30 Days Synthesis Essay

We have seen several problems in society: disparity between rich and poor and disparity in understanding others. However, we have focused much more on problems, not on solutions. Since the solutions are not complete in our society, we are facing several problems. In the synthesis essay, I will focus on finding several solutions which are plausible.

Rich to support the Poor

This is the movie trailer "The Blind Side". The movie perfectly shows how rich should support the poor. Supporting the poor is not a burden. It is a small duty for the rich to support the ones who are not able to support their daily life.

One economist Jang Ha-jun proposed a way not to kick out the ladder: through his book kicking out the ladder, the economist proposed the responsibility of the rich to support the poor. Therefore, we can find one plausible solution from relationship between the rich and the poor.

Understanding others

Maybe the teacher and the student was not able to understand each other. However, this video shows a solution how to understand others: to view the past. Many people do not find situations or opportunities to look back at their actions. Through this filmed video the people will have much more possibility in understanding other's opinions and cases

An Ode to KMLA Orchestra

Dear KMLA Orchestra

Hear I came to confess, not to make you happy or disappointed. Here I came to tell you what I had felt. Here I came to spread a memory – the two years I have walked with you. I had always wondered what the verse “Twinkle Twinkle Little Star, How I Wonder What You Are” means to my life. It was not a piano – I could reach it within my fingers. It was not KMLA – I am now enjoying my life as KMLA student. It was you. You have been a star beyond my reach, but within my heart, on the night sky. Two years ago, I had a dream. I had a dream that I would become the only pianist to see you clearly shining in the dark creamy sky. Other students also had the same dream: to see you and to reach you. But, you gave a harsh and bitter ray to us. You had believed that there should be only one pianist to observe you. So, you were merciless and cruel to save only one person and to blind the rest. Luckily I was selected as the survived. However, I was hurt, heart-breaking, and disappointed by your cruelty and agonies of the blinded.

Still clutching the disappointment, I went on to observe you. I met the other survivors who had different talents. Most of them played violins or cellos. Some played flute or viola: but, there were no clarinets who survived. Luckily, there were seniors and sophomores who had experienced the shattering rays beforehand. For the first few months, you were brightly shining. The head observer, a 13^th waver, gave us several telescopes different in length and accuracy. Sometimes I observed you dancing the waltz when I saw you from the telescope “Shostakovich Waltz no.2”. I often saw you reading a book silently in a peculiar but magnificent castle whenever I observed you through “Howl’s Moving Castle”. Through the telescope “Requiem”, I observed you grieving, crying on the milky surface of the Milky Way. However, you vanished when I tried to observe you from “Mozart Symphony no.40 1^st movement.” Later it turned out that no observer, even the 13^th waver, knew how to use the telescope. Though I could not reach you, I always remember how you were seen through the lens for the first few months.

2010 Minjok Festival Picture

Oh, KMLA Orhcestra! Please forgive me that I had nearly forgotten you. I cannot deny that I once abandoned the telescopes. As the head observer changed from the 13^th waver to a 14^th waver, we seldom observed you from the telescopes. Only few days before the Minjok festival had we made charts, statistics, and notes on your brightness and your shape. Consequently, our observations exhibited on the Minjok Festival in front of students and teachers showed serious flaws and miscalculations. You were shown as a dim, red star which was fading, fading so drastically second by second. You did not make even a trace of movement. What the audience saw was a sick, pale star glowing dimmer and dimmer until it vanished into the cold night sky. Even right after the Minjok Festival we packed our telescopes into the attic. At first I thought we would observe you again few months after. But sadly, we forgot the telescopes. November passed. December passed. Vacation passed. And new observers from 16^th wavers arrived, expecting to see the “bright star” through the telescopes. I thought at least the head observer will call us to observe you next year. Again, apart from my expectations, February passed. March passed. And April passed away. Without any word, you were forgotten from KMLA.

But, I never forgot to observe you again. I believed that you were still shining bright somewhere else on the night sky. After the haunting mid-term and AP examinations, I called several observers to observe you again. This time I prepared three new telescopes and two old telescopes: “Toy Symphony”, “Libertango”, “Nella Fantasia” were the new ones: “Shostakovich Waltz no.2”, “Howl’s Moving Castle” were the old ones. I was at first scared to observe you for the first time in seven months. I was scared whether you would infuriate upon us, exposing us to the intense ray you throw upon us, and blinding us forever. However, you were benevolent. You slightly showed yourself hidden under the darkness. You did not give us intense ray I received when I observed you for the first time. You gave us warmth and will. You gave us light and life on the dark surface of the earth. You gave us courage and confidence to us as you showed brighter and brighter day after another. As we turned on the telescopes day after day, you slowly rose from the darkness like the sun rising up from the ocean. You changed from a crescent to a semicircle and from a semicircle to a perfect circle. Your light, rather than becoming more intense, became warmer and brighter. You also moved, dancing waltz, shaking a little cute tambourine, or singing a song in the middle of darkness, spreading benevolence to the cold, strict, and merciless world.

2011 KMLA Music Festival

At last, we showed you, a dot of burning gold, in front of the audience – once at the Minjok Festival, and the other at the KMLA Music Festival. Every audience was surprised at your invigorating warmth penetrating into his heart. Yes, you were sometimes faded and distorted because of the intermittently malfunctioning telescopes. However, you were shining brighter than ever. The light you gave us was not a jet of red, a jet of yellow, or jet of blue. It was pure white. Your white light turned the dark silent hall with light and music, invigorating everyone’s heart and sympathy. You were the true gold in front of the audience. Now everyone knows that you are shining brightly on the night sky.

Here, again, I came to confess for the last time. I might have made you happy or disappointed. The thing is, I have bought new telescopes. Maybe these telescopes will not work, but we, as the observers, want to reach you closer and closer. You have captivated my eyes. You have captivated my heart. I and the other observers want to see you dancing and moving again. I want to feel your benevolence and warmth again and again. And I want to give a thread of light to the new observers, who will also be captivated by your benevolence. “Let there be light, and there was light.” You gave me the light, and I remember a thread of harmonizing light.

Your Observer

With Respect, Park Sun Woo

Planning - an Ode to RCT3

Rollercoaster Tycoon 3

I have played this game since 2004, and it is really entertaining!

The video below is a grand park made by one of the players of RCT3

A Little Nightmare Music

A grand performance started from Vienna. The series “Igudesman & Joo” spread across the world like a lark waking up the morning. The first performance was “A little Nightmare Music” held in Vienna, held subsequently in New York City, Los Angeles, Rotterdam, and Milano. Although the audience was small, the cheers were much louder and much vibrant than thousands of people watching a dull and mediocre performance.

