tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6959242705017342742.post8899046521488190256..comments2023-09-24T03:08:33.476-07:00Comments on Remains of Japan?: Japanese Tea Ceremony: Canadian Casual Style!skramhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14449311811673106339noreply@blogger.comBlogger3125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6959242705017342742.post-19507957308499770962008-12-01T12:19:00.000-08:002008-12-01T12:19:00.000-08:00I really enjoyed your use of pictures to give a vi...I really enjoyed your use of pictures to give a visual to what you were teaching us :)skramhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14449311811673106339noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6959242705017342742.post-53141312243171131852008-11-29T14:56:00.000-08:002008-11-29T14:56:00.000-08:00Wow, Angela, this is great! I especially like how ...Wow, Angela, this is great! I especially like how you related wabi-sabi to the whole process with its "simplicity and elegance as ideals of beauty."<BR/>I think it's important to recognize that we are taking this journey through certain elements of Japanese culture and/or tradition and that we might not always get it "right" or "perfect." This doesn't mean that we value it any less, just that we're working with what we have and are trying to be as specific and knowledgable as possible. With this said, I love how you included the link to the YouTube video where the casual tea ceremony is explained... thanks!<BR/><BR/>Melskramhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14449311811673106339noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6959242705017342742.post-83027748596058523612008-11-29T14:53:00.000-08:002008-11-29T14:53:00.000-08:00As a way to stimulate thought on the topic of wabi...As a way to stimulate thought on the topic of wabi-sabi as an influence in Remains of the Day, I would like to reflect on a few examples that we touched upon in class. The first is Dr.Ogden’s connection of the English hermit figure to wabiness. If wabi allows one to reject materiality and follow the way of nature, the lone hermit may act as a key example. When Stevens first encounters the tramp, he states that “[f]or a moment, I took him for a vagrant, but then I saw he was just some local fellow enjoying fresh air and summer sunshine…”(25). This figure is associated directly with nature, and his corresponding wisdom and advice may be attributed to the clarity derived from rejecting material dependency. <BR/><BR/>This example is also interesting in relation to civilization exclusivity, as the English hermit trope and the Japanese wabi ascetic comingle in a text written by a Japanese-born English writer. Perhaps this character represents a moment of harmony between the two civilizations, where Japanese and the English readers can appropriate a recognizable cultural figure. <BR/><BR/>The kind of asceticism and simplicity connected to wabiness may also be found in Stevens’ father’s lodgings. His room is described as being a barren “prison cell” (64), but it also has a view of the rising sun. Its barren walls and starkness may be attributed to Stevens’ father’s rejection of materialism in favour of oneness with nature. He rejects the opulence of the material world in order to find quiet contentment and an opportunity for contemplation through nature. <BR/><BR/>In contrast, there are moments in the text where sabi is forfeited in favour of a more Western idea of imperfection. Stevens’ attitude toward the deterioration of his capabilities is an example of this claim. Throughout the text, he seems to show a significant amount of anxiety over small errors on the part of his staff. Something as simple as a piece of unpolished silver foretells his impending decrepitude. Rather than viewing imperfection as a source of beauty, Stevens agonizes over any breach of order as an indication of his own impending ineptness. <BR/><BR/>These examples seem to present wabi-sabi and its internal divisions in conflicting ways. Some aspects of the text suggest that this aesthetic, as well as wabi and sabi individually, play a significant role in establishing the novel’s tone and theme. However, at other times the English narrative and perspective overpower this Japanese mode. This may reflect the amalgamation of Ishiguro’s upbringing, as he infuses the novel with a decidedly conflicted perspective.<BR/><BR/>Angelaskramhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14449311811673106339noreply@blogger.com