Week 6

[morgan...@gmail.com]

• Reply to at least 2 discussion topics
• Reply to at least 1 person's discussion

Discussion topics

1. Throughout the entire book there are a couple of songs the kids sing many times in the story.  Analyze these songs and the points in which they are used.
2. P240 - what do you make of the glass breaking scene.  Was it just to highlight someone else who had suffered from the war and was fed up with it, was it a proud memory of the author that he just wanted to share...Basically why was it included?  Also do you feel it detracts or adds to the story line?
3. One of the optional documents under this week are pictures of a Japanese version of the story.  Compare and analyse the Japanese translation with yours.  Note the switching of the panels and the affect color.
4. Under Week 6 is "Optional Document Barefoot Gen Japanese Selections"  In this folder is a reading about translating Hadashi No Gen into Barefoot Gen along with some pictures and PDF pages of the book in Japanese.  The pictures show color pages that start the book.  The big PDF covers some of the end of the book and then there are some random pages that allow zooming in to look at the hiragana and kanji.  How might you use any of this in your classes?
5. Is there anything else from this chapter that you want to highlight or would use in your classes?
6. Apply something you learned from the graphic novel video to a part of this week's reading.
7. Do you have any questions?

[Donna Kokojan]

1.   On page 21, the song was sung to talk about how hard life was for poor people.  I think the song showed how hard life was for the kids because they were poor, especially since it came right before the kids got attacked because their dad was considered to be a traitor. The song showed how hard life was before it became worse which I believe is the author’s way of showing that the wheat crop (his children) will go through trials and tribulations.   The songs were a way of demonstrating what some characters were feeling.  For example, on page 39, the character was singing about the strength of the Japanese army.  It makes me wonder if he was singing it because he truly believed Japan was going to win the war or it was a song that everyone sung and he was just singing it. Sometimes songs are sung because they are heard so much, but people aren’t listening to the message of the song.  I thought it was interesting that the character on page 39 reminded me of Pres. Teddy Roosevelt who was known for carrying a big stick.  This character is in charge of drills where they practice with bamboo sticks.  On page 61, I believe the song was used to remind the children of things they love in Japan.  The song on page 82 was about the poor beggars.  The boys have been raised to not beg.  I believe this song was sung by the boys as a way of convincing themselves that things could have be worse.  On page 193, the song was sung to tug at the heartstrings of strangers so they would give the boys money.  Overall, I think the author included songs to show mindless propaganda, the comfort of music, and how music can be used to get you something you want.

2. I liked the scene from page 240 because it showed how much Gen loved his brother and what lengths he was willing to go through to show his brother his love.  Gen was poor, so he was probably never able to provide his brother with special things.  I believe Gen was tired of seeing the people that picked on him having what he couldn’t have, so he didn’t feel guilty helping the store owner have a chance to make money.  I don’t think he broke the windows expecting to get the boat as a reward.  The Korean neighbor had helped his family and this was one way he could “pay it forward”.  I think the author included this because he was proud of himself for figuring out a way to make his brother happy right before his brother’s death.  In a small way, he allowed his brother to have one dream fulfilled, so his brother died with a happy memory.  At the time, he gave his brother the boat I don’t think he was thinking this.  I believe he thought his brother deserved it and it would help him forget about how hungry he was.  After the bomb was dropped, I believe this memory helped Gen survive the death of his brother.  

[mgbl...@gmail.com]

QUESTION 1:

          Songs have the ability to connect the mind to its subconscious, the fluid flow of memory and the underlying layers of the self that in Freudian terms are represented by the id and the superego. The id stands for the inchoate elements of the self that are symbolized by instincts, the most elemental of which is that of the survival instinct that explains the existence of the other instinctual aspects of the individual. The superego embodies the forces of culture that are expressed in the role of the family, religion, media, history on the formation of individuality. When the children are pictured singing they are faced up with a harsh reality, the visual stimulus that gives rise to the need to overcome fear and anxiety that such a reality engenders in the self, which the children confront unconsciously through their recourse to singing. Singing, in this sense, is a way that connects the children to their inner reservoirs of strength, persistence, and hope that are emblematic of their subconscious and that of their audience.