1) Performers

8.5/10

The performers of the series “Igudesman & Joo” are very talented and excelling musicians worldwide. Joo Hyung Ki, the pianist, has been performing several contemporary and Neo-romanticism pieces. Grown up in United Kingdom under South Korean parents, the pianist performed as a talented pianist who could drive the audience with passion and emotions. His famous performances include “Saint-Saens The Carnival of the Animals” and “Alla Molto Turca” (The new version of Mozart’s Turkish March).

Aleksey Igudesman is a russian violinist, composer, and conductor. He was born in Leningrad, Russia. Studing at Yehudi Menuhin School in England, he set his career as both violinist and composer. Contemporary critics consider Igudesman as a pioneer of “Classical Music Comedy” – combining classical music with comedy. He is considered as a brave composer to experiment several aspects of music. Some of his compositions have humoristic but sarcastic elements about the society. His famous performances include “Violins of the World” and the “Cyber Conductor for two violins and symphony orchestra.”

2) Pieces

9.5/10

Among the several pieces performed during “A little Nightmare Music”, the 3 pieces “Piano Lesson”, “Rachmaninoff had Big Hands”, and “A Ticket to Ride” put every audience into an entertained feeling and a pondering pose. All 3 pieces focused on two aspects: a serious problem and a creative but ironic solution. The performer encounters with a problem during the performance. Then, the performers show a solution – a solution that is at once entertaining and ironic that the audience laugh, chuckle, and ponder during the performance.

"Piano Lesson" entertainingly portrays the education method of ordinary South Korean musicians. Although the teacher is talented in playing the piano, he is inept in teaching his students. Such lack of devotion in teaching lead to a “tragicomedy”: both the teacher and the student get tired of learning a new piece. The portrayal of the teacher and the students are balanced: the teacher, acting as an extremely arrogant and slightly mental person, and the student, acting as a very nervous and extremely scared child wearing eccentric clothes. The use of musical instruments as a method of education was also inspiring. The use of the bow of the violin to hit the student cast memories of being spanked by teacher among the audience who learned music in a harsh way. However, the performance was so short to be called as a piano lesson. Rather than portraying “a typical day” of the lesson, the performers would have gained much approval if they had performed several days in a row, like “day 1: learning a new song”, “day 2: still learning”, “day 3: tired of learning”. By showing the progress, Igudesman and Joo could have portrayed the misleading lesson much more dramatic and entertaining.

“Rachmaninoff had Big Hands” provides a solution for the pianists who have small hands. There are several incidents in which performers cannot play the notes accurately since the chords are so far apart that they cannot play at once, such as Liszt’s “Apres Lecture de Dante” or Brahms’ “Hungarian Dance no.5”. The solution Igudesman and Joo provides is remarkable: not so many performers would have thought about that solution. The portrayal of the piano performance is also entertaining: the helper who gives the “solution” to the pianist is again wearing eccentric clothes, while the pianist pay almost no attention to the helper who becomes almost breathless to sustain the pianist. I really enjoyed the first narration of the pianist: “Rachmaninoff, Big Hands”. “I am Korean (stated in Korean), Small Hands”. The narration sets the theme of the whole performance, providing both introduction and the conclusion of the performance. Several audiences, on the other hand, lost humor during the performance. Although the solution was a inspiration at first glance, it became another ordinary “solution” as the solution was repeated several times within a 1 minute piece. Maybe the performers should have used the solution less frequently to evoke the special characteristic of the solution.

“A Ticket to Ride” is a hilarious recreation of the Beatles “A Ticket to Ride” into a classical music. Joo performs as both the vocalist and the pianist. Though he makes several mistakes such as singing one note too long or singing voices too high or too low, he manages to sing the pop song with humor and sarcasm. The performance implicitly criticizes the performance of the vocalists who do not sing well. There are several musicians in modern society who performs exceedingly well and who performs extremely badly. The performance moderately mocks those who stood up in stage with great expectations from the audience but ends the performance with disappointment and frustration. The performance also makes adequate contrast between the performer and the narrator. Although the narrator makes several facial expressions showing dismay and shock toward the performance, the vocalist smiles, even shows enthusiasm even though he made devastating mistakes. However, the vocalist could have expressed other mistakes the vocalists make in daily life as well. The mistakes the performers made were limited to three mistakes: too high voices, too low voices, and too long notes. Maybe the performers could have tried several other “mistakes”, such as irregular breaths, wrong chords, wrong notes, and severe blackouts (in which the performer forgets what to sing).

3) Overall

9.0/10

The performance was one of the most hilarious and most thoughtful performances mankind has ever observed. Portraying both humor and sarcasm, Igudesman and Joo provided a new era: that Classical Music can be viewed from different perspectives: that Classical Music is open to everyone: and that Classical Music is humor.

In Class Writing

Only the Lights were shining on the stage. Only the dark was prevalent on the audience. With nervous but fascinating heart, I walked slowly up to the stage in front of the grand piano. From the dark heard a rail of cheering and claps. I sat in front of the piano. My hands, although warm as the bright sunlight, was rigid as a hardened wood.

There in the middle of the forest is a lake which the solitary temple floats on. A master and an apprentice live in the temple, enjoying the beauty of nature and the meaning of life. Then one day, the apprentice does a cruel trick: to tie a stone to a fish, a frog, and a snake. The Master knows everything.

Few months ago I had only seen the others performing the piano in front of a huge audience. However, I could not realize or understand the trembling heartbeat of the performer. Sometimes I was frustrated or disappointed at the mistaken performances. Too nervous to perform in front of the audience, the performers made several mistakes during the performance. Sometimes the whole magnificent piece turned into a nightmare, with the performer drowned in sweat and tears.

Although I encountered with several of those performers, I seldom practiced the piano. Because I was not that interested about my music, I did not have much passion to be indulged into my piece. Now it was my turn to turn the magnificent piece into a horrible mess. My hands were already beginning to stiffen even though I had not started to play the first note of the piece. I was trembling with fear and anxiety.

The Master knew all the things what was going on. The next day he tied a huge stone to the apprentice, demanding the apprentice to untie the stones of the fish, the frog, and the snake. What the apprentice found out was a dead fish, a suffocating frog, and a blood-stained dead snake. The apprentice only cried.

The music started without my intention. I just played the first note, and the other notes came along unconsciously. For the first time I discovered that the music of unconscious was not that pleasant than I had thought. My hands were playing the wrong notes more than hundreds of times. I just begged for the performance to end quickly so that I could rush out of the stage. However, the music did not end that quickly.

