--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: A local phrase book, entitled Speak in…" description: "\"“A local phrase book, entitled Speak in Korean , has the following handy expressions. In the section 'On the Way to the Hotel': 'Let's Mutilate US Impe..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b39/christopher-hitchens-117_american-imperialism_a-local-phrase-book-entitled-speak-in-ko_2869665.jpg" --- # A local phrase book, entitled Speak in Korean , has the… ![“A local phrase book, entitled Speak in Korean , has the following handy expressions. In the section 'On the Way to the Hotel': 'Let's Mutilate US Imperialism!' In the section 'Word Order': 'Yankees are wolves in human shape—Yankees / in human shape / wolves / are.' In the section 'Farewell Talk'…” quote by Christopher Hitchens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b39/christopher-hitchens-117_american-imperialism_a-local-phrase-book-entitled-speak-in-ko_2869665.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b39/christopher-hitchens-117_american-imperialism_a-local-phrase-book-entitled-speak-in-ko_2869665.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b39/christopher-hitchens-117_american-imperialism_a-local-phrase-book-entitled-speak-in-ko_2869665.jpg) > ““A local phrase book, entitled Speak in Korean , has the following handy expressions. In the section 'On the Way to the Hotel': 'Let's Mutilate US Imperialism!' In the section 'Word Order': 'Yankees are wolves in human shape—Yankees / in human shape / wolves / are.' In the section 'Farewell Talk': 'The US Imperialists are the sworn enemy of the Korean people.' Not that the book is all like this—the section 'At the Hospital' has the term solsaga ('I have loose bowels'), and the section 'Our Foreign Friends Say' contains the Korean for 'President Kim Il Sung is the sun of mankind.' I wanted a spare copy of this phrase book to give to a friend, but found it was hard to come by. Perhaps this was a sign of a new rapprochement with the United States, or perhaps it was because, on page 46, in the section on the seasons, appear the words: haemada pungnyoni dumnida ('We have a bumper harvest every year').”” [Christopher Hitchens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-hitchens/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The passage juxtaposes absurdly hostile slogans with mundane Korean expressions, highlighting contradictions and political satire. **In simple terms:** It mixes aggressive political statements with everyday language. Key Takeaway Recognize irony and question propaganda. Themes political satire language contradiction propaganda humor Mood ironic critical thought‑provoking Type satire observational political When to use this quote - reading foreign texts - teaching language - analyzing propaganda - discussing satire - examining cultural bias Key Concepts satire cultural critique political rhetoric Questions to Reflect On - How does mixing serious and trivial content affect perception? - What does this reveal about political messaging? A Different Perspective The source is unclear and may be fabricated, limiting verification. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [American imperialism](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/american-imperialism/) [Books](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/books/) [Famine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/famine/) [Imperialism](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/imperialism/) [Kim il sung](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/kim-il-sung/) [Language](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/language/) [North korea](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/north-korea/) [Propaganda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/propaganda/) [United states](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/united-states/) ## Related quotes > [“Playing pool with Korean officials one evening in the Koryo Hotel, which has become the nightspot for foreign businessmen and an increasing number of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-hitchens/playing-pool-with-korean-officials-one-evening-in-the-koryo-hotel/) [Christopher Hitchens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-hitchens/) > [“Nobody knows how many North Koreans have died or are dying in the famine—some estimates by foreign-aid groups run as high as three million…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-hitchens/nobody-knows-how-many-north-koreans-have-died-or-are-dying-in-the/) [Christopher Hitchens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-hitchens/) > [“North Korea is a famine state. 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He also suggested that it would…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henri-charriere/he-agreed-that-i-should-buy-another-dictionary-or-better-yet-a-phrase/) [Henri Charrière](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henri-charriere/) > [“It is truth, in the old saying, that is 'the daughter of time,' and the lapse of half a century has not left us…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-hitchens/it-is-truth-in-the-old-saying-that-is-the-daughter-of-time-and-the/) [Christopher Hitchens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-hitchens/) > [ \[I\]f you think that American imperialism and its globalised, capitalist form is the most dangerous thing in the world, that means you don't think… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-hitchens/i-f-you-think-that-american-imperialism-and-its-globalised-capitalist/) [Christopher Hitchens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-hitchens/) > [“Some say that because the United States was wrong before, it cannot possibly be right now, or has not the right to be right.