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Month: October 2020

Development in the understanding of ‘The Wild Geese’ by Ogai Mori.

Development in the understanding of ‘The Wild Geese’ by Ogai Mori.

By the way you first read The Wild Geese with limited contextual knowledge as a cultural/temporal outsider, and how you have since looked again at the novel through the critical lenses of Japanese aesthetic philosophy and socio-cultural context?

In my first reading of The Wild Geese, the book left me with the feeling of confusion. It seemed like an underwhelming story, with no real climatic plot arc, resolutions or ‘heroism’ that is often seen in stories. But understanding Japanese aesthetic philosophy with regards to The Wild Geese has helped elucidated the impact of the story through it’s subtlety and understatements.

Japanese aesthetic qualities:

  • Simplicity and Naturalness
  • Restraint and Suggestiveness
  • Irregularity/asymmetry & hidden tension
  • Transciency/ Impermanence & perishability

On a macro scale, the whole story was written in a way that contained these elements. The hidden tension between the relationship of Otama-Okada for example, or the perishability of their potential relationship. The story seemed to be revealed in a suggestive manner, where more was implied than explicitly said, for example, during the discussion of Otama’s intimate life as a mistress. There is definitely a sense of irregularity in the story, where the story takes a shift from being told by the narrator in his first person perspective, to him taking a back-step and describing the development of Suezo’s experiences with Otama, Otsune and Otama’s interest in Otsune.

In a micro scale, natural references and events are used to catalyse the story or with a degree of suggestiveness. For example, the following notable moment of using animals to indicate information about Suezo’s charater on Otama’s relationship. Suezo and the Linnets: Suezo chose to buy a linnet for Otama – a bird that has suffered incarceration for their beauty. The are dainty and quiet birds. The linnet was a powerful emblem of a lost way of life, for it is one of the classic birds of our farmed lowland landscape. The symbolism of this bird shows not only Suezo’s materialistic appreciation for Otama, but also how he likens Otama to be his trapped object and happy she is a silent woman. Furthermore, the birds in the cage – one male and one female – idealises Suezo’s image of Otama and him in a cage. Interestingly, the hesistance of the shopkeeper to sell these birds could represent Otama’s father’s hesitance when ‘selling’ her to Suezo, and the imagery of two frightened motionless birds could depict Otama’s apprehension to be trapped by Suezo. Here’s the premise of the birds, using simplicity and naturalness, reveals a lot about the dyadic relationship between Suezo and Otama.

Japanese Social Conduct

  • Wa – harmony in the unity and confirmity in socially station, status and self-respect
  • Giri – obligations and duties
  • On – debt of gratitude

Eg. of this in Otama’s obligation to her father to give him a good life by being Suezo’s mistress, Otsune’s obligation to Suezo as a wife, Suezo status in society, Otama’s father’s lack of opposition to Suezo as he is of a lower social class, Otama’s gratitude to Okada for killing the snake and the need to thank him socially.

  • Ninjo – conflicting emotions/desires with obligation
  • Haji – outward shame

Eg. Suezo’s status in society as usurer is shameful, Okada’s conflicting emotions with being a student and Otama, Otama’s conflicting emotions about obligations to Suezo and Okada.

  • Akirame – resignation

Eg. Otama’s father resignation with Otama’s new life, Ostune’s regisnation of Suezo cheating, Okada resignation that he will not pursue Otama, Otama’s resignation and Suezo’s mistress.

Interestingly, in the Japanese literary tradition, before Meiji, novels were a form of self-confession which was very different from the structure of the western novel. The central character was used as an alter ego for the author himself. In The Wild Geese, Okada is representative of Ogai himself. In the novel, Okada moves to Germany to pass his doctoral examinations like Ogai did when he was 22. Ogai’s travelling abroad points to his adoption of the characteristic of resignation we find in The Wild Geese. Since Ogai was a german-speaking doctor in the Japanese army, he had no choice but to go to Germany. For the character Okada, the offer of the overseas job took his growing relationship with Otama out of his hands. Ogai was in love with a German but due to his responsibilities, he denied his love for her. This occurrence illuminates the importance of resignation for Ogai. This resignation is manifested in the novel when Otama learns of Suezo’s profession and again when Okada leaves Otama behind. Therefore, by Ogai using features of his own life as a source of inspiration or model, he is at the same time demonstrating a central feature of the Japanese novel of the time, the shosetsu.

How has this affected your understanding of the novel, but how does it shape your understanding of literature more broadly?

Through understanding Japanese philosophies and writing styles, I feel like reading the novel has made me reconsider the extent of the important of explicity. There is meaning in looking at the subtleties of a story and appreciating it for it socio-cultural nuances.

