I will be focusing on the prompt of how the literature reflects the historical aspect of the time. I will be looking at the cultural and social aspect of Kushi Fusako's Memoirs of a Declining Ryukyuan Woman (400-408). Fusako draws attention to the way that the Ryukyuan people of Okinawa were discriminated against and forced into hiding if they wished to succeed in the Japanese world.
The Characterization of the Uncle and the way he chose to hid his heritage speaks volumes to the social pressures of the time to be "Pure" Japanese.
The flow plot helps to emphasize the harsh reality of the people Ryukyuan people during that era. She starts the tail in the big city and shows how the main characters uncle is fearful of her presents and the discovery of his secret. The flow of the story shows the result of the uncles choices and then goes back to the root of his shame.
I have much information on this subject but as I need to cite my sources and not just my personal knowledge I have needed to look up some data to support what I already understand and have learned from my own studies and experience of the culture.
The repression of Okinawan (another word for Ryukyuan) culture is another reason this work should be recognized historically. As the tattoos and the martial arts of the island were shamed and even punishable offences should anyone attempt to practice this aspect of their culture. The repression of Karate was one of the reasons we now have Eisa dancing. Which was introduced by monks as a sneaky way for the nation to continue their practice of martial arts under the cover of cultural dance and entertainment.
Over all the feeling behind the story Fusako has written is a beautiful representation of the Okinawan struggle of the time and how they struggled unjustly and faced harsh prejudice. The violence and unjust actions of the Japanese people against them was nothing short of racist and despicable. The Japanese government would rather that the history books forget this chapter. However, I find that this cannot be accepted and that writings of truth like this must be respected and preserved. I wish that Fusako would have written more before her death.
http://www.okinawanderer.com/2017/09/eisa-is-most-popular-and-most-traditional-icon-of-okinawa/
http://minorityrights.org/minorities/ryukyuans-okinawans/
https://blog.janm.org/index.php/2015/08/27/the-secret-history-of-okinawan-tattoos/
Hi Savannah, your project action plan is amazing. I also agree that there is so much to talk about in the social and historical perspectives. It is great that you will contribute the experiences and knowledge you have learned since you mentioned you lived or studied in Japan. The text you chose is a perfect choice since it shows how much their culture impacted them and how the rest of society disliked being associated with them. You can mention the passage where the uncle has been trying to keep his history and background from his wife and children since he is afraid they will be ashamed. It is astonishing how much oppression the Okinawan people faced, especially the women who had more challenges. Many of them also struggled horribly in the financial aspects and it was good that her uncle was able to get a job in a good city, but I found it horrible how he did not event want to be near his niece. Your action plan is great and I am looking forward to reading your project. Good job.
ReplyDeleteHey Savannah,
ReplyDeleteYour project action plan is simple and to the point and as a reader that is very helpful and I was able to really see your vision for the paper. And the topic you chose about social and historical perspectives because it will give you so much to talk about while putting together your essay. Also this topic will challenge you as a writer to understand the thought process of those in history which in my opinion can be very difficult because I see people in power or noticed by society were very narrow minded. Although you will explain all of this in your paper I know will be a good one because of how strutted your thoughts are on this action plan and this is important because when you are all over the place it causes your essay to lack focus so your attention to your topic is key which you do very well.
Hey Savannah! I think you chose a great story to go with the historic topic. Fusako's story is very historical because it does talk about the inferior place Ryukyuan were since they were discriminated against. It is sad to think that since they were discriminated against they had to go in hiding in order to succeed in life. This story definitely talks about the harsh reality Ryukyuan people have to go through. It is an important era in history so the fact that you are going to supply facts and evidence from the book and your own personal knowledge and experience is great. It looks like you are pretty set on what you are mainly going to talk about in your project submission and you have a great guide set up already so I think you'll do just fine. I really look forward to reading your submission and I hope you find everything you are looking for. Good luck Savannah!
ReplyDeleteHi Savannah! I really enjoyed reading your project action plan because you went into amazing detail about what you want to write about. It is great that you already have a majority of the information to address your topic. In just your action plan alone, I already learned so much about the Ryukyuan people. I agree that the story by Kushi Fusako, portrays feelings that really seem to represent the Okinawan time and struggle. I also agree that the actions of the Japanese people against the Okinawans was unjust, racist, and despicable. You really went into great detail in planning your project submission and I think it is great that you took the time to create such a thorough project action plan. In just reading your project action plan, I am really looking forward to reading your project submission and seeing what your argument will be about. Good luck on your project submission! I cannot wait to read it! Great job and keep up the good work!
ReplyDeleteHi Savannah!
ReplyDeleteI think you have a really great project action plan. I like the reading you chose for your prompt, I think you’ll be able to use Memoirs of a Declining Ryukyuan Woman really well to address the topic of how literature reflects historical aspects of its time. I liked when you said “I have much information on this subject but as I need to cite my sources and not just my personal knowledge I have needed to look up some data to support what I already understand and have learned from my own studies and experience of the culture.” I think it’s great that you have some background knowledge and personal experience that will help you understand the topic better and I like that you decided to find sources to help support your own knowledge to make sure that way you say is credible. You seem to have gotten the overall idea of your project down really well and will be able to nicely put it all together in your paper.