AN ARTIST OF THE FLOATING WORLD ESSAY QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS
©Wafula Wekati
AN ARTIST OF THE FLOATING WORLD ESSAY QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS
Sometimes people have great ambitions in life. Even when
they fail, they still take pride in their efforts. Citing illustrations from
Kazuo Ishiguro's An Artist of the Floating World, write an essay to
support this statement.
We may have big plans in life. We thus work tirelessly in
an effort to realize these goals. Sometimes, we fail to achieve the aspirations.
Nevertheless, we still feel a sense of satisfaction for the relentless effort
we put in in a bid to realise our goals. People like Ono and Sugimura in An
Artist of the Floating World have great goals and when they fail, they still
take pride in their effort.
Ono has great ambitions of producing paintings that have
a significant contribution to the people of his nation and even though he fails
he still takes satisfaction in his effort. Ono takes a new approach and a
departure from his teacher Mori-san's approach. He acknowledges Mori-san's
approach of capturing the fragile beauty of the world of pleasure. However, in
the light of the difficult times Japan was facing, he decides to value things
that are more tangible than pleasurable things which are temporary. He cannot
forever remain an artist of the floating world. His teacher advocates for
capturing the fragile beauty that pervades the pleasure houses after dark. Mori-san was consciously trying to modernize
the Utamaro Tradition. Also, his work was full of European influence, for
example by using shading instead of dark outlines. Ono's grand plan is to
depart from the capturing of fragile beauty of the floating world to painting
works with political influence. His new work makes extensive use of the hard
outline, a total disregard of his teacher’s philosophy. He is forced to leave Mori-san's
villa after embracing the new ideas under the influence of Chishu Matsuda. Ono firmly
believes that he is acting in good faith and achieving good for his fellow
countrymen. His paintings ‘Complacency’ and ‘Eyes to the Horizon’ receive much
recognition and praise and help fuel the clamour for Japan’s expansion,
military invasion and restoration of the Imperial Majesty the Emperor. Eventually,
Ono fails. He admits his mistake. Because of his influence through his
paintings and teachings, terrible things happen to his nation. His ambition turns
out to be harmful to the nation since it results in untold suffering of his own
people. Many people, including his son Kenji and wife Michiko, die in the war.
Despite the failure, Ono is proud of his achievements. When talking to Jiro Miyake,
he says that when your country is at war, you do all you can to support it.
There is no shame in that. Although many people condemn him, he is proud of
what he achieves. Ono receives the Shigeta Foundation Award in May of 1938. He
feels a deep sense of triumph and satisfaction. He feels an inexplicable
profound sense of happiness owing to the fact that his efforts had paid off. His
hard work had resulted in something of real value and distinction. He sits for
an hour feeling deeply contented. Although later in life when he reassesses his
achievements and feels he made some grave mistakes, the consolation is that his
life contained one or two moments of real satisfaction. Indeed, doing your best
in what you believe in is satisfying even if you do not succeed. (P61, 79-80, 108, 140-141, 186, 192-194, 232-235)
Akira Sugimura had great plans for Kawabe Park and
although he fails, he does not die an unhappy man. Sugimura is one of the most
respected men in his city. His great ambition is to convert Kawabe Park into
the focus of the city’s culture. Around 1920 or 1921, he embarks on a scheme
with a sweeping ambition. Sugimura’s goal is to stamp his mark forever on the
character of the city. He wants to enlarge the grounds to contain more natural
areas for people to relax. The park would host cultural centers: that is a
Museum of natural science, a Kabuki Center for Takahama school, a European
concert center and a cemetery for the
city's cats and dogs. His ambitious plan was a catastrophic failure. The scheme
ran into financial constraints and his cultural centres were never built.
Sugimura lost his money and his influence as a result. Even with this failure, Sugimura
still dies as a respectful and influential man and his family is considered a
family of distinction. People like Ono still have admiration for Sugimura. He
had an ambitious plan to rise above the mediocre and even if he lost a fortune,
he deserves admiration. He did not die an unhappy man. He knew that his failure
was far from undignified. Looking back over his life, there was a deep
satisfaction knowing he failed only where others did not have the courage or
will to try. Surely, failing after giving your best can only result in pride
and satisfaction. (P1, 2, 4, 148-150, 181)
Mori-san had an ambitious plan to change fundamentally
the identity of painting practice in his city. Mori-san’s goal was to
consciously try and modernize Utamaro tradition. This was evident in most of
his notable paintings like ‘Tying a Dance Drum’ and ‘After a Bath’. Although
his work had some traditional Japanese devices, it was also full of European
influences. Moriyama abandoned the use of the traditional dark outline to
define shapes preferring instead Western use of blocks of colors with light and
shade, creating a three-dimensional appearance. He also used the Western style
of subdued colours. Mori-san devoted much of his time and wealth to the
nurturing of pupils. His pupils lived according to his values and lifestyles.