After five frightening minutes, the music finally ended. The audience, although disappointed with the disaster I created, gave a literal “formal” applause with no enthusiasm. As soon as I got out from the stage, I rushed to the bathroom and cried silently.

What would happen to the apprentice? What would happen to me? The two experiences the apprentice and I went through were shocking. Both of us were hit on the cold surface of reality. However, there were several people who already anticipated the outcome: in case of the apprentice, the master already knew what was coming: in case of me, my family and my teacher would have known that I would make a big mistake. However, the true value of the experience lies on the development of an individual, not on the harshness of the experience. Through the experience the apprentice learned the importance of life. Through the experience I learned the importance of courage and practice. Would the apprentice and I have learned the valuable lesson if we had not experienced a harsh reality first-hand? I will say no. Even though I encountered such mistakes in the viewpoint of the audience, or through second-hand experience, I could not understand or grasp what was important as a performer to understand. Similarly, the apprentice was constantly exposed to the life of the master. However, he was unable to recognize the importance of life. Therefore, first-hand experience can teach a person much more than exposed to second-hand experiences several times.

Then there arises another question: how intense should the first-hand experience be? Some of the viewers of the movie doubted about the effectiveness of the education method of the master. They claim that the procedure the apprentice experienced was too shocking or too overwhelming that the experience would last to the apprentice as a trauma. However, I think that the education method of the master was inevitable to make a change in the misbehavior of the apprentice. We always realize that it is hard to change the behavior of a person to a right way. Parents often punish their children for wrongdoings to guide their children to a better way. Maybe the apprentice would have done the misbehavior again and again had the master not taken strict measures to him. The master wanted to assure the apprentice not to repeat the same mistake again. Similar to the apprentice, I also went through a harsh experience full of embarrassment and anxiety. Although I subsequently heard from my parents and teacher to practice every day, I did not even go near to the piano. However, the harsh experience at the stage assured me to practice every day at least several minutes: currently I am able to play at least some of the pieces without major mistakes.

Life is the cycle of experiences. How can we realize the essence of life? Through the experience of the death of the fish and the snake, the apprentice realized the importance of life and the enormity of murder. Through the experience on the stage, I realized the importance of practice. Then, is this one experience the end for the apprentice and me? There are still several substantial experiences we have to endure and learn. The essence of life can be only obtained through subsequent experiences. Philosophers in 16th century mentioned about the importance of experience. Since mankind cannot directly pinpoint the essence of a subject, they should encounter several experiments and experiences to reach closer to the essence. Similar to the idea of the philosophers, the movie hint that the apprentice will experience several important events which will give him dramatic changes: such as the marriage with a woman, crime, and the role as the new master. Maybe the time will tell to the one who had experienced so many agonies, happiness in life, tediousness in mundane routine, and sadness at the end of his life. Maybe in middle age the apprentice will be able to acquire the teachings of Buddha. Maybe in adulthood I will be able to discover the characteristic of piano and classical music.

The little but big experience became, is becoming, and will become a cornerstone of discovery for both the apprentice and me.

Evaluation: The Mission

I am going to evaluate the movie: The Mission

I watched this movie in Mr.Ganse's class.

The music and the acting is very impressive, although there were several limitations.

A Polish Friend

Only the pounding rain was seen outside the window. While the thunderstorm lashed the exterior of the sunken city, a doctor wearing a white gown came in.

“You will be able to go home after few days. Please relax yourself.”

But I could not. The memory of the haunting event still chilled my nerves. Few days ago I encountered a horrifying and regretful situation. Although satisfied that I was able to get rid from participating in the merciless action, I could not forget my friend, who already does not exist here. Tears dropped from the eyes to the cheeks.

“Drag those filthy animals from the gas chambers and throw them into that large hole as quickly as possible.”

It was an unpleasant sight. Though the others beside me conducted the task with apathy, even with enthusiasm, I could not. The things we buried were animals, but not a “typical” one. One of them was my old friend who lived in Warsaw, Poland. I hoped, hoped for the second time, and hoped for the third time to see my friend after peace. Yes, I met him, but in a different condition: I was alive with malice and evilness, and he was dead with disappointment and sorrow. I could not allow the brainwashed workers to throw the body, as if it were a broken archaic machine. So, I snatched it from the hands of a tall but scarily skinny fellow, glanced at the horrified eyes, the lifeless hair, and the stiff hands, and placed gently into the hole of death.

I could not sleep one day after another. To find a trace of the already gone friend was nearly impossible. If I ran out of the army, I would be captured and shot mercilessly. If I disobeyed to the commander’s order, I would be suffocated in the bath of chlorine gas. With nervousness and regret, I stayed up all night, watching the stars, listening to both the snores of the other members and the shivering wind blowing with misery.

However, there was a chance which I could find a little trace of my friend. Our army went into the heart of Warsaw, collecting items which could be used to supply weapons or food resources. Pretending as if I was finding valuable resources for the army, I ran straight ahead to my friend’s house. There was a battered house of my friend. Only the stone floors were left. I walked onto the floor, paying homage to my friend who died painfully in the gas chamber. Then, something caught my eyes: an old book. The book was the diary of my friend. Although several pages were ripped off, I could feel the emotions and spirits of my old pal. I looked at the first page of the diary.

December 25^th, 1934

Merry Christmas, Christopher! Although the winter is harsh, the home is very warm. Although my parents are not in this world, they are looking at us from the photo. What is your dream, Christopher? My dream is to see my mother and father again. Have a good day.

Suddenly I felt a warm glance of tears flowing on my face. Trying not to cry, I turned over several pages. However, many of them were ripped apart – maybe from the explosion – so I was unable to read most of the diary my friend wrote. And then. There was one section which was not ripped apart. It was just before Poland was invaded. Suppressing the overwhelming tears from my heart, I read on the diary.

August 28th, 1939

Dear Christopher

Yesterday was very astonishing! I returned from the “picture world” to the “real world”. Although I miss my parents and my ability to see colors correctly, I had a memorable experience which will sustain my and your future.

I might have probably told you shortly that I cannot distinguish colors. Yes, I cannot. At first the fact came to me as a shock. One day, I placed one red celluloid sheet onto one blue celluloid sheet. The color resembled purple, by other’s standards. But I could not say whether the color was purple, green, blue, or even black. After the experience, I realized that I cannot distinguish several colors. Especially, I often misinterpret green and red as one color. Sometimes I often call sky-blue as light violet or extremely bright bronze. I realize every day the limitation I have compared to others.

