of pain and persecution that they felt. Moreover, some songs tell how the gypsies feel and show the idea that they are all people with the same feelings as other people.

Through flamenco, we can see how a form of music is born out of a certain community and how their identity, which includes race and culture, affects and encourages people to create new forms of music to express their identity and their experiences.

The Feminist Art Movement is another example that reflects the artist’s identity. It is a creation of art by feminist artists inter nationally and they produce art that portrays women’s experiences and lives. The Feminist Art Movement emerged in the late 1960s, a period when women wanted to be recognised equally. Louise Bourgeois is a French-American artist and one of the early feminist artists.

She is best known for her large-scale sculpture. Her artworks have different themes such as sexuality, domesticity, and family. As Bourgeois explored the relationship between men and women, imagery in her art became more sexual.

Femme Maison (1946–47) is a series of paintings that portrays the relationship between women and home. The term means ‘housewife’ in French and in her paintings, the heads of the women are replaced by a house to suggest the idea that their minds are always kept and associated with domesticity.

The Feminist Art Movement shows how art influenced people and society.

Suzanne Lacy, an artist, said that the goal of Feminist art is to "influence cultural attitudes and transfor m stereotypes”. Art was one of the most powerful tools to transmit their message, so it introduced the point of view of women to society. Before the Movement, female artists had a lack of opportunities to exhibit. However,

after, women artists gained greater equality and the movement reshaped the cultural and social attitudes towards women, knocking away at the stereotypes. Artists portray their identity through artwork and flamenco and the Feminist Art Movement are examples of how identity influences art.

However, art also influences people’s identities by changing and affecting their everyday experiences. As art is a universal language, people can view art without cultural or linguistic barriers.

Art can inspire and influence people’s way of viewing and understanding.

Further more, as most of the art is visual, it engages the audience emotionally, which can change people’s identities and beliefs.

Art is one way in which the culture and history of a community are passed on. As it is passed on down generations, people in successive generations can identify their culture and history through studying their art in the form of painting, music and dance. By conveying their identity through art, people can grow and learn through the artworks in the past, which additionally i n f l u e n c e s t h e i r o w n i d e n t i t y.

Moreover, art allows people to express themselves and explore ideas. We can also understand others with different identities and beliefs. Therefore, we should consider art not only as an aesthetic object but also as a form of expression of people’s identities that helps us develop and explore and understand our own identity.

OTHERS

QUOTES ABOUT IDENTITY

“Be who you are and say what you feel because those who mind don’t matter and those who matter don’t mind.” - Dr. Seuss “Memories are the architecture of our identity.”

“Identity is a prison you can never escape, but the way to redeem your past is not to run from it, but to try to understand it, and use it as a foundation to grow.” - Jay Z “A person’s memory is everything, really. Memory is identity. It’s you.” Stephen King “Be yourself; everyone else is already taken.” - Oscar Wilde “Before I can live with other folks I’ve got to live with myself. The one thing that doesn’t abide by majority rules is a person's conscience.” - Harper Lee “I am made and remade continually.

Different people draw different words from me.” - Virginia Woolf “We know what we are, but not what we may be.” William Shakespeare “To be yourself in a world that is constantly trying to make you something else is the greatest accomplishment.” - Ralph Waldo Emerson “Knowing yourself is the beginning of all wisdom.” - Aristotle “Don’t let the noise of others’ opinions drown out your own inner voice.” - Steve Jobs

“You have to be your own person.

Yo u c a n’t l e t p e o p l e ’s o p i n i o n s d e t e r m i n e h ow yo u t h i n k a b o u t yourself. There’s a difference between identity and self-identity.” - Amy Tan “Some people seem to fade away but then when they are truly gone, it’s like they never faded away at all.” Bob Dylan

“A man’s ethnic identity has more to do with a personal awareness than with geography.” - William Saroyan “The identity of an individual is essentially a function of her choices, r at h e r t h a n t h e d i s c ove r y o f a n immutable attribute.” - Amartya Sen “To know thyself is the beginning of wisdom.” - Socrates

“Know, first, who you are; and then adorn yourself accordingly.” - Epictetus

“I am my own experiment. I am my own work of art.” - Madonna

“The value of identity, of course, is that so often with it comes purpose.” Richard Grant

“What’s Montague? It is nor hand, nor foot, nor arm, nor face, nor any other part belonging to a man.” William Shakespeare

“Identity is not inherent. It is shaped by circumstance and sensitivity and resistance to self-pity.” - Dorothy West “In the social jungle of human existence, there is no feeling of being alive without a sense of identity.” - Erik Erikson “I always had long hair. When you lose it, you realise just how important it is to your identity.” - Delta Goodrem “There is no gate, no lock, no bolt that you can set upon the freedom of my mind.” - Virginia Woolf “Identity cannot be found or fabricated but emerges from within when one has the courage to let go.” Doug Cooper “My identity might begin with the fact of my race, but it didn’t, couldn’t end there. At least that’s what I would choose to believe.” - Barack Obama

