TOEFL Essay #1

Exorcism is a removal of evil spirits from a person or a place throughout a unique ritual. It is performed with a request of a subject person who suffers from the spirits of the dead. The exorcist arrives at the subject's house with request. Throughout a sacred process, the exorcist drives the spirits away from the house. Meanwhile, the subject prepares a great feast, which works as a compensation for the spirits. All of this only makes sense in Korea's exorcism. To sum up, Korea's tradtitional exorcim relieves wicked spirits and brings back peace. Korea has a very long history of its own traditional exorcism, and this custom enhances the situation of both individual and community. In fact, it consoles the subject and promotes the community’s solidarity at once. This is why I would like people from other countries to adopt this custom peculiar to Korea.

Most importantly, Korea’s traditional exorcism consoles living people and enables them to overcome harsh situations. Generally, exorcism focuses on comforting the dead and wicked spirits. Interestingly, the objective of a Korean exorcist is far behind this. During the ritual, the exorcist constantly attempts to relieve the subject by saying that the evil spirit is driven out. It does not end on merely kicking out the spirit. Trusting the exorcist, the subject relaxes and gains hope to get over with the tough condition. For instance, these rituals were frequently held in years of famine in the Chosun Dynasty. People who were suffering from poor harvest desperately longed for these rituals. Of course, these did not promise the subject an entirely better future. In fact, Korean exorcism opens the “possibility” of the situation becoming better. This possibility relies on the effort of the subject. Perhaps this aspect is why Korean exorcism equips people with power to fight with difficult circumstances. On the other hand, many other types of exorcism irresponsibly promise people a bright tomorrow. This makes the people lack the will to overcome the present.

Indifference to neighbors can be resolved by Korean traditional exorcism. In the modern society, people do not know who is living next door. They do not even bother. What this world need is something that every community member can participate in. Not everyone can play sports or computer games. Actually, this custom of Korea is something that fits into this criterion. The ritual itself only concentrates on the subject and the wicked spirit. However, what happens after it is what contributes to alleviate indifference. In Korean exorcism, the subject prepares a huge feast which is “The Last Supper” for the evil spirit. But are these foods put into the trash can when the ritual is over? No. They are given to the community people who have prayed together for the subject. The subject happily shares the food because prays of other people helps the spirit go far away from the neighborhood. Consequently, a warm bond is formed between every single person of the neighborhood. Therefore, Korea’s exorcism is more than praying and eating. It solves the most severe problem that the modern society has: indifference.

Not every person in the world wants to be consoled or become friendlier with neighbors. But surely, numerous individuals do; they just do not have the opportunity. And those who are negative to consolation or bond with the community are the ones who must be urgently treated with the traditional Korean exorcism. Unfortunately, people living in other countries probably never even heard of this traditional custom. That is exactly why I want them to adopt this custom, letting them gain hope in life and close relationships with next door families.