Category Archives: Narrative

Yeoubi

Age: 20


Date of performance: 2/12/25


Nationality: Korean


Occupation: Student


Primary Language: Korean & English


Residence: United States

Metaphor:

Yeoubi

This word is a Korean folklore metaphor for “Sun Shower” or “Foxes Rain.” Sun shower refers to when it rains and the sun is out while Foxes Rain refers to the folktale surrounding the phrase.

Context:

The interviewee states that this originates from a folktale about a fox’s unrequited love. This story is about a cloud that fell in love with a fox during the fox’s marriage. As a whole the word “Yeoubi” refers to a story about bittersweet love. She originally heard this story from her mom as a child.

Analysis:

My interpretation of the story and its origin follows through with its bittersweet nature. I found it endearing to piece together how the rain is meant to reflect the cloud’s tears as it comes to terms with being unable to stand alongside the fox whom he fell in love with, watching them make a big lifetime commitment to one another. The meaning of Sun Shower helps to exemplify this matter, as it is such a wonderful day for the fox as it gets married, but behind the scenes, it’s a sad day for the cloud, where it watches the love of its life marry someone else.

Japanese ghost tradition

Age: 20
Language: english

My roommate told me of the legend of a ghost named Hanako San. There are a lot of different versions of her, but the one he remembers is of a girl who killed herself in a school bathroom because of bullying, who haunts every school bathroom in Tokyo. Many elementary school children will go into a school bathroom on the third floor, turn off the lights, and knock on the third stall door three times. This is supposed to summon Hanako San. If you hear her respond to the knock, it’s in your best interest to leave. He likened this to the tradition of Bloody Mary in the states. He learned this from other classmates. This ghost could’ve been based on a real girl, or it could have been used to try to prevent kids from bullying others. It’s also a bit of a game, similar to bloody mary. This practice adds some entertainment to a normally dull day in grade school.

Japanese Kappa

Age: 20
Language: English

My roommate told of the Kappa, who are turtle monsters that live in japan. According to some, these monsters only live by rivers. His mom would tell him that if he played outside after dark, the Kappa would come to get him. His parents and grandparents would tell him this to keep him from wandering out of the house at night. He says that is a tradition for parents to tell kids this, and that Kappa are so widely believed in by children that there are Kappa statues next to some of the rivers. The tradition of telling this story probably came from concerned parents, and used the kappa as a way to scare their kids into not doing certain things, like playing in the river or going outside at night. The actual turtle monster aspect probably came from the numerous species of turtles that are native to Japan.

“If you do something, do it right the first time”

Nationality: American
Occupation: Student
Performance Date: February 25, 2025

MAIN DESCRIPTION: 

JPL: “ Back in middle school, I remember one time, I was just doing my usual chores for my mom. She always had me help around the house and one day she asked me to clean the kitchen. I wasn’t really into it honestly and I started rushing through it, just trying to get it done and over with to go back to playing video games. But then my mom came in, looked around and said, ‘If you’re going to do something, do it right the first time.’

INFORMANT’S OPINION:

JL: What do you think this phrase means?

JPL: “At first, I didn’t get it. I thought she was just being picky. But as she explained, she said that doing things halfway just meant more work in the end. I remember thinking about it after and realizing the truth behind it. If I had just taken my time and cleaned the kitchen properly the first time, it would’ve been easier than having to redo it all. It wasn’t just about chores, though, it connected with a lot of things in life. If you’re going to put in the effort, you might as well make sure it counts. I’ve carried that lesson with me ever since. Do it right from the start, because it’ll save you time and effort down the road.”

PERSONAL INTERPRETATION:

I understood what this phrase meant personally as I had also come across it growing up. My mom also told me this as I used to cut corners in my chores and other miscellaneous tasks. She told me that when I don’t put in the effort from the beginning, I end up wasting more time in the long run. I realized that when you get something right the first time it not only keeps you from having to do it again but it also makes you feel proud and accomplished. It helped me understand that working hard isn’t about being perfect and making sure everything is done quickly so you can go back to whatever you were originally doing.  It’s really about being purposeful and careful. This phrase stayed in my mind not only about chores and tasks but also about future friendships, choices, and my own personal development. If you decide to put your time, energy, or feelings into something, give it your all.

“Hard work pays off”

Nationality: American
Language: English

MAIN DESCRIPTION 1:

CL: “My dad was a huge role model to me growing up.He instilled a lot of quotes along the way that really stuck with me. One of the quotes was, ‘Hard work pays off.’ He felt strongly that you might have good luck at certain stages along the way, but your true success comes from working hard, setting goals for yourself and pushing yourself to do the best you can.  My dad always worked very hard in his job and his personal passions, and he instilled the same in us. We could decide what passions we wanted to pursue, but once we committed, then there was no quitting. For example, it was up to me if I wanted to play tennis a particular year or be on the debate team, but once I committed I was committed. There was no quitting at that point.  He never pushed us too hard, but he felt it was important for us to try our best and not look back and wish we had tried harder.”

INFORMANT’S OPINION 1:

JL: What do you think this phrase means?

CL: “He thought kids should be curious and go out of their way to entertain themselves, read, explore, etc., in their free time. To sit back and wait for others to entertain you and have a plan and decide that you are bored is only a sign of a boring person and nobody wants to be boring!”

PERSONAL INTERPRETATION 1:

I grew up with the same values and ideals and now I see how much they shaped how I approach challenges. As a child I sometimes felt discouraged by tough challenges but these sayings always reminded me that my hard work would eventually be worth it. I discovered that hard work is not only about the results you see right away. “It’s about what you create as you go on your journey.” These sayings still help me today and I understand them better as I get older. I work hard stay curious and don’t expect things to be easy. The amount of effort you put into your life will decide how successful you become in the end.