          In particular, we have two scenes within our reading segment, where Gen and Sinji are seen singing, one time in public, the second time in private, within the context of their family. The obvious motives for their singing (accompanied with dancing by the younger brother) in public reside in altruistic motives: they want to help get money so as to buy fish for their mother, who needs it to improve her physical condition as a pregnant woman suffering from malnutrition and weakness.  Such a public act of begging for money can be daunting for little kids, but singing and dancing connects the kids to something larger than themselves, the collective consciousness, the history, traditions, and feelings of their people. The two brothers sing the same song in front of their family. The results are the same: the audience gets excited and immediately engaged. An overwhelming sense of empathy embraces the people, which cause the audience to show their approval. For just few minutes, singing and dancing helped people to forget about the horrible reality of war they were living under.

    Finally, the two brothers sing different songs from the other two boys, who appear a little later. Despite this small difference, the content of the songs centers on reality, particularly, that of peace, or wartime. For instance, in the first context (pp. 193, 202), there is a reference to the peaceful environment in Gen’s and Sinji’s family, which is founded on the love the mother and father bear towards each other (and because of which the children, indirectly, benefit). The loving memory of their parents, who inspire the song, fills the energy and enthusiasm of the amateur young artists. The context is real and imagined, as the ideas filling the song come from the memory of familiar love and summer experience of heat. On the other hand, the other two boys (p. 224) are singing more in the mood of a military ballad reflective of the wartime climate of the country. There is a reference to a peaceful moment, the farming of sweet potatoes, but such an instance can relate to famine and the likelihood that the two boys singing and playing with two toy ships near a lake have witnessed the horrors of war first-hand, as food had been scarce, and imagining potatoes farmed evoked hope and happier days ahead. Irrespective of the above differences, the songs connect the past and present to a more hopeful and victorious future, as is usually the case with songs that are reflective of a collective consciousness.  

QUESTION 2: 

            In my view, the breaking glass scene was included, first, to demonstrate Gen’s character. The act of risking his family’s reputation, which I am realizing played a big role in the Japanese culture, as it does in other cultures, and also of suffering corporal and psychological punishment for his act, show explicitly Gen’s  unique strength, remarkable determination, and unparalleled courage to go out of his comfort zone(as he did earlier with the begging scenes), and risk helping a fellow countryman, because he believed that his countryman deserved it, and war was unfair and cruel so far to people, and to his family, in particular. Through Gen we, also, get to see the innocence and victimization of children under conditions of war: their sensitivity was pushed in directions by forces that were above themselves, but nevertheless the children were full of energy and enthusiasm, whether in favor of, or against the war, depending on how they were able to be easily manipulated one way, or another, by outside agents of influence (government, police, teachers, military commanders, society).

           In the end, the scene was included in order to show the sufferings of Japanese individuals and families under the dictatorship of their government, and war. Mr. Horikawa not only served in the military and lost his leg, as a consequence, but lost tragically his only son, who was a pilot of the imperial navy. His wife is sick, he has limited ability to move and function in a job efficiently, and the only thing he can do is the skill he learned of selling and installing glass to houses and businesses. Nonetheless, nobody needs glass, especially, since war has changed the priorities of needs, and the rhythms of life have been disrupted in many places to help his business, so Mr. Horikawa risks losing his home and business due to lack of money. Gen overhears this and is willing to help, putting himself at a difficult position later. All in all, war prevented normalcy in life, and brought the worst in others (though the reverse was true, as well), and the glass scene serves to illustrate that in an emphatic way.

[step...@brpsk12.org]

"Beggars from 800 provinces stand with their bowls at the gate...Hey Mister!  Give us some food! Give us enough to fill or bellies!"

