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Lesson 9

Expressing Feelings

Do you express your romantic feelings of love or

affection? Or do you keep them bottled up inside, but

showing it non- verbally nevertheless? Are you the type who
writes love letters filled with yearning emotions? Or do you

keep it unsaid- expecting your love to be implied and under-
stood? For many people, it’s important to show how you feel,

and to talk about it with your friend, lover, or parents. Of course,
words without actions are mere noise. Tender promises not

kept are empty. This is a universal truth. But aren’t words important too, and

wouldn’t they make a great combination with actions? Having been brought up
to be inexpressive, many Koreans find it “not themselves” to say “I love you”.
Of course, it doesn’t mean that these people are not affectionate, only that they

aren’t vocal about it. I heard this story about a couple, in a car, married for 20

years. They drove in silence. Out of the blue, the husband said,” honey, I love
you”. Upon hearing this- the first time in 20 yearsthe wife was caught in a ter-

rible surprise...and she hit a tree. The point is, love expressed in words take
on a great impact when said at an unexpected moment, not

frequently and predictably. On the other hand, it doesn’t hurt to say I love you
as much as you can. In fact, it can do a world of good.

Comprehension

1. According to the article, how are Koreans when it comes to expressing love?
2. When is love expressed on a great impact?

Questions

1. How about you? What do you think about expressing feelings?
2. How about anger? Do you express it? Should we repress it?
3. Talk about the good points and bad points of expressing feelings freely.

Vocabulary & Expressions
Affection: fond attachment, devotion, or love
Verbally: consisting of or in the form of words
Yearnings: A persistent, often wistful or melancholy desire
Tender: affectionate or loving
Inexpensive: not expensive; not high in price
Brought up: raised
Bottled up inside: kept in secret

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