Unit 6: Selection Vocabulary 1

"But to be honest, Jonas," his father said, "for me there was not the element of suspense that there is with your Ceremony. Because I was already fairly certain of what my Assignment was to be."

"Well, it was clear to me—and my parents later confessed that it had been obvious to them, too—what my aptitude was. I had always loved the newchildren more than anything. When my friends in my age group were holding bicycle races, or building toy vehicles or bridges with their construction sets, or—"

"So I expected it, and I was pleased, but not at all surprised, when my Assignment was announced as Nurturer," Father explained.

Though he respected his father's work, Nurturer would not be his wish. And he didn't envy Laborers at all.

"There are very rarely disappointments, Jonas. I don't think you need to worry about that," his father reassured him. "And if there are, you know there's an appeal process."

The program that got Chang-bo in trouble was an innocuous business report about a shoe factory producing rubber boots for the rainy season.

Her husband’s remark was quickly reported to the head of the inminban, the neighborhood watchdogs, who in turn passed on the information to the Ministry for the Protection of State Security. This ominously named agency is effectively North Korea’s political police.

By the accounts of defectors, there is at least one informer for every fifty people—more even than East Germany’s notorious Stasi, whose files were pried open after German reunification.

To be denounced by a neighbor for bad-mouthing the regime was nothing extraordinary.

Her conduct had always been so impeccable and her devotion so genuine that it never occurred to her that she might be vulnerable.

By the time they were edited by his superiors in Pyongyang, however, any glimmer of the truth was gone. Chang-bo knew better than anyone that the supposed triumphs of the North Korean economy were fabrications.

Upstage R of the circle will be a musical or instrument “station” with percussion instruments and recorded music arranged in such a way that at appropriate times actors may sit comfortably on a stool and contribute music and sound effects to the performance.

SADAKO wears a simple western-style school uniform of a skirt and a blouse with a tie.

(She calms down to remove her shoes, puts them by the door, then rushes back to MOTHER.)

(Disheartened, SADAKO kneels before an imaginary shrine, hands in prayer and bowing her head. Returns to MOTHER, somewhat subdued.)

MOTHER (not angry). This daughter of yours will not learn discipline.