Thursday, December 26, 2019

Musuis Story - 1634 Words

Musui’s Story: A Transition From Isolation to Interaction The varying social interactions between status groups in Katsu Kokichi’s autobiography, Musui’s Story, convey a shift from the hierarchically strict Heian/Kamakura epochs to the more socially open late Tokugawa period. Throughout the work, Katsu illustrates his various dealings and communications with peasants, merchants, artisans and fellow samurai. While in theory a social hierarchy still presided, Musui’s Story dismisses the notion that social groups remained isolated from each other, as in previous Japanese eras, and instead reveals that people of Japan in the late-Tokugawa-era mingled with one another during their lives, regardless of their social status. Considering the†¦show more content†¦Katsu begins to dabble in selling swords, as well as learning how to do shadow lotteries, deeds clearly at odds with samurai ideals, yet they represent the stark reality of Katsu’s monetary situation (Katsu 74, 84). Katsu evolves into a unique figure beca use, while he does not always follow samurai ideals, he does realize the weight his status holds, and he does not shy away from using it to acquire privileges that he would not receive otherwise. Because of his social standing and his benevolent nature, even Katsu’s friends come to his aid with money, as they create a savings association and place Katsu as the head without even having to put in an initial payment (Katsu 95). Another example would include an incident near the end of the autobiography, where Katsu goes out of his way to bail out his landlord by tricking the villagers that he would use his samurai status to shame them in the eyes of the Osaka magistrate (Katsu 129-142). Essentially, Katsu gains a mastery of using his samurai ideals to help his maligned reality, and through it he can call in favors, rely on his friends for monetary support, and use his status to awe members of society. While ongoing change became the status quo in late-Tokugawa era Japan the ideals of the samurai—and the respect they receive—endured. And, because samurai could still fall back on the prestige their class represented, members of society stillShow MoreRelatedMusuis Story1289 Words   |  6 PagesMusuis Story The time after the fifteen hundreds marked a time of great change in Asian countries. Places like China saw a new dynasty take control of the country. And almost every Asian civilization from India to Indonesia came in contact with people from western nations which changed the way people did business and the way Asians viewed the world. Japan, however, seemed to keep separate from the rest of Asia in the way that they were hesitant to deal with westerners. Despite their separatenessRead MoreMusuis Story1612 Words   |  7 PagesNewsletter for October 6-10 Musui s Story is a samurai s autobiography that portrays the Tokugawa society as it was lived during Katsu Kokichi s life (1802 - 1850). Katsu Kokichi (or Musui) was a man born into a family with hereditary privilege of audience with the shogun, yet he lived a life unworthy of a samurai s way, running protection racket, cheating, stealing, and lying. Before we discuss how Musui s lifestyle was against the codes that regulated the behavior of the samurai, it isRead MoreKatsu Kokichi’S Autobiography, â€Å"Musui’S Story,† Documents1324 Words   |  6 PagesKatsu Kokichi’s autobiography, â€Å"Musui’s Story,† documents the life of a samurai in Japan’s late Tokugawa period who adopted the name Musui in his retirement. Katsu is something of a black sheep within his family, being largely uneducated and deemed unfit for the bureaucratic office s samurai of his standing were expected to hold. As such, he typifies in many ways the lower ronin, or masterless samurai, many of whom famously led roaming, directionless lives and wreaked havoc among the urban poorRead MoreIn Today’S World, Japan Is Up There As One Of The Most1324 Words   |  6 Pageslegendary Miyamoto Musashi and his predecessor, Itto Ittosai, who both boast undefeated records in combat throughout the entire course of their life. Those two samurai are what fit into Most people’s ideas of what a samurai is meant to be. However, Musui’s story provides us with an autobiography of a samurai, Katsu Kokichi, who does not at all fit in with all these generalizations associated with samurai. Our storyteller in fact ascends from quite a high ranked clan evident of their one hundred koku ofRead More Japans Post War Economic Journey Essay1856 Words   |  8 PagesNew York, NY: About Japan: A Teachers Resource. Retrieved from http://aboutjapan.japansociety.org/content.cfm/postwar_japan_1952-1989 Johnson, R. (2005). Six men who built the modern auto industry. Motorbooks. Katsu, K., Craig, T. (1991). Musuis story, the autobiography of a tokugawa samurai. Univ of Arizona Pr. Nakata, Y., Mosk, C. The demand for college education in post war japan. University of Alabama. Retrieved from http://www.cba.ua.edu/assets/docs/efl/WP_114.pdf Murata, S., Stern

