Freshmen - Please comment on this story based upon its discussion of confomity to society's standards. How does this story make you feel? Are the general and his wife choosing the correct course of action? Why or why not?
Juniors - Please comment on this story based upon our discussion of rebellion and mutiny. Is the general an honorable character or a victim of a tragic incident? Who is the narrator of this story? Why is it important to consider who is telling this story?
That was intense... and graphic... I don't really know what to say.
ReplyDeleteThis story was very descriptive, with its many elaborate scenes. I would say that the general and his wife are doing the right thing by committing suicide. The general does not want to hurt his friends, and he does not want to disobey the Imperial Ordinance, so committing suicide is one way to get out of the situation with honor. I would say that they were doing the right thing.
ReplyDelete-Victor Wu (Period 4 | E1FC)
So I've thought some more about it.
ReplyDeleteThe narrator of the story is likely a propaganda artist of some sort (title 'Patriotism'); I'd say the general is both an honorable character and a victim of the tragic incident. If it weren't for the mutinies, he wouldn't have had to commit seppuku to keep his honor.
The narrator being a propaganda artist might result in skewed perceptions of reality. As the viewpoint is second person omniscient, the story is clearly fictitious to begin with. This connects to the theme of the unreliable narrator that Melville likes to toy with, although this narrator is unreliable in a somewhat subtler manner.
This story makes me feel sad and mortified. Because the general does not want to kill his friends, he decides to commit seppuku. This is out of maintaining his honor even in death. The general severely believes in honor and the standards of the society he lives in to keep honor through whatever you do as a soldier. His wife follows him in his death, partially because of her love for him and partially because it is what is set in society (in this society that believes that everything a man does is what his wife lives breathe, feels, and understands). In the perspective of the society and the code of honor set in that society, what they did was right because by committing suicide, they show that they refuse something issued by the commanding forces and take this belief with honor to their graves. In my viewpoint, though, I believe what they did was wrong because one doesn't need to kill oneself just so they don't have to do something. If they refuse, they would probably be thrown in jail or have to run away to another country, but still they would be alive.
ReplyDelete- Tiffany Ming (Period 4| E1FC)
Saying this story was just 'graphic' wouldn't even cut it. In order to preserve his honor the general has to kill himself for mutiny. This i can understand; he was the warrior, he was involved, and in Japanese culture glory and honor was a big thing. But why did his wife have to kill herself? Just for being his wife? I don't think that makes sense so really the generals actions of suicide can be reasonable but i felt that his wife did not have to take the same course. This story made me shocked and mortified because just to think that someone was able to rip apart his own stomach like that, and how his wife was just watching and accepting him doing it is beyond normal to me. I do not think the penalties should have been that bad for the two of them.
ReplyDeleteThe general is an honorable character, willing to commit suicide rather than kill his friends. It is unfortunate that he is placed in this situation but he follows his own moral code and decides to kill himself. The narrator is unclear because of the third person omniscient viewpoint. Because of this viewpoint the narrator is unreliable just as in some of Melville's story's. One example is in Benito Cereno, Delano is an unreliable narrator because he cannot see past his own beliefs.
ReplyDeleteMohammed Ismail Period 10
ReplyDeleteThe general in this story is technically both an honorable character as well as a victim of a tragic incident. He is a victim because unless he does something he must kill his own friends, a situation that he feverishly looks to find a way out of of. He also is very honorable given the fact that he kills himself just to stop the action of killing his own friends. The narrator of this story is a outsider, who definitely thinks that the general was a good man. Throughout the story we only hear positives of the general and this may even be a story told by one of the general's friends. This is important in that different narrators would give us different views. For example if someone who was part of the Imperial Government spoke about the story the general would come across as a coward who put himself in front of his nation. Overall the story was insanely descriptive (LOL) and also very sad.
This story was very descriptive and the author explained it really thoroughly. The title suits the story really well because "Patriotism" is defined as one's love for his/her country. In this story, the warrior performed an honorable act by killing himself, rather than his friends. This kind of brave action can not be accomplished by any normal person. I was very suprised with the image the author left me with because I imagined the brutal actions very clearly. Lastly, I agree with Daryl because the third person viewpoint can not be considered reliable and it closely relates to Melville's short stories.
