Memoirs of a Geisha by Arthur Golden

The book I'm currently reading as my book outside of class is Memoirs of a Geisha by Arthur Golden. I immediately fell in love with the book only after reading a few sentences, thus, the statement that Golden is capable of writing a captivating and riveting novel is a huge understatement. The story takes place in the late 1920s to early 1930s Japan, where a young girl Chiyo, from the small village of Yoroido, endures many difficult challenges when she is forcibly taken to Kyoto to become a geisha at the age of nine. Golden’s style is so unique and his writing truly honors Japanese tradition which he embodies so vividly.

The novel is told in Chiyo’s point of view, as she tells the story of how she came to be a geisha, which is truly a saddening story as I can almost feel Chiyo’s pain through her thoughts and words. Chiyo’s character is so pleasant and considerate, and in my opinion, she is the epitome of a good-natured person in every sense of the word. Her story is so heartbreaking, yet touching at the same time because her audacity and courage to overcome obstacles is very admirable.

In the beginning, the way in which Chiyo describes the world around her is indicative of her youthful innocence and naiveté. Her point of view reflects that of an unassuming child who has an immense curiosity for the world and everything in it. For example, Golden elaborates Chiyo’s inquisitive character when she observes Mr. Tanaka in great detail and notes how the “creases in his brow [were] like ruts in the bark of a tree” and how he “seemed to [her] the wisest and most knowledgeable man on earth” (Golden 20), which serves to elaborate her childish innocence. Chiyo is such an imaginative child too, as she constantly concocts fantasies in her head of what she believes are people’s intentions and of her future.

Moreover, Golden’s vivid descriptions take the novel to a whole other level, especially because each literary device is explicitly true to Japanese culture and principles. Golden specifically reveals Chiyo’s depth of knowledge and understanding of the world through her language and descriptions of what she feels or thinks. For instance, when she feels tired and completely worn out, she says that she “felt as sore as a rock must feel when the waterfall has pounded on it all day long” (Golden 34), perfectly capturing the sensation of fatigue. Additionally, when Chiyo encounters Hatsumomo for the first time, she is amazed and stunned by her beauty and the extravagance of her kimono, which “was water blue, with swirling lines in ivory” and of her face, which is described like a painting with a “rich white, like the wall of a cloud when lit by the sun” (Golden 36-37). Golden’s writing is incredibly creative and flawless, in my opinion, because it is difficult to tell a story in the point of view of a girl searching to find her way in life, much less when it is a story about a foreign culture. Overall, I think the Golden is a commendable and brilliant writer, and from what I have read thus far, Memoirs of a Geisha is a great read and a fantastic novel.

"Bright Star" by John Keats

In "Bright Star," Keats immediately introduces us to the speaker in the first line, as the speaker muses, “bright star, would I were steadfast as thou art—,” indicating that they desperately yearn to acquire the same unfaltering and determined nature as a star in the sky, undying and eternal. In the very first line of the poem, Keats gives life to the star, which is depicted through the use of an apostrophe (addressing something nonhuman) so as to illuminate how the speaker’s soul is void of any flawless star-like qualities that are so sought-after. Moreover, the speaker acknowledges the star’s solitude, adding that he/she does not long to be “in lone splendor hung aloft the night,” which simultaneously evokes the star’s magnificence in its eternal existence. Keats’ solemn and somber tone vividly captures the speaker’s profound longing and despondency. The speaker bluntly asserts that in addition to not wanting to exist in isolation, he refuses to be an observer like the star, “with eternal lids apart.” Once more, Keats depicts the star as a living thing, giving it eyes that watch down upon the world endlessly. The speaker in the poem does not wish to possess the star’s ability to gaze at the world interminably, for it may be unbearable. The speaker declares that the star watches, “like nature’s patient, sleepless Eremite,” which Keats structures using a simile in order to suggest that the speaker does not seek to remain restless and sheltered indefinitely like an “Eremite,” or a hermit. Yet the speaker goes on to vividly illustrate what the bright star observes from the sky, such as the “moving waters at their priestlike task/of pure ablution round earth’s human shores,” which serves to encompass the transience and ephemerality of life as water constantly cleanses the earth’s shores. Keats intentionally describes the waters as capable of “ablution,” or cleansing and ritual washing, in order to reveal the cyclical and never-ending aspect of life in its entirety. In addition to overseeing the sweeping ocean, the speaker believes the star to be “gazing on the new soft fallen mask/of snow upon the mountains and the moors—,” which has underlying implications of purity and virtue in that snow is white and fresh. Likewise, the speaker implies that they do not want to watch the oceans and mountains patiently from above for all eternity, but that they would rather be “pillowed upon [their] fair love’s ripening breast” in a world in which cold, unfeeling purity is absent and instead replaced by a warm and welcoming lover’s chest. Here, Keats creates a striking contrast between the harsh and desolate nature of the frozen “mountains and the moors,” and the pleasant and blooming sphere of passionate love. The speaker remains dedicated to “love’s ripening breast,” longing “to feel forever its soft fall and swell,” which alludes to the permanence of the star’s existence in the sky “forever.” In effect, Keats denotes the speaker’s confliction in defining their heart’s true desire, which seems to be entangled in a profound uncertainty of whether to live in eternal isolation or indulge in a transitory love affair. Overall, Keats encapsulates the shift in the speaker’s thoughts as the speaker resolves to sacrifice the unfeasible ability to live an eternal life such as the bright star, which seemed to be so endearing at first, and instead, invest in a transitory, but meaningful notion of love and a passionate affair. Essentially, Keats exemplifies the impracticality of seeking to attain a state of immortality, such as the bright star that shines eternally in the sky, by exposing the inherent desire of an indecisive man who deeply wishes to possess the benefits of both worlds. However, in a world where eternal existence is impossible, which the speaker must mournfully accept, humans must settle on the next best thing, a seemingly undying love that lives forever, “or else swoon to death.”    