Wednesday, December 18, 2019

Feminism and Racism in African American Literature

Throughout literature, feminism and racism have played crucial roles in the lives of the characters and plotlines in stories and novels. Audiences are captivated by the drama a character must face in order to succeed in life or society. This struggle to overcome personal discrimination and adversity has transcended centuries and genres of literature. African American literature is no exception. Authors of African American literature would base the events that were taking place in the world around them and incorporate them into their novels. Often times this was the only voice African Americans had in society. The treatment of African Americans in America was filled with brutality and hate. However, they have also suffered by the attempts†¦show more content†¦They quickly begin a secret relationship, and before long she runs away with him to get married. However, she will soon learn that life with Joe is no fairy tale either. Joe, or as Janie called him Jody, had dreams of becoming a big voice in Eatonville, Florida. He soon becomes mayor, postmaster, storekeeper, and even the biggest landlord in the town. He viewed Janie as a typical trophy wife who was to be seen and never heard from. He hoped to transform her into what he felt the perfect example of a mayors wife should be. She was beautiful, and in his opinion, should provide a certain example of how a woman of character should behave. At first she gives into Jodys ideas on how she should be acting; however, after 20 years of being silent, Janie finally has her fill. The store that Jody and Janie owned had become a hang out for several of the men in Eatonville. It was a place for them to swap stories about their days and even their families. Jody, wanting to be an example of how an important member of society was to act, never wanted to be outdone by these men. He would not allow her to express her opinions or thoughts, and would not allow her to stand up for herself or women when she overheard the degrading conversations that the men were having. He made a constant effort to prove his control over Janie byShow MoreRelatedLangston Hughes : Black Poets Impact On African American Literature857 Words   |  4 PagesUniversity Black Poets Impact In African American Literature Michael Winston English 132-11 Prof. Dr. Harmon 11-20-2017 African American literature is literature written from African descents that focused on the early time to recent time movements. Early as the 1700’s and late as the 1900’s where African American literature was in progress. Poetry was a substantial part of African American literature, because black poets talked about culture, racism, slavery, and equality rights. BlackRead MoreBlack Oppression By Huey P. Newton1202 Words   |  5 PagesMost of the literature on black oppression fails to take into account the struggle of black women in a society filled with injustice. As evidenced in Huey P. Newtons â€Å"To Die for the People† Newton argues that the black man often blames himself for his own failure because he lacks the sophistication needed to understand that society, and parenting have failed him. He believes that political institutions attempt to hold black people captive. Newton states, â€Å"the black male faces a hostile environmentRead MoreRace And Gender Roles : The Women On The Porch As Southern Gothic Literature893 Words   |  4 PagesSouthern literature, the portrayal of female characters evolved along side with the Southern culture. Female characters became more independent, strong-willed, and hardworking. Even African Americans became the main characters in Southern literature. In â€Å"Caroline Gordon’s Ghosts: The Women on the Porch as Southern Gothic Literature†, Tanfer Tunc discusses the evolution of the female character in Southern literature. Tunc also notes that traces of racism can still be found in Southern literature. EvenRead MoreYou Can t Write An Honest Novel About Race1492 Words   |  6 Pagesbook is about the immigrant’s quest: self-invention, which is  the  American subject† (Raboteau). However, no academic articles have been written about the novel. This thesis will argue that Americanah offers an outside perspective on what it means to be black in America and therefore contributes to understanding the notion of race and gender in African American literature. The first chapter will describe African American literature and the role of race and gender. The second chapter will explain postcolonialRead MoreAnalysis Of The Movie Their Eyes Were Watching God 1065 Words   |  5 PagesAditya Ramkumar Ms. Gould Honors American Literature 7 April 2017 The Analysis of Race Relations instead of Feminism Throughout the history of the United States, race relations have proven to be a major issue. From slavery in the early years of the nation to Jim Crow laws, African Americans have been continually oppressed in US history. The Harlem Renaissance, provoked by national prosperity in the Roaring 20s, propelled the progress of creative writing within the black community, helping form aRead MoreAfrican American And Post Colonial Criticism1341 Words   |  6 Pages2017 African American and Post-Colonial Criticism The discussion of African American theory must begin with the discussion of the exclusion of African American history and literature in education in order to maintain what Tyson calls â€Å"the cultural hegemony†, which is the prominence and control of white people in America. The reason why they are not included is because, as Tyson says, the inclusion of African American writings and history upsets the racist stereotypes presented about African AmericanRead MoreResearch on Women of Color1972 Words   |  8 PagesOverarching research on women of color (African American, Native American, Latina/Hispanic, Pacific Islander American, and Asian American) and the impact of racism and sexism as interrelated constructs on their academic aspirations is limited. A few scholarly pieces that explore racism and sexism as intersecting constructs, primarily focus on understanding the relationship between these isms and the mental health of women of color (DeBlaere Bertsch, 2013; DeBlaere , Brewster, Bertsch, DeCarlo, KegelRead More Symbolism in Desirees Baby by Kate Chopin Essay944 Words   |  4 Pagesforeshadows an unpleasant ending to the story. Throughout Desirees Baby, Kate Chopin uses symbolism to convey her themes of racial prejudice, unequal gender roles, and social hierarchy in a patriarchal society. During Chopins lifetime, African Americans were considered inferior to whites and often worked as slaves for the wealthy, white families in the south. Early in the story the narrator describes the scenery of the plantation, LAbri, and says, young Aubignys rule was a strict one, tooRead MoreToni Morrison And Virginia Woolfs The Bluest Eye1629 Words   |  7 Pagesthe truth. These women, have in fact, made a tremendous impact on society and sculpted the way we see things in the world today. Toni Morrison, author of The Bluest Eye, challenged the Essentialists’ claim by making a novel about racism, and how it affected African American culture in the 20th century. Margaret Atwood, author of The Handmaid’s Tale, challenged this notion by addressing issues about sexual violence and political issues, except in the shape of an extremist and dystopian world. MoreoverRead MoreEssay on Themes in Song Of Solomon2113 Words   |  9 Pagesof the most talented and successful Africa n-American authors of our time. Famous for works such as The Bluest Eye, Sula, and Beloved, Morrison has cultivated large audiences of all ethnicities and social classes with her creative style of writing. It is not Morrison’s talent of creating new stories that attracts her fans. In contrast, it is her talent of revising and modernizing traditional Biblical and mythological stories that have been present in literature for centuries. Morrison replaces the

