Integrated Skills Class Journal 2015A

Spring 2015

INTEGRATED CLASS JOURNAL Volume 6(3) Spring 2015 Contributors:

Ayaka Sasaki Chikara Tazawa Mai Miyazaki Makoto Amemiya Marina Aiura Maya Shinano Miho Sakamoto Naomichi Nirei Reina Sugimoto Risa Aizawa Satomi Asai Shiho Mabuchi Takuto Someya Tomohiko Kikuchi Tomoki Nakagawa Yuna Kodama Yuri Ogawa

Sophia University Integrated Skills Class Spring Term 2015

Editorial

Edited by Richard Pinner. Cover designs by Yuna Kodama and Maya Shinano

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TABLE OF CONTENTS Class Journal

Editorial ................................................................................................................5 Essays ....................................................................................................................6 In Focus Article: The Influence of Walt Whitman on Allen Ginsberg ........................ 7 Yuna Kodama The Origin of the Beat Generation ............................................................................... 9 Tomohiko Kikuchi The success of the Beat Generation and Jack Kerouac .............................................. 12 Mai Miyazaki The life William S. Burroughs was not satisfied with ............................................... 14 Shiho Mabuchi Beat Generation's relation to hippie movements, counterculture movements, and literature .................................................................................................................................. 16 Nakagawa Tomoki John Lennon, Who Is in a Sense One of the Greatest Beat Artists with a Beat Spirit 18 Makoto Amemiya Sylvia Plath From Birthday Letters ............................................................................ 22 Marina Aiura The influence of Otto Plath on Sylvia Plath and Ted Hughes.................................... 24 Yuri Ogawa Sylvia Plath’s the Sense of Feminism from The Bell Jar........................................... 28 Ayaka Sasaki “Last Letter” and Sylvia Plath’s death ....................................................................... 30 Maya Shinano Feminism in Ariel by Sylvia Plath ............................................................................. 33 Reina Sugimoto Trace Article: The Similarity between Lord of the Rings and Harry Potter .............. 35 Miho Sakamoto The Christian type of hero in The Lord of the Rings ................................................. 37 Chikara Tazawa The Christianity in “Narnia” ...................................................................................... 39

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Risa Aizawa J.R.R. Tolkien and Mythology ................................................................................... 41 Takuto Someya The Influences of Mythology and Old English Literature on Tolkien’s Works ........ 44 Satomi Asai

Reaction Pieces...................................................................................................47 Reaction to the Class .................................................................................................. 48 Mai Miyazaki Reaction Paper to the Class ........................................................................................ 49 Naomichi Nirei Reaction Piece on The Lord of the Rings ................................................................... 50 Chikara Tazawa Reaction to Tolkien .................................................................................................... 51 Shiho Mabuchi Reaction to Lord of the Rings..................................................................................... 52 Miho Sakamoto Lord of the Rings ....................................................................................................... 53 Risa Aizawa Reaction to Beats........................................................................................................ 54 Tomoki Nakagawa Reaction to the Film Kill Your Darlings .................................................................... 55 Yuna Kodama Reaction to Sylvia Plath ............................................................................................. 56 Ayaka Sasaki

Translations........................................................................................................57

Editorial

Passing Misconception ............................................................................................... 58

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“A

mericans should know the universe itself as a road, as many roads, as roads for traveling souls.

Walt Whitman, Song of the Open Road

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EDITORIAL This semester has been a truly fantastic class. I know, that if you look at the previous editorials I say that each semester. But, this time I mean it a little more than usual. One of the things that made this semester special was the fact that our class was actually quite small this time.

Sometimes we have as many as 30 students in the class, but this time there were only 17! That meant that I could get to know everyone a little better than usual, and also (I hope) spend more time helping everyone with their essays. We also did other things differently this time too. For example, we extended the work on translations into a two week workshop, and I even (for the first time ever!) used one of my own short stories for work in the class. I have never done this before (and probably will not do it again‌ I’m a bit shy of my writing). However, I wanted to include my story in this issue and the fantastic translations that students put together, as a thank you for the hard work you all put in. Another example of this class being special is how I was quite personal in the teaching and I tried to be flexible and open, as well as honest whenever possible. I think that you (the class) were also like this and so I feel we all gelled as a group and got to be quite friendly. So, each time I walked into the classroom I was looking forward to working with you all. On the other hand, I have to admit that I have also been a bit distracted this semester, mainly because of my PhD, because of traveling to attend conferences, because of writing and other research. And so, it has been a hard semester for everyone. So, I hope that this journal will be a reflection of the effort and hard work that everybody put into the course and I really want to thank you all for working so hard with me this semester!

Sincerely,

Editorial

Richard Pinner rpinner@sophia.ac.jp

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ESSAYS

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IN FOCUS ARTICLE: THE INFLUENCE OF WALT WHITMAN ON ALLEN GINSBERG Allen Ginsberg was one of the writers and poets of Beat Generation. Biographer Thomas F. Merrill said, “Almost all literate person knew him as the Beatnik author of notorious Howl” (1). Beat Generation was the authors group from the 1950s to the 1960s in the United States.

Beat people often called “Beatnik.” Typical authors of Beat Generation were Jack Kerouac, William Seward Burroughs and Allen Ginsberg. They were very conspicuous among the American literary world. It was because they criticized and denied society in the 1950s of America. It was the golden age of American Economic but also the time when people cannot be human being they were controlled as machines and lost their humanity. They rejected values and ideology of that society. The influence of Beat Generation was very large. Young people and musicians who lived in the 1950s from the 1960s were all almost affected by Beat Generation.

Good example is the Beatles, the most famous rock band all over the world in the 1970s in the United Kingdom. However, the authors of Beat Generation were also influenced by some people.

Allen Ginsberg, who was the American poet and the author of “Howl,” respected Walt Whitman very much. Walt Whitman was also the American poet who lived in the 1840s of the United States. He is famous as father of free verse and his impact on other American writers is very big.

The most famous work was Leaves of Grass. Ginsberg said in his book, “I read Whitman, his sense of things compelled me to search for words and was the source of all my curiosities and passion” (268). The influence of Whitman on Ginsberg was very large because the biographies of both were similar, poems of Ginsberg and Whitman have some common points and both of them are bisexual.

First, biographies of Ginsberg and Whitman are very similar. The most similar point is both of their most famous books were criticized severely in the world because of their obscenity.

The most famous work of Whitman is Leaves of Grass. It is a poetry collection published in 1855 and received great evaluation but also criticized as trashy, profane and obscene. Although, some people complained its obscenity of this poetry collection, it did not stopped publishing and selling to public. On the other hand, Poem of Ginsberg, Howl was banned publishing by the American Government. “Howl” was released in 1955 and published as a title Howl and Other Poems in 1956. This poem consists of three parts and footnotes as supplement. Each three parts have 120 lines and also each sentences are very long. “Other Poems” are “A Supermarket in California,” “Transcription of Organ Music,” “Sunflower Sutra,” “America” “Song” and other four poems.

At first, “Howl was published by Ferlinghetti’s City Lights Books in San Francisco as a part of the Pocket Poets Series” (Merrill 87). However, in 1957, Lawrence Ferlinghetti was arrested for publishing the book and bookstore managers which shop sold “Howl and Other Poems.”

Whitman and Ginsberg, both of them were complained by the obscenity of a poem Next, poems of Ginsberg and these of Whitman have some common points. William Lawlor said in his book, “Whitman’s long lines and extensive catalogues of lines and help him[Ginsberg] to create a line based not on meter but on breath of the poets peaking” (154). It means that Ginsberg wrote poems which consisted of long sentences and also not in rhyme but on breath and it is same as Whitman. However, why it is written as on breath. He made public “Howl” at the Six Gallery in San Francisco in December 1955. It was first time for him to read

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Essays

Y UNA K ODAMA

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“Howl” in public. Also Whitman is called as the father of free verse. Free verse is a poem which does not have a fixed structure and does not rhyme. Therefore Ginsberg did not write poems with meter often because Whitman did not make poems which have meter. Another reason that Ginsberg and Whitman is both of them wrote poem for general not for scholar. Ginsberg’s poem, “A Super Market in California,” it was published with “Howl.” Toshikazu Nikura, Japanese American Literary man, said in his book, place where this poem happened is supermarket and it is very daily and in our lives every day and it is not suitable for writing poems, it is certainly for the general public, “en Masse” (119). It means Ginsberg wrote poems which happened in place where familiar to every people. Whitman wrote poems for the masse and not for scholars.

Ginsberg imitated him so he wrote poems for all people same as Whitman. He also used easy words because all people can understand easily. Above all, poems of Ginsberg and these of Whitman have some common points.

Last, both Whitman and Ginsberg are bisexual poets. Both of them are famous of being homosexual same as being famous of author. An author Nick Seldy said, “It has become a critical common place to view the two American poets Walt Whitman and Allen Ginsberg as gay poet whose works demonstrate and develop a gay poetic” (120). An author, Trigilio said, “Ginsberg’s early representations of homosexuality influenced by Whitman also are characterized by selfdoubt” (48).

WORKS CITED Ginsberg, Allen. “The Image of the Beast” On the Poetry of Allen Ginsberg. Ed. Lewis Hyde.

University of Michigan. Michigan, 1984. Print.

Lawlor, William T. “Influence” Beat Culture: Lifestyle, Icons and Impact. University of Wisconsin Sevens Point. ABC-CCIO, Inc. California, 2005. Print.

Merrill, Thomas F. “Howl and Other Poem” Allen Ginsberg. University of Delaware. Twayne Publishers, Inc. 1969. Print.

Nikura, Toshikazu. “Allen Ginsberg” A Guide to American Poetry. (アメリカ詩入門) Kenkyusha. Tokyo, 1993. 116-120. Print. Japanese book.

Selby, Nick. “’Queer Shoulders to the Wheel’: Whitman, Ginsberg and a Bisexual Poetics” Bisexual Imaginary: Representation, Identity, and Desire. Ed. Bi Academic Intervention. London, 1997. 120-141. Print.

Trigilio, Tony. “Queer Dharma on Theme by Whitman” Allen Ginsberg’s Buddhist Poetics.

Southern Illinois University Press. 2007. Print.

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THE ORIGIN OF THE BEAT GENERATION T OMOHIKO K IKUCHI When was the Beat Generation created and why was it born in that period? If nothing had happened, the movement would never have arisen. There was a cue. There are some assumptions to say the reason. At first, we need the whole explanation of Beat Generation and a part of those who were influenced by it as one supplement. Next, I will explain the affairs in detail, and the debate to a new idea after the two wars. Thirdly, the movement of socially weak groups after the war and three people who were involved deeply in the movement needs to be explained. Finally, I will examine you another reason that people stood up in society. The main reason that the movement was aroused lies in three answers, “the appearance of three writers, the change of recognition after the two wars and the reaction to push of media`s values to general people.

World War Two ended in 1945, and the promotion of mass consumption has still continued in America. A lot of mechanics came out after victory of the war. Of course these made most people very happy and the own country more rich. George Katona, who is a Hungarian-born American psychologist, for example, wrote that

However, some people considered the facts dangerous. For example mass production of television which was created by mass consumption succeeded in the standardization of general people`s thought. Those who considered it as a menace had the idea, “Beat Generation”, which means “Resist an American new generation. And be free.” to come to the point. The idea of the Beat Generation was created by 1940s. “The Beat Generation” happened from 1914 to 1929. It was named as rebel’s one by Jack Kerouac, who was an American novelist. He published work in 1957, On the Road and in this book, and expressed the individual of younger and made them enthusiastic. Of those who were impressed by his novel, there were men who were named Hippie, kept their original ideas, and hated the coming of new generation after WWII. John Robert Howard, who is teaching sociology at the City College of New York, says “They repudiate conventional values on the grounds that they induce status anxiety and a fetish for material acquisition.” (Howard 43) What was the new generation? It was a new pop culture. In those days, Ordinary American came to get own cars or washing machine inexpensively since the arriving of mass production ,so they threw many unwanted articles away. However, they liked new qualities and were not aware of massive rubbishes ever if they came out. Such “stereotyped” culture covered all American land. Some thought of it as virtue, and others considered evil. Those who approve of the idea thought that any new items should be created and it makes all convenient. Moreover, they considered that all people could live freely and have a lot of flexible ideas, and that makes America develop more and a greater country. Therefore, the supporters mention that every American should throw useless and old things away. On the other hands, others were concerned

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Essays

Throughout the course of human history, poverty has been the rule, riches the exception.

Societies in the past were called affluent when their ruling classes lived in abundance and luxury. Even in the rich countries of the past, the great majority of people struggled for mere subsistence. Today in this country minimum standards of nutrition, housing, and clothing are assured, not for all, but for the majority. Beyond these minimum needs, such former luxuries as homeownership, durable goods, travel, recreation, and entertainment are no longer restricted to a few. The broad masses participate in enjoying all these things and generate most of the demand for them. [Italics added] (Katona 5)

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about that those who are born in the environment where people consider something old useless could not forget gratitude of drinking, eating traditional food, and using convenient item. In fact, there were a lot of environmental problems by massive rubbish disposal. Apart from it, especially what they considered dangerous is the influence of TV. It was powerful. It made civil thought fixed. American men should leave their child to his mother to play own enjoyment, but women should care own children. Men were free to watch baseball game, and Women were always at home so that they washed husband’s cup. Such idea commonly accepted in The U.S. restricted their behaviour. Some thought that if such generation came, all people might lose own idea and individual. Hippie tried to defend their own ideas that people should exclude their traditional restricting things, and said that they should not be influenced from any other cultures. Moreover, they hoped to return to native and natural state. This is why they disliked the new culture. They were against the new generation.

On the contrary to supporters, I would like to show you the change of the thought for those who moved up in society after WWII. Before the big two wars, there were a lot of conventional wisdom restricting people. It bound the act of them. The discrimination between Black and White was tremendous. Black bore the oppression from the White. However when WW2 ended, the liberalism came out. On the other hands, Media also appeared, and influenced American civil. Their behaviour tended to be steady by it and, lost creativity and freedom. In that case, those who had ever been discriminated, younger, women, and black stood up. They wanted the freedom that people are treated equally, not by birth or environment because they ever suffered from some prejudices and discrimination.

The appearance of big three persons, Jack Kerouac, Allen Ginsberg, and William S Burroughs affected them definitely. The origin of beat generation was brought by Allen Ginsberg.

His work, Howl expressed younger’s mind at that time. In the first part, he said “I saw the best minds of my generation destroyed by madness, starving hysterical naked,” “who poverty and tatters and hollow-eyed and high sat up smoking in the supernatural darkness of cold-water flats floating across the tops of cities contemplating jazz.” The expression that the best idea was destroyed implies of their sadness and angriness to new generation. William S. Burroughs was also central member of the Beat Generation. He wrote a main novel, Junkie and described the condition of the man who is arrogant, drinks a lot, and engages in the activities of that city including casual homosexual sex. In this novel, he tells us such necessary of younger being free.

Those who were impressed by it decided to resist the society. That is why big three men influenced them enormously.

Why did younger and other socially week people approve of it very kindly? To resolve this topic, we need to know the relationship between each society of the pre-war and post-war because Beat appeared in post-war age. The change of the thought happened at that time and there is the origin of the Beat Generation. Ancillary to their activity, Another reason that the socially vulnerable groups accepted three people`s opinion is because the switch of American could be aroused by the end and victory of the war. It developed consciousness that civils were able to change their mind and then the time came. If their thought was created during the war, American ordinary people could not be aware of it because they were stuck to just the win of their own country and didn`t take a lot of time to think of it. In particular, Black people were treated badly during the time or before that, so they did not have opportunities to tell society their angriness, compared with post-war. Women recognized that they have new aspects, yet men don`t have, and

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perceived the necessary of getting new position. For example, Ronna Johnson and Nancy McCambell Grace, who are lecturers in the Department of English at Tufts say When Beat writing first appeared, it was attacked acrimoniously by critics in both the popular press and conventional intellectual Journals, who were appalled by the social and stylistic challenges of Beat poets and novelists. The more recent attacks by feminist critics claiming that the Beat males didn`t support Beat women have been similarly heated. It is now widely acknowledged that many of the Beat males were no more sensitive to the needs of the intellectual women in their midst than many other males of their generation were to the needs of women they worked and lived with. As a woman reader, I have always found women writers to be an important part of the Beat Generation. (Johnson and McCambell Foreword x) And another book, “Women of the Beat Generation: The Writers, Artists and Muses at the Heart of a Revolution”, which is edited by Brenda knight in 1998, says about Joanna McClure, a woman writer who was active during the Beat Generation.

