Comparing Saigyo And Kamo No Chomei's Poetry
Although Kamo no Chomei and Saigyo are both poets with reclusive backgrounds, their distinct past has strong influence on to their interpretation of nature. Saigyo came from a highly reputable military background who served the capital as a warrior. Whereas, Kamo no Chomei had a prestigious position as a poet in the imperial court. Transitioning from these high class social positions to a reclusive lifestyle, Saigyo and Kamo no Chomei’s works display a controversial understanding of the nature of life. Throughout the translations of these two poet’s work by Lafleur and Cook, Saigyo and Kamo no Chomei display a compelling understanding of nature through the themes of desires,impermanence, and suffering. The following essay explores how the view of these natural elements developed from deep reflection during life in solitude reinforced the two poets’ decision to follow the Buddhist pathway as a rational decision.
First and foremost, the following discussion will looks into Saigyo’s reflection of his past during the transition to solitude in
…show more content…
Once this decision was made, these poets begin to develop deeper understanding of impermanence as a natural phenomenon in life. In particular, Chomei’s understanding of impermanence guide him to view “life in this world is difficult” (Cook 629). Chomei’s view of the nature of life is connected to his observations of the impermanence of human beings and wealth. In his literature, he recall his past in capital as a period of turmoil with large amount of corpses lying on the street as results of natural disasters (Cook 628-629). This past experience allowed Chomei to view humans being as fragile because they all have to go through a life cycle: birth and death. This reflection has allowed Chomei to became acceptance of his impermanence on Earth as death is part of nature of
'The Laughing Sutra' By Thomas C. Foster
948 Words | 4 Pages(117, Foster) The work of “The Laughing Sutra” is an example of political writing with an engaging plot and interesting characters. Readers learn about China’s government and the control they had over their people while simultaneously empathizing with the characters. The power is within in the story because of the people, but the politics- the government and power structures- was only in the background. However, Hsun-ching’s life in China was not the only glimpse of political issues that emerged in the book.
Night Elie Wiesel Analysis
889 Words | 4 PagesFrom the depths of the mirror, a corpse was contemplating me. The look in his eyes as he gazed at me has never left me.”(115). Not only did he nearly escape death itself, but he escaped the death of his own faith.. Although finding his faith a little bit again, it was only a shadow of what it used to be. It used to fill him with pride, and joy.
Yasunari Kawabata's Girl Who Approached The Fire
280 Words | 2 PagesThrough the use of imagery, Yasunari Kawabata creates a still, quiet, and serene atmosphere in his short story ¨Girl Who Approached the Fire.¨ The story starts with the description of a lake: ¨The water of the lake glittered in the distance. It was the color of a stagnant spring in an old garden on a moonlit evening¨ (para. 1). The description of the lake compares its color to that of a static time unaffected by the world. Kawabata´s diction in the second sentence engenders the image of stillness in a uneventful area. The word ¨stagnant¨ leads to the thought of stillness.
Little Chinese Seamstress
1489 Words | 6 Pages“Never did the world make a queen of a girl who hides in houses and dreams without traveling.” These wise words by Roman Payne, author of The Wanderess, perfectly encapture the central theme of Dai Sijie’s Balzac and the Little Chinese Seamstress. Sijie’s novel tells the story of a trio of friends who live on an isolated mountain village during the Chinese Cultural Revolution. During their time on this mountain, the young protagonists grow up and mature together, bringing the unmistakable ideals of coming to age to life. Throughout the duration of the story, Dai Sijie emphasizes the point that coming of age can often cause people to lash out if their future is threatened, or feel defeated when something of importance is suddenly taken away
The Samurai's Garden Analysis
498 Words | 2 PagesLife experiences play a major role in the way that people view everyday activities and the world around them. The Japanese culture places an emphasis on respect and peace, but it also strongly encourages valuing nature. In the novel, The Samurai’s Garden, by Gail Tsukiyama, the gardens of Sachi and Matsu are similar in the way that they represent their gardener’s lives by exposing their creator’s personality through its ambience and past experiences through its design. Matsu’s garden was a living reflection of himself and his life. Matsu was a quiet person, full of mystery and hidden beauty, and he created his garden with a similar ambience.
Comparing The Chinese Seamstress And The Handsomest Drowned Man
837 Words | 4 PagesThe short story “The Handsomest Drowned man” shows a broader development of identity through a society. One of the important characters in the “The Chinese Seamstress” is the narrator, who is not only vital because he is the main character but also because he goes through a lot of development and evolution based of the narratives he reads. Four eyes, the narrators friend, had a stash of foreign books that he had received from his mother that were banned
Compare And Contrast Tan And Hurston
1409 Words | 6 PagesTan expresses the life experiences of Chinese immigrants to the United States and attempts to depict the relationship of a mother and daughter through her significant piece of writing ‘The Joy Club’. Therefore, all these authors somehow portrayed their early struggles and their view point towards life from their literary
Child's Play Analysis
799 Words | 4 PagesChild’s Play, written by Higuchi Ichiyo, is a short novel centred around the growth of children, particularly those associated with the pleasure quarters. The story takes place over a few days, nevertheless, we are given an idea on the backgrounds of the three main characters, Shōta, Midori, and Nobu, and watch them gradually lose their childlike innocence. Although not explicitly stated, the last three paragraphs suggest that all three protagonists have followed the footsteps of their parents and in Midori’s case, her older sister. This essay discusses the impending tragic future of children who are destined to take after the occupations of their family.
