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The Gwangju Uprising was a pro-democracy movement that took place in South Korea in May 1980. After years of military dictatorship, citizens—led largely by students—protested against the extension of martial law and the authoritarian seizure of power by General Chun Doo-hwan. In response, the government deployed paratroopers to violently suppress the demonstrations. Over several days, hundreds of civilians were killed, injured, or disappeared. Though initially silenced, the uprising became a powerful symbol of resistance and shaped South Korea’s struggle for democracy. Click the image or the title to learn more.
One of the most striking aspects of the text is its ability to capture the psychological impact of violence. Through the various narratives, the story explores how trauma lingers in the body and mind, disrupting identity, memory, and emotional connection. It reveals how violence fractures individuals and communities alike, not only through physical suffering but through lasting psychological wounds.
Look through these slides to see some concepts that you can apply in your analysis. Each one offers a lens through which to interpret the characters' experiences and the broader emotional landscape of Human Acts.
Click the link above or the image of the book cover to access a PDF version of this text. Whilst having a digital version of the text is useful, it might also be a good idea to buy a hard copy of the text so that you can make annotations as you read. Don't forget, the more active you are as you read, the better your understanding of the text will be.
Use this study pack to organise your notes on the text. Keeping your notes together like this will help you track patterns across the text, make connections to other texts, and prepare for assessments in the future.
Click the image or the title above to access some resources that could help you analyse novels. These resources explain and demonstrate the ways that we analyse various aspects of novels.
What do you think the title Human Acts suggests about the relationship between humanity and violence?
Some people say, “We shouldn’t judge the past by the standards of today.” How does this idea complicate your understanding of the Gwangju Uprising as depicted in the novel?
How did you respond emotionally to the novel’s portrayal of physical and emotional trauma? Did any character’s story affect you more than others?
Han Kang uses multiple narrative perspectives throughout the novel. How does this influence the way we experience truth and memory?
How does the depiction of censorship and silence shape your understanding of history and personal identity?
Did you find the fragmented structure of the novel effective in conveying the aftermath of violence? Why or why not?
How did the recurring theme of the body—its suffering, its desecration, its memory—impact your reading experience?
Is it possible to read Human Acts as a story about resilience as much as about trauma?
What do you think Han Kang is suggesting about the relationship between individual suffering and collective memory?
Can literature like Human Acts function as a form of political resistance? Why or why not?
Human Acts often explores what happens not just to the body, but to the soul in the aftermath of violence. How did the novel shape or challenge your understanding of what it means to preserve or lose one’s soul?
How does the novel comment on the psychological impacts of violence?
How do narrative techniques explore the theme of PTSD?
In what ways does the novel criticise authoritarian regimes and their tactics?
How does the novel highlight the use of censorship by governments?
In what ways does the novel celebrate acts of defiance against authoritarianism?
How does the novel represent violence against women?
How does Han Kang use narrative perspective and shifts in point of view to explore the persistence of trauma across time?
In what ways does Human Acts critique political oppression and the erasure of memory?
Analyse the symbolic role of the body in Human Acts. How is it used to convey both vulnerability and dignity?
How does the novel explore the relationship between personal memory and collective history?
To what extent does Han Kang use fragmentation and nonlinear structure to mirror the disorienting effects of grief and violence?
Discuss how censorship operates as a form of violence in Human Acts and its impact on the survivors' identities.
How does the novel portray resilience in the face of systemic brutality?
In what ways does Human Acts blur the boundary between fiction and testimony, and what is the significance of this blurring?
How does Han Kang challenge the idea of martyrdom through her portrayal of the victims of Gwangju?
How might Human Acts be interpreted through a postmodern lens, particularly regarding its treatment of history, memory, and fragmented narrative?
In what ways does Human Acts address questions of class, particularly in the depiction of who bears the brunt of political violence?
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