Good Fences Hide Bad Neighbors

           

            As I skim through my recent blogs, I feel somewhat surprised as to the number of secrets I have confessed in the Chamber of AP English 12. From my love for cats to an inner desire to beat small children, my declarations seem to create an image of myself that many of my fellow classmates may repel. So why stop the fun now? I have yet another admission I wish to reveal: I love documentaries. I could literally spend an entire day watching various National Geographic specials. Through my perusal of various informational films, I have discovered an immense obsession with North Korea. Since my family has learned to tune me out whenever I find an opportunity to broach the subject, I turn to my fellow bloggers for understanding. Before anyone makes quick judgments, picture this: if America would earn a five on the AP grading scale, North Korea would earn a -12 for its concentration of wealth, widespread hunger, and isolationism.  Although North Korea’s northern neighbor, China, knows of the suffering that occurs in the country, they will send back any refugees who cross the border for a better life. In this situation, I cannot help but disagree with the age-old adage “‘good fences make good neighbors’” that Robert Frost espouses in his poem “Mending Wall” (44). Throughout the poem, the speaker’s neighbor’s repetition of this mantra eventually convinces the reluctant speaker to believe the validity of it. But what if the neighbor actually beats his child behind the wall? Even if the speaker knows of the suffering that occurs, the neighbor brainwashes the speaker, just as North Korea brainwashes China, into believing that boundaries serve a purpose. This analogy may come off as slightly twisted to the point of discomfort, but the reality of the state remains very real for North Korean refugees in China. From watching the documentaries that describe the conflict, I cannot help but want to fix the neighborly tensions between the countries. But my problem remains just that—I can only watch. I sit behind a computer screen, in all my teenage wisdom, silently cursing the stupidity of a country that has existed for over 5,000 years. I hope someday that China can find compromise with the antagonistic North Korea, and maybe I could even play a role. But for now, I think I will stick to simply writing out my frustrations and confessions for the world of AP English to hear.