항해 홍길주의 글에서 언어 ・ 문자의 문제

Abstract

How can we formulate our lives and the world we live in when we want to express and define its viewpoint? This article will try to explore this question by examining and analyzing the way Hong expressed and defined it by using written and verbal language. The way Hong describes it, is that making use of language to express the world surrounding us isn't that simple or easy as it may seem. His thoughts are that language and the letters we use to form that language is not as merely as a simple method to express the objects we perceive. Moreover, it is an important medium to reflect and contemplate on the real aspects of the world, its objects and our lives. This article tries to examine how Honggiljoo(洪吉周), who questions and is doubtful on how to approach the world and its objects, uses the essence of his perception through the self-reflecting approach and reflective thinking concerning language and its letters. It also tries to connect his perspective and thoughts regarding the world and its objects. Are the world and the objects surrounding us not fixed but changeable? It can be argued that language as such makes the objects fixed but if that is the case the objects might be distanced from its essence for the character of the language is vague. The changeable character of the language and its vagueness are connected because language itself is a changeable object, like all other objects. All objects in the world don't have a fixed entity which is similar to TAO for TAO does not have its own entity. The process of searching the other objects (i.e. language and letters) to capture the objects is similar to the process of searching the TAO. This is connected with Hong's effort but also agony for both presentation and representation of the world as a writer. Hong compares a book with a mirror due to the fact a mirror will directly give a reflection of the object when it is being read. And each time one reads a book, even if it is the same book over and over again, the book and its content and the way we perceive the letters and words will change. Thus the ever changing image which is reflected by the book to its viewer is similar to a mirror. How we express the world and the objects surrounding us by making use of language and letters, when writing and reading books will essentially lead into TAO explaining TAO. The TAO mirroring itself is the essence of all repetition and the changes we perceive will alter the awareness of our state of being.