Day 1-3 Background&Frame
Background
1.Ewha Womans University is a private women's university in Seoul, South Korea founded in 1886 by the American Methodist Episcopal Church. It is the world's largest female educational institute and has been one of the most prestigious universities in the country since its founding in 1886.
2.The won (Korean: 원 symbol: ₩; code: KRW) or the Korean Republic Won is the currency of South Korea. A single won is divided into 100 jeon, the monetary subunit. The jeon is no longer used for everyday transactions, and appears only in foreign exchange rates.
3.The Pew Research Center is a nonpartisan American "fact tank", which is based in Washington, D.C. It provides information on social issues, public opinion, and demographic trends shaping the United States and the world.
4.Moon Jae-in (Hangul: 문재인; Hanja: 文在寅; born 24 January 1953) is the current President of South Korea. Moon was elected after the impeachment of his predecessor, Park Geun-hye in the 2017 South Korean presidential election.
5. Ms Chung Yoo Ra wrote on Facebook in 2014, angering many social media users.
Frame
P1: A Korean girl's remark on the social media triggered a heated discussion on the fairness of education.
(Jason's interpretation: By quoting a Korean girl’s online opinion, the author reveals the topic of the passage: education.)
P2: In South Korea, rich families began spending heavily on coaching to improve their children’s chances, leaving poorer families behind.
(Jason's interpretation: The author may retrospect the once-glorious education system in South Korea serving as a foil to reflect the embarrassing status quo.)
P3: Many South Koreans believe that the rich and influential do not just spend more on education, they also manipulate the system.
(Jason's interpretation: Apparently, we can deduce that many of the rich are not only investing heavily on education, but also pulling the strings of education system in the dark.)
P4: The unfairness is all the more galling because of the fierce competition for jobs.
(Jason's interpretation: The author explicitly points out the source of the deteriorating education inequality originates from the fierce competition in the job market.)
P5: Frustrated young people are starting to speak out.
P6: The Moon Jae-in's administration has issued legislation and amendment in various aspect to address the eduction problem.
(Jason's interpretation: Students as well as government have realized the ponderance of the issue. They are all taking actions now.)
Day 4-6 Words&Phrases
1.disenchantment:freeing from false belief or illusions
disenchant:no longer believing in the value of something, especially having learned of the problems with it
e.g. Many voters have become disenchanted with the government.许多选民对政府已不抱幻想。
2.Her mother, it turns out, had gone to great lengths to secure a spot for her, inducing Ehwa Women’s University to alter its admissions policy in a manner tailor-made for Ms Jung.
go to great length:to try very hard to achieve something
e.g. 1)Some people go to great lengths to make their homes attractive.
2)He'll go to any lengths to get what he wants.
tailor-made:specially made for a particular purpose
be tailor-made for sth:It sounds as though you're tailor-made for the job.
3.prop up
to give support to something, especially a country or organization, so that it can continue to exist in a difficult situation
e.g. How long is the government likely to survive without the US military force there to prop it up?
4.spawn
if one thing spawns something else, it creates it
e.g.The book was a fantastic success, spawning a hit TV series.
5.attest
To attest is to prove or declare to be true.
e.g. The fact that you aced the SAT attests to the strength of your vocabulary.
6.clique
small group of people who spend their time together and do not welcome other people into that group
e.g. There's a clique at work that never talks to anyone else.
7.galling
making you feel annoyed or angry, especially because something is not fair
e.g. It was very galling to have a younger brother who did everything better than me.
8.take a stand
to publicly express an opinion
e.g. Many politicians fail to take a stand on equal rights for women.
9.spurn
to refuse to accept something, do something, or deal with something
e.g. She spurned my offers of help.
10. the rat race
a way of life in modern society, in which people compete with each other for power and money
e.g. He decided to get out of the rat race, and went to work on a farm.
Summary
A Korean girl's online remark angered many social media users and uncovered the brutal and ruthless reality of South Korea's society. Education, which used to be a source of social mobility, now turns into a puppet manipulated by the rich. Moreover, many South Koreans are losing faith in the fairness of education as they are struggling to get employed in the job market. Frustrated young genenrations start to take a stand and question the social values. Meanwhile, the new administration also enacted legislation and amendment on the education system. However, the problem won't be solved overnight and there's still a long way to go for the South Koreans.