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-hitchens/some-say-that-because-the-united-states-was-wrong-before-it-cannot/) [Christopher Hitchens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-hitchens/) > [“Chang-bo took to his bed, or rather to the quilts on the floor that was all they had left. His legs swelled up like…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barbara-demick/chang-bo-took-to-his-bed-or-rather-to-the-quilts-on-the-floor-that/) [Barbara Demick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barbara-demick/) > [“Among the privileges of being a superpower, the right and the ability to make a local quarrel into a global one ranks very high.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-hitchens/among-the-privileges-of-being-a-superpower-the-right-and-the-ability/) [Christopher Hitchens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-hitchens/) > [“Monotonous talk of the end of American hegemony, the universal cliché of the period, is mostly a way of avoiding mounting a serious opposition…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tariq-ali/monotonous-talk-of-the-end-of-american-hegemony-the-universal-clich/) [Tariq Ali](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tariq-ali/) > [An intelligence that is not humane is the most dangerous thing in the world .](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ashley-montagu/an-intelligence-that-is-not-humane-is-the-most-dangerous-thing-in-the/) [Ashley Montagu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ashley-montagu/) > [Canada's ruling circles seek to ally themselves more closely with American imperialism without giving up the economic advantages of membership in the British Empire.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tim-buck/canada-s-ruling-circles-seek-to-ally-themselves-more-closely-with/) [Tim Buck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tim-buck/) > [American imperialism has always been the imperialism that has been frightened of speaking its name. Now it's beginning to do so. In a way,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tariq-ali/american-imperialism-has-always-been-the-imperialism-that-has-been/) [Tariq Ali](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tariq-ali/) ## More by Christopher Hitchens > [“The spirit of our accurate and exact philosophy is outraged by conclusions that contradict each other so glaringly.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-hitchens/the-spirit-of-our-accurate-and-exact-philosophy-is-outraged-by/) [Christopher Hitchens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-hitchens/) > [“Many governments employ torture but this was the first time that the element of Saturnalia and pornography in the process had been made so…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-hitchens/many-governments-employ-torture-but-this-was-the-first-time-that-the/) [Christopher Hitchens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-hitchens/) > [ It's \[Los Angeles\] mostly full of nonsense and delusion and egomania. 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Why are we praised by godly men…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-hitchens/gullibility-and-credulity-are-considered-undesireable-qualities-in/) [Christopher Hitchens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-hitchens/) > [It's much worse to see a woman drunk than a man: I don't know quite why this is true but it just is. Don't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-hitchens/it-s-much-worse-to-see-a-woman-drunk-than-a-man-i-don-t-know-quite/) [Christopher Hitchens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-hitchens/) > [It's true that obscenity is a matter of taste and in the eye of the beholder.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-hitchens/it-s-true-that-obscenity-is-a-matter-of-taste-and-in-the-eye-of-the/) [Christopher Hitchens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-hitchens/) > [I worked out early on to give up things I couldn't do well at all.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-hitchens/i-worked-out-early-on-to-give-up-things-i-couldn-t-do-well-at-all/) [Christopher Hitchens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-hitchens/) > [Writing is what's important to me, and anything that helps me do that - or enhances and prolongs and deepens and sometimes intensifies argument…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-hitchens/writing-is-what-s-important-to-me-and-anything-that-helps-me-do-that/) [Christopher Hitchens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-hitchens/) [Explore all 1,241 Christopher Hitchens quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-hitchens/) ## More American imperialism quotes > [American imperialism has always been the imperialism that has been frightened of speaking its name. Now it's beginning to do so. In a way,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tariq-ali/american-imperialism-has-always-been-the-imperialism-that-has-been/) [Tariq Ali](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tariq-ali/) > [Canada's ruling circles seek to ally themselves more closely with American imperialism without giving up the economic advantages of membership in the British Empire.