The Past Speaks: Personal Reflections on Ancient Japanese Literature

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December 3, 2021 Dear Reader,

This course started as a companion to a study abroad adventure to Japan, originally scheduled for January of 2021. If you turned on the news during 2020, you might have seen some of the chaos that ensued globally caused by the damned virus, Covid 19. The trip was pushed back and pushed back again until it was ultimately cancelled. The course must go on though.

So, many brave souls, including some who signed up for this class without even knowing it was going to be a deep dive into Japanese literature, went on a different type of adventure. We read hundreds of pages of poetry, fiction, and manga attempting to discover our own tentative truths about the worlds we were experiencing. For our first unit project, we challenged ourselves to look at how we formed relationships with three separate challenges. We read The Tale of Genji (in excerpt), the poetry of Basho as well as from the Manyoshu, and several stories by Akutagawa. for each of these pieces, we attempted to listen for their messages, crafted at times hundreds of years ago, that were being sent just to us. What did something written from another culture that long ago actually have to teach us? That was the main question asked.

What follows are each students’ dive into the literature itself. They are personal and powerful each in their own ways. We challenged ourselves to use imagery and analysis to drive our connections. My hope is that the students and the readers of this little book will see that simply because something was written long ago by someone who lived completely separate from our own understanding can still teach. It, like anything else created by a human, is a living thing waiting to be experienced.

Thank you for your time, dear students/friends. Thank you for your metal energy. Thank you for your honesty and vulnerability. I appreciate it all. You build this book. Revel in that fact. It’s available to anyone with access to the world-wide-web. So, share it and be proud.

Yours,

JA

Alena Sam

ENGL 2341

“Tale of Genji” by Lady Murasaki Shikibu The Tale of Genji by Lady Murasaki Shikibu is one of the greatest novels in Japanese Literature.

Shikibu brings out many prominent topics that provide us with real-life experiences. It makes me think of certain situations when we are neglected by everyone around us. Most people do not show their feelings, but it stays in their heart forever. Everyone needs love and someone to care for them. After Genji’s mother dies, Genji lacks true love. He feels no one is there to love him.

Everyone he loves tends to leave him at some point in life. It is clear in his case because his mother, father, and ladylove have left him alone throughout the novel. “ The child who understood nothing, looked with amazement at the sad countenances of the Emperor, and of those around him. All separations have their sting, but sharp indeed was the sting in a case like this” (22).

The most painful separation for Genji was from his mother. He was like 3 years old when his mother died. His father was broken and could not handle the sorrow of his wife’s loss. The Emperor sent Genji to his grandmother so that she can take care of him. Shortly, his grandmother also died, which brought him back to the palace. He did fully experience the love from his grandmother. However, the people at the palace did not care about him because Genji does not have his mother with him.

“But this was not possible, and, especially for this reason;- There was no influential party to support him, and, moreover, public opinion would also have been strongly opposed to such a

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measure, which, if effected by arbitrary power, would have become a source of danger. The emperor, therefore, betrayed no such desire, and repressed all outward appearance of it. And now the public expressed its satisfaction at the self-restraint of the emperor, and the mother of the first prince felt at ease.” (28) Regarding the decisions, public opinion did not matter at all, and the powers abided by the influential parties. They get satisfied by the decisions of the emperor, and this made the emperor’s first wife feel at ease. Throughout the novel, Genji searches for true love, and he finally lands on Murasaki. Genji is so obsessed with her that he did not even care about her age difference. He sees a reflection of his mother in Murasaki. Genji has always yearned for his mother’s love and tries to find that in every woman. Finally, he comes across true love through Murasaki.

“One reason why Genji was so much attracted by her was, that she greatly reassembled a certain lady in the palace, to whom he, for a long time, had been fondly attached” (104).

We all go through some form of loneliness in our life, just like Genji. Even though we have many people around us, but there is a feeling of being alone always hovering over us. I feel lonely at a certain point in life. It is hard to share some problems with our loved ones. We want to keep it to ourselves. Indeed, God sends someone into our life to make us loved and cared for. I am happy that I have a wonderful family that supports me in all my decisions. Genji finds peace and happiness in Murasaki. It is great to have someone in our life who cares for us and supports us in

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every problem. They can be anyone in your life, friends or family. I may feel lonely sometimes, but I have my loved ones who support me despite my issues.

Alena Sam

ENGL 2341

Poetry in Today’s age Poetry is considered as the“ music of the soul”. In this lesson, we went through different short poems that have a deeper significance and connect to our lives. Each poem talks about the different emotions and feelings in the life of a human being. For example, we talk about a poem from the 1000 poems from the Manyoshu, 142 During the Journey “I would quickly reach my loved one’s dwelling That stands far away under the clouds; Hasten, my black steed!”

If we look at this poem closely, we can see that the writer has indulged in a lot of imagery to show the real meaning to us. This poem conveys the eagerness of the writer to meet his loved ones.

He is in a kind of hurry to reach them. This is my explanation for the poem. In today’s age, these poems are teaching us how to live.

Each poem has a piece of advice to live in the current society. It depends on how people follow them in their lives. For me, it is really helpful and guides me on my journey in life. There are still many people around us who have a great interest in poetry. I have also developed a great interest in poetry after learning about it in my class. They are different forms of poetry such as tanka, haiku, and waka. I have developed a kind of poetry on my own; “The fallen leaves remind the end of something,

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Letting us start a new beginning.

With a new rising sun, Turn the pages for a new chapter, Promising never-ending happiness.

Walk persuasively through the journey, In hope and passion, Just like reaching towards a bright light at the end of the tunnel.”

This poetry talks about our journey in life. It is important to start a new chapter in our life after a dreadful past. We should never stay on our past mistakes. Otherwise, it will be hard to lead our life ahead. We should walk persuasively, hoping everything will be great ahead. Therefore, it shows that Renga poetry always tries to teach us something through them which will be valuable in our life. In the early centuries, people used different forms of poetry to lead their day-to-day life through its teaching. They also taught them to the students and made them a better human in society.

Alena Sam

ENGL 2341

“Yam Gruel” by Ryunosuke Akutagawa Rashomon and other stories by Ryunosuke Akutagawa are a series of short stories based on different tales. The most inspiring story for me was “Yam Gruel”. It deals with an issue that most of us go through in our lives. A samurai named “Goi’ has to go through a lot of humiliation and insults because of his appearance and low rank. He strives to fulfill his ambition of eating “Yam gruel”. However, he finally gets his wish fulfilled through his perseverance. At the beginning of the story, the samurais in a monastery tease goi, and they go to such an extent that anyone can feel compassion towards him.

“ You can easily imagine the kind of treatment Goi received from those around him. His fellow samurai did not care a straw for him. His subordinates with or without court rank, nearly twenty altogether, were also amazingly indifferent to him. When he was supposed to give them instructions, they disregarded him and carried on with their idle chatter and gossip” (42)

Personally, I can understand Goi’s situation because I also have gone through the same. My schoolmates always teased me because I was so shy to speak to anyone. I became so nervous whenever I have to speak to anyone. My classmates always try to bully me and make me cry.

Then, they would laugh at me. I would be so heartbroken and come home crying. I would tell my mom and dad, but then also the bullies did not stop. I did not even like to go to school. However, I realized why should I get affected by those comments and give up my dreams. I avoided them and studied hard so that I can fulfill my ambition of getting good grades on my tests. Finally, on

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the result day, the teacher announced my name before the class as I got the highest marks on the exams. I was thrilled, and those who teased me were ashamed of their acts. I realized that if we work hard and ignore the surrounding negativity, then nothing can stop us from achieving our dreams. Goi does not care about the humiliations and insults, but lives his life to the fullest.

His determined ambition helps him to fulfill his wish. The one thing that I learned from this story is to follow your heart and never let anyone break your dreams. Even though everyone was behind teasing Goi for his appearance and talking about other kinds of stuff, his only focus was to eat the yam gruel.

“ Finally, the center of conversation turned elsewhere- presumably because the others disliked having their attention concentrated on the red-nosed-Goi, for all the amusement of ridiculing him. At any rate, the topic shifted from one thing to another. By the time there was little left to eat and drink, the company’s interest was drawn to the story of a fledging samurai…………… All but Goi listened. He remained aloof, offering no comment one way or the other. Yam gruel occupied all his thoughts.”(51)

Goi does not care about anything. His friends were discussing different topics, but his mind was fixed on yam gruel. To fulfill our dreams, we should be ambitious as Goi. The world in which we live will try to stop us from flying high, but we should not give up. Whenever I feel sad or depressed, I just remember one thing: that I will not give up this easily. “Yam gruel” gives me a new perspective on how our ambition should be.

Ariana Martinez

ENGL 2341

The Tale of Genji by Murasaki Shikibu

“The Tale of Genji” by makes me consider the beauty and misfortune of romance which ties Genji’s century with my own. Genji is a young, attractive, and alluring character who is occupied by women and romance. In his century, his behavior and mischief are normal for a man of his position and age. In a world where women are secret gems hidden in a box, it is no wonder Genji seeks to peek into every box that catches his eye. He goes to great lengths to pursue the women of his desire, even if his affection is dismissed. Genji is not held down by one woman and seeks to try them all.

I too, live in a disconnected world full of short romance. Instead of meeting at court and communicating through letters and poems, we meet through dating apps, text, and share Spotify playlists. All the same, our true characters are hidden behind text screens/ letters that are meticulously crafted. In the world of dating, it seems impossible to find someone who is both intellectually and physically attractive.

As a young woman in the 21st century, I find Genji’s character repulsive and manipulative. Perhaps I dislike Genji’s character because he is far too similar to men in my time. Genji’s disposition is that of a “fuck boy”, who desires to conquer woman under the false pretense of seeking “love”. Every woman he conquers is like a badge of honor on his chest, and he collects them for sport. In typical “fuck boy” fashion, Genji is only interested in someone for a short time. He crusades through life with only his own feelings in mind. When Genji is rejected, he becomes hurt like a child and does not accept “no” for an answer. Instead, he harasses those who reject him, seeking to change their mind through manipulation. This is not acceptable in society today, yet some may find his persistence romantic, enjoying their short but intense romance.

Ariana Martinez

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Although I do not like his character, it is easy to see why he acts this way. He is a lonely prince who has excessive time and money in his hands. With so much freedom at his disposal, he is still bound by his title and reputation. He is not free pursue just any woman in the light of day. When he falls for someone below his rank he must hide his affection in the darkness, hoping no one can see. “It is unquestionable that though at first glance many women appear to be without defects, yet when we come to the actual selection of any one of them, we should seriously hesitate in our choice.” (62) If I were in Genji’s position, would I be any better of a person? Would I display my love for the world to see, even if everyone looked down on me? Would I pursue only one woman, in a society where affairs are encouraged? If I were him, I too would search for purpose in every person I met. I would cling to every romance in hopes they could bring meaning into my life. Does it matter how many women I approach if we both know our romance could never last?

Ariana Martinez

ENGL 2341

Basho and Ancient Poetry Basho was a Buddhist monk and poet. His poems reflect his beliefs in Wabi/Sabi, which show appreciation for simplicity and the imperfect. To today’s youth, this would be described as “romanticizing your life”. Life can be so beautiful and full of happiness, but it can often feel empty and full of sorrow. It is possible to choose happiness, even when happiness seems impossible to achieve. When passing a flower, appreciate its beauty if only for a second. Look up at the sky and let the sun warm your face. Laugh when you make a mistake. Sit down and appreciate the tiny moments and pieces that we ignore every day. This is what it means to “romanticize your life”, and I believe this is what Basho was teaching as well. His poems are refreshingly simple and remind us to be appreciative of our surroundings.

”141 Composed on the Spot

Like the bubbles on the water That runs echoing by the hill of Makimuku, Frail human thing, am I. “

At this point in my life, I often ponder the meaning behind my existence. If life were a game, would I be winning? It is hard for me to enjoy the present when I feel so anxious about the future.

So much in life is uncertain. I don’t know when my chores will be done, or if I will graduate on time, or if the climate crisis will end humanity. With so much circulating in my brain, it is relieving to consider ideals such as wabi/sabi.

I lay in bed Waiting For nothing to happen I close my eyes And breathe - Ariana Martinez

Ariana Martinez

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Reading Basho’s simple, yet beautiful poems inspire me to embrace wabi/sabi. Basho was a person; just like me, who felt depressed and lost sometimes. It was through Buddhist ideals and his art form that he could overcome. He sought to share his knowledge with those around him through poetry. For me, his poems hit the mark, and introduce me to beautiful new ideas and appreciation.

Ariana Martinez

ENGL 2341

Rashomon by Ryunosuke Akutagawa

Reading Rashomon the first time I was overwhelmed with emotions. Akutagawa did a great job evoking empathy from his audience, I truly felt like I was in the characters shoes. This story felt incredibly real, I was surrounded by familiarities such as poverty, homelessness, darkness, and survival. As the samurai servant questioned his morality, I too questioned my own.

At first, the main character with filled with guilt for needing to become a thief to survive. There was no other choice for him when the whole city was impoverished. With nowhere to go, nothing to eat, and no job, he was forced to abandon his morality.

This is a real circumstance many people face today, obey the law, and die, or become a criminal to survive. As he enters a hallway looking for a place to rest, anxiety immediately begins to build. At the top of the stairs is an ominous flickering light, which he begins to investigate. This is not your typical “light at the end of the tunnel” scene. The main character slowly climbs each step, surrounded by abandoned dead bodies. This only further proves the horrible state of the city. If he were not careful, his body could be lying about the floor. When he reaches the light, there is no heaven waiting for him. Instead, there is an old woman eerily plucking the hairs from a dead woman. At this moment the servant is overwhelmed with anger and righteousness and immediately jumped onto the old woman.

“But in his eyes pulling out the hair of the dead in the Rashomon on this stormy night was an unpardonable crime”. (37) When the old woman’s motives are discovered, the servant’s morality changes quickly. He has seen firsthand; it is a cutthroat world, and he must fight to survive. With his morality out of the window he steals from the old woman and runs away.

Ariana Martinez

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Upon discovering the old woman’s motives, I felt tricked by Akutagawa. He built a story in which she was the obvious antagonist, and then revealed she too is a victim of unfortunate circumstances. This scene made me consider every criminal in a new light. Does anyone want to be a criminal? What circumstances led each person down this path? Finally, what would I do to survive? I think I would struggle to be a criminal. I could not imagine making someone’s life worse to better my own.

After reading this story for the second time I decided to support criminality. Fighting to survive is braver than I could ever be. In the US in particular, incarceration rates are incredibly high, and sentences are long. I will no longer cast blind judgement onto others.

Ashley Woodard

ENGL 2341

Part One: The Tale of Genji by Lady Murasaki Shikibu While reading the early chapters of The Tale of Genji, I could not help but think about how the treatment of women in the time of Genji translates to how women treat themselves in the 21st century. Many women believe it is required of them to be put together all the time. Having the right clothes, makeup, hair, social media following, and job defines many women’s livelihood.

Without these, they believe they are unworthy of love and attention. Being born into a lowincome family can also be something that brings a woman’s self-esteem down exponentially.

They believe just because they are born in a low to middle-class life it means they are obligated to settle in this life forever. Reading The Tale of Genji, we see our main character, Genji, speak on how women can raise their social and financial status to better themselves in life.

“Thus To-no-Chujo appeared to be thoroughly at home in his description of the merits of the fair sex, which made Genji amused, and he said: ‘But how do you define the classes you have referred to and classify them into three? Those who are high birth sink sometimes in the social scale until the distinction of their rank is forgotten in the abjectness of their present position.

Others, again, of low origin, rise to a high position, and, with self-important faces and in ostentatious residences, regard themselves as inferior to none. Into what class will you allot these’ ” (pg.38) From this quote, we can somewhat infer that Genji is speaking about how women can create a better life and career for themselves. This can be seen today when looking at how women, and men, try to pry themselves and their families out of a not-too-great neighborhood/situation.

Looking at this section from The Tale of Genji from a personal standpoint, I have to say that I have thought about the social climb myself. When I started college in 2017, I did not know what I was going to major in. In my head, I thought it would be a good idea to go with a major I believed would make me the most money right after graduation. Being a doctor or lawyer was not in the

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plan because that would be far too much schooling with far too much debt, so I went with business. A business degree would provide me with a great stepping stone to a wonderful future.

Having money to support me would not be an issue because I could get any job with a business degree, so I thought. The only problem was it was the most boring experience of my life when I took my first business class. After that class I shifted my focus to something I knew would not get me a ton of job offers, but to something I was much more excited about, psychology. Like many women before me, money and status have always been on my mind. But going about it the wrong way can make you regret your life choices. As Genji said, if you make a better life for yourself, there is nothing you can’t do.

Part Two: The Collection of Poetry (Basho and various writers) Going through the list of poems by various authors, this haiku by Nobuyuki Yuasa stood out to me because of the symbolism of starting a new chapter in the new year. It reads: “With a hat on my head And straw sandals on my feet I met on the road the end of a year” Reading this haiku makes me think about the start of a new chapter in someone’s life. Several people go through many difficult years, and this haiku makes them think of the new year as a time when we can restart with a joyous new beginning. Much of society is inflicted with a sense of depression and anxiety about what is going to happen next after having a much less than desirable year. I believe this haiku can give people a sense of ease about the upcoming year.

Another way you can interpret this haiku is by thinking about it in the sense of giving up on the plan you set for yourself years prior. I know from personal experience that we millennials felt like we had our whole life planned out by the time we were 15 or 16 years old. I sure know I did. We thought we were going to finish school by the age of 22 and start a family by 25. Then around

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age 30, we would be in the most successful part of our careers. Boy, were we all wrong. We all had to throw that life plan away once we reached the understanding that things won't always go according to plan. You have to just let it happen.

I know for myself, the hardest thing I have had to learn over the years is that I will not be finishing school as fast as everyone else.

At this time, I am currently in my 5th year of college with only my associates practically done. If I want to continue with my bachelor’s, then it will most likely take me another couple of years to complete my degree. Since I have changed my major a few times, I guess you could say this is kind of my fault, but when I was in high school, I was certain that I was going to have a career as a hairdresser or makeup artist. Over the years though, I learned that being in the beauty industry was not for me.