ReplyDeleteThe general and his wife chose the right course of action. He would rather commit suicide rather than commit mutiny and kill his friends. There's is a sense of pride because he is willing to kill himself, “Tonight I shall cut my stomach". As well as his wife, “I ask permission to accompany you". His wife also believes in what her husband is doing, similar to society's standards, where the couple should agree upon issues. My opinions are that this was very heartbreaking. The couple's relationship was strong and they both understood each other. It was also disgusting because there is a lot of detail about when the general stabs himself in the chest (show not tell!). Overall, the short story is well described and is a romance and thriller all in one story.
ReplyDeleteOver the course of reading this story, I experienced feelings of sorrow, anticipation, and horror. The entire concept of suicide for honor is extremely superficial and unnecessary. I was mortified that Mr. Shinji Takeyama believed killing himself was the right and only course of direction to follow. Since he is so dedicated to the Imperial Forces and his friends have been deemed "mutineers," following orders is not such a bizarre idea. The worst part of the situation is that Reiko, his wife, decides to follow him in death. Since her love for him is so powerful, it would make sense to talk Shinji out of intentionally hurting himself and taking his own life. Furthermore, since Shinji's loyalty to the military is so great and his friends have committed treason, Shinji should feel at least a small bit of hatred and betrayal towards them. In that scenario, attacking them would not be so hard. Glory is something not worth dying for.
ReplyDeleteWonderful discussion so far.
ReplyDeleteIt is imperative that we focus upon this discussion of something being "right" or "wrong." In doing so, we must consider how these words might have differing definitions based upon context. Is this suicide, this seppuku "right" on an individual level or on a societal level? Which trumps the other?
I would also like to commend the discussion of the unreliable narrator and ask my juniors to be suspicious of this story. Essentially, this tale tells us that it is better for a man to kill himself and die with honor than to rise up and partake in a mutiny. Think of Auden's "The Unknown Citizen." Is it possible that this idea of the honorable general putting society before himself is somehow false?
Wow, this story is incredible. The imagery is ahhmazing, as I read on, I could imagine everything perfectly in my head. It is scary. There is so much detail and the images are so vivid. In my head, I could see the General's suicide probably just as how Reiko was seeing it. To me, the General is definitely an honorable character. He is not committing suicide for society; he is committing suicide for his own individual reasons. The individual level triumphs the societal level. He is a hero because he comes upon this decision on his own, to save himself from taking part in killing his friends, he decided his only choice is to kill himself. If I was to be in that amputation, I honestly don't think I would have had the courage to do what he did. In my eyes, his wife, I would consider just as courageous, to such a extent that she might even be more courageous She's young and beautiful, only 23, she had her whole life ahead of her. She has no connection to Kano, Homma, nor Yamaguchi, yet she gives up her life because of her love for her husband.
ReplyDeleteI'm not sure who the narrator of the story is but it is someone who definitely respects the couple. It is important to take into account who is telling the story because of their perspective and bias. They have the power to twist and manipulate the story. For example, hypothetically speaking, the couple could have committed suicide for some other reason. The narrator could twist the story completely and shed it into a different light to make it more appealing although his narration of the tale could have been untrue.
The details of the suicides of both the lieutenant and his wife, Reiko, are a little to descriptive, but either way this story is still a perfect source to understand the rules of the society they live in . The lieutenant must fight for his country and watch his friends die. He knows that this too will soon be his fate so he tells his wife that the best thing is for them to commit suicide together. In their culture, when the husband dies, the wife must commit suicide too. The husband feels that its best that both he and his wife shall die together because it will save his wife pain. Unlike the rest of society, the lieutenant trusts his wife enough that he allows himself to commit suicide first. I believe they made the right choice because they were both going to die because of society in the end and they chose to defeat society and die happy.