Unlike so many other Beat who have an urban background, poet Joanna McClure was raised on a ranch north of the Catalina Mountains near Tucson, Arizona. These beginnings inform her poetry with sensitivity to nature absent from much of the Beat writing. (Knight 214)

These compositions imply her real intention. It is true that she was influenced to the generation, although she criticized male`s Beat poets and novelists. At first, male ones did not support the appearance of women Beat writer, but as a result, that of women was recognized, confirming sensitive aspects men don`t have. If the new generation came, originally her opinion was not created. The magnitude of three big men is seen there.

In conclusion, there were many complex affairs in order to arouse people`s awareness.

This awareness after the war reflects the improvement of women`s position in Japan. Being voted after the war, the first woman`s politician was born in 1946. Perhaps the improvement of women’s position was supported following the flow of the Beat Generation. Consequently, the origin of Beat Generation started by three persons and they affected greatly all over the world which consists of Japan, too.

WORKS CITED

Essays

Campbell James, This is the Beat Generation: New York, San Francisco, Paris United States, Canada University of California Press 1999, Katona George, The Mass Consumption Society New York McGraw-Hill 1964 Ginsberg Allen, Howl. San Francisco City Lights books 1956 The Yage Letters 1963 Web, 7 July Howard John Robert, The Flowering of the Hippie Movement, America Sage Publications, Inc. in association with the American Academy of Political and Social Science 1969 Johnson Ronna, Nancy McCampbell Grace, Girls who Wore Black: Women Writing the Beat Generation State of New Jersey Rutgers University Press 2002 Knight Brenda, Women of the Beat Generation: The Writers, Artists and Muses at the Heart of a Revolution Boston Conari Press; 2nd Revised 1998

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THE SUCCESS OF THE BEAT GENERATION AND JACK KEROUAC M AI M IYAZAKI Jack Kerouac is one of the most famous writers of the Beat Generation. We cannot know Beat Generation deeply without knowing Jack Kerouac. It is because Jack Kerouac was called by hippies as the person who created hippie’s mind and it was Jack Kerouac that firstly used the word “Beat Generation”. Beat Generation had a great influence on American society in those days.

How could Jack Kerouac achieve his position? In my opinion, the reason is related to his friends and acquaintances, the situation of American society in those days, and the name of Jack Kerouac was handed down by the hippies from generation to generation. These relations are written in following pages in turns.

First theme is about Kerouac’s friends and acquaintances. Edie Parker became a cause of his friendships. She was a girlfriend of Kerouac and had an abortion. When she did it, Kerouac was angry with her abortion. Therefore she thought she would break up with Kerouac and searched for new encounter. This was when she came to meet Lucian Carr. She was fascinated

by Lucian Carr because he was so attractive boy and had a wide circle of acquaintances. Thanks to the wide circle of acquaintances by him, Jack Kerouac got to know many persons because Lucian Carr invited his many friends in his house including Kerouac. In the invited guests, there were Allen Ginsberg and William S, Burroughs. These persons are also very famous writers as Beat Generation. They readily made good friends. They had different characters and had each personal history. However, they had common points that were full of intellectual curiosity and could not get along with the social model in those days.

Kerouac and Ginsberg looked for “new vision” like Rimbaud, but they did not know what it is at the time. On the other hand, Burroughs, keeping himself above all the vulgarity around him, only tried for living experimentally. Burroughs played a role that he enlivened his friends by his knowledge and authority. Burroughs led his group to radical and changed or strengthened the thought of his friends by emphasizing of pure and uncompromising individual adventure.

(Buin 63) Like this, they stimulated each other and made their thought clear. They could be good friends because they had similar thought and the thought was minority. They wanted to be recognized by the society and be free. These strong feelings were written in their works. They also show their own writing and exchange words with each other even though they were not getting on well. Though this process, their works became better.

Second theme is about American society in those days. Beat Generation appeared from 1950 to 1960, and the writers who called Beat Generation denied and resisted against the social system or their sense of values. In 1950s, America was a period of economic growth and called as “the golden age”. Thanks to that, people of the middle class were increasing and their own houses were built in the suburbs with subsidy or low-interest funds by American government. On the other hand, the rationalization of management was growing and the simplification or division of work were improving in the manufacturing industry. In this society, many cheap goods were greatly produced and consumed, had been established. In addition, it was these times which workers who engaged in service department and non-manual labourer increased. Moreover, high managed society or academic snobbism were also formed since individual management of time

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and behavioural management were advancing. This is how social stereotype was formed and freedom of the people was restricted. Some may have thought that the society was awkward.

Writers of Beat Generation opposed the very overwhelming and mechanical society and tried to make a new sense of values.

The activities by Beat Generation had a great influence on the sense of values of people who had doubts about the society in those days, above all a part of the middle class. In addition, Beat Generation had an enthusiastic support of runaway younger by dropping out from conservative society and academic snobbism.

(fooline web) Beat Generation was accepted by people who objected to the social policy and had same thoughts. They insisted what people really wanted to say. In fact, the works by Beat Generation were worshipped by hippies as bible.

Third theme is about the relations between Beat Generation and the existence of hippies.

The Hippies were critical to wards and had a thought of being against the usual or accepted behaviour of society. They advocated peace, free love and non-materialism. They often wore unusual clothes, had long hair, and took drugs for pleasure. Their cultures ware called “psychedelic� because they emphasized an illusory and spiritual world caused by marijuana or LSD (lysergic acid diethylamide). They were totally influenced by Beat Generation. It is because it was On the Road that was the most worshipped work by hippies. On the Road was written by Jack Kerouac in 1957. This work acquired many readers though it was criticized by critics of literature. The most important thing is that the thought of Beat Generation agreed with the thought of hippies.

Beatniks were living with primitivism, existentialism, oriental mysticism, drugs and cigarettes, liberation of sex, jazz, and so on. With these, they tried to attain a new dimensional world from their physical and mental rhythms. It was fortune that On the Road was published in 1957 when mental climate of hippies were reached its climax. (tripod web)

Like this, the existence of hippies was very important for Beat Generation. The hippies made Beat Generation be popular and gain strength.

As being described above, the success of Jack Kerouac is related to his friends and acquaintances, the American society in those days, and the existence of hippies. It cannot be realized if even one of them is lacking. First Kerouac aroused sympathy from his friends, and then made a protest against the society. In the end he became a leader of Beat Generation without changing his thought. It may need courage to resist against the society first, but he was living, always doing what he wanted.

WORKS CITED

Essays

Fooline. 2014. <fooline.net/beat-generation> Web. Tripod. 2013. <yapop.tripod.com/rojou.html> Web. Yves Buin. Kerouac, Trans. Daisuke Inoue. Shouden-sha publisher, 2010. Print.

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THE LIFE WILLIAM S. BURROUGHS WAS NOT SATISFIED WITH S HIHO M ABUCHI In this essay I will examine for William S. Burroughs. He is the most famous writer in the Beat Generation. He was born in St. Louis, Missouri on February 5, 1914. He got married to Joan Vollmer Adams and had a baby who was born to them in 1947. However, he shot his wife Joan by his mistake. He began to work on Naked Lunch that is the most famous work in his works in 1955. In 1959 he published Naked Lunch in Paris. When he was rejected by Ian Sommerville who was a homosexual, he cut his little finger because of sorrows that lost him. In 1973 he taught literature in the City College and the Naropa Institution. However, he did not continue to teach it in a long term. Although he decided to stop using drugs once, he became drug addiction again.

Finally he died in Lawrence, Kansas on August 2. He just wanted to live freely. However, he did not get freedom because he demanded it solely too much and had led to inconvenience. Although it was thought that he was a carefree, happy go lucky person, he was actually not able to live as his ideals.

He really liked to read the books when he was a child because he was not able to become familiar in his school, so he spent bored times. He specialized in English literature when he was a university student. However the reason why he majored in English literature was that he did not subjects to be able to be interested in other than English literature. He did not be satisfied with writing books. It can be seen from the following passage in “William S. Burroughs, The Art of Fiction No. 36” (2015): Interviewer Why did you start taking drug?

Burroughs Well, I was just bored. I didn’t seem to have much interest in becoming a successful advertising executive or whatever, or living the kind of life Harvard designs for you.

After I became addicted in New York in 1944, things began to happen. I got in some trouble with the law, got married, moved to New Orleans, and then went to Mexico.

(Knickerbocker)

When he was interviewed in 1965, he had already published Naked Lunch. To begin with he did not be satisfied with his life. Actually he wrote Naked Lunch which remained even to futurity. However, he did not feel worth of writing books, so he started to take drugs. Moreover, he took drugs again and again. Although he decided to stop taking drugs once, he became drug poisoning again. From that reason, gradually he was not able to write a novel by taking drugs.

Eventually, his life turned worse day by day although he thought that he became to be satisfied with his life by taking drugs.

In 1973 he had an offer a job that was reading and then he decided to teach for college students. However, he also did not want to teach reading for college student. He taught the only the City College and the Naropa Institute. It can be seen from the following passage in Conversations with William S. Burroughs (1999): Interviewer: What made you decided to start teaching literature and creative writing?

Burroughs: Money. [……]

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Interviewer: Do you enjoy teaching?

Burroughs: No. I don’t like it on a long-term basis at all. It’s a lot of work, and it’s very time-consuming. I don’t know how anyone can think about writing if he’s teaching. You really have to give all your time to it. I find it impossible to do any writing while I’m teaching. (Hibbard 96)

In this passage, he said that he just did it because of money. He did not have a dream that he wanted to become a teacher. He did not learn from teaching reading for college students. From that reason, he was only wasting his time doing such work and then under the work he was just restricted.

He had two styles and selfish behavior. He spent his time with freedom and selfish obviously. He did not want to have to do with other person deeply because he hated that he was implicated complicated circumstances behind person’s relationships. His family had a lot of bitter experiences. When his parents died, he did not go to the funeral and his brother was pushed his care. Moreover, he shot his wife Joan by his mistakes. And he invented two styles that was cutout and fold-in techniques. From these techniques, he felt that writing a novel was a troublesome task. It can be seen from the following passage in William S. Burroughs At the Front Critical Reception, 1959-1989 (1991): At present he is interested in scientology, which offers its initiates the promise of becoming “clears”- free from all hang-ups. For the novel he has invented his cut-out and fold-in techniques, which he is convinced can rationalize the manufacture of fictions by applying modern factory methods to the old “writer’s craft.” (Skerl and Lydenberg 39)

His cut-out technique means that he released the word from existing context and he wanted to free the words from grammar. However, his reader could not understand his sentence because he did not be care about the reader. The reader gradually did not accept his novel, perhaps it was just sentence not to be able to be called to novel either.

He gradually just wrote the works that was contained his repentances and despairs. He did not have what he wanted to do, so he just waited for his death and he did not be satisfied with his life. His last year he did not write his novel because he was not able to think sentence. He had a lot of memories that were cruel, so he tried to take off his cruel memories. However, he did not take it. The cruel memories remained in his mind even if he wrote a novel and did what he wanted to do. The cruel memories just grew bigger in his mind, he struggled heatedly in order to take off it, so he gradually wrote his deep regrets and despairs in his books. He demanded freedom too much. Finally, he did not have the desire, so he did not attain his long-cherished desire although he tried various experiences. He was not found his hope because he spent his time with his cruel memories. He did not have the hope. His disorderly novel that was cut-out technique means that he wanted to help him out of his brutal memories perhaps. He continued living for loneliness and in a fight with his brutal memories.

Knickerbocker, Conrad. “William S. Burroughs, The Art of Fiction No. 36.” the Paris Review.

The Paris Review, 2015. Web. 25 June 2015.

Hibbard, Allen. Conversations with William S. Burroughs: the United States of America: University Press of Mississippi, 1999. Print.

Skerl, Jennie & Lydenberg, Robin. William S. Burroughs At the Front Critical Reception, 19591989: the United States of America: the Board of Trustees, Southern Illinois University, 1991. Print.

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WORKS CITED

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BEAT GENERATION'S RELATION TO HIPPIE MOVEMENTS, COUNTERCULTURE MOVEMENTS, AND LITERATURE N AKAGAWA T OMOKI Beat Generation changed society. Beat Generation is a group of authors who try to oppose authority, and culture. Beat Generation movement began in 1950s, after World War II. Member of Beat Generation are against authority, society, and culture which were created after World War II. In this society, people were obliged to obey authority. In addition, in 1950s, society was changed dramatically, and it is necessary for people mainly young people to follow society. It is difficult for people to adapt to social structure. There, people, most young people were forced to follow existing social structure. Therefore, a lot of people failed to adapt old society. Thus, young people who failed to adapt social structure, began to oppose existing social structure, authority, and culture. People who were try to change social structure, authority, and culture gathered, and emerged as Beat Generation in a social state which people try to fight against society, tradition and authority. Young people supported Beat Generation. In 1960s, Beat movements were transformed to hippie movements and counterculture. This essay will discuss Beat Generation was connected to hippie movements, counterculture, and literature.

Beat Generation developed counterculture movements. Topics of Beat Generation, opposing authority is important aspects of counterculture movements. Counterculture movements are movements of young people who oppose traditional custom, culture, and war (Baym 2731).

Counterculture movements are movements of young people who are changing United States.

Counterculture movements are connected to anti-war movements. Young people who are against war began campaign of anti-war movements. When counterculture movements began, the Vietnam War was broken. Therefore, anti-war movements demand United States not to attack with weapons for Vietnam, and assert cruelty of wars which is damages, for environment. These contents, are similar to Beat Generation. Therefore, Beat Generation were core of counterculture movements as they were fighting for traditional custom, and war.

Beat Generation is connected to hippie movement. Hippie movement is said that it started its growth as a youth movement. Hippie is a member of a youth movement that appear in the United States during the mid-1960s and wide growth to other countries. Hippie is thought that core of hippies activities are come from effects of Beat Generation. A member of Beat Generation, Gary Snyder is symbol of kind of idea of Hippie movements. He loves nature. His topics of works are concerns for environment and authority (Baym 2775). He is also environmental activist. He had effects on Hippie movements through his activity as a environmental activist. Thus, those who are member of hippie movements assert importance of saving nature. A member of Beat Generation, Allen Ginsberg published “Howl”. This work affected hippie. Raskin said on Allen Ginsberg, and his work “He was a hippie minstrel and a Pied Piper for the generation that advocated peace and love” (Raskin 23). Hippies created unique culture, their own society, and culture of hippies had big effects on traditional culture, literature, and traditional society which hippies fail to adapt. Furthermore, hippies are against war like members of Beat Generation. Lots of members of Beat Generation take part in hippie movements. These topics are related to both

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Beat Generation and hippie movements. Therefore, Beat Generation is related to hippie movements.

Beat Generation cause new waves for traditional literature. Beat Generation's poetry progressed during 1940s in San Francisco, symbolic place of the Beat Generation movements.

Lots of member of Beat Generation published their works in 1950s, which caused new waves for traditional literary. Members of Beat Generation reject traditional society, literary, and culture.

Members of Beat Generation fight against authority, it is topic of their works. Their works are different from traditional literature for their love for free, straight expression, and slang. Members of Beat Generation were supported by people who are called as hippies. Hippies thought that traditional literature are not creative, therefore members of Beat Generation developed reputations as creative literary. A member of Beat Generation, Allen Ginsberg who is thought that he is a symbolic person of Beat Generation, had effects on culture, hippie movement, and literary. He published his popular work “Howl” as a part of his collection of poetry. This phrase is in this work, “ angelheaded hipsters burning for the ancient heavenly connection to the starry dynamo in the machinery of night, who poverty and tatters and hollow-eyed and high sat up smoking in the supernatural darkness of cold water flats floating across the tops of cities contemplating jazz”.

(Ginsberg 103) This is on seeking free, and it is new wave for literature. This work is different style compared with traditional works. He was honored as a person who change traditional way of works. (Baym2732) Beat Generation are new wave for literature.

As summary, Beat Generation had big effects on social structure, authority, and culture.

Beat Generation had effects on hippie movements, and counterculture. Those who were members of hippie movement put weight on seeking free, saving environment, and they are characteristic of Beat Generation. Beat Generation had effects on literature. Members of Beat Generation's works were new compared with traditional literature. Hippie movements and counterculture come from Beat Generation.

Essays

WORKS CITED Baym, Nina “ The Norton Anthology of American Literature” Norton & Company London (2003) Ginsberg Allen “Howl” San Francisco City Lights Book (1956) Raskin, Jonah “American Scream Allen Ginsberg's Howl and the Making of the Beat Generation” San Francisco Chronicle California (2004)

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JOHN LENNON, WHO IS IN A SENSE ONE OF THE GREATEST BEAT ARTISTS WITH A BEAT SPIRIT M AKOTO A MEMIYA From the 1950s to 1960s, many beat artists in the U.S. appeared and were very much affected the people of the time. Some of the creators are Jack Kerouac, who wrote On the Road(1957), and Allen Ginsberg, who wrote Howl(1956), and William Seward Burroughs, who wrote The Naked Lunch(1959). Needless to say, however, it was not only American beat artists but also British ones that had effects on the people of that time. In 1960s, one group appeared and had sent shock waves through music and the world until they broke up in 1970. The group is the Beatles.

