Sopyonje analysis - Essay Example

Cultural symbolism of Pansori Bowyer (151) argues that the use of the p'ansori yields metaphoric outcomes. It has for two decades bolstered the level of admiration of the genre among the society’s youth, and created a desirable avenue through which traditional cultural beliefs and practices can be passed on to various population segments whose behavior is under threat from foreign cultures. P'ansori can be traced to the Jeolla region of southwestern Korea, where the director grew up. The use of "Sopyonje" as the title of the film refers to the western genre of p'ansori, which is believed to be secondary to the original Korean one.

The film’s setting is misleadingly plain (Bowyer (151). Adopted from a short story text by Lee Chung-joon, Yu-bong is a key architect of p'ansori who moves away with his two children, daughter Song-hwa and son Dong-ho who are pansori, and drummer apprentices. The three characters travel across the rural areas in an attempt to perform and nurture their skills while showing a determination to preserve the key values of pansori. At this point, the film deviates from a typical American culture of open approach to and assimilation of foreign cultures to one of self-preservation.

The characters look for an excellent environment where they can relocate their closest kin, their history, and their original pansori or masculinity. These are typical cases of a community that is keen on engaging in the quest for cultural preservation at any cost. Bowyer points out that the film features a relentless Korean population that seeks to widen the opportunities for not only playing p'ansori, but retaining its original form and value (151). In light of the inevitable cultural influences that would follow, p'ansori essentially embodies a socially appealing struggle to preserve the vital "Koreanness" in an environment where modernity threatened to erode the basic values that define the culture.

Yu-bong and his pansori team’s journey in a quest to retain the Korean culture outside of their native homes or Korean cities were basically driven by feelings of Han. Han is a Korean cultural feeling that one harbors when he or she cannot or is prohibited from showing feelings of discrimination, alienation, or abuse because one is a victim of power imbalance. Yu-bong’s team manage to slip away from their native homes, and carefully choses the traditional cultural environment in the countryside to correct the cultural imbalance caused by the influx of Japanese and American norms.

Quest for women’s voice Apart from struggling to reclaim the Korean culture which is at threat of Western civilization, Bowyer (151) points out that Im clearly defines the role of women in the modern Korean society and clearly adds to the quest for the dignity of the gender following many centuries of female abuse in the hands of South Korean men. Through the symbolic use of Song-hwa character, “Seopyeonje” has for the past two decades attracted tens of millions of viewers in the country and beyond (Bowyer 151).

The current impressive achievement of women in the country’s leadership can partly be attributed to the soft, effective language that Im uses in the film to appeal to all segments of the society to support women causes. Conclusion Generally,