War and Exile

One of the prevalent themes in "Dictee" is that of the consequences of war, especially exile. The Opening contains a reference to the French Revolution of 1789. Clio provides the history of Japan occupying Korea. The Japanese officials enforce many inexplicable laws. The heroine of this section, Yu Guan Soon, is the daughter of patriot parents. When Japan overthrows the Korean government by killing Queen Min and the royal family, Soon forms a student revolutionary group, but she is disregarded by the national movement because she is female. After demonstrating her dedication, she is appointed as messenger and organizes the largest collective outcry against the Japanese occupation on March 1, 1919. Soon sees four engagements fought, but only one is a Korean victory. In a bad fight eight miles outside of Su-won on September 12, 1907, many volunteers are cruelly killed by the Japanese. Other nations cannot understand this oppression are...