ASSIGNMENT | Japanese Fiction in Comparative Contexts 17

Citing evidence from the last 25 pages of this reading assignment, discuss how the conclusion of Kokoro invites us to reflect on questions about human responsibilities, bonds, and emotions (such as Giri vs. ninjō, or duty vs. human feelings)? It may be interesting to compare to the way that Akinari or Murasaki present similar questions.

SAMPLE SOLUTION

Japanese Fiction in Comparative Contexts 17

            In Sensei and His Testament, readers are invited to explore the abyss of Sensei’s heart, consciousness stream, and experience/witness the agonizing PLACE YOUR ORDER NOW AT writtask.com | are drawn, which needs reflecting on human responsibilities, emotions, and bonds. Sensei’s stoicism is brought forth in this part as readers are left with more questions than answers as he exhibits humanity through his romantic love towards Ojosan, including her PLACE YOUR ORDER NOW AT writtask.com | humanized, it makes it difficult to understand how he assumed his responsibilities as well as overwhelmed with emotions having had to battle his phantom of loneliness.

The narrator, for instance, asked: “If he was indeed in such a state, how is it that he was able to feel affection PLACE YOUR ORDER NOW AT writtask.com | that possible answers to the question were formulated as the reader is tossed into the world of reflection and imagination. At the same time, this section also explores the unpredictability of life, and so is love and friendship as people like Sensei managed to exhibit bonds and emotions, both positive and negative, towards interesting people as was the case with Ojosan and K.

Lastly, by doing so, the conclusion of Kokoro draws a lot of PLACE YOUR ORDER NOW AT writtask.com | to Akinari, death is not involved, but how Sensei showed affectionate emotions, bonds, and love to the unexpected people like Ojosan, and being PLACE YOUR ORDER NOW AT writtask.com |human responsibilities as temporary, and that nothing is immutable or immortal. Idealism also does not explain these responsibilities, emotions, and PLACE YOUR ORDER NOW AT writtask.com | tend to choose individualism over collectivism. This explains the indifference towards some people as was the case in Kokoro. 

Work Cited

Soseki, Natsume and McClellan, Edwin. Kokoro (1914). Sandy, Utah: Quiet Vision Publishing, 2001. Print.