Asia Education Foundation

Love me, love me not

Investigations and activities (English Focus)

  1. Look closely at the picture of the wedding in Love me, love me not. Choose three or four participants. What thoughts are running through their heads as they watch the ceremony? Write thought bubbles for each character.
  2. This image comes from an article in the Spring 2003 edition of Koreana titled Korean Traditional Weddings. What do the three subheadings that the writer has used tell us about marriage traditions in Korea?
  3. a) Another article in this edition of Koreana is called Modern Korean Views on Marriage. What picture is present about marriage in contemporary Korean society by the article’s subheadings: ‘New Ideas on Marriage’, ‘The Changing Meaning of Love’, ‘Rising Divorce Rates’ and ‘Caught Between Custom and Reality’?

b) Check your predictions by downloading the article and browsing each  section.

c) Compare trends in contemporary Korean society with your understanding of Australian society.

d) Create a digital presentation from your findings. Have an audience of Korean students in mind for this presentation.

  1. a) Traditional Korean marriages were based on the saju which determined the compatibility of bride and groom as well as the desirability of uniting two specific families. In contemporary Australia, people often advertise for partners in newspapers or on the internet. What sort of qualities do people seek?

b) Read the article Traditional Korean marriage meets match on the internet in the New York Times and discuss the similarities and differences in approach between Korean and Western societies. Has the internet taken the place of the traditional matchmaker?

c) In traditional Korean society, marriage was more than a meeting of two people: it was a meeting of two families. To many modern Koreans, on the other hand, marriage is a union of two individuals founded on love. It remains to be seen whether a point of compromise can be found between these conflicting values. Write a story, set in Korea, which explores some of the tensions between traditional and contemporary attitudes to marriage. Use some of the articles in the Spring 2003 edition of Koreana as research materials for your writing.