I don't know how coherent this is going to be. I just have some thoughts and I'm putting them out there, sorry if it doesn't make any sense.

As much as Dictee has been a challenge for me to read because of the unorthodox format of the text, I have actually enjoyed reading Dictee much more than I thought I would have after picking it up last week. I guess I little bit has to do with the ideas addressed in this book. I am taking a class called Politics, Economics, and Culture of Korea, and we have discussed the importance of history and how that effects identity formation. So in a way, this book, along with my other class, and the Still Present Pasts exhibit I went to all culminate on this idea of the formation of identity among Koreans/Korean Americans through the effects of major events that occured in the past, but still leave their legacies.

As others have expressed in their posts about the format of the book, I also had a hard time really understanding (and still don't know completely) why Cha used this format to write her book. I think because of the way the book is written, with the incorporation of French, the splitting of text, the mixture of mediums (art, poetry, prose), etc. all says something about the end message(s) Cha is trying to convey to the reader. I agree that with all of this information that is given to us as the reader, we can not overlook the question of what these different conventions of writing mean for the overall book, and Cha's point. With that said, I have grown to appreciate writing that does not necessary or does not fit into the mold of this canonical text that has everything in it that it needs to be a noteworthy book. Dogeaters as well as Dictee have broadened my literature world and shown me that there are great things beside a plot, character development, opening and closing, etc.

Back to the notion of identity formation evident throughout this book. I have been learning about Korean history, the history touched on in the different chapters of Dictee, in my other class. I guess this has provided me with a contextual background to understand some of the history of Korea. I want to argue that Cha is addressing the bigger issue of identity formation through the experience of Japanese colonization, the Korean War, the nationalism, the March 1st Movement, etc. and how the history of Korea and the Korean people affects the development and understanding of the generational differences among Koreans and Korean Americans.

I never thought about history and the effects of history, especially when unspoken about, like in this case with Japanese colonialism, the Korean War, etc., had that large of an effect on the formation of identity for someone. Cha takes a period of time in Korean history that is so tragic and unspoken about and puts those issues into a book, whose title is even about dictation and speaking out. There is a large emphasis on finding a voice among all of the structures that can silence a person. There is a link between finding a voice that is yours and developing that voice to be strong and conveying your identity and aspects of your identity to others. Through the power of voice, identity is formed as well as developed and continually changed and reinvented.

I feel like I am talking/writing in circles and I don't really know if this makes sense. But ultimately, I think that Cha's work says a lot more about identity formation, especially among the Korean and Korean American community, and the huge role that history plays in that identity formation. The historical events that occured in Korea (the colonization, division, war, etc.) do not only affect the generation who actually/physically lived through the tragey but also those generations afterwards who live withthe consequences and results of the tragic moments in their parents lives. What is so naturally categorized as cultural is, when looked at closer, actually a result of these tragic periods in Korean history. Cha brings to light these issues and reminds the reader that these moments can and should never be forgotten or overlooked.