Reading Choi Seung-ja’s Poetry as University Liberal Arts Education: Focusing on the Case of University’s 〈Reading poetry〉

Abstract

This paper studies the case of teaching Korean poetry texts when conducting masterful reading and reading classes in university liberal arts education. It would be near impossible to present an ideal and complete list when creating a reading list for such a course. However, in this paper, it is suggested that Choi Seung-ja's poetry should be placed on any list that deals with those times in life when life itself is neglected, as well as used in liberal arts education classes at universities. In our current age, which is seeing an increase in depression among young people, this paper argues that the theme of death as seen in Choi Seung-ja's poem can actually give hope to its readers, and instill in them a level of resistance to death that will manifest as a will to life.</br>In Choi Seung-ja's poem, death is a tragedy given to us humans, but it tells us how to deal with this tragedy so that we can overcome death. The attitude of the poetic persona is repeated and circulated and strengthened, and readers can adopt the courage needed to stand up to death by reading about the attitude of the poetic persona. In this paper, the significance of character education and poetry reading by learners living in an environment of death after COVID-19, can be confirmed in Choi Seung-ja's poetry learning. Learners find a way to overcome death in a finite life where death is a certainty. This process was confirmed in the ‘Writing Poetry Review’, which was written during the process of learning Choi Seung-ja's poetry. Thus, this paper revealed that Choi Seung-ja's poetry can function as a very efficient text in poetry education.