So what I do is to memorize and hear carefully to other’s remarks on colors. However, such efforts were futile in front of the huge wave called “art class.” I paint the face of a person with light green, unable to distinguish the color with light brown. I paint the hair of a person with dark green, unable to distinguish the color with black. The world I paint is distorted. However, I do not feel disappointed about my limitation. Rather, I feel proud about my disability. Yes, many friends pity me for inability to distinguish colors. However, I pith them in reverse since they have not acquired the experience, a miracle, I had few days ago.

I woke up in a typical morning with bright sunshine. I felt nothing special but felt slightly tired; so, I stayed in bed after I woke up. In front of my bed is a photo of my family which was taken when I was young and my parents were alive. I could remember their faces only by the photo because they had passed away before I could even conceive them as my parents. That morning, faces of my parents looked slightly but clearly different from my memory of them. I went out of my bed and went closer to the framed picture. Inside the frame were clearer and livelier appearances of my family.

Was there a change in the photo? I rubbed my eyes hard to see the photo again. I could not realize at first. But then, when I looked closely at the photo, it tok me by surprise. Unbelievably, my mother and my father – that is, in the photo- semmed to be blinking – yes, blinking – at me. After a while, they even started twitching and moving a little bit.

They called me to come closer to them. As I approached to the picture, they dragged me into the picture, and with unimaginable magic, I was in the picture with my parents. I hugged my parents with joy, rejoicing that my dreams came true. However, that was not all. It was a completely new world in the picture, and I found myself that all colors I see are all distinguishable. The new world was opened in front of me, and whether or not it is false or real, I decided to stay in the photo. I went to a new school, and, like as usual, there was an art class.

But there was a great irony. When I go to bed in the picture world, I woke up again in the real world. So, the cycle of entering the artificial world in the morning and coming back while sleeping was repeated. One day, when I woke up in the real world as usual, a strange thought came into my mind. I have been absent from school in this world for three days and have not met any of my friends for such a considerably long time.. Why is no one seeing after me? Thus, I decided to take a day off; I decided to attend the school in the real world. So I dressed myself – though it was quite hard for me for I could not distinguish color again – and stepped out of the house, and.. WHAT A SURPRISE…

The world, the real world, was exactly the same as the artificial world. The only thing changed was the color I am perceiving and the existence of my parents. Feeling sense of strangeness and frustration, I went into the school building, expecting that every school teachers and students would greet me. However, they did not greet me. Rather, they showed the same attitude for me as if I have not absented from the school in my life. Also, there were several faces I had seen in the artificial world. Astonished but fearful, I asked one of my friends. “Jake, have I ever absented from the school these days?” “No, you did not. You have always sat there. Why?” “Oh, it is nothing.”

It was extremely strange. I remember that only the colors and the existence of my parents changed overall. Nothing changed except the fact that my parents deceased and the fact that I cannot see colors correctly. However, I learned a true and important viewpoint on looking the world. I now acquired an ability to view the world from two visions: one from contorted eyesight, the other from corrected eyesight. The others would stick themselves with the corrected eyesight. I, with contorted eyesight, would not stick myself with the corrected one, but would rather compare, contrast, and admit my disability and my potentials. The miracle also taught me how to look not only from eyesight, but from thoughts as well. The importance of multifaceted viewpoints has been, and will be so great. The human technology and the scientific revolution all spawned from multifaceted viewpoints, not from solely one viewpoint. Maybe in this world where politics intermingle so horribly and complex, the multifaceted viewpoints will give us the answer on how to solve the problems we face now.

I dropped down onto the floor, and cried silently. Under the name of euthanasia – a policy taken from Nazi Germany to eradicate people with disabilities under the principle of “Social Darwinism” – the talented individuals were perished in the concentration camps, in the gas chambers, and in execution sites. I was angry at myself since I participated at the war with enthusiasm, not knowing anything what my friend will suffer. I was angry at others, who acquiesced to the inhumane orders from the army. I was angry at Nazi Germany which demolished the life of an important but partially disabled individual and the life of a friend of the individual. I opened my eyes. I tore down the uniform I was wearing and threw it away. I looked around. A willow tree stood beside the stone floor. I walked toward the willow tree because the tree called me to come to there. I embraced the willow tree, trying to feel the traces of the old friend.

Suddenly, there was a shouting voice. “Hey, there is a polish down there.” The other members of the army misinterpreted me as a polish wandering around the street. Although astounded, I kept embracing the willow tree, trying not to forget the memories and experience I and my friend shared. But just before I was able to bring up the memories, there was a sound of a gun. A piercing pain struck my leg, and I toppled down in front of the willow tree.

“Is there anything wrong, Mr.?” The doctor called me once again.

“Oh, it is nothing.”

The doctor stared at me with worrisome glance, and walked out from the room.

Six years later the war ended. Nazi Germany surrendered, ending the age of the Third Reign. Thanks to the injury, I became crippled all my life, but I was able to escape from the horrifying war. My family, luckily, moved to the middle of Switzerland, one of few countries which was not occupied by Nazi Germany.

May 11^th. Although my hometown was in rubble, the radio announcer announced that the war ended and that Germany surrendered. As soon as I heard the news, I packed several things and headed toward Warsaw. It took several weeks to reach Warsaw; I was crippled severely, and there were still several threats from the armies of Soviet Union. However, I was able to reach Warsaw, the city of bombarded and pulverized. Hardly anything was seen. The situation was even worse than that I visited Warsaw for the first time. Most of the buildings collapsed. Even the stone floors did not exist. Only the rubbles and the bloodstains remained on the ground. I looked around the silent city. Then, I spotted a very familiar tree. It was the willow I was looking for. Even though crippled severely, I ran with all my might to reach the willow tree. And I hugged the tree. The scent of the tree evoked the memories I longed for.

Chain Writing

I placed one red celluloid sheet onto one blue celluloid sheet. The color resembled purple, by other’s standards. But I could not say whether the color was purple, green, blue, or even black. The thing is, I cannot distinguish several colors. I often misinterpret green and red as one color. I often call sky-blue as light violet or extremely bright bronze. I realize every day the limitation I have compared to others. So what I do is to memorize and hear carefully to other’s remarks on colors. However, such efforts were futile in front of the huge wave called “art class.” I paint the face of a person with light green, unable to distinguish the color with light brown. I paint the hair of a person with dark green, unable to distinguish the color with black. The world I paint is distorted. However, I do not feel disappointed about my limitation. Rather, I feel proud about my disability. Yes, many friends pity me for inability to distinguish colors. However, I pith them in reverse since they have not acquired the experience, a miracle, I had few days ago.

I woke up in a typical morning with bright sunshine. I felt nothing special but felt slightly tired; so, I stayed in bed after I woke up. In front of my bed is a photo of my family which was taken when I was young and my parents were alive. I could remember their faces only by the photo because they had passed away before I could even conceive them as my parents. That morning, faces of my parents looked slightly but clearly different from my memory of them. I went out of my bed and went closer to the framed picture. Inside the frame were clearer and livelier appearances of my family.