At the start of 2017, I told myself that this was the year I was going to go back to school.

After some hard classes and a few withdrawals, I do believe that going back was the smartest thing I could have done. Some people, I hope, would think the same way when coming out of a bad situation. Life is all about the journey and even if you are going through a rough time, (e.g. divorce, drug addiction, alcohol addiction, domestic violence, or sickness) all you have to do is think of this little haiku.

Life may throw you some hardship, but if you just wait until the year begins again, there is hope that it will get better. Even if you don’t think it will, it is worth a try at least.

Ashley Woodard

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Part Three: The Short Stories of Ryunosuke Akutagawa Reading Yam Gruel, a short story by Ryunosuke Akutagawa, we meet an older samurai, with the name Goi, that has been with the current regent for several years. According to the description of Goi in the short story, he is a rather small, not so sharply dressed, and strange-looking gentleman. From Goi’s appearance and demeanor, his fellow samurais tend to bully him and make his life a living nightmare. Looking at this through today’s social lens, we see this pretty much every day on the internet as well as in schools. Kids nowadays can be rather ruthless with other students. They talk down to them, psychically hurt them, and now with social media, they can torment them outside the school walls. Bullying is not just confined to the 8 hours within the school walls, it can go on 24/7. This quote sums up how ruthless bullies can be no matter what time period it is.

“His fellow samurai thought it great sport to make him the butt of their jokes. The older men constantly made off-color remarks about his personal appearance; this prompted the younger men to practice all their wit on the helpless Goi. In his presence they would never tire of making critical comments about his nose, mustache, head-gear, and silk robe. Moreover, they would often talk of his hare-lipped wife from whom he had separated five or six years ago, and of a

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drunken Buddhist priest who was said to have been intimate with his wife. And not only that.

Now and again they would play practical jokes on him. It is impossible to enumerate them all. If I mention that once they drank off the rice-wine in his bamboo receptacle and put their

waste

into

it

afterwards, you can imagine the kind of tricks they played on him.” (pg. 43) From this quote, you can see that Goi is treated rather horribly by his fellow men. It is not until he meets a man by the name of Fujiwara Toshihito, the son of the Finance Minister for the regency of Mototsune, that he is shown some respect. Toshnihito saves Goi from the bullying that is given to him at home by showing Goi what a better life he could have if he came and worked for him.

Reading this short story makes me think about the state of social media and how some commenters just flat out disrespect the content creator or poster. They think just because they are behind a screen, they have the right to say every negative thing they can think of to the other person. From telling a parent they are raising their child wrong to them calling someone fat because they are bigger than them, makes the “troll” feel in control and the recipient of this negativity feel they are doing everything wrong. For myself, I have never been bullied per se, but I have been told I would never make it through school because my test scores were not up to their standards. Of course, I have been called fat on occasion, but a teacher telling me I would never make it in life because I have bad test scores made me feel worse than being called fat. At this moment I am proving her wrong, and I could not be happier doing so, but not everyone is as lucky. People that get bullied to an extreme think there is no way out, so they believe their only option is to take their own life. I just hope that people will one day start to think about what they

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say to others because they have no idea what is going on in that person’s life. They may not know it but their negative words could push them over the deep end without it being the intention.

Photo Citations: https://www.quotemaster.org/social+ladder https://plexuss.com/n/how-to-choose-you-collegemajor https://www.lorensworld.com/business/life-work/6quotes-for-people-starting-over/ https://www.cydcor.com/blog/2016/03/20-greatquotes-to-help-you-overcome-obstacles/

https://www.japantimes.co.jp/life/2003/03/13/lifestyle/dont-wait-till-bullying-hits-close-tohome/ https://onlinesense.org/bullying-quotes/

Austen Barnett

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“The Tale of Genji” By Lady Murasaki Shikibu “The Tale Of Genji” By Lady Murasaki Shikibu makes me think about boredom and how it affects my day to day life the in a way that it affected Genji “I am bored and lonely for no very good reason, and if she were to let me know that she shared my melancholy I would feel that I had not approached her in vain.”(Pg. 101) This shows that even though he was bored and lonely in his life he could not think of a reason for such things. Even though Genji is filled with this boredom this doesn’t excuse the actions and decisions throughout the novel. I believe if Genji was to put his boredom to more productive and less immoral activities he would be looked upon as a more respectable man and with his passion in dancing and art I think he could be great.

Boredom can seem like it will control your life at times I know i’ve made some dumb mistakes just out of sheer boredom like sneaking out of the house when I was a teenage just to walk around.

Doing things that you know you shouldn't be doing but throwing caution to the wind just to fill our time and to have a small amount of enjoyment/fun. After reading “The Tale Of Genji” I think that Genji's most fatal flaw is the need to fill that emptiness and boredom he experiences in his day to day life as a prince.

In “The Tale Of Genji” With Genji being born out of a love affair between the Emperor and lady Kiritsubo Genji is often flirting and giving attention to other women besides his fiance. Genji would often find a way to fill his time with dancing,music,art, and most importantly he filled his time with fleeting romances. “Genji's affection for the new lady grew, and the most ordinary

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flower or tinted leaf became the occasion for expressing it”

My Biggest takeaway from “The Tale Of Genji” was how he had several lovers and wouldn’t be loyal, which I consider to be a key moral for myself. Loyalty is not only staying faithful to your significant other but proving your trust and respect to one another and I think with Genji’s upbringing he was never taught that lesson or never cared about that lesson.

I’ve had friends in the past that could draw similarities from Genji with the greedy mentality to always want more and he could cheat on his current girlfriend just because a different girl caught his attention with looks. I have personally felt what it is like to have someone be unfaithful and it has the potential to destroy someone's confidence,trust,and etc.

In conclusion, throughout “the Tale of Genji” there were a lot of flaws that you could pick apart with Genji the main focus of the novel was about his love interests, but at the end of the day he had his passions with dancing and art all while being a prince make him a compassionate person at lease. I think with a different upbringing or if his mother did not pass away when he was just 3 years old things would have been different. All Genji might have needed in his life was a mother figure to show and guide him in the correct direction when it came to women and relationships.

Austen Barnett

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The Collection of Poetry by Basho and various writers Poetry is a way to express ourselves. A good example of this is with Basho he wrote a haiku poem about the seasons from spring to the autumn and finishes up with what I presume is talking about summer with “A flash of lightning: Into the gloom Goes the heron's cry.” I enjoyed the way Basho described the seasons;

it

was

a

simple

yet

sophisticated way to describe them. I think this is a prime example of how poetry can be beautiful yet descriptive.

Poetry can also describe how people feel, not just to describe scenery or how things look. A good example of this is the poem “The Whole Family”.This poem describes being with family in the beginning and at the end it makes it very clear that the person in the poem is visiting dead family members in the graveyard. “the whole family all with white hair and canes visiting graves” by this quote you can see where at the beginning it starts with the whole family which brings in a sense of happiness and kindness but then it follows up with a statement about white hair which makes me think about older people.The next line in this haiku talks about visiting graves which the reader can presume he is talking about other dead family members which has a very dark tone.

Austen Barnett

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This is a prime example of emotional poetry where it describes the remorse and sadness a person felt while visiting a graveyard of dead relatives.

I personally haven’t had much experience with poetry while growing up but I can see the importance of poetry because everyone needs a way to express themselves and vent a bit even if it is to a piece of paper.

Poetry nowadays has become less formal and most times is like freeform poetry instead of following certain rules. You can see this in Basho's poems, which are mostly structured in the same format as haiku poems. Haiku poems are normally structured in a five seven five rule which means the first line only has five syllables then followed by seven syllables then the final line is five syllables. I think with time things have changed and that shows in poetry sometimes poetry sticks to its roots.Poetry has also had changes with language like a shakespearean poem would have words like thy or thou and by using those words he was using old english and with the change in times and advancements in the english language we hardly see old english words used.

In conclusion I think poetry is a wonderful tool people use to express themselves and to take some of the stress and take some weight off themselves. Poems can rhythm or not it is completely up to the writer to decide that. Poetry is meant to be a creative outlet for people and there are no set rules for creativity just as long as you're putting your own heart and soul into the paper there are no bad ideas in poetry.

What does poetry mean to you and how do you use it in your own life?

Austen Barnett

ENGL 2341

The Short Stories of Ryunosuke Akutagawa “The Martyr” by Ryunosuke Akutagawa is a story about sacrifice for loved ones. I personally enjoyed this short story even though it had a tragic ending to it. The story is about a kid named Lorenzo he was left in front of a church at a young age and he grew and was raised in the church and even made a good friend named Herculean when it was the time to celebrate Lorenzo and him coming of age of manhood there was a unflattering rumor going around that he had a intimate relationship with a woman that lived nearby. After the woman that lived nearby was pregnant Lorenzo was excommunicated and Lorenzo even prayed for his sins and mistakes to be forgiven for which he did not understand what he had done. After the fact Lorenzo had become homeless due to the mistakes he had made with the woman that lived nearby.

Just the start of this story is very deep and it only gets deeper from there. Everyone has had mistakes in their life and one of the worst feelings someone can have is to not be forgiven for something they did not understand. I’ve felt this and it comes with a sense of guilt that you are forced to live with even when you try to make things right. Most mistakes we make now are simple and not as serious as getting someone pregnant at a young age but that still happens just due to sheer ignorance.

In my opinion it was wrong for the church to just get rid of someone due to their mistakes especially for being a religion. In religion you are taught that your sins can be forgiven which feels hypocritical for them to kick them out and Lorenzo lost everything except for a friend named Simeon that would visit Lorenzo.

Austen Barnett

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A year after the woman had a baby there was a fire where she lives. The fire was very furious and before they knew it they had left the baby in the house. Simeon had made an attempt to save the child but the fire was too hot for him to even reenter the house.

“Poor Lorenzo in the form of a beggar was staring into the blazing house.” At this point Lorenzo ran into the burning house to save his child. When Lorenzo was trying to leave the burning house he was hit by a falling beam that was on fire. Lorenzo was stuck in the fire but the last thing he did was to save the child. He threw the child out of the fire and it landed in front of the mother. Lorenzo risked his own life to save his “son” which we find out was never his child. "This baby girl is not a child

by Lorenzo. To tell you the truth, this is a child I had by becoming intimate with the son of the heathen family next door." Lorenzo was badly burned for someone that wasn’t even his son because of the person Lorenzo was raised to be, which was kind and caring.

The fact that Lorenzo ran in to save a child which was not even his own is just a testament to the person Lorenzo was. I think he deserved more than he had gotten from the family he had been raised by. Sacrifice shows a lot about the character of a person. The closest experience I had to this would be when I gave up my own room to make room for someone sick in my family. My sacrifice seems so small compared to Lorenzo but I think Lorenzo had the best intentions.

In conclusion Lorenzo was an orphan raised and abandoned due to a mistake that he did not even make. This story also proves that everything is not what it seems and lying can get people hurt.

Like lying about who the actual father of your child is.

Avery Ricco

ENGL 2341

The Tale of Genji is a very powerful piece of writing. Upon a deep dive into the first few chapters, I have begun to understand the reverence that stands along this novel, it portrays many different emotions and elicits a response which can only really be understood after careful examination and assessment. As the first novel ever written, it demands the reader to think and consider the lives of the characters and their interactions in the Heian period of Ancient Japan. I can confidently say that I have never read anything like The Tale of Genji, it is downright unique and I struggle to place it into a category, as it presents themes of romance, comedy, betrayal and many more, it is truly a jack of all trades, and I truly admire it for this reason, even though it can be rather difficult to interpret at times, given that novels such as this are not really produced or even explored as much in today's world, it is simply a different time with different forms of literature and understanding.

The tale follows the life of Genji and the various endeavors he finds himself in. As the son of the King, he occupied a higher status than many before the untimely demise of his mother, who only occupied the role of a mistress to the King, and for this reason he is exiled to the lower levels of society and his role as heir to the throne fades with the memory of his status. We explore his life through the relationships that he forms, and it is evident early on that he is a rather complex character. As I read the novel, I began to identify with his character in different ways.

One common theme that we see a lot in this novel has to do with class, as it was a defining feature of people in this day and age, and is even still a part of many societies today. As I read through the first chapters of this novel, I noticed the idea of class come up quite a bit. In fact, it is one of the first concepts we come across, appearing in the first passage and thoroughly being explored upon in the second chapter. In chapter 2, as Genji and To-no-Chujo are discussing the complexities of relationships in the apartment, Genji responds to To-no-Chujo’s summary of the three classes by saying: “But how do you define the classes you have referred to and classify them into three? Those who are of high birth sink sometimes in the social scale until the distinction of their rank is forgotten in the abjectness of their present position. Others, again of low origin, rise to a high position, and, with self-important faces and ostentatious residences, regard themselves as inferior to none. Into what class will you allot these?” (38). This passage makes me consider

Avery Ricco

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my own position in society, and what I may be blind to due to the fact that I do not occupy the highest level of society, such as the aristocrats of Kyoto during this time.

I can confidently say that I feel as though I have climbed in rank when it comes to my position in society due to my time at North Central Texas College, just as Genji said in his remarks, those that have experienced life at the bottom of the food chain can often work their way up, and eventually they view themselves as superior in almost every way. The remarks made by Genji also speak to the fact that our position in society is often reflective of our moral and principled nature, and in a way, we all have a say in the position we occupy, given that we make the right choices and choose the correct path. While there are certainly exceptions to this rule, for many it resonates with the truth. With the highest levels of our current society being occupied by business magnates, politicians and acclaimed entertainers, the remarks made by genji reflect the fact that many of society's elites have reached this level of class with this mentality instilled in their motivations, many have come from the bottom of society and yet have still reached the top through the careful execution of career-defining decisions. We can begin to see the differences here when it comes to comparing the society of today versus the society that ruled ancient Kyoto in The Tale of Genji. While our lives do reflect the fact that we all occupy different levels of society, the status achieved and the method of achievement vary greatly now from the aristocratic age of Kyoto. In our society, your position is a reflection of your will and desire to achieve, whereas the culture of ancient Japan relied on the status of title and inheritance, you inherited the class that you were defined as, this system persisted among many cultures for thousands of years, and even still exists in some parts of the world. Perhaps one day, people will look back with a feeling of disquietude when they examine the state of our lives and the persistence of class that defines it in so many ways.

Relationships play a major role in the Tale of Genji, we begin to learn more about the characters and the decisions they make through the relationships that are defined in this piece.

For example, in chapter two, we observe a conversation involving Genji, Sama-no-Kami and Tono-Chujo. The men are discussing relationships, and Sama-no-Kami begins to reminisce of a past relationship which hurt him. After growing tired of her jealousy and suspectness, he says to her: “if you prefer long happiness with me in future, be modest and patient in trifling matters. If you

Avery Ricco

ENGL 2341

can only be so, how can I do other than love you? My position may also in time be improved, and then we may enjoy greater happiness!” (46). By saying this, he had hoped to establish an ultimatum in the relationship, but this effort would fail, and she would instead declare that she would not prefer to waste her life wishing for a better one, and she would end the relationship at once. We can tell from further reading that Sama-no-Kami had no intention of breaking up with her, as he tells of one chilly night in which he went to go visit her at her house, among the snow blanketed streets he would find that she was not there, and the realization that she had moved on would set in. Sama-no-Kami would begin to battle his emotions as his thoughts led him to the conclusion that she had adopted such jealousy in order to drive him away, and that she had truly grown tired of the relationship, a tormenting thought for anyone that has ever been in love.

I find that the Tale of Genji uses the dynamic of relationships in order to humanize the characters so that we may become familiarized with them, this allows the reader to relate to their actions, and what this piece says to me is that relationships are something to cherish. That infallibility is a force which can ruin something beautiful if two people allow it to, and we can see through the choices made by Sama-no-Kami that acting in this manner can cause one great pain, as his lover would tragically die before they could consolidate their differences and save their

Avery Ricco

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love, something he would regret for the rest of his life. “When I recall these pleasant memories my heart still clings to her endearingly.” (49). We see instances such as this unfold all the time in our own personal lives, with some examples including personal friendships that have dwindled, and more extreme cases involving the division of parents and a loving household, all due to a feud which could not be rectified. For many, this situation represents tragedy in their lives, just as it did for Sama-no-Kami. As someone that has grown up in a single parent household, I identify with the pain that haunts him, as my own mother would abandon love due to differences with my father and they would never again rekindle their love. Sometimes, not always, it is better to sacrifice certain desires in order to salvage a more complete and fulfilled life, as a life spent alone will always exist with a lingering feeling of abandonment.

Many themes appear throughout the Tale of Genji, some include time, love, betrayal, class, and many more. One theme that stuck out to me was the element of desire. I have observed throughout this novel that desire plays a very big part in the motivations of the characters, especially Genji. While desire is something that contributes to nearly all of our actions, as we almost always do something because it will result in what we desire, the motivations behind Genji lead me to believe that he is not merely hoping to acquire something, he is discovering himself and his own internal dynamics by expressing his desire to love, I believe Lady Murasaki illuminated upon his desires so that we may gather a greater understanding of his character.

Avery Ricco

ENGL 2341

Chapter six, Saffron Flower is a perfect example of this. In this chapter, we observe Genji while he is at a bit of a low point in his life. He has been rejected by a number of women with whom he truly wished to establish a real relationship, however, he hears of a princess which has been sheltered and is a bit of a ‘hidden gem’ from his friend Tayu, who serves under this princess.

Genji, with the desire to find a truly comparable partner, sneaks off into the night with the intention of meeting her and assessing her for himself. Genji appears outside of her home, and Tayu confronts him, warning that he has not come at a good time. Genji responds: “But take me somewhere so that I may hear her voice, I cannot go away without hearing that.” (123).

Desire drives Genji to pursue the princess, even though at this point in the story he has never even seen her face, he has merely heard gossip about her from his friend Tayu. The servant of the princess agrees, and instructs Genji to wait while she attempts to elicit more of the Princess for Genji to go off of. Tayu convinces the princess to play Koto, hoping that her initial insight into the princess will serve correct for Genji. She does not play well, but she tries her best and Genji is overall impressed. To-no-Chujo appears as well and expresses an interest in the princess, this alarms Genji and the two begin to debate, to which To-no-Chujo defines their desires: “If girls who, from a modest propriety, keep themselves aloof for years from our society, were at last to be subdued by our attentions, our affection for them would become irresistible, even braving whatever remarks popular scandal might pass upon us. She may be like one of these, the Prince Genji seems to have made her the object of some attentions. He is not one to waste his time without reason. He knows what he is doing.” (126). This passage summarizes Genji's desire to create a relationship with the mysterious princess, while he has not heard her voice or seen her face, the mere deprivation of detail surrounding her has only sparked his desire to meet her even more, he is nearly obsessed.