They spend most of their time exploring their city's floating world.t The night
time of pleasure, entertainment and drinking formed the backdrop of their
paintings. They spend a lot of their time in their favourite haunts - Water Lanterns,
whose proprietress was Mori-san’s old friend and an archery parlour on Nagata
street, whose whose proprietress was Mori-san’s former model. Also, Mori-san’s
principles were fierce and total and any student who went against them was
considered a traitor and forced to leave the villa for example Sasaki and Ono. His
endeavour to bring European influence into Utamaro tradition was, however,
later regarded as fundamentally unpatriotic thus his reputation declined in the
city he was forced to hold struggling exhibitions in less prestigious venues. He
also ended up illustrating popular magazines to earn an income. His departure
from Utamaro tradition is regarded
iconoclastic by Utamaro faithful. Despite his failures, Mori-san believes that
as an old man looking back over his life, he will be satisfied for devoting his
life to capturing the unique beauty of the floating world. No one will make him
believe that he wasted his time. Surely, even if our grand plans fail our
consolation and satisfaction rests in the fact that we tried our best. (P101, 108, 197-200, 228, 231-232)
Chishu Matsuda had great ambitions for the restoration of
Japan and even though he fails, he is still proud of his determined attempt. He
clamours to restore his Imperial Majesty the Emperor to his rightful place as
the head of state. While working for the Okada Shingen Society, he urges artists
like Ono to wake up and open their eyes. He urges them to stop painting about
the floating world and instead produce works that can achieve something of real
value. He wants the emerging generation to take action to rid themselves of
greedy businessmen and politicians. He believes Japan is a mighty nation
capable of matching the Western nations, not a backward country of peasant farmers.
Although he perceives Japan as an Asian giant, he is angered by the people’s
desperation and the fact that children still continue to die of malnutrition. Matsuda
had plans to help Japan forge an empire as powerful and wealthy as the British
and the French. He wants Japan to use its strength to expand abroad. Ono
acknowledges that Matsuda had grand goal. He composed the manifesto for their
China Crisis campaign. He had great aspirations that required energy, courage
and determination. He was too busy improving the world to think about marriage.
He fails since Japan loses the war, and many people are killed and property
destroyed. He accepts that he did not have a broad enough view of the world
then and admits that he was just an ordinary man who made a minimal
contribution. Nonetheless, he is proud because he acted on what he believed in
and did the utmost. He is not disillusioned. Although his ambition was flawed,
there are aspects he was proud of. The bold steps he took were in the best
faith. Even when he fails, he does not blame himself. He feels contented.
Indeed, when you give your best in doing what you believe in, you end up
feeling happy with yourself. (P158, 162, 163, 170, 228, 233)
In conclusion, it
is better to try and fail than not try at all. People with astronomical plans
may fail but they still feel proud of their determined effort.
AN ARTIST OF THE FLOATING WORLD ESSAY QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS
Some of our
past actions may cause us problems in the future. Making reference to Kazuo Ishiguro’s
An Artist of the Floating World, write an essay to support this statement.
Some of the
things we did in the past may come back to haunt us in the future. Ono is
deeply disturbed by some of his past actions as portrayed in Kazuo Ishiguro’s An
Artist of the Floating World.
