Yasunari Kawabata

his imperfections by intoxicating himself and engaging in lustful affairs, but ultimately the cycle of shame continues. Ignoring or hiding from the world is not a sufficient escape from the shame associated with one’s identity. I will argue that Kawabata uses the art of subtle cues in order to convey that shame can be transferred, and shame must be confronted directly to overcome vulnerabilities

The main character, Jaanus, in the play The Shipbuilder faces hostility due to the fact that he is eccentric and keeps to himself. Although he is different from the general population it is the people, including his brother Yuki, who are both ignorant and intolerant creating a negative atmosphere for Jaanus to live in. The reader can see that throughout the play, Jaanus faces animosity throughout his life. For example, he faces it in his home country, Finland, by the people in town, after getting

Love can be twisted, tangled, and tortuous. Gail Tsukiyama analyzes this concept within her novel, The Samurai’s Garden. Amidst the Second Sino Japanese War is a young Chinese man named Stephen, who travels to the small village of Tarumi in order to recover from tuberculosis. On his journey, he encounters a young Japanese woman by the name of Keiko. Soon enough, they become deeply fond of one another. Torn by their racial differences, Stephen and Keiko must end their once-thriving relationship. In

Hopeless lovers of societies duty leads to death The Love Suicides of Amijima, written by Chikamatsu Monzaemon in 1712, was a work of literature that was considered one of a masterpiece in Japan (Puncher). This play was popular because it expresses the lifestyle of the Japanese people and how they viewed society. This was also one of the Japan cultures favorite play (Shively). Monzaemon was known as one of the most important figures in modern japan (Rimer). Monzaemon was born with a different name

Loneliness in Kokoro and The Nose Loneliness is a central theme in both Sōseki’s work Kokoro and Akutagawa’s work “The Nose”, and this theme is fully explored through the protagonists and their tragic stories. Sōseki’s detailed narrative of Sensei unveils a tale of loneliness caused by the protagonists' struggle with the past and inability to adapt to great social change. While Akutagawa’s well-crafted depiction of Naigu presents a lonely man with an abnormal nose who is forced by society’s cruelty

Mishima’s use of the death and sea motif in The Sailor Who Fell from Grace with the Sea to develop the pre-war male ideal character “A samurai should always be prepared for death – whether his own or someone else’s” – Stan Sakai. Mishima’s novel The Sailor Who Fell from Grace with the Sea explores the pre-war male gender in Japan. Mishima uses the motifs of death and sea to convey the powerful and detached character. The use of these motifs creates a sense of machismo within the male society in

In the book Kitchen, Banana Yoshimoto embellishes the importance of Mikages mental health and her relationships with Yuichi and Eriko by using the characteristics of seasons to emulate these relationships and their ability to change constantly. Throughout the book, Yoshimoto uses the regrowth of springtime, happiness of summer, downward spiral of fall, and sorrow of winter to enhance the changes occurring among MIkage and her relationships with others. The beginning of the novel Kitchen takes place

Customs and beliefs is what make up a tradition, and tradition is the way one lives their life. In the novel, The Sound of Waves, Yukio Mishima exposed his own view on Japanese traditionalism. Throughout this novel, it is shown that Yukio Mishima believed that Japanese tradition consists of an organized social class, the Bushido code, and going after what one truly believes should be theirs. Mishima illustrated these personal views of Japanese traditionalism through the actions of the Shinji.

Candidate Name: David Wilson Candidate Number: School: Scots College Country: New Zealand Word count: 1425 Reflective Statement My understanding of the novel The Sailor Who Fell from Grace with The Sea written by Yukio Mishima was considerably furthered by the interactive oral. My ideas on the text before compared to my thoughts after the oral were greatly different. One of the major talking points of the interactive oral was the how the author voiced his own personal thoughts. Most works of literature

Snow Activity In the “Snow” by Julia Alvarez, Yolando, an immigrant, describes the world around her during a time of war. She notes that the English words that she is picks up or learns at school are all related to war. She is fascinated yet scared with her surroundings. My first impression Yolando’s experience is similar to an Asian immigrant just arriving to the United States trying to transition to their new “home”. Even though I can’t relate to her in the aspect of living in a time of war, I