While the circumstances are certainly different today, I think everyone can understand the desire that Genji is experiencing surrounding The Princess. Almost everyone has reached a point in their lives when desire can override even the most simplistic and influential decisions, it can lead many down a dangerous path, as such blind desire can lead to serious decisions being made with one thought being considered, the ultimate goal of achieving what they desire, regardless of what the implications will mean. Whether it be love, power, or money, we can all

Avery Ricco

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make dumb decisions given the desire is great enough. In the end, Genji would finally meet with her and they would share some time together while expressing their intimacy, but Genji would come to discover that she is not the Princess he had hoped for. Displeased with certain physical traits being presented by her, Genji would find that only disappointment awaits him, again.

The situation in this chapter reminds me of a popular TV show from the 60s, The Dating Game. Contestants would be presented with a selection of possible suitors, however, they could not see what they looked like and instead could only hear their voice. They would ask a question, wait for a response, and based on the answer they would decide whether they would be interested in going on a date with that person. The circumstances surrounding Genji and his pursuit of the elusive Princess presents parallels that cannot be ignored. The contestants, much like Genji, are experiencing such a sense of desperation, that they are willing to ignore a filter they often consider when choosing a partner, in hopes that it will lead them to a successful relationship.

Poetry plays a big part in the literature of ancient Japan. While I have never viewed myself as a very poetic person, I do appreciate the feelings that it conjures when I experience them. I have always been an avid reader, but I have never really considered poetry to the extent that this course has required me to, and I must say, I am thoroughly glad that this course has opened my eyes to the beauty and complexity that can be fit into such a short series of words. Unlike other forms of literature, poetry, to me, is so popular and powerful because it relies on consideration and understanding from the reader. As opposed to a novel, which outright states what is being alluded to in many cases, poetry merely uses language that forces the reader to think in the way that the author wants, they do not push you in one direction, they gently lead you to reach that point and understanding on your own, through their choice of language and diction.

When reading the poetry selected for this challenge, I began to notice the emotions that can be felt, and I noticed the different ways that each poem can be interpreted and influenced through your mood. I would read a poem in a certain light, and when experienced in a different mood, the entire meaning of the short passage could take on a completely new face. For example,

Avery Ricco

ENGL 2341

when reading a poem from 1000 Poems from The Manyoshu, I noticed that the language derived separate emotions and conclusions on my part. The poem states: It is that summer and winter Ever come and go in company?

He neither puts away his fan, nor his furs, This wizard of the mountains!

I observe the role that nature is playing in this piece as defining of the subject, it is discussing the existence of a “wizard”, while the wizard is magical and most likely possesses knowledge that is unknown to most men, he is still defined and influenced by the overpowering force of nature, yet he is not limited by it. Stated in the piece, he does not put away his fan or remove his warm clothing, regardless of the change in nature. He is persistent and constant in his status, and this piece forces me to consider the effect nature has on regular men, as it has such an effect on a magical entity such as a wizard. This piece makes me consider the ways that nature influences us in different ways. However, upon reading this piece again, after I had experienced a few misfortunes for the day, I began to interpret the poem in a different way. Based on my understanding, I see the wizard taking the place of God, as they claim “The wizard of the mountains” and that he is immune to the changes of both summer and winter, he wears what he wears regardless of the weather. Being a wizard, we are to revere him and his ability to withstand, but we must also view him as a different force, capable of more than the average man. In a different mood, this piece spoke to me in a way that demanded a certain respect for those beings that are above us, and I believe the poem was intending to illuminate upon the differences of both ordinary men, and the God they worship, we are defined by the influences of nature, while God is not.

Avery Ricco

ENGL 2341

Just today, while taking a walk with my girlfriend through a quiet suburban neighborhood, I began to consider the effect and influence that nature has on us, and the inner poet inside me felt the urge to put what I was feeling into format. The trees were a beautiful shade of dark red, and their pale trunks brought an anticipation of winter to my mind.

A thin fallen leaf Now defined red by chill wind Devourers once green.

I believe that setting plays a very large part in poetry, it can mean changes in our interpretation of the poem and it can even determine the message that the poet is conveying. As with my haiku written above, the sight of the red leaves engulfing the once beautiful green lawn conveyed change to me, while it was just as beautiful as the green, if not more, the color represented change, and that change is inevitable to a degree, just as it is inevitable that all the leaves will fall off the tree and consume that which was once green.

While I do appreciate poetry and the different meanings it can convey, I would be lying if I did not say that I occasionally face difficulties when attempting to decipher the meaning behind them. Many poems from ancient Japan, whether it be due to translations or just a lack of understanding on my part, conveyed meanings that I could not identify. For example, in The Collection of Ancient Poems, one particular poem stuck out to me as I pondered its meaning: Going alone to the western market,

Avery Ricco

ENGL 2341

Making no careful choice I bought the silk, But what a costly bargain it was!

I struggle to identify and pin down the meaning behind this poem, while I have read it time and time again, its significance eludes me, and I feel a sense of frustration as I try to define its purpose and meaning. I can sense an element of isolation here, as the poet speaks about going to the market alone and the expensive bargain of silk that they bought, perhaps it is hinting to the idea that we suffer less, both financially and emotionally, when we undergo circumstances with another person by our side, as opposed to completely alone, maybe the silk would have been less expensive if he had another person there to help him haggle, but instead, he was taken advantage of.

Rashomon is a deeply disturbing tale, this story evoked feelings and internal images which I have never truly considered until reading this piece. We begin our short story with a servant of a samurai who has just been let go from his post, his ability to survive and prosper are in question and he is not confident in his future, as he will either starve or he will have to break the law in order to survive, but this would bring dishonor to himself. On a stormy evening, he finds himself at a deeply disturbing location, the dilapidated Rashomon, a haven of immoral activity and a popular dumping ground for unknown corpses. The gate is but a glimmer of its former self, and the now unemployed servant finds himself in fear. The rain begins to grow, and he is forced to seek shelter, but he has nowhere to go. “He found a broad lacquered stairway leading to the tower over the gate. No one would be there, except the dead, if there were any.” (35). As the servant is making his way up the stairs, he notices a candlelight at the top and it is evident that he is not alone. Fearfully, with his sword by his side, he makes his way to the top, and there inside, he is horrified by what he finds.

Corpses are strewn about the floor, the author describes them with such morbid diction that it conjures incredibly disturbing images: “Some of them were women, and all were lolling on the floor with their mouths open or their arms outstretched showing no more signs of life than so many clay dolls.” (36). This is utterly horrifying, but it only gets worse. The servant observes a decrepit old woman, bent over the corpses as she is pulling out the hairs of the recently deceased.

The servant is first horrified, and then the morality of the situation occurs to him, he becomes

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angry at the old woman. She admits that she is only defiling the bodies of the dead because she herself does not want to end up like them, she is doing it so that she can make a wig and sell it for food. She also explains that the woman whose body she is defiling was also an immoral person, as she would falsely advertise the food she sold so that she could survive as well.

The servant ponders her responses, and he faces a moral dilemma. The servant is in a similar situation as the old lady, he must do what he has to so that he may survive, just as the old lady did, and just as the vendor did as well, but he does not want to embrace that he is really no better than she. In the end, he seems to embrace his inner darkside, as he robs her of her clothes and leaves her there among the corpses, nearly reduced to one herself. He did what he had to so that he could survive, even as it meant ignoring his moral compass. Whether you agree with the servants actions or not, you cannot deny the moral dilemma that presents itself when we are faced with tough times. Would you steal a loaf of bread, if it meant that you could feed your starving family? The overall majority would answer with a resounding yes, as our survival instincts are often strong enough to override any sense of morality, especially if we are committing said acts with the intention of protecting our loved ones.

The situation presented in Rashomon reminds me of a very similar circumstance in one of my favorite books, The Road by Cormac McCarthy. In this book, a man and his son are fighting

Avery Ricco

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to survive in an apocalyptic future, supplies are scarce and threats are abundant. In one chapter of the book, the man and his son are almost robbed by a thief who is attempting to steal their supplies, and the father reacts in a very similar manner as the servant in Rashomon. He instructs the thief to strip nude, and takes every single piece of clothing he has, and then leaves him there, just as the servant did with the old lady. The father realized that they must do what they have to in order to survive, and that includes rejecting a moral standpoint. “There is no God and we are his prophets.” (McCarthy). From what I can gather, when times are tough and the circumstances extreme, a question of morality is irrelevant, as it is also immoral to allow your family to starve, just as it is immoral to steal from the dead, when it comes down to it, we are all just doing what we must to survive, and often, that can involve some really horrible things, it merely depends on the position you are in, just as Akutagawa has shown us.

Yam Gruel is another short story written by Akutagawa which presents moralistic themes.

While it is a bit harder to understand the meaning behind this tale, we can infer that it has to do with desire. Our main character, Goi, is a samurai that is constantly picked on, and he has a great desire for his favorite dessert, yam gruel. After being promised a large portion of it by another court official, Toshihito. When they finally reach the point where he is able to enjoy the portion of desert, he eats way too much as they tell him to eat and he does not want to be rude. “Grinning maliciously, Toshihito also pressed Goi to have another pitcherful of yam gruel.” (63). The desert is spoiled, and Goi becomes miserable, even though it is his favorite dessert.

This situation reminds me of a scene from one of my favorite movies as a kid, Matilda. In this movie, there is a scene in which a young boy asks for chocolate cake, and instead of giving him what he wants, the evil principal forces the young boy to gorge himself on cake, to the point that he is miserable. It is easy to see that a response such as this comes from a place of spitefulness and resentment, as the ultimate goal is to force someone to regret their desire, just as Goi would regarding his favorite dessert of yam gruel. In the end, it is evident that Toshihito is in the wrong, as it is not wrong to have desires, it is wrong to prosecute someone because they have desires, although, it can be interpreted as a way to negate indulging in your own desires, as this can often lead to the souring of that which you yearn for most.

Avery Ricco

ENGL 2341

The Martyr is an interesting short story full of twists and turns, it tells the story of a young boy being raised in the church. After a girl, the umbrella maker's daughter, begins to have feelings for this boy, named Lorenzo, clues begin to appear which lead to the conclusion that Lorzenzo and this woman are sharing a relationship. The church leadership becomes mad and casts him away from the church, around which time it is discovered that she is pregnant, and it's looking like Lorenzo will be the father. The former religious pupil is reduced to a vagrant among the streets, and his status in the community is destroyed. One day, after the baby has been born, there is a fire at the umbrella maker's house, and the baby is in jeopardy. Lorenzo, even though he's been reduced to the lowest levels of society because of this woman and the rumors surrounding them, still jumps in to help save her life and the life of her baby. Lorenzo barely saves the woman and her baby, and gets gravely injured during his effort. It is here that the umbrella makers daughter admits that she never had a relationship with Lorenzo and the person she did have a relationship with was a stranger, so the baby is also not Lorenzo’s, It is also revealed that Lorenzo is a girl at the end of this story: “It may have been only a moment -- It seemed like an eternity -- before the entire assembly realized that Lorenzo was not a boy but a girl. Yes, Lorenzo was a girl! Lorenzo was a girl! Behold! With the flames raging at their backs, the brethren circled around Lorenzo, stood in awe and wonder with their eyes fastened on the martyr. Lorenzo, driven off Santa Lucia on the falso charge of adultery, was a fair girl of this country like the umbrella maker's daughter herself.” (79). I believe this piece does a great job at conveying what is moral and immoral, just the servant is a bit of both at the same time, as it was immoral to lie about Lorenzo's involvement with the baby, and it was moral to act as a martyr to prove a point, both are equally wrong to compare. Lorenzo did so that he could prove a point.

References

McCarthy, Cormac. The Road, New York: Vintage Books, 2006, print.

Axel Leos

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The Tale of Genji by Lady Murasaki Shikibu

“Nothing is so beautiful as the brilliant dyes spread over the face of Nature, yet the red tints of autumn are often not dyed to a color so deep as we desire, because of the early drying of the dew, so we say, ‘such is the uncertain fate of this world’...” - pg. 49

There is an overall indescribable feeling I get while reading Lady Murasaki’s The Tale of Genji. Oscillating from appreciation to confusion (and sometimes even nostalgia?..), there’s an undeniable sense of wonder and gratitude that I feel when reading -- especially knowing it’s considered the world’s first novel. And confusion may not be the best choice of word, but there’s definitely that awareness of reading literature of a language, time period, and world I’ll never fully know, yet can still connect to. As someone who loves Japanese culture, I wish I were fluent in Japanese as I’m sure things get lost in translation. Still, I am amazed and grateful that literature over a millennium old has been translated and has been made available for people to consume and appreciate. In the The Tale of Genji, I want to explore the setting, the poetry, and the timelessness and transience of nature.

Having visited Japan a couple of times, my natural instinct was to try to connect what I was reading, to where I have visited. Obviously, a lot has changed in a thousand years, but it allowed me to find an anchor point. We were staying in Tokyo, which is not too far from Kyōto - the original capital of Japan - and if I’m not mistaken, that’s where the Heian period of Japan took place. I visited the same land that Lady Murasaki herself was in! It’s kinda hard for me to believe.

With this in mind, I tried to connect with the setting of the novel. Although The Tale of Genji is a work of fiction, Lady Murasaki reflected the world she lived in through her writing. Poetry in the novel illustrated the scenery of the Japanese Heian period. The complexities and actions of the characters illustrated, not only the drama of Heain politics and love affairs, but also provided insight on the social class, morality, perspective of women, culture, and religion in that time period. So similar to dreaming from your memories, I began daydream-reading. Picturing and envisioning the scenes I read through my recollection of memories in Japan.

Axel Leos

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During my stay, I had the chance to visit the Imperial Palace East Gardens. While I read, I imagined the Imperial Court of the Heian period, but I admit, I envisioned the Edo Castle Ruins and Imperial Palace that I saw in 2019 instead. Still, it gave me an anchor to visualize and connect to the literature. I pictured the gardens I visited, and how they would have looked like with no city life around. A lot more landscape, less buildings and city lights. Now I can’t wait to visit the gardens again. I have looked up more history on Kyoto and have been on a Youtube spiral as a result of The Tale of Genji.

I

am reinvigorated to return to Japan someday (Covid can’t stop us!). To the left, is a beautiful photo of the Edo Castle remains I took in 2019. Here is an entire album of photos I took here if you’re interested.

Aside from visualizing the scene, the other thing that resonated to me was the poeticness and romance of nature. Something I think we all take for granted. Nowadays, many of us are more connected to our devices, rather than connected to nature (and our planet). While reading, there seemed to be a constant theme of timelessness and transience of nature. For example, even the smallest of details -- the continuous imagery of the morning dew on grass and how quickly they “pass” (which I mentioned in our Discussion 2 post). Even more so, I loved how nature and waka poetry were used to describe time, intensify emotions, and/or parallel with what the characters were feeling and doing in the novel.

Axel Leos

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I have a newfound appreciation of my last trip to Japan, history, literature and nature itself. Nature is ever-changing and timeless, just like Genji’s love interests. The Tale of Genji also helped me better understand the concept of Wabi-sabi (侘寂). The idea that we can find perfection in imperfection. The idea that every moment, no matter how mundane or transient, can be beautiful and imperfect: “Dewdrops on the ‘Hagi flower’ of beauty so delicate that they disappear as soon as we touch them—hailstones on the bamboo grass that melt in our hand as soon as we prick them…” pg. 51

Lady Murasaki has created this masterpiece that will forever have a lasting legacy and that we all can continue to learn from. My biggest takeaway and reflection is gratitude and appreciation of nature. It made me think of how much our world has changed, and how new issues such as climate change, trash, energy and sustainability are becoming growing concerns for our generation. Whereas, human politics is still a mess anywhere. I also did enjoy the messy adventure’s Genji went on especially in the later chapters and of the haunting spirit of Lady Rokujo. :) “Why do you grieve so uselessly? Every uncertainty is the result of a certainty. There is nothing in this world really to be lamented.” -- pg. 91

Axel Leos

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The Collection of Poetry (Basho and various writers) Nature continues to be a prevalent theme in our readings, and especially from the poetry.

The collection of selected poetry by Basho and other writers really adorn and beautify mundane moments in nature. According to the Eastern Philosophy - Matsuo Basho video we watched, the most recognized poem is the infamous frog haiku:

Furu ike ya kawazu tobikomu mizu no oto

Old pond – frogs jumped in – sound of water. (© Lafcadio Hearn) Image link There’s a beautiful simplicity and rhythm to the Japanese haiku. Once you read the English translation, one can even visualize the frog jumping into a pond and plop! - it’s as if you can hear the sound of water when reading. I found this minimalistic poem to be effective and a really good starter to dive into Japanese poetry. It was this poem, as well as some of the waka poems in The Tale of Genji that helped me get inspired in order to contribute to the Renga poem in our Discussion 3 assignment. I think, too often, I am rigid when it comes down to reading and analyzing, so experiencing these poems allowed me to step back for a second and be more fluid and creative. It allowed me to think of that concept of Wabi-sabi (侘寂). It allowed me to ask questions and be more reflective: What does the poem mean to me? What does it remind me of? How does it make me feel?, etc… I’ve realized that some are open to interpretation, and that’s what poetry is about. It’s more so a subjective experience. To think. To feel. To be.

141 Composed on the Spot

Axel Leos

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Like the bubbles on the water That runs echoing by the hill of Makimuku, Frail human thing, am I.

(From Hitomaro Collection)

As I kept learning and diving into our Week 3 to-do’s, I found a poem that made me feel something. The poem above is also very minimalistic, but profound. I have to say this one stood out to me, and is probably one of my favorites because it’s succinct and existential. Using imagery, the author conveys that their (or our) existence is like bubbles in a vast body of water.

Life is constantly flowing, pouring, and moving - like a stream of water running by a hill.

