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Religion & Theology
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Midterm Exam GLA213. Religion and Theology Assignment

Essay Instructions:

Midterm Exam GLA213
1. Is this a film:
a) About the historical Buddha
b) About Buddhist belief
c) On Buddhist themes
d) Which incorporates Buddhist beliefs
Select one of the above and give reasons for your answer.

2. Reflect on the film’s title: Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter … and Spring. In terms of Buddhist theory, how would you interpret the title (in its own right, in relation to the sections and structure of the film, the life of the protagonist, in relation to stages in life and ultimately Samsara)?

3. Although modernization is not a direct topic in the film it is touched upon to some degree. Markers of modernization are represented as the young monk’s love interest, their relationship (and its fatal outcome in the contemporary world) and the police officers who arrest the monk. How does the director perceive modernization (good, evil or reconcilable with Buddhism and ultimately traditional values)? How does this film exemplify concepts of post-modernity typical of Korean film?

4. Using auteur theory, how would you describe the director of this work? What does the film tell you about his personal convictions, on life, society and ultimately Buddhism? You may use the following as reference points: How is desire (tanha) portrayed in the film? Is it evil? Does it lead only to ruin and heartache? Or, is it an inevitable path which an individual must take in order to realize life’s true meaning and one’s own existence? Simply put, does he have a one dimensional and traditional view of desire or does he add his own opinion to the scenario? If so, what is it?

5. What do the animals in each of the film’s sections represent? Explain their significance both according to Buddhist beliefs and Korean folklore (and how they correspond to the sections of the film).

6. According to Buddhism, just like Hinduism, karma runs the course of one’s life. However, Buddhism has a slightly different perception of karma. What is it and how does karma function in the film?


7. Is the concept of Buddhist suffering (dukkha) reconcilable with the Korean notion of haan? If so, how and on what level? Use the film as a guide.

8. Although this is a film that is essentially Buddhist in nature, and therefore universal in that sense, what makes it unique to Korean national cinema, mainly in terms of storytelling devices?

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Midterm Exam GLA213
Answer 1
Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter… and Spring is about Buddhist belief. The film shows a monk and a young boy living in a monastery that is floating on a raft in the lake. As the movie enrolls, it becomes clear that the monk is teaching his apprentice crucial lessons about Buddhism and life. At some point, the boy went to the shore of the lake and tied a stone to a fish. He did the same thing to a frog and a snake. However, the boy did not know that the monk followed him and witnessed everything that he did to those animals. At night, when he falls asleep, the monk tied a stone on him. In the following morning, the monk told the boy to go and find all the animals he tied stones to and that if he finds one of them dead, he must bear carrying the stone in his heart for the rest of his life. Consequently, the most significant teaching here is that the bad things that humans do to others or animals will catch up with them at some point in their lives.
Answer 2
The Buddhist theory makes it clear that there is life after death for those who adhere to Buddha’s teachings and follow His path to nirvana. Based on it, the title of the film, Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter… and Spring, has a vital meaning of the various stages in life. For example, the young man living in the monastery with the monk is taught different lessons. During the four seasons, he transforms from childhood to adulthood while learning the most vital things in Buddhism. In the end, the monk dies, and someone else replaces him. At this juncture, samsara is evident where the vicious cycle of life and death occurs, where a person is born, grows old, and dies in the end.
Answer 3
Despite modernization being an indirect topic in the film, the director, Kim Ki-Duk, exemplifies on it by showing a mother bringing her daughter to the monastery to be healed by the monk. The teenage boy living with the monk becomes attracted to the girl, and he touches her breasts while she was sleeping in front of the Buddha statue. Although the girl forgives the boy, it is clear that the young man loves her. After staying for some few days, these young individuals went to the forest and had sex. They did it several times, and the monk knew about it. However, the monk warns the boy that lust results in the desire for the possession, which eventually leads to killing. Ki-Duk depicts modernization as evil since it destroys the relationship between the monk and his apprentice. Post-modernity portrays individuals who strongly believe and comply with the Korean tradition values, while modernization shows people who are led by the urges of their body.
Answer 4
The auteur theory postulates that the director of a film is the author. Ki-Duk’s personal conviction of life is that everything that individuals do has an impact on their lives. That is the reason why the monk told the young person to look for a snak...
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