ReplyDeleteThis story is extremely graphic and descriptive. Both the lieutenant and his wife have a ton of courage to have the willpower to commit seppuku. His suicide is "right" on both an individual and societal level, but I believe that it is more "right" on an individual level. On a societal level, seppuku, in general, was seen in Japan as a honorable method of death, and on an individual level, the lieutenant is faced with a moral dilemma: should he kill his friends or should he commit suicide? I think he made the best choice he could've made because by committing seppuku; he didn't bring dishonor to his family by refusing to follow orders nor did he kill his friends.
ReplyDeleteEven though the lieutenant does his deed for more personal reasons, I think the narrator tries to use his actions as propaganda by praising him like the narrator of Auden's poem praises the unknown citizen. He uses the lieutenant's actions to spread the belief that rebellion has dangerous effects, such as setting friends against friends, and how the mutiny forces the lieutenant to commit suicide to avoid its effects. The narrator is unreliable because, like Jennifer said, the narrator could change the lieutenant's story around. The narrator portrays his actions as more heroic on a societal level by mentioning how his dying message was "Long Live the Dying Forces" and by claiming that the lieutenant is indignant and disturbed by the mutiny in the first paragraph. In my opinion, the lieutenant is probably more disturbed by the thought of having to kill his friends than the mutiny.
This story is very vivid. It makes me ponder nationalism, loyalty and devotion to your friends, your spouse and yourself. The Lieutenant and Reiko did not do the right thing. Takeyama knew, when he accepted his position, that he would watch his comrades die. It didn't matter if it was friendly fire, by an enemy's hand or by his own, comrades would fall. He doesn't want to deal with killing his friends, so he selfishly takes his life, betraying his country and his wife. Reiko should have talked her husband out of suicide. He was being a coward and cowering behind death so he would not have to face his problems. She should have, as his wife, pulled him onto his feet and given his courage to continue. Takeyama also tarnished his family name/ They both failed in thier duty to thier country, and they failed in protecting each other.
ReplyDeleteThe story was extremely detailed and the author developed used the element of imagery throughout the entire story. I saw the scene of the general killing himself in my head and smelled the rotting flesh as well. In their society, it would have been an honorable thing to do, because in Japanese culture, it is better to die in honor and glory. However, in our society this would have been deemed cowardly. This story made me pity the two characters and make me want to chastise them for their decision. The two made the wrong choices of committing suicide. The general was trying to run away from his duty to the country and killing his friends. His choice to kill himself also robbed his wife of experiencing more in life. (She was only 23 years old.)
ReplyDeleteThroughout “Patriotism”, the third person omniscient narrator justifies that Lieutenant Shinji Takeyama and his wife died honorably. However, the narrator is not specified, and due to his/her apparent appreciation of the love that the couple had shared before their deaths, this account is biased and inclined to show the courage that the couple had possessed. Without considering the narrator’s viewpoint, readers will only regard this account through only one perspective; a perspective that is not substantiated with evidence, but only with how the narrator perceived the situation.
ReplyDeleteThe Unknown Citizen, a poem by W. H. Auden, describes an average citizen through the perception of the government. The life of the “Unknown Citizen” is characterized through his records only, such as an American Social Security number as well as the demographic profile of his family members. Through his records only, the government concludes that the man probably led a happy life. This enforces the possibility that the narrator in “Patriotism” might have been part of the mutiny and retold this story as a comrade of Lieutenant Shinji Takeyama. Thus, it is possible that the general was not living an honorable life, but that the narrator is trying to mask the truth. The general might have wanted to take part of the mutiny, but his comrades might have killed him and concealed it as a suicide instead. Due to this unreliable narrator, the truth behind the couple’s suicide might never be revealed.
This story was very descriptive. I could visualize the whole Seppuku clearly (I even covered my throat during part of it). This story is written in third person narrative. This is important because as the readers, we do not know what the Lieutenant is thinking the whole time. All we can do is hear his pain and visualize his wife watching him. This relates to Benito Cereno, since we don't know what Benito is thinking, and all we are able to do watch him as he is controlled by Babo.
