A Reminiscing Artist

Masuji Ono really goes all out in the last portion of the book. He looks back onto the many hardships he went through in order to get to where he is. Being an artist was a very difficult road for Ono. He had to deal with his painting satisfying everyone while also being happy with himself.
He found happiness in art. He was one of the quick artists, as discussed during his dinner conversation with his son-in-law, Taro, his two daughters, and grandson. This was the start of one of his famous digression times. Although these areas of the book come about spontaneously, they are an interesting way to give some background.
When he looks back into his past, he looks back at every single detail possible. He looks back into the previous visits of his grandson compared to the visit now, Noriko being alone to being married and living side by side with his fellow painters then soon discovering one of them dies.
This is a lot to take in for one person especially after a war has just ended and there are many changes he must adjust to. Ono goes back and forth from his “floating world”. When he notices all the detail from the pleasure to the district to the villa, his travels from the floating world and back is very meaningful to him. The floating world is different for every artist. His paintings varied and they all were something he was proud to call his own. If you notice there is a lot of repetition in the last section of this novel.
When he speaks about his past he goes from his world as an artist to his world of being a grandfather, dad and father-in-law. The repetition in the reading really keeps a reader on track. This type of writing is slightly different from the rest of the novel. If you notice the beginning and middle of the novel was at times difficult to follow because everything moved along so quickly. In the beginning of the last section Ono repeats himself a lot when it comes down to his grandson drinking sake for the first time and his confidence in his paintings.
Sake is a big deal in a young man’s life, and Ono hesitated when dealing with this action and his grandson. Why was it so difficult? Is it just like any situation when it comes down to taking a big step in growing up? When he tells his daughters about his plan to give Ichiro a taste of sake with some water mixed in it they did not seem too happy about it. As usual Setzuko made sure she could somewhat comfort her father and in some way thank him for his thoughtfulness. Being a grandfather has also been a challenge for him but also something he enjoys. Is there some connection between his young grandson and his acceptance to this new Japan?
When reading the novel we should always keep in mind everything is being told only from one perspective. This has a lot of say when an artist is telling a story. They add in a little to the mix to make it more of their own. When I think of the fact that most of his stories may be completely different from the way his daughters may tell it, I think of the example of the two paintings he describes. The two painting were similar one was slightly different from the other, “’Eyes of the Horizon’ was indeed a reworking of ‘Complacency”, though with such differences as we might expected given the passage of years between the two” (168). Although this similarity may have occurred he was able to keep pride in his own painting, “An artist’s concern is to capture beauty wherever he finds it” (172).
While looking back at his time being taught by Mori-san he allows the reader to in a way see how he may have built the strength to keep believing in his own paintings. Mori-san mentions, “And no man will make me believe I’ve wasted my time” (151). Ono clearly presence the same confidence at the very end, “And while I may deserve only the smallest praise for my own paintings, when I come to look back over my life and remember I have nurtured and assisted the careers of all of you here, why then no man will make me believe I have wasted my time” (151).
Having this confidence and looking back on his past being able to learn from his experience is what has allowed him to deal with change without much struggle. There are things here and there that hurt him to accept, but he is proud of what he has done and is optimistic of what will come from Japan.

Works Cited
Ishiguro, Kazuo. An Artist of the Floating World. New York. Vintage International. 1989.

More Than Just Fighters

In the essay, "Grant and Lee: A Study in Contrast", by Bruce Catton the differences of the two men (Grant and Lee) went beyond more than just what they fought for. Although Catton describes these men along with their styles of reaching their goals he also portrays their ways of being from the beginning. This essay is very informative, but it accomplishes to describe and not in a dull manner. The essay begins with a brief introduction and soon switches off to describe each man individually. Catton begins in their line of duty and what they do and yet is still able to go as far back to take a glimpse at how these men were raised. The author writes in a way that the reader feels the emotion of the mens' beliefs and hardships.
The feeling of the reader is able to shift gradually but quickly from one emotion to a completely different one through Catton's gentle transitions. He wrote about Lee first and was able to shift from Lee to Grant so smoothly it was as if they were standing right in front of you and they are introducing themselves to you. The essay is personal. It is not just a general idea of the two men; you get two know the men as more than just fighters. Catton compares the men and then introduces them separately with enough detail to understand their ways of fighting which was stated in the first three paragraphs: he analyzed. Although Catton does analyze the way the two men differ it does not feel like there is a huge gap when transitioning from the personality of one men to the other. They way the descriptions are presented gradually transitions into describing the differences of another. The fact that Catton does not just list and analyzes is one way he keeps the readers attention, but he also separated the paragraphs enough to not scare the reader away. There are about two medium length paragraphs and the rest are pretty small. Although the other paragraphs are pretty short they keep the readers attention because there is small point being stated in one and it's breakdown of the point is spread amongst other following paragraphs.
Writing about historical figures in a captivating way can be difficult because there are so many facts. There is a solution to that and Catton was able to accomplish that. He filled the essay with many facts, but he also fit in the reasons. The facts are not just stated in a list; they are stated then followed by his descriptions: he analyzes. It gives the reader a captivated and secretly informs them about history in an entertaining way. Catton's writing is the opposite of that of a textbook. His essays are graciously informative and I actually learned something about these two men without being bored to sleep and ending up forgetting everything about the two once I put the essay away. It made me think about how I was raised and how some events and routines that have gone on in my life have effected the way I am as a person. It is almost as if this was a history lesson with a checklist about personality attached to it. At the end of the essay I saw these two men as more than just people who are remembered because of something big they did which was a result of their background as well as what they were fighting for.