Dressing up for the Carnival – Carol Shields

Dressing up for the Carnival – Carol Shields

 

The author effectively uses a third person limited omniscient narrative with free indirect discourse to display Mr. Gilman’s yearning for his youth and give insight to the subtle denial of his old-age on a visit to his daughter-in-law. The author describes Mr. Gilman’s frivolous purchase of the flowers in which he questions ‘why not buy two bunches, or three? Why not indeed? Or four?’, wherein the author ironically portrays Mr.Gilman as childlike through the use of animated rhetorical questions, showing a lack of self-control, impulsivity and excitement that can not only be attributed to his playful denial of his age but, more significantly, the overcompensation needed to prove to himself and society that he is still youthful. The narration further highlights Mr.Gilman’s innocent aspiration to seem full of life when he somewhat irresponsibly does not place his flowers in water as ‘the green paper wrapping offers a certain kind of legitimacy’, wherein the need for ‘legitimacy’ serves as a consolation to himself that the materialistic purchase of flowers does enough to reverse his age. Furthermore, the author display’s how Mr.Gilman’s purchase serves as the right ‘oblation’ to obtain his daughter-in-law’s approval, wherein the word ‘oblation’, often used in the context of making a religious offering, heightens the description of Mr. Gilman’s need to be younger to feel accepted or loved by a higher power or his family as he is even willing to pray for it. The author enlists free indirect discourse here to position readers to sympathise with and pity Mr. Gilman’s yearning for lost youth as he craves the love and approval given to a younger man, however, this narrative style also allows for a more distant observation of his slightly delusional reliance on seemingly insignificant flowers to reverse his age.

The author further heightens the narration of Mr.Gilman’s transformative experience, by describing the increased social welcome Mr. Gilman faced when holding a bouquet of flowers, to discuss the issue of social exclusion of the elderly.The author shows how holding a simple object of a flower, often considered a symbol of new life, changes how Mr.Gilman is treated in society when they externally narrate that he ‘has never receives more courteous attention’ or that the ‘eyes of a stranger seemed than friendlier usual’. Here the narrative subtly takes on the nature of a social commentary targeting the nature of society that prefers ‘evanescence and gaiety’ and makes people feel “worse off than the average person” if they do not have vibrancy or relatability. In these moments, the author also breaks the free indirect discourse by using verbal quotations such as ‘hello there’ to highlight the external attention Mr.Gilman yearns for and obtains because of the simple gesture of seeming ‘like a man who is expected somewhere and important’.

However, the author creates a dual perspective between Mr. Gilman’s inner thoughts and a detached view of Mr.Gilman’s presence and actions to keep the narrative tethered to the sadly comical reality of Mr. Gilman’s life, diminishing the idealistic hopes lended to him by the flowers. The narrative offers two contrasting descriptions of Mr. Gilman at the start and at the end of the extract to emphasise the difference between Mr. Gilman’s reality and the idealistic young version of himself that is brought out through his purchase of the flowers. The author provides a view of Mr. Gilman’s realistic state throughout the extract. The author ironically describes him by stating he is in his ‘obverse infancy’ and ‘sucking and tonguing the missing tooth of his life’ where Mr.Gilman’s life is reduced through the use of vocabulary like ‘sucking’, ‘tonguing’ and ‘infancy’, which carry the connotations of helplessness, weakness, dependence and repulsivity, to highlight the reality of the cyclical nature of life as Mr.Gilman is desperately holding on to life, like a baby, but to no avail. Furthermore, the narration of the activities that Mr.Gilman engages in throughout his day with his flowers diminish the quality of his newfound vibrancy as the author lists his mundane visits to ‘the bank, the drugstore, the foot specialist and the afternoon card club’ that serves to emphasise that attempts to make himself feel young may be overshadowed by the dull or mundane reality of his life. This underlying message is brought to the forefront in the ending of this extract wherein the author emphasises that the image of the ‘charming gent’ Mr.Gilman hopes to be is him being ‘a man in disguise’ whose aspirations of youth sadly cannot be met in reality. This message stands apart from the author’s use of free indirect discourse to further show the inescapable divide between Mr.Gilman’s innocent yearning of youth and approval and the reality of dullness or social exclusion towards the elderly.

Pastiche of Wislawa Szymborshka

Pastiche of Wislawa Szymborshka

PASTICHE EXERCISE

Planning

Matching form/style and content: Now consider which author’s style / concerns would best suit what you have to say: 

  • I like the voice of Szymborska in ‘Advertisement’ 

Point of View and Perspective: 

  • First person

If first person, will you write from your own perspective or that of a character, i.e. will you let/make a character say it for you, in their voice?

  • The voice of Donald Trump glorifying his decisions (coronavirus masks, science, racism, economy) in the attempt for reelection.

 

My Pastiche .

 

I have taken swift action 

stronger than anyone else 

I have restarted our economy 

quicker than anyone else 

I have paved the American dream 

better than anyone else 

I’m your president of Law and Order.