ReplyDeleteThis story really portrays a person's dedication to society, and how much he believes in it, that he will do anything to honour his country, even killing himself. This story tries to show how much honour a lieutenant has to his country that he chooses to commit suicide instead of going through the pain of killing his own men, his friends. While I was reading the story, i started to feel real pity for this lieutenant, that he has to endure this, but I also felt his courage and his strength while he was committing suicide because not one time did he complain or rethink this idea. His courage could have come from his honour to his country or he simply believed in what he was doing and though it as the correct thing to do. Although this story does portray the lieutenant’s and his wife's courage I do not believe that they did the right thing. In a way, i even thought that the lieutenant was being a coward, because he chose to hind behind the bars of death in order to not face the pain of killing his friends, he used it as a back door for himself. Even though the cruelty of death is very harsh, I believe that he committed suicide so that he would not have to face the pain of killing his friends. Also, he knew that his wife was going to kill herself because of this; he still went through with it knowing that he not only was going to kill himself but his wife too. In a way, he decided the faith of his wife because he was too scared to face the pain of killing his friends. The wife also was blinded by her honour and commitment to society that she did not see that her husband was merely being a coward and decided to kill them both because of his fright to kill his friends.
ReplyDeleteThe couple in Patriotism, Lieutenant and Reiko, was not at all defeated by death. The Lieutenant shows bravery when asked to choose between his closest friends and the Emperor. The Lieutenant does not have to choose death, but in the time period, it is proper for one to commit ritual suicide, or seppuku. Though many would criticize the couple for doing so, the couple's actions are correct. Just like law abiding citizens, they have both committed suicide willingly rather than be handed over to the enemy and live in fear. The story awes me because committing suicide so willingly is not an event in everyday life. Many fear death and struggle to live, and these two couples chose to die. In Japan, it is more honorable for one to commit seppuku rather than be a prisoner of war. The Lieutenant did not want to betray his close friends nor the Emperor, so he decided to betray himself. I admire Reiko's actions more than the Lieutenant's actions (the decision to commit suicide). Reiko was the perfect wife one could ask for in Japan. She was obedient and respected her husband. When her husband asked her to commit seppuku with him, she didn't even hesitate or falter and immediately told him yes. From this story, one can learn Japan's ideal people and the way society works. Apparently, honor is greater than life. Furthermore, I learned that the love of two people cannot be broken, even in death.
ReplyDeleteI feel that the general isn't an honorable character (in respect with duty to his country) because the readers can see he clearly avoided his duty to kill his friends. Instead of doing his duty for his country, he turns in the other direction and commits suicide. On the other hand, this makes him honorable in another sense, the fact that he kept his country's tradition. I'd like to think he was a victim because it was his job that forced him to take on one of the two decisions. In addition, i think that Reiko was honorable in her decision to keep her promise, even though she had shown some hesitation. I feel a certain degree of sympathy for her because, even though she made this her personal decision from the start, it seems a bit unfair to die at a young age. In my opinion the narrator seemed to be proud that the general and his wife had made this decision. It seems as if s/he were praising them for their act. The narrator may have been someone that either was close to them, or someone that had a passion for the traditions of the country. (I found this story to be very captivating because of the description, plot and the emotion behind it. It's nice to read something like this and the Hunger artist form time to time.)
ReplyDeleteWonderful comments. I am glad that you all enjoyed this story (if such a word could be used for such a gruesome act).
ReplyDeleteI think it is important to consider the position of the protagonist. He is loyal to his army, whom he must obey, but he is also loyal to his friends. It is truly an awful dilemma when one must choose between such extremes. And yet, his decision is to neither engage in his responsibilities or stand up for his mutinous friends. Rather, like Bartleby, he simply removes himself from the situation.
It is truly horrific when such dilemmas occurs in society and so these scenarios beg us to notice how our society's morality is not pure or perfect, but instead, this morality can often force us between what we think is right and what the law dictates.
