Canterbury Tales

In writing The Miller’s Prologue and Tale, Chaucer uses comedy to challenge of the social hierarchy and rules of the society of his day.  His mocking begins in the prologue when the innkeeper turns to the monk to tell a story after the knight has just finished his romantic tale.  Before the monk can get a word out, the drunken miller interrupts and insists on telling his story that will supposedly best that of the knight.  This would most likely be highly inappropriate for a commoner like the miller to interrupt the monk and try to outdo and insult the knight. By allowing the miller to barge in with his crude tale that is basically the antithesis of the knight’s tale of romance, Chaucer shows his contempt for the social hierarchy and its rules.  As the miller gets into his tale, the society’s rules are represented by Absolon, the parish clerk, who tries to court the beautiful Alison by using traditional methods of wooing her with his guitar and song.  Even when she refuses his advances, he continues to come to sing to her from beneath her window.  As must be the custom of traditional courting rules, Absolon requests a kiss from Alison in acknowledgement of his guitar playing and singing even though Alison has made it clear that she has no interest in his advances.  Again, Chaucer shows his contempt for the traditional social hierarchy and its practices by having Absolon unknowingly kiss Alison’s rear end instead of her face.  He goes so far as to have Nicholas, Alison’s lover, pass gas in Absolon’s face when he returns for a second kiss.  The commoner’s show of disrespect for society’s traditional methods of courtship speak mirrors Chaucer’s own views on the subject.

The Tale of Genji

I really enjoyed reading the chapter selections from The Tale of Genji because through this work, I felt like I was given a pretty accurate account of what life was really like for the aristocracy of Japan at this time.  In previous readings, like Gilgamesh or the Ramayana, many descriptions of the characters were exaggerated, and the heroes were often portrayed as godlike.  This is not the case in the two chapters that we read from The Tale of Genji.  The first chapter that we read is a long, detailed dialogue between Genji, his friend, and two other gentleman during which they discuss what each likes and does not like in a woman and also recount some of their previous exploits.  Being able to hear each gentleman’s stories and opinions, I am given great insight into the how the aristocracy of Japan at this time truly behaved.  The men used their status to satisfy their lust for women, which they did many times over with many different women.  Women, for the most part, stayed and home by themselves and tended to the children and home, while their husbands were out with other wives and mistresses.  It doesn’t appear that the author worries about having her characters adhere to a moral code as we have seen many times in previous works we have read.  Instead, she seems to be more focused on providing and accurate, realistic account of life in the Japanese aristocracy and the way men and women of the time interacted with one another.

The Man'yoshu

My favorite poem from The Man'yoshu is Dialog of the Destitute. The poet uses several literary devices, such as imagery and irony, to paint an agonizingly painful picture of life of the poor in Japan. The author's desperation to find food and drink is illustrated when he describes how he must "lick black lumps of salt and suck up melted dregs of sake (lines 8-9)." His torn clothes are mere "tattered rags" that are "thin as strips of seaweed (lines 44-45)." These illustrative lines bring the speaker to life for the reader, making it very easy to sympathize with him.

The most poignant line in the entire work comes in the form of irony at the very end of the poem. About midway through the poem, the speaker reminds himself and the reader that at least he was born human so he may have a chance of attaining enlightenment and escaping the cycle of death and rebirth that has landed him in his current state of poverty and despair. Then, in the very last lines of the poem, he laments that he is not a bird, a level that cannot even attain enlightenment as a human can, so that he could at least fly away to escape the cruel world in which he lives.

The Tragedy of Sohrab and Rostam

One of the major themes of The Tragedy of Sohrab and Rostam is fate.  From the beginning of the story, Sohrab and Rostam are both portrayed as men of unusually large size and strength.  Rostam pulls a tree from the ground and uses it to spit a burrough, and Sohrab is so big and strong for his age that he is mistaken for a grown man when he is only ten years old.  Despite their size and strength, both men realize that they are virtually powerless against the whims of fate.  As Rostam is preparing for the second day’s fight, he says to Kavus, “…though I strive, I don’t know who will win.  Nor do I know what choice Yazdan will make.  Strength, victory, and fame all come from Him…”  After Sohrab is mortally wounded by his father, he does not blame him for his impending death.  Instead, he says to Rostam, “This was the fate allotted me.  The heavens gave my key into your hand.  It’s not your fault.  It was this hunchback fate, who raised me up then quickly cast me down.”  This story clearly shows that not even the biggest or strongest of humans is a match for fate and the will of the gods.