 

How couldn’t you want me? 

You don’t know it, but you need me

To protect your suburbs from the colour

To protect your freedom from the mask

To protect your guns from the left

You really do need me. 

 

No. Don’t listen to that –

That’s the voice of another disgruntled employee.

Listen to me. 

I’m a hard-working man just like you

waiting for the day that you’re out the rat race.

If you keep me in power

I can feed your green-eyed hunger

After all, I created Trump Tower.

 

 Let’s die young and rich.

Grab hold your golden ticket.

All you have to do is 

Empower me.

Indulge me.

Serenade me.

Say you love me.

A comparison of Antigone and Fun Home on Social Oppression – IO Style

A comparison of Antigone and Fun Home on Social Oppression – IO Style

Throughout history and across cultures, societal expectations have placed pressure on individuals to assume their conventional duties or embody the societal roles expected of them, however, the disempowering effect these expectations can have on individual freedom and happiness has also been shown widely. Two literary works are notable for their representation of social conformity as a global issue of culture, identity and community:  the famous ancient greek tragedy ‘Antigone’ by playwright Sophocles and the darkly humorous graphic novel ‘Fun Home’ by Alison Bechdel. Antigone is a play set in 4th century Thebes in which Sophocles unconventionally presents the fiery, dominant and headstrong character of Antigone, a female and the eponymous protagonist of the work. Sophocles depicts how she is ironically prevented from experiencing social traditions like marriage and motherhood because she followed her religious duty to bury her dead brother, elucidating how ingrained social expectations are and how individuals who do not participate in social traditions feel like their lives have been rendered futile.  The more recent Fun Home is Alison Bechdel’s graphic novel –  an autobiographical expression of her childhood and family life growing up in conservative suburban rural Pennsylvania in the 1980’s wherein she depicts the unfortunate and loveless marriage of her parents, Helen and Bruce, to exemplify and criticise the disempowering and oppressive effects of social expectations and taboos. Although both of these norm-defying authors portray the need to conform with cultural expectations and oppression in different ways – with Sophocles depicting how the dictatorial King Creon has oppressed and stripped Antigone of her socio-religious rights and Bechdel depicting how social appearance has pressured her parents to oppress themselves in attempts to be accepted – the commonality of the issue of social oppression is apparent across epochs and across cultures.

In Antigone, Sophocles develops Antigone’s character to show that she is a woman who will not succumb to regimes that oppress her natural rights or natural freedoms and is not afraid of being non-submissive towards male authority. However, in the 4th episode right before she is sent to her live burial, Sophocles portrays Antigone’s fear and recognition in a monologue where she reflects and worries about losing the ability to participate in social traditions like her marriage to Haemon and motherhood. Sophocles highlights that although Antigone would not conform to rules, she inherently wants to experience the social aspects of marriage and motherhood expected of her. Sophocles aims to illustrate how the belief that following social expectations, through being a domicile woman, translates into living a ‘normal’ life through the fact that a woman as independent as Antigone feels like she has lost her chance at life if she will not be able to marry.

Sophocles humanises Antigone in this monologue to emphasise how intrinsic social expectations are. Throughout the monologue, Sophocles demonstrates Antigone’s newfound sadness as she says ‘O my tomb, my bridal-bed, my house, my prison’ wherein the use of apostrophe with the juxtaposition of her death to her marriage highlights the reversal of societal norm as her time of death will come before her time of betrothal and the repetition of ‘my’ as a personal pronoun highlights her personal emotional toil and the strife in comparing what was meant to be her time to live into her time to die. Sophocles furthermore highlights a sense of loss by listing, showing ways in which Creon is stripping Antigone of her rights to life when she says she will have ‘no part in the bridal song, the bridal-bed, denied all joy of marriage’ and ‘raising children’ in which the pre-modifying of words with ‘bridal’ and the consonance of the plosive ‘b’ harshly emphasises how she has led a futile life. Additionally, Sophocles continues to relate the reversal of rights of marriage to death when Antigone says she will be with ‘Persephone’ referencing to the god of fertility and death that uniquely fits in with her situation to show her dilemma. Sophocles uses the longing tone of the monologue to show that Antigone is almost regretting her previously unbreakable conviction to go against the law and wishes she has been more of a typical submissive woman who could experience marriage and motherhood. Antigone seems to forget the righteousness of actions that were even secretly considered ‘heroic’ by the King’s men because she is losing out these traditions. Sophocles shows the permeating nature of social expectation through describing how even the strong and non-archetypal character of Antigone feels like her life is futile, incomplete and ostracised due to her lack of participation in social events.

