Pablo Neruda was a Chilean poetdiplomat who won the 1971 Nobel Prize in Literature. One of his quotes is, “You can cut all the flowers, but you cannot keep spring from coming.”
Flowers stand for the beauty of nature and the power of life. No matter how harsh the environment, flowers eventually bloom. They symbolize a strong spirit that recovers and grows despite adversity. People, like flowers, stand up despite setbacks and failures, discovering new hopes and possibilities. Pablo Neruda’s quote, which embodies this meaning, is appropriate for explaining Korea’s bleak colonial history.
In 1910, the Empire of Japan attempted to stop spring in Korea by depriving the country of its sovereignty. During the Japanese colonial period, Japan tried to suppress the freedoms and rights of Koreans and erase Korean culture. However, Koreans did not give up their desire for independence. They risked their lives to speak out and fight for independence through movements like the March First Movement and the Gwangju Student Independence Movement. Finally, in 1945, Korea was liberated from Japan’s colonial rule. Despite Japan’s efforts to pluck out the flowers, spring came to Korea in the end.
In modern society, we still face numerous challenges, such as climate change, economic insecurity, and social inequality. We must not be discouraged and find solutions for a better future. Continuous hope, persistence, and will are crucial to this process. We should be aware that positive changes do not happen at once and require a great deal of time and effort. Cutting off all the flowers will not prevent spring from coming, because efforts do not betray.