Beyond the realms of imagination lies a dark-stained door, shining with light between its hinges. Tree-Ear, a young boy in the book A Single Shard by Linda Sue Park, leads in a sense the representative life of a poor individual in 12th century Korea. Tree-Ear overcomes social barriers and peers into the light, an act deemed impossible by an ordinary Korean citizen. He learns that there has always been darkness in his path to the light. Throughout his storytelling, Park relies on symbolism to describe the true meaning of Yin and Yang, in order to fully capture his tenacious, unique, spiritual, and enlightened character. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an Original Essay One way the author describes Tree-ear's spiritual and tenacious character is through the use of the Yin and Yang symbol. Tree-Ear sees the world in black and white, because while the rain falls like shards of broken glass, he remembers spring: a temple of blooms, blessings and new beginnings. Tree-ear is particularly fond of Min's prunus pot, because of the “sharp angles of the plum sprigs” (52). I would like to start with an introduction to the prominent value of “plum sprigs” in Korea. The “plum sprigs” are perceived as gateways to the spring season and are a constant reminder of the beauty of spring. These plants grow in arid landscapes and are able to withstand the harshness of winter. The use of plum sprigs in this quote is related to the meaning of the Yin and Yang symbol. He shows us how two contradictory forces are playing together to achieve something wonderfully “symmetrical” (52). This is directly related to the fact that Yin and Yang are a combination of a perfectly “symmetrical” circle. In any case, just like plum twigs, Tree-Ear is able to resist all obstacles that knock it down. Even after living in the darkness of the bridge for years, he still has hope that one day he will touch the light. This is a clear example of Tree-Ear's tenacious and spiritual character. Another illustration of the Yin and Yang symbol is shown in the quote; “The Ear-Tree grew in wrinkled semicircles on dead or fallen tree trunks, emerging from rotten wood, without a parent seed” (7). The fact that Tree-ear grew up in a very desolate and dark environment means that the negative and positive forces within him are not balanced. The quote, “dead… fallen tree trunks,” symbolizes how a part of him is damaged. However, in scientific terms, a lot of circulation and energy occurs within tree trunks. Therefore, the fact that the Tree Trunks no longer functioned meant that there was no hope for Tree Ear to renew/restore his place in society. Furthermore, since the Yin and Yang symbol is a full circle, the fact that the Tree Ear has grown in "half circles", further emphasizes how the negative and positive forces within him are not balanced. However, all this changes when he decides to do so. get out of your comfort zone. The fact that “the plum trees blossomed; the petals fell like snow, leaving behind any green buttons that were shyly hiding among the leaves” (47) signifies how the Ear of the Tree is entering the phase of spiritual awakening. In this quote, the description of “green buttons” vividly illuminates the image of a mushroom. Just like “green buttons,” tree ears are also considered mushrooms. The fact that the “green buttons” were no longer hidden by the leaves symbolizes how Tree-ear is no longer hidden by the darkness. He is blossoming into a braver person who doesn't act "shy" or afraidof the unknown. This is an example of how the negative and positive forces within him are finally consolidating with each other. Therefore, we see how his balance between Yin and Yang (positive and negative forces) has made him a more spiritual and tenacious person. In closing, Tree-Ear uses his fancy glasses to drive into the darkness with a large grasp on the light ahead of him. He goes through the isolation, he goes through the painful days, he goes through all the sorrows, and finally he comes to the light, where he is no longer broken. The symbolism of Yin and Yang was used to create an image of two semicircles, slowly solidifying into each other, shaping Tree-ear into a more spiritual and tenacious person. The author also describes Tree-Ear's unique character through the use of the Yin and Yang symbol. The roots of the Ear were once bound to the ground, excluded from the sustenance of the sunless realm. After enduring many dark and rainy days, Tree-Ear stepped out of the roots on which society was built and, bathed in sunlight, thought it would never touch him. In Korean culture, your roots determine your position in society. Unfortunately Tree-Ear "grew without the benefit of a parent seed (7)", making him an outsider to class-based society. A “seed” hides many secrets. It is the ultimate beginning and end of everything: the dawn and death of life. The entire earth depends on this tiny substance, a round object that has so much meaning for human existence. Tree-Ear was not provided with all the essential conditions to grow and mature normally because it had no “seed” to begin with. He learned to grow through his experiences, rather than having parental guidance to rely on. But you see, that's where its true potential comes from. Tree-Ear could face her inner and outer adversaries, all in the name of passion. When