Ronaldson writes in his book; “The 1960s gave us some of the best musicians in the history of modern music. It was a time when great artists like The Rolling Stones, Elvis Presley, Bob Dylan, The Beach Boys, and The Who were at the top of their careers. But there is one group that stands out, even among these talented musicians, and is remembered as the greatest band of the 20th century. It’s probably not even necessary to mention the name, because you already know it’s the Beatles. These four men from Liverpool, England changed music forever.’’(3)

As cited above, the Beatles brought about varieties to music. This essay refers to social activities done by John Lennon. Lennon had been active in the field of rock’ n’ roll music, pacifist movement, and political awareness and so forth until the bullet shot by Mark Chapman, who was a Lennon’s fan, and loves him too much, went through his heart. The purpose of this paper proves that Lennon is one of the popular beat artists with a beatnik spirit in the world.

After learning what Lennon had done in these fields until he passed away, one will surely realize that he is, in a sense, one of the greatest beat artists full of beatnik soul in the world.

First, this paper refers to activities did in the Beatles. One should learn achievements by the band. Ronaldson shows in his book; “The Beatles are the best-selling artists of all time, had 15 number one albums in Britain, and 20 of their singles became number one on the U.S. music charts. They have sold more than a billion albums around the world, and John Lennon and Paul McCartney are the most successful songwriters in history, with 32 number one singles in the U.S. for Paul, and 26 for John.”(4)

It is not too much to say that Lennon was like a hit maker, and actually it is exactly true.

You will surely know these songs, Love Me Do(1962), She Loves You(1963), I Want To Hold Your Hand(1963), Help(1965), Hey Jude(1968), Let It Be(1970). Other famous songs does the band have, but unfortunately they are so many that this essay cannot all the songs.

Songs by the Beatles spread from country to country and fascinated people in the world.

The band won popularity all over the world gradually as well as Britain and the U.S., but unfortunately one affair happened on the group in 1966. On a British newspaper, Lennon made a

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comment that the Beatles were more popular than Jesus, and the saying spread to the U.S. through a magazine. Ronaldson says in his work; “It became one of the biggest pop music scandals of all time.’’(48) Thanks to the word which Lennon said carelessly, Lennon, unfortunately, invited much criticism and hostility against the Beatles to the very band which Lennon on his own belonged to.

What did happen to the group? For example, many radio programs in southern America did not play the songs by the Beatles, young people who hated the band trampled on the Beatles’ records and burned them.(Ronaldson 49) The Beatles exactly got popularity everywhere, but a kind of such vanity would probably make Lennon say such an offensive thing. In the same year, Lennon met Yoko Ono, and they became good friends and later moved in together in 1968.

Through his life, Lennon had spent much money on doing charity activities and kept on seeking for love and peace by his end. His strong beat soul might make himself keep on going to his desire for love and peace.

Third, this paper mentions activities by Lennon with political awareness. Some of the lyrics of the songs by Lennon imply political meaning. In 1971, Lennon and Ono exactly started to have interests in politics. In the past, Lennon said to reporters in a newspaper that we needed to make people in the world learn that weak workers were in unfortunate situations.(Coleman 429) The song Power to the People proved that Lennon was related to political problems. Next, in the same year, Lennon released the song Imagine Coleman writes in his publication that what Lennon wanted to express was that we should imagine the world which did not have religion and

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Essays

Unfortunately, Lennon again brought about one problem for him. Ronaldson writes in his publication that Lennon and Ono released an album named ‘Two Virgins’, and the cover’s photo showed Lennon’s and Ono’s nakedness, and this made not only some people but also other members of the Beatles very angry.(67) It is not too much to say that Lennon was not only a hit maker but also a trouble inviter. Probably, however, Lennon would only do what he wanted to do, and it meant that he was an artist with a beatnik spirit, because the present writer thinks that beat artists always do what they want to do to express what they aim to show in public.

Second, this paper makes reference to activities by Lennon as a pacifist. What did Lennon do? Ronaldson shows in his book; “The Bed-In has become one of the most famous events of the 1960s.”(69) The Bed-In was a movement that Lennon and Ono talked to audiences, who came to the hotel Lennon and Ono stayed, about love and peace. One writer shows an interesting thing.

Wiener writes in his work that Lennon said to reporters that Lennon and Ono would not love each other in public at all because it was an individual pleasure, and do the Bed-In in order to protest against persecution and violence which had occurred all over the world instead.(207). After the event, they moved on to do a new activity. It is called Acorn for Peace. The purpose was planting acorn trees as a symbol of peace and they send the seeds to other countries.(Wiener 213). When in the Beatles, on one side, Lennon played an important role in the musical field, and, on the other side, with Ono acted as a pacifist for people around the world to get love and peace. In the past, Lennon said that what he sought for was only peace, and that he did not in the least criticize one specific person, and that there were good people and also bad people in the world, and that all the trouble were in each people’s mind, so we must kill our own devil in our heart and stop attacking others (Coleman 383).

Integrated – Class Journal

desire for things.(430) The album ‘Imagine’ included full of messages for politics, and it seemed solemn to audiences but sold very well. The reason of the hit is this below.

Lennon told us that Imagine was filled with messages about politics but he turned it into the work easy to understand, and that no matter how you express things difficult to understand, for example, the theme about anti-religion, resistance against a notion, anti-fixed ideas, and anticapitalism, works about these themes would probably sell if you would simplify them.(Coleman 431) What made Lennon be active and do these things? The present writer cannot help considering it as a beatnik power which Lennon had kept in his heart by his endless trip to the another world in 1980.

As stated above, Lennon did various activities in his life. To tell the truth, activities done by the most famous rock’ n’ roll musician in the world are so numerous and variable that the present writer cannot show them all in this paper. Needless to say, the most famous and important activity for Lennon is one at the Beatles. Ronaldson writes in his book; “The 1960s were time of rebellion. While the Beatles were a part of that rebellion, most of their songs were very positive.

‘Ever since the Beatles broke up, the music industry has been searching for ‘the next Beatles.’ So far, they have not found them, and some people say that they never will because there will never be another band like those four young men from Liverpool.”(88)

Probably nobody object to this. Lennon appeared in 1960s, and in the era, many beat artists were active in their fields. As well as Kerouac, Ginsberg, and Burroughs, Lennon built the beat era in that he could have influenced people in various areas, for example, in the field of rock’ n’ roll music, pacifism, and politics. Who can say that Lennon is not one of the greatest beat artists in the world? Influences by Lennon have been in various places so far, and his name will remain forever. The present writer cite two famous songs by the Beatles in order to check that some of the songs by Lennon refer to love. The one is the song called In My Life from “Rubber Soul’’(1965). We can learn that these parts below mention love: There are places I’ll remember All my life, though some have changed Some forever not for better Some have gone and some remain All these places had their moments With lovers and friends I still can recall Some are dead and some are living In my life I’ve loved them all. (1-8)

The other is the song called All You Need Is Love from “Magical Mystery Tour’’(1967).

We can also make out that Lennon wanted to tell us the importance of love through this song: All you need is love All you need is love All you need is love, love Love is all we need. (14-17)

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WORKS CITED:

Essays

The Beatles. Magical Mystery Tour. EMI, 1987. CD. The Beatles. Rubber Soul. EMI, 1987. CD. Coleman, Ray. John: The Definitive Biography The Anniversary Edition. Trans. Toru Okayama.

Tokyo: Ongaku no Tomo sha Corporation, 2002. Print.

Ronaldson, Jake. The Beatlesâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; Story. Tokyo: IBC Publication, Inc., 2010. Print.

Wiener, Jon. Come Together: John Lennon in His Time. Trans. Youichi Harada. Tokyo: PMC, 1988. Print.

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SYLVIA PLATH FROM BIRTHDAY LETTERS M ARINA A IURA Birthday Letters, published in 1998, is a collection of 88 poems by Ted Hughes. It is written about his married life with Sylvia Plath. After her death, he had not said anything about it for 35 years. At last, he referred about their marriage life on this time. It was said that the cause of her suicide was his affair by then, so he was blamed from many people. As Kirk says, “Feminist biographers and others began to blame Plath's depression and even her final act on Hughes's infidelity and ambition.”(2) However, their married life has become clear because Silvia seen from him was described. It can also be said that this book is his confession, so I insist it is a misunderstanding that only he is responsible for tragedy.

This book was published as his last confession and has two roles. One is for appearances, the other is for their children. Silvia committed suicide when their children were very young.

Therefore, he would want to tell them the truth. This collection of poems is written about a life for 7 years from an encounter, and Hughes calls Plath "you". There is His anguish and discord.

Hughes seems to have felt as follows. First, their culture was different between America and England. Second, Hughes was identified with her father, Otto Plath. The two causes tormented him, so I will look for his pain from Birthday Letters.

“The Shot” is written about her father. Moulin said about the central concept of Birthday Letters as follows, “The genetic determinism behind this interpretation of Plath's demise, an unarticulated subtext in that 1995 essay, becomes Hughes's primary theme in Birthday Letters.

The central structural design of Birthday Letters concerns an obsessive equation of Otto and Sylvia Plath.”(1-2) Her father's death extremely shocked her and she needed a father as a god.

The ordinary jocks is Hughes himself. He had to be her god. A god-seeker and a god-finder are Plath herself. She sought her father from him. Her god is represented as follows; (Hughes) Your worship needed a god.

Where it lacked one, it found one.

Ordinary jocks became gods – Deified by your infatuation That seemed to have been designed at birth for a god.

It was a god-seeker. A god-finder.

Your Daddy had been aiming you at God When his death touched the trigger.

Hughes did not notice the existence of her father for a long time and he found her father who hides behind himself.

Plath mistook him for my father and she loved her father through him. He found she wanted him to be her father and this strongly worried him. Your real target is not Hughes but Otto Plath. He also said she deeply loves her father. His grief is shown as follows; (Hughes) Till your real target Hid behind me. Your Daddy, The god with the smoking gun. For a long time Vague as mist, I did not even know I had been hit, Or that you had gone clean through me – To bury yourself at last in the heart of the god.

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In my position, the right witchdoctor Might have caught you in flight with his bare hands, Tossed you, cooling, one hand to the other, Godless, happy, quieted.

When Sylvia Plath was only eight years old, she lost her father, Otto Plath in 1940. She lived without her father for a long time, therefore she excessively required patriarch.

However, she did a lot of achievements at the time when a lady has no perfect right yet, and she was called a feminist supporter. As Agarwal says, “She is regarded as a feminist supporter due to the poems where it appears that she is criticizing the role that woman were expected to fall into during the time she was writing.”(84) She had two-sidedness, it is the contrary respectively and she feuded. As Ferretter says, “Despite her feminist critique of the patriarchal institution of marriage, Plath had also absorbed the ideology of marriage to a considerable extent.”(148) She needed male rule, but she denied it at the same time. She battled, same as Hughes.

There isn't anything bad guy. Each two had cause and produced tragedy. Since Birthday Letters was published, the criticism for him was getting down now a little, but I'd like to insist that only Hughes is not the bad guy.

WORKS CITED

Essays

Hughes, Ted. “The Shot”, Birthday Letters, Faber and Faber.1998 Malcolm, Janet. “Sylvia Plath and Ted Hughes”, The Silent Woman, Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group, 2013/01 Kirk, Connie Ann. “A Biography”, Sylvia Plath, Greenwood Pub Group, 2004/12 Ferretter, Luke. “A Critical Study”, Sylvia Plath's Fiction, Edinburgh UP, 2012/5 Agarwal, Suman. “A Confessional and a Feminist”, Sylvia Plath, Northern Book Centre, 2003/01 Moulin, Joanny. Taylor & Francis, “Alternative Horizons”, Ted Hughes, Taylor & Francis, 2005

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THE INFLUENCE OF OTTO PLATH ON SYLVIA PLATH AND TED HUGHES Y URI O GAWA Otto Plath was the father of Sylvia Plath. He was a biologist and specialist of bees. He taught at Boston University. He died of diabetes mellitus when his daughter Sylvia was eight years old. His death had influenced Sylvia through her life. In addition, his death had influenced not only Sylvia but also her husband Ted Hughes. How did Otto Plath influence Sylvia Plath and Ted Hughes? I would like to consider it through some of their poems.

First, I would like to consider the influence of Otto Place on his daughter Sylvia Plath.

She wrote the famous poem “Daddy.” In this poem, she compared Otto to black shoe, marble, statue, Nazi, devil, and vampire. She seems to have hated her father. In other poems, she made his father appear repeatedly.

O father, all by yourself You are pithy and historical as the Roman Forum.

I open my lunch on a hill of black cypress.

Your fluted bones and acanthine hair are littered (“The Colossus”) Your shelled bed I remember.

Father, this thick air is murderous.

I would breathe water. (“Full Fathom Five”) Father, bridegroom, in this Easter egg Under the coronal of sugar roses The queen bee marries the winter of your year. (“The Beekeeper's Daughter”)

It is no doubt that Sylvia dealt with her father as a big theme or problem of her works.

Then, what was influence of Otto on Sylvia? When he died, Sylvia was eight years old. Susan Kavaler-Adler said that in the case that a father could not be proper father for his daughter or died in her Oedipus period, the daughter might feel sadness, is away from the father or could not internalize him as an integrated enough good object (Kavaler, cited in Kimura 223). Otto, indeed, died in her Oedipus period. Otto died and Sylvia said that her heart felt pain and cried, and her father took away everything from her (Kimura 223). She also said to her friend that she adored and scorned, and would think to want her father die again and again. When her father died as her desire, she felt as if she killed her father (Minami and Atsumi15). Otto was not hated by his colleagues and did not hate his family. However, he seemed to be a man, who spoke German with loud voice in the black clothes, always gave a command and behaved tyrannically like fascist to Sylvia (Minami and Atsumi15). He was a real German, and he was already middle age when Sylvia was born. Therefore he seemed to be the existence like a giant to little Sylvia certainly (Minami 51). Such like father died all of a sudden, so she might feel shock and loose something big and important. Sylvia wrote in “Daddy” like that,

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Daddy, I have had to kill you.

You died before I had time—

In her, the father died before she perfectly hated or adored him. Her pending feeling made her have ambivalent passion to her father. Otto left his daughter the image of a firm man who provoked respect and hatred at the same time (Minami 15). She had love and hatred to her father Otto. They made her definite herself as a victim, and image her father as God and cruel perpetrator (Mizuta 289). She, indeed, was wounded by her father’s death, and it is the energy of her creation poem.

Then, I would like to consider the influence of Otto on Ted Hughes. Ted met Sylvia several years after Otto died, so Otto seems not to have been involved in Ted’s life and works.

However, he influenced him deeply. He had not met Otto directly, but wrote frequently as if he had known him well. He wrote the poem “The Minotaur”. In this poem, Brought you to the horned, bellowing Grave of your risen father And your own corpse in it.

It says about Sylvia, but there is the existence of her father Otto. Besides that, he expressed the father bring Sylvia to his own after she got mad. He might think that the reason of Sylvia’s personality or tendency was in Otto. Sylvia put Ted on Otto, such as in “Daddy.” Ted must have noticed it. He knew that she saw him through Otto, so he wrote that Otto brought Sylvia to him. Otto did not say about his feeling to Otto, but the piece of them can be seen in his poem.

He had never met Otto, but he had something to think or feel to Otto, so he wrote about him.

Ted also wrote about Otto and Sylvia in the poem “The Bee God.” When you wanted bees I never dreamed It meant your Daddy had come up out of the wall.

I scoured the old hive, you painted it, White, with crimson hearts and flowers, and bluebirds.

So you became the Abbess In the nunnery of the bees.

In this poem, “you” might mean Sylvia. Her father was an expert of bees. Sylvia wrote the poem “The Beekeeper’s Daughter,” and compared Otto with beekeeper. Ted used a similar image of Otto in the poem. He said that Sylvia wanted bees and it meant Otto had come up out of the wall, and Sylvia became the Abbess of the bees. There is an image that Sylvia could not get out of her father. The poem goes on.

But you bowed over your bees As you bowed over your Daddy

In “Daddy,” Sylvia said that she killed his father. This stanza links the image of “Daddy.”

But the bee’s orders were geometric— Your Daddy’s plans were Prussian.

He seems to criticize Otto because of his influence on Sylvia indirectly in this part. He says that Otto was very complex like geometry and it made Sylvia confuse.

