The night had been long and sleepless for Momotaro. He had been thrown in a dirty room with only the clothes on his back and an old mattress on the floor. The room was dingy, stained in many places from the salt of the ocean crashing over the tide wall and through the rickety metal sheets that lined the outside of the building. It hadn’t been long before curious samurai had come in to inspect him and, ultimately, open their kimonos and make demands. Momo had not complained. These men were simple brutes, interested only in a quick bit of pleasure, and giving them what they needed was something Momo could practically do while asleep. There was no artistry, no passion to them, just simple scornful lust. In retrospect, Momo might even have claimed …show more content…
He hadn’t seen Kojirō or his pet robo-samurai since he had first awoken, though he heard those heavy metal steps outside the room, presumably patrolling. Momo had pieced together that he was bait for his sister and the primary gangs of the city to come and meet their reckoning. They were preparing for war out there, and Momo could only assume that war was coming. Rin might not have bothered much on her own, but the combined fury of Madame Li and An Xue Meng was sure to assemble a force of at least equal value to whatever Kojirō had mustered here. Rin would lead it, Momo was sure. Even if she wasn’t in it to rescue her half-brother, she couldn’t possibly turn down such a venue of violence. She would be here, and she would drag Hell along behind …show more content…
“Daughter of the oyabun. Momo’s droopy eyelids snapped open. She was his daughter? So they were potentially related? Momo didn’t know for sure if Kojirō was his father. He suspected that they were not actually related, due to the bizarre way in which his mother had referred to Momo’s father with fierce defensiveness as absolutely being the same man as Rin’s father. But even so, that would make Hanae Rin’s half-sister, if not his own. Hanae even styled her hair in a similar way to Rin. Were glowing eyes the reason for the
The Boys of ’67 Charlie Company’s War in Vietnam, by Dr. Andrew Wiest, is an account of Charlie Company’s involvement in the Vietnam War: from the activation of the Ninth Infantry Division, the draft and training, the arrival in Vietnam, the battles and losses, the replacements, the Freedom Bird, and ultimately for some, to the return home. The author writes of boys who were just becoming men and how they were brought together, the only division during the Vietnam War to be trained together and deployed together, to create a group of soldiers who became a band of brothers. The Boys of ’67 is the story of that brotherhood and how they walked through a year of living hell and were changed forever. As Dr. Wiest writes, “That jarring transformation, along with the transformation of the country to which they returned, changed the lives of the boys of Charlie Company forever.”
Mark Atwood Lawrence’s The Vietnam War: A Concise International History shows readers an international affair involving many nations and how the conflict progressed throughout its rather large existence. Lawrence starts his book in a time before America was involved in the war. It starts out with the French trying to colonize the nation of Vietnam. Soon the United States gets involved and struggles to get its point across in the jungles of Indo-China. Much of the book focuses on the American participation in helping South Vietnam vie for freedom to combine the country as a whole not under Communist rule. Without seeing many results, the war drug on for quite some time with neither side giving up. This resulted in problems in Vietnam and the U.S.
In the ancient Japanese culture, one great aspect was on how they emphasized on the intrinsic themes of loyalty and honor. They had fierce warriors known as samurai’s. A samurai was a traditional warrior who would protect and be loyal to their masters no matter what. They were known to be skilled soldiers, benevolent men, self-sacrifice, sense of shame, along with other major characteristics that embodied them as a samurai. While this class of warrior no longer exist today, the remembrance of a samurai is present in the minds of the characters in the novel, The Samurai’s Garden by Gail Tsukiyama. Tsukiyama does a fascinating piece of work by really elaborating and describing the great attributes that Matsu possess of a true samurai. In the
Men must face hardships. Men must face disease. Men must face each other [Parallel]. Men constantly pressure one another into perfection. Some men, however, crumble under the burden looming over their heads [FoS]. When some men cannot face themselves or those around them any longer, they choose a dangerous and deadly escape. They would rather commit suicide than face their hardships. In the japanese culture, society encouraged seppuku to end a life before a man brought dishonor to his family. In a world full of yearning for honor, young men learned that they must express courage through suicide to fulfill their honorable ancestors’ wishes. Gail Tsukiyama uses her novel The Samurai’s Garden to prove that only
Throughout the story the author discusses how Toyo-o’s father and bigger brother scorn him for his irresponsibility and laziness, since he fails to take up any responsibility to help with the family business. This shows that, in the Japanese culture, a man is...
The author said,’’ lad to shoot arrows with deadly accuracy while galloping at full speed’’ (Doc C). From the looks of the weight and the armor of the knights they would kill them quick. A knight would lose the battle of the samurai vs knight because the knights are weak. The author stated,’’ I know that i was dead areadt and i would moved my loss of my life’’(Doc F). The samurai didnt feel sad because they know that they were going to be dead. The warriors knew they would have a good afterlife when he died The samurais dont care if they die or not because if they disrespect their lord they will commite stabe them selves or they will die in
Akutagawa is famous for his use of symbolism and aspects of modernism in order to convey a hidden truth about human nature in society. To put it simply, his story, “In a Grove,” is a tale about a murder. However, underlying throughout the story are themes of deception and honor. The murder victim, a trained samurai is lured into a grove and killed, and the suspects are his wife, the robber, and himself. Rather than plead innocent, each suspect pleads guilty to preserve their honors. The blade is a recurring symbol in this story and shows the preservation of this honor. On page 25 the robber, Tajomaru, claims that he “didn't like to resort to unfair means to kill” the samurai, Takehiko. Instead, he claims that he offered to cross swords with him, and then killed him after twenty-three strokes. In this way the sword represents a means to accomplish an act of honor. To murder the samurai without a fight would be dishonorable, but by using the sword Tajomaru achieves honor. Furthermore, Takehiko goes on to claims, You, you don't use your swords. You kill people with your power, with your money,” (Akutagawa 20). Takehiko makes the accusation that the Ju...
