Message from jbaybo

[Anonymous]

Profesor Patelka’s lecture and discussion was very informative and interesting due to the depth of his lecture; I found it very interesting to learn how Japanese society developed. The movie, “The Last Samaria,” was mentioned to illustrate discrepancies and accuracies in this celebrated Hollywood movie. If Tom Cruise had actually been in Japan during the Meiji period, he would not have had easy access to the Emperor. However, the lead Shogun who was disgruntled about the loss of his place in society was also joined by other disgruntled Shoguns and the movie actually reflected an accurate portrayal of some responses to the dismantling of their status system. While teaching I have referenced this movie for other aspects, such as the drive toward modernization of Japan. I now have a few more pieces of knowledge that will enable me teach better about Japan. This is an older movie, but many students have seen it and it proves to be a good discussion starter in my classes.

Wow, Professor Patelka went through so much history and I found many more comparisons that I had not connected until now. One comparison was the Japanese political associations in the 1870s-1880s who met to discuss and create their constitution. The Philosophs in France were enlightened individuals who met in salons to discuss politics and the changes the French wanted in their governance.

Also, the Japanese were self driven to follow the lead of other European industrialized nations so that they would not become a colony of the Europeans. It only makes sense, but for some reason I have never thought of it in those terms. Mainly, I connected it with the drive for domination and the winner takes all mentality. Not realizing that the Japanese didn’t want to be victimized or run over. Yet, eventually the road led to this exact conclusion toward the end of World War II.