Was there a change in the photo? I rubbed my eyes hard to see the photo again. I could not realize at first. But then, when I looked closely at the photo, it tok me by surprise. Unbelievably, my mother and my father – that is, in the photo- semmed to be blinking – yes, blinking – at me. After a while, they even started twitching and moving a little bit.

They called me to come closer to them. As I approached to the picture, they dragged me into the picture, and with unimaginable magic, I was in the picture with my parents. It was a completely new world in the picture, and I found myself that all colors I see are all distinguishable. The new world was opened in front of me, and whether or not it is false or real, I decided to stay in the photo. I went to a new school, and, like as usual, there was an art class.

But there was a great irony. When I go to bed in the picture world, I woke up again in the real world. So, the cycle of entering the artificial world in the morning and coming back while sleeping was repeated. One day, when I woke up in the real world as usual, a strange thought came into my mind. I have been absent from school in this world for months and have not met any of my friends for such a long time.. Why is no one seeing after me? Thus, I decided to take a day off; I decided to attend the school in the real world. So I dressed myself – though it was quite hard for me for I could not distinguish color again – and stepped out of the house, and.. WHAT A SURPRISE…

The world, the real world, was exactly the same as the artificial world. The only thing changed was the color I am perceiving and the existence of my parents. Feeling sense of strangeness and frustration, I went into the school building, expecting that every school teachers and students would greet me. However, they did not greet me. Rather, they showed the same attitude for me as if I have not absented from the school in my life. Also, there were several faces I had seen in the artificial world. Astonished but fearful, I asked one of my friends. “Jake, have I ever absented from the school these days?” “No, you did not. You have always sat there. Why?” “Oh, it is nothing.”

It was extremely strange. I remember that only the colors changed overall. Nothing changed except the fact that my parents deceased and the fact that I cannot see colors correctly. However, I learned a true and important viewpoint on looking the world. I now acquired an ability to view the world from two visions: one from contorted eyesight, the other from corrected eyesight. The others would stick themselves with the corrected eyesight. I, with contorted eyesight, would not stick myself with the corrected one, but would rather compare, contrast, and admit my disability and my potentials. The miracle also taught me how to look not only from eyesight, but from thoughts as well. The importance of multifaceted viewpoints has been, and will be so great. The human technology and the scientific revolution all spawned from multifaceted viewpoints, not from solely one viewpoint. Maybe in this world where politics intermingle so horribly and complex, the multifaceted viewpoints will give us the answer on how to solve the problems we face now.

Extremely Uncomfortable: at once and later

Uncomfortable: This was the first word which came out of my thoughts after watching “Jesus Camp”, documentary film dealing about the evangelist church movements in religious camps and daily life. Maybe other viewers might feel the same “discomfort” after encountering with zealous actions toward Christianity. In fact, however, I encountered two discomforts throughout the documentary: the extreme tenets of the evangelist church, and the depiction of the documentary. Yes, the documentary was successful in depicting the occasions within evangelist communities. However, was it “truly successful”? While we laughed, mocked, and pitied at the children indoctrinated by the camp leader Becky Fischer, we were also “indoctrinated” by the intentions of Rachel Gardy, the producer of the film.

Before encountering the two discomforts within the documentary film, we should view on why the documentary was made. The producers did not know the situation of the evangelist church at first: they merely wanted to film the Jesus Camp with interest and enthusiasm. Rachel Gardy wanted to depict the atmosphere and reveal the facts of Jesus Camp hidden under the veil of religion as he did in “Boys of Baraka”, which depicts about the tragic and hopeless life of African-American high school students in Baltimore. After encountering the happenings in Jesus Camp, the producers were shocked and enraged by the happenings in the Jesus Camp, trying to depict the craziness within the evangelist church. The producers made further recordings not only in Jesus Camp, but also in evangelist Christians dwellings and in the radio station. The producers showed the opinions of evangelist Christians in daily life and in media, supporting their major opinion in the documentary. The juxtaposition of three recordings separately merged into one “highly-praised film”, Jesus Camp.

Was Becky Fischer truly a crazy person? Or was she portrayed as a crazy person? We might be able to find the answers for the two questions by considering the thoughts behind Becky Fischer and Rachel Gardy. Becky Fischer had the belief that young children, or the next generations, are the very important “people” to establish the role of true Christianity. As adults who have learned and believed in Christianity, evangelist church members should guide these children to a better way, making them as the true followers of god. Therefore, the procedures to achieve the goal are justified. Since Jesus Camp is one of the procedures to lead children, the camp is not only educational but also beneficial to the whole world.

While many viewers claim that Becky Fischer was an intolerant tyrant toward the children, the logical flow within the “tyrant” is quite solid: if the viewers know little bit of knowledge about Christian beliefs. Becky Fischer wanted to educate the young children because young children are considered as divine entities within the bible. Seeing the children running joyfully in the church, Jesus Christ mentioned that we adults should have childish and unadulterated emotions and feelings. Maybe Becky Fischer wanted the next generation to retain celebrated youth, leading others to revive the lost youth.

Yes, the purpose of the Jesus Camp is inspiring and thoughtful. What were inappropriate for the ordinary viewers in the United States were the several actions of Becky Fischer. Too zealous to enlighten the children, Becky Fischer used several techniques which are considered doubtful among other Christian churches. The act of pouring “sacred water” to children is practiced in several churches, but not as immediate as seen in Jesus Camp. (The leaders of the camp poured spring water without any rites or consecration.) Although there are classified books selected among churches, the criticism on “Harry Potter” or the “da Vinci Code” is rarely made in public. Many churches tend not to make connections with political issues, while the Jesus Camp commented on several political approaches on Democracy and President George W. Bush. Therefore, Becky Fischer can be commented as the enthusiastic Christian who used actions regarded in public as inappropriate and extreme.

(Several Scenes from Jesus Camp. The actions depicted in this film are considered inappropriate and too extreme among ordinary Christians.)

The film director, unfortunately, only pinpointed the inappropriate actions and procedures of the Jesus Camp. The film director, who initially went into Jesus Camp with enthusiasm, wanted to show the appalling sites within the camp. Showing clips from other places such as the interview scene with Becky Fischer at the radio station and an ordinary home-schooling environment of one family living in North Dakota, the director successfully portrays the unexpected and terrifying experiences of Jesus Camp. Since the American society tend to criticize extremely zealous activities, the documentary set up the meeting as an epitome of the activities, trying to arouse frustration and disbelief among the viewers.