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tim-buck/canada-s-ruling-circles-seek-to-ally-themselves-more-closely-with/) [Tim Buck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tim-buck/) > [An intelligence that is not humane is the most dangerous thing in the world .](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ashley-montagu/an-intelligence-that-is-not-humane-is-the-most-dangerous-thing-in-the/) [Ashley Montagu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ashley-montagu/) > [“Monotonous talk of the end of American hegemony, the universal cliché of the period, is mostly a way of avoiding mounting a serious opposition…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tariq-ali/monotonous-talk-of-the-end-of-american-hegemony-the-universal-clich/) [Tariq Ali](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tariq-ali/) > [I am an anti-imperialist. I am opposed to having the eagle put its talons on any other land.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-twain/i-am-an-anti-imperialist-i-am-opposed-to-having-the-eagle-put-its/) [Mark Twain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-twain/) > [“One commonly hears that carping critics complain about what is wrong, but do not present solutions. There is an accurate translation for that charge:…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noam-chomsky/one-commonly-hears-that-carping-critics-complain-about-what-is-wrong/) [Noam Chomsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noam-chomsky/) > [“Eventually my rejection of authority spilled into self-indulgence and self-destructiveness, and by the time I enrolled in college, I'd begun to see how any…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barack-obama/eventually-my-rejection-of-authority-spilled-into-self-indulgence-and/) [Barack Obama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barack-obama/) > [“Among the privileges of being a superpower, the right and the ability to make a local quarrel into a global one ranks very high.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-hitchens/among-the-privileges-of-being-a-superpower-the-right-and-the-ability/) [Christopher Hitchens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-hitchens/) > [Love is the most dangerous thing in the world.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jennifer-beals/love-is-the-most-dangerous-thing-in-the-world/) [Jennifer Beals](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jennifer-beals/) > [It is important to eliminate the stigma created by American imperialism and its allies regarding the Cuban political system. That stigma must be eliminated.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alejandro-castro-espin/it-is-important-to-eliminate-the-stigma-created-by-american/) [Alejandro Castro Espin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alejandro-castro-espin/) > [“As to the efficacy of the policy recommended by Rostow, it speaks for itself: no country, once underdeveloped, ever managed to develop By Rostow's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andr-gunder-frank/as-to-the-efficacy-of-the-policy-recommended-by-rostow-it-speaks-for/) [André Gunder Frank](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andr-gunder-frank/) > [“America capital has taken up this easy banner of world disorder and we are simply the poor willing fools that follow on behind. We…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-aldridge/america-capital-has-taken-up-this-easy-banner-of-world-disorder-and/) [James Aldridge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-aldridge/) > [Theres no hope, none, of ever talking about it without pissing somebody, if not everybody, off...By the end of this hour I will be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-bourdain/theres-no-hope-none-of-ever-talking-about-it-without-pissing-somebody/) [Anthony Bourdain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthony-bourdain/) > [Today, in American imperialism, the commodity has reached its most grandiose historical manifestation.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/c-l-r-james/today-in-american-imperialism-the-commodity-has-reached-its-most/) [C. L. R. James](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/c-l-r-james/) > [“The two main criminals are France and the United States. They owe Haiti enormous reparations because of actions going back hundreds of years. If…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noam-chomsky/the-two-main-criminals-are-france-and-the-united-states-they-owe/) [Noam Chomsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noam-chomsky/) [Browse all 37 American imperialism quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/american-imperialism/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“A local phrase book, entitled Speak in Korean , has the following handy expressions. In the section 'On the Way to the Hotel': 'Let's Mutilate US Imperialism!' In the section 'Word Order': 'Yankees are wolves in human shape—Yankees / in human shape / wolves / are.' In the section 'Farewell Talk': 'The US Imperialists are the sworn enemy of the Korean people.' Not that the book is all like this—the section 'At the Hospital' has the term solsaga ('I have loose bowels'), and the section 'Our Foreign Friends Say' contains the Korean for 'President Kim Il Sung is the sun of mankind.' I wanted a spare copy of this phrase book to give to a friend, but found it was hard to come by. 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