Interestingly, Sophocles’s use of Antigone’s character in the whole text can be seen as a device for debating social conformity and potentially even addressing feminist concerns. Considering the social elements of construction of this work as a whole being a play written by men, for men and definitely before the feminist movement, Sophocles projection of Antigone as a non-archetypal female character creates more questions. In this scene especially, Antigone’s heavy reliance on asking rhetorical questions that challenges Creon’s social authority such as ‘what mighty laws have I transgressed?’ contrasted with her strong opinionated and hyperbolic wishes for men who she later calls ‘the masters of injustice!’ to face condemnation themselves could be seen as Sophocles device for debating social conformity wherein he asks ‘what happens when a female breaks male authority’. Considering the social reception, this could be a misogynistic warning to men allowing female authority or freedom or it could be Sophocles breaking paradigms by criticizing the self-doubt and mistreatment that comes as a part of being a non-conformer in a society especially if you are a woman. In the larger play, Sophocles complicates the role of the tragic hero in the story and creates doubt about whether an arrogant man, like Creon, or a nonconforming woman, like Antigone, is meant to be the tragic hero in the play – especially as both experience anagnorisis. Either way, both the social authority and those oppressed by social authority ultimately have tragic fortunes and Sophocles highlights the futility of enforcing or participating in social norms.

In Fun Home, Bechdel grapples with the complicated role her father played in her life through describing intimate and insightful details into her family life and childhood. After she discovers that her father had been a closeted homosexual her whole life and reflects upon the marriage of her parents and the household she grew up in. In the chapter ‘That Old Catastrophe’ she depicts the beginnings of her parents’ relationship along with the sad state of their marriage. As seen throughout the novel, Bechdel heavily relies on intertextual references to comment on how the pressures to maintain the facade of an ‘appropriate family’ and domestic roles in society can lead people into feeling disempowered and helpless in their own lives. In comparison to Sophocles, Bechdel casts social pressure of a conservative 1980’s society as the oppressions to individuals in this time rather than a dictator like Creon.

Bechdel depicts the disempowering and degrading effect that marriages built on societal pressure can have on individuals by comparing her mother, Helen, to examples of women in literature who have been stripped of independence due to the pressure upon them to fall into marriages. She compares Helen to Katherine from Shakespeare’s Taming of the Shrew  – a character who’s independence and strength is lost when pushed into an abusive marriage. Bechdel draws parallels to how Helen’s spirit, just like Katherine’s, ‘is broken down by’ their ‘domineering’ partners to highlight how the popular belief that women should not oppose marriage leads to the oppression of women who want to have individuality.  Interestingly, following the last panel in this passage, Bechdel goes on to comments on the self-oppression of women in society to participate in their social duties as wives when she compares Helen to Isabel in Henry James’s ‘Portrait Of A Lady’ by saying, just like Isabel stayed with her lying husband, Helen stays with Bruce after knowing about his homosexuality because she is ‘too good for her own good’ wherein the wordplay of ‘good’ serves to show how following the social expectations to please others may actually be worse than social rejection for an individual. Bechdel compares the marriage of Helen and Bruce to these unfortunate relationships to criticise the tradition of a marital facade and through the extensive use of references, indicate how common it is to be stuck in this ‘very run of the mill conventional relationship’, highlighting how this is a widespread issue of social oppression and self-oppression.

Bechdel uses the form of the graphic novel to explicitly display the sadness that pervades families that enter into these forced marriages through the visual representation of her own family together during her sombre childhood and comments on the consequences of having a family solely for obligation. Bechdel describes a typical evening in her household wherein Helen and Bruce are arguing. In this panel, Bechdel and her brothers are hiding behind the staircase, holding on the railing whilst looking down at their parents, yelling and swearing abusive terms at each other. Bechdel displays a sense of chaos and violence in this panel, with pages torn from library books suspended in the air with Bruce standing with hostile body language towards Helen who looks fearful and shocked. Bechdel retrospects on how she – as a child – was in a sense ‘trapped’ by her parents’ disdain for each other through them holding the staircase railings resemblant of a sort of jail and overlooking her parents according to the arrangement of the panels here. Additionally, Bechdel shows how it was not only the children that were trapped, but her parents as well in a photo of them together directly after this passage, where their stoic expressions ranging from repressed fear to repressed anger display how the family lacked the love and happiness typical of an idyllic family. Through this, Bechdel portrays the irony that the idyllic family life that Helen and Bruce believed would come with following social norms is unattainable when it is solely created to please society. Similarly to Sophocles, Bechdel highlights and challenges the futility of believing that conforming with social norms will derive happiness.

In conclusion, both Sophocles and Bechdel take on this issue of social oppression and the pressure to conform in their individual unique and creative ways by themselves transforming the conventions of what is expected of their individual genres. The exploration of these works spark the questions as to why seeing the opinionated and strong character of Antigone still seems so elusive and non-archetypal in our supposedly modern world and why the character of Helen is something more resonant and typical in society. By contrasting the old with the new, it leaves the question: has modern feminism come as far as we believe?

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