I agree with JOHN BISWASSS. However, on a side note, the character was a lieutenant, not a general! (Yeah John!) He was a character in a tragic event rather than an honorable character in this story. He chooses to commit seppeku to avoid avoiding his duty as the lieutenant in the Imperial Army. Although this action may seem as a honorable person, who will not betray friends; he is nothing but a coward. He is indecisive as he is unable to pick between the army or his friends. He takes the easy way out, refusing to serve both. He is also quite selfish in taking his own life, almost as if he wants a positive outlook. He is scared of being labelled as a rebel from the Imperial Army or scared of being labelled as a traitorous friend from the rebels. His narrow view blinds him from thinking about others. His friends and his wife are forced to cope with his suicide regardless of how close they are to him. His wife commits suicide with him due to his selfishness. Although it may seem like an action done for the sake of love, it was her only alternative. Her husbands death may be seen as a cowardly action and she would have been labelled as the widow of a craven. He thinks of no alternative such as pleading to the army to pass upon the task due to his stupidity. He is blinded by his want of being seen as an honorable person. The narrator of the story seems to be someone of close relations to him, a close friend or subordinate. Different narrators matter because someone who holds no relations with him may label him as a coward who is unable to preform his duty, but rather commits seppeku. On the other hand, a friend who knows him well would consider it an honorable death such as the current narrator.
ReplyDelete“Patriotism” aroused feelings of awe and disgust in me. It epitomizes the standards set forth in Japanese society in that one must perform seppuku to preserve his integrity and honor. The grotesque manner in which Mishima tells this story was horrifying. With such vividness, the story is able to convey the beliefs of the couple that led to their seppuku. Lieutenant Shinji Takeyama and Reiko conform to society’s standards, but perhaps did not act correctly in that they allowed themselves to succumb to suicide. Although the expectation of society was their suicide, they did not necessarily need to do so. However, in doing so, the lieutenant’s courage is exemplified. He is unable to allow himself to kill his friends and thus kills himself. In addition, Reiko did not need to offer her suicide along with her husband. She performed seppuku in the belief that a wife must honor her husband and live for him. In this example, the daunting consequences of refusing the Imperial Ordinance’s orders and the pressure of the standards in society are seen to have led to the couple’s death.
ReplyDeleteI don't think that what the lieutenant did was the right thing to do. Even though the lieutenant knew he could not kill his friends, it does not mean he has to kill his friends, his wife, and himself as well (his friends are going to be executed whether he is there or not). There is no point in taking your own life just because you cannot make one hard decision in your life. Life is full of hard decisions and the lieutenant seemed to just give up in this occasion and did not even try to find a way out of it. It seems like a foolish time to end your life when both the lieutenant and his wife still have their newly-wed lives to live. The lieutenant thinks that he is doing the honorable thing by disemboweling himself but he can still leave his life by doing something greater such as being a hero on the battlefield, instead of stabbing yourself in front of your wife. In the end, I think that the lieutenant and his wife made a fatal decision. This story really shows the hard decisions in life and one can relate this story to their own lives in this sense; there will be hard decisions and impossible outcomes.
ReplyDeleteErik Liu This story was extremely graphical and had many details. The general and his wife in this story follows the Japanese cultural believe, believing that committing suicide is an honorable act. This story made me feel really disturbed because of the gruesome details and the fact that the the general and the wife look at suicide in such an optimistic way. I disagree with their standpoint, I believe that what they did was cowardly and ignorant. The general used suicide as a way of escape and the wife simply just followed him, being too weak to have her own opinion in this matter. Suicide in my opinion is a extremely cowardly and is used when people don't have enough bravery to confront their challenges so they decide to just give up on life. The general and his wife were not in anyway brave in committing suicide, they could have simple chose an alternative path other then fighting the war. The belief that you can "preserve honor" is ridiculous, giving up and not facing your challenges is not in any way brave. Martin Luther King once said "The ultimate measure of a man is not where he stands in moments of comfort and convenience, but where he stands at times of challenge and controversy." The general stands at a time of challenge, but did not face it like but simply ran away from it, so is therefore a coward. The wife did not in any way try to use reasonable sense to prevent her husband from his cowardly act so is therefore ignorant. The wife reflects upon a woman's position at that time. The wife did not have any thoughts other then following whatever her husband those which portrays the image of women back then as being weak and have the inability to think clearly.