Ono is worried
that some of his past actions may have contributed to the collapse of his
daughter Noriko’s marriage negotiations with the Miyakes. After the collapse of
the negotiations, Noriko is excited about her new prospect, Taro, that she even
reveals that in front of Mr. Mori. The collapse of the negotiations greatly affected Noriko. Such things are a terrible blow to a woman. Setsuko and her husband Suichi feel that Ono's
past actions may have contributed to the proposal falling through. Suichi keeps
asking Setsuko why the Miyakes pulled out. At first, Ono feels that the Miyakes
pulled out because Jiro was to marry above his station but later, he acknowledges
that his involvement in the war may have brought about this problem. Suichi thinks
Ono retired as an artist because Japan lost in the war. Ono advocated for the
war. Setsuko even asks Ono to take some precautionary steps to avoid
disappointments of last year, during the current negotiations with the Saitos
since Noriko is almost twenty-years now. These steps are made to help avert
misunderstanding about Ono’s past as a propaganda artist. Setsuko's sentiments
make Ono irritated against her and Suichi, her husband. Noriko also feels the
collapse of the negotiations was not because of Jiro’s worth, but because of a
reason they were yet to find out. Ono knows that his encounter with Jiro may
have brought about the Miyake's withdrawal from the negotiations. Setsuko is
not convinced by this theory. When Ono meets Jiro, they clash when talking
about taking responsibility for the war. The president of Jiro’s company committed
suicide and Jiro supported this course, while Ono feels it was rather extreme. Jiro
feels that people who helped fuel the war, like Ono, are traitors and war
criminals. Ono feels that they were
simply supporting their country. Setsuko advises Ono to speak to his past
acquaintances before Saito's detectives do to avoid the mistakes of the past
that cost Noriko her chance of marrying her love-match. Indeed, Ono's
involvement in the war causes him problems of watching his daughter’s marriage
negotiations go down the drain. Surely, some of our past actions may deeply
disturb us in the future. (P13-15, 31, 52-53, 54, 56, 58-59, 60-61, 87, 97,
186)
Ono’s fallout
with Kuroda because of his own past actions come back to haunt him in the
future. Kuroda was once Ono’s top students. He was even considered as a
spokesman of the group. Ono once encouraged his students not to follow their
teacher blindly but to question their authority whenever necessary. He
encourages them to embrace the new manly spirit emerging in Japan and shun anything
grotesque and frivolous. He even has Kuroda's
painting entitled: “The Patriotic Spirit” somewhere in his house. Later, as a member of the Cultural Committee of the
Interior Department and an official adviser to the Committee of Unpatriotic Activities,
Ono suggests to the committee that someone talks to Kuroda concerning his
ostensible unpatriotic activities. He is shocked when he visits Kuroda’s home
in Nakamachi area only to find police savagely cross-examining Kuroda’s mother
and burning his paintings which they term ‘unpatriotic trash’. He regrets his
involvement in all this saying things had gone too far. He vows to talk to Mr.
Ubakata and Mr. Saburi to try and salvage the situation. Because of his
information to the committee, Mr. Kuroda is arrested. This comes back to haunt Ono
during Noriko’s marriage talks. Ono sees Kuroda only once after the war. His
formerly round face now looks hollowed out around the cheekbones. Ono is shocked to see Kuroda looking towards him expressionlessly. Later, Ono is
forced to make the painful decision to visit Mr. Kuroda. When he meets Mr. Kuroda’s
young protégé Enchi, he is cordial at first but when he learns who he is, he
becomes irrationally hostile and this disturbs Ono. He has no choice but to compose a friendly
and conciliatory letter to Kuroda trying to set a meeting. He writes back declining
to meet Ono in his cold and offensively brief reply. Kuroda now teaches at
Uemachi college and is a teacher to Dr. Saito's son, Mitsuo, and also works
with Dr. Saito. This is a problem for Ono since Dr. Saito is a potential in-law
and Kuroda's hostility may scuttle the marriage negotiation talks. Apart from
being arrested and having his paintings burnt, Kuroda is also beaten badly
while in prison. Ono is disturbed that if he reveals all this, it may hurt his
daughter's marriage prospects. Ono’s past actions surely come back to haunt him
in the future. (P22-23, 82-83, 84, 87, 91, 97, 122, 123-129, 209-212)
Suichi is bitter
with Ono’s generation because of their involvement in the war and this makes
his relationship with Ono, his father-in-law, strained. First, Suichi seems to
blame Ono for causing the collapse of Noriko’s marriage negotiations. When
Noriko's marriage negotiations collapse, the Miyake's blame the gulf between
the two families. Setsuko and Suichi do not buy this theory insinuating that
Ono’s involvement in Japan’s clamour for militarism and the ill-fated war may
have caused the collapse. Suichi tells his son Ichiro that Ono retired as a
famous artist because Japan lost the war, which Ono supported. He also
influences Ichiro to idolize Western heroes like Cowboys rather than Japanese
counterparts like Miyamoto Simachi. Suichi takes Ichiro to watch American
movies. This is a shift from old traditional values advocated for by the likes
of Ono. Ichiro even tries to speak English when he plays Cowboys. He imitates Americans like Lone Ranger Silver
and extols eating spinach like Popeye sailorman. Ono is irritated with his