The documentary should be praised for effectively portraying the apparently misleading situations within Jesus Camp. Several actions within the camp were indeed misleading and against the genuine tenets of Christianity: to rely solely on god, not to rely solely on people. The documentary succeeded in gaining public attention toward the unexpected religious meetings, forcing Becky Fischer to close down Jesus Camp indefinitely. The film also tries to gain objectivity about the depiction. The directors excluded the narrations or explanations within the film, giving a wide-open ground for viewers to think.

However, the wide-open ground was confined with transparent glass walls called “effects”. The overall background music within the film was dark and uncomfortable. Especially, the gloomy and ominous music flowed into the ears of the viewers whenever there was a communal meeting or religious meeting within the camp. Had the producers inserted invigorating music such as “Hallelujah” or “Messiah”, the praying scenes would have been portrayed as sacred and favorable. The light effects of the radio studio also conveyed mysterious but misleading characteristics of Becky Fischer: her face was hidden under dark while the radio host’s face was brightly lit. The remarks by Becky Fischer were followed within the dark shade, creating a feeling as if the guest was a convict or a criminal. On the other hand, the questions and criticisms from the show host were followed within the bright shade, implying as if the show host was effectively criticizing and commenting the true Christianity. The selective bias can weaken the objectivity of the documentary as well. Rachel Gardy actually filmed 300 hours on Jesus Camp and Radio Interview. The movie footage was only 85 minutes. What happened behind the 298 hours and 35 minutes? Viewers will never figure out the true character of Jesus Camp. The selection of 85 minutes was based on the intention of the director to show the Jesus Camp as unexpected and shocking as possible. There is a high possibility that the other 298 hours and 35 minutes are not actually shocking compared to the 85 minutes of horror-striking situations.

(Another scene from Jesus Camp. The background music is ominous, portraying the prayer meeting as a brain-washing incident)

Then there arises another question: Can the attitude of documentary be justified? What is right or wrong within the religious tenet? There is one principle we cannot deny: we rarely hear to God’s messages. All we can interpret as God’s messages are the bible, the ten testaments, and supernatural happenings. The way to serve God is different from people to people. Some people will express their true voices toward god by shouting or singing out loud. Others will express their attitudes through silence and prayers. There have been conflicts between different branches of churches. The Catholics and the Protestants were enemies to each other for several centuries. Many testaments or documents of each branch depicted the other branch as devil or heretic. However, in modern society both sides are thought as appropriate ways to serve God. Histories show that the justification of one branch within Christianity is determined through thoughts and trends. There is no objective standard for mankind to determine what is right or what is wrong within religion unless the God’s sayings forbid or criticize such actions. Did the documentary criticize the Jesus Camp based on the objectiveness of the bible or reliable sources? Or did the documentary criticize the Jesus Camp based on the “popular beliefs” toward Christianity within the United States? Can we question the value or the justification of Jesus Camps, which are happening all around the world? Or, should we admit the actions in the Jesus Camp as “another approach” toward Christianity?

Walking out of the Mr. Garrioch’s office after seeing the whole Jesus Camp, I felt at once horror and doubtful. Yes, I was truly shocked with the approaches and procedures taken within Jesus Camp. Becky Fischer was a misleading religious tyrant to my eyes. But soon I realized another misleading tyrant: the documentary. Using the voices from the general assumption about Christianity, Rachel Gardy mocked and criticized the Jesus Camp. It is as if a major misleading tyrant used the voices from the public to criticize the minor misleading tyrant. Maybe we ourselves would not be able to comment solely on the content of the documentary. Based on our experiences and thoughts, the documentary will have different values from individual to individual. Maybe it is not possible for this documentary to make universal comment or criticism because we do not precisely know what the right way to Christianity is. Both the documentary producers and the Jesus Camp leaders will have to reconsider the messages from God, not just telling to others that we are the “true messages of God, so you should follow us.” We cannot approve either side since both sides have logical flaws based on uncertain assumptions.

WE JUST ACKNOWLEDGE THAT THERE ARE SEVERAL DIFFERENT GROUPS WITHIN CHRISTIANTY.

Jesus Camp

Disappointment arouse with disgusting smell from a deep sewage pipe inside my heart. As a person who believes in god I have seen and experienced several Religious Camps in my life. However, I have never seen extreme Jesus Camps as depicted in this documentary. In Jesus camp, the children and the family members were misled by apparently zealous Christian leaders. Incorporating wrong means and wrong directions in teaching religious tenets, the leaders were proud of their accomplishments in Jesus Camp while several experts criticized harshly on the curriculum and the status quo of the Jesus Camp. Yes, those who participated in Jesus Camp claim that they “met” the true god in their hearts. However, the documentary implies that these did not meet true God, but met quasi-God in their hearts.

Who truly believes in God? This is the question mankind has always faced. As a Christian, I have gone to church for several years. Although I do not know that much about the teachings of God, I discovered evidence in my life: We cannot know the true purpose of God. The leaders of the Jesus Camp failed to perceive the evident fact. They believed that it was they who represent the name of God. They also rationalize the behavior they make in Jesus Camp, claiming that the world will end soon and that this generation is the “blessed” generation which will save the world. However, God is the only one who will make choice. The wisest behavior we can make is to wait for God’s decision, not to predict nor misuse the name and sayings of God. Maybe this is the point Jesus Camp must consider again.

Having Dinner with Amadeus Mozart

Wolfgang Mozart is one of the most famous composers in classical music. He is also known as the genius of music. At the age of three, he was able to play several notes on the Klavier, the prior form of pianoforte. At the age of five, he composed his first musical piece. He subsequently composed several variations, sonatas, dance songs, and ceremonial pieces. He held concerts with his family in Austria, France, and Prussia. He composed his major works from 1786 to 1791. He composed more than 600 musical pieces in his life. Although he died early, his pieces are commented by critics as one of the most genuine and beautiful classical pieces in history. His famous pieces include "Symphony no.41", "Requiem", "Magic Flute", and "The Marriage of Figaro".Yes, everyone knows that Mozart the composer already deceased more than 200 years ago. I also could not imagine that I would personally meet Mozart, the greatest musician in history. However, there was only one way to meet Mozart: through my dream.

