미주 한인시의 디아스포라와 공동체 의식

Abstract

This paper analyzes into the diaspora spirit of Korean poetry composed in the Unites States of America. The characteristic of this paper is that it evaluates the diaspora of Korean poetry written in the U.S. on two levels of community spirit. First, it is a community spirit based upon the desire to be “unlike” what is seen and experienced in the U.S. This is aiming for a community of nationality and shows particularities of community of remembrance. In detail, such spirit is illustrated in forms of nostalgia, ethnicity, cultural conflict, and anti-American consciousness. Some exemplary works are 「southern American Communication」 by Bae, Jung Eung and 「A Broken Reed」 by Ko, Won. Second, it is a community spirit based upon desire to be “identical” to those witnessed in the U.S. This is aiming for a national community, showing particulars of community of experience. This is often seen in awareness of border rider, emotional assimilation, praise of nature, and middle stage of topophilia. Major works are 「Two Seas」 by Jeon, Dal Moon, 「America」 by Choi, Yeon Hong, 「The Reason for Living at Orange County」 by Oh, Moon Gang, and 「Epic of Alaska 2」 by Ma, Jong Gi. Korean poetry written in the U.S. is significant that it embraced joys and sorrows of the immigrants and expanded the scope of Korean poetry. Thus, it is necessary to study further into the artistic side of the poets that lived in the U.S., try to expand the base of these poetry, and put efforts to discover new talents.