The novel begins with Oishi, the head samurai and right-hand man of the daimyo Lord Asano, riding in the sunset with Ako, Asano’s daughter. They observe the poor conditions for the people that the laws implicated by Shogun Tsunayoshi. Meanwhile, Asano is in Edo awaiting a court meeting with the corrupt Master of Ceremonies, Kira. Asano already has a general distaste for Kira, as Kira is notorious for taking bribes under the table. Asano, being taught strict Confucian morals and ethics, sees this as unhonorable. He is to undergo the meeting with Lord Date, another representative of the Shogun. When they arrive, Kira treats Date nicely, and is friendly towards him, but is disrespectful towards Asano, saying “You know you could have saved yourself all this trouble, you know…if your money means so much to you, there are other ways to satisfy my taste for delicacies. I hear you have a pretty wife with a round moonlike face…”(page 46). In a fit of rage, Asano draws his sword and strikes Kira in the shoulder. Although Kira walks away from the incident with minor injuries, Asano is still sentenced to commit seppuku, or an honorable form of ritual suicide because striking a court official is considered a grave offense....
Enya’s retainers stay loyal to him even after his death. Forty-seven men swore to revenge their master’s death, risking their lives and disturbing public order. Even when a retainer fails his duty, he will seppuku so to die honorable for his failure. For example, Kampei believes he has shot his father in law because of the bag of gold the mistress described that Yoichibei was carrying. In reality Kamei shot Yoichibei’s killer, but ironically Kampei believes he has shot Yoichibei himself. Kampei seppuku’s for a horrible crime that he unknowingly didn’t commit because it was so dishonorable to him. Suicide was his only way to die with any honor. Kampei portrayed so much loyalty for his family that when he believes he has failed, he commits suicide. Kampei is allowed to join the attack on Moronao after the retainers see his loyalty to his family. Enya, on his deathbed, tells Yuranosuke to avenge his death. Now it is Yuranosuke’s duty to fulfill his master’s request. Enya’s loyal retainers form a group of forty-seven men and conspire to kill Moronao to honor their master. The retainers wear black and white coats that symbolize unfailing loyalty when they invade Moronao’s compound and behead him. Samurai’s have a duty to be loyal and fulfill the request of his master.
The Japanese leaders of these tragedies included Emperor Hirohito, who gave several military orders such as taking over China; Prince Asaka, who developed brutal ways to kill captives; General Yanagawa Heisuke, who received the orders and enforced them; and lastly, General Nakajima Kesago, who inaugurated the killings in Nanking by beheading two prisoners of war to test his sword (Jones). The motives of these people were to kill soldiers that were seen as a threat by any means necessary (Chang). “Many were shot down like the hunting of rabbits in the streets” (Scarred). The soldiers smiled when they beheaded someone, they laughed when they killed masses at a time, and they slept through the night dreaming about doing it all over again the next day.... ...
“In a Grove written by Ryunosuke Akutagawa” is divided into seven different parts to portray different testimonies, confessions or repentances of the murder of the married samurai. The first four testimonies were all people who were bystanders now incorporated with the solving of a murder. The first testimony comes from a woodcutter who found the body lying in a grove of bamboo. He re accounts his findings of the samurai “Lying flat on its back dressed in a bluish silk kimono and a wrinkled head- dress of the kyoto style” (Akutagawa1). The woodcutter describes a wound of a single stroke from a blade on the samurai’s chest. The second testimony is given by a Buddhist Priest. The priest tells of seeing the samurai and his wife riding horseback
Not only did his actions bring harm to others, “he beat her heavily” (29/10) and “Okonkwo’s second wife, Ekwefi, whom he nearly shot” (29/3). His actions also brought consequences to himself. Ojiugo and Ekwefi and her daughter feared him, and he was known in the village to have broken the sacred peace for the first time in many years, leaving many people in shock (31/3).
This pressure leads him to kill a child that calls him father. Okonkwo doesn’t wish to look weak in front of his fellow tribesmen, so he cuts the boy down despite the Oracle’s message. “He heard Ikemefuna cry, “My father they have killed me!” as he ran towards him. Dazed with fear, Okonkwo drew his machete and cut him down. He was afraid of being thought weak” (Achebe 61). Okonkwo is unable to express a normal human emotion, such as grief, because he is crippled by the opinions of others. Okonkwo does not have the ability to express his true feelings and therefore is enslaved by the sense of masculinity he feels he must portray. His only ability to express his feelings comes only through violence and
There are many reasons to commit hara-kiri. For example, after a defeat, some samurai decide to commit hara-kiri rather than being captured or dying a dishonorable death. Japanese culture sometimes called “shame culture” as oppose to the Western “guilt culture.” According to this thought in western countries, the absolute moral standard of guilt is the principle of people’s behavior, but in Japan, the behavior is ruled by the external feeling of shame. Particularly for samurai in the feudal period, being put to shame in public was as good as being dead. These are examples of hara-kiri from Japanese history.
He complains, “You strut about the place with strange men, you come home at midnight and expect me to say nothing. No husband would tolerate this. What do you think I am? A fucking eunuch?” (M 163). The bitter exchange of words including the assertion of each one’s rights drives Shyam to assert his superiority and rights over her body. “Then I fucked her. The resentment I felt for being tolerated rather than loved, the yearning I had suffered, the loneliness of these eight years, all fused to become a consuming desire to possess her. To make her mine. To reach within and tear down that film of indifference that coated her eyes each time I took her in my arms” (M 163). He wanted to reinforce the idea that she is his possession. “You are my wife. You are mine” (M 163). He wanted to prove his control over her body by an act of rape which leaves a deep scar on her