Eating Alone Li Young Lee Analysis
437 Words | 2 PagesIn Li-Young Lee’s poem, Eating Alone, Lee uses many literary techniques such as imagery and tone to develop the speaker’s grief towards his father’s death. The poem is about a son who is mourning the loss of his father in which the fall brings back the memories of his father. When first reading this poem, it is very confusing and does not make much sense. Once the poem is analyzed, the reader can determine the distinction between life and death in the poem, where the speaker is missing the presence of their father. Imagery is a big factor in the poem for the speaker to communicate his themes of memory and loneliness.
Comparing Poems 'Piano And Those Winter Sundays'
659 Words | 3 PagesThe speaker as a child would see his father as a harsh man but as an adult, when he looked back he saw that his father had a love for his family. His father's love could be considered as a hidden love. However in the poem “Piano” the speaker's life seemed great until he looked back at his past to see his mother playing the piano and
Paradise Of The Blind Literary Analysis
972 Words | 4 PagesIn Duong Thu Huong’s Paradise of the Blind, Hang has been placed on a path of self-sacrifice and duty by her family. Her life unfolds in stages- childhood, young adulthood, and her eventual role as an exported worker in Russia. With each of these shifts in her life comes a shift in setting and a shift in her emotional state. Hang’s changing emotional state depicts her “coming of age” and her growth as a character. Setting is important to creation of shift in the novel, and is often described in detail.
Balzac And The Little Chinese Seamstress Analysis
1177 Words | 5 PagesDai Sijie is the Chinese author, who opposites side of the government of China during the Cultural Revolution, which is his childhood that he has to go to be re-educated by poor peasants. The setting of this book, Balzac and the Little Chinese Seamstress, is the re-education at that time, and the main characters of this book, Luo and Ma, are re-educated students like Sijie. He uses these literary elements to reveal political or social issues about the social class by the education difference, the area of living, and desire to read. In the Sijie’s book, the characters’ traits are used to explore the education difference because the villagers, who live in the Phoenix of Mountain, learn how they survive by farming and mining rather than reading and writing.
Matsuo Bashō's The Narrow Road To The Deep North
957 Words | 4 PagesThroughout time, literature has had the power to connect readers around the world by providing them with insight into different cultures. Readers may come together by analyzing different texts and how they represent different backgrounds and give readers from a different culture a new perspective. Matsuo Bashō, a haikai master, provided readers with an insight into Japanese culture by depicting his travels around Japan in his work “The Narrow Road to the Deep North”. In the text, Bashō depicts his journey with the use of prose and haiku. Most importantly, Bashō educates readers by demonstrating the Japanese culture’s value for impermanence, the idea that time is transient.
Perhaps The World Ends Here Poem Analysis
607 Words | 3 PagesViewing “Perhaps the World Ends Here” from a psychological perspective gave me insight in to why Harjo would deliver a poem with such an inspiring moral. Harjo’s life defines the word “effort” and “Perhaps the World Ends Here” is a summarization of her life. Knowing how she achieved her many accomplishments regardless of the mental pressure she must have received due to her social status allows me to have deeper recognition for Harjo and her work. Her work emphasizes
Symbolism In The Road Not Taken
1777 Words | 8 PagesIn “The Road Not Taken” a traveler goes to the woods to find himself and make a decision based on self-reliance. The setting of the poem relays this overall message. Providing the mood of the poem, the setting of nature brings a tense feeling to “The Road Not Taken”. With yellow woods in the midst of the forest, the setting “combines a sense of wonder at the beauty of the natural world with a sense of frustration as the individual tries to find a place for himself within nature’s complexity” (“The Road Not Taken”). The setting is further evidence signifying the tense and meditative mood of the poem as well as in making choices.
More about Comparing Saigyo And Kamo No Chomei's Poetry
'The Laughing Sutra' By Thomas C. Foster
948 Words | 4 PagesNight Elie Wiesel Analysis
889 Words | 4 PagesYasunari Kawabata's Girl Who Approached The Fire
280 Words | 2 PagesLittle Chinese Seamstress
1489 Words | 6 PagesThe Samurai's Garden Analysis
498 Words | 2 PagesComparing The Chinese Seamstress And The Handsomest Drowned Man
837 Words | 4 PagesCompare And Contrast Tan And Hurston
1409 Words | 6 PagesChild's Play Analysis
799 Words | 4 PagesEating Alone Li Young Lee Analysis
437 Words | 2 PagesComparing Poems 'Piano And Those Winter Sundays'
659 Words | 3 PagesParadise Of The Blind Literary Analysis
972 Words | 4 PagesBalzac And The Little Chinese Seamstress Analysis
1177 Words | 5 PagesMatsuo Bashō's The Narrow Road To The Deep North
957 Words | 4 PagesPerhaps The World Ends Here Poem Analysis
607 Words | 3 PagesSymbolism In The Road Not Taken
1777 Words | 8 Pages