Term Paper on "Setting Sun by Osamu Dazai"
Term Paper 5 pages (1483 words) Sources: 1+
[EXCERPT] . . . .
Setting Sun by Osamu DazaiOsamu Dazai's masterpiece "The setting sun" (originally Shayo) was written in 1947 and it is a remarkable story about the decline of a Japanese aristocratic family. In his work, Dazai approaches many social issues and presents how Japanese values, sustained by aristocratic families, interact with the changes of society and culture.
The word "shayozoku" (impoverished aristocracy) developed from the word "shayo" (setting sun), its meaning describing the people that lost their world during the war, precisely following the story presented in Dazai's work (Osamu Dazai).
The action of "The setting sun" takes place in Japan after the Second World War and it presents the story of an aristocratic family that is faced with the downfall of its world and its values. The novel presents how traditions and etiquette changed in the postwar period and the difficult road that aristocracy must take following the dramatic changes in the social conditions in postwar Japan. "This may not be the way of eating soup that etiquette dictates, but to me it is most appealing and somehow really genuine. As a matter of fact, it is as Mother does, sitting serenely erect, that when you look down to it. But being, in Naoji's words, a high-class beggar and unable to eat with Mother's effortless ease, I bend over the plate in the gloomy fashion prescribed by proper etiquette" (Dazai).
The center character of "The setting sun" is Kazuko, a young woman that adopts western clothes and habits, but that is really Japanese in her outlook. She values Japanese traditions, but considers that she must adapt to an increasing westernized world. Finall
download full paper ⤓
If Kazuko is realistic about the changes that take place in the Japanese society, her mother refuses to abandon her aristocratic way of life and holds on to the traditional values she cherishes. As described by her son, Naoji, the mother is considered to be the last genuine aristocrat. Taking into consideration the social conditions at the time the action takes place, this is not necessarily a compliment.
Naoji returns from the war and is faced with the changes that take place in his family. He represents the greatest hope for his mother and sister, but he returns from war as a drug addict and he has to face the failure of his own life and the failure of his world as he knew it, this eventually leading him to suicide.
Dazai manages to mix the stories of members from the same family facing the realities of modernization and this way he creates a universally valid image of the social changes in the Japanese society. Kazuko's family is the exponent of the Japanese postwar society and Dazai uses this story to present the realities of a changing world.
The Setting Sun" "deals with themes of class, war, suicide, death, and morality" (the Setting Sun), and it represents a well documented analysis of a period of transition in morals in Japanese society. "A disparity between Western and Japanese culture mirrors the conflict between Japan and the United States" (the Setting Sun).
The inability of the Japanese society to adapt to the new social order is described by Dazai in his novel using the story of the disintegration of an aristocratic family. The decay of traditional Japanese morals is seen in Kazuko's decision to have a child with Uehara, an unfitted match for a woman from her class, especially as he was a drunken writer. Her decision to have his child shows that she is forced to adapt to the new conditions and that she rejects her old life in an attempt to rebuild a new one.
Referring to the status of aristocracy in the postwar Japanese society, Naoji states that "Just because a person has a title doesn't make him an aristocrat" (Dazai). The difference between the old society and the new society is pointed out in the… READ MORE
Quoted Instructions for "Setting Sun by Osamu Dazai" Assignment:
Using material from the book "The Setting Sun" by Osamu Dazai, discuss how the values or instituions of the Japanese society interact with the new problems created by modernization and/or social change. Make an argument and use excepts from the book of important themes. Discuss subjects of identity, gender relations and inequality, consumption, filial piety, and the nation as a whole.
How to Reference "Setting Sun by Osamu Dazai" Term Paper in a Bibliography
“Setting Sun by Osamu Dazai.” A1-TermPaper.com, 2007, https://www.a1-termpaper.com/topics/essay/setting-sun-osamu-dazai/21111. Accessed 27 Sep 2024.
Related Term Papers:
Sun Tzu's the Art of War Term Paper
Sun Tzu's the Art of War with Niccolo Machiavelli's the Prince. Although the two works of art were intended for different aspects of leadership, they both have withstood the tests… read more
Term Paper 4 pages (1416 words) Sources: 1+ Topic: Military / Army / Navy / Marines
Stars Sun and Moon Research Paper
Sun, Moon and Stars
Data and results from your diameter of the sun activity:
Image diameter: .93 cm
Distance from pin-hole to image: 100 cm
.95 cm x 150000000km /… read more
Research Paper 7 pages (1988 words) Sources: 7 Topic: Astronomy / Planets / Solar System
Sun Tzu and Machiavelli Business Is War Term Paper
Sun Tzu and Machiavelli
Business is war, and the tactics of warfare and diplomacy make good business. Long before modern business leaders gave advice breaking down a market into different… read more
Term Paper 3 pages (1300 words) Sources: 1+ Topic: Military / Army / Navy / Marines
Setting and Atmosphere in a Clean, Well-Lighted Essay
Setting and Atmosphere in "A Clean, Well-Lighted Place"
Ernest Hemingway's short story, "A Clean, Well-Lighted Place," illustrates the importance of setting in that it not only establishes a mood but… read more
Essay 4 pages (1256 words) Sources: 3 Style: MLA Topic: Literature / Poetry
Setting in Hawthorne's "My Kinsman, Major Molineux Research Proposal
Setting in Hawthorne's "My Kinsman, Major Molineux"
Setting is a vital part of fiction. Though human motives are and have been largely similar throughout history and across the globe, different… read more
Research Proposal 5 pages (1720 words) Sources: 1 Style: MLA Topic: Literature / Poetry
Fri, Sep 27, 2024
If you don't see the paper you need, we will write it for you!
We can write a new, 100% unique paper!