I think the song about the beggar's bowl refers to a tale about a bowl that would not hold anything put in it.  The bowls of the people are empty!  They want food, but the bowls hold nothing they can see.  

 

#1

--The tale says that the king tried to fill a beggar's bowl (actually a friend in disguise) and whatever the king put in it disappeared; nothing would stay in the bowl.  The moral = One of our biggest challenges is making sure our life’s purpose doesn’t become a beggar’s bowl, a bottomless pit of desire continually searching for the next best thing that will make us happy or that we feel we need in order to be happy .

The song is on pages 82, 170, 200 247.  Hunger is everywhere.  Yet the children sing this song when they are in a good mood...or have some little food.  There are other things that make them happy to fill their bowls - a fish for a sick mother, a toy ship, sweet potatoes, looking forward to the wheat field.  

#2   I feel that the glass breaking scene was to show that there was still humanity within the chaos.  Because Gen did not admit why he broke the windows to help someone, was a positive note to the humanity within the suffering of the village.  I would believe that everyone was not selfish and that people tried to help each other as best they could.  Gen did what he could do even though it looked bad.  

#5  On page 199 the man who owns the fish says he "doesn't want to be haunted."  I would bring this up, the idea of ghosts haunting the living.

[bac...@pps.k12.mi.us]

Question 2- I feel Nakazawa included the scene as an example of how the difficulties of day to day existence during the war affected everyone and that even children reached a boiling point. Gen is getting out his frustration for many things while breaking the glass. He is just plain fed up.

Question 4 -I would use the translation examples and parts of the reading on translating while asking students to consider just what comes through in a translation, what is changed and what is lost. What is key to the author's intent? What does color add or its absence take away? There are rich comments waiting to happen here. Open-ended questions and allowing for diverse viewpoints will encourage students to think deeply and share their insights.

[morgan...@gmail.com]

Donna

I think you may be right about the boat/glass breaking being something that helped the author deal with the deaths.  Which makes this a possible point to talk about survivor's guilt if you were so inclined in your classes.  If you keep reading the series there are many more opportunities, but in this book the boat and glass breaking scenes are a great place.  Of course it would require the spoiler of the little brother (and likely the glass man) not surviving.  

As for the songs, I've noticed over the years that many of my students just skip past them.  As you mention in your post many of these songs can be additional sources of analyzing this story.  The fact that the such an early song fits so perfectly with the foreshadowing of the wheat can serve to help reinforce the benefit of analyzing songs.  

[morgan...@gmail.com]

Mgblake

I think that is an interesting reading of the songs.  Using songs to tap into something inside both the singers and the listeners.  Certainly students would be able to grasp some of this.  Many students have songs that calm them down, pump them up, remind them of other things... Then there's patriotic songs and anti-war songs that sprung up like weeds after 9/11 and during other war times.  This type of analysis with students could lead to some very exciting activities.  

I also like how you mentioned that the glass scene is one more example of war bringing out the best in Gen.  Certainly we see the father taken aback by his children's goodness, so there is a nice dichotomy of the best being pulled out (Gen, the neighbor Mr. Pak...) and the worst (the policeman, the neighborhood leader, the farm kids...).  This actually reminds me of an old scifi show called Bablyon 5.  In the series there are two guardian alien species with opposite view points (the Vorlons and the Shadows).  The Shadows thought that the only way for species to bring out their true potential was through war.  We do see some of that here as you mention.  In later Barefoot Gen books, after the war is over, we'll see Gen waver from this goodness potential and swerve back and forth between light and dark.

[morgan...@gmail.com]

Stephensm

Thank you for pulling together the lyrics from different pages to get the story.  With the institutionalization of Bushido and Confucian ideals, this beggar's bowl becomes something very much what Japanese people of this era would grow up learning.  

