Towers

The causes and consequences of various civil wars have been documented throughout history: Germany, the United States, Ethiopia/Eritrea. These kinds of conflicts are present in the current era and are not likely to disappear. Some historians focus on the political effects of such a divide while others will consider the social repercussions. At a more fundamental level, civil wars often parallel the relationships between people. "Love is war" is an axiom — albeit a trite one — that pervades the American culture. After visiting South Korea as part of a five-week field study, I became intrigued by the current divide of North and South Korea. Although Korea has a history of thousands of years, a major war divided the country in the last century and any kind of reconciliation and reunion between the two seems unlikely at the present. In addition to learning about the political history of Korea, my field study also focused on the culture and traditions of Korea, including interpersonal relationships. For my thesis, I wrote a one-act play set in South Korea when war with the North seems imminent. The play is not politics-centric but, instead, focuses on the deteriorating relationship between a South Korean husband and wife to understand how relationships can be as volatile and destructive as war itself.Thesis (B.?.)Honors Colleg