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.

 

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