I may be interpreting this

differently as intended, but that is my takeaway. Especially with the last sentence, it gives off life-is-beyond-myexistence vibes. And who are we, but “frail humans”, to enjoy the water ride that is life?

Axel Leos

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The Short Stories of Ryunosuke Akutagawa I have really enjoyed reading Akutagawa’s short stories. His stories seem to show a truthful darkness within humanity. My favorite short story so far has been Rashomon, as it almost feels like a short thriller with a chilling twist at the end. Still, each story I have read from him really bring out some dark themes that vary from morality, poverty, deceit, cruelty, murder, unfulfillment, and even religious hypocrisy. Even more dark, is Akutagawa’s tragic suicide. He was such a talented and young writer, and his works are not just entertaining and enjoyable to read, but profound and introspective. He has left an indelible mark on Japanese literature. It’s no wonder he is known as the “Father of Japanese Short Stories”, according to Yabai Writers (The Life of Ryunosuke Akutagawa). I didn’t want to repeat my Discussion posts, so I chose new passages. Below are a couple of passages that stood out to me: In a Grove "Truly human life is as evanescent as the morning dew or a flash of lightning. My words are inadequate to express my sympathy for him" This passage stood out to me because of the continued imagery of nature. Here we have the testimony of a traveling Buddhist priest who compares Takehiro’s life to the transience of nature. While telling his account of what he saw, he mentioned seeing Takehiro and his wife, only to find out later that he has died. Here he’s basically saying that life vanishes as fast as lightning and as fast as the morning dew. Our life is short, but life goes on. It’s beautifully tragic. It’s inevitably the cycle of life.

Why? To me killing isn't a matter of such great consequence as you might think. When a woman is captured, her man has to be killed anyway. In killing, I use the sword I wear at my side. Am I the only one who kills people? You, you don't use your swords. You kill people with your power, with your money. Sometimes you kill them on the pretext of working for their good. It's true they don't bleed. They are in the best of health, but all the same you've killed them. It's hard to say who is a greater sinner, you or me. (An ironical smile.)

Axel Leos

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This next passage is powerful and beyond it’s time. I don’t even know where to start. In the literal sense, Tajomaru is being brutally honest and telling it how it is. He raped Masago and killed her husband. He then implies that others “kill” in different ways, and his sin is no different from theirs. I wonder if this could be him saying people “kill” their authentic self and/or others, at the chance of power, money, or self-gain. For example, he reveals that Masago betrays her husband at that moment and even encourages Tajomaru to kill him. Isn’t this an example of indirectly killing someone? You would think Masago loves her husband, but immediately betrays him when he is attacked (according to Tajomaru’s testimony). Masago didn’t literally kill her husband, but isn’t she just as guilty now for wishing for his death?

In another sense, this passage can apply to capitalism, greed, businesses, police, criminal justice system and so many other things. There are systems beyond individuals that “kill” people. Especially the “Sometimes you kill them on the pretext of working for their good” quote.

It makes me think of politics, labor, and other systems that sometimes drain our humanity and we think they are working for our “good”. In that passage, Tajomaru also brings up an excellent question of morality, a repeating theme in Akutagawa’s works. A kill is a kill. If people in power, like police, kill someone, is it not a “sin”?

How many times have police mistakenly killed? How many times has the criminal justice system failed someone? Sadly, too many times. Tajomaru is bad, but he knows it and at least he’s brutally honest. He even accepts the fullest punishment. Now how do people in power or these systems that are meant to be good show that same kind of integrity and/or accountability?

Courtney Fullington

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IN THE PIT Rashomon In a Grove “Now give me your life. I’ll follow you right away”

This short story makes me remember the lowest time in my life, when my significant other passed away in a car accident. I accepted his death, but also wanted to die myself. I felt as though my chance at love was gone forever. I realized during this time, I run and hide when dealing with intense emotions. I do not want to share because like in the story the shame of showing my vulnerable self is too hard to bear. When I look back at this time, I was a mute not letting anyone close to me in. I had resolved myself just like three main characters in the story to death. Not a literal death like them, but a life of sadness and solitude. There was no reason for me to go on continuing a meaningful life, instead I would become a zombie and go through the motions. In properly grieving, I realized that while what happened was horrific, I wasn’t going to follow him to the other side. I slowly realized that isolating myself was self-destructive, that there was more life for me to live and that for the first time in a long time I could put myself first. Getting to know yourself on a deep level is scary, but by facing yourself is when you truly grow. Perspective is important, and in the story, we see that everyone’s perspective varies. To my parents, I was strong and did not cry, and continued with my days. . To my friends I was coping by drinking and not caring about consequences. And for myself I was lost. The short film “Bao” by Domee Shi makes me think of the stages of grief. It is a story about a mother suffering from an empty nest, one of her dumplings comes to life and she couldn’t be happier, in the end the dumpling continues to grow up much like her children did and she has to accept this is the progression of life.

Courtney Fullington

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LOST

The Tale of Genji “When in my present lonely lot, I feel my past has not been free From sins which I remember not, I dread more, what to come, may be”

Genji is lost and doesn’t seem to understand that he is indeed lost. His story speaks to all of his “lost” loves in his life that were really never his to begin with. I almost read the book as his dreams, wandering from one place to another desperately searching for what he craves the most, love. But Genji needs self-reflection to define what he is truly looking for. All of the loves that he comes across are completely different, making me think that Genji truly doesn’t understand what he wants or needs. If we dive into Genji’s life he is missing his mothers love, who died shortly after he was born. While he had a time being raised by his grandmother, she too was not great at dealing with the loss of her daughter. Once Genji is brought to the Emperor he is another example to Genji of trying to replace grief with someone else. To fully grow Genji does not need to throw himself at others but look inside and see that he is grieving his mother and is craving a life of belonging. I can understand the feeling of being lost. Not only after my previous relationship but in my career as well. It is very hard to graduate high school and decide what you want to do for the rest of your life. It is easier to continue on with your day going through the motions instead of asking yourself the hard questions. When I first went to therapy, I was annoyed by questions asked about how I was feeling and why. I wanted to scream if I knew I wouldn’t be here! I had the answers all along, I was just not holding myself accountable for my feelings. Going to school has taught me even more about expressing myself and thinking critically.

It seems that Genji needs to take some courses on how to express yourself without using your body!

Courtney Fullington

ENGL 2341 A NEW DAY

Salad Anniversary Summertime Ship “Slowly like the earth waking, It starts to moveSummertime ship”

I only included a snippet of this poem, but this part especially reminds me of a phoenix rising from the ashes. It feels to me like being in the dark for so long and finally seeing a glimpse of sunlight. For me it is difficult to see the positives when you only focus on the negatives. Life has varying degrees of ups and downs, but how you persevere is what is important. Since COVID-19, life has seemed as though it drags. Coupled with the current media’s obsession with fear mongering makes it feel like there is nothing great left in the world we live in. However, small things such as visiting the mountains or being active outside gives me a renewed sense of life.

Much like the phoenix rising from the ashes, I am not the person I was ten years ago or ten months ago. What is important to me is knowing myself and to continue to grow personally,

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professionally, and spiritually. When I started investing in my own mental health, I felt like the summertime ship was starting to move, I could feel myself finally waking up.

Ella Imrie

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The Tale of Genji: I wanted to begin by dividing my response up into two sections based on the two issues that spoke to me the most in the text: the portrayal of external beauty, especially in women, and the passage of time. The two are somewhat intertwined. I did discuss these issues briefly in my discussion posts but I believe that they speak to me in a way that touches all aspects of my life, and thus deserve more discussion.

One of the most influential sections of The Tale of Genji to me was on page 46 where it states, "In their letters they choose the most harmless topics, but yet contrive to colour the very texture of the written signs with a tenderness that vaguely disquiets us. But such a one, when we have at last secured a meeting, will speak so low that she can scarcely be heard, and the few faint sentences that she murmurs beneath her breath serve only to make her more mysterious than before. All this may seem to be the pretty shrinking of girlish modesty ; but we may later find that what held her back was the very violence of her passions. Or again, where all seems plain sailing, the perfect companion will turn out to be too impressionable and will upon the most inappropriate occasions display her affections in so ludicrous a way that we begin to wish ourselves rid of her. Then there is the zealous house-wife, who regardless of her appearance twists her hair behind her ears and devotes herself entirely to the details of our domestic welfare."

This reminded me of certain aspects of my life that I have been working hard to break away from.

I have been modelling for the last five or so years, and I often switch between personas depending on the type of job I’m doing--modeling, hosting, or publishing. When I’m modeling, I spend a lot of time quite literally standing still and looking pretty. When I’m hosting, I put on my “customer service” voice and spend all of my time ensuring others are happy. When I’m publishing, I take charge and responsibility and act in a more decisive and intellectual way. The juxtaposition of these roles often leads to me feeling slightly out of place in all three. This situation in my own life is similar to the various roles of a woman, explained in the text from a man’s perspective, and serves to highlight the disparity between what is expected of each gender. Women are expected to fulfill their role, while smiling, whereas men have the opportunity to raise a question. In society today, we have been able to break away from some of

Ella Imrie

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these gender conformities. In my experience however, the modelling industry and the corporate world is still very limiting, especially as a young (told you it’d come up) female.

The stigma around being young in today’s society is a departure Things I’ve Heard As A Young, from what is expressed in the work since the emphasis in the Female Professional novel is on age and the passage of time as a negative occurrence, due to the inevitable “decay” of one's features.

“Is it bring your kids to work day?”

“Who let you in here?”

“Must be a special friend of the boss” “You’re only here because you’re pretty” “You’re too young to know about this but…”

<<The Decline of Youth>>

Another theme expressed in this section of the work is the steady dilution of one’s self, based on the perception of others. The image I’ve inserted here demonstrates a trend that, while not explicitly stated, is prevalent throughout the book.

<<Lost in Time. Image by Menet>>

Ella Imrie

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As you can see in the image, the woman is portrayed topless, with a clock replacing her face. To me, her lack of shirt represents the demeaning nature of existing. The clock then signifies the desperation that most women, especially those in the novel, have to escape from their roles before time runs out. In the time period in which we’re studying, women were either children and ignored, teens and married off, adults and housewives, or older women and ignored. As such, women are condensed down into the three roles mentioned above: girlish, impressionable, and house-wife. All of these indicate a reliance on a man and a lack of independence. As if that weren’t bad enough, the three roles are so strictly defined in the novel by status, privilege, and conventional attractiveness, that they become a suffocating box for the women in the novel.

Ironically enough, the strictness of these rules begins to bleed over into the lives of the men that enforce them, caging Genji into the same box based on conventional attractiveness.

Ella Imrie

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Basho and Others I will not lie--I had a little more trouble relating to the poems than I did to the other two works. I did want to begin with an interpretation of this line from Basho: The Complete Haiku. It is as follows: “I feel my age when / My teeth bite down upon / Sand amongst the seaweed!” (© Thomas McAuley). This line stood out to me as commentary on the human condition of finding bad within the good and visa versa. Of course, the line could stand for something as simple as the speaker literally finding sand in his seaweed, or it could be interpreted as a statement on growing old--that is to say that what was once not bothersome in youth is now intolerable in old age. As a young(ish) person, I do not have much to say on the subject of growing old but I enjoyed the connection between the passage of time and the tolerance that we have for little irritants.

As I’ve mentioned in some of my other posts, I believe that most people spend too much time on Low Leverage Activities (LLAs), especially in youth. As we grow older, much like the sentence in the poem indicates, the Low Leverage Activities that we were once comfortable burning hours upon hours on become a grain of sand in our seaweed, cracking our metaphorical teeth and draining our energy from the enjoyment of other activities.

Another line that spoke to me was this one: “The year draws to its close; / but I am still wearing / my kasa and straw sandals.” (© R.H.Blyth). In this line, the speaker is pointing out the constants in life--in his case, his kasa and straw sandals. Time may be passing for him and he may be growing older and losing some of the things he once had, but at the very least he will continue on in perpetuity with the same kasa and straw sandals. I think this speaks to the necessity of routine

Ella Imrie

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for most people. It is human nature to reject change, a condition of being that has persisted from the very first days of humanity. In order to combat this change, we sink into familiarity and routines to ensure that the little things remain the same, even if our lives are in upheaval. We can see this in the wake of natural disasters such as Hurricane Ida that wreaked havoc upon the lower half of Louisiana some sixty days ago.

<<Families sit together in the wake of the hurricane. Images by Houma Today>> After the hurricane, many people lost material possessions: houses, cars, jobs, roads, pools, televisions, fridges, rings, you name it, they lost it. Although the hurricane stripped them of their material possessions, the families soon gathered together and began to go about the task of clearing up debris. I have been lucky enough to avoid being the victim of a natural disaster, but I imagine there is a comfort in being surrounded by family and loved ones.

The poem as a whole had a comforting ring to it due to the solidarity of the speaker and his seeming lack of concern with the changing seasons. This can be seen in the line that nonchalantly mentions the cracking of the water jug due to the extreme cold-- “The sound of a water jar / cracking on this icy night / as I lie awake.” The beginning of the work mentions the withering and decay of the landscape as winter approaches but then takes a more hopeful turn and finishes as if the hardships of winter were nothing more than a minor trifle.

“Grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, courage to change the things I can, and wisdom to know the difference.” -Reinhold Niebuhr

Ella Imrie

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If you accept the things you can’t change--the seasons, passing of time-- and embrace the ones you can--routines, clothing--time will pass much smoother and the things once thought to be unconquerable will soon be but a minor inconvenience.

Ella Imrie

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The Short Stories of Ryunosuke Akutagawa I think that of all the works we studied in this course thus far, “The Short Stories of Ryunosuke Akutagawa '' had the most impact on me and the most potential for philosophical analysis. The main moral dilemma comes up rather early in the story, when the servant is faced with the choice to steal and live, or die without becoming a thief. The struggle is exemplified in the following excerpt, “If he chose honest means, he would undoubtedly starve to death beside the wall or in the Sujaku gutter. He would be brought to this gate and thrown away like a stray dog. If he decided to steal . . . His mind, after making the same detour time and again, came finally to the conclusion that he would be a thief.” This brings up the question of morality early on and gives the reader many instances to consider whether or not the servant is acting morally. I would argue that the definition of “morality” differs from person to person, making it difficult to pin down. To me, it has something to do with what “human nature” is defined as. As such, I decided to tie the question of the servant’s morality back to some accepted philosophers ideas. For example, the philosophies of John Locke describe human nature as “using reason to try to grasp the truth, and determine the legitimate functions of institutions will optimize human flourishing for the individual and society both in respect to its material and spiritual welfare. This in turn, amounts to following natural law and the fulfillment of the divine purpose for humanity (Ugalsis 4).” In contrast, Hobbes considers humans to be naturally vainglorious and so seek to dominate others and demand their respect. The natural condition of mankind, according to Hobbes, is a state of war in which life is ‘solitary, poor, nasty, brutish, and short’ because individuals are in a ‘war of all against all’” (Lloyd and Sreedhar 11). These definitions can be reflected in some of my lesser and greater moments. Lashing out at my brother in a misguided hunt for my parents' attention falls under the Hobbsian approach, with all in a war against all. Akutagawa concisely captures these emotions in his portrayal of each character and the fluctuations that they experience between good and evil, right and wrong.

I try to live my life in alignment with Locke’s philosophy, as it gives more hope and reason to do well. When one considers the ultimate futility of life--something we see the servant come to grips with when he acknowledges he will die if he does not resort to thievery-- I find there can be slight comfort in using logic and reason to adjust our actions. If we analyze the servant in the context

Ella Imrie

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of Locke’s philosophy, his actions were immoral, because logically there was another choice rather than stealing. The servant could’ve learned new skills, found someone to take him in, or any of a thousand other options. Now, if we look at the servant’s actions through the lense of Hobbes’ human nature, the servant’s actions are moral and to be expected from a “war of all against all” perspective. In that case, the servant is merely looking after himself, as is his responsibility, and therefore it is moral for him to take any action to protect his own well-being.

Similarly, I have immense amounts of personal responsibility--showing up to work on time, paying my credit card, doing homework in my free time, making it from one job to another, balancing work and life, you get it. However, I do not have very many instances that require me to take responsibility for the well-being of other people. My boyfriend on the other hand, takes more responsibility for others--his siblings specifically--than he does for himself. He is more than happy to get to work late, if it means he drops his siblings off at school on time. Akutagawa deftly provides the servant in this “Rashomon” and Tajomaru in his account as a relatable example of personal responsibility for immoral actions and the futility of considering the impact of their choices.

Actus Reus, or the evil act, requires a few things to be considered a truly immoral or illegal act.

The first necessary item is the mens rea, or evil state of mind. In both Tajomaru and the servant’s accounts, their choices seemed to be made more out of desperation and necessity, rather than cruelty. Tajomaru’s account explains his hesitation, when he says “Yes, without taking his life. I had no wish to kill him. I was about to run away from the grove, leaving the woman behind in tears, when she frantically clung to my arm. In broken fragments of words, she asked that either her husband or I die. She said it was more trying than death, to have her shame known to two men.

She gasped out that she wanted to be the wife of whichever survived. Then a furious desire to kill him seized me.” In addition to his initial hesitation, Tajomaru expresses somewhat embittered regret for his actions at the end of his account saying, “so

Ella Imrie

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put me down for the maximum penalty", as if accepting his punishment for all his wrongdoings.

The servant shows similar hesitation and acknowledges the illegality behind his choice. This begs the question: are we all condemned for the things we do to survive? Does our penance mean anything?

Works Cited Lloyd, Sharon A. and Susanne Sreedhar, "Hobbes’s Moral and Political Philosophy." The Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy, 2020, https://plato.stanford.edu/archives/ fall2020/entries/hobbes-moral.

Menet, Jerome S, and Michael Rosbash. “When Brain Clocks Lose Track of Time: Cause or Consequence of Neuropsychiatric Disorders.” Current Opinion in Neurobiology, vol. 21, 2011, doi:10.1016/j.conb.2011.06.008 Uzgalis, William, "John Locke." The Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy, 2020, https://plato.stanford.edu/archives/spr2020/entries/locke/.