Tuesday, December 10, 2019

Is My Generation Becoming More Rude and Self-centered free essay sample

You’re watching a movie with your friends and all of a sudden someone’s phone rings and they answer it! How rude is that? Many people make decisions without consideration. What happened with the basics of please and thank you? Our generation today is becoming rude and self-centered more and more every day because of our parents, technology and civil rights. There is a major difference between a choice and a reason therefore whichever one we chose, we should do it with consideration. Parents are one of the biggest influences on their children. Whatever they tell us to do, we do it and that is one of the problems that make our generation more self-centered. I always thought that back in the old days when my parents were my age that it was when everyone was being well mannered and less rude as today. I would always call them as â€Å"the good old days†. We will write a custom essay sample on Is My Generation Becoming More Rude and Self-centered? or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page Dr. Benet Daveian showed me how there were no good old days and how everyone in the sixties did what they wanted to do and were trying to prove to others how they didn’t need any rules. Our parents were raised to teach us to â€Å"believe in ourselves† and how everyone should feel good about them. My parents personally taught me to become self- centered and not to care what other’s think of me which makes me and my generation become more self-centered as well. As a result of my parents influence, it makes my generation become more like them which is to be much more rude and self-centered and do things without consideration. Also in the past year, technology changed the way we behave, learn, and do things. Technology is making us lazier, which leads to poor grammar skills. Dr. P. M. Forni explains how â€Å"people tend to go out less, don’t engage, face to face contact due to technology†. This is very true, because it makes us less aware about what’s going around us and in world. Whenever a new piece of technology comes out, my generation will believe that â€Å"I can use it however I want and there are no rules that can stop me†. Technology has changed my generation’s grammar skills because of the new â€Å"spell check† and the new abbreviated word language. In the article â€Å"Good writing is about more than just grammar† by Mark Mercer, points out that in the last five years, thirty percent of applicants would fail their test whereas it was 25% five years ago. This shows how since the technology industry is growing, people take advantage of it more which makes them lazier. If computers have spell check, why bother using the dictionary? Because we are lazy, we tend not to care about what or who is around us. This shows how technology has an effect on our social and grammar skills. It made us lazier and because of that, my generation has become more self-centered and rude. In addition, civil rights made us treat others without consideration and it also made us less civil. We treat groups better than individuals, because of this. In the documentary â€Å"Rude: Where Are Our Manners? †, it gives us an example of a pregnant women who steps onto a bus, a student wouldn’t give up their seat, whereas in her work place, many men would give up their seat for her. Dr. Benet Davetian states that â€Å"in recent history, manners and civility become less important to individuals when it comes for fighting for rights. It could be women’s rights, black rights, gay and lesbian rights and many more†. This proves how our generation is being ruder to individuals and how we have more manners to groups. We are too preoccupied and dependent with technology that we are forgetting to teach our young ones manners that will make them civil citizens. For instance, parents nowadays are busy texting or busy with their work that if their child does something inappropriate or rude, they either don’t notice or don’t bother fixing their child’s mistake. Think of the adult as my generation, we treat others differently when it’s just one person. But if there is a whole group, we would pay attention even more towards them. Also we all know that a person’s behavior depends on how they were raised and behavior leads to civil citizens. My generation is not treating others equally which leads them to be ruder and self-considerate. Going back to the example of the student on the bus, my generation is becoming more self-centered and not willing to consider other people before themselves and because of that we become more rude every time. We need others first before us and should treat everyone more equal than just to groups. To conclude my argument, my generation has become ruder. It is because of our parents influence, rising of technology and civil rights. There were no â€Å"good old days†, we became less social throughout the years, because of technology and we are treating individuals differently. Tanveer Naseer said, â€Å"Nowadays, people choose to be rude and people do have a choice; almm can control how they conduct themselves around others†. Everyone has a choice and a decision to act rudely or not. My generation has become more rude and self-centered; the rule is to treat others with consideration.

