For Friday, the “Rainbow” Group (the third group) should answer TWO of the following questions. The members of this group are: Cody G, Kentajj A, Mariana E, Kate C, Tim V, Savanna T, Skyler H, Callie C, Taylor J, Jaren S, Kyle F, and Babette R.
READ THE FOLLOWING: Of a Mirror and a Bell, Jikiniki, Mujina, Rokuro-Kubi, A Dead Secret, Yuki-Onna
Q1: Throughout the stories, Hearn (an American by way of England )
struggles to translate the culture and customs of Japan
through these colorful, exotic stories. One of the most significant ideas
is found in the story “Of a Mirror and a Bell ,”
when he explains the concept known as “nazoraëru.” What does this word
mean, and how might it capture something of the Japanese perspective on the
invisible powers that shape the world? Do we have something similar to
this in Western/American culture?
Q2: Several of the stories end very abruptly, either with the statement, "I really cannot tell you with what it was filled!" or "But the priest alone knew what was in it; and the secret died with him." This is a very unsatisfying way to end stories for most readers, so why do these stories deny the solution to the mystery of the story? What might this suggest about the culture, or the nature of ghost stories themselves?
Q3: Though these stories have little of the sexual conflict of Lysistrata, how do some of them depict the tension between men and women (or husbands and wives)? Why might some aspects of marriage or relationships be taboo in this culture? How do the stories address these issues, especially stories such as "A Dead Secret" and "Yuki-Onna"?
Q4: Many of these stories also embody the "finger and the moon" analogy we discussed in class; that is, the finger points to the moon, but the finger is not the moon--it merely guides one to the moon in the sky. How might some of these stories reflect this philosophy? Especially considering the difference between perception and reality?
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