"in Just--" by e.e. cummings

This week in class, we discussed “in Just—" by e. e. cummings, which is a very interesting and insightful modern poem that depicts the pivotal moment of our childhood. The poem is visually very interesting and complex, almost as if the words are dancing across the page as if to signify the children in the poem playfully frolicking and leaping around. In analyzing this poem, I find that in an effort to vividly depict children’s transformation from lighthearted and jolly innocence to the sexual implication of adulthood, cummings explores the necessary and timely course of nature that every child endures. Moreover, I think in “in Just—,” cummings reiterates this momentous milestone in every child’s life also by emphasizing the seasonal aspect of this transition in the poem, which is springtime. This season definitely validates a sense of renewal, growth, and enlightenment that takes place throughout the poem for boys and girls.

Cummings vividly captures the fundamental moment in children’s lives by embodying the nature of this shift through varied structure and meaningful repetition. In the first stanza, cummings simply writes "in Just-/spring" which is such an impactful word in it of itself. Not only is this phrase alluding to the title of the poem, but it also possesses some level of ambiguity as we are not certain whether it means exactly or precisely in spring, or whether he means unjust spring, as if spring (and this sexual transformation) is unfair and undeserved. Then the way in which cummings arranges the structure of the phrase, “when the world is mud-/luscious” is unanticipated. Cummings’ clever arrangement of these words signify that “the world is mud-“ is somewhat given in a negative context, until it is paired with the word “luscious” which is more delightful and seems to be meant to encompass a childlike fantasy and playfulness in regards to spring. Then, we are introduced to the “little/lame balloonman” for the first time, who “whistles far and wee,” similar to the Pied Piper. Once the seemingly menacing and untrustworthy balloonman whistles, “eddieandbill come/ running from marbles,”which signifies their desertion of their innocence since they are running from their innocent childhood games and advancing towards the balloonman, which could denote their newfound sexuality.

In the next few stanzas, cummings reexamines the crucial and indispensable transition from youth to mature adulthood by employing repetition and altered structure. Cummings writes that the “world is puddle-“ which, like mud, also has a repulsive and unpleasant connotation. However, he goes on to clarify that it is “puddle-wonderful,” suddenly giving the word a whole new meaning, as it could suggest the enjoyable and joyful aspect of infancy and innocence, especially because “it’s spring.” Cummings purposefully incorporates repetition throughout the poem when he mentions “the queer/old balloonman,” which once again, is undermined by sexual implications as we get the sensation that this possibly homosexual, aged man is wicked and deceiving as he lures the children in. Subsequently, as soon as the balloonman sounds his whistle, “bettyandisbel come dancing/from hop-scotch,” which serves to manifest that the children are shedding their innocence and furthering themselves from their childish pursuits in order to encounter the balloonman, and therefore, their adult sexuality. Through varied structure and intricate repetition, cummings exemplifies the nature of children’s transformation from childhood to adulthood as they are led by the “goat-footed/balloonMan,” which could be an allusion to Pan, the Greek sex god. Overall, in “in Just—,”cummings presents the complexity of abandoning childish pursuits in order to achieve adulthood and sexual awakening as a paramount aspect of life.