Monday, December 2, 2019

Major Themes In Faulkners Light In August Light In August A Study Of

Major themes in Faulkner's Light in August Light In August: A Study of 20th Century Man's Search for Self A Study of the Origins of Evil "...a man's future is inherent in that man..." -Faulkner in the University. p.139 Faulkner's Light in August is a metaphor. In fact it is many metaphors, almost infinitely many. It is a jumble of allusions, themes, portraits, all of them uniquely important, many of them totally unrelated. In fact no 20th century writer has even approached the sheer quantity of symbolism Faulkner packed into every page, with, perhaps, the exception of James Joyce who went so far as to surpass Faulkner in this regard. So obviously it would be foolish to attempt to trace every line, follow every branch to its root, one could spend a lifetime dissecting the book in this manner. Fortunately, in the midst of this menagerie of wonders, there are dominate themes. There are veins of meaning that permeate throughout. Chief among them; Faulkner's study of 20th century man 's search for identity, and his compassionate portrait of the origins of evil. I have come from Alabama a fur piece (Faulkner, p.3). The reader begins the book in this manner, following the simple-minded and determined Lena as she travels, neither coming nor going, simply moving. Immediately the book draws into her past, relating events leading up to this point, explaining her motives. One gets a definite feel for her character, and settles into her narrative, but as soon as this happens, the book switches gears, turning instead to a vague character, Joe Christmas. With little introduction, or warning, the book reels into Joe's past, catching the reader totally unaware and throwing off the entire continuity of the book. Faulkner's desire for unity and coherence in the pattern is not as strong as is his desire for truth to individual response (Reed, p.123). Thus Lena is a frame, she serves only to accentuate Christmas's story, by contrast. Faulkner demands the reader follow, and real ize this. So we now see Christmas's childhood. From the beginning, Christmas is two things. One, he is a totally clean slate in that he has no idea whatsoever of his past, his origins. He is neither predestined to good nor evil, simply born. By this same token, Christmas is left confused. Because he has no idea of his origins, he has no idea of self, even to the extent of not being sure of his race. Christmas is thoroughly alone in the world, irredeemably separate from everyone. "Well, here I am" (Faulkner, p.134). This is the first thing The boy Christmas says. A fitting statement on his utter aloneness. While Christmas is emotionally alone, he is not left alone by others. Light in August reiterates its themes by a series of different dramatic scenes acted by different examples of the same types (Gold, p.41). McEarhern and the dietitian are essentially the same: Authority figures who try to force on him their own ideas of who he is, or who they want him to be. And the two, identica l, dramatic scenes acted by different examples of the same types, are these: When Christmas is carried off by the insane janitor, and when Christmas faints after spending hours standing while McEarhern tries to force him to learn a pointless Catechism. Both scenes involve Christmas's inability to resist, as authority figures try to determine who he will be. Both scenes end with Christmas being more confused than ever, yet more unwilling than ever to commit to either picture of himself. The dietitian does all in her power to convict Christmas of being a Negro, and then, his foster father, McEarhern, tries to force on Christmas an ideology totally foreign to him. McEarhern uses extreme Calvinism to mold Christmas into a purely moral person, while the dietitian tries to force Christmas into a state of immorality, or at least portray him as such. Forces beyond his control work against him, trying to force him in ways he is not, sending him in contradicting paths. Inevitably he rebels ag ainst these forces, finding refuge in immorality, a whore, and later going so far as to strike out against his oppressor, his own father, killing him.