Myung

"Myung!"
--Myung! H. Joh
The hot-blooded Spaniard seems to be revealed in the passion and urgency of his doubled exclamation points…
-----Pico Lyer, "In Praise of the Humble Comma"
Are you a member of the Kung! Tribe? is a commonly asked question when people
see my signature, which has an exclamation point at the end of it. No, I am not a
member of any tribe, nor am I putting the mark at the end of my name to be "cute." It is not simply a hiccup in my handwriting; it is there for a specific reason. But before I elaborate on why I believe the exclamation point is such an appropriate punctuation mark for me, let us explore the other marks I might have used:
Myung?
Although the question mark bears a certain swan-like elegance in its uncertain
curves, it simply does not do the job. While it is true that I am constantly discovering
new things about myself and changing all the time, I know what I stand for, what my weaknesses and strengths are, and what I would like to get out of life. I know that
I want to major in English, attend graduate school, learn as much as possible from
those who are wiser than I, and eventually teach at a university. I am headed for a
career in English; there is no question about it.
Myung,
I admit that I do pause and contemplate decisions before leaping in and rushing
ahead of myself – spontaneity is perhaps not my strong point. But the comma, with
its dragging, drooping tail, does not adequately describe who I am, because I know that life will not pause for me; nor do I want it to. Mid the chaos of a hectic schedule that balances clubs, activities, and AP courses, I always feel the rush of life, and I
love it. I do not linger over failures; due to my passionate nature, I am crushed by disappointments, but I move on. No prolonged hesitations or pauses.
Myung:
I constantly look forward to the surprises that college and my future life promise me; graduation seems like the beginning of a whole new chapter. But the colon, though I will not deny its two neat specks a certain professional air, does not do my justice.
I know how to live for today, have fun, and enjoy life instead of just waiting for what the next chapter may bring. The future is unpredictable. My present life is not simply the precursor to what may follow.
Myung.
Perhaps this is the most inaccurate punctuation mark to describe who I am. The
drab, single eye of the period looks upon an
aspects of my education still ahead of me, my life is far from any kind of termination.
Myung!
However, the exclamation point, with its jaunty vertical slash underscored by a perky little dot, is a happy sort of mark, cheerful, full of spice. Its passions match mine: whether it be the passion that keeps me furiously attacking my keyboard at
4:50 in the morning so that I might perfectly capture a fantastic idea for a story, or
the passion that lends itself to a nearly crazed state of mind in which I tackle pet projects of mine, such as clubs or activities I am especially devoted to.
One of my greatest passions, my passion for learning, engenders in me a passion for
teaching that I plan to satisfy fully as a professor. I want my students to feel the
aching beauty of John Keats's words, his drawn-out good-bye to life. I want them to feel the world of difference in Robert Frost's hushed "the woods are lovely, ark and
deep," as opposed to his editor's irreverent "the woods are lovely, dark and deep." I
want them to feel the juiciness of Pablo Neruda's sensually ripe poetry when he
describes the "wide fruit mouth" of his lover. With the help of my exclamation point, I want to teach people how to rip the poetry off the page and take it out of the
classroom as well. I want them to feel poetry when they see the way the sharp, clean edges of a white house look against a black and rolling sky; I want them to feel
it on the roller coaster as it surges forward, up, as the sky becomes the earth and
the ground rushes up, trembling to meet them; I want them to feel it in the neon
puddles that melt in the streets in front of smoky night clubs at midnight. I want
them to know how to taste life!
My exclamation point symbolizes a general zeal for life that I want to share with others. And I know that is has become as much a part of me as it has my signature. ANALYSIS
This essay uses a small punctuation mark to make a big point, loudly and forcefully. It answers the question "who are you?" in a notably creative, exciting, and
elucidating manner. Through an unconventional presentation, the author manages
to captivate the reader's attention, while informing him/her of substantially revealing personal qualities. The strong, energized voice that is used delivers both a general, palpable sense of enthusiasm and a glimpse into specific ways that it manifests in the author's life.
The technical writing in this essay demonstrates skill. Each paragraph expresses one idea with cogency and brevity. A personified punctuation mark is presented
through an interesting image and is then related to in light of the author's character. The final lines of each paragraph then cleverly bring a close to the ideas presented therein.
Though the addition of an exclamation mark could be seen as gimmicky, the author demonstrates that she has the energy and thoughtfulness needed to back up her
unusual choice, in real life and on the page. It is obviously not a decision she has
made lightly, not just to make her application stand out, although one gets the impression that Myung! would stand out in any crowd, regardless of her name. it's a risky move, but for her, it works.