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AOL News has obtained two plays a classmate says were written by Cho Seung-Hui. Ian MacFarlane, the former classmate and current AOL employee, provided us with the plays. A note from Mr. MacFarlane and links to the works appear below.What happened yesterday:
When I first heard about the multiple shootings at Virginia Tech yesterday, my first thought was about my friends, and my second thought was "I bet it was Seung Cho."
Cho was in my playwriting class last fall, and nobody seemed to think much of him at first. He would sit by himself whenever possible, and didn't like talking to anyone. I don't think I've ever actually heard his voice before. He was just so quiet and kept to himself. Looking back, he fit the exact stereotype of what one would typically think of as a "school shooter" – a loner, obsessed with violence, and serious personal problems. Some of us in class tried to talk to him to be nice and get him out of his shell, but he refused talking to anyone. It was like he didn't want to be friends with anybody. One friend of mine tried to offer him some Halloween candy that she still had, but he slowly shook his head, refusing it. He just came to class every day and submitted his work on time, as I understand it.
A major part of the playwriting class was peer reviews. We would write one-act plays and submit them to an online repository called Blackboard for everyone in the class to read and comment about in class the next day. Typically, the students give their opinions about the plays and suggest ways to make it better, the professor gives his insights, then asks the author to comment about the play in class.
When we read Cho's plays, it was like something out of a nightmare. The plays had really twisted, macabre violence that used weapons I wouldn't have even thought of. Before Cho got to class that day, we students were talking to each other with serious worry about whether he could be a school shooter. I was even thinking of scenarios of what I would do in case he did come in with a gun, I was that freaked out about him. When the students gave reviews of his play in class, we were very careful with our words in case he decided to snap. Even the professor didn't pressure him to give closing comments.
After hearing about the mass shootings, I sent one of my friends a Facebook message asking him if he knew anything about Seung Cho and if he could have been involved. He replied: "dude that's EXACTLY what I was thinking! No, I haven't heard anything, but seriously, that was the first thing I thought when I heard he was Asian."
While I "knew" Cho, I always wished there was something I could do for him, but I couldn't think of anything. As far as notifying authorities, there isn't (to my knowledge) any system set up that lets people say "Hey! This guy has some issues! Maybe you should look into this guy!" If there were, I definitely would have tried to get the kid some help. I think that could have had a good chance of averting yesterday's tragedy more than anything.
While I was hesitant at first to release these plays (because I didn't know if there are laws against it), I had to put myself in the shoes of the average person researching this situation. I'd want to know everything I could about the killer to figure out what could drive a person to do something like this and hopefully prevent it in the future. Also, I hope this might help people start caring about others more no matter how weird they might seem, because if this was some kind of cry for attention, then he should have gotten it a long time ago.
As far as the victims go, as I was heading to bed last night, I heard that my good friend Stack (Ryan Clark) was one of the first confirmed dead. I didn't want to believe that I'd never get to talk to him again, and all I could think about was how much I could tell him how much his friendship meant to me. During my junior year, Ryan, another friend and I used to get breakfast on Tuesdays and Thursdays at Shultz Dining Hall, one of the cafeterias on campus, and it was always the highlight of my day. He could talk forever it seemed and always made us laugh. He was a good friend, not just to me, but to a lot of people, and I'll miss him a lot.
Click on the links below the read the plays. WARNING: the plays contain profanity and scenes with disturbing content.
- Read Play #1: 'Richard McBeef'
- Read Play #2: 'Mr. Brownstone'
Reader Comments ( Page 4 of 689)
46. Yet another reason , why illegal aliens need to be sent back home , a week or so ago an illegal drunk hispanic plowed into a 17 and a 19 year old girl , killing them both this happened in Virginia beach
Mary at 3:20PM on Apr 17th 2007
47. apparently he can shoot better than he can write
guy at 4:48PM on Apr 17th 2007
48. "Richard Mcbeef"? WTF? That was supposed to be disturbing? That was shit. I write better than that.
Angie at 2:50PM on Apr 17th 2007
49. Want to find answers? Speak to his family. The first question is: Why didn't somebody intervene before this dude made the transition from psycho to homicidal psycho? No warning signs? He was just a nice, normal kid and then - abra cadabra - decided to become a mass murderer? Please, give me a break.
Somebody knew something and did nothing. It's always that way. "Yeah, we knew he owned an anti-tank gun but we never thought he'd use it." Well, he used it and now thee are 32 other families devestated by loss and grief.
When will we all grow up? Ever? I hope so.
thebigmancat at 3:33PM on Apr 17th 2007
50. Has anyone looked into his early childhood years and home life? His writing indicates that there's something there.
ssaylorhna at 2:50PM on Apr 17th 2007
51. What trash! Someone should have called the brain squad on this kid right from the start. I blame the professor and the members of his class.