It means that Otto planted something like electrodes, for example the shock of the death.

Last part, Ted wrote

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As bees planted their volts, their thudding electrodes, In on their target.

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Who came— Fanatics for their God, the God of the Bees,

He says “fanatics” for the God of the Bees finally. The fanatics might mean Sylvia and the God of the Bees is Otto. He must have seen Sylvia as the fanatic about Otto. He blamed Otto for Sylvia’s depression. I stated that there is an image that Sylvia could not escape from Otto, and it seems to have had effect on Ted. He had been also the husband of the daughter of the strong father forever. Ted also wrote the poem “A Picture of Otto.” He took the picture of Otto as the subject of his poem, and it is the best proof that he was influenced by Otto. Otto influenced on Ted’s life with Sylvia.

Finally, I considered two poems. One is “Daddy” by Sylvia, and another is “A Picture of Otto” by Ted. In these poems, they wrote about Otto Plath. Probably, they remembered a same photo.

You stand at the blackboard, daddy, In the picture I have of you, (“Daddy”) You stand there at the blackboard (“A Picture of Otto”)

There is Otto as a teacher standing in front of the blackboard. The famous photo of Otto was standing in front of the blackboard. Sylvia might see the photo, and Ted also might see it and hear about him from Sylvia. They likened Otto to something.

I made a model of you, A man in black with a Meinkampf look (“Daddy”) Lutheran Minister manqué. (“A Picture of Otto”)

Their Otto’s images represent their feelings to him. Sylvia felt that he was absolute and the man who wounded her. Ted felt that he is the man who tied Sylvia by his memory and the shock of his death. Last part, they wrote like this.

If I’ve killed one man, I’ve killed two—— The vampire who said he was you And drank my blood for a year, Seven years, if you want to know.

Daddy, you can lie back now. (“Daddy”)

In the last part, Sylvia thought Otto and Ted as the same, and compared them to vampire.

Her hurt of wound from Otto changed into hated and made her identify Otto with Ted. It was the energy and the reason of her creation.

I understand-you never could have released her.

I was a whole myth too late to replace you.

This underworld, my friend, is her heart’s home.

Inseparable, here we must remain.

Everything forgiven and in commonNot that I see her behind you, where I face you, But like Owen, after his dark poem, Under the battle, in the catacomb Sleeping with his German as if alone. (“A Picture of Otto”)

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In this last part, Ted saw Sylvia behind Otto. “German” is the image of Otto that Sylvia had. He said that he could not separate Sylvia from Otto. It must have had no little influence on his life and his work.

Sylvia is famous as a confessional poet. One of her confession was certainly about her father Otto Plath. Sylvia was tied to Otto whole of her life, and Ted saw such Sylvia by just her side, so he was also tied to Otto about his life with Sylvia indirectly. Since they were a wife and a husband before they were also poet, so they could not help being influenced by Otto on their daily life. It was involved their relationship, and they made it into the energy or the subject or the reason of their works. As I stated, the existence and death of Otto had very big influence on not only Sylvia but also Ted. Furthermore, Otto influenced not only their way to live but also their style of poetry. Otto was definitely the most important key person of the life of Sylvia and Ted.

WORKS CITED

Essays

Kavaler-Adler, Susan, The Compulsion to Create: A Psychoanalytic Study of Women Artists, New York/ London: Routledge, 1993. Print.

Kimura, Keiko. Sylvia Plath: Chichi No Musume Haha No Musume. Tōkyō: Suiseisha, 2005.

Print.

Minami, Akira. Shijin No Sugao. Tokyo: Kenkyusha, 1987. Print.

Minami, Akira, and Ikuko Atsumi. Sylvia Plath No Sekai. Tokyo: Nagumodo, 1982. Print.

Mizuta, Noriko. Kagami No Naka No Sakuran: Sylvia Plath Shisen Sylvia Plath Junan No Josei Shijin. Tōkyō: Seichisha, 1981. Print.

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SYLVIA PLATH’S THE SENSE OF FEMINISM FROM THE BELL JAR A YAKA S ASAKI Sylvia Plath (1932-1963) is an American woman writer who is known for life with Ted Hughes and her committing suicide. She entered Smith College. She met Ted Hughes at Cambridge and married him. However she could not archive as a poet and have good relationship with Ted. Finally she become to have mental illness. In her life, she made many poems which are related to death, life and mother and babies. However she published a novel only once in her life.

This is The Bell Jar. It was published one month before Sylvia committed suicide. It is her semiautobiographical novel with the names of places and people changed. Her life and opinion influenced this story. In addition, this story show her senses of feminism. In this essay, I am going to show her senses of feminism through the topic of women and marriage, sex and society after the explanation of the story.

To begin with, I explain about the story. The main character’s name of this story is Ester Greenwood. She is young women from the Boston. She joined a summer internship at a prominent magazine in New York City. However she felt a sense of incongruity. Though Ester was poor and got scholarship by her literal talent and effort. She had a boyfriend buddy, a medical student of Yale University. However she was betrayed by him and be discouraged and left him. After all, she saw their own relationship objectively. Ester get to be depressed and entered a hospital from the feeling of difference from young people around her, unstable future and a doubt to talent of her own self. Finally, Ester committed suicide.

First, I will consider about women and marriage. Ester had a boyfriend, Buddy. Buddy was a medical student. At first, Ester had crushed on him. He was perfect boy for her. One day, she happened to know that he was not a virgin. She stated about him, “Then just as he was looking at me more and more I discovered quite by accident what an awful hypocrite he was, and now he wanted to marry me and I hated his guts. (Sylvia 60) Their mothers were childhood friends. In fact, Buddy tried to pretend to be a “fine, clean” person. This fact was surprising and a betrayal for her. In age Sylvia lived, it was seemed that women’s happiness was to discover a good husband and become a good wife. Proper woman should marry and enter into a home and service to their husband. They were put in the frame of “woman.” Surprisingly, men associated with several women. On the contrary, it seemed that woman have a flirtation was terrible sin. After this happening Buddy proposed to her. In fact, Buddy ignored Ester’s character. Buddy provided a position as a wife on Ester. (Nishizuka.) And she refused his proposal. In fact she understood that what marriage is. When she imagine marriage life with a man, she said, “Maybe I will wake up at seven, make a bacon and eggs, a toast and a coffee. After he go to work, I set my hair in curlers with in a night gown, wash the dishes and make our bed. A husband came back home from the work which is busy but exciting, and expect a dinner. And more I keep washing the dishes till I am tired and fall on the bed. This is waste life for the girl who had kept getting grade A.” (Plath 116)

This description express how boring she felt about marriage life. Sylvia know that taking part of a wife do not always give happiness.

Second, I will consider about women and sex. As I discussed in the preceding paragraph, Buddy had affair with other woman. Then she thought she was betrayed. In fact, Buddy did not

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have romance relationship with two women at the same time. The affair was the past for Buddy.

The reason she thought this action is “betray” is related to her senses of value about sex. Then she thought, “If I cannot find a man who is masculine, intelligent and virgin until his age is 21, I should forget such thing” (Plath112) Also she thought “I felt that this would is separated by not Catholic or Protestant, the publican party or democratic party, White or Black, and more, men and women, but a virgin or not a virgin for me, this is only important difference for human.” (Plath 112)

For Ester, whether people were virgin or not virgin was so important. In this part Silvia’s experience of betrayed by Ted influenced Ester’s opinion.

Third, I will explain about women and childbirth. In the story, Buddy took Ester to the hospital. In there, she watched the scene of childbirth of a complete stranger. Ester looked at a stand which a pregnant woman was put. She thought it is like the rack. At that time, childbirth was happiest moment in the life. So Ester’s expression was peculiar and different from other women. Then Ester listened to that a pregnant lost control herself and suffered because she took a tranquilizer. She thought that that tranquilizer was just thing men made. Also she thought that pain she felt ought to be awful. (Plath 91) Ester’ s anger centered on the point of that women are forced to forget pain by the tranquilizer and repeat to get pregnant and give birth. (Nishizuka) In fact, Sylvia’ s children were treasure for Sylvia. She took much care of them. At the same time, So she expressed childbirth itself as agony forced and controlled by men. This is her resistance to men who do not know agony and pain of childbirth.

In conclusion, Silvia Plath made a point on description of sense of women. In The Bell Jar, Her life was suppressed the depression by the capriciousness of Ted and agony by the fact she could not accomplish her poems and become famous. She was forced stereotyped idea on. In this novel, she criticized the society and men at that time sensitively. Ester caught what the society is. Even if girls had desire to spend gorgeous life, they had to keep housework for their husband after they had married. This novel showed her desire to live free and strong woman. In this point, Sylvia’s desire to live strongly and agony that she could not including Ted. That fact influenced this novel. Sylvia had a strong sense of feminism and committed it to the novel Bell Jar.

WORKS CITED

Essays

Plath, Silvia. The Bell Jar Trans. Aoyanagi, Yumiko. Kawamori pubishing company.

(2004):Print.

Wallenstein, Barry Geffner, Andrea. Silvia Plath’s: The Bell Jar : And Arial, The Colossus, and Other Works. A Critical Commentary.” Monarch notes Vol. 965 (1975) print.

Nishizuka, Toshimi『ベル・ジャーの外へ ベル・ジャーにおけるフェミニズム』Out side from Bell Jar: Feminism on The Bell Jar. University of Keio Literary association web. 17 July. 2015.

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“LAST LETTER” AND SYLVIA PLATH’S DEATH M AYA S HINANO Ted Hughes was a representative British poet and children’s writer in 20th century. He published a lot of poetry and books and finally became a poet laureate in 1984 till his death in 1998. In 1956, he married Sylvia Plath after knowing her for just four months. Although they were leading a happy life and gave birth to two children, they lived separately in 1962 and Sylvia committed suicide at the age of 30 because of her bipolar disorder, discord between them and economic difficulty. Ted Hughes wrote a collection of poetry called Birthday Letters, which shows the days leading up to Sylvia’s death. One of his poems, “Last Letter” was discovered after Ted Hughes’ death. However Ted Hughes did not mention Sylvia’s death even after that (“Biography”). In this essay, I am going to focus on “Last Letter” and state the reason why Ted Hughes wrote about the last three days leading to Sylvia Plath’s death in the poem, how the poem “Last Letter” was changed between his writing in his life and the final version and how Ted’s life changed as a result of publishing it, and the difference between the assessment for Ted, before he died and after his death.

First of all, which parts of “Last Letter” does show Sylvia’s death and what do they imply? This is the beginning of “Last Letter.”

What happened that night, your final night?

Double, treble over everything.

Late afternoon Friday, my last sight of you alive, Burning your letter to me in the ashtray with that strange smile.

(Hughes).

In the first line, “night” means the last night of Sylvia’s death (Ford.). Ted looks back over their married life and the time when they lived together. Moreover, the following part describes Ted’s phenomenon while sleeping (Alvarez).

Then a voice like a selected weapon Or a measured injection, Coolly delivered its four words Deep into my ear: “Your wife is dead” (Hughes).

When he sleeps, he notices that Sylvia recalls him. In short, it is a prediction of her death (Greenhill). Furthermore, ‘a voice like a selected weapon or a measured injection’ means Sylvia’s whisper in Ted’s ears at the speed of light. Also, there is an actual draft by Ted’s handwriting. It can be seen that Ted changed the sentences and the words over and over again. Therefore, through writing this poem, Ted was thinking back their life, struggles and tragedy leading up to Sylvia’s death. After publishing Birthday Letters, Ted was subjected to criticism and blamed for Sylvia’s death. However, he tried to account for himself and show their life and the time when they spent together in Birthday Letters. This is the reason why Ted wrote about the last three days leading up to Sylvia’s death in Birthday Letters.

Secondly, how does it compare what he wrote in Birthday Letters in draft with its final version after he died? After his death in 1998, at the British Library, Melvyn Bragg and Ted’s second wife, Carol Hughes found Birthday Letters and the New Statesman, which is British weekly press, published the final version of it. It was awarded for The Forward Prize for Poetry as a confessional and autobiographical poetry (Hiromoto). As looking through the draft of “Last Letter”, he wrote the poem like a scribble with a black pen and put a big cross on it. It can be seen

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his struggle to think of his life with Sylvia and her death. However, after he died and “Last Letter” was published, it was praised by some other poets. For example, Carol Ann Duffy, who is a British female poet and a poet laureate, said like this.

‘It’s a poem that will speak in the way that a Shakespearean tragedy does to people who’ve had the misfortune to touch on those issues. It shows how a suicide can scar the lives of those who still have to live after that death. It seems to me to be the darkest poem that he wrote about the death of Sylvia Plath. There is a kind of deafening agony, blinding agony to this new poem. It seems to touch a deeper, darker place than any poem he’s ever written’ (Greenhill).

Essays

As a result, compared the draft and the final version, the final version did not reflect on the draft and what Ted really meant. If Ted had been alive when publishing “Last Letter”, he must have been disappointed at the changed content.

Thirdly, how did people appraise Ted and his works in his life and after his death? Just after he became a poet, he published not only poetry but also children’s books and worked as an editor. Though he never mentioned Sylvia’s death, he finally broke the silence about it with 35 years after her death. Birthday Letters include a volume of 88 poems and most of them addressed to her (“Biography”). However, after Sylvia died of gas inhalation in 1963, Ted was criticized because of his cheating and betray to her. When Sylvia was a child, her father Otto Plath, also left Sylvia and died of diabetes. Because Sylvia felt it emotional trauma to lose her valuable person around her and this was well-known at that time, Ted was regarded as one of causes of Sylvia’s death. Although Ted was blamed just after Sylvia’s death, he again highly appreciated because he became a poet laureate and was approved of his achievements by British royal family. He served as a royal poet and wrote some poems for the Royal Family (Hiromoto). Essentially, Naturally Ted was admitted by the British society. It also could be found by that the Prince of Wales Charles, Empress Dowager, Ted friends and many fans from all over the world at his ceremony held in a memory. In conclusion, Ted was temporarily criticized about Sylvia’s death although Ted was highly estimated his works and him in his life until Sylvia’s death. However, leading up to the end of Ted’s life, he was again greatly appraised and became one of British historic poet nowadays.

To sum up, focusing on “Last Letter,” Ted Hughes showed love by describing his married life and Sylvia’s tragic death. For the three arguments in this essay, it will be obvious that firstly there are many words and sentences that describe Sylvia’s death in “Last Letter” and he implied a defense for himself against such a criticism of the society in the work. Secondly, because Birthday Letters was published after Ted’s death, there are some differences between what he wrote and implied in his life and the final version. Thirdly, in Ted life, he published many works for all ages, for example, poems and children’s books and was highly appreciated. However, after Sylvia’s death, Ted was blamed that he had a responsible for it because abandon like his capriciousness and lost his popularity. Yet, since he became a poet laureate, he got back his fame gradually. Nowadays, he is a British well-known poet, not only for the UK, but also all over the world. The important thing is that “Last Letter” shows the tragic complexity of their love between Ted Hughes and Sylvia Plath.

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WORKS CITED Alvarez, Al. The Guardian. “On Ted Hughes’s ‘Last Letter’ to Sylvia Plath.” October 11, 2010.

Web. July 6, 2015.

N.p. “Biography of Ted Hughes.” Web. 3 July, 2015.

Greenhill, Sam. The Daily Mail online. “Ted Hughes’s last letter Unearthed, poet’s lament on Sylvia Plath’s suicide.” October 7, 2010. Web. July 7, 2015.

Hughes, Ted. “Last Letter.” The New Statesman 11 (2010): 42-44.

Hiromoto, Katsuya. Keio associated repository of academic resources. 「テッド・ヒューズ シャーマン詩人の役割」October, 2011. Web. July 8, 2015.

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FEMINISM IN ARIEL BY SYLVIA PLATH R EINA S UGIMOTO American poet, Sylvia Plath (1932-1963) is known for her insistence of the rights of women in her works. Specifically, it can be seen in one of the most famous her poetry Ariel (1965). In her whole life, she seriously suffered from her depression. It is because she had harsh life, which includes the death of her father and the marriage with Ted Hughes (1930-1998). He is also the famous poet in England, and focused his writing especially on nature, his life relating to Sylvia and the works for children. Moreover, Sylvia attempted to commit suicide when she was twenty years old for the first time. Actually, she died at the age of only thirty as she committed suicide again. She enthusiastically raised her two children on her own because Ted left his family. Consequently, she became more and more dissatisfied with her environment. Her complicated experiences closely relates to her writing about the rights of women. According to her interview with Peter Orr, Sylvia says about her own poems, “I think my poems immediately come out of the sensuous and emotional experiences I have.”. She has been recognized in America as the woman that formed the notion of feminism and aware of developing women’s identity from a feminist point of view (Taylor 49). In this essay, I will support the opinion that Sylvia Plath indicates her feministic aspect in Ariel, and specifically examine the three poems in it: “Daddy”, “Lady Lazarus” and “Ariel”.

