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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 689 of 689)
10321. Sounds to me like he had alot of emmotional pain. That he dircted towards athority figures. Corse, I could just be reading too much into it.
Eric at 11:14PM on Aug 11th 2007
10322. Look, this kid wrote a poor play, just as violent as any movie, and you're all trying to psychoanalyse it to death. It's completely impenetrable. Who cares anyway? He killed 32 people. In Iraq the same day a suicide bomber killed 150. Not that anyone cares, because they're all so far away. America is the real problem, not this kid. America created the society he flipped in, supplied the guns. America invaded Iraq and turned it into a bloody massacre. How about focus on your government and social conditioning before trying to psychoanalyse this kid? He's no Shakespeare...
Mr Pinks at 6:44AM on Aug 19th 2007
10323. A moment of silent to pray for all those who is no longer with us. I'd like to share a little story of the cultural diversity with all of you. One of the main reason that make an Asian guy feel left out of a society is RACISM and MAKING FUN OF THEIR PEOPLE. For example, the Hispanic people seeing an Asian guy and call him "CHINO" or CHINESE RIGHT AWAY. This is happen nowaday and some people don't really like to be called like that at all because they got a name to be call and they want you say their "NAMED" not WHAT UP'S DOG!!!. Another thing is never making fun of an ASIAN when they are SPEAKING. AMERICA IS HAD A CLASSICAL DIVERSITY ETHNICITY. WE HAD MILLIONS OF PEOPLE FROM DIFFERENT BACKGROUND. NEVER MAKE FUN OF THEIR ACCENT even when they didn't speak it right. Don't make them feel like they are left out!!! You turn them into a LONER, it will created ISOLATION and turn them down more. Its not doing any good when you're making fun of somebody that way. If you want to be friend with them then be friendly. If you want to fixed it, find a god dawn right time and fix the problem....friendly talk. Don't make fun of them in front of a crowded...Specially making fun for everybody to laugh and one person remain silent. Asian people get along with people very well and they're reserved sometimes.....Not much more to talked....SAD STORY!!! WE NEED TO LEARN A LESSON...I just hope that we human being can be together as a human race and not of a skin color!!!
Anonymous at 12:36AM on Aug 25th 2007
10324. this is a sad event and as i am out of the states i can only imagine the feeling their. however having spent a number of years in USA (including the time around sap 11) i know you guys have the ability to stand together when it gets rough. the important thing here is not to finger point as musch and find out WHO to blame but more find a solution to the escilating problem (not saying gun control or bans) just come to a solution.
Hind sight is a great thing but the could have and would haves will not change what has happened and wont bring people back. solutions are looking forward not back.
my personal best to the familys and friends of those lost. simon New Zealand.
simon at 3:05AM on Sep 23rd 2007
10325. This is disturbing, yes. But this level of misogyny, anger, and obsession with vengeance is familiar; I saw it in several of my own students. Listen to adolescent boys: far too many of them speak and think this way. Maybe it doesn't carry over into actions--not yet, anyway.
A former college writing teacher at 9:08PM on Oct 3rd 2007
10326. I think it is awful that so many of you are throwing mean comments back and forth at one another in these blogs. This is not the time.
Veronica at 8:50AM on Oct 18th 2007
10327. Everyone please remember that hindsight is 20/20. What they realize they could have done now was not clear to them a year ago. Very few people would actually go crazy and shoot 32 people. I mean, Quentin Tarantino's movies are about as twisted as this, but nobody has accused him if being a possible killer.
Liz at 11:21PM on Oct 18th 2007
10328. you guys are all idiots you gotta think about both think about how the guy was treated and think about how the people who died, died they all didnt deserve that an niether did the shooter no body deserves that you kno people make mistakes and its our job to forgive its not that easy but we jus hav to From A 14yr old g
a gurl at 7:24AM on Nov 22nd 2007
10329. This guy was an ENGLISH major? A senior at a state University? This really blows my mind. Does anyone know if the plays were turned in for a grade? He was truly a horrendous writer. Prior to the shootings he was said to have been experiencing "a profound sense of failure." I wonder if someone tied him to a chair and forced him to view a PowerPoint presentation of his life's works as a writer.
Matt at 7:50PM on Jan 29th 2008
10330. (Please ignore if this is a duplicate)
The only thing that catches my attention about the two plays is that both feature an accusation of child molestation.
mieoux at 7:42PM on Mar 21st 2008
10331. I seriously can not beleive this. I'm at school right now bawling my eyes out. Why did something like this have to happen? Cho will pay. His day HAS come. burn on hell. seriously. God bless all of those family's that have to suffer.... God bless..
morgan at 12:38PM on Mar 28th 2008
10332. Ok, this is getting ridiculous. The plays were disturbing, but what is more disturbing is some of the comment on this site. How can people still be belittling someone who left a valid comment 345 comments before yours. Not to mention at least 25 people made the SAME comment! Then you have people talking about soaps interrupted, Muslims, and illegal! This is crazy. Life is more important than a TV show, he was not Muslim (even if he was, SO WHAT), and he was a legal American (he came here when he was 8). And 336, does it make you feel tough to make fun of a kid? That 9th grader (200) had a good point, and it went right over you head. Maybe you should take a class in compassion. You are supposed to lead by example, not follow those other rude people like a lemming.
This kid needed help. Forget the plays. They could have been something from his past, or they could have been the next twisted Hollywood movie. Nobody could have known for sure. But, what should have been taken as a cry for help was his actual cry for help. He IM ed one of his roommates that he wanted to kill himself. The roommate didn't do anything, and left him alone on campus during a break. How could he have made it more clear. On top of that, the same guy and one of his other roommate said they knew that Cho had stalked at least 3 woman. Why did they not say something then? This hole thing is sad. If it teaches us anything it should be to show compassion to people who are different than us, don't shut them out because you think they are weird. Speak up if you think someone needs HELP!!
Jennifer at 12:04PM on May 7th 2008
10333. Does anyone know if he had a history of being bullied, perhaps in elementary and high school? Many victims of bullies end up like this. Bullies suck. Still, homeboy overreacted just a little.
Proud Geek at 9:31PM on Aug 8th 2008
10334. I think Cho is so poor,
So, he is don't know what is love also don't know what is warm and fragrant.
Drastic infantile autism，desperate lonely and none of concept’s view of life is all of he.
But...
I think no matter you is poor or other by now,as a korean is enough.
Hereafter at 4:03AM on Sep 3rd 2008