There is a graphic novel of short stories - Lafcadio Hearn's "The Faceless Ghost" and Other Macabre Tales from Japan: A Graphic Novel.  In this graphic novel the very first short graphic story is about executioners who are afraid of the condemned coming back to haunt them and how they avoid this, which is far more clever than the European method of wearing a hood.  This graphic short story book could easily be used to help explore this concept you mentioned.  Shigeru Mizuki's Nonnonba is a fictitious graphic novel all about spirits and their effects on people.  Mizuki had a passion for spirits and even stated that spirits saved his life during WW2.  

[morgan...@gmail.com]

Bachpe

The translation (and the color/absence of color) are rich areas as you mention.  I tried to make sure most of the PDF copies of the Japanese text were quality enough for good zooming in.  When I teach Japanese language to my students I sometimes like to play with them a little.  I'll post some Japanese words, knowing that google translate has some of them wrong, and then ask my students to try and find out the English translation.  

It can be a bit difficult for the kids, but having them try to translate an entire text box or page and then compare it to the English copy could be fun.  I've found this to be a decent site to use if you want kids to translate Hiragana or Romanji - http://www.lexilogos.com/keyboard/hiragana.htm especially if kids want to use the google translation function (if they copy and paste the Hiragana from that site into google translate it increases the accuracy of the translation to English).

[nahow...@gmail.com]

Topic 2: I think the glass breaking scene was added to show the reader how much Gen really cares for his younger brother, and for other people. At first he wants to buy the toy boat for his brother, but can’t afford it. Then the glassmaker tells Gen that his business is not doing well; so Gen, in his troublemaking mind, sees a way to help this person by breaking windows and therefore helping the man’s business.  This leads to the unexpected reward of the toy boat, which he then gives to Shinji. This scene adds to the storyline later, as Shinji is planning on playing with the boat with Gen the day the bombs are dropped.

Topic 4: I would use the translation in a way of teaching about inferences. The students can look at the original Japanese version, to see if using the images they can infer what is on the panel; then we can compare what they inferred to what the author wrote to see if they could understand what was happening without understanding the language of the text. We can also discuss how the color change or do not change the impact of the images.

[nahow...@gmail.com]

I liked your interpretation of the songs expressing the inner thoughts and emotions of the characters. It is like musical theater, where the actors break into sing to convey a feeling to the audience.

[Lori Stubben]

2/5.The carp/koi scene was of specific interest to me as my husband raises koi (we have 6 large tanks and a 12,000 gallon pond).  I was surprised that Gen and his brother were rewarded for theft with a large koi probably worth $500-1000 today for its size, but if they believed that the blood could cure a sick mother it seems possible that a wealthy, generous,guilty man would give his fish to some children. It just opens up the discussion about the glass/boat as well- if you do something unethical, but for a good reason- is it justified?

3. I'm so glad you provided translation pages.  I am thinking of buying a Japanese version to have in class.  I am in love with onomatopoeia- especially in manga- here's a list in katakana/hiragana and English

http://orig15.deviantart.net/ba35/f/2012/159/3/8/japanese_onomatopoeia_for_manga_artists_by_ireal70-d52pjrp.pdf

and there are heaps of web sites devoted to this topic.

There are so many repetitive syllables because of the way Japanese language works with a consonant vowel pair for most letters in the Japanese alphabet that it seems easy to have these repetitive sounds that sound like nature/animals/etc.  I think students would get a kick out of noticing where these onomatopoeias are on the page, translating them and learning them in Japanese.  Most of these sounds don't have an equivalent in English.  I think it might compel some students to study Japanese in the future.

[Lori Stubben]

mgblake- Thanks for all your song analysis. Right on. Some of my 8th graders are doing a project where they go to the senior center and play music from the decade of people's adolescence to 20s on headphones - people with Alzheimers and dementia. These people spring to life swaying and sometimes singing along when it is a song they recognize.  Music is in a deep part of our brains, accessed differently from other regions.  

In my history units this year I am planning on adding music of that time and place as best as I can for my students to hear and sing along to. I'll be looking for Japanese music from the 40s as well.

