The Sight

By Sunny

Based on a true story

Family TreeBefore starting on the narrative, we created a family tree. This helped us see who we were going to interview, and how they were related.

Author’s Note!! June 25, 1950. It was just a typical day for the South Koreans as they rose up from their sleep. They flicked on the radio, as the voice of the President came flowing out. “The North is invading, but we have everything under control,” he spoke. He lied. The next day, he left the country for his own safety. Blew up the one and only bridge connecting Korea. Hadn’t even cared about the rest of the people back in his own country. The enemies spread all throughout South Korea in no time. They had overtaken the land of Seoul. ! The citizens of South Korea knew they had to do something. So they grabbed their weapons, and fought back. It was not long till America and China found out about this war. America was on our side, and China was on the North’s.! On the day of 1953, July 27, they signed a contract that marked a pause between the war. No one knows when the war can continue again.

! This is a story based on my grandfather’s life back in 1953, when he was just around 18 years old. He worked as a student fighter, looking out for invaders and warning his side when they came. I chose to write about this because it was very interesting, and yes, I had very much fun writing this narrative.

The Sight

! My dusty hands met the cold, dirt surface of the ground as I slowly sat

down for a quick rest. Breathing heavily, I felt my hands stroke through the dry

grass, feeling the cool, fresh morning dew gently press onto my rough fingers. I

stared out at the lifeless scenery for a long time, watching the beautiful, glowing

sun slowly rise, despite the grey, polluted sky. Life was like a sorrow grey

painting, painted only with dull, drab colors. Watching out for enemies, I reached

for my cup of water.

! “When do you think this war will end?” I asked, gazing out into the sky.

“I don’t know” my friend slumped onto the floor next to me.

! Dead bodies lay still everywhere on the misty, dirt ground. It was a

terrifying scene, for me as an 18-year-old, still a non-graduate. I hadn’t wanted to

join this war in the first place. It was spooky, to watch people cross the border as

they pulled out their guns and shot at us.

! Flashbacks entered my mind as I remembered my mom softly whispering

into my ear, “Good luck.” That had been a whole year ago, back in 1952.

! I watched as black birds flew past. Everywhere I looked, I saw only

devastation. There was blood everywhere on the ground. Stroking my hand in my

messy hair, I felt another chill up my spine. It wasn’t long till I spotted a tiny

structure climbing up the mountain far away. They had come to continue the war.

! “Get your guns ready,” I howled, “I can see them coming in about half a

mile away!” Watching the fighters get into action, I slid into a small pit in the

ground reaching for my hat, and pulled the grass over so nobody could spot me.

Sticking out my trembling hands to get my gun, I noticed how I could literally hear

my heartbeat, as it pounded as fast as a hummingbird’s.

! I just couldn’t wait to go home.

Research NotesKorean War started 1950, June 25War ended 1953, July 27

It is estimated that almost 10 million people died during the war.President had fled the country without saving his people.Students (mostly high schoolers) were forced to fight.

The war is currently only on a break, which means it could start any second now and then.

Chinese are on North Korean’s sideAmericans are on South Korean’s side

Slept up in mountains where enemies would not be able to find.Begged for food from other houses nearby.

Reflection:I learned many things while working on this project. I got to know my grandfather more, by interviewing him on the war. It was amazing how a relative so close to me has experienced such a big, scary event, and how the war had only occurred around 60 years ago.

I think doing a project like this is important because you can get to know your family more, as well as getting to know about the event. You can start to feel more connected to your family, too. Like I hadn’t known anything about the Korean War before I started on this project. But now, I have the urge to learn more, and I also feel awesome to be alive on this planet after such a terrible war.

Out of everything we did during the project, my favorite part was interviewing my grandparents and researching more on the war. I was fascinated on how a relative so close to me would’ve ever experienced through such war. I really enjoyed getting to spend the time talking and asking questions to my grandfather.

The challenge I faced during this project was putting the narrative altogether. It was already hard enough to picture my grandfather up on a mountain with a gun looking out for invaders, and yet I had to write like I was the one experiencing the war. But overall in the end, I got it all organized, and wrote a pretty good narrative.

BibliographyArmstrong, Charles K. "Korean War." World Book Student. World Book,

2012. Web. 8 Nov. 2012.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Korean_War

http://terms.naver.com/entry.nhn?docId=1133118&categoryId=200000329