First of all, her feministic writing can be seen in one of her famous poems, “Daddy”.

Sylvia wrote it only four months before her suicide. In this poem, her father was written as a Nazi. This poem has an expression: “A man in black with a Meinkampf look” (65). Meinkampf means Hitler’s book. However, the simile of her father is not the fact actually. Her father is Otto Emile Plath, who is an immigrant from Grabow, Germany, and died only a week later from Sylvia’s eighth birthday. She was not able to believe men at all because she had been deserted by both of her father and husband who are the main male character in her life (Bernd). Moreover, Sylvia wrote in this way for the following reasons.

As we can see from the above, Sylvia indicates her rejection to men and feministic tendency in “Daddy” with using the metaphor and referring the historical situation. Accordingly, “Daddy” can be considered as a feministic poem of Sylvia Plath.

Second, her similar aspect of feminism is also reflected in “Lady Lazarus”. Maher A explains that Sylvia’s poems including “Lady Lazarus” represents patriarchal interaction of men and woman. Women only can obey their husbands in their marriage life and hope to revenge on men. Sylvia wants women’s independence. (98) Moreover, he additionally states about the poem like this: “The sarcastic attitude and painful confidence manipulates her readers to see this creative view and the shamefulness men are conveyed in "Lady Lazarus".”. It means Sylvia’s clear feministic attitude. She metaphorically claims that women should have more opportunities to independent and live strongly without relying on men. As we can see in “Daddy”, Sylvia used the metaphor of the referencing to Nazi also in "Lady Lazarus".

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By referring to men as `Nazis', Plath summons the mass of negative connotations associated with the Nazis, and attaches them to men, positioning the responder to see them as manipulating and evil. Plath uses this metaphor to depict the loss of identity of a woman in a patriarchal society, due to hegemony demanding that women become submissive, incapable of thinking, acting or making decisions for themselves (BookRags2).

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A sort of walking miracle, my skin Bright as a Nazi lampshade, My right foot A paperweight, My face a featureless, fine Jew linen. (4-9)

The speaker in the poem is female, who refers to Nazis. It implies that women has no strong authorities under men such as Jew, who are dominated by Nazis. She is thoughtful for the oppressed people with no authority in this poem, and it can be seen in her confessing in the same way as “Daddy” (Meneses 17). She reflected her feministic thought on her writing. Consequently, Sylvia can be considered as a feminist.

Third, when it comes to the title, “Ariel” is the name of Sylvia’s horse in her real life.

She implied the identity the description of the horse.

The power of the persona is realized through the aid of the metaphor of the horse that aids in her shedding of her weak identity, which allows development of a stronger identity to be put in place. This is represented by the imagery of “something else hauls me through the air” showing the return of the surge of power that she had (To Be or Not to Be).

The horse has these meaning in her poem, and her thought of gender can be found here.

In addition, “the brown arc” (8) means that she try to rise above, and “Flakes” (18) is the process to do it. It represents her suffering for success. The description of “Godiva” (20) also expresses the woman who cannot live freely because of the existence of her husband.

In conclusion, as we can see in her three poems, she implies something feministic contents in her writing. She always thinks that woman do not have the power at that time, and wanted freedom from the dominance of men. Her life which she lost her essential people made her much more feministic, and she wanted to claim the lapse of the patriarchy. Using many sorts of metaphors in “Daddy”, “Lady Lazarus” and “Ariel”, she is a feminist who tried to state the independence of women by her writing.

WORKS CITED Ariel. “To Be or Not to Be.” N.p. April 12, 2009. Web. 12 July 2015.

Daddy. “Poetry Foundation.” N.p. n.d. Web. 12 July 2015.

Lady Lazarus. “Poetry Foundation.” N.p. n.d. Web. 12 July 2015.

Ford, Karen and Nelson, Cary. A 1962 Sylvia Plath Interview with Peter Orr. “Modern American Poetry.” London: Routledge. N. d. Web. 8 July 2015.

MaherA. Mahdi, Ph D. From A Victim of The Feminist Deconstruction: Revisiting Selected Poems Of Sylvia Plath. “European Scientific Journal.” N. p. November 2014. Print.

Meneses, Sandra. Cultural Critique in a Patriarchal World – Revolutionary Suicide in Sylvia Plath’s “Lady Lazarus”, “Daddy” and The Bell Jar. N.p. 2009. Print.

Riebe, Bernd. Sylvia Plath’s poem Daddy. “Der Obsidian.” N. p. 15 January 2012. Web. 12 July 2015.

Taylor, Joan. Sylvia Plath as poetic feminist: the darkest hour is just before down. N. p., 1975.

Print.

The Distinguishing Features of Sylvia Plath's 'daddy' 'lady Lazarus' and ' Aeril'. BookRags, Inc. N. d. Print.

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TRACE ARTICLE: THE SIMILARITY BETWEEN LORD OF THE RINGS AND HARRY POTTER There are some similarities between Lord of the Rings and Harry Potter. I wonder if the writer of Harry Potter, J. K. Rowling, was affected by Lord of the Rings because Harry Potter was published in 1997 after Lord of the Rings was published in 1954. Harry Potter is a school story that a hero battles with an enemy. Although both works are quite different stories, there are some similar setting. I am going to explain three similarities, Frodo and Harry Potter, Gandalf and Dumbledore, and Sauron and Voldemort.

First, I talk about Frodo and Harry Potter. Both of them are suddenly involved in the severe fate. Though Frodo gets the power of the ring and Harry gets fame and wealth, they never become arrogant and they do not try to abuse those powers. They are moderate. For example, when Frodo is explained about the ring by Gandalf, he is afraid of the ring. “‘How terrifying!’ said Frodo. There was another silence.” (Tolkien, Fellowship 62) Other people would be possessed by the ring at a glance and they try to exploit the power of the ring, but he does not do so. He never tries to use the power of the ring for himself to conquer people. Also, Harry is far from greedy because he does not wants wealth or honor. When he looks at the mirror which shows people’s desire, the mirror merely shows Harry’s family. “‘It shows us nothing more or less than the deepest, most desperate desire of our hearts. You, who never known your family, see them standing around you. Ronald Weasley, who has always been overshadowed by his brothers, sees himself standing alone, the best of all them.’” (Rowling, Philosopher 231) In this scene, Harry’s modesty and purity against desire are expressed, because if ordinary people look at the mirror, the greedy is shown in it like Ronald Weasley. In other fantasies or adventure stories, heroes are usually strong, brave, or active. Frodo and Harry are courageous enough to confront hard fates, but they are gentle and moderate. Moreover, for both of them considerate and kind personalities are characteristics. For example, Frodo feels pity for Gollum and he attend to Gollum kindly meanwhile Sam tries to kill Gollum. “‘But still I am afraid. And yet, as you see, I will not touch the creature. For now that I see him, I do pity him.’” (Tolkien, Towers 271) Harry stops Pettigrew who helps Voldemort murdering Harry’s parents being killed. Harry saves Pettigrew life. “‘No!’ Harry yelled. He ran forwards, placing himself in front of Pettigrew, facing the wands. ‘You can’t kill him.’ He said breathlessly. ‘You can’t.’ (Rowling, Azkaban 404) Harry does not feel for Pettigrew, but also he considers about Sirius who is a best friend of Harry’s father, because if Sirius killed Pettigrew, he would be arrested. In this scene, Harry’s gentleness is described.

Therefore, the personalities of Frodo and Harry are close.

Next, I focus on Gandalf and Dumbledore. Their figures are similar. They are tall and they have white long hair and beard. Their white long hair and beard show that they live for a long time, so that symbolize their huge knowledge. Thus just their figure can express their roles.

They are leaders to lead people toward correct direction. Although Gandalf is a maiar, Gandalf and Dumbledore are powerful wizards and they have intelligence and conscience. They make every effort to fight against evil enemies, Sauron and Voldemort, whom everyone are afraid of and cannot defy. If they did not appear in the stories, the stories would not start. They are relied on by fellowship, and especially Gadalf is adored by Frodo and Dumbledore is adored by Harry.

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For example, at the Bridge of Khazad-dûm, Frodo is crying when Gandalf falls off the cliff because of Balrog. “Frodo heard Sam at his side weeping, and then he found that he himself was weeping as he ran.” (Tolkien, Fellowship 434) Frodo does not notice that he is crying. Therefore, this scene describes he is so sad and shocked that his mind cannot catch up with his emotion.

Harry summons Dumbledore’s phoenix named Fawkes which would not appear if he does not trust Dumbledore. “‘First of all, Harrry, I want to thank you.’ Said Dumbledore, eyes twinkling again. ‘You must have shown me real loyalty down in the Chamber. Nothing but that could have called Fawkes to you.’ (Rowling, Chamber 356) In these way, Gandalf and Dumbledore are tied with heroes by the special bond, so they try to protect heroes. They advise and help Frodo and Harry so that they can accomplish their mission. Therefore, Gandalf and Dumbledore have roles as guides.

Then I explain about Sauron and Voldemort. They are so evil and strong that people think that they cannot defeat them. However, in spite of such a power, they are beaten once in the early stages of the stories. They do not die completely, and they survive with unsubstantial, so they try to revive. Sauron remains as a big burning eye, meanwhile Voldemort is separated to a fragment of his soul. Also, both of them are defeated by the powerless for them. First, Sauron is beaten by a human and then Sauron’s ring is destroyed by a hobbit. Voldemort’ spell of death is rejected by a baby and finally he is overthrown by a young wizard. Also, it is common that heroes have something that it is necessary for Sauron and Voldemort to revive. Therefore, it is a fate that heroes have to confront with Sauron and Voldemort, and the special bonds appear between them.

In other words, Sauron and Frodo can see each other through the ring, and Voldemort and Harry can also know mutual mind because Voldemort translate his piece of soul to Harry. Thus, the setting of Sauron and Voldemort is common in detail.

In these ways, J. K. Rowling was affected by Lord of the Rings because Harry Potter is similar to Lord of the Rings. Especially, main characters have many commonalities of personality or setting.

WORKS CITED Tolkien JRR. “The Fellowship of the Ring.” The Lord of the Rings. London: Harper Collins, 1999. Print.

Tolkien JRR. “The Two Towers.” The Lord of the Rings. London: Harper Collins, 1999. Print.

Tolkien JRR. “The Return of the King.” The Lord of the Rings. Harper Collins, 1999.

Print.

Rowling JK. Harry Potter and Philosopher’s Stone. Bloomsbury Publishing Plc, 1997. Print.

Rowling JK. Harry Potter and the Chamber of the Secrets. Bloomsbury Publishing Plc, 1999.

Print.

Rowling JK. Harry Potter and the Prison of Azkaban Bloomsbury Publishing Plc, 1999. Print.

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THE CHRISTIAN TYPE OF HERO IN THE LORD OF THE RINGS The Lord of the Rings by J.R.R. Tolkien is known as “the greatest book of the twentieth century”(West 83), while it is too difficult to completely understand the epic fantasy, because it has more than 100 characters and is associated with various things; the history, the religion, racism and so forth. The content of The Lord of the Rings is, to put it simply, a hard mission to destroy the Ring. Frodo, one of the main characters and “the Ring-bearer”, and eight fellows carry out it and go to Mordor or Mount Doom, a destination and the headquarters of Sauron, the Dark Lord, in order to throw the Ring into the Fires. Finally, although Frodo fulfills the task, he owes the great achievement to lots of supports and lucks. In other words, “the Ring is destroyed and the mission fulfilled not by some final heroic act of Frodo’s, but by his living out of that mission on the road from Rivendell to Mordor.” (Caldecott 130) From hence, readers could see Tolkien’s philosophy. Frodo is best figure to take over Tolkien’s it through the story, and he could be a Christian type of hero. Therefore, this paper based on the above points; moreover, I will discuss why Frodo could be such a kind of character in terms of the following trifocal points. Firstly, Frodo could not be a most leading protagonist. Secondly, Frodo emerges as Christ. Thirdly, Frodo sacrifices himself.

First of all, Frodo is not a traditional protagonist. According to The Oxford English Dictionary, -protagonist means firstly “a chief character in dramatic work” and secondly “the main figure, or one of the most prominent figures, in any situation”. It is true Frodo is one of the main characters and true of the second meaning of protagonist, but in The Lord of the Rings there are not only lots of characters but also several characters are much more suitable for a protagonist and meet both definition. For instance, Aragorn and Gandalf. In addition to this, it is the fact that many people are easy to associate a protagonist with the bravest, strongest and most preeminent in a story. On the other hand, Frodo is always protected, supported and leaded rather than he heads the fellows. Christians believe the true hero undertakes risk not for the self but for the transcendent Other, for God and for neighbor. As well Frodo bears the Ring not for him but for the Shire.

(Caldecott 33) Moreover, through the story there are few scenes Frodo does battle against enemies, whereas there are many scenes he desperately endures the power of the Ring. This is precisely because Tolkien compared the quest to “a Pilgrimage”, and “The carrying of the Ring-the emblem of Sin-is the Carrying of the Cross.” (West 92) This is why if Frodo were Christ in The Lord of the Rings the harsh mission would be a severe trial in the Bible. Therefore, while it can be said that Frodo could not be a traditional hero, he is comparatively a Christian kind of hero, and he metaphorically represents Jesus, when regarding the journey as “a Pilgrimage” in terms of Christianity.

As the journey proceeds, Frodo seems to be Christ himself. Firstly, as Frodo comes closer to Mordor, he is betrayed and fell right into the trap by Gollum and rendered unconscious by the bite of a giant spider, then captured by the ones who guard Mordor. Although Frodo forgives and trusts in Gollum without turning a deaf for Sam, Frodo is, after all, betrayed by Gollum like the above. This shows that Christ was betrayed by Judas. (Purtill 57) In addition, “his physical sufferings parallel those of Christ: he is imprisoned, stripped of his garments, mocked, and

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whipped.” (Purtill 57) After Sam rescues, Frodo cannot even walk owing to the long carrying the Ring and the huge damages, therefore, Sam bears Frodo, dragging him and claiming Mount Doom.

This scene lets us recognize the man called Simon was forced to help Jesus with cross. (Caldecott 34) These connections in details between Frodo and Jesus are based on Tolkien’s view of Christ.

In fact, Tolkien believed that the story of Christ was the simply a true myth, and “the True Myth of Christianity revealed the whole truth through the World Himself” (West 88) Therefore, Frodo who is described as one of the main characters has Christian heroic elements. What Tolkien wanted to say through Frodo is also related to Frodo’s self-sacrifice in the following paragraph.

Frodo’s self-sacrifice also implies Christ. In the first place, his self-sacrifice means that after mission of the destruction of the Ring, Frodo can defeats the Sauron and survive, but he has effect of the Ring on his sprit, a disease incurable in Middle-earth. (West 45) In other words, while he can accomplish the hard adventure and at last obtain peace, at the same time, he loses his own health of body and mind. He is not afraid of paying high price for triumph and hurting himself, and he achieves it for others, not for him. On that point, Frodo is a true hero in Christianity. Moreover, what Frodo must go to the West indirectly means Jesus’s death in terms of Christianity, because while Middle-earth represents the real world, the West implies the heaven.

That is why, Frodo’s self-sacrifice has connection to Christ. From hence, Tolkien remarks that Frodo’s choice for others, self-sacrifice is “the right use of free will.” In other words, “Frodo accepts his mission as Ring-bearer, and though he endures much suffering, he gains tremendous spiritual growth and is able to bring salvation to those he loves.”(Purtill 115) Therefore, seemingly self-sacrifice is not a good choice simply because of few benefits, but the view of Christ based on consideration for others saves the world and it is the reason why Frodo’s self-sacrifice represents Christ.

In conclusion Frodo is not a protagonist we easily imagine, but in looking at him from different points of view, we can see he is a Christian type of hero or he could be Jesus, and saves Middle-earth as if Christ brought salvation to the world in his story. This is because his character is based on altruism, and his mission partly shows Christ’s one. Thanks to his mind, he could stand power of the Ring and fulfil the adventure.

WORKS CITED West Jr, John G., Editor. Celebrating Middle-Earth: The Lord of the Rings as a Defense of Western Civilization. Inkling Books, 2002 Print.

“Protagonist.” Def.1.2. Oxford English Dictionary: The Definitive record of English language. <www.oed.com> Purtill, Richard L. J.R.R Tolkien: Myth, morality, and religion. Harper&Row, Publishers, 2003 Print.

Caldecott, Stratford. The Power of the Ring: The Spiritual Vision Behind The Lord of the Rings. The Crossroad Publishing Co, 2005 Print.