daughter who insists that he must take precautionary steps to avoid the pitfalls
encountered during the last marriage negotiation. He knows she is being
influenced by her husband Suichi. Suichi’s feeling of bitterness towards Ono’s
generation is becoming worse with each passing day. He suffered in Manchuria in
a war which Ono supported fervently. The height of his bitterness shows at Kenji's
funeral ceremony. He is angry because he had lost so many of his friends and
comrades whom he says died for stupid causes. Those who sent out the young man
to die brave deaths for stupid causes, like Ono, are alive and well. Suichi
thinks that these men are culprits who should accept responsibility for their
loss or else that is the greatest cowardice of all. The war that Ono championed
for changed him from a polite, self-effacing young man to a bitter man, angry
with Ono and his generation. Surely, Ono’s
past actions cause him trouble in the future. (P14, 31, 36, 52, 54, 55, 59,
61-64, 65, 67, 152, 172)
During Noriko's
miai, Ono is forced to admit his mistakes in the war, something that was
deeply troubling him. Ono's troubles deepen when he learns that apart from the
go between, Mr. Kyo, Mr. Kuroda is also a mutual acquaintance to Dr. Saito. Ono is a little startled when he hears this. Mr. Kuroda was arrested after Ono advised the Committee of Unpatriotic Activities
to visit him and talk to him. In addition to that, his mother is callously
cross-examined by the police, his paintings are burned and branded ‘unpatriotic
trash’ and he is beaten badly while behind bars. Ono is forced to visit his
past acquaintances like Matsuda and later Kuroda in a bid to ensure that they
do not say unpalatable stuff about his past and ruin Noriko's chances of
marriage to Dr. Saito's son, Taro. Mr. Enchi, Kuroda’s protege, displays bitter
hostility towards Ono and this disturbs Ono. He writes to Kuroda but his reply
is cold and offendingly brief. During the miai, Ono watches Mitsuo, Dr. Saito's
younger son, who kept gazing at him throughout the evening. When Ono learns that
he goes to Uemachi College where Kuroda teaches, he is compelled to admit his
involvement in the war. He takes responsibility for the terrible things that
happened although he acted In good faith, he feels that these paintings and his
teachings were ultimately harmful to the nation and caused people suffering.
This difficult confession was painful for Ono. Indeed, our past deeds can come
back to cause problems to us in the future. (P91, 97, 109, 131-142, 186, 206-207)
Ono's past
actions cause a myriad of problems to him and his family because of the worry
and anxiety they experience in the buildup to the new marriage negotiations. Noriko
was greatly upset when the last negotiations collapsed. This is because such
things are a terrible blow to a woman. She had been insisting that her marriage
with Jiro Miyake was a love match. Setsuko feels Ono is hiding something from
them concerning the collapse of the previous talks. Concerning the
investigations that may be conducted by the Saito's family detective, Setsuko
is insists that her father must take precautionary steps to avoid the mistakes
of last year. Noriko is now twenty-six so they cannot afford many more
disappointments. This constant advice causes Ono a wave of irritation and mars
his mood. He is irritated with both Setsuko and her husband Suichi, who must be
influencing her. When Shintaro and Kawakami ask Ono to help revitalize Mrs. Kawakami's
bar by telling him that a lord must gather his troops, he says he will consider
that once Noriko's future is once and for all settled. Ono is startled to learn
that doctor Saito knows Mr. Kuroda. This worries him because he had a bitter
fallout with Kuroda who is his former student, owing to his past activities
concerning the war. This may hurt the negotiations. Setsuko and Noriko are
surprised to learn that Ono met Dr. Saito. They exchange knowing glances
meaning they had been discussing about their father. Setsuko’s remarks that Noriko
is so good with children and it was sad to see her and married at that age. She
again advises the father to visit Kuroda and other acquaintances to avert
unnecessary misunderstandings. Ono takes the advice and visits Matsuda because
he is concerned for Noriko who is apparently too old to be unmarried. He asks Matsuda
to say good things about him especially with regards to their regrettable past
actions. Matsuda notes that he looks deathly pale. Ones kids can indeed be a
great worry. Ono also visits Kuroda but meets his protégé Enchi who assumes a
hostile attitude towards him. Kuroda would possibly harbor the same feelings. This
disturbs Ono greatly in the light of Noriko’s marriage. He writes to Kuroda but
his letter of reply is called and offending only brief. The matter mars his
optimism and casts a shadow over his mood concerning Noriko’s upcoming
negotiations. He tries to hide these feelings from Noriko but she senses his brooding
and this contributes to her own anxiety. On the day of the actual miai, Noriko
is so tense that Ono is forced to try and lighten her mood, albeit
unsuccessfully. When Ono visits Matsuda before his death Matsuda reminds him
how worried he was for Noriko's future the last time they met. Ono’s
involvement in the war resulted in the tension and anxiety in the buildup to
the marriage talks. Indeed, our past actions have the power to affect us in
future. (P14-15, 52-53, 54, 87, 91, 94-96, 106-109, 129, 142, 227)
Mr. Yukio Naguchi
is haunted by his past actions until he decides to kill himself. Mr. Naguchi
was a composer. The songs he composed had become very famous all over Japan.