Enjoying conversation and meeting with my relatives after Chuseok, I fell into bed and wandered between the reality and the dream. There, on the same bed I fell into, laid the musician I wanted to meet. He was extremely ill. He could not open his eyes properly, nor could he sit up straight. Although he was a dying musician, I wanted to ask him so many things because I wanted to hear Mozart’s true inner voice. A person’s true character is revealed when he is in desperate situation. In his death bed Mozart might reveal some of the mysteries he had hold for hundreds of years. Unfortunately, the only thing he could do was to lie down comfortably as he could, to write down notes after notes on a sheet of paper, and, the most basic of all, to speak and eat meals. When I recognized him, he was having his own dinner: porridge served with a malodorous slice of onion and lettuce. Interestingly, there were one served for Mozart, and another served for me. (perhaps, because it was a dream) The room was terribly dark; nothing was to be seen. Only I, Mozart and two plates of dinner illuminated in the darkness by a small candle between me and Mozart. Only silence.

Me: Excuse me. I am very sorry to interrupt but, are you Amadeus Mozart?

Mozart (abbreviated as M from later on): Ja, ich bin, ah-choo (he sneezed), Mozart.

Me: Ooops. I almost forgot that you spoke German. Hold on a second. I will give you the automatic translator so that we can communicate each other. (I placed two automatic translators, which somehow appeared in my hands, one on my ear and the other on Mozart’s ear) That’s it. Now, I am very sorry to interrupt but, are you the famous composer, Amadeus Mozart?

M: Not famous, but I am indeed, (coughing slightly), Amadeus Mozart. (He returned to his porridge without any reply.)

Me: Sir, I want to ask you some…

M: Please do not ask me questions. I am too tired to speak any word to you. How dare you (coughing) ask something to this filthy, failed, and untalented musician?

Me: Sir, I did not want to hurt your feelings. I just wanted to listen to your true thoughts which you were not able to express to others. This conversation will become an opportunity for you to tell anything that you wanted to reveal in your entire life. You will not have another opportunity to reveal yourself to others. So please, would you answer to my questions?

M: Hmm.. I guess you are right. But I do not want you to ask “offensive” questions. (coughing slightly) In that case, I will not answer to the question. Or, I can become very, very angry.

Me: Okay. (Wow.. It is much tougher than I thought..) I understand your point. The first question: I just realized that you are still composing music. Although you are extremely ill, you are still fervently drawing notes and melodies on the sheet of paper. I also heard that you played the Klavier several times even when you were sick. Why are you keep playing, enjoying, and even composing music even though you are under severe situations?

M: Well, this is my job. I became a composer, a musician, and a critic in classical music. (coughing again) If you truly have devotion in your job, you cannot give up or abandon your career. I love music. I love the melodies that mingle inside my ears. Ah-chooh.(he sneezed) I love the songs, the rhymes, and the tones the nature and the mankind create. I cannot resist letting go the notes I have in mind. Someday I believe the notes I once wrote down the paper can become another inspiration or another melody in the opera, the sonata, or the oratorio. Yes, I know that my strength has weakened, and I know clearly (coughing) that I will die couple of days later. However, I want to embrace music all my heart. Maybe this is the time that I can truly devote myself into music. Day by day I discover new themes, techniques, and emotions throughout my sketches. (coughing again) Sometimes the sketches are frightening, gloomy, and dark. Sometimes they are joyful, enlightening, and wonderful. I always gain life and passion by scribbling down what I have in mind. Ah-chooh (he sneezed again) By the way, do you love music?

Me: Sure I do. I enjoy playing the piano, which is the developed version of Klavier. I always feel warm-hearted when I listen or play your compositions. I have also won several competitions. Whenever I play the piano, I always sing the melodies of the piece. Once I indulged into music so much that I could not remember what I performed during the performance or the concert.

M: I can see that you have some taste in music. However, I am not quite sure if you have devotion in music. If you had devotion in music, you would have kept yourself from indulging into music. (coughing) A musician does not lose his minds or emotions during the performance: a musician stands in an objective perspective. He is an observer who carefully views the actions and the emotions of the composer. (coughing again) After the observation the musician expresses his own impression and feeling into the piece. However, the musician should repress the feelings in his performance because the audience might be overwhelmed or uncomfortable with his expressions. (coughing) You might have noticed that every musicians play the same piece in different styles; but they all imply, not explode, their emotions throughout performances. I would say that the one who effectively controlled but tacitly expressed his feelings about the piece is the most genuine musician in the world.

Me: Then, do you mean that I should limit my expression while playing the piano?

M: Not limiting your expression: (coughing again) implying your expression would be a better explanation. The audience already knows your feelings even though you imply them. (eating a spoonful of porridge with disgusted facial expression) Do not try to force yourself to indulge into music. The audience already knows.

Me: Thank you for your advice, Sir. (I ate a spoonful of porridge, also disgusted at its taste) I always wondered why my performance did not bring attention or inspiration to other people. I think I overwhelmed the audience, who did not feel sympathy or affection after my performance. I should imply, rather than explode, my emotion on my next performance.

M: A very valuable discovery, young man. (patting my back) Keep up your good passion.

Me: Thank you, Sir. (Trying another spoonful of porridge) Sir, I once said that I always feel warm-hearted when I listened to your compositions. However, some people say that they feel a trace of disappointment, a tragedy happening under the veil of beautiful and magnificent magic. They say that your compositions are at once wonderful and fragile. Why do you think this characteristic happens throughout your piece?

M: Unfortunately, I do not know. (coughing slightly) As a matter of fact, I have never felt a sense of melancholy emotion throughout my piece. Hmm… Can you elaborate on the feeling you mentioned?

Me: Well, they say that your piece is like a sorrowful widow who wants to overcome her hardships. Although the melodies are beautiful at first glance, the sorrow and sadness intermingles with the melodies. Is there any personal trauma or disappointment you always had when you composed music? Maybe the disappointing experience can be the source.

M: Sorry, I do not know the answer to this question. I have never received this response from anyone. Ah-Choo. (he sneezed) The only projection I can make is “isolation”. Although I was satisfied with my opera, sonata, oratorio, symphonies, and many other compositions, the Vienna aristocrats did not have much interest at my revolutionary and bold attempts. Yes, there were times when I enjoyed my success. (coughing) However, I often failed to earn high recognition from the public. Whenever I wrote music piece that satisfied my heart, I was disappointed by the reaction from the crowd. (coughing again) I think the sense of isolation and frustration intermingled into my compositions unconsciously.

Silently, we finished the porridge.

Me: I see. Actually I also felt that your compositions were slightly contradictory; although you portray the most beautiful melodies, you also embed sorrowfulness and wistfulness in the tone. However, you have overcome hardships and have composed more than 600 pieces in 40 years. This is one of the remarkable records in history, I believe. When you composed music, from where did you gain inspiration?

M: Very good question. I received inspiration from many sources. (coughing slightly) One of the sources was folk songs. The tunes of the songs are very common among many citizens. Based on the tunes, I created several variations or sonatas. (deep in thought for a while) Do you know the Klavier variation “Ah vous dirai-je Maman”?