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THE CHRISTIANITY IN “NARNIA” Narnia is known to the story that refers to Christianity very well. Because of the words in the story Narnia, it is able to see how those words are connected to Christianity. As people may notice when they reads this story, there are many words that are in the bible. Some words describe Lord in the bible too. Through the story, children fight against bad creature, for example witches. Whole story signifies the story of Gospel. Finally good people won and save the world of Narnia. There are so many words are written which made readers to think connections with the Lord.

First of all, the word “Aslan” embodies Jesus. Jesus is the name who is Son of God. He was born with a special power, he grew up but unfortunately he was killed, but he relived and he became a God of Christian world. In the story, Aslan was a good man that he helped Edmund.

Edmund is the second son of Pevensie family. In the bible, once Jesus died, he got one more life to live. Moreover, he lived as a good man who help people or who save people. It says “Salvation” in sacredness word. In Christian’s way of thinking, Jesus is the man who we have to be like.

Also in this story, Aslan was depicted like Jesus. He showed respect to others; he disliked the things which effects to other people badly, he disliked inequality and so on. Under his rule, there is no one who feels uncomfortable.

Moreover, in the story “Christmas” is the keyword. Because White Witch had a control of the country, Christmas was delayed. For Christian, Christmas is the main events in a year. It was described as “Narnia’s slide into apocalyptic decline is arrested, and the fact that Christmas arrives is a clear sign that Christian salvation has become available to the people of Narnia” (Russell, 74). On the Christmas day, Jesus got a life. As Mr. Russell’s saying Christmas comes equal to Christian people’s salvation. Christian people cerebrate the day and they think the day was so important. To get back the Christmas, the brothers and sisters fought against witch. Which mentions that to fight against the witch, it means that to save Christian customs and history.

Addition to that it is able to see the words “sons of Adam” and “daughters of Eve” in Narnia. It is famous story in bible that Adam and Eve created the world. Russell said “As ‘sons of Adam’ and ‘daughters of Eve,’ the Pevensies discover that they are the rightful rulers of Narnia, and they begin a quest to unite with Aslan and defeat the White Witch.” (Russell, 62). Such description implies that this story is very connected to Christianity. The protagonists like brothers and sisters are described as son and daughter of Adam and Eve. No one think Adam and Eve are going to be in the fantasy novel. But in the story, actually those two became a key points to advance the story. The author C.S. Lewis chose those holy characters in his work, the fact tells people how Lewis thinks of Christianity.

Through whole story it is clear that “suffering” is the keywords to talk about. To advance the story, C.S. Lewis wrote the story with protagonist’s suffering from fighting with witches and so on. In the way of thinking in Christians and bible says “suffering” means that to feel suffer spiritually and physically from Christ’s trial and execution. In this story Aslan felt that too. On the stone, he was killed and lost life and he was resurrected. Jesus is the God who made their life happier. Without the execution of Christ, there was no equality or peace in Christian world. It is easy to say in Narnia story for same things. Without Aslan’s death Pevensise’s brothers and sisters might never win and made Narnia better. For Christian people, “suffering” is the one

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important event. In contrast to that Aslan’s death gave readers wondering. Of course readers might feel shocked at that time when he died.

From those things, it is able to say that it is concern that because the author was strong Christian, those words were used in such a fantasy tales Narnia. Tom Snyder and Ted Baehr refers to that “Today, Christian evangelicals usually focus on the message; Catholics often focus on the sacramental; and other s such as traditional main line Protestants focus on the incarnationaland so on, the difference groups of the church can barely understand each other. C.S. Lewis understood this and was trying to bring it all together” (Tom Snyder and Ted Baehr). Lewis knows Catholism very well. And also it was said “Lewis thought of the life of the Christian in the world as basically oppositional, that the world is dominated by evil and that the life of Christian is one that can most fully be described in terms of battle and conflict” (Caughey, 109).

In Lewis’s thinking for world was explained with such words. In the world we are surrounded by evils. So he thought readers should understand the salvation of Christianity and to tell about the great things of them.

In conclusion, Narnia is very connected to Christianity. It was because, in the story, there are so many words, which indicates Christianity. For example, the existence of Aslan or the meaning of Christmas and also the words “sons of Adam” and “daughters of Eve” are explain how author think Catholic is important to learn about. Moreover this is an easy story to understand, but in the fact the author put his strong Christian minds on Narnia.

WORKS CITED Russell, James. “Narnia as a Site of National Struggle: Marketing, Christianity, and National Purpose in ‘The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the With and the Wardrobe.” Cinema Journal, Vol.48, No.4. pp. 59-76. Web. 8 July. 2015.

Snyder, Tom and Baehr, Ted. “Christian Symbolism in Narnia.” Spiritual Life in God. Web. 8, July. 2015.

Caughey, Shanna. “Revisiting Narnia: Fantasy, Myth and Religion in C.S. Lewis’s Chronicles.”

Web. 8 July. 2015.

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J.R.R. TOLKIEN AND MYTHOLOGY T AKUTO S OMEYA

That was the Rings, …. Of course it is a poor sort of long life that the Ring gives, a kind of stretched life rather than a continued growing---a sort of thinning and thinning.

Frightfully wearisome, Bingo, in fact finally tormenting. Even Gollum came at last to feel it, to feel he could not bear it, and to understand dimly the cause of the torment. He had even made up his mind to get rid of it. But he was too full of malice. …. He wanted to slip out and leave the mountains, and smell the open air even if it killed him, …. But that would have meant leaving the Ring. And it is not easy to do. The longer you have had one the harder it is. It was especially hard for Gollum, as he had had a Ring for ages, and it hurt him and he hated it. (The Return of the Shadow, pp, 79-80)

As stated above, there were stories of rings which had wicked power or which could make the owner become transparent in old myth, too.

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Tolkien was a Philologist and Professor of Old English and English literature. He is the most famous high-fantasy writer; his typical work, The Lord of the Rings is the best-selling novels ever written, with over 150 million copies sold. He had a great interest in mythology, and he thought that there would be a mythology in the UK. In fact, his works’ settings, stories, and characters have a lot of similarities with mythology. In Tolkien’s Legendarium, there is the sentence, “We know that Tolkien drew heavily from other mythologies, from the Celtic and Norse in particular.”(p.219) Therefore, this paper will give evidence of connections between myth and Tolkien’s works.

Above all, the most important point is the Rings. In The Lord of the Rings, there are twenty rings which have magical power, but there is a special ring which can control all rings. It is the One Ring: Sauron’s ring. When people put on the ring, they can be invisible. In the work, Bilbo and Frodo can escape from the enemies by using the magical power of the ring. Surprisingly, about 1000 years before, there was the similar story: Matter of Britain, the legend of King Arthur.

In the story, there is the ring that the person who has it becomes transparent, too. However, Frodo’s ring has more powerful influence: the ring affects and eats his or her heart who wears the ring. The One Ring has evil power of Sauron, and people who have the ring are gradually fascinated by the ring’s charm. The ring is addictive, and the longer and longer people have the ring, the more strongly attached to the ring they will become. The ring in which power of the evil dwells appears in the old myth, Volsunga saga which Tolkien read and studied and is written about the origin and decline of the Volsung clan. The book was written based on the transmission of ancient Germanic peoples in 13th century. There is a strong resemblance between The Lord of the Rings and Volsunga saga. A king in Volsunga saga got a gold ring which produced millions wealth, but his son committed a crime because he wanted the ring. After he killed his father and robbed him of the ring, he was hid himself in a cave. Then, he turned into an ugly, evil snake because of the evil power of the ring. This is the nearly story with Gollum who appears in The Lord of the Rings. Originally Gollum was a Hobbit, Smeagol. One day, he went fishing with his friend, Deagol. Then Deagol found the One Ring, and Smeagol came to want it, so he killed his friend and robbed him of the One Ring. After that he had dwelt in a cave for about 500 years, and he turned into ugly-looking. These are the same situations with Volsunga saga. The both rings have dark influence on the owners. In the book, The Return of the Shadow, there are statements about the evil charming power of the ring.

Integrated – Class Journal

Then, this paragraph will explain about the similarity with story. The Hobbit, or There and Back Again is the former story of The Lord of the Rings. This is an adventure that Bilbo, Frodo’s uncle, gets back a treasure which is stolen by a dragon, Smaug which is afraid of by everyone. Dr. Dimitra Fimi said that dragons are a symbol of people’s desire. The dragon, Smaug is a lump of desire and he only thinks of collecting treasure. Bilbo bravely made a raid on the dragon’s lair, and he succeeded in getting back the treasure. Then it enraged Smaug, and he attacked neighboring villages. I was wondering where this story was born from. In fact, there is a story like this before. This story have a little resemblance to Beowulf which Tolkien read and studied hard. It is one of the most famous legends in history, and Tolkien loved the story deeply.

The main character, Beowulf is the Scandinavian warrior who becomes the king of the country.

There is a dragon which has been protecting treasure for many years since before Beowulf became the king. He met trial which he has to defeat a dragon had been keeping treasures. One day, a man who was a resident of Beowulf’s kingdom found the secret path which was to the treasures. Then the treasures were stolen by the man because the dragon was completely sleeping. It is fear of the desires that two stories express. In the both stories, the heart that people want treasures will cause a terrible result. This paragraph took some example for heightening the confidence of relationship about similarities of stories between myth and Tolkien’s works.

About the settings of Tolkien’s works, there are some similar points with myth. This paragraph will explain that point. At first, Gandalf’s character setting takes over Odin, a god of mythology of Norse. There are these statements, “It was specific attributes that Gandalf and Odin share that suggested a link between the wizard and the god. They saw that the most distinctive features of Gandalf---his hat, beard, staff, and penchant for wandering---were, as well, the key characteristics that Odin displays when he leaves Asgard and travels in disguise through the plane of human existence, the middle-earth of Norse mythology (Tolkien’s Legendarium, p.220.) There are some similar points between Gandalf and Odin, but surprisingly Odin has the connection with the dark enemy, Sauron, too. That similar point is the one eye. While Sauron’s power was weak, Sauron existed as just an eye. On the other hands, Odin had only one eye because he sacrificed another eye to get great knowledge. This common point represents Odin’s two-sided character (both his generous and his destructive side.) Tolkien would express Odin’s two-sided character by writing the good character, Gandalf and bad character, Sauron. “There are two moral sides in Middle-earth, and no place for a figure representing the extremes of both; hence it is not surprising that the Promethean and Plutonic faces of Odin become separated in Tolkien’s fiction, the former falling primarily on Gandalf, the latter on his enemy, Sauron (Tolkien’s Legendarium, p. 221.)

Furthermore, there is a connection between The Silmallilon and Norse mythology. The book is a framework of his world, the characters in the book are connected with The Kalevala which is old Finnish mythology of oral poems, traditions and music.

There is a god-master, the only, Eru (close in origin to Eriu, Eri, Eire the Irish mythological god) who created the Ainur (the blessed). These built the Earth, Arda, with music as in the poetic Edda (a part called Völuspà: "Prophecy of Vala1") where chants control the cosmos, from the beginning to the end.( Creation of J.R.R. Tolkien's mythology, web.)

Music is an important point because it makes holy characters in the story. From two point in the paragraph, we can see the settings of Tolkien’s works are influenced by mythology.

As we could see above, we could find that Tolkien had a strong interest in mythology, and he wanted to make a new mythology in the UK. He borrowed many ideas from mythology

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and old literatures, especially from Norse mythology, and made his works by mixing them up.

The Lord of the Rings and the Hobbit, and his other works still now have been attracting many people in the world even though long time have passed. We could probably call him a great mythologist.

WORKS CITED

Essays

Dimitra Fimi. Tolkien, Race, and Cultural History: from Fairies to Hobbits. New York: Palgrave Macmillan, 2009. Print.

Jonathan. Creation of J.R.R. Tolkien's mythology - I wrote this paper for my studies. February 10, 2003. July 17, 2015. Web. <http://www.theonering.com/reading-room/criticalviewpoints/creation-of-j-r-r-tolkien-apos-s-mythology-i-wrote-this-paper-for-mystudies> North, Richard, and Joe Allard, eds. Beowulf & Other Stories: A New Introduction to Old English, Old Icelandic and Anglo-Norman Literatures. London: Longman, 2007. Print.

Martin Wettstein. Norse Elements in the work of JRR Tolkien - Academia. October, 2002. July 13, 2015. Web. <http://www.academia.edu/228734/Norse_Elements_in_the_work_of_J.R.R._Tolkien > Tolkien, J. R. R. The Return of the Shadow. London: Unwin Hyman, 1988. Print.

-The Lord of the Rings. Ed. Alan Lee. Boston: Houghton Mifflin, 2002. Print.

Verlyn Flieger, and Carl F. Hostetter, eds. Tolkienâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Legendarium: Essays on The History of Middle-earth. London: Greenwood Press, 2000, Print.

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THE INFLUENCES OF MYTHOLOGY AND OLD ENGLISH LITERATURE ON TOLKIEN’S WORKS S ATOMI A SAI The Lord of the Rings is, of course, one of the most famous and greatest stories ever. The author, J.R.R Tolkien, was excellent linguist, in particular, Old English and Middle English language and taught Anglo-Saxon language at Oxford University. Other than The Lord of the Ring, He wrought various stories, for example, The Hobbit, The Silmarillion. He was interested in mythology, especially, North mythology and Old English literature. He studied both of them through his life, so these story are based on mythology and Old English literature. To understand his works deeply, we have to know Tolkien’s roots of these. Therefore, in this report, I will state Mythology and Old English literature influenced on constructing Tolkien’s work and his imagination world, middle earth. First, I will show that the connection of Beowulf and Tolkien’s work and next, the influences about Edda and finally, that Tolkien borrows idea of ring from Volunga saga.

According to an article, Slaying Monsters, “He (Tolkien) loved “Beowulf” and would declaim passages of it to the private literary club that he had founded with his schoolmates.”

(Acocella). Beowulf is one of the oldest English folk literature and North Mythology. Beowulf is written by unknown Anglo-Saxon in around 8th century. Previously, Beowulf was not recognized as important as a literary work, but Tolkien overturned this. “On 25 November 1936, Tolkien delivered “Beowulf: The Monsters and the Critics” to the British Academy, and it was published the next year in the Academy's proceedings.”(Sharp). In this The Monsters and the Critics, Tolkien suggested that how literally great work Beowulf was. After that, Beowulf became to be thought as one of the most important Old English literature. In this way, he was inspired by Beowulf, and this influences appeared in his works. For example, The Hobbit. According to Tolkien and The Invention of Mythology, “The hobbit’s stealing of the dragon’s cup was based on the cup-stealing episode in Beowulf.” (Alexander 263). In Beowulf, one slave run into a cave where the dragon lived and he found the treasure-trove by sleeping dragon. He fell into temptation and stolen golden cup but, this cup is dragon’s favorite treasure. The dragon noticed that his cup was stolen, and took revenge on people. Similarly, In the Hobbit, Bilbo stole a golden cup by magical ring from dragon, Smaug, and the dragon started acting violently with anger. We can see from this, Tolkien used dragon similar to Beowulf’s dragon in his work, and wrought similar story with Beowulf. In this way, there are many similarities between Beowulf and the Hobbit. Add to this, Tolkien used similar character’s name from Beowulf in Tolkien’s works. By The Mythology of Middle-Earth, “the name Frodo itself, which comes from Teutonic tradition. It is probably derive from Fro, a form of the name of the Scandinavian fertility god, Frey. The name seems to mean “wise” or “fruitful” and appears in Beowulf in the form of Frodo.” (Noels 61). To surprise, the title, The Lord of the Rings itself came from part of Beowulf. According to an article, “Tolkien even borrows his title from Beowulf: line 2345 reads, "Oferhogaode ða hringa fengel," usually translated "Yet the prince of the rings was too proud..." This suggests Beowulf's trait of sharing gold rings and other spoils of war with his men, thus earning their loyalty” (Brennan). Thus, Tolkien was inspired by Beowulf and it shows that in building Tolkien’s world, he often referred to Beowulf.