“If you know your enemy and know yourself, you need not fear the result of a hundred battles.” - Sun Tzu “Know thyself.” - Ancient Greek Proverb “No death, no doom, no anguish can arouse the surpassing despair which flows from a loss of identity.” - H.P Lovecraft “Committing yourself is a way of finding out who you are. A man finds his identity by identifying.” - Robert E. Terwilliger “If you really have your own identity you’ll keep on doing what you think is really right for you, and you’ll also understand the next step you want to take.” - Hemulut Lang “Never mind searching for who you are. Search for the person you aspire to

be.” - Robert Brault “Identity was everything, but it seemed I never had one.” - Shannon A. Thompson “Identity in the form of continuity of personality is an extremely important characteristic of the individual.” Kenneth L. Pike “Identity is not negotiable. An identity you have achieved by agreement is always a prison.” - M. John Harrison “The only true happiness lies in knowing who you are” - Laurell K. Hamilton “Nothing of me is original. I am the combined effort of everyone I’ve ever known.” - Chuck Palahniuk “Our true reality is in our identity and unity with all life.” - Joseph Campbell “Identity was just a box people liked to put themselves in, a mast to tether to in a storm, a security blanket.” Leonardo D’Onofrio, Old Country “We do not need magic to change the world, we carry all the power we need inside ourselves already: we have the power to imagine better.” - J.K Rowling “Unless we base our sense of identity upon the truth of who we are, it is impossible to attain true happiness.” Brenda Shoshanna “You have your identity when you

find out, not what you can keep your mind on, but what you can’t keep your mind off.” - A. R. Ammons “There is no gender identity behind the expressions of gender [...]. Identity is performatively constituted by the very ‘expressions' that are said to be its results.” - Judith Butler “We live in a world full of people who are satisfied with pretending to be someone they are not” - Tommy Tran “In the anarchic world of global politics, it is better to be Godzilla than Bambi.” - John Mearsheimer “ Identity is this incredible invisible force that controls your whole life. It is invisible, like gravity is invisible, but it controls your whole life.

“Identity and resemblance would then be no more than inevitable illusions – in other words, concepts of reflection which would account for our inveterate habit of thinking difference on the basis of the categories of representation.” - Giles Deleuze “If you really have your own identity you’ll keep on doing what you think is really right for you, and you’ll also understand the next step you want to take.” - Helmut Lang “Fear is always a case of mistaken identity.” - Byron Katie “Per sonal identity de pends on Consciousness not on Substance.” John Ashberry “What we dwell on we become.” -

Oprah Winfrey “In this world one must have a name; it prevents confusion, even when it does not establish identity.” - Ambrose Bierce “No death, no doom, no anguish can arouse the surpassing despair which flows from a loss of identity” - Through the Gates of the Silver Key, H.P. Lovecraft

ALUMNI INTERVIEW Minseo Cha, Y13, Halla Edited by Ms. Seo What is your identity?

With a high possibility, you would have found yourself speechless when trying to answer this question. Identity is, by nature, a complex and changing concept. Your identity can be fluid and is made and remade continually by the qualities and beliefs you choose to develop. You can define yourself with different identities under different c i rc u m s t a n c e s o r h ave mu l t i p l e identities; you could be single, a Londoner, student, and volunteer, reserved and love dancing to frantic music at a party all at the same time.

And, for more than a decade, we have lived with personal technologies like social media and video games that allowe us to develop alternate and auxiliary personae, which makes it more challenging to define identity in simple words. Your jour ney of establishing your identity started when you were born and every choice you make in life contributes to the journey.

Vanessa Ji Yeon Hwang, from NLCS Jeju Class of 2015, has been on that journey for a few more years than most of you who are reading this article.

Learn about her journey by reading a conversation with her: Q. Please introduce yourself.

Hi, I am Ji Yeon (Vanessa) Hwang from NLCS Jeju Class of 2015. I majored in Electrical and Computer Engineering with a minor in Computer Science at Carnegie Mellon University, and currently working as a software developer at Oracle.

Q. What is your passion and how did you discover it? Did anything at NLCS Jeju encourage your passion?

I am passionate about music and sports, and NLCS Jeju’s co-curricular activities and societies like orchestra, choir, basketball, and netball certainly

helped me identify and encourage my passion.

Q. What influenced you to major in electrical and computer engineering and why did you decide to pursue a career in the software industry?

In fact, my major was mechanical engineering when I first went to college.

