Thoughts about 5th session

[Anonymous]

I was interested to learn about the common practice among Japanese people to arbitrarily change their names. Particularly in such a hierarchichal society, it would seem to be an abandonment of one's ancestry and family. But evidently not. Or maybe that's what is intended-- new name, new life? In any case, it must make it very difficult to trace one's roots. Or plan a family reunion. Or maintain government records.

[Anonymous]

The name change can be a very big “thread” with a high risk of digression (from the topic). Nevertheless, I think that a name change represents a statement and as such serves as evidence for the presence of a certain value system, quite “futuristic” for its time. Remember the absence of surnames?

[Anonymous]

Probably I am repeating myself, but the 5th session confirmed one more time that literature represents a written record – a written record of interpretations of historical facts, events, and phenomena; and as such serves as evidence for the existence of a civilization with a strong contribution to the cultural spectrum of the world.

[Anonymous]

I thought this was one of the better lectures. Prof. Miyake was energetic, engaging and informative. In addition, I enjoyed the supplemental materials she brought to the class. He discussion of the Heian Period was intriguing--especially about the poetry that era.

[Anonymous]

I think that the Liza Dalby (the lady who trained as a Geisha) website is an awesome resource to help students understand the culture of the Heian Period. I can definitely see designing a WebQuest around it! Professor Miyake had such a great variety of material that would be a great asset to my more visual learners!

[Anonymous]

I did not realize how important, and talked about "The Tale of Genji". I thought it was just a historical footnote, in that Mirasaki Shikibu wrote it, and that it was probably the first novel. I was impressed with how much power some women had in the Japanese culture, ie "The Pillow Book". I have a copy of the novel, "The Tale of Genji", and will now definitely have to read it. Was fascinated by my colleagues shared about their "Emos". Made me somewhat glad that I teach Jr. High.[Edit by="ebeneke on Oct 20, 8:08:25 PM"][/Edit]

[Anonymous]

The pictures that we saw at the end of the session were in fact, some of the best things that I used to share with my seventh grade classes. There was one film that I used to check out from the Beverly Hills library about Japanese Kabuki, Noh and the puppeteers (name escapes right now). I especially liked that noises that were made with flute, drums and almost, odd screaming voices. I think that the students really enjoyed this too. Usually on this same film, there was a portion dedicated to young girls all learning to play very beautiful instrument, the name also escapes me. At the end of the film, all the little girls are shown performing together. The music and the large group of girls is overwhelmingly beautiful.

[Anonymous]

I will agree. I viewed the website last night and gained some insight. I found the homosexual link to be of great interest.

[Anonymous]

I agree that the short video we had a chance to see at the end of the last session was excellent visual addition to the lecture. I am sure that students would enjoy learning about the culture of Japan by watching Japanese Kabuki and maybe compare it to other theatrical performances. I will search the inventory of Public Library system to find if the video you have suggested is available and to use in the classroom.

[Anonymous]

I agree with the comment of Christov that literature and history have been always completing the picture we can create about a historical time period. One cannot understand historical events without reading literary work from the time period. Also during the lecture of Prof. Myake I was thinking about the many interesting turns in history. Chinese language was used to write literature in Japan and then almost eight centuries later Japan would become the military superpower in Asia invading China for a while before WW II. [Edit by="npetkova on Oct 21, 10:32:38 PM"][/Edit]

[Anonymous]

In addition to the comments to Oviedo about the last session, I liked the fact that Prof. Myake made great connection with today's literary work based on the classical Japanese literature by sharing with us her collection of books and videos.[Edit by="npetkova on Oct 21, 10:40:09 PM"][/Edit]
[Edit by="npetkova on Oct 21, 10:40:48 PM"][/Edit]

[Anonymous]

Hi, everyone. I'm not sure if this was the 5th session or the 6th session. The double session threw me off. Anyway, assuming this thread is relating to the session on Japanese literature, several things really stuck in my mind. I was fascinated by 'The Pillow Book.' Not just because of the content, but also because of the structure. I can't recall any other work in any period in any language that is constructed in such a way-- no plot, no story, no apparent form-- just a loose collection of writings, musings, commentaries, essays, lists, etc. of which the only commonality is the author. I really liked that. In fact, if I were to ever write a book, I would choose such a form.
Another thing that really stuck in my mind was that almost all Japanese schools use the same textbooks. This is astonishing! Here in the US, individual schools have a hard time deciding on a textbook, much less a district, much less a state, much much less the entire US.
I was also struck by the concept of "politics of apology." So much diplomacy could be accomplished with a simple apology, but differences tend to be drawn out and magnified to the point that war breaks out. The idea that there can be a face-saving way out of situations is one that the US should embrace. Imagine the lives and resources that could be saved.

[Anonymous]

Puppetry as art represents a rich amalgam of individual and team work. The European tradition “admires” more the puppeteer’s individual skills in controlling a single marionette. Surprisingly, the Japanese puppetry offers another way of theatrical representation: simultaneous efforts of individuals to collectively represent…an individual. Food for thought.

[Anonymous]

I also found the literary pieces very interesting. I have a new appreciation for the Japanese poetry and a new found interest in it. Having it put into the context of the specific time period was especially helpful.

[Anonymous]

I enjoyed learning about the different types of theater performances. I would like to incorporate some of these ideas into a project for my students. This would be a perfect way to get kids interested and develop a deeper understanding.

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