Message from kates

[Anonymous]

Ode to my Father starts with the Chinese entering Hungnam. The Koreans are forced to climb aboard an American ship called the "Victory" but there is not room for everyone. In the process Maksoon falls off her brother's back and the father goes back to find her. Before he leaves, the father says to Duk-soo, the son, "If I don't come back, you're the head of the family." The ship withdrew from the Hungnan port with 14,000 refugees. The American's status as powerful and in charge was evident here. The northern Korean's stereotype by the world was evident when students think Duk-soo is a "commie" because he's from the north. In the autumn of 1963 conditions are so bad Duk-soo takes a position in a mine in Germany. The Germans are portrayed as heartless and exploitative of the Korean labor. The pop culture of America is seen as widespread in a comical scene where Korean miners are dancing to "The Twist." In 1966 the first group of miners returns. Soon we find out that Saigon has fallen to the Viet Cong. Finally in the summer of 1983 we are introduced to a program where families are reunited who have been separated during the Korean War. Due to a mole behind her left ear, Maksoon verifies who she is and she and Dok-soo are reunited. After Moksoon is reunited with her mother, her mother dies one year after meeting Maksoon. The ending is bittersweet. The viewer is left wanting to hold his or her own family close. In addition, the viewer will learn a lot about Korea's role in world events and more importantly these events through the Korean's point of view.