[morgan...@gmail.com]

Nahoward

I like the idea of using the Japanese version to help kids analyze the pictures.  This is a great way to help them understand the importance of visuals in a graphic novel that many of the "good" book readers might not be familiar with.

[morgan...@gmail.com]

Lori

First off here is the link to the Japanese version on amazon.jp if you do decide to purchase a copy.  I wasted a lot of time trying to find a copy, even amazon.jp kept showing me English translations for a long time.  https://www.amazon.co.jp/%E3%81%AF%E3%81%A0%E3%81%97%E3%81%AE%E3%82%B2%E3%83%B3-%E7%AC%AC1%E5%B7%BB-%E9%9D%92%E9%BA%A6%E3%82%B2%E3%83%B3%E7%99%BB%E5%A0%B4%E3%81%AE%E5%B7%BB-%E4%B8%AD%E6%B2%A2-%E5%95%93%E6%B2%BB/dp/4811300300/ref=pd_bxgy_14_img_3?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1&refRID=7D1MD49EXFEKTKWPQPCD 

If you've never used amazon.jp it is a normal amazon site, shipping is usually really fast and the price for many Japanese books are extremely nice.  The book I linked/bought was like $7.

I think the scenes with the glass breaker and the koi owner go a long way towards showing the readers that there is some validity to all the rants Gen's dad make about the rich and the war.  This could very well be the guilt that convinces the man to give Gen the koi.  Talking about the value of koi would also make this scene much more interesting to kids.  With a little googling you can even find some fun news articles about koi thefts that would include prices and all sorts of fun things that kids might get into.      

In addition to talking about the guilt and koi, I think there's the possibility for something else to talk about.  Gen's dad talks about it a few time and with the koi owner we get a possible glimpse, who gains or struggles less when there is a war.

[mdz...@gmail.com]

Question 2. I loved the glass-breaking scene for many reasons. It was important, in terms of narrative that Gen somehow got that battleship to Shinji. In fact, it is that gift, that moment, and that memory that will be our own last remembrance of a time before Hiroshima’s fate was sealed. This last gesture will be the last ‘human’ moment we experience before what is to come.

If you look at the last panel before the bombers roar off to their target, there is an image of Gen and his family, unknowingly spending their last night together as a family. Gen’s sister seems to be quietly lost in her own dreams, but the others are more closely tied to Gen’s ‘prank’, I think. There is the slightest of smiles crossing the mother’s features. The father seems to be smiling, too, in his own way. Shinji cannot help but grin while holding his battleship, and Gen looks very much like he is still in mind of what he did for his brother. It is likely no mistake that the soundest of sleepers, as shown by the two ‘zzz’s of Shinji and Gen – though if pride can be shown while asleep, then I reckon that his parents are showing just that.

Question 6. As someone who is rather wordier than most, I really appreciated the discussion of ‘showing without telling’. Indeed, when discussing graphic novels in terms of both, it is sometimes more natural to discuss how the two complement each other – albeit usually in the same panel. In this case, I was quite taken by the penultimate panel on page 239, where Mr. Horikawa is left, literally, at a loss for words when Gen offers to break more windows for him, if need be. Although the ‘words’ in the panels are only ellipses, I don’t think it’s necessary that we know what he said, or mean to say, if anything. His wordless speaks volumes. And I am certain that whatever my students think of in the classroom, when filling in the blanks, will be just as powerful as any other possibility. The image ‘says’ enough and more.

Response to Donna’s post. I must have been caught up in the moment when posting my own response, but I’d failed to make the connection with the help that the family’s Korean neighbor gave them with the glass-breaking scene. (I thank you for that!) It would be curious if my students draw that connection themselves, especially if I used your notion that Gen was in some sense ‘paying it forward’. My students (and, apparently, their teacher) can be awfully literal at times, but I believe that they would make much of that expression. Thank you again!