There were sung on the radio and in bars. Kenji And his comrades sang them when
they were marching or before battle. Naguchi had worked very hard doing what he
thought was for the best. His past actions come back to disturb him after the
war ends. He felt that his songs had been a sort of mistake. He felt he should apologise.
Little boys had lost their parents. Parents had lost their little children. To
all these people, Mr. Naguchi wanted to say sorry because songs came to have an
enormous prevalence at every level of the war effort. So, he felt he should
share responsibility along with the politicians and generals. Because of the
burden of his past actions, Naguchi is forced to commit suicide. (P175-176,
222, 223)
Lastly, Shintaro
regrets his past involvement in the China crisis posters when he tries to get a
teaching job. There is a fallout between Ono and Shintaro after years of
closeness. Shintaro was Ono’s pupil and they always drank together. A small
episode last winter estranged them. Shintaro was hopeful of getting a job at Higamachi
High School. He was a favorite for the post. Some issues concerning his past
stand between him and the job he covets. Shintaro wants Ono to write to the
committee concerning statements he has made. Shintaro opines that he and Ono
had divergent views over the China crisis. Shintaro made his views clear to Ono
during Mr. Ogawa’s engagement at Hamabara hotel. He did not always concur with Ono’s
views. He had strong reservations concerning the direction their school was
taking. Despite the differences, Shintaro eventually follows Ono’s instructions
over the china crisis posters and this comes back to haunt him. Ono reminds him
that it was a critical time for the nation and everybody had to stop dithering
and decide what they wanted. Shintaro had his misgivings. He openly disagreed
with Ono. Ono says Shintaro did well and they were all proud of his work. He
advises him to face up to his past since he gained a much credit and praise for
his work. He asks him not to lie about himself even if the world has now a
different opinion of his work. Shintaro begs Ono to write the chairman of the
committee, since he is eager to secure the post and further his career. Ono remains
adamant. This ruins their close ties. Surely, our past deeds may return to cause
us problems in the future. (P111-117)
In conclusion,
you cannot run away from your past. Some of our past deeds may affect us adversely
in the future.
AN ARTIST OF THE FLOATING WORLD ESSAY QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS
The pursuit of
success may force us to walk away from our mentor’s influence. Write an essay
to support this statement citing illustrations from Kazuo Ishiguro's An
Artist of the Floating World.
In our attempt
to achieve success, we may disagree with those who guide us. This can be seen in
the relationship between a student and a teacher or a child and a father.
Sometimes people develop their own views that are different from those of their
mentors in a fervent attempt to be successful at what they do. Masuji Ono walks away from his father and his
teachers influences and curves his own path as an influential painter.
In his pursuit
of success, Ono is forced to walk away from his father's influence. Ono's father
had a strong influence on him as a child. First, he influenced him to revere
the reception room. Because of this influence, Ono also restricts his own
children from carelessly entering the reception room to maintain its solemn
atmosphere. Growing up, Ono was forbidden from entering the reception room
until he was twelve. This restriction by his father inadvertently gives Ono an artist's
eye. At the age of twelve, Ono's father makes him attend ‘business meetings’
once every week. The meetings are our solemn affair, with Ono’s father trying
to mentor him into the world of business, using jargon and lengthy calculations
that Ono finds difficult to comprehend. His tone was measured and grave. He had
a ‘business box’ with small, fat notebooks filled with densely packed figures.