the fiery glow of sunlight died, when the stars meandered into eternal space, and when the earth seemed cold and pathless, Ear-Tree was born. The Yin symbol had a lot of control over Tree-Ear's early years: not having a "parent seed" or stability, it allowed him to generate an innate instinct to succeed. Here, the Yin symbol allows the Tree Ear to grow into a unique individual, which induces a tremendous amount of passion and perseverance. Unlike all the other children, Tree-Ear had to work hard to have the family he always wanted. Tree-Ear manifested her dream into reality when she “dropped” (16) Min's ceramic work. The Yin symbol played a significant role in Tree-Ear's investigation. If he hadn't abandoned his pottery work, he would never have worked for Min. Min can be seen as the antagonist in Tree-Ear's journey, because although he is Tree-Ear's only hope of learning the art of pottery , is also the person who prevents him from achieving his goals. The name Min is also closely associated with the word Yin (negative force). However, after many long and terrible days of work, he finally managed to capture Min's heart, which made Tree-Ear a part of his family. Here, the Yang symbol is working greatly to illuminate the life of the Ear Tree. If Tree-Ear had been born with the "benefit of a parent seed", he would have been a completely different person, with the same interests and conservative ideologies as other people. Being an upper class citizen in Korea means having a family and easy access to everything. However, it was almost impossible for a lower class citizen to increase his position in society. After much pain and hardship, Tree-Ear managed to achieve the impossible, an act that only a truly unique person canaccomplish. The darkness (Yin) shaped the Tree Ear into a unique individual, which allowed him to guide towards the light (Yang). While the rest of society sees the world in black and white, Tree-Ear sees all shades of the rainbow. He notices the darkness of the sky more vividly, the vibrancy of the grass more intensely, and the beauty of the sunlight more accurately than anyone else. Finally, the author captures Tree-Ear's enlightened character through the use of the Yin and Yang symbols. The Ear of the Tree was once a seed located beneath the dark depths of the ground. After a long and terrible rain, he transformed into a Tree, a Tree that stretched into the sky and the brilliant light of the sun. This stage, in particular, depicts Tree-Ear's growth as she has accumulated much wisdom and knowledge throughout her journey. Tree-Ear's life is mainly built on a pattern: he lives under a bridge, has lost his only friend and struggles to survive every day, but then finds a home, a family and a place that hosts him. When coincidences occur, we often feel as if there is a deep pattern of meaning, as if our steps are being guided. Tree-Ear's body was surrounded by negative energies, energies that gravitated him towards the ground. When Tree-Ear was about to give up on his dreams, he sees a deer – “a clear vision emerging from a cloudy dream” (75). At this particular moment, Tree-Ear had no balance or control over the connection and detachment of his consciousness. He was forced to turn his attention to this deer. The deer was sent from the earth to guide the Tree Ear on his journey. Although he couldn't touch the deer, he could see it clearly. This angelic deer allowed Tree-Ear to imagine his “dream” more vividly, incorporating faith and trust into his heart. Here, the Yang symbol is working greatly to exalt hope in the Ear Tree, making it just a few steps away from enlightenment. Just when Tree-Ear felt like he had conquered all his fears and desires, he sees a fox and "blinks to see better" (114). The fox, in fact, is a representation of Tree-Ear's deepest and darkest fears. There may be harmful forces arising from Tree-Ear's unconscious: when Tree-ear sees the fox, he "squinted his eyes to block the fox's evil gaze". "(114). The fact that he does not want to look him in the eye, means how much he fears for his future. The fox used up all the hope he had accumulated from the deer. When he “blinks his eyelids to see better” and reopens it, he notices that the fox disappeared. It was then that he learned that fear does not exist, that it is nothing more than a black fog of smoke. He could have run away from his fears, but he remained firmly on the ground, demonstrating true courage. Here the Yin symbol also works remarkably to conform Courage to the Tree-Ear, making him just one step away from enlightenment. When Tree-Ear returns with good news of his journey, he is followed by the news of Crane-man's death feeling “detached” (143) from his body. The detachment symbolizes a rebirth or the way he lets go of a part of his old self. Ajma names Tree-Ear, Hyung-pil, this shows us how he has established a new identity , enlightened. Yin and Yang worked perfectly together to give Tree-Ear his new family, home and hospitality. When life seems like an endless road of lies, Tree-Ear tries to locate the truth. While Tree-Ear's leaves are blown away by the wind, he remains untouched by the pain and despair of the summer holidays. Instead it gets wet in the rain and waits for the deluge to nourish its roots. Finally, after about a year, Tree-Ear managed to develop into a mighty one.