Maddie's Short Story Blog

  Dr O’Brien’s mention of the recent turmoil surrounding the South Korean adoptee system when we were discussing the short story “Mothers, Lock Up Your Daughters Because They Are Terrifying” piqued my interest. I had not heard of anything regarding the adoptee system in South Korea, but I was curious to learn more. Through reading articles surrounding this topic, I was able to connect some of the points back to the three girls, Mini, Ronnie, and Caroline in this story, furthering my understanding of experiences they had as Korean adoptees. I came to recognize the injustices of the system that are finally getting exposed, and viewed the girls in a deeper and more understanding way. I read an article from the New York Times titled “World’s Largest ‘Baby Exporter’ Confronts Its Painful Past.” The article goes in depth about how South Korea’s adoptee system has proven to have many flaws, with recent stories coming to light regarding the corruption set in place. South Korea built a...

  “Your father is a dark, sturdy man and so unlike you that, as a child, you were sure that one day Hagrid would come to your door and inform you of your status as a Mudblood, and then your true life- the life without the weight of your father’s history, pain, guilt, hopelessness, helplessness, judgment, and shame- would begin” (Kochai 4).  This sentence from “Playing Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain” provides a multi-layered understanding of the characters, emotions, and relationships of this short story. With just one sentence, Kochai is able to give insight to many of the details further elaborated on throughout the story. The author’s attempt at relatability through an analogy of Hagrid and a Mudblood successfully connects the feelings of not belonging and failure that the main character has, due to the fact that Mudbloods in Harry Potter are considered as inferior. The sentence utilizes the adjectives “pain, guilt, hopelessness, helplessness, judgment, and shame.” I ...