A fearful Ono dreaded the meetings. His
father was preparing him to inherit the family business. At fifteen, Ono’s
father endeavours to dissuade him from pursuing a career as an artist. He acknowledges
that Ono is a skillful artist but adds that his mother must be mistaken for
thinking that Ono wished to take up painting as a profession. His father is
worried that Ono was growing up to be slothful. As his parents, they had to
combat his laziness and dislike for useful work. Otherwise, he would grow up to
be a good for nothing. Ono’s father does not want him to be an artist, most of
whom live in squalor and poverty, are weak-willed and depraved. He wants to
protect him and raise him to be someone they could be proud of. He goes ahead
and burns Ono’s paintings. This, however, kindles Ono’s ambitions. The meetings
disgusted Ono. He abhorred counting loose change and fingering coins. Later, Ono
moves away from his home and starts living and working as an artist in Furukawa
district. He works as a painter in Master Takeda’s firm. Ono becomes a
successful and acclaimed artist. He is one of Master Takeda’s best students. He wins many awards,
the most remarkable one being the Shigenta Foundation Award in May of 1938.
Many people including his colleagues and a chief of police congratulate him and
pay him respect. He had overcome the doubts and his hard work had been
worthwhile. This gives him a deep sense of satisfaction and triumph for even
after disregarding his father’s advice and influence, he achieves success.
(P42-51, 232-235)
Ono decides to
walk away from Master Takeda’s firm because of his ambition. To avoid losing
their commission to other firms, Master Takeda’s
firm prided itself on its ability to provide a high number of paintings at very
short notice. They had to work long hours and even late into the night in order
to be within schedule they would only get two or three hours of sleep but they
never failed to complete a Commission on time thanks to Master Takeda's influence. One of Master Takeda's pupil Yasunari Nakahara, Was given
the name they Tortoise because of his notoriety of working slowly that’s having
no productivity. Many of his fellow students taunted him because of his low
speed and they even accused him of laziness. Ono was forced to come to his
defense countless times. They Tortoise felt eternally indebted to Ono. Master Takeda had created a climate where students
had to battle against time. They would paint geishas, cherry trees, swimming carps,
temples etcetera. They were shipped to foreigners who fancied things that
looked ‘Japanese'. Despite this, Ono
prides himself as one who had the ability to think and judge for himself and go
against the sway of those around him, for example by being the only one who
defended Tortoise. Because of Ono’s serious ambition, he decides to leave
master Takeda. A painter and printmaker named Seiji Moriyama was impressed with
his work and had invited him to be his pupil. According to Moriyama, Ono’s stay
at Master Takeda’s firm would cause irreparable harm to his gifts. Ono rejects Takeda’s
authority where pupils have to toil like work horses. He tells all this to the Tortoise
one rare afternoon when he gets some free time out of the usually frantic
schedule at Master Takeda’s. He opines that Master Takeda does not deserve
their loyalty, since loyalty has to be earned. He resolves to walk away from Takeda’s
firm and even convinces the Tortoise to go with him. Ono goes on to become Moriyama's
most accomplished student. Moriyama spends years nurturing his talent. Ono
spends seven years at Moriyama's villa and forms a bond of brotherhood with the
other nine pupils. Those were the happiest and most valuable years of his life.