What kind of a school allowed this caliber of student to reach senior status?
Dev Stack at 3:02PM on Apr 17th 2007
52. The fact that students were concerned of a kid who might be a school shooter and didnt say anything about it is just unbelievably stupid, 33 people lost their lives do to the failure of his classmates to act. That is horrible! This tragedy shouldnt of happened, the fact that it did is beyond logical
runescape4life04 at 2:52PM on Apr 17th 2007
53. Thanks for sharing your point of view Stacy. You having been exposed to the killer gives us a sort of visual insight and dynamic to the killer's mind set leading us up to this horrific event. I am sorry for the loss of your friends. It's Truly Heartbreaking. My prayers are with you all.
Kay at 2:50PM on Apr 17th 2007
54. This was a horribly written "ACT"--but aside from that, why wouldn't the Professor have done something. Told school counselors, the principal--SOMETHING! Reading that, you might actually think he might have been trapped in a 13 year old mind set and he was enacting his OWN troublesome life?! I understand why the peers didn't want to say/do something-he's a loose cannon! The professor didn't have to say something to him directly, just letting the right people know may have resulted in a different situation than what VT has had to suffer for...
Jennifer at 3:03PM on Apr 17th 2007
55. This is the work of an English Major? Yes, as a Journalism teacher, I would certainly say if I received some garbage like this from one of my students I would definately want to observer them over the course of the class. There are many people who believe in a connection between what we think and what we do. Cho certainly had a lot of negativity. It will be interesting to see what kind of relationships he had and what his home life was like. Sounds like he's been exposed to domestic violence and a shoddy family life. What a shame! What a tragedy!
Kevan at 2:53PM on Apr 17th 2007
56. dude is nuts clearly
chmibb at 2:51PM on Apr 17th 2007
57. WHOA! Where does one begin? When I read on and began to think of this person and who came to our country to attend school, I see some skewed vision of american culture that this young man had, I also see family problems that cleary cross racial and geographical borders. I also get a glimpse of a radical and physcotic mind, and something tells me that there was absolutly no way of stopping this person short of catching him in the act.
How do we force a person who is this damaged to get help? Even if help is given what is to say the depression and sadness wont return? I just dont have a clue as to how and when to save an individual that is this far removed from hope.
|D|J at 3:28PM on Apr 17th 2007
58. I can't believe this play,, where the hell are his parents something must have happened in his life to write things such as this...how horrible
steph at 2:51PM on Apr 17th 2007
59. MY HEART GOES OUT TO ALL OF THE FAMILIES THAT HAS LOST THERE LOVES ONES. THIS IS A TIME WHEN WE WISH FOR ANOTHER HOUR WITH OUR CHILDREN OR FRIENDS. AS IF OUR FAMILIES SUFFER WE ALL SUFFER ALONG WITH THESE FAMILIES. WE AS MOTHERS FATHERS ETC, KNOW WHAT IT IS TO LOVE AND ALWAYS WANT WHATS BEST FOR OUR CHILDREN, YET NOT EVENA SCHOOL CAN KEEP OUR CHILDREN SAFETY. I SAY THAT THESE OFFICERS NEED TO DO A LOT MORE THAN JUST STAND AROUND WHILE THEREIS A SHOOTING IN PLACE. WHY WASN'T THE SCHOOL LOCK DOWN? SO MANY QUESTION AND NO ANSWER WHY, BECAUSE THEY FAILED OUR CHILDREN. MY HEART GOES OUT TO ALL OF THE FAMILIES FRIENDS AND STUDENTS.WE AS MOTHERS SUFFER ALONG WITH YOU ALL. WE AS PEOPLE HURT AND FEEL SO MUCH PAIN. MAY GOD BLESS US ALL AND MAY GOD GUIDE US THROUGH OUT THIS PAIN. TURN TO HIM FOR HE WILL PUT PEASE IN YOUR HEARTS. BELEAVE IN HIM AND HE WOULD SHOW YOU HOW YOUR CHILDREN ARE SAFE AND HAPPY WITH HIM AND SOON WHEN ITS YOUR CHANCES YOU WILL BE WITH THEM AGAIN. TO THE, WE NEED JUSTICES. GOD BLESS MY THE LORD HEAL US ALL THROUGH THIS PAIN. MAY THE LORD KEEP OUR LOVE ONES SAFE NOW AND FOREVER AFTER ALL WE WILL ALWAYS HAVE LIFE WITH HIM.
VICKY at 2:52PM on Apr 17th 2007
60. Wow, this is so disturbing! I don't understand why nothing was done after he had turned this in!
Kristy at 2:57PM on Apr 17th 2007