Setyawan, Kezia. “I Don’t See Your Trailer Anymore.” Houma Today, 2021, https://www. houmatoday.com/story/news/2021/09/18/dulac-family-loses-home-after-hurr icane-ida-ready-to-rebuild/8345865002/

Franky Morales

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“The Martyr” by Ryunosuke Akutagawa “The Martyr” by Ryunosuke Akutagawa really stood out to me because there really is no “bad guy” much like the rest of the stories in this collection. While there may not be a traditional “villain” or “antagonist” there are a lot of people who are clearly in the wrong. Sure, the umbrella maker’s daughter is responsible for Lorenzo’s plight, but when she confessed I never felt any sort of animosity towards her, and I feel that is what the author intended.. I really, really believe that the fathers were truly the ones in the wrong here. While the fathers and monks were just following their established rules of conduct, and were led to believe that Lorenzo had breached their rules, who’s to say that the punishment fits the crime? They kicked Lorenzo on to the streets and disgraced him to the point where literally no one wanted to even be near him or even so much as associate with him or his name. All this was done on the basis of rumors, hearsay and the many years that Lorenzo had shown dedication to their rules and beliefs, the very same ones they used to justify condemning him to live on the streets and beg for survival.

If anything, she did what she did out of spite towards Lorenzo, not because she hated him, but she hated his dedication to being a monk.

I can somewhat relate to this, I am an Eagle Scout in BSA Scouts troop 1811. While I am proud of my achievement, I’ve always been a bit reluctant to discuss anything scout related around people who aren’t in my troop. I love scouting, but the actual organization itself has a very, very spotty track record when it comes to inclusivity. For every discussion or point made about BSA Scouts it feels like there has to be an asterisk somewhere in there because there is quite a bit of baggage going on behind the scenes at the national level.

The act of actively trying to hurt another person, be it physically or emotionally is

Franky Morales

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for us a very, very unnatural thing to do. That’s why when we witness it, or eventually commit it ourselves, it feels wrong and ugly. It stays with you. If the umbrella maker’s daughter truly “The Martyr” by Ryunosuke Akutagawa

hated Lorenzo, she would never have confessed to starting rumors solely to get back at him for turning her away. She would have let everyone else think that he was the father of the child rather than the neighboring farmer.

"The Christians who worshipped at the church paid no heed to the boy, and finally no one, not even the Fathers, felt pity for the boy. Since they were convinced of the truth of the scandalous rumors which prevailed at the time of his excommunication, nothing was farther from their thoughts than that he should ever be a boy of such piety as to make a nightly visit to Santa Lucia alone." -pg 71

Despite all the misery that Lorenzo is put through, the author ends the short story on a more positive, optimistic message. There is a light at the end of the tunnel, it’s that sometimes that light is farther away than you initially thought. In the final pages when the Umbrella maker’s house catches fire and nobody else dares to try and enter the blaze to save the infant child, Lorenzo runs inside and carries the child to safety, while this should be the moment that redeems him in the eyes of the fathers, they’re still prepared to shun him after he barely makes it out of the inferno alive. Only after the truth is revealed is he hailed as a martyr.

Franky Morales

“Salad Anniversary” by Machi Tawara

The small things in life We take for granted Sometimes mundaneevery time reliable

Deplored until they Were taken away Earth has changed Sickness runs rampant

Days blend together Spending them with special people Help them stand out

Used as central theme

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Franky Morales

In pages of the work Of Machi Tawara

Bind to reality Give feeling of normality Bring back fleeting memories

Just as the seasons change So to do feelings of love

In the early pages The Romance seems young And even blossoming “Salad Anniversary” by Machi Tawara

The discovery of love Can carry one’s soul away Invent them anew

Born again to feel And see Small things made great And special

Love can grow Love can fade

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Franky Morales

With the hands of time And the withers of age

Put on a facade To stave off The burden

The cracks in the seams Become easy to ignore When love is young

Life goes on Leaving no time to stop Enjoy the mundane things They may not last Time wears on The seasons cycle and pass

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Franky Morales

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“The Tale of Genji” by Lady Murasaki Reading “The Tale of Genji” by Lady Murasaki through a modern lens is certainly an interesting experience. This is a story that was written to entertain royal court members during the Heian Period, and while this book is well over a thousand years old and was written in an era with different cultural norms and customs, it still makes Genji quite a puzzling and perplexing character. Despite all this, it was a pretty fascinating ride to read the earliest recorded novel in history.

Just as an aside, I want to talk about how I liked the slow, more laid back (for lack of a better term) nature of the book. In past English classes I was taught that I needed to hook the people reading my papers from the very first paragraph, or even the very first sentence. That everything must be concise, to the point and snappy. With all that said, “The Tale of Genji” is a breath of fresh air. This is a story that takes its time, that wants to slow down in a sense and just get to know who our key players

are

throughout

going the

to

be

whole

narrative. There are a lot of old, culturally specific terms that you are constantly having to go back and reference, which in turn forces you, the reader, to take the novel’s story little by little, lest you end up completely lost and oblivious to what exactly is going on. There is no rush to jump from point A to Point B to Point C, this book. It takes the scenic route and I really like that. I have A.D.D, and sometimes while reading it can be easy for me to get lost in the pages. To lose track of what is happening and then have to go back a page or two. I’m not at all saying that doing that is the end of the world as we know it, but it’s nice to take the scenic route and smell the roses (which happens a lot in most classics).

Franky Morales

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Genji is quite an interesting character, by modern standards he’s a pretty terrible person. Not only does he completely disregard and ignore his wife in favor of pursuing romantic or sexual affairs with other women within the emperor's court (it was an arranged marriage, but still), he also essentially kidnaps and indoctrinates the niece of “The Tale of Genji” by Lady Murasaki

his stepmom whom he feels an almost disturbing level of attraction to not only because she’s related to her (come to think of it, they may as well be related, since she’s the niece of Genji’s stepmother, would that make them pseudo cousins? I’m not too knowledgeable when it comes to genealogy), but that is exactly what makes him so interesting to follow. “The Tale of Genji” is not really something that should be taken in a modern viewpoint but I can’t help but do that since in a way it almost makes it more intriguing, seeing how some of the horrible actions and words performed and said by Genji himself and his peers make their exploits seem like a train wreck that you just cannot look away from. You just have to see the whole thing through.

Kayla Bridges

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“The Tale of Genji” by Lady Murasaki Shikibu The first chapter of The Tale of Genji struck me in a way I

“The Genji’s grandmother sparked thoughts of my own journey of mourning, short and sharp in the narrow space of nineteen emperor years. I often find myself strove in guilty of overindulgence, pursuing headlines detailing the ever-grimmer reality we live in. I yearn to be beautifully vain to somber, to become a blazing, burning heart that knows the repress his secret of traveling through wind and rain without sputtering own out.

Maybe then I could avoid the inevitable, put off the hurt and the anguish of loss. The Emperor sought to escape it as well, pleading with his lover to keep her vow to him, to stay, to emotion; and not go before him from life. In truth, however, he and I both have wasted our time, as pain old no one and turns the mind to thoughts of love and its withdrawal. But still I persist. I overlooks scour the world of literature and song and trade memories, moments of potential joy to sit with grief for just a “The weeping and wailing dating from little while, vainly hoping to anticipate how my chest mother, who might have longed might from emptiness or the view I’d get from a to mingle in the same flames, theachetime entered a carriage...what were hospital window. when he first When I read the account of the funeral, I ask myself if then the thoughts of the desolate mother?”

I am being selfish saw his “The Tale of Genji” by Lady Murasaki Shikibu favorite, rose in my despair–after all, I’ve never had a lover or a child to say goodbye to, and like the book says, up before “all separations have their sting, but sharp indeed [is] the sting in a case like this”. I may visit a headstone in a cemetery, but I do not share the name chiseled onto it. My pain is nothing him fast and compared to that of the grandmother’s or even the Emperor’s, yet I write about it here as if the thick.

“How two were comparable.

But perhaps that is thehas hallmark of a great life: to be loved so much when you live that you are precious mourned by many when you die. The text points to Kiri-Tsubo as an example of this, saying that been each moment to me, but yet wasn’t expecting; the grief expressed by the Emperor and

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“even rivals felt pity for her” and “people [began] to think of her with sympathy” when she passed. In this way, grief is as much a solitary experience as it is a communal one. We gather in funeral homes and at gravesites to find solace in each other, with family and friends and loved ones. I’ll come to the conclusion, then, that my wish to know grief is less an exercise in selfishness and more an innate desire to see love in action. I want to see the warm embraces and the knowing glances that come in these sad moment, if only because I know that they are rare in moments of joy.

Kayla Bridges

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Rashomon-Ryunosuke Akutagawa “When the brothers asked him about his birth and parents, he never revealed his history, but gave such evasive answers as, “My home is paradise,” and “My father is the Father of all”.”

When a mirror is made, is there a responsibility to understand it? To listen to the glass maker and only use it for looking at one’s reflection?

I bring this up because it reflects the argument between authorial intent and personal insight, a debate that’s haunted academics for centuries. Personally, I find that the

intent of the author is not so much the sum of a story’s metaphorical content as it is a sort of base– a stony bed for the ever-flowing river of our world. With this in mind, let’s look at The Martyr by Ryunosuke Akutagawa.

The Martyr begins with a little boy named Lorenzo being taken in by a church in Japan.

He reveals little about his life, but grows close to the clergymen and churchgoers alike. His closest friend, named Simeon, protects Lorenzo throughout their childhoods until a rumor naming him the father of a bastard child is spread throughout their town. With such a terrible stain on his reputation, Lorenzo is cast out of the church and is forced to beg for food in a less-than-kind environment. The story ends by Lorenzo sacrificing himself in order to save his child from a house fire, after which it is revealed that Lorenzo has the body of a woman, meaning that his “child” could never have been his in the first place.

Hidden in this story is a metaphor for the kind of life many transgender people live. One way or the other, our secret must be kept hidden in order to stay safe. The lengths that Lorenzo goes to are far from extreme for many trans individuals: the vague illusions of the past are also spoken by those who know they are not welcome at home; being cast from food and shelter is common. Even his death, as noble as it is, can be seen as an attempt to be finally free of his silence, to go to a grave as Lorenzo the Martyr, burned to ash, cleansed by fire like Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. What did he see, I wonder, when

“Yes! Lorenzo was a girl! Lorenzo was a girl! Behold! With the flames raging at their back, the brethren circled around Lorenzo, stood in awe and wonder with their eyes fastened on the martyr.”

Kayla Bridges

ENGL 2341

they pulled him from the flames? Did he see the son of God, face full of love and forgiveness, arms ready to embrace him? Did he hear the angelic chorus, trumpeting the praises of his Lord Almighty? And finally, as the world faded from his senses, was he called to the throne of the Father to gaze upon his face at last? I cannot imagine the joy he might have felt in that moment, despite the declarations of womanhood trailing him into the night sky.

Kayla Bridges

ENGL 2341

Basho: The Complete Haiku Poems, like all works of literature, are personal things; they show the inner depths of a person, what they find important, what they know. Even decisively minimalist poetry has a statement to make, drawing readers in to discover its hidden depths. Basho, the ancient Japanese writer, took this concept and ran with it, exploring the natural world through the compact form of haiku.

However, I believe the impact that these poems leave with the reader is far more interesting than how short they are. For example, let’s take this poem, translated by Jane Reichhold: “Rocks wither / even water is dried up / freezing winter”. On the surface, this poem lacks most of what we in the West might claim as truly emotional poetry; it has no obvious symbolism or metaphor to pull apart, and it’s definitely sparse with words. But, when we examine what this poem makes us feel, there is a pond where a puddle was first apparent. This poem evokes thoughts of freshly-fallen snow, of wind cutting through your clothes and stealing the breath from your lungs. Though it is not a sensation I’ve experienced many times in my life, I can still imagine it, a frost so powerful even the earth shrinks from it in an attempt to keep warm.

Kerolos Sadek

ENGL 2341

“Rashomon” by Ryunosuke Akutagawa I am so amazed by so many things in Rashomon by Ryunosuke, the way that story goes. After reading the story I realized that sometimes we need to experience things to put an end to or even to figure out if it’s right or wrong. “Look here I am not an officer of the high police commissioner . I am a stranger who happens to pass this gate. I won't bind you nor do anything against you but you must tell me what you are doing up here”.(36) That was the servant question to the old woman after seeing what she was doing the surprising part is when he found out that she is plucking hair from dead people so she could make wigs so could sell them later on and buy food to survive but that’s not the main story because before all of that the servant was also, thinking about becoming a thief so he could survive also, had the justification to do so yet still gets interesting the old lady started feeling that she’s in trouble so she tries to give another justification to get herself out by saying “This woman, whose beautiful black hair I was pulling, used to sell cut and dried snake flesh at the guard barracks, saying that it was dried fish. If she hadn’t died of the plague, she’d be selling it now. The guards liked to buy from her and used to say her fish was tasty. What she did couldn’t be wrong, because if she hadn’t, she would have starved to death. There was no other choice. If she knew I had to do this to live, she probably wouldn’t care” (39). The old woman is trying to convince the servant that she’s doing this to someone just as bad. The servant asks the old woman “then it’s right if I rob you if I didn't I would starve to death”(39). The first time I read this story I thought it was so odd for him to want to become a thief to feed his needs since food is one in our everyday life yet he doesn’t hesitate to ask the old woman what she's doing also, breaking his desire to survive by choosing not to steal. It inspires me so much especially this section of the short story because nowadays we could go through life chasing things the media or the culture says it’s important to have or it’s a need to have and if we can't get our hands on it could lead to stress, anxiety, regrets, and even stealing. I could connect to that last part, especially being a foreigner and coming here after hearing about the American dream and how life could be if you tried but after being here and learning from other people's experiences and reading that part just confirmed that life doesn’t have to be all about you, the more selfies acts you do the happier you get and it’s a fact.

Kerolos Sadek

ENGL 2341

Doing the right thing at the right time is easy but not the other way around. When It comes to poems I think the only difference between us reading them now compared to what people did centuries ago is the feeling of the poem and what I mean by that is centuries ago they were more connected to the poem more than we must since most people would want to go and look up some action or comedy movies to watch instead of a poem to read and try to get in the reader’s mind and figure out the reason behind the choice of wording in the poem.

Leen Alhumaidi

ENGL 2341

The Short Stories of Ryunosuke Akutagawa

“He disliked his own lies as much as his parents', but still he continued to lie -- boldly and cunningly. He did this primarily out of need, but also for the pathological pleasure of killing a god.”

Sometimes you ask yourself why a person lies so much in their life, well did you ever think that the parents had something to do with it? I remember that I used to be friends with this one girl and she would lie about the smallest things in life. She would lie about where she went, what she ate for dinner, What's her college major. She did this because she wanted people to think she was so perfect in life but thar wasn't the case. Nobody on this earth is perfect or even near perfect in my opinion.

“I don't have the strength to keep writing this. To go on living with this feeling is painful beyond description. Isn't there someone kind enough to strangle me in my sleep?”

Some people give up in life based on what they are going through in life. People will go far enough to even end their life which is sad. In this story he didn't even have the strength to write about what's going on in his life. When someone don't have the motivation in life they will feel not

Leen Alhumaidi

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enough for this world. They won't do stuff to make them happy. They will live in a world where everything is sad for them and that's what he had to go through.

“Everyone is the same under the skin.”

This quote got to me the most. I believe that this might be my favorite quote from this book. It got to me because if I cut myself right now, I'd bleed the color red correctly. Now if I cut you, You would also bleed the same color as me. I believe that in this world, we are facing a lot of of racism.

People know a days judge you basically on your skin color or even your religion. It's so sad how now people look and pick anything they can to judge a person. I personally don't find this okay to do. In this world we were made to love one and another not to hate.

Leen Alhumaidi

ENGL 2341

The Tale of Genji by Lady Murasaki Shikibu

“Real things in the darkness seem no realer than dreams.”

The foundation of good taste and attractiveness in a woman is to be pleasant, polite, serene, and self-possessed. No one will mind how passionate or amorous you are as long as you are honest and do not humiliate others.

“You are here to remind me of someone I long for, and what is it you long for yourself? We must have been together in an earlier life, you and I.”

Someone always wants to be remiend of what they are here in life for. In this book the person just wanted to be with this person earlier in life and not have to wait in order to be with them.

Leen Alhumaidi

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The Collection of Poetry (Basho and various writers)

“Learn how to listen as things speak for themselves.”

I believe that in life we should just listen more and not talk aback. For example, let's say you got into a fight with someone. Allow that person to do all talking because the truth is when someone is mad they will say everything in their heart. I do believe that so people maybe don’t mean what they said but for the most part I do believe everything that was sad was true.

“Learn the rules, and then forget them.”

This has to be my favorite quote from this book itself. The reason why is because I am a strong believer in second chances. If you do something and you fail at it you can do it again. Get up, nobody is stopping you but YOURSELF. Remember what I just said. Never forget this. I know a lot of people who just give up and never move forward in life. Why are you going to quit now? Look back and think about why you decided to do this in the first place.

“The journey itself is my home.”

I believe that when you write everything in a book that, that can be your home. I know that I do

Leen Alhumaidi

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this a lot when I am going through some things in life. It’s nice just to go and write everything down and act like someone will open this book and read everything you had to say about your day. The best part about this is actually getting to look back at your book in 5 to 10 years. That’s the best part about this.

Meghan Kajihara

ENGL 2341

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The Tale of Genji by Lady Murasaki Shikibu In the art of kusozu, the female body has long been used as an object of morbid contemplation. The nine-stage paintings (from the root word, kyuu, “nine”) map the stages of decay in a corpse. These meditations were meant to help one edge closer to enlightenment by giving perspective to worldly desires, especially sexual ones. If one sees the body, the nexus of all worldly desire, as an object of revulsion, the pitfalls of worldly pursuits can be more easily avoided.

In the Tale of Genji, death and its shadow seem to stalk the titular hero and the women dear to him -- his mother, his nurse, his lover, his adopted daughter’s mother and beloved grandmother, his own wife. In some cases, Genji may have even been culpable. He grieves but seldom thinks deeply on neither their deaths nor on his own future and mortality. It “troubled him that he should never be free from the sting of these recollections through his life, and that there was a world to come, too!” (106) When he does, he can barely tolerate it and finds himself “involuntarily taken by a fancy, that how happy he would be to be accompanied to such a retreat by such a girl as he had seen in the evening” (106). Though the Tale of Genji precedes kusozu by

Meghan Kajihara

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about three centuries, could he have benefitted from the contemplation of kusozu to banish his libidinousness?

