After Japan took over Korea, despite how the whole Korean nation regarded one
another as a family, the populace was polarized into two large categories:
Koreans who asserted their freedom from Japan, and Koreans who proclaimed that
Korean heritage be renounced and to serve Japan, in order to overtake the
other powerful countries. Even nowadays, the later group was severely condemned, because
family heritage is particularly valuable. The rationale behind this is that heritage is
equivalent to one��s identity, and moreover, from heritage, one can define and
create the future.
A person��s heritage is identical to his or her identity, and preserving and
praising their heritage stimulates one to be proud and confident. As people
regard their heritage as a part of themselves, people find the significance of
themselves by revealing the value of their heritage through cultural institutions,
such as literature and music. The ��black pride�� movement described in Everyday Use
is one superlative example. The movement grew out of the civil rights campaigns,
which called upon African Americans to recognize and commemorate their African roots,
and to affirm their cultural identity (Walker 504-512). In consequence, renewed attention
to the value, importance and influence of black history, literature, art, and fashion had
been the result.
Conserving one��s family legacy prompts a person to learn from the past, and
to enhance and transform the old values to a suitable modern form. Even though
the superficial facade might appear quite different based on the period, some traits
of a person might originate from their precedents in history. To illustrate, the character
from A Celebration of Grandfathers became a writer instead of a farmer (Anaya 459, 54-69).
However, both a writer and a farmer are essentially similar in the aspect of
how they must plot something, and nurture it. Anaya transmitted his family heritage
through developing the job of farmer into a more sophisticated form i.e.
a writer, who plows and plants his words just as carefully as a farmer his crops,
and nurture his thoughts into writings.
In conclusion, family heritage is preciously preserved and transmitted to
consecutive generations, because it is the main root of one��s identity, and
also through introspection on one��s heritage, one can discover their future.
All in all, if it had not been for Korean heritage that rigidly remained in our spirit,
we would not be emancipated from Japan.