If you come to a stony placeBy Chon Ponggon

        Japanese colonialism was quite harsh. For the first ten years Japan ruled directly through the military, and any Korean opposition was cruelly crushed. Koreans lost their rights while serving their country. But they eventually find courage and began to revolt against the Japanese colonization.

       It is pretty obvious that Chon Ponggon’s poems were usually about the ways to deal with trauma. His poem “If you come to a stony place” could be analyze through postcolonialism. Korea, his birthplace and where he serve as an army suffered from the brutal colonization of Japan. It vividly presents the poem as an expressive deliberation of their experiences during the colonization.

       Because of the Japanese colonialism towards Korea, it served as an inspiration for those who witness it to write a literary piece. The poem itself is a motivation for the people to face struggles and challenges which is symbolizes by the repeatedly “If you come to a stony place”. It tells us to stand whatever hardship we’re experiencing. Endure the pain because in those time you’ll realize who your true friends are. Just like Korea which has overcome and conquer the challenge that colonialism gave them, we should learn on how to fight for life and never give up to the problems that life would give.