One can argue that the use of female corpses for male contemplation exposes a deep vein of misogyny, but scholar of Japanese religion Gail Chin, in her paper “The Gender of Buddhist Truth”, argues that it is crucial to consider how the women’s bodies are emblematic of deep Buddhist truths about life and death, and how the realization of those truths is crucial to the attainment of enlightenment..

Genji has his own ideas about the path to enlightenment. Chin notes that realizing one’s impermanence and mastering carnal desires are key steps to enlightenment. Genji, however, says to his ailing nurse that “when one leaves this world without a single regret, one passes straight to Paradise.” (76) What kind of enlightenment or Paradise waits for him, if pursuing it also means the reckless satiation of his sexual and romantic desires?

I am reminded of the work of Japanese artist, Fuyuko Matsui, who used the kusozu format to make a modern statement about pain, misogyny, and gendered violence.

Comparing the To-no-Chujo dialogue (38-57) on the nature of different women and looking at Matsui’s dismembered women, I am given the sense of an autopsy. Genji’s companions dissect their romantic experiences and use them to create the social anatomy of their ideal woman.

Matsui’s women have their organs exposed and their flesh consumed by predators, but find no rest in death. Even as her flesh peels away, one woman flees from beasts that would consume her. Another, organs exposed, lays in a bed of flowers, her colorfully arrayed viscera a mirror for the flowers that loom over her. The title of the work, “Keeping up the Pureness”, suggests that even in death, she cannot escape the demands of male-dominated society for female “purity”.

As freighted a word as there's ever been, Fuyuko’s “purity” is a modern analogue for Genji’s friends’ ideal of female perfection.

Meghan Kajihara

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An eerie recent example of this dynamic playing out is the marriage of the Japanese princess, Mako of Akishino, the niece of Emperor Naruhito. Women are not allowed to ascend to the Chrysanthemum Throne, and given the dwindling number of royals (especially those of an appropriate age to marry a young princess), young female royals tend to look outside of royalty for spouses. However, marriage to a commoner means expulsion from the royal family for women. Men, on the other hand, are allowed to marry commoners while maintaining their position in the royal family (Empress Emerita Michiko was a commoner before marrying Emperor Emeritus Akihito). This policy contributes to accelerated thinning of Japan’ royal ranks.

Princess Mako, after deciding to marry her college sweetheart, faced withering criticism in the Japanese press and from conservative politicians. The deluge of public abuse she faced, despite it being clear that there were few options for her to marry within the royal family, caused her to develop PTSD. She is not the first royal woman to experience this treatment. When the Emperor Emeritus married his wife, she was subject to such sustained derision from the public that traumatized her so deeply that she did not speak a word to anyone for months.

It is disheartening to think that in the 10 centuries since the writing of the Tale of Genji that ancient forms of gendered power, practiced individually or institutionally, are still devastating women. It’s time for gender inequality to get its own kusozu.

Meghan Kajihara

ENGL 2341

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Basho and the 1000 Poems of the Manyoshu

In the haiku of Basho and the 1000 Poems of the Manyoshu,

there

is

a

persistent

symbolic

connection between nature and the divine. It is our nearest frame of reference for experiencing a vast, mysterious

power

shifting

around

us.

To

understand, or even be swept away by, great swells of natural power or beauty, is to experience a physical analog to a spiritual or supernatural mystery. However, it’s not every day that one is actively overcome by the savage might and beauty of the natural world. How do we give structure to the noumenal?

In Poem 386, symbols of nature such as the “wine-jar set in the purified earth”, the “cord of bamboo rings”, and the speaker’s deer-like posture are used to echo nature in a ritualized form in order to gain insight, though it remains elusive as the speaker says “Thus I entreat thee, our god,/Yet can I not meet him?”.

Meghan Kajihara

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Basho pursues the Organic Divine in his own way, turning the form of the poem itself into a modality of ritualized contemplation. It is an old practice, using ritualized forms as a way to gain insight into divine mysteries, but it's a homo sapiens classic; we keep using it because we keep learning from it.

One way Basho opens the reader to this sort of contemplation is by using his poetry to summon visceral physical experiences and sense memories with an economy of syllables. For example: “hydrangea and a wild / thicket, providing a little garden / for this cottage.” (© Makoto Ueda)

Though I’ve lived a life far removed from Basho’s cultural context, this haiku fills me with memories of studying abroad in Japan when I was 14. How much stronger would the sensations and memories be for someone from his own time and community?

I

remember

the

humidity, the smell of the damp earth, and the way the hydrangeas swayed on their stalks, heavy with blossoms and rain. With these memories awakened, where will Basho lead me in contemplating the cottage and its little thicket?

A garden is a piece of nature that has been pruned back and precisely cultivated according to our desires. A "wild thicket" could not be more different, but still, these wildflowers and untamed foliage are just as welcoming as anything planted intentionally. Could the key to living in harmony with nature be to stop trying to control it? What could I do to reevaluate my perspective from my own “little cottage”?

Nature is something that I, as a person who spends 10+ hours a day on a computer, experiences a sort of romantic longing for and

Meghan Kajihara

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alienation from. And when I finally do get to be “in nature”, I often find myself not really enjoying it either because of bugs or allergies or heat or my general foul mood that would have had me stay in bed. Nature is a partner who I can't live with, but can’t live without.

Like pursuing perfect mastery of poetry, my comprehension of the mysteries of the Organic Divine is doomed to be incomplete. In time though, I may find that the journey to reverence and gratitude -- delighting in the wild thicket as much as the orderly garden -- is its own reward.

Lady Otomo of Sakanoe 386-7 Chanted at a religious service to her ancestral god Oh, our heaven-born god, Descended from the heavenly plainsWith the sakaki branch Fresh from the inmost hill, Ties with white paper and mulberry cloth, With a wine-jar set in the purified earth, With a cord of many bamboo-rings Hanging from my neck, With my knees bent like the deer’s, With my maden’s scarf flung over me, -Thus I entreat thee, our god, Yet can I not meet him?

Meghan Kajihara

ENGL 2341

“The Martyr” by Ryunosuke Akutagawa

What is it “to believe” and why do we bother -- for peace, for belonging, for a guiding sense of telos? Belief, in Akutagawa’s The Martyr, is a tesseract of sharp-edged irony. In order to maintain their beliefs, his characters may act contrary to them. I am less concerned by the contents of the text itself than I am by its destructive gestalt, questioning, believing, and questioning again, making one no longer certain of what it is to believe.

When I was 19, I was fortunate enough to see Michael Landy’s Saints Alive exhibit at the National Gallery in London. Akutagawa’s Lorenzo surfaced memories of Landy’s kinetic sculpture of Saint Jerome in the wilderness. The statue was a mechanical torso, mostly limbless except for a hovering arm holding the rock with which Jerome mortified his flesh. There was a pedal on the floor that visitors could step on to power the sculpture. When the pedal was pressed, the arm would swing down and bash the rock into the plaster torso. The sculpture of the saint would, over the course of the exhibition, slowly destroy itself. However, you can’t have a martyr without people willing to martyr them; the process of destruction could only occur when visitors depressed the pedal.

Meghan Kajihara

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Landy’s work, like Akutagawa’s, raises many questions about the purpose, meaning, and even potential emptiness of martyrdom and what it is to have faith, but offers little in the way of answers.

The best way to read The Martyr is at least twice. It offers new rewards, and raises more questions, once you know the explosive ending. When Lorenzo is first introduced with a mysterious background, it can feel like myth-making or the beginning of a fable. When you read it the second time, though, Lorenzo is not a mysterious “hero from the provinces”, but someone with something to hide. The references to Lorenzo’s delicacy and feminine beauty cut deeper, and Lorenzo’s ability to deflect probing questions with charisma summons more suspicion than charm.

It’s a subtle thing Akutagawa is doing here. The reader is made to question their own belief in the very nature of the story. What kinds of cognitive dissonance do we ignore in ourselves and why do we avoid confronting it? The story does not only conceal much of its meaning and mystery in the first read, but it is also framed in the text and the circumstances after its publication by a form of pseudohistory. The way Akutagawa created these layers approaches performance art.

The entire story is written in an old-fashioned style that would have been considered unusual for him and, at the time of publication, told people that the postscript at the end of the story, claiming that the “story is presumably a truthful record” (80), was real (13). Later, he confessed to fabricating it. He told the false history of a false story about a false accusation and a false monk, that conceals its greater mysteries on its first read.

Pseudohistory thins the veil between fiction and reality. It gives its subject a sense of nearness and plausibility. The framing of The Handmaid’s Tale is an academic conference on the “shortlived” Republic of Gilead. It gives the events of the story a new sense of time -- that these monumental and terrifying changes could occur and collapse within less than a single lifetime. It

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also gives the sense of a narrowly-avoided alternate past. As Atwood asks the reader to consider how close we have (and may yet) come to an invasive bodily conscription into authoritarianism, Akutagawa asks us to plumb the secret histories of our beliefs. Why do we believe what we believe? Why do any of us believe anything?

Different kinds of belief and faith are at work in the principle groups of characters. All of them share their religious faith, but their faith also exists alongside a source of unexamined cognitive dissonance. For Lorenzo, it is the secret of their gender and origins. For the Jesuit brothers, it is their propensity to be swayed more by “the weight of the town’s opinion” (69) than by their love and belief in their friend, and their willingness to turn them out even when it would consign them to abuse and beggary. For the girl next door, it is her lies about Lorenzo that ruin him, as well as her expectation that Lorenzo should “come to see her or her child” after the lies she spread.

In the story’s explosive ending, as Lorenzo’s secret is revealed, the Jesuit Brothers and the girl next door hang onto their cognitive dissonance and do not question the actions they took that led to this tragic outcome. The only one who seems to realize it is Simeon, who flies into a rage and must be restrained by his comrades. They call Lorenzo a martyr, but a martyr to what? Is mob mentality its own sort of faith? If Lorenzo is an avatar of righteous faith, that nobody even realized Lorenzo was a girl shows their fundamental misunderstanding of the origins of their own beliefs. Akutagawa has laid out the pedal, and the mob has stepped on it.

Upon first reading, the reveal of Lorenzo’s gender can sound like a sort of holy apparition bearing a great revelation, but with “two soft, pure breasts” (79) taking the place of the angel Gabriel.

Lorenzo becomes a beatific vision of radiance and perfect, noble suffering in death. On a second read, maybe Lorenzo is less happy to die a saint than relieved that their secret is finally out.

Melissa Ann Capehart

ENGL 2341

“The Tale of Genji”- By Murasaki Shikibu The Tale of Genji is a story of poetry, adventure, death, spirits, trickery, and forbidden romance.

All of these somehow come together to create a historical masterpiece that shows how the great minds of the past had the same beautiful descriptions of love, pain, and grieving that we do today.

Throughout the book there are many symbols and omens that the author uses to represent sadness, fear, and beauty. From what I have read it seems sadness or tears is often represented by flowing rivers, mist, or dew, and the falling of rain. “Amidst dark shadows of the tree, cicada’s wing with dew is wet, so in mine eyes unknown to thee, spring sweet tears of fond regret” (pg.74)What I think is the most commonly occurring and important symbol would be flowers. Genji often represents the women that have caught his interest as flowers in his speech and poetry. Of course, there is far more depth and symbolism in the book that I have not mentioned here that you can discover as you read yourself.

Occasionally, Genji will reminisce on the people he has lost throughout his life. I think that might very much be the drive behind his constant search for love and affection. Genji may be searching for the love his parents could not give. “ Genji pondered first on the precariousness of human life, and then thought how that little one who had depended on her must be afflicted, and gradually the memory of his own childhood, during which he too had lost his mother, came back to his mind” (pg.115) I have heard of this happening a couple times in my own life. Even one of my own professors has told us the story of how his parents abandoned him and his older sister while they were at a young age.

He admitted to acting not himself and going over and beyond to achieve approval from men because of his lack of a father figure. I believe it is possible that Genji may be experiencing the same sort of mental trauma. I guess you could say he goes through the playing field and plucks all the colorful flowers he can find to make up for the lack of color in his own life, and unintentionally leaves some to wither away.

Melissa Ann Capehart

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Murasaki Shikibu did an amazing job describing the people and the scenery she was trying to depict. There are many different places this story ventures to, where she describes the different styles of the day through the architecture of the homes of the lower class, temples, and magnificent palaces such as Genji’s home. Murasaki Shikibu also put a lot of thought and detail into expressing the beauty of nature around the characters, often making her characters show the magnificence of it all through their poetry. Some scenes are calm and majestic, and others depicted as dark and filled with anguish. “The midnight passed, and the wind blew lowder, rushing amongst the branches of the old pines, and making them moan more and more sadly.” (pg.89). As well as places, people are also shown with a good amount of detail giving the reader descriptions on worn cloth or colorful silks on their clothing. Describing the fullness of the women’s hair and its great length. The story goes into great depths to show how everyone is different, especially through the personalities of the women that Genji meets throughout the plot. The men even have a long discussion on the different types of women and what personality is the best to marry. “Whom, then, are we to choose? All this variety, and this perplexing difficulty of choice, seem to be the common lot of humanity.” (pg.54). I find the book itself somewhat of a creative inspiration. It makes me want to attempt to depict all these words on a canvas.

I believe one of the main issues in the text is Genji's repeated acts of "sin". Many times throughout the text the story warns the reader that the effect of man's evil doings will result in suffering. As we can see from chapter four Genji is finally starting to feel the consequences for his actions, and what is even worse is that Genji, may it be intentionally or not, is also making the others around him suffer as well. Genji doesn't seem to be in any hurry to stop his wrong doings (even after the death of his mistress) considering he is still keeping in touch with other women other than his wife, and desperately trying to hide what he has done. "If one's heart were once to deviate from the path the only end we could expect would be a damaged reputation and misery for: life the good and bad results from one's self?" (pg.66) "What Sama-no-kami said is true, that to strive to carry out wrong desires is man's evil failing!" (pg.79) "When in my present lonely lot, I feel my past has not been free from sins I remember not, I dread more, what to come, may be?" (pg.84) "I must now admit this to be punishment for all my inconsideration. However secretly we strive to conceal our faults, eventually they are discovered" (pg.89)

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I don't think I need to do much explaining when it comes to how this pertains to today's society.

These kinds of things actually happen on a regular basis. The criminal goes to jail, a child goes to time out, the student who didn't do his work fails. There are always consequences for our actions.

I don't think anyone can ever really hide from justice. One way or another there will always be a consequence.

The Book reminds me of the Scarlet letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne. The scarlet letter has many symbols that the author used, such as the scarlet letter itself was a symbol of shame, Pearl was a representation of Hester's sins as well as a reminder of forgiveness.

“They averred, that the symbol was not mere scarlet cloth, tinged in an earthly dye-pot, but was red-hot with infernal fire, and could be seen glowing all alight, whenever Hester Prynne walked abroad in the night-time. And we must needs say, it seared Hester's bosom so deeply, that perhaps there was more truth in the rumor than our modern incredulity may be inclined to admit.”

Hawthorne, N., Escott, J., & Sperling, T. (2008). The scarlet letter. Oxford University Press.

“I can teach my little Pearl what I have learned from this!” answered Hester Prynne, laying her finger on the red token. “Woman, it is thy badge of shame!” replied the stern magistrate. “It is because of the stain which that letter indicates, that we would transfer thy child to other hands.”

Hawthorne, N., Escott, J., & Sperling, T. (2008). The scarlet letter. Oxford University Press.

Though Genji does not get the same amount of judgement as Hester, I think in some ways the characters relate. They are both proud individuals, who go through some of the same circumstances.

Just as all of us, they are living their lives dealing with the consequences for their actions.

Melissa Ann Capehart

ENGL 2341

Ancient Poetry While reading through these poems the one that stood out to me would have to be From 1000 Poems from the Manyoshu From the ‘Hitomaro Collection’.

141 Composed on the Spot Like the bubbles on the water That runs echoing by the hill of Makimuku, Frail human thing, am I. I love the way it compares our lives to a fragile bubble. I think it's a very good analogy that represents how little we really are. Human life is very fragile and so short. It really hit me hard while reading this stanza.

These Japanese poems very often referenced nature, comparing nature to the way the people lived and thought. This poetry I think is very similar to the work of American poet Robert Frost. He often used mother nature in his poems, making his work very picturesque, taking you to another world while you read.

Nothing Gold Can Stay

By Robert Frost

Nature's first green is gold, Her hardest hue to hold.

Her early leaf's a flower; But only so an hour.

Then leaf subsides to leaf.

So Eden sank to grief, So dawn goes down to day.

Melissa Ann Capehart

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Nothing gold can stay.

This show's poems have progressed over hundreds of years. The truth is that it hasn't really changed all that much at all! Poetry continues to be a beautiful form of expression and touches our hearts just as it did hundreds of years in the past. I was even inspired to write a poem of my own, highly inspired by the Japanese poetry above.

Words, Oh! So many yet so few, Like, bubbles gurgling from the drowning, Swept away in the flowing river, Captured by the net of the wise.

- Melissa Capehart This poetry is very inspirational. It contains romance, fear, sadness, joy and peace. It's all very relatable even though cultures and time have caused views to change. People still feel the same as they did back then. Each poem is so simple yet expresses so much. Just as some of the most famous art pieces are just a wide collection of dots and lines. All in all a very simple idea, yet put together correctly you can find a person's deepest emotions and desires. Each line of poetry is constructed the same way, simple dots and lines, but the meaning behind them is so much greater than one could ever originally have guessed at first glance.

142 During the Journey

I would quickly reach my loved one’s dwelling That stands far away under the clouds; Hasten, my black steed!

During The Journey You can feel the excitement the individual must be feeling. I picture a man galloping at a great speed across a vast landscape, the rider's heart pounding in time with the horses hoofs beating on the dirt. Heart racing as fast as his steed at the thought of his beloved.

His gaze fixed on the horizon for a glimpse of the nearest landmark, hoping his lover's home was coming near.