Dangerous Desire

"With his mouth hanging open, he advanced gently and cautiously. He was oblivious to everything except the mountain of flesh spread at his feet. To his greedy eyes this body appeared to be preparing itself to receive him. He hesitated before her legs. Then, almost unconscious of what he was doing, little by little he leaned down over her, driven by urgent internal and external stimuli. Before he knew it, he was sprawled out on top of her. He had perhaps not intended to go this far all at once. Perhaps he had not intended to indulge in some of the foreplay that ought to precede the final violent motions, but terror, and a resounding scream escaped, before his hand could stifle it. The pervasive silence was shattered and his brain was dealt a blow that brought him back to his senses. He put his hand over her mouth as he whispered anxiously and fearfully in her ear, "It's me. Yasin. It's Yasin, Umm Hanafi. Don't be afraid""(277-278).

Mahfouz reveals the outrageous behavior of one of Ahmad's children. He uses up to about a page and a half to describe the various actions of one child that lead up to the one action of desire. Yasin was craving the body of another woman but settled for what was already being offered to him at home. Yasin knew the consequences of everything he was doing but wasn't listening to anything besides that strong desire that told him to do what he would in order to quench the thirst of his lustful desire. Mahfouz uses ethos through description as done through this entire chapter or any other chapter to present the uncontrollable yet disciplined desires of the men in this culture. Yasin really presents the reader with a scene that will give a sense of how much a woman's body isn't something revealed every where and every day as it is now, and how there are many regulations to live by. Talk about temptation. It only made sense -logos- that when there is a body laid there for you, when your body and mind are craving lust, you will jump to devour what is basically handed to you. Mahfouz really sets the scene to present the thoughts and actions of Yasin as he analyzes everything although he is very drunk. Although Yasin is drunk, he finds it in himself to not take chances of getting caught and not quenching his desire and stay at home to quench it with the body that was " preparing itself to receive him"(277).

I've been down this road before.

Many families have dinner together, take road trips, attend family parties together and have a great time. Now in the modern time families can get along very well without any worries of being given an ugly look for simply speaking to one another. On the first page of chapter nine the family gathers for their coffee time. When this family time is presented something else is also mentioned that in a sense takes away from the whole family bonding feeling. When we hear the word family many of us think the entire family: mom, dad, brothers, and sisters. In the chapter the first three words are, "Except for the father,..."(52). The family is gathered but not the father. These three words somehow made the feeling of the paragraph a bit more relaxed. Judging from the way the family is when the father around this is like a mini-vacation before it is time to return to work. The tension of the house seemed to be shut out for them just for that simple moment. I have been down this road before and know exactly how this feels. When my dad is around I have come to notice I watch my every move. My father is very strict and it only takes one word from him to make my entire day go downhill. It is a terrible feeling when I come home everyday and the first things you hear are complaints. I would much rather be asked about my day. Without my mother around the house is full of tension all the time. My father basically picks us up, takes us home and locks himself in his room. In a way that may seem like freedom, but the truth is its scary. My sisters and I have to make sure we are at perfect noise level and not disturb my father. If he calls for us we have to make sure we hurry to his room before he yells a second time, because then you are in trouble. As a daughter I love my father but I have to admit the tension is always there. When my sisters and I are with my mom we still watch our actions but the atmosphere is much more relaxed. The family time here is a way of viewing a broken family within the same home on a daily basis, which I have also experienced. Just reading this one paragraph can really sum up the atmosphere the families live in at the time and it is clear that it is not an easy one. The beginning of this chapter is important and its placement just shows that this can be mentioned anywhere in the story. This could have been brought up in another chapter for another day, but the fact that it is in the story somewhere near the beginning but also not at the very end gives the reader a break from all the names and tasks being done and gives the reader a taste of the loving nature of a mother. Amina's love and kindness is emphasized in this chapter to represent that her role in the family is just as important as Ahmad's , "They would cluster under the mother's wing with love and all-embracing affection" (52).