Despite leaving Master Takeda’s firm, Ono excels and thrives at Moriyama’s
villa. (P153, 171, 181-188 200-208, 233-235)
Thirdly,
despite being the most accomplished student at the time, Ono decides to leave Mori-san’s
villa after a clash in ideologies. When Ono joins Mori-san villa, he is
immensely influenced by his new teacher. He ends up acquiring some of his
teacher’s mannerisms including whole phrases and expressions. Even though they
end up disagreeing, Ono remains grateful for what he learned under Mori-san. Despite his teacher’s apparent shortcomings, Ono
remains grateful since his impact was crucial to his career, having spent seven
years at the villa. Mori-san’s ten pupils practically worshipped him. They
would debate passionately about their teacher’s work while the teacher remained
aloof to the approbation. So strong was his influence that any painting that seemed
disloyal was abandoned or burned altogether . When Mori-san’s leading pupil Sasaki
developed divergent views from his teacher’s, he was faced with unprecedented
hostility and was forced to leave the villa. He was considered a traitor and
the invocation of his name, even in jest, was considered unacceptable. Mori-san’s
pupils had fierce and total devotion to him and his principles. He influenced
his students to live in accordance with his values and lifestyle thus they
would endlessly explore the city’s floating world; that is the world of
entertainment and drinking. Later, Ono goes against Mori-san’s ideology of
capturing the transitory, illusory beauty of the floating world. Despite this, Ono
inherits many phrases and expressions from his mentor. Nonetheless, he decides
to walk away from his mentor’s influence to try some new approaches. He calls
this new approach work of real importance that would have a significant
contribution to the people of his nation. His painting “Complacency”, goes
against Mori-san’s principles so much so that his greatest admirer, the Tortoise,
calls him a traitor. This shift represented a blatant disregard for Mori-san’s
priorities. Because of this, Ono is treated with hostility by the other pupils
and his paintings are seized by the teacher. Eventually, Ono is forced to leave
Mori-san altogether. He declares that he cannot forever remain an artist of the
floating world. In the long run, he turns out to be successful in his endeavour
and wins many awards the highlight being the Shigenta Foundation Award. Indeed,
in our quest for success, we may be forced to abandon our mentor’s fundamental
teachings. (P153-171, 181-188, 200-208, 233-235)
Shintaro
disagrees with his teacher Ono over the China crisis posters causing a rift
between them. Shintaro was Ono’s student and his great admirer. He held Ono in
high esteem ever since he helped his brother Yoisho Get a job. He speaks highly
of Sensei when Mrs. Kawakami complains that her relative could not find a job. Shintaro
offers that Ono could help. Ono and Shintaro had grown to be close friends and
sometimes they would be the only customer sitting at Mrs. Kawakami's Enjoying
nostalgic new things, like discussing someone from their past. Despite their
close ties and Shintaro’s admiration of his teacher, they eventually fall out. Shintaro
had chosen at different path from his teachers that went against the teachers
advice. No, Shintaro asks Ono to write to the
appointment committee of Higashimachi High School. Shintaro wanted
postcard to write to the committee to confirm certain statements he had made in
the past, Ono had compelled Shintaro to take part in the China crisis posters despite having
misgivings. The disagreement played out during Mr. Ogawa's engagement at
Hamabara Hotel. Shintaro acknowledges that he learned a lot under Ono’s
supervision, but he did not always concur with his mentor’s view. He begs Ono
to write to the committee concerning this but Ono declines and asks him to face
up to his past. This disagreement causes Shintaro to walk away from Ono’s
influence and in the end they don’t even see eye to eye. It is true to say that
while chasing our ambitions, we may walk away from our mentor’s influence.
(P16-21, 84, 112-118, 235)
Lastly, in his
pursuit for success, Kuroda decides to go against Ono's influence and this causes
an irreparable damage to their bond that was once so close. Kuroda was one of Ono's
first rank pupils and close friends. They used to drink together at the Migi-Hidari.
Kuroda held Ono in high regard. Together with others like Murasaki and Tanake, he
was proud to be Ono’s pupil. Ono always encouraged these pupils to look up to
teachers but also told them that it was important to question their authority
and rise above the sway of things. He cautioned them against following the
crowd blindly. Ono considers Kuroda one
of his most gifted students and even has one of his paintings, “The Patriotic Spirit”,
somewhere in his house. When they
disagree on some fundamental issues about painting and patriotism, Kuroda is
arrested following Ono’s advice to the Committee of Unpatriotic Activities. Although Kuroda was Ono’s best student, he
decides to follow a different path and this leads to a fallout between them.
Mr. Kuroda was arrested, some of his paintings were burned and his mother was
cross-examined by the police. He was also beaten and called a traitor. Although
these cause bad blood between him and Ono, it does not stop Kuroda from
achieving success. After his release, Kuroda fares well. He has strong
credentials and does not have trouble finding work. He gets a post as an art
teacher at Uemachi college. Clearly, sometimes students choose to follow a
different path from their teacher’s influence while on pursuit of success. (P22-23,
82-83, 84, 87, 122-129, 201, 201-212)
In conclusion, many people look up to their
mentors or advisers. However, sometimes individuals rise above the sway of
things and decide to follow their own path that may go against their teachers’
influence while on the pursuit of success.
AN ARTIST OF THE FLOATING WORLD ESSAY QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS
Parents always strive to impart their own
ideas onto their children. Using relevant illustrations from Kazuo Ishiguro’s An
Artist of the Floating World, write an essay to justify this statement.