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The poem leaves you wondering, where has this man been? What has happened that has caused the rider such distress? Is he simply excited to see a loved one, or has something tragic transpired making him rush to save the day, hoping it's not too late! Like an abstract piece of art, it is left up to the imagination.

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“Rashomon”- By Ryunosuke Akutagawa Here I am going to give my own personal analysis of three short stories out of the Japanese book Rashomon.

The first and most famous of the three storeys is Rashomon itself. This is the story of a man who was fired from his job as a servant and became a thief. Rashomon dives into a subject matter I rarely see in the writing that I would usually read on a daily basis. The actions of the servant shows how quickly one can throw away his morals out of desperation. He believes so deeply that he is going to die that he is willing to throw away his reputation and honor to survive.

In my opinion I see this story as a backward and far more depressing robinhood. The Man resorts to stealing from other thieves to feed himself. Whereas Robinhood stole from the rich to feed others.

In my eyes the servant was a man who considered himself hopeless. I would like to think if I ever was put in a similar situation I would not act so irrationaly, but fear unfortunately has the power to control us if not dealt with properly. People are easily tempted by what seems to be the easiest way out of a tough situation. The author seems to really want to express this in the writing. "What

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she did couldn't be wrong, because if she hadn't she would have starved to death. There was no other choice. If she knew I had to do this in order to live, she probably wouldn't care."..."Then it's right if I rob you. I'd starve if I didn't." After the servant says this line to the old woman, he leaves, running away with the stolen goods. This was the consequence for the old woman's wrongdoing, but it leaves us to wonder. What future consequences will the servant have to endure due to his new chosen life of crime? What will happen to our main character now that he's on his own? That is all left for the reader's interpretation. I would like to hope he turns his life around and starts anew, but that may not be the case. Could this be the backstory to the birth of a new villain? We may never know.

Yam Gruel I have never read anything quite like this short story In my entire life. I honestly had a bit of a hard time figuring out the message behind this one. Goi, I would say, is not your typical main character.

The man is ugly and shy and ultimately made fun of for it. He keeps calm even while others pick on him ,and seems to show every person respect even through all the unkindness towards him. His character makes him out to be a very good person. All poor Goi ever wanted was to eat his fill of yam gruel, then he would be satisfied. Eventually his wish is granted but having his wish come true only makes him feel worse than he did before. Seeing all the people he had burdened with work I think also made him feel worse ” They made him remember only too clearly that he made the long journey to Tsuruga all the way from Kyoto for the express purpose of eating yam gruel.

The more he thought, the more miserable he felt about everything.”

I think this story is supposed to be telling us not to hang all our expectations on one single thing.

Not everything turns out the way we would hope. This is a great lesson. If you live life like this you can expect to have a lot of disappointments.

The Martyr The Martyr is a very sad yet amazing story. Lorenzo is our main character described as a very beautiful individual not only in looks but also in personality. Lorenzo shows very incredible faith in religion throughout the book. Even through being accused, shunned ,and beaten Lorenzo stays strong in the faith and is able to forgive and even pray for the individuals who did wrong.” Lord, forgive Simeon, for he knows not what he does.” Lorenzo's prayer of forgiveness really stuck out

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to me here. It shows so much about Lorenzo's character and love for Simeon. There are many things one can take away from this story that are very important such as, revenge is not a good way to settle arguments, no one is above making mistakes, and don't make judgements or assumptions without all of the facts.

I also thought it somewhat interesting that the short story was based on people with the Christian faith whereas most of the japanese literature I have read was mainly buddhist. I think it is an interesting change in perspective by the author.

This story may relate to me in different ways that it would to others, but to me the most relatable part of this story to my life is the way Lorenzo sticks to her faith. I know others have different beliefs but Lorenzo really somewhat shows what I strive to be. Someone who forgives even when wronged by others, always does the things that help others and not just myself. Out of all three of the short stories Lorenzo is by far my favorite character.

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Part 1

The Tale of Genji is more than a tough Novel I had to read, in the “Tale of Genji” between the lines of this novel I was able to find the reality of life, specifically the reality of a person and how could life change them and put them in the “flow of life”, but all I know is that, “That is life”, since I personally relate to this novel in how could life put us in life events we did not want or expect.

Wording of this book was hard, but being able to connect to the life events in the book made it easy to get through my heart.

Reading The book, “Tale of Genji '' by Lady Murasaki Shikibu I was oppressed for the most time for what the main character, Genji is facing, but at the same time it was him causing all these difficulties to himself, making his life harder. Although, I am not saying that my personality and Genji’s are similar, but what life has put us into is what is similar. As I grew up, facing any problem I always tried to do more than I should, which means I pressure myself too much, more than I should have and this is the only way I and Genji were similar throughout the whole novel. Genji, the main character, is not a good character in my opinion, therefore I do not agree with anything

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he has in this novel, but I also think that this is where he was born and put into this life. In other words, having to continue and move on from one event to the other without a pause, without a break, without taking the chance to say no but having the only option of keeping going with the flow of life. I never like the option of stopping where I am no matter how hard what I am facing is, I would always go to the next option looking for an alternative, but never stopping. When something does not work out, of course I am a human I get sad over not getting it, but then I look for the next thing I should be doing and change my way to make it workout the way of “flow of life”.

Reading this Novel, made me think that people do not have to be similar in appearance, traits, or even personality and behavior. As much as I did not want to agree with the main character, Genji, as much as I relate to this novel and how my life flow took me its own way just like what happened with him. The reason I think Genji did not have a choice but to keep going is that once his parents put him in that marriage at age twelve, he could not say no or at least stop there and this is not an excuse for what that character did, but this is what I see from my point of view, he had to keep moving on and continuing the way his parents started up his life for him. It is not the same for everyone, it is not as easy as we think to just say no and stop where we want sometimes, if we stop it does not always mean that is the end of the sad part in our story this would just mean that we did not even try to move on. As evidence from The tale of genji, “She appeared to have much more to say, but was too weak to continue.”(Page 11), so just because she did not day all she had she was considered too weak to continue(move on).

Even if at the moment I did not feel that I was overwhelmed and that this was too much for me, I know that I was just ignoring myself and feelings in order to keep going and living with the flow, because even if it does not show at the moment everything just build up a pile of rocks in my brain and heart getting both of organs busy, not functioning, but blocked up facing everything all at once. Getting pressured does not have to show it could pile up, build up creating a whole new person and this is exactly what happened with Genji is that he was not even old enough to take a decision, but he was so young the he couldn't even say no and at that time he was still getting

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his personality build up, where their parents broke into the process of building his personality and pressured him with this marriage where he had to keep going and moving on thinking that he could fix it like this or make it better or even continue the way he got started, turning into a whole different person.

This does not mean that I agree with this character, but I am just trying to explain the point of view that many of us could be living in, but can not get it out of their heart because they do not even realize that some events have changed them and that life, most of the time could put us in situation where we have to just keep going in order for life to keep moving as well. The morality, sometimes reality of a person could be buried behind their pain, broken heart or whatever they had to face. In my personal experience, I had to live like I am older than I am and this put a lot of pressure on me, but this is who I am and this is what I am used to now. As I grew up, a lot of responsibilities were on me, like having the house keys, taking care of my two little sisters and a lot more that was too much for a 10 year old, but this actually made me a responsible person, although it put a lot of pressure on me. As days passed, my responsibilities went from only taking care of sisters to a lot more, like even smiling to people when I do not want to smile was so hard to me and was pressuring me, but no this made it easier for me when I have to deal with people I do not like, so it can start simple and end up a lot bigger. And sometimes even those who look strong from the outside are not from the inside, they would be broken and this is exactly why they try to show the opposite and act strong, so that they themselves can feel stronger snf handle their pain to stand and face life. That is life.

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Part II Writing means a lot to me, it is one of the best ways to express my feelings. I try to write as much as I can, especially when it is something I would like to remember or just want to talk more about and no one is around or I think that writing make it easier for me to explain it to myself rather than having to explain to someone else who may not understand me like writing would. Reading and writing poems make me feel so good, make me emotional and enjoy reading. I love writing, expressing feelings, keeping memories, so “Poems” is the perfect way to have them all together.

Having memories, feelings all described and written in the form of poetry, which makes it even better than just formally writing it. I really enjoyed our “challenge 3 discussion”, because I love talking, expressing feelings, reading and writing poems, so this project was really what I needed.

The way it was started by someone, continued by someone else, so on and finished by a completely different person, but we were all communicating only through poem lines and that was amazing to me! Reading what others think, adding on to it even 21 lines was barely enough to get all my feelings. I was overwhelmed by what I read and surprised that we can all be similar in how we write and how we can live through the same things or maybe express our feelings using similar words and lines. The fact that we all talked about how we are getting to new start, new year, new season and just getting ready for a new start made me feel so close to every line that I read and felt like they were talking about me and my story in their lines and this really touched my heart, especially that just like any other human I always try to think that everyone is going to have a fresh new start to motivate myself, so that I do not feel like I am by myself on the new roads. I was really overwhelmed by the feelings expressed in this continuous poem that was written by a bunch of different people each with a different race, religion, gender, etc but we were all able to connect through these lines by making a connection of our stories and making them all one big story. Looking at all of our lines, I can see that we all included that it is “winter”, “cold”, “rainy”, etc, and this made me feel even more related that of course I know we are all probably living in the same place or close to where we are going to have the same weather, but still this was a really good connection. In general, this challenge, which is “challenge 3” was my favorite out of all, because it was different, had all of us engaged and connected together, It was not just like any other discussion where we can not even see others’ replies, because with this

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one it is for sure something personal, true and full of feelings, in addition we were able to connect with others just like we were in a real life “in person” class. Although, all writing of course would have emotions if you write with all your feelings, but writing poems is just different to me, especially this one where we all wrote it together as one piece. This challenge also came right on time, just when I needed to give some time for myself, write what is going on and express my feelings. This is why that discussion was so true to the point that every word and line that I wrote that day came out from my heart and this is why I had to come back after a few minutes to cut some things out and edit it a little. Poems are mostly feelings, or more like words filled with emotions. The lines I wrote have a lot to say about me, I said a lot in those lines to describe all my current, past and new thoughts and feelings, this is why I wrote a lot and I just found myself adding a line after another trying to get to a closing point where I have everything out of my heart. In those lines I described how I am getting a freshly new start, going through a lot of memories and future dreams during these cold nights, then just now I thought of how I actually started by talking about memories and future dreams and ended it with it is either thinking or feeling I didn't even try to make this connection while i was writing these lines this is just what came out from my heart, but now i'm making a connection how “thinking” is the “future dreams” and feelings is the “memories”. It is interesting that while I was writing it I was so into writing that I didn't even notice this, but now that I do not have the “first time” feelings and emotions I can better understand it and read it more with my brain than my heart. To finish this up, what made the challenge 3 discussion so unique is that everyone was able to connect with one another through their lines and this was a really different creative way to make a connection in a new way.

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Part III

For The Short Stories of Ryunosuke Akutagawa, specifically “Rashomon”, I really would rather “write” than “read”, especially that I am a very emotional person and this is how I judge a reading, I like to at least related somehow or even if I read something that is the exact opposite of what I like or think, but I would at least like for it ti have a lot of emotions. Rashomon, of course is as hard as “The tale of Genji” was to understand, but at least with “the tale of genji” I was able to relate and see my connection to the novel between the lines of “genji”, but with Rashomon not only it was hard to understand, I was not able to make any connections. The “Tale of Genji” was even harder to read and understand, but feelings are always another language or form of explanation, so there I was able to figure out why I was able to better understand it than Rashomon. I do not usually read a lot, but Just when I started this class I was finishing reading a book that I started earlier, which I used to write about for my challenge 4 discussion, since I was not able to connect like this after reading Rashomon. The Cellar is a book that I really enjoyed, as much as I do not agree with the main character just like I do not agree with Genji as much as I was able to relate and see myself between the lines of this book. For example, when Rose said, “He is quite an honest person. If you ask him something, he will give you a straight reply. Please

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remember to think about what you ask though” this reminded me of myself and there I was able to connect to a person who is completely different from me and I disagree with all his actions that he has done in the novel, but I was at least able to find a connection between us. As I am wrapping up the Unit 1 Project, having my reflection for almost every discussion that we completed, I noticed that not only do I rely on my feelings, but in most of the discussions I chose to discuss and relate to someone I completely disagree with. I am not sure if it makes sense, but I just noticed that in those two discussions that I should discuss a book and how it personally relates to me, in both books I discussed how I completely disagree with the main character’s action, but also relate to them. Hopefully, I am able to explain my point, I am not saying that I am like them in anyway, but I am just trying to say that as much as people can be different as much as they can connect, it does not matter if we are alike, what matters is how we connect or what we connect through. Anyway, people can be the exact opposite, still get along, or strongly disagree with each other, but still understand each other. Sometimes different is what creates the balance. Now, I do want to not be able to get the real meaning of what I mean, I am not saying that them, “Genji” and “Clover” are good people just because they are different, no they are not and I still disagree with all what they did in each of the novels, but I am just amazed how I was able to connect to their “stories” in a different scenario, of course. So, even when we relate with the “same” stories, this connection is created in a completely “different” way.

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Our world has always had two things: love and hate. They have been a crucial part of our society and culture all around the world. This is what the beginning of The Tale of Genji has been about.

More specifically, a few of the central themes that I can relate to the most are told in the first two chapters. They are that love can become an immense force and hatred can be fatal. These themes are still related to our current world that we live in. I personally relate to some of the central themes narrated in the story such as love can become a powerful feeling that can often transform us into someone else; for the good or bad.

During the second chapter of the book, called The Broom-Like Tree, it is mentioned that To no Chujo tells his story about the time he fell deeply in love with a woman that gave birth to his child. He lamented not taking good care of her because that only pushed her away. “I love this woman without understanding her nature; and I am constantly, but in vain, trying to find her and her little darling, who was also very lonely; and often I think with grief and pain that, though I may succeed in forgetting her, she may possibly not be able to forget me, and, surely there must be many an evening when she is disquieted by sad memories of the past.” (Chapter 2, Page 37) His story is relatable to today’s problems because there are so many couples that get lost and forget to take care of their partner. This leads to no option, but to end the marriage despite having kids. There is, however, an improvement in our current world that makes the separation more harmonious, and that is therapy. Therapy is not only for the individuals that are splitting, but also for the kids that often get affected the most. In my case, my parents were going through a tough phase that almost pushed them to their divorce Taking couples therapy has not only salvaged their marriage, but it has also helped my brother and I. The moral of the story is that love can become too overwhelming to the point where it can lead to a disaster in the relationship. Another crucial theme that is talked about in the first part of the book is that hatred can be deadly. This can be initially seen when Lady Kiri-Tsubo-Kayi

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experienced hatred from people who were wanting to expose her past and scars. The hatred became lethal because she became depressed and days later, she passed away. “To return to her rival. Her constitution was extremely delicate, as we have seen already, and she was surrounded by those who would fain lay bare, so to say, her hidden scars. (Chapter 1, Pg.2)” Nowadays, hate is still a potent force. One clear example of this would be the most recent Black Lives Matter movement. It all started because of the death of George Floyd, who was brutally choked to death by police officers. Since people assumed this was a hate crime caused by racism, more hate was generated through the movements and tension built up against the police.

This has led to deaths from both parties: the police and protesters. Unlike the book, the hate led to deaths caused by murders, but there have been situations where the deaths are caused by self harm.

Suicide has now been an alternative for people to escape the hatred and harassment from other people. A recent study by the Center for Disease Control, suicide was the tenth leading cause of death in the United States. It was also found that there were nearly twice as many suicides as there were homicides (National Institute of Mental Health, Suicide, 2021, pg.1-2). All of these suicides are being caused because people detest other people until it becomes unbearable.

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Moving onto Japanese poetry, there are different forms of poetry that have been practiced for many years. Such forms include: Tanka, Waka, Haiku, Haikai, Renku, Renga, and many more.

Originally, the first form of poetry written in Japanese was Waka, which were mostly written by women because men generally spoke Chinese. Traced back to the early 8th century, the main objective of a Waka was to express emotion. This is unrelated to modern poems, whose main intention is to get the reader to define the emotions within the poem. According to a research paper called Asia for Educators written by Columbia University, Waka poetry consists of specific strict regulations and were simply written to communicate the “what” instead of the “why.” It is also known that Waka were used to describe nature. I was able to capture this when I read the poems from the 1000 Poems from the Manyoshu. Out of the ‘Hitomaro Collection,’ poems like On the Sky and On Clouds clearly describe nature by using personification and evoking emotions.

On the Sky: “On the sea of heaven the waves of cloud arise, And the moon’s ship is seen sailing To hide in a forest of stars.”

On Clouds: “As the mountain torrents roar and roar again,

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Over Yuzuki’s peak The clouds arise and hover.”

Waka is still used not only in Japan, but around the world too. According to an article written by Chris Arnone called A Guide to Japanese Poetry Forms, a writer named Victoria Chang included several Waka poems to mourn her parents and children. Moving on to a different form of poetry, Renga is another successful form of poetry used to collaborate and communicate with peers.

Renga poems originated in Japan around 1200-1300 CE, they were utilized for different purposes ranging from court to religion. They’ve also had a global impact and it is believed that the famous form of poetry known as Haiku, was derived from Renga poetry. According to a MasterClass article, Renga were originally used for court purposes. They were written by two court poets, also known as Hana No Moto. Years later, monks began to use Renga for religion. A renga was now seen as a form of offering to deities. The real breakthrough of Renga started during its global

influence. This occurred because Sōgi, who was a Renga master, introduced the form of poetry to a wider audience. Nowadays, Renga is used in the classrooms to get students to collaborate with other students. This brings me back to the Renga that we wrote together as a class! The influence of Renga was so potent that two types of poetry were formed after it: Haikai and Haiku.

A Haikai was used during the 17th and 18th century and was known for its vulgarity and

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unconventional message. A Haiku is one of the most prominent forms of poetry around the world. Distinguished by its 5-7-5 structure, Haiku has been used by many educators to challenge creators. In short, after analyzing the history of Japanese poetry, it is clear that so much has changed and it’s dissimilar to modern poetry. Ancient poetry, such as Waka, were more strict and formal, while current poetry is more liberal. Ancient poets were also more likely to write poems about nature or to express emotions, as mentioned earlier. Present day poets, however, are more open minded and prefer to write about any topic than to limit themselves to just nature.