But in the first semester, when I felt that sense of accomplishment after writing hundreds of lines of code in a programming course, I clearly knew that I was more interested in computer engineering, so I switched my major.

Four years of college then gave me enough confidence that I would be able to work and enjoy living as a software developer and, trust me, enjoying your job is harder than you think. ;) Q. Do you find what you learned in college to be valuable in becoming who you are today?

Definitely. I had absolutely no experience in computer science before college, so it really changed my life. Not only that, the competitive nature and challenging courses of the university taught me how to manage my time and how to accept and learn from failures.

Q. Could you tell me more about your job?

How I got this job, I would say, was the process of trial and error. I have submitted A LOT of applications, have done A LOT of coding assessments and interviews, and got A LOT of rejection emails. Out of the companies that offered me a position, Oracle was quite special as it is the owner of my favorite programming language Java (and yes I know it sounds nerdy haha), and I liked the team that I would be part of. I am now working as a software developer in the AI (Adaptive Intelligence) Sales team, which delivers AI-enabled applications to improve

sales forces in different places.

Q. How difficult did you find it in establishing yourself as a woman in what is traditionally seen as a man’s job? How easy was it in the USA? Do you think you would have problems returning to Korea? Would that put you off returning to Korea to continue your career?

I am actually the only woman in my team right now, but it doesn’t really change anything, and I never felt that it is more difficult establishing myself as a ‘female’ engineer. I believe the gender ratio in engineering is improving, and especially in the United States, I don’t think there is anything to worry about.

A l t h o u g h I d o n o t h ave mu ch experience working in Korea, I don’t think my decision on whether to return or not will be influenced by this.

Q. How significant is your academic and professional status in defining who you are as a person? Do you relate yourself strongly with your career or are there other aspects of your life you consider more important?

I admit the fact that my career or academic status does play a significant role when describing myself to people, but I think that’s because it is the quick and easy way. I have so many other things that I love and value which will take a good amount of time to show and explain, so I cannot define myself with a single thing.

Q. How has your identity changed over the years as you graduated NLCS Jeju, went to college and then started working for a company? In what ways do you think you are a different person today? What has influenced these changes?

My identity g radually changed following the choices that I made, and I believe that I have become more

mature and responsible for myself. Especially, living alone in the United States for 6+ years definitely made me a more independent person.

Q. Have you experienced any memorable events that made a significant impact on your identity?

I cannot think of a specific event that altered my identity, but instead, I tend to get more affected by people around me. Not always but often, their thoughts change how I think, and their behaviors influence how I act. Overall, I think identity is something that is slowly established over time, and that is why the people you spend time with create a big impact.

Q. What three words characterise your identity now?

Ambitious but afraid.

Ambitious to start new things, but still a bit afraid of failures .. slowly getting better!

Q. Do you find yourself adopting the company culture to ensure you make progress within your firm?

Yes. Following the work culture of a company is not required, but it definitely improves the process efficiency. I suppose such culture helps to unify a group of very different individuals as it works as a set of implicit rules that are naturally followed by everyone in the company.

Q. Would you like to share any tips for NLCS Jeju students who struggle to find or establish their identity?

It’s a hard question to answer as I don’t even think that I have fully established my identity, but one thing that I can say is to be patient. Don’t try to jump to a conclusion right now or in the near future. Try everything that you want to try, don’t stay in your comfort zone, and experience more. I know that NLCS Jeju is full of diverse opportunities, which is the best chance to find new parts of yourself.

As Vanessa said, identity is not what you fabricate, but what emerges within you. You don’t have to define who you are yet; what is important is to be yourself at all times!

Brought to you by:

WRITERS

STAFF

DESIGNERS

Ziu Choi Jeremy Kim Yeonghu Jung Victoria Park Theresa Lee Sunwoo Heo Sunwoo An Stella Lee Sophia Park Shona Park Seungho Ham Ryan Kim Olivia Ha Minseo Cha Minju Kang Melanie Kang Lucas Shin Logan Kim Inseo Youn Haeun Lee Jian Yeo

Miss. H. Seo Mr. S Davis Mr. A. Thomas Ms. S. Kennington Mr. R. Maher Ms. L. Barlow

Ellie Lee Jianna Lee Taehwan Lee Seobin Lee Woobin Jo Siyeon Kim Seojin Yang Hyun Min Lee Luna Park Jaehyuk Choi Alice Jeon

Jessica Kim Jayden Lee Jay Kim Injoon So Ian Yoon Eunsuh Kim Eunsoo Lee Eunice Lim Emily Lim Warrick Kwon David Kim Cathy Kim Brandon Lee Bonnie Hyun Annette Cho Amy Kim Adam Kim

COVER Ellie Koo , NLCSJeju alumni Class of 2021

SINCERELY,