ReplyDeleteYoung Kim
ReplyDeleteI think that i almost had a heart attack from reading this. the story was very well detailed and almost had me envision the blood and the pain of the couple. this story makes me realize how much of a coward i am and how i would never kill myself despite the shame or anger that i can possible feel. the guts of the couple is surprising. even though the couple did a courageous act it can also be seen as cowardly. yes, it took courage to kill themselves yet they could have lived for themselves and their friends. death is the easy way out of life, and the couple took the easy way. i dont think that it was the right choice to kill themselves because the couple could have somehow found a way to save their friends or they could have lived a more happier life for the both of them. once again i am amazed by the will power of the couple but angered by their decision.
I'm pretty sure most of us had trouble reading through that last scene. I can thank Mr. Ferencz for not letting me sleep tonight.
ReplyDeleteThe story was very graphic/descriptive/vivid/etc. as people have said before me. The sheer detail put into the horrific death scene brought an odd combination of wanting to stop reading and wanting to read through to the end. Their decision to commit seppuku was the right one, though only because of their inhuman loyalties to their nation, the lieutenant's soldiers, and to each other. Since the lieutenant could not choose between his country and his men, he chose not to choose by killing himself, which he could do only because of his patriotism and his wife's devotion and support, which led her to die with him.
~Lawrence Lim, Period 4
Dionis from 4th period.
ReplyDeleteThe story made me feel very disturbed because of how the author described the suicide scene. The general's course of action can be seen as both right and wrong. To protect his honor he chose death rather than to fight and that is very honorable, but from a different perspective it can be said as wrong because to some people committing suicide may seem like running away. Looking at it from Japan's view it was definitely a correct and most honorable decision that would've impressed many and the bravery of the general's wife is impressive as well. I personally think that his wife shouldn't die with him but even when she just married her husband she has decided to die with him so it was her decision in the end.
This story is very descriptive and patriotic. The protagonist is very loyal to his army, friends, and family. He is in an awful dilemma of choosing whether to betray or die. In this time period of Japanese society, he is almost forced to die in glory. Thus, the Lieutenant chooses to betray his wife because love is less than patriotism. He chooses to perform the honorary death of seppuku. However, this action also drags his wife into play. His young, beautiful, 23 year old wife who loves him so much almost chooses to die next to her husband. The couple’s actions are very brave. Personally, I admire Reiko’s actions because her love for her husband is so great and she didn’t even say one word about the Lieutenant’s decision. Maybe in our days, we might consider his actions to be a bit “crazy” but he made the best choice because he didn’t bring any dishonor.
ReplyDeleteThe narrator of this story is very unreliable because he or she can easily twist the story to suit his or her needs. If the narrator wanted to promote this as a good or bad situation, it is totally up to what he or she wants to say. Different narrators have different bias and perspectives; it prevents the story from being neutral. I agree with Beverly that his dying message was “Long Live the Dying Forces” and the lieutenant is probably more disturbed by killing his friends than the mutiny.
"Patriotism" is a tale that is both very tragic and greatly disturbing. The author effectively uses "show don't tell" in the story. Vivid details paint pictures in one's mind, although they are not necessarily pretty. In Japanese society and culture, committing suicide or seppaku, is seen as honorable and not cowardly. The lieutenant stayed up to Japan's standards by dying in honor rather than betraying someone. He is brave and courageous to be able to put on such a calm and accepting face to death. His loyalty to both parties (his friends and the Imperial Majesty) is certainly admiring. Even during the suicide scene, he continued with the process despite his intense pains. Most people would live their life rather than to give it up for such a cause. The lieutenant's actions show his love and respect for Japan's society. For Reiko, I'm truly in awe about her decision to die with her husband. She is the perfect wife for the lieutenant as she follows the proper standards of Japanese society. Not once did she hesitate about dying with her husband. She doesn't even have a part in this whole ordeal! Yet, she still adheres to Japan's standards. In the end, she supports the standards when she chooses to commit seppaku as well. Both the lieutenant and Reiko choose the right course of action in accordance with society. They did the right thing to not betray anyone.