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To change the subject, the next pieces of literature we began to analyze were short stories. More specifically, we examined stories created by “the father of the Japanese short story,” also known as Ryunosuke Akutagawa. One of the most important themes that Akutagawa was trying to convey through his famous short stories is morality. The short story that stood out to me was the classic, Rashomon. After reading it, I was immediately able to connect the story with present and personal events. During the short story, we see the main character, whom we don’t know whether he’s a protagonist or antagonist, struggle to come to a conclusion. He limits himself to two options: become a thief in order to earn a living, or starve to death. Later on, he decides to become a thief after listening to the old lady who tried to justify herself for making whigs using the hair of the dead bodies. I personally believe that both of them didn’t have valid reasons for what they did. Taking into consideration the situation of the city of Kyoto, I believe that there were other alternatives to make a living without taking advantage of others. I recently had an experience where I had to question my morality. I found a wallet at a gas station and I was tempted to keep it, but I began to think about the owner and how he must’ve felt after losing his wallet with all of that cash. That’s when I decided to drive all the way to his address in order to deliver it to him.

His reaction was priceless and that’s when I knew I had done the right thing. There are still several people around the world who question their morality. Many decide to earn money by being humble. Although they don’t make great quantities, they earn their money decently. On a final note, it is clear that a well-written ancient piece of literature can remain relevant. The conflicts might not be anything alike, but the lessons remain the same.

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The Collection of Poetry (Basho and various writers) While reading the 1000 Poems from the Manyoshu and exploring Basho’s poetry, I began to think about the art of living slowly, especially in our modern society. Living in today's world, it is hard not to get all wrapped up in anxiety. Whether it's due to our dying Earth, the pandemic, societal pressures, or otherwise; it can be crippling. One reason for this may be that we are living too quickly. We are consuming too much: too much information, too much content, too many emotions. Our brains are being trained to constantly consume and have instant gratification as opposed to periods of pause. This instant gratification can leave us constantly searching for more.

How often do we find ourselves picking up our phones when we are somewhere beautiful? As if there is always something more important. How often do we get distracted from the present moment because we feel a pull towards something else that is seeking our attention? For me, I know it is far too often. However, what could be more important than the present moment? It is all we ever have and it should be our priority to bring our consciousness into each and every one.

It seems as if these poets tapped into a simplistic and sacred medicine for an anxious mind. These poems contain deep and resonant observations of the natural world. The poets who wrote them seemed to really look at the world as if the scene in front of them was all that existed.

Take this haiko, for example: Awakened at midnight / by the sound of the water jar / cracking from the ice (© Sam Hamill) The topic is so simple and that is what makes it so beautiful. When you think about Basho when he wrote this, you have to consider the level of presence that he brought into this moment. In my opinion, in order to write a poem, you have to really be seeing or feeling what you are about to write. You have to stop and deeply consider it in order to capture the moment’s essence. This haiku is describing a moment when he awoke to the sound of cracking ice. There have been many moments in my life similar to this one, where I have woken to a sound of the night. However, I’ve

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mindlessly shoved those moments aside for sleep like small casualties to time. But Basho saw this moment, felt it and captured it in words. This calm scene withdrew Basho's full and undivided attention to the point of evoking a poem from him. The deeper meaning that is within this poem is subjective. However, to me it points to the level of presence and recognition of beauty in a simple moment. It’s in moments like these, when you’re absolutely present, where true happiness lies.

These poems remind us of this ancient wisdom that has been shrouded in time. The messages within these poems are something that we need to carry with us into our modern world. The wonderful part about their message is that you can bring it into any moment, no matter how seemingly dull or ordinary.

If you’re stirring cream into your coffee in the morning, for example, you can bring presence into that action by redirecting your racing thoughts from all of the things that you have to do in the day ahead and instead lead them to simply observing the intricate and beautiful swirling pattern within your mug. You can pause and let the moment speak to you, observe details hidden within them and give the moment time to really exist in your mind. Our modern world, which is filled with distractions, makes it difficult for us to sit still. When we become present, we are giving ourselves an opportunity to deeply interact with and become one with the moment we are in. And isn’t that one of our greatest purposes at the end of the day? To really live life and experience each moment to its fullest. After reading these poems, I was reminded of the art of living slowly and its importance to our modern world. I say the art of living slowly because it really is an art, it is a poetic and romantic way of interacting with the world that has been lost to the hustle and bustle of modernity.

Another poem that stood out to me was this one from the ‘Hitomaro Collection’:

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Like the bubbles on the water/ That runs echoing by the hill of Makimuku/ Frail human thing, am I

This reminded me of the sacred and beautiful ways in which the human experience connects us to the past. We are connected to each other and to every other human that has ever existed before us through our shared human experience. Our frailty rests within our scope of human emotions as well as in the fact that our lives are finite and short despite our desires to make it permanent. The more we go against the natural order of the world, which is impermanence, the more we suffer. We are like bubbles visiting for a short blimp in time and yet creating echoes as we pass. I’ll finish this up with a short poem that I wrote while complementing these ideas.

Sorrow stings my borrowed eyes, for now they are dark blue Rage and lust woven into my borrowed world A world that has love too Forgetting my impermanence, I beg for more borrowed time I wonder, I search and I feel through this world This world I long to call mine

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The Tale of Genji by Lady Muraski The Tale of Genji unearthed a quiet anger that I’ve buried time and time again since my girlhood.

This anger was a result of the demanding and insistent expectations and fears that are put upon me because of my gender. When I was a girl, I was taught to be a modest, quiet and obliging thing. I was taught that beauty was one of the most valuable things that I could possess as a woman. What does it mean to be valued as a woman in our society? And what did it mean in the Heian time period?

In chapter two, The Broom Tree, the male characters traded stories of their romantic pursuits and discussed what an ideal woman would be like. Genji’s friend comments “a woman who acquires knowledge of Chinese and has read the Three Histories or the Five Classics lacks all feminine charm… when you see such a woman you’re filled with chagrin, wondering why she couldn’t be a bit more soft-spoken and ladylike.” When remembering that this was written by an intelligent female author, she very well could’ve been describing herself. I’m sure that this is how she was viewed by men in her society, too smart and too willing to express her thoughts. It goes on to explain how the male character felt threatened by female intelligence. This seems to be a quiet critique of male desires. Was she using this novel to call out this sexism? If so, she was incredibly ahead of her time. She drew attention to the fact that intelligence was a quality that seemed to be restricted to men. It allowed them to feel superior and to perpetuate the oppression of women. The fact Lady Muraski was able to write such things in her time period, goes to show the amazing ways in which women could still utilize what little power they were given. In Lady Muraski’s case, she created a whole world where she could express these ideas and what a beautiful way to express them.

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As Genji and his friend’s conversation about women came to a close, they concluded, “we men really should consider picking a completely childlike, compliant woman...a woman we can mold into an acceptable and flawless wife ”.

This is exactly what Genji does when he raises and grooms the 10 year old Muraski to be his “perfect wife”. This exemplified his desire to control every aspect of a woman’s character and life. It allowed him to sculpt her into something that aligned with his fantasy. This suggests that he believed that her existence was to serve the sole purpose of fulfilling his desires. She was not given the opportunity to find out who she was without his influence. Her value depended on the condition that she participated in his fantasy, that she existed in ways that were pleasing to him.

We were told several times throughout this tale that a desirable woman was supposed to be quiet and timid, with no minds of their own. What it meant to be an attractive woman seemed to revolve around women adhering to male fantasies.

In many ways, I saw myself in the young Muraski, vulnerable to the unforgiving weight of sexist messages in our society. When I was a girl, I was a blank canvas, moldable. I was told how I should dress, act, look and express myself. These messages still follow me everyday. It is there when I look at myself in the mirror, when I stand on a scale, when I’m in a dark parking lot by myself.

However, female empowerment, to me, is hearing these messages and rejecting them over and over again. It’s saying no to being molded into a pretty and small thing that fits into male desires.

When I was in middle school, my best friend was assaulted and then was told it was her fault because of the way that she was dressed. I’ve heard messages like these far too often. Another argument that I’ve heard is “If a woman drinks too much, it is her fault when she is taken advantage of”. These are some of the narratives that are being discussed today in relation to the assault of women, they are even prevalent in our court system. When you tell a woman that she deserved assault because she drank too much or she dressed too promiscuously, you are implying that in order for her to have rights, she has to adhere to certain conditions and values. Why is it that women have to be modest or reserved in order for our bodies to be respected? Why is it that women have to look a certain way or exist in a certain way in order to have basic human

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respect? Women, and our bodies, should be respected and protected under no conditions.

However, it is implied that respectability comes only to those who present themselves modestly and in accordance with certain values. However, even that is not true.

Women in the Heian time period could hardly show their wrists without it being a scandal and yet rape culture still prevaded despite their modesty. While reading, this quote was striking to me, “Though it was very dark she recognized Genji’s figure. Filled with a sudden terror and utter bewilderment, she sprang from the bed, threw a fragile gauze mantle over her shoulders, and fled silently from the room.” Genji would oftentimes pursue women to the point of evoking fear and didn’t take no for an answer. This also reminded me of the relentless fear that I, and many other women, are taught to hold within ourselves on a daily basis. This fear has robbed me of the blissful freedom of walking in the moonlight, of going into the forest on my own and enjoying the varying degrees of green without my insistent and ominous imagines of running into a man who wants to harm me inside of it. This may be my own paranoia. However, it was cultivated by society telling me that I am powerless to men. It was cultivated by the striking number of women that are killed and assaulted by men. I’ve been taught to fear and this fear has swarmed around me my whole life. I’ve embraced it even as my arms try to push it away. I don’t want this fear anymore because it's exhausting. But whenever this fear comes into spaces they are not welcome, I try to remind myself that by existing in this fear, I’m giving away my power to this force that I no longer want to feed. I will continue to reject disempowering beliefs, unrealistic beauty standards and limiting definitions of womanhood. I will continue to express myself the way I see fit, just as Lady Muraski did when she wrote The Tale of Genji.

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Yam Gruel by Ryunosuke Akutagawa Class, poverty and morality are just a few themes that Ryunosuke Akutagawa explored throughout his short stories. I was especially intrigued by Yam Gruel and his characterization of Goi. Akutagawa starts off the story by mentioning that it takes place in the Heian time period, the same time in which The Tale of Genji was written. However, unlike The Tale of Genji, which is told through the narrative of an affluent prince, this story followed an individual from a lower class. The narrator pointed out that it was unusual to tell stories of “common people” in this time period. The main character, Goi, was an unattractive, low ranking, red nosed man who “was so ordinary a man as to be unworthy of recording in a chronicle” and therefore was not given a name but was referred to as “Goi” which was the name for his ranking.

In just the first paragraph, we see the narrator is creating stark lines between classes. As the story goes on, we see Goi is ridiculed for his appearance, mannerisms, and worn clothing. The exaggerated personification of Goi, seems to represent how the upper class would view individuals from lower classes; as less intelligent, ridiculous and undeserving of the delicacies in life. His fellow samurai had an attitude of indifference towards him, they would even go as far as avoiding communicating with him at all. It said,

“Sometimes they failed to make themselves understood by him. Then they seemed to attribute their failure to defects in his own understanding. Whenever they could not make themselves understood, they would glare at him as if it were his fault.”

This further exemplifies the harsh and unfair judgements that were put upon him that implied that he was unintelligent and foolish due to his appearance and poverty. It was hard for him to avoid being the butt of their jokes despite his timid and kind demeanor. Goi desired yam gruel above all else which “was regarded as the supreme delicacy, even at the dining table of the

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sovereign of the realm.”. This could be symbolizing Goi’s desire to be a part of and accepted by the upper class. However, when achieved, he found it to be hollow, unfulfilling and realized that the desire itself was better than the actualization of it.

Classism is still extremely prevalent in today’s society. At times, being poor is viewed as a result of some moral or personal failing as opposed to a result of limited opportunity and resources.

For example, stereotypes and the demonization of homeless people, people who use government assistance and refugees perpetuate the idea that being poor or in need of assistance is something to be ashamed of. These negative stereotypes oftentimes disportionately affect people of color. It’s important to look at the people who are most affected by poverty so we can understand the effects of systematic racism.

Many times homeless people are deemed dangerous, “crazy”, addicted to drugs or unwilling to work. However, this is hardly ever the cause of homelessness. These perspectives fail to take into account the intricacies of poverty and imply that poor people deserve their poverty. Like Goi, people who suffer from poverty have unfair judgements thrust upon them and are viewed as less intelligent or inferior to wealthier individuals. Goi’s name in this story was shrunk down to his class as if that was all that he was. When people from privilege talk about poverty, we tend to think about it as an idea as opposed to real people with names, families and hunger. We can be so detached from it but still feel as if we have the right to judge the individuals who suffer from it. It can be easy to oversimplify the issue by asserting, “you just have to pick yourself up by your bootstraps and work hard!”. However, no amount of hard work on the part of the 9-5 worker will change that minimum wage is staying stagnant and the cost of living is rising. I believe that some individuals oversimplify these issues because they want to believe in a beautiful and just world.

They want to believe that good things come to good people and bad things come for bad people.

However, reality is not wrapped up in a pretty bow. Even in cases when poor people commit crimes for survival, we need to try to understand what pushed them to that point to begin with.

Another short story that we read, Rashomon, points out the moral dilemmas that oftentimes come with hunger and poverty. Hunger has the power to push people to make decisions based on survival alone. We can’t ignore that a decision between starvation or crime really isn’t a

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decision at all. We need to focus on creating a world where people are not forced into lives of crime due to poverty and lack of opportunities.

This issue is close to my heart because I’ve seen the effects of homelessness and the shame that can come with it. I’ve seen a single mother, full of tears, sorrow and shame as she had to admit to herself that she needed help. As I spoke with her, she told me her life story and opened up to me about how her child might be taken away from her due to her poverty. This was not due to any fault on her part but due to a system that failed her. I recognize my own privilege and would like to use it to somehow alleviate some of the pressures off of the shoulders of individuals who have not been given the same opportunities that I have. I recognize that these privileges were not given to me as a result of any action on my part but by the sheer luck of being born into stable, supportive and privileged circumstances.

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“Rashomon” by Ryunosuke Akutagawa “Rashomon” by Ryunosuke Akutagawa makes me “As quietly as a lizard, the servant crept up to the top of the steep stairs. Crouching on all fours, and stretching his neck as far as possible, he timidly peeped into the tower” (35).

think of everything I’m ashamed of, everything I think I deserve, and everything that I’ve fooled myself into wanting. At times, I creep like a timid lizard, looking for what I’ve told myself I need, seeking only to serve myself. What if we could remedy this innate desire to fill our own cup solely entirely? What if, before we cast

judgement on others, we simply looked inward and began to ‘fix’ ourselves?

In Akutagawa’s harrowing short story, I’m challenged to self-reflect and consider the absolute truth that, occasionally, I crawl under the gate built to welcome all and practice the most effective version of selfishness that exists.

The moment that our main character sets eyes on the women, he does not feel pity nor does he think of anyone but himself, his causes. The movement from fear to hatred, Akutagawa writes, is nearly immediate. We then hear that his own selfrighteousness takes control, and his hate becomes “...a consuming antipathy against all evil” (36). Did he forget why he came to this place?! In this moment where he looks upon the woman pulling hairs one by one from the head of the dead, he forgets that not five minutes before he was strapped to his own helplessness, ultimately pushed towards starvation

“At this instant if anyone had brought up the question of whether he would starve to death or become a thief--the question which had occurred to him a little while ago--he would not have hesitated to choose death” (36-7).

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due to his situation. How is his reaction not one of compassion and understanding? Welp! I am no saint either.

In this story, we are challenged to look not only at the morality of the situation that the writer gave us, but the very core of morality that exists in our heart. These feelings and beliefs guide our actions. Who’s to say that we in this very moment, nearing starvation and fighting to stay alive, wouldn't also look upon someone who got their first with rage and disgust? After all, he had not done anything ‘wrong’ to our knowledge at this point, but this disgusting figure, prowling about among the dead bodies was caught in the act. My own sense of preservation might have also caught up with me here. I think about the values that guide my own life in this moment where he is consumed and enveloped with his own mortality and needs. I wrote a poem once about it. It is below:

I bet he was green when they took him down. Pale like moss.

The spear hole smiling at the guards who laid him in his cave.

What did the crowd do when they got home? It would have been past supper. Did they talk about it or just sleep it off?

I’m afraid I would have hung him too. I’m afraid I would have slept.

All of this feels heavy now that I’m writing it. Like it’s a confession of how awful I and this character really are in our heart of hearts. This admission isn’t one of guilt or depreciation. It is

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simply the realization and admission that there is not only goodness and light in me, a reminder that there is always something to give and fight against in life.

The character in question strips this old woman, kicks her to the bodies that they are both desecrating and justifies these actions with her own reasoning. This type of hate and rationalization of his own false piety is within me. It’s simply my job to make sure that the habits that I’m practicing regarding others are mostly selfless and not selfish. May the “strange power” that was driving this servant the “opposite direction of the courage which he had…” never be a part of my daily life (39).

My favorite aspect of the story though comes with the action in the penultimate paragraph.

“Shortly after that the hag raised up her body from the corpses. Grumbling and groaning, she crawled to the top stair by the still flickering torchlight, and through the gray hair which hung over her face, she peered down to the last stair in the torch light. Beyond this was only darkness...unknowing and unknown” (40).

This image of resilience in the face of the servant’s indignity gives us the sense that there is a chance for us to climb back to the top, even from the darkest depths. And, though darkness may lie before us and within us, the future is unknown. We get to choose and live in ways that honor others and ourselves. In the end, there is only that which we don’t know. Some believe that all we can know is that we know nothing. Maybe that’s true. All I wonder about with the parable that Akutagawa gives us is how we can learn from the injustices around us. How can we learn to battle with the darkness and bring light even though the potential for both lives within us? May we serve those around us and not piously kick them down. May we find the comfort that humility brings and share what we have, never seeking more than we need. Use the story like a treasure map and it will lead you to ‘all’ that is good.

BEYOND THIS WAS ONLY DARKNESS...UNKNOWING AND UNKNOWN.