Me: Sorry?

M: “Ah vous dirai-je Maman”, or “I give this song to my mother.”

Me: Do you mean the 12 variations you composed for your mother? Yes, I know that variation. The piece has been used for other songs after you deceased, such as “Twinkle Twinkle Little Star” or “Alphabet Song”.

M: Really? Anyway, did you know that the melodies I used in the variation were (coughing again) actually from the melodies of a French folk song?

Me: No, I didn’t know that.

M: Well, some of my piano variations and sonatas partly originate from folk songs. A lot of audience enjoyed listening to the different version of folk songs. Ah-Chooh (sneezing again) Some of the songs were made from requests. Many aristocrats or lords asked me to compose several pieces. You might realize that for 3 years I composed mostly masquerade music or dance music. (coughing slightly) That was the age when I earned the most economic success in my life. In composing dance music, I often took out a picnic or walk around the park nearby. (coughing slightly) Observing the tones of nature, every day I discovered new rhymes, rhythms, and melodies to incorporate into my songs. Nature was the main source of my inspiration. Nature always changes. Everyday you go out for a walk, everyday you realize little but substantial changes. But there were some times when I did not want to go out because the weather was bad or because I had a severe disease. In these situations when I got bored, I used “probability” into my composition.

Me: Sorry? Did you say “probability”?

M: Yes. Is there anything wrong?

Me: How could you compose music from “probability”?

M: I used a pair of dice to compose Minuet, a form of dance song popularized during 17^th century to 18^th century. (coughing slightly) The format of Minuet is very simple: you need 16 measures and unique melodies and chords. You set 11 different samples for each measure, and give each sample a number from 1 to 11. (choughing again) Then, you roll a pair of dice. Suppose that you roll the dice for the first time. If the sum of the number from the pair of dice indicates 4, you set the sample number 4 as a song. Continuing this process for 16 times, you will be able to compose hundreds of Minuet out of one rule: “probability”. (sneezing again) I often introduced this method to my friends who wanted to learn how to compose Minuet with enthusiasm and enjoyment. (coughing again) However, they gave up after they had tried two to three times, saying that the method was too complicated for them.

Me: I think the procedure is truly marvelous! (If you want to try this method, go to http://sunsite.univie.ac.at/Mozart/dice/collaborate.cgi?tables=no) I have never heard of musician composing his music based on probability. Sir, I have another question. I believe that your greatest work of all is Requiem. Almost everyone wants to know how and why you composed Requiem. From where did you receive inspiration when you composed Requiem?

M: (with firm determination)I cannot answer that question.

Me: Why? It is one of your masterpieces.

M: I cannot give any hint about that question.

Me: Didn’t you tell some of the details about Requiem to one of your students? I heard that you dictated one of the passages to your student Sussmayr personally.

M: That is not true. I have never told anyone about the piece. (in a defiant voice) I have made a contract with a person who asked me to compose the piece.

Me: Then why don’t you tell me before you…

M: Never! (His face reddening) How dare you, you stranger, ask that question in front of my face? (he coughed madly)

Me: (bewildered, quivering slightly) Sorry to interrupt you, Sir. I am very sorry.

Silence for a while.

Me: How are your family members?

M: They are fine. I feel sorry for them, especially for my wife. She was one of the brightest women I have ever seen. Constanze Mozart. (coughing slightly) We loved each other very much. She was kind and gentle, but sometimes bossy. She often reprimanded me for not writing down a single note on the paper for several hours. However, I always remember her smile whenever I am under hard situation. (coughing slightly) She supported my decisions and contributions. She always helped me get through financial hardships. Although many people did not know, she had an extraordinary sense in music; she advised me a lot in composing new pieces. (coughing slightly) For instance, when I had difficulty finishing the last movement of the Symphony no.41, she brought up several techniques from Bach's Prelude and Fugue, giving me vital inspiration on how to end the pain-staking but beautiful symphony. In addition, my wife advised me to incorporate works of Bach and Handel into the opera, (coughing slightly) creating one of the inspiring opera I have ever composed: the Magic Flute. There are some tales that I mimicked the voice of my wife into the main verse of the Magic Flute, (coughing slightly) but those tales are false. My children are all fine. I am very happy to see my little Franz; he is only 5 months old now. Karl is also growing well. He is seven-years-old. Ah-Chooh (sneezing) I think Karl has more devotion in music than I had when I was his age. I hope my two sons to grow up as renown musicians in the 19^th century.

Me: I hope so, too. (Unfortunately, I have never heard any about Mozart’s two sons before this conversation.) Sir, I want to show you something. After you died, many people loved your songs and compositions. Even after 200 years, every people celebrate your music, regarding you as the genius of classical music. There is even a movie about your life: “Amadeus”. Would you like to see the movie and comment about it?

M: Very astonishing. Yes, I would like to.

Suddenly a screen appears in front of the beds. I and Mozart watch the movie for two and a half hours. Mozart’s facial expressions changes from gloominess to happiness.

Me: How do you feel?

M: I am very impressed on how people thought about me. I enjoyed the movie overall. I am very happy that my performances are thought as great pieces even in the future. (coughing slightly) However, there are some points that I want to comment at. The main plot of the story, which is the tension between Antonio Salieri and me, is not quite true. Salieri and I were friends and colleges. (coughing again) We enjoyed and approved each other’s performances. When I successfully ended the opera Magic Flute in front of the audience, Salieri stood up and shouted “Bravo! Bravo!” I also enjoyed the compositions from Salieri, which were both tremendous and elaborate. Ah-Chooh (sneezing again) Both of us liked each other’s musical techniques and devotions. The other thing was on how much I had succeeded during the 18th century. Yes, I did not earn much success from the public. However, some aristocrats enjoyed my compositions. (coughing slightly) My opera Don Giovanni was not performed for only 5 days. (in a proud voice) Actually, I performed it for several weeks both in Vienna and Prague.

Mozart ponders again. Then he speaks.

M: One thing that I really like in this movie is the depiction about me. (coughing slightly) I think I spent my life as a musician like the one depicted in the movie. Many people stated that I was gleeful most of the time, wandering with others in delight and joy. The movie also depicted my dress codes very well. I really like bright brown suit with a white scarf. Ah-Chooh (sneezing) I enjoyed the movie very much. It has been an enjoyable time, my dear. Thank you. Now I feel much happier than before.

Me: It’s my pleasure. I hope that you can feel happiness and cure your illness.

The candle light still shined brightly. Suddenly the light permeated into the immensely dark room. Everything brightened. I slightly noticed that Amadeus Mozart was smiling at me.

I woke up.

The dinner ended.