ReplyDelete-Jessica Ma (Pd 9/E1FC)
The general is an honorable character because he chooses not to kill his friends and kill himself instead. He is not a victim of a tragic accident because he could have chose to just kill his friends, or join his friends, and he would have had a chance of not dying. He could have also run away. However, it is probably planted in Japanese culture that a general should be honorable, so he did the honorable thing and did not kill anybody he admired, which were people from both sides.
ReplyDeleteThe story is told from a third person point of view. It is important to consider who is telling the story because the narrator might skew some facts and leave out others. However, it does not seem relavent in this story because it seems like this story is trying to tell the readers about doing what one thinks is right and not backstab people.
-Eric Xiao
The story was both graphic and tragic. The author paints a tragic story into his reader's minds by subtly adding minute details that contribute to the general atmosphere of the story. I like how the author of the story makes the atmosphere more serene before introducing us to the , sort of like the calm before the storm. Shinji Takeyama decided to commit seppuku(suicide) because he didn't want to attack his renegade colleagues. This was considered honorable in Japanese culture. The author depicted Takeyama's seppuku as pure agony yet Takayama went through the process despite the intense pain. It shows how dedicated Takeyama was to his friends and the state. His wife, Reiko was even more amazing, she didn't have to die with Takeyama yet she decided to. I don't think that they did the right thing because they gave up their lives for the state.
ReplyDeleteWow, many of you started with "This story is very descriptive"...
ReplyDeleteAnyways, when I approached the end of the story, I noticed a small detail: the scroll with Chinese characters that mean "sincerity." Shortly after I started this story, I knew that Lieutenant Takeyama Shinji was an honorable character. He was sincere to his heart and did not want to harm his own colleague and follow Japanese citizens. Then, I realized that the blood that would splash onto the scroll could symbolize that in fact he was an honorable character, but his life was ended because of his tragic flaw: too true. Thus, he would be a victim of a tragic incident. I wondered, why you, Mr. Ferencz asked this question. Why can't he be both? People that fight in wars are honorable and if they die, they're still honorable but are victims of a tragic incident.
Although the narration is in third person, I believe that the point of view of this story is in the Reiko's point of view (except in the beginning because she's already dead). The story still focuses on her when her husband dies, and it describes mainly how she feels and what she sees. Also, when finally stabs her neck deeply, she dies after, and the narration immediately ends there.
It is important to consider who is telling the story because that gives a better understand of the story. If the narrator is the actual person, then the feelings and descriptions will be more accurate.
I kept reading and reading and I noticed that Reiko is constantly described as "white." She is very innocent and when her kimono becomes soaked with blood, it is like the scroll about sincerity.
This is Cameron Abma, not Daryl.
ReplyDeleteGood story, I thought the part when the lieutenant regained consciousness was surprisingly peaceful considering how much pain he must have been in and was cool how he did not start to panic or change his personality despite his description of the time as "utter chaos". Very powerful descriptions, really an interesting description of suicide, but it makes me wonder how realistic it can be since one cannot really go through suicide and then write about it. Despite it making suicide peaceful and accepted in the story, still made it sound very horrible, and makes the characters seem very strong for accepting it at all.
-Cameron Abma
The story is extremely graphic and "plays" a detailed video in my head of the general and his wife committing seppuku. Because the description is so vivid, you can really get a feeling of how gruesome it was, with copious amounts of blood and gore. This story is definitely not for the faint of heart, although I am fine with it.
ReplyDeleteAlso, aside from the detail in the story, I found it interesting since a few years ago I was very into Japanese history and researched it (so I have some background knowledge).
I believe that whether the general did an honorable thing is a question of context. In the period of time that this story takes place, suicide was much more common and was often conducted in the form of a ritual, seppuku. Dozens of people back then committed seppuku in scenarios like this to leave themselves in honor and glory, and it was perfectly acceptable for the wife to follow the husband. By committing suicide, he was able to preserve his honor, at least in that time. However, if you look at it from today's perspective, he was a coward who wasn't able to make a decision in his life so he gave up and committed suicide to escape it all. He allowed his wife to be impacted and follow suit. He abandoned everyone he knew. It's all a matter of looking at context - if you look him today, he was a wimp. In my opinion, what he did was right for his time.