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As I mentioned the beginning, Tolkien was also influenced by North Mythology, in particular, Edda. It is recognized as one of the valuable Northam Mythology date. If we read The Hobbit or the Load of the Rings, We can find many Edda’s influences. In this paragraph, I will focus on Characters which appears in his works. There are many races and tribes in The Hobbit and the load of the Rings. Elves and Dwarves are especially famous races among them. It is said that the origin of word, Dwarves came from Dvergr that appeared in North Mythology. In Tolkien’s aerial world, middle earth, Dwarves are written as short and stubborn creature with long bared and they are good at stone mason and forging. These description similar to Edda’s. Tolkien Gloriana St. Clair showed that “The catalogue of dwarves in the Poetic Edda provides the names for sixteen dwarves in The Hobbit, and two more names come from the Prose Edda.” and “Many dwarf characteristics short stature with long beards, love for treasure, skill as smiths, and bad temper - derive from the Eddas and sagas.” (Clair 64). From this, we can see that Tolkien god the idea about Dwarves from Edda. Also, in Tolkien’s works, Elves are described as like a human, beautiful, and wise. They have eternal life and great knowledge. The oldest description about Elves lay in the North Mythology. Elves appear in many North Mythology, and especially, Edda is one of the most important resources. In the same way as Dwarves, Tolkien reflect Edda’s Elves in his works. “In general, Tolkien’s Elves most resemble the Irish Sidhe and the Light Elves of the Edda.”(Ruth s 113). In this way, Tolkien was influenced by Edda, and other than Dwarves and Elves, there are many characters came from Edda. Therefore, Tolkien based characters in his works on Edda.

Along with Edda, Tolkien was interested in Sagas. It is collection of prose poem written in the Old North language. Similar to Beowulf and Edda, Saga shares many similarities with Tolkien’s works. In particular, Volsunga Saga had a great impact on the idea of The Lord of the Rings. In The Lord of the Rings, the most important thing is, as we can see from the title, the ring.

St. Clai said that “The troublesome ring from Volsunga has its impact on The Lord of the Rings.”

(St. Clai 71). In The Lord of the Rings, one of the hobbits, Frodo had an adventure to destroy one ring with companion. This ring was created by evil king, Sauron, so this has strong and evil power.

If ones one have the ring, this person is possessed by the magical power of the ring and the longer one has the ring, the more attachment to ring become strong. Typical example of this is Gollum.

Gollum was previously, the hobbit who was called Sméagol. One day, Sméagol went fishing with his friend, Deagol, and there, Deagol found the ring at the bottom of a river, but Sméagol killed Deagol for the ring. After that, Sméagol was banished by the villager and run into a cave with the ring. By the power of the rings, Sméagol’s life-span was prolonged and his appearance changed human to ugly creature, Gollum. In fact, these descriptions came from Volsunga Saga. In Volsunga Saga, similar to the Lord of the Rings, one golden ring that has magical power appears.

This ring is created by one Dwarves, Andvari, and has the power of making a fortune. One day, mischievous god, Loki was ordered by Odin, he stole this golden ring from Andvari. Then, Andvari put a curse on golden ring to destroy all who possess this ring. From this time, this golden ring was called ‘Andvarinaut’. This scene is written below.

“Loki snatched the ring from Andvari as well, and harried on his way. ‘Now this was the ring called Andvarinaut, which means “Andvari’s loom”, for by its power gold comes, and treasure increases ever more.’ ‘The Dwarf screamed after him: “I curse you for this! The ring and the treasure it spawned will carry my curse forever. All who possess the ring and its treasure for long will be destroyed!” (Day).

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In this way, the ring which appears in Volsunga Saga has powerful power of curse by Andvari. This similar to the ring created by Sauron in The Lord of the Rings. Add to this, each ring has the strong and magical power, so once people have this ring, they are certainly enslaved by the ring like Sméagol. In this manner, Tolkien use the idea of magical and cause ring from Volsung Saga.

In conclusion, as I mentioned, Tolkien was influenced by Beowulf. For example, Tolkien wrote ‘the hobbit’s stealing of the dragon’s cup’ based on Beowulf and in his works, we can find similar character names that appeared in Beowulf. As well, we can see many influences about Edda too. He took hints about Dwarves and Elves from Edda. Finally, there many similarities Volsunga Saga and The Lord of the Rings about the ring. Tolkien borrowed the idea of the ring that has strong power of magical and cause from Volsunga saga. In this way, Tolkien wrote many stories which set in the middle-earth. His creation about imagination world’s and stories origin came from Mythology and Old English literature.

WORK CITED Acocella Joan, The New Yorker: Slaying Monsters, Tolkien’s “Beowulf”, 2014, Web. July 15, 2015.

Chance, Jane, “Tolkien and the Invention of Mythology”, United States of America, the University press of Kentucky, 2004. Print.

Noel, Ruth S. “The Mythology of Middle Earth”, United States of America, Houghton Mifflin Company Boston, 1977. Print.

St. Clair, Gloriana, “An Overview of the Northern Influences on Tolkien's Works”, University Library, 1995, Web. July 5, 2015.

W. Tuma George Medieval Forum, No date. Web. July 15, 2015 St. Clai, Gloriana, “Volsunga Saga and Narn: Some Analogies”, 1995. Web, July 14, 2015.

Day David. “Tolkien’s ring”, United Kingdom, Pavilion Books, 1999. Print.

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Reaction Pieces

REACTION PIECES

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REACTION TO THE CLASS M AI M IYAZAKI I have studied many things in this class. First one of the most impressed things is Beat Generation. It is because I had studied "William S Burroughs" in last semester and I remember that I was surprised at Burroughs's crazy life. I would not imagine why Burroughs cut his own finger and played "William tell" which caused his wife's death. But, I am very interested in crazy person like Burroughs. When I hear crazy news, I want to search for them and the person's minds.

So I could enjoy learning about Beat Generation. In this class, we learned about Jack Kerouac or Allen Ginsberg as well as William S Burroughs. I think that most crazy person in Beat Generation is Neal Cassady. He did not publish any books because he was too wild and free. Moreover he died on a railway with nakedness. He is like Yutaka Ozaki who was a singer and songwriter in Japan. He was a bad boy in his student days and died on a road.

Second, Lord of the Rings impressed me very much. Before I know this, I had thought this is horror movie. Therefore first I hesitated to watch this movie. But once I began to watch this movie, I was absorbed in it. I like fantasy movie. But after I learned the difference between fantasy and high fantasy, I knew I like fantasy than high fantasy. I like fantasy because I sometimes want to enter into another world and seek excitement. But if all situations are fantasy, I could not enter into the world completely. I can watch “Lord of the Rings” excitedly from Frodo or Sam’s positions. One of the most favorite scenes is when Gandalf protected the fellowship of the ring from Barlog. I cried when he said “you shall not pass!” In addition, I also like the scene of the conversation by Aragorn and Boromir. When Boromir was dying, Aragorn said “you have kept your honor”. And Boromir said “It is over. The world of Men will fall, and all will come to darkness, and my city to ruin.” Aragorn answered “I do not know what strength is in my blood, but I swear to you. I will not let the White City fall, nor our people fail.” I was so impressed by this scene. Boromir was tried to steal the ring from Frodo once, but he had a good sense of justice.

And I think Aragorn was the very man to be a king from his saying. I also cried in this scene.

However, as I learned JRR Tolkien more, I was more confused about Lord of the Rings. For example, I confused whether Gandalf is Valar or Maiar. I have to read “The Silmarillion” to know Tolkien’s world deeply. It may take too long time. I think Tolkien created a so great world. I am a bit sad because what I learned can be just a tip of the iceberg. I will search for Middle earth more deeply in summer vacation.

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REACTION PAPER TO THE CLASS N AOMICHI N IREI

Reaction Pieces

The class of this spring semester was so fun for me. In particularly, the class about fantasy was the best for me. I am a fantasy fan. Because in fantasy world, there many things like a dream.

What it is impossible thing in real life is possible in fantasy world. Fantasy is filled with charm, magnificent, and like dream things, for example, human can release fire from stick, there is a tree which can talk, move and fight for human.

There are magnificence world in fantasy, for example, beautiful sea, vast desert, beautiful forest, big mountain. When I see such movies, I think that I want to go this place. These movies in fantasy world are too beautiful and magnificence for me to believe. I doubt that if there are really these views in the world. I think that this ‘doubt’ is one of the charms of fantasy, fantasy can make people confuse and happy, but this ‘confuse’ is not bad meaning. There are many my favourite fantasies, and so far I like ‘The Chronicles of Narnia’ series. However, in the class assignment, I watched ‘Lord of The Rings’ and I was absorbed by The Lord of The Rings. The Lord of The Rings is too long, and three works, in all, nine hours. However, I do not feel such long. Because the content of The Lord of The Rings is so fantastic. The Lord of The Rings can make people forget that the movie is so long. I like also the class about ‘Silvia’. I have never watched such foreign movie. There are not movies which have content such like Silvia. I think that Silvia’s life is so hard, and I think that poet is likely to think too deep. Japanese Poet Akutagawa Ryunosuke committed suicide because of mental sick. Silvia, she is pity, the affair of husband, trouble of typing works of husband. However, now she is dead, so the truth about doubt about husband is not clear. Whether Silvia was monster, or the husband was monster, nobody knows.

The researches for the classes are also fun. There were many discoveries, for example, the character of Lord of The Rings Aragon, he looks so young and handsome, but in The Lord of The Rings, he is 80 years and lived until 210 years old, also the main character Frodo, he looks like a child, but he 50 years old. This thing is impossible not in the fantasy world, and I think that the ‘impossible’ is one of the charms of fantasy.

In conclusion, I do not want this class to finish. I want to also take this class fall semester.

The content of this class always made me fun, sometimes, the assignments are hard for me, but the content of the assignment and the researches for the assignments are interesting for me. Thank you Richard for teaching us many classes, all classes are fantastic. If there are chances that I can take your class, I want to take the class.

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REACTION PIECE ON THE LORD OF THE RINGS C HIKARA T AZAWA Who is the true figure to destroy the Ring in The Lord of the Rings? It is possibly a difficult question to answer simply, because nobody destructs the Ring on purpose, which means that the destruction of the Ring is carried out accidently by Frodo, Sam, and Gollum. On that point, I think that Gollum is a more significant actor than them, because he basically causes the end of the Ring. Furthermore, he is interesting character for me, because he is one of the characters to represent Tolkien’s philosophy by ruing himself. Therefore, I will focus on Gollum and discuss what kind of role he has in The Lord of the Rings.

Firstly, Gollum does not belong to both sides. Many people think that he is just an enemy against Frodo, because he also always aims at the Ring, However, I think it is not true. There are two reasons why. Firstly, he has protected the Ring from Sauron by the time Bilbo takes it from him. Secondly, even after Frodo takes over holding the Ring, he helps and guides Frodo, although he plans to deceive and trap him. In essence, he contributes to hinder Sauron from getting the Ring and lead to destroy the Ring. Just in looking at his achievement and contributions for peace of Middle-earth. I think that he is not just an enemy. If you consider any enemy of one's enemy one's friend, Gollum could be a Frodo’s fellow.

Secondly, I think that he is one of the victims of the Ring. If he does not obtain the Ring, he would not be a murder, a theft, and even Gollum. I think that he spends a normal life and enjoy the simplicity as Hobbit. The Ring makes him have another personality and creates Gollum. In addition, even when he conflicts his evil personality it persuades himself to betray Frodo and controls.

Lastly, I would like to concretely discuss why Gollum is a quite interesting character for me. Firstly, he has two personalities based on the good and the bad. The story is composed of two completely different sides, or the good side trying to destroy the Ring and the evil side attempting to deprive the opposite side of it. However, Gollum uniquely has two sides in one body. In the sense, he is of great interest. In addition to this, in focusing on which personality wins in his mind, he is persuaded by bad personality after all. However, I think the evil is doomed to ruin in The Lord of the Rings. Therefore, the description that Gollum controlled and defeated by the evil personality falls with the Ring into the Fires represents the Tolkien’s philosophy which means that the good always defeats the evil. In other words, I think that the person who is corrupted also have the fate to ruin.

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REACTION TO TOLKIEN S HIHO M ABUCHI

Reaction Pieces

Before I saw The Lord of the Rings, I did not like the fantasy movie because the world is totally different from our world and it was a made-up world. I thought I could not sympathize about the world. However after I saw the movie, my impression for it changed. The movie excited in all, story, direction, music and actors. I gazed at the magnificent pictures and the story and the actors that set off the characters. I would like to see the movie in theater. There are various vices.

Although it was fantasy, vices were drawn realistically. I wished that I wanted the fellowship to survive again and again. When Nazgul appeared, there are oppressive feelings. I was really attracted by Hobbit life that they were drinking, singing, and dancing, so I would like to go to the Middle-earth. Curly hair of the children was so cute. Moreover I thought the actor who acted the main character, Frodo Baggins had beautiful eyes. I was really impressed his eyes. There are a vast extent of land in the scene. The movie was filmed in New Zealand. I would like to go to there and see the beautiful view. I learned that it is important to continue to have a firm faith, to believe companions and to live in each day carefully. I sobbed when I saw the scene that Gandalf fought Balrog and fell into the hole. He said to Balrog that Balrog could not pass and he would stop Balrog. In the scene he looked straight into Barlog. He tried to defend his fellowship against Balrog. I was really impressed by his strength, kindness and love for his fellowship. He could cast spell on one but he persuaded one facing the heart. Frodo Baggins was the right man for the role to carry the ring. In addition, the fellowship was the best member who supported Frodo Baggins, especially Sam. He devoted himself solely to defend Frodo Baggins who was out of the fellowship.

Pippin, Merry, Gandalf, Gimli and Legolas survived as hard as they could. I saw again and again the scene that Aragorn unleashed the dead and the dead were released from the pain. I learned from the movie that there are important things having its own value. Next I would like to read the book, The Lord of the Rings. I heard that there are different between the movie and the book.

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REACTION TO LORD OF THE RINGS M IHO S AKAMOTO I think that there are messages of writer in the stories, so the messages which Tolkien wants to tell should be hidden in the Lord of the Rings. First, I talk about a peace. In the Lord of the Rings, a hobit symbolizes a simplicity and a human being symbolizes a desire. For example, Isildur tries to rule a country by using the ring, but people kill each other to rob him of the ring because they are possessed by the ring, so he died. This means that a greed ruins oneself and the ring symbolizes a power, thus a peace do not come by a military power. I think that he wants to tell this message because he experienced the war. Moreover, there is a scene that Ent who is like a tree formed a man is angry about human because they destroy forests. I think this is Tolkien’s opinion. He thinks we should cherish nature and we should not cut down trees. Also, I think Tolkien emphasizes the importance of friendship. In Lord of the Rings, no one cannot bring the ring except Frodo, so Frodo has to fulfill the mission to destroy the ring. However, he losses himself and use the ring, or he cannot throw the ring into the magma. Thus Frodo cannot finish his mission by himself, but the ring is destroyed. I think that is thanks to Sam, so Tolkien wants to say that if we cannot overcome difficulties, we would accomplish them with our friends.

I thought that Tolkien wrote the stories because he had ideas which he wanted to tell, but actually, he made language at first. When I learn about this, I was surprised because such a complicated world was made from language. Thus, I want to focus on language and Tolkien’s view of world, then I try to read the Lord of the Rings.

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Spring 2015

LORD OF THE RINGS R ISA A IZAWA

Reaction Pieces

According to watching Lord of the Rings, because I had studied how messages J.R.R. Tolkien had, I was able to understand the real messages of the movie. Because I knew the messages of Tolkien, I could watch the movie with much interest. If I did not what about Tolkien wants to tell us, this movie is very long and complicated, so that I might watch this with tired or bored. I really thought that I had a good chance to know the actual minds of Tolkien. I have so many things that which gave me a surprise. Especially, the author J.R.R. Tolkien had an experience of world war gave me shocked.

First of all, I was surprised that in Lord of the Lings, there is a meaning that connected to world war. I have not thought of such a dark and deep meaning was there. But to search of Tolkien’s life, he had an experience as an England soldier. The scene which he saw in the battle field gave him affections aggressively. And the trauma made him to write such a dark movie which called Lord of the Rings.

And also in the movie, I could see bad creature and good creature. I wrote the essay of “Narnia”, and I strongly agreed that we are surrounded by evils. I thought there are so many temptations around us. To protect or save from them Tolkien thought we should understand how we should live with surround, which lives symbiotically. I thought that it can be say that for Tolkien, the soldier who killed Tolkien’s friend is thought as an evil. That is why he created two kinds of creature in the story. As my research, he really did not like and hated people who deprived his friends from him.

There is another message that Tolkien wanted to tell us was, I think good people may win in the end. Evil or bad people always lost. To include the meaning, Tolkien made the end of this movie with such conclusion. In the Tolkien’s thinking that who had a justice, he or she will good conclusion in the end. I think that always happen, if I did good things to others, my feeling is great. On the other hand, when I did bad things to the other, I feel bad. Human creatures are always feeling that. I think that is normal.

In the end, I learned so many things from the movie. Moreover, I could know how the author lived such a hard life as a soldier and how he is a well-experienced person, even though he became famous as a writer. Lord of the Rings is very long story to watch. But I think it is worth to watch it. Once people start to watch it, they will be absorbed in the interesting story. I want people not to refuse watching it because the whole story is too long, I want them to watch this movie. People may understand why this movie became so popular in the world. I understood why this movie attracts people so much.

