Read the passage. There are several questions about this passage. Kim Yong Ik (1920-1995) was a Korean American author. His first short story
published in English was "The Wedding Shoes," and it became one of his most
famous works.
Which sentences provide an accurate and objective
summary of the passage?
from A Book-Writing Venture
01. "The Wedding Shoes" is a short story inspired
by a mix of real-life and Imaginary elements.
Written by a Korean-American who speaks
three languages, the story gives the struggling
author hope for his future.
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O2. A young writer learns that it is difficult to write
in a new language. His first language is Korean
and his second is Japanese. He later struggles
to learn English but tells the reader he
hopes to become a successful writer in his
third language
In 1953 when I enrolled in the Writers Workshop of the University of lowa,
I had been writing fiction for six years and had completed one novel. I started
to send it to various publishers in New York.
I had to send it by railway express and had to pay return postage. This
amounted to nearly five dollars for each mailing. Since it took about a month
for the rejected manuscript to reach me, this turned out to be a regular
monthly expense. I would walk to the outskirts of Iowa City to the railroad
station to save the bus fare that would help pay for mailing the manuscript.
The railway express man was quite curious about the mysterious package that
kept reappearing, and finally he asked me what was in it.
I explained to him, and he told me there was an old man in lowa City who
kept on mailing his manuscript about every month, just as I did.
Still I appeared so often that finally I was embarrassed whenever I met the
express agent. We got to know each other rather well. By this time, he knew
that Korean was my mother tongue; Japanese my second (I had learned this
under the Japanese occupation); and English my third (1 started to learn English
during my high school days in Korea). One day I asked him what had become
of the old man and his manuscript, and he said "That fellow's manuscript
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3. A young Korean tries to succeed as a writer in
the United States. He struggles to master
English, find employment and deal with
publisher rejections. Thanks to an inspiring
daydream and a kind butcher, he writes a
story that reflects a new rhythm and style.
O 4. This passage is an interesting examination of
the early years of a Korean-American writer.