The general is both an honorable character and a victim of a tragic twist of fate. His society calls for honor and a strict adherence to the samurai honor code. In our eyes he is the victim of a horrible chain of events. His recent marriage coupled with the task of killing his own friends seems terrible to us. In his world, the honorable way out is committing seppuku. He honors his friends and saves himself from betraying his friends. This act is also considered very honorable as a last resort or in many circumstances. The narrator is obviously a Japanese propagandist or a writer looking to portray the characteristics of their society as in what they consider beautiful and honorable and what life is about to them. This is also in an age where cars are about and regular knowledge. It shows that despite the new modern era, people should still follow the old traditions and honor code. If told by a different nationality the story would focus on areas that their countries and societies consider honorable, attractive, and their reasons for living.
ReplyDeleteVictor Lei Kangqiao
i think he is a victim of a tragic accident because he is by suiciding. he is suiciding only because he wont fight his countryman and it is honorable at the time but morally it is not. His wife suicides along with him because they have a husband-wife relationship,their love is very intense.
ReplyDeleteThis story was really vivid. You can imagine the soldier thrusting the sword into his stomach followed by vommit. Pools of his blood flooded the floor as his wife, Reiko, witness him die. As he laid on the ground, "crumpled and listless", she prepared for her death. She jabbed a dagger into her throat and moved it sideways. She soon died with the husband. He only killed himself because he wanted to preserve the friendship he had. After finding out that his friends were now rebels, and he was directed to kill them in battle, he felt that the seppuku was the right decision.
ReplyDeleteHe couldn't bring himself to killing his own friends. In commiting his own suicide, his wife decides to die with him. He was the sun of her world. Her love for him was too strong to be broken. In bravery, she made the final decision of living the rest of her life with him. I felt that this was an honorable thing to do for both of them. THey made the right decision of killing themselves for the sake of their friends. At the time, this was an honorable thing for one to do. It was no shame to die as a soldier. I felt that their decision to and their lives were the right thing to do, to preserve both their friendship and honor.
^ The following is from Olivia Zhong (Period 9) because she's having trouble posting it online.
I was actually disgusted by how much detail the story presented. From the waves of blood to the death of his wife. However, the story tells a tell of a man willing to kill himself over the choice of the death of his friends. Seppuku, also known as an honorable suicide,was made by the general. Reiko,who was the general's wife, died along with her husband as she watched him commit Seppuku. This shows how much honor and friendship the general has to his friends and himself. I believe that he made the right choice in killing himself over his friends. Although his wife and he died he managed to save many more lives of his friends and died knowing that they would not die by his hands. It was an honor to die as a soldier so it was prideful.
ReplyDeleteDaniel Kim (Period 9) E1FC
The story Patriotism by Yukio Mishima was told in such elaborate details that I can imagine the scene where the Reiko had to watch her husband kill himself by stabbing himself with a sword. I think this story is very sad and depressing. I do not believe that the general and his wife chose the right decision because even if they can't choose between loyalty towards friends or loyalty towards the emperor, they can still escape the horror of the situation through other ways instead of death. For example, Takeyama could have taken his wife and emigrate to another country. One very touching part of the story was when the wife chose to die with her husband when he broke the news to her. -Mindy Qiu E1FC
ReplyDeleteThe general seems like a very honorable person. He decides to commit seppuke, rather then kill his friends so in this way he also seems like he is a victim of a tragic event.
ReplyDeleteAlso, realizing that he was in a position of power in japan, we see that committing seppuke was a thing that happened a lot back then when someone loses honor. He did this to save his family's name, while still not being forced to kill his own country men. Also, people in this blog mentioned how its weird that his wife had to kill herself too. That's just how things were done back then. What we may consider barbaric now, was normal back then.
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