Parents usually play a pivotal role in shaping values and perspectives of their children. A child’s world is defined by their parents’ ideals, beliefs or experiences. The influence leaves an indelible mark on the development of the child.
Ono's father wants Ono to take over the family business. He
does not want him to pursue a career as a painter. He held weekly ‘business
meetings’ with Ono once he reached the age of twelve. The meetings took place
in the reception room, which Ono treats as a place to be revered as a result of
his father’s influence. Initially his father had forbidden him from entering
the room and his curious glimpses into the room inadvertently gave him an
artist’s eye. His father would give him ‘business talks’ that he could barely
follow. He did this to prepare him to take over the family business. He
discourages him from taking up painting as a profession. The old man recalls
the wandering priest’s warning that Ono would grow up to be slothful and
deceitful. He considers Ono’s passion for painting as laziness and dislike for
useful works. He believes that artists live in squalor and poverty, a world
which tempts them to be weak-willed and depraved. It is his duty as a parent to
protect his son against this and to guide him to become someone they can be
proud of. He goes ahead and burns Ono’s paintings. Ono ignores this advice and
leaves home to pursue a career as an artist. (P42-51)
Ono has a huge influence on the life of his son Kenji. He let Kenji test sake at a young age something his mother protested. Setsuko admits that Ono devoted a lot of care during Kenji’s upbringing. She feels he was wrong in influencing Kenji to enlist for the war which takes his life. Kenji dies in the battlefield in Manchuria. Ono painted propaganda art that encouraged the young men to take up arms and join the war. Ono believes Kenji died bravely. Suichi feels brave young men like Kenji died stupid deaths while those who send them out to fight, like Ono, are carrying on with their lives. Ono, as an artist, propagated for the war through his paintings like ‘Complacency’ and ‘Eyes to the Horizon’. He imparts this idea to many people including his son Kenji who dies in the war. No wonder Setsuko says that on this, he was wrong and their mother had had better ideas. Ono suggests that he had one or two things in common with Mr. Naguchi who composed songs to which emboldened the likes of Kenji during the war period. (P63, 175-176, 179)
Ono tries to influence Setsuko on the upbringing of Ichiro.
Ono wants his grandson to be brought up within the traditional Japanese values
and to look up to Japanese heroes like Lord Yoshitune, the samurai or the
ninjas. Ono is surprised that his
grandson looks up to foreign heroes like Lone Ranger whom he imitates. Ichiro
shouts: “Hi yo Silver!” and acts like a cowboy. When Ichiro plays cowboy, he
tries to speak English. His parents had taken him to the cinema to see an
American cowboy film and bought him a ten-gallon hat. Ono tells Setsuko that a
few years ago he would not have been allowed to see such films. Ichiro’s father
Suichi encourages his son to idolize cowboys rather than samurais like Miyamoto
Musachi. Ono also tries to convince Setsuko to allow him to give Ichiro some
sake. He says that he gave Kenji his first sip of sake when he was about
Ichiro’s age. He tries to convince his daughter that this is good for the boy’s
pride but they disagree on this kind of parenting. (35-36, 42, 177-179)
Suichi tries to impart his own ideas on his son Ichiro.
Suichi was once a polite, self-effacing young man but after his return from the
war, he becomes bitter and hardened. He is critical of the older generation
that advocated for the war which Japan lost and so many young men lost their
lives. He now believes it is better for his own son to ape American heroes like
cowboys like Lone Ranger than idolizing Japanese figures like Miyamoto Musachi.
He takes Ichiro to watch cowboy movies and buys him a ten-gallon hat. Ichiro
becomes obsessed with the cowboys and he pretends to be a cowboy galloping on a
horse while he shouts: “Hi yo Silver!” Suichi is critical of people like Ono
who advocated for the war and tells Ichiro that Ono stopped painting because
Japan lost the war. Ichiro has been influenced to idolize American heroes like
Popeye Sailorman and is obsessed with spinach which he believes can make him as
strong as Popeye. He even dresses in a raincoat in order to look like his
American comic-book hero Humphrey Bogart. All these ideas are as the result of
his father’s influence. (P28-34, 64-65, 89, 152-153, 172-173)
In conclusion, parents always try to influence their
children’s lives and to impart their own beliefs onto their children and this shapes
how the children pan out.
MORE ESSAY QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS
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