To dear in a foreign country.

I do not know you, even your name, but I can find you inside of me.

I know you do not know me, but I know you can understand me.

If you ask me how and why, my answer is I do not know how and why.

But I know you know what I mean, because you can find me inside of you.

Sometimes, I can feel your feeling, and I can read your mind.

These make me happy, because I realize I am not alone in the world.

The only thing I am sad about is that this letter cannot reach you.

Farewell my dear in a foreign country.

From your familiar stranger.

In the chapter of “Night Watch”, I found difficult and confuse sentence which is “Nora had the face of all people who love the people … Nora robbed herself for everyone; incapable of giving herself warning, she was continually turning about to find herself diminished.”(p.57) First time when I read this passage, I could not understand it right away because I had no idea about meaning of “face of all people”, “robbed herself” and “to find herself diminished”. I thought there is a misuse of words, that can be also said as defects in expression, not to understand literally. Perhaps it is a metaphorical statement, I believe, so it was harder to understand. By reading the whole chapter, however, I became increasingly able to find the meaning of this sentence. As I understood about Nora’s personality, I thought to myself; this sentence is used to describe Nora’s “sacrifice” aspect. Nora is a sort of “self-giving” character in the “Nightwood”, so that is why she knows how everybody’s face looks, and then she robbed, or sacrificed herself “for everyone”. Even though she will become weak, or her life will be diminished, Nora robbed and sacrificed herself “continually”. Therefore, this sentence has defects of expression, frankly, there is not only this sentence but also several other sentences, but if I am able to identify the whole contents of the chapter, it is possible to overcome the defect. In other words, the sentence will be make sense to me.

Translation refers to one language being expressed in another language. From one language to other language, translation is a very finicky job. Although it sounds very easy, it is not at all like that because when translating, a translator should pay attention to several things. While I was spending time with Andrew Zawacki, I learned how diligent he was when he translate. Zawacki said, if the poem that is translated by English does not sound like French, it does not look like a poem and even sound nicely. That is why he was trying to capture poetry, rhythm, poetic expressions, and intonation of poetry and the sounds of French accents very carefully when he translated French poetry. For example, English has a lots of terms and vocabularies, but Andrew Zawacki tried to use similar words and phrases as closely as possible to French pronunciation in order to arouse poetic inspiration in his translation. Of course, he did not forget to try to convey the meanings of each words. It was a kinds of hard task that requires great refinement. Because each original language has its unique characteristics, which are often difficult to show in the other languages, it is usually tough to appear in translated languages. However, as every translator or author does, Zawacki did not want to lose not only the meaning of each words but also poetic feeling. So, he conducted a translation with a careful check of the vocabulary and checking its meaning, even a small word he tried to capture its own meaning. He tried not to spoil the original atmosphere of the poem until the end. Through his story, therefore, I realized how complicated it was to preserve the creativity and originality of one piece when translating, and how important to deliver it to readers who use different languages in order to make them understand the themes and content of the work.

I do not have to follow the speed of NYC. My life does not depend on it. So as not to feel the New Yorker’s crazy busy lifestyle crossing the street and tooting the horn, I need to take my time without any interference. But where? At Central park, the green grass, and sunny sky, wherever I like. And if sometimes I take a break, in park of NYC, under the shade of a tree, my stress already waning or gone, ask the wind, the sun, the birds, the dogs, ask everything that stays with me, ask where I am. And the wind, the sun, the birds, the dogs, will answer, “You are in the heart of NYC. But as not to see the real New York, take a nap! At Central park, the green grass, and sunny sky, as you wish.”

I chose the “GET HIGH” among Baudelaire’s prose poems in the Parisian Prowler. I tried to imitate his way of speaking(talking) in his poem. Although his style is expressed in a nutshell, and it looks like a list of words, he shows his idea very clearly and confidently. When I read his writing, he made me to feel same with his point of view; I feel that I have to get high without respite. Next stylistic element is focusing on things. I think he sometimes focus on things that usually people do not pay attention because it is normal, and then he gives specific points on them as like “on the green grass of a ditch”, therefore, I tried to emulate these things.

According to Kant, the freedom to use one’s own reason against traditional authorities can enlighten the public. It should not harm the whole of society and others. One must work for public interests as a member of the community. Kant’s enlightenment generally surveys the ideals of thinking in general rather than considering traditional authorities, or history. In other words, Kant believes that the ideals of enlightenment can be realized in reality. However, people in reality do not live only with the freedom to use one’s own reason. Rather, the world of human habitation and the process of history have inevitably been determined by its own laws. Laws of history is made from universal truth and human free will and acquired experience so, humans can not ignore their experiences while living their lives. I believe that human beings learn the world through experience and also create laws of life. Therefore, unless we try to realize the ideal, the efforts can never be achieved unless it conforms to the historical tide of traditional authorities. Kant says, “Argue as much as you will, and about what you will, but obey!”, and he answers “the public use of one’s reason must always be free, and it alone can bring about enlightenment among men.” These propositions contain Kant’s intention not only to maintain social order, but also to seek social progress through public use of reason. However, contrary to Kant’s position, there is a contradiction in this logic. If humans truly have the freedom to use one’s own reason, an individual can think, blame, criticize, argue and disobey the public.