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Integrated – Class Journal

REACTION TO BEATS T OMOKI N AKAGAWA I was interested in Beat Generation so much. I did not know on Beat Generation before I learned in this class. I like Beat Generation much. They are crazy, but supported by young people.

Members of Beat Generation is educated people, Allen Ginsberg, William S Burroughs, and Jack Kerouac are maybe popular as examples of Beat Generation. They are educated people. They had effects on United States. They helped people who were young, and failed to follow existing social structure, to have intention of changing tradition. Allen Ginsberg's work “Howl” is valuable work.” who reappeared on the West Coast investigating the F.B.I. in beards and shorts with big pacifist eyes sexy in their dark skin passing out incomprehensible leaflets, who burned cigarette holes in their arms protesting the narcotic tobacco haze of Capitalism, who distributed Super communist pamphlets in Union Square weeping and undressing while the sirens of Los Alamos wailed them down, and wailed down Wall, and the Staten Island ferry also wailed “This is phrase of “ Howl”, which are ironic works. I think people who are against society are like members of Beat Generation. Beat Generation is composed people who try to oppose authority. Members of Beat Generation are anti-war, youth were effected by Beat Generation. Anti-war movements are composed by youth. I think Beat Generation is heroic for young people who seek more free, exploration. I think Gary Snyder is important for people. I like his works much. His works are on nature. His works are on saving nature. I think he is important for people who are not nature lover.

I like Beat Generation's works much. I like people who are anti-war, seek free, and oppose war. I like Beat Generation's movement for peace.

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Spring 2015

REACTION TO THE FILM KILL YOUR DARLINGS I watched the film Kill Your Darlings. It was released in 2013 and directed by John Krokidas. Allen Ginsberg was acted by Daniel Radcliffe and Lucien Carr was acted by Dane DeHaan.

The story of this film is based on true story, so Allen Ginsberg’s biography. In 1926, in Paterson, New Jersey, Allen Ginsberg was born. His father, Louis Ginsberg was a Jewish from Russia and he was also poet. His mother was Naomi Livergant. But his Mother had a mental illness. Moreover, his father has relationship with another woman so he was in a “complicated” family. In 1943, he passed the exam and fortunately could enter Colombia University. He was very excited to have a fantastic campus life. However, the university is too serious and formal and he felt little board. And then he met, Lucien Carr. He was so-called a problem person and trouble maker. He dropped out many schools, the Phillips Academy in Andover, Massachusetts, Bowdoin College in Brunswick, Maine, and the University of Chicago. He also almost dropped out Colombia University. They met at first time in the library. Allen was very charmed by Lucien and also Lucien was interested in Allen. They became good friends quickly because their thought are similar and both of them grew up in “complicated” family. Lucien introduced Allen to his friends, Jack Kerouac, William Sand John Clellon Holmes. They are future beats writers.

Allen also became good friend with them and they stole the books which reading was not allowed and he started to cut classes. Allen was very fascinated with Lucien and Allen’s delusion became bigger and bigger. Allen loved Lucien and their relationship was beyond friend. But their relationship broke because of one kiss. After that, Lucien rejected Allen. Lucien killed David Kammerer who is an author and Lucien could not break relationship with David. Because of murder, Lucien was thrown into a jail. Lucien demanded Allen for writing an affidavit. But Allen heard the cruelty of Lucien’s murder, he did not’ write an affidavit. In later, Allen published his first poem collection and it for Lucien. But Lucien wanted to remove his name from it.

I think it was good film because this story represented Allen’s life exactly and also beautiful, sad, and little painful story. I can understand why this film nominated may film festival and won the prize. But I felt this film’s main topics are sad love story of Allen and Lucien and a beautifulness of love, not faithful representation of Allen’s biography. Also, by watching this film, I thought Lucien Carr was very important and significant person in Beat Generation even though he did not publish famous books. It was him that made a meeting of Ginsberg and Jack Kerouac and William S Burroughs; big three of Beat Generation. Lucien Carr definitely the person who made a lead of Allen’s motivation of writing poems. Allen wrote poems because of Lucien’s pleasure. Lucien was very naughty 18 years boy but he was very attractive person and people became enslaved to him, for example Allen Ginsberg and David Kammerer. Love had a magical power and sometimes it made people crazy. Also, in this film many drugs appeared and people intake many drugs. Beat Generation and drug have a close correlation. At first, William S Burroughs wore a mask which tube connected to gas of drug. And then he read “Naked Lunch” but it was very complicated and hard- understanding story because he wrote this story in getting drugs.

This film was very useful for person who wants to study beat generation. People can easily understand the character of famous writes in Beat Generation.

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Reaction Pieces

Y UNA K ODAMA

Integrated – Class Journal

REACTION TO SYLVIA PLATH A YAKA S ASAKI I made a presentation and write the essay about Sylvia Plath. So I have impressions about Sylvia. Outside the class, I watched the movie, “Silvia”. The scene Ted and Silvia fell in love was appeared in former part. It is wonderful and happy to see scene their relationships were still good.

However, the letter part of the movie has dark atmosphere. I was sympathized with Sylvia and felt sad. If Sylvia do not fall in love with Ted, her sense of feminism was not created. However, while watching this movie, I felt Ted was completely enemy of women. However, I understand that men at that age spend dual life of women and the society permit it implicitly. So I understood Ted did such a thing. Sylvia lived in unhappiness age for women. I do not want to live in the society that men are predominant over women like then. In Addition, the scene Sylvia committed suicide was shocking for me. While it was holy in some way but awful for me. Overall, I felt Silvia’s agony to spend the life with Ted and how she goes like.

Also, I am reading The Bell Jar now. I felt that Ester is really influenced by Sylvia herself. I knew that this story is semi- autobiographical novel of Sylvia. This story showed me not only happening in her life but also her opinion of women and man and society. I felt her sense of feminism from The bell Jar. And I think Sylvia herself have completely different opinion and feeling from other people in society. I like her way of thinking and feeling about the society. She express that the method of carrying the society is wrong with not explain of situation or system of society, but her feeling which she got using her five senses. And then, I think Sylvia had special emotion about children. Sylvia herself bore her children and she had the experience of miscarriage.

She had been took to the hospital and watched an unrelated person’s childbirth and this experience influenced the story of The Bell Jar. She had many poems about baby and mother. Sylvia herself took care of her children very much. I think her deep affection to her children was formed by the life with Ted. She make use of life with Ted and her children and write about many theme such as “Mother and Daughter”, “City and Countryside”, “Love and Violence”, “Intelligence and Emotion”. It is wonderful. The more I knew about that, the more I like her works.

I made a presentation and write an essay about feminism. However, I knew that Sylvia Plath was deeply related with the theme “Baby and Mother” and “Life and Death”. So I want to know about them more deeply. I have finished reading The bell Jar. In fact, the letter part of it was related to “Life and Death” deeply. So I am going to enjoy the letter part of it and Sylvia’s would of literature. In this class activity, I am more interested in feminism. So I would like to read and investigate about feminism writers.

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Spring 2015

Translations

TRANSLATIONS

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Integrated – Class Journal

PASSING MISCONCEPTION Story by Richard Pinner In a park under the cherry blossoms, an old man is sitting on a bench in the shade of some trees. He looks out across the petals falling like soft pink feathers, and he sees a father walking with his little daughter sat on his shoulders. They look happy together, her on his shoulders, walking tall and smiling. The little girl is holding onto her father and laughing, a bright sound full of joy. The old man has and his wife could never have children of their own. He misses his wife more than ever at that moment. Seeing this father and daughter he is filled with a sort of envy and regret rolled into one feeling. He feels at once happy to see the pair and sad that he never had such an experience. The father and daughter stride past the old man, like Newton standing on the shoulders of a giant, the little girl is able to see far ahead and she smiles, her blonde hair and white teeth catching the sun, an image of immortal youth.

In the park a father is walking with his daughter. The daughter is feeling a lot better today.

Only a month ago, she was diagnosed with leukaemia. The father knows what a fighter she is, but he also knows how weak she can be at times, how small her little body is, having to fight against such a big disease. She isn’t strong enough to walk on her own legs, so he lifts her onto his shoulders and together they stride through the park. She is laughing for the first time in weeks.

There is an old man on the bench under the cherry trees, watching them pass with a smile on his face. He seems to be seeing them with a memory of his own happiness in his eyes. The father can’t help but think “lucky old man, he must have seen his children grow up; grow up and get married. Soon they will be there to take care of him, in his golden years” and the man is jealous of the old man, smiling from the bench, his own life unaffected by the tragedy of having a terminally ill child, unable to comprehend it.

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Spring 2015

こうえん

さくら

き

した

こかげ

ろうじん

すわ

ろうじん

やわら

公園 の 桜 の木の下 で、木陰のベンチに老人 が座 っている。老人 は 柔 らかい はね

はな

よこぎ

み

ちい

むすめ

かたぐるま

ある

ピンクの羽 のように花 びらが横切るのを見 た。また小 さな 娘 を 肩 車 して歩 いてい ちちおや

かれ

ふたり

しあわ

むすめ

かた

の

どうどう

ある

わら

る父親 が目に入った。彼 らは二人とも 幸 せそうで、 娘 を肩 に乗せ堂々 と歩 き笑 っ おんな

こ

ちちおや

よろこ

あか

こえ

わら

ている。小さな 女 の子は父親 につかまって、 喜 びでいっぱいの明 るい声 で笑 って ろうじん

つま

あいだ

こ

ろうじん

しゅんかん

いま

いる。老人 と妻 の 間 に子どもはいなかった。老人 はこの 瞬 間 、今 まででいちばん つま

おも

ちちおや

むすめ

み

しゅ

しっと

さいな

妻 をかわいそうに思 った。この父親 と 娘 を見 たことである種 の嫉妬に 苛 まれ、こ かんじょう

も

こうかい

かれ

ふたり

み

しあわ

んな 感 情 を持ったことを後悔 した。彼 はこの二人を見て 幸 せでもあったし、またこ けいけん

かな

ちちおや

むすめ

ろうじん

まえ

おおまた

とお

んな経験 をしたことがないので悲 しくもあった。父親 と 娘 は老人 の前 を大股 で通 り す

きょじん

かた

うえ

た

しょうじょ

とお

み わた

過ぎた。まるで巨人 の肩 の上 に立ったニュートンのように 少 女 は遠 くまで見 渡 せて ほほえ

しょうじょ

かみ

しろ

は

たいよう

ひかり

う

えいえん

わか

微笑 んでいる。 少 女 のブロンドの 髪 と白 い歯 は太陽 の 光 を受 けて永遠 の若 さの しょうちょう

象 徴 であった。 1 人のお父さんが娘を連れて公園を散歩している。彼女は今日調子がいい方だ。 しかし彼女はほんの 1 ヶ月前に、白血病だと診断されたばかりだ。彼女は精一杯頑張 ってはいるが、時々弱音を吐くし、まだ体がとても小さいということ、そしてそれな のに大きな病気と戦わなければならないという事実をお父さんはしっかりと受け止め ている。彼女は自身の足で歩けるほど強くない。だからお父さんは娘を肩に乗せ、一 緒に公園を散歩しているのだ。彼女はこの時、ここ何週間かで久しぶりに笑顔を見せ ている。桜の木の下のベンチには 1 人の老人が座っており、その親子が通り過ぎるの をにこやかに見ている。彼は自分の幸せだった記憶を彼らに重ね合わせているのだろ うか。「なんて運のいいおじいさん。きっとあのおじいさんは、自分の子供がすくす く成長して結婚するまで、しっかりと見届けていたに違いない。その子供たちは将来、 おじいさんの面倒もみてくれるのだろう。幸せな人生だなあ。」お父さんはそう思う ことしか出来ず、老人を羨ましく思った。おじいさんは、娘が最終的に重大な病気を 抱えるという悲劇的な人生とは無縁であり、私たちの気持ちなんて到底理解する事は 出来ないのだろう。

Translations

Part one translated by Yuri Ogawa Part two translated by Mai Miyazaki

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公園の桜の木の下である一人の年おいた男が木かげのべんちにこしかけている。 彼はぴんくのやわらかい羽毛のようにちっていく桜のさきを、小さな娘をかたぐるま して歩いている父親のすがたをみていた。かたのうえにすわっている娘もその父親も 幸せそうにみえた。その小さい娘は彼女の父親にしがみつき、楽しさいっぱいの声で わらっている。その年老いた男と彼の妻は今まで自分の子どもを持っていなかった。 彼は妻を今まで以上に悲しく思っている。この父親と娘を見て彼はしっととこうかい でいりまじった気持ちであった。彼はその親子をみると一度はよろこんだが、今まで このようなことがなかったのを悲しんだ。父親と娘は年おいたおじいさんのよこをお おまたでとおり すぎ。巨人のかたのうえにのっているにゅーとんのように、小さな娘 ははるかとおくをみわたすことができ、ほほえみ、彼女のぶろんどのかみとしろいは は、まるでえいえんの若さのしょうちょうのようにかがやいていた。 こうえんで、ちちとむすめがあるいている。きょうはむすめはきぶんがよさそ うだ。いっかげつまえ、かのじょは、はっけつびょうとしんだんされた。ちちはかの じょがつよいことをしっていたが、どうじにかのじょが、ときに、どれほどよわいか も、かのじょのおさないからだがどれほどちいさいかもわかっていた。なぜなら、か のじょはおおきなびょうきとたたかわなければいけなかったからである。かのじょは じぶんのはしであるけるほどつよくないので、ちちはかのじょをかたにのせ、こうえ んをあるいている。かのじょはすうしゅうかんぶりにわらっている。さくらのきのし たのこうえんのべんちにとしおいたおとこがいる。かれは、そのちちとむすめがとお りすぎるのをえがおでみている。かれはじぶんじしんのしあわせなきおくとかさねて いるようだ。ちちはそのおとこを「しあわせもの」とおもわずにはいられなかった。 そのおとこのこどもはぶじにせいちょうし、けっこんしたにちがいない。そしてかれ のめんどうをみるためにここにくるであろう。ちちはえがおでいるそのおとことかれ のまっきのびょうきのこどもをもたないしあわせなじんせいをねたんだ。かれはそれ をりかいできないだろう。

Part one translated by Yuna Kodama Satomi Asai, Tomohiko Kikuchi Part two translated by Chikara Tazawa

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Spring 2015

ある公園で、桜の木々がたつところ、あるおじいさんがその影に覆われたベン チにすわっている。ふんわりとした桃色の羽のような桜の花びらが散るなか、おじい さんは顔をだし、おさない娘を自分の肩にのせて散歩する彼女の父親を見ている。肩 にのっている娘とぴしっと立ち、にこやかに散歩する父親ともに幸せそうだ。いたい けな娘は父親につかまりながら、うれしさいっぱいのいきいきした笑い声をあげてい る。今までおじいさん夫婦に子供はいない。その瞬間、おじいさんは今までよりも妻 のことを愛おしく思った。目の前の親子をみて、おじいさんは、ひがみのようなもの で心がいっぱいになり、ひたすら後悔した。目の前の親子の光景をみては、幸せな気 持ちになり、すぐに今までにないような悲しみにくれるなんて。親子は、おじいさん のところを通り過ぎていった。その親子の姿 は、まるでニュートンを自分の肩にのせた巨人が大股で歩くようなもの。少女 には、ずっと先のことまでお見通しだったみたいでにこやかだった。彼女のブロンド カラーの髪、真っ白な歯は、太陽を手に掴んでしまえるような、まさに、いつまでも 変わらない少女自身の若さを目に見える形にしたようなものだった。 父は公園で娘と歩いていた。彼女は良い気分だった。彼は、彼女には病気と闘 える強さがあることはわかっていたが、大病に立ち向かわなければならない中、心は 弱くて体は小さいということもわかっていた。彼女は自力で歩ける力がなかったので、 父が肩車をして一緒に公園を散歩していた。その時彼女は数週間ぶりに笑っていた。 そんな 2 人がほほえみながら歩いているのを、桜の木の下のベンチに座って見ている 老人がいた。彼は自分の幸せな思い出を重ね合わせながら 2 人を見ているようだった。 父は、「幸せそうなおじいさん、あなたは自分の子どもが成長して結婚していくのを みてきたにちがいない。そんな幸せな人生の中で、子どもたちがおじいさんの世話を することになるのだろう。」と思わずにはいられなかった。父は、「ベンチでほほえ んでいるおじいさんはきっと、病気の子どもをずっと育てなければならないと悲しむ ことなくこれからも生きていくのだろう」と考え、おじいさんのことをねたんだ。

Translations

Part one translated by Makoto Amemiya Part two translated Maya Shinano

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