[njanepe...@gmail.com]

Week 6 (July 10th) Pages 193 through 240  Liz Pipkin responses to questions 1 and 2

1.  Throughout the entire book there are a couple of songs the kids sing many times in the story.  Analyze these songs and the points in which they are used.  I looked at the song being sang right before the bomb was dropped.  On many levels it was a foreshadowing of the event that was in motion.  The idea of soldiers and their duties come into play in this militaristic verse.

"Those of us in the lower grades would enter the school singing, led by students in the upper grades:

We owe it to the soldiers

That today, too, we can go to school

Shoulder to shoulder with our classmates.

Thank you, you soldiers

Who fought for country, for country.                                                                                                Singing at the top of our lungs this totally militaristic anthem, we’d advance up the trolley street and go through the gate."

The idea of soldiers duties come into play here.

What legacy did the Japanese songs leave in the minds of the children who sang them, after the war had ended and into these children's lives as adults? This is a question that I have now.  The propaganda songs were used at very young ages for different purposes.

2.  P240 - what do you make of the glass breaking scene.  Was it just to highlight someone else who had suffered from the war and was fed up with it, was it a proud memory of the author that he just wanted to share...Basically why was it included?  Also do you feel it detracts or adds to the story line?

"People who’d been in rooms with windows to their right had been pierced only on the right sides of their bodies as the bomb blast pulverized the windowpanes. They were like pincushions, with blood flowing. People who’d been in rooms with windows straight ahead of them had their fronts covered with glass splinters. The glass splinters had pierced even their eyeballs, so they couldn’t open their eyes. They felt their way along, like blind people. How they’d been standing in relation to the windows determined where on their bodies the glass splinters stuck, and one person differed from the next."  I did not find it a distraction in the writing, it enriched the scene from a functional view of people who were just living their lives on an ordinary day. The scene reminded me of Germany Kristallnacht, which owes its name to the shards of shattered glass that lined German streets in the wake of the pogrom—broken glass from the windows of synagogues, homes, and Jewish-owned businesses plundered and destroyed during the violence.  Glass was destroyed throughout the night.  The atomic bomb was released in the day, but the description of the shards of glass was so compelling of the toll on humans.  This sight would have been seared in one's memory, especially as a young impressionable person.

This leads me to the question-How is the bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki different from what Hitler did to the Jews?

Are they not the same, both killed innocent people? Why did the Germans take moral responsibility for what happened with the Jews but the Americans did not?  This could be a question addressed to how this deed is portrayed in history as it is taught in the United States. Was there a cultural bias?  More questions........

[njanepe...@gmail.com]

Liz Pipkin's response to nahow...@gmail.com Topic 2:" I think the glass breaking scene was added to show the reader how much Gen really cares for his younger brother, and for other people. At first he wants to buy the toy boat for his brother, but can’t afford it. Then the glass maker tells Gen that his business is not doing well; so Gen, in his trouble-making mind, sees a way to help this person by breaking windows and therefore helping the man’s business.  This leads to the unexpected reward of the toy boat, which he then gives to Shinji. This scene adds to the story line later, as Shinji is planning on playing with the boat with Gen the day the bombs are dropped."

The role of the glass maker and Gen made me think of how things can be beneficial then become detrimental in violent ways.  The description of the people with shards embedded in their bodies was artistically described in the horrific way the glass had gone into the bodies of the people.  The use of the directions in which the glass flew made it surreal.  It could be viewed like Frieda Kohlo's paintings of herself during her different surgeries during her life. In The Broken Column, Frida expressed her anguish and suffering in a straightforward and horrifying way. The nails are stuck into her face and whole body, like the glass shards in the women that Gen witnessed..

[Elizabeth Arias]

1.  The songs seem to be used when the characters are in a good mood for whichever reason, even when things externally are dark.  Perhaps they are used to lend humanity to the experiences because music is universal.  It is easy, I think to see historical "enemies" in a one-dimensional manner, and these  small snippets contextualize the experiences of the characters.

2.  The glass-breaking incident was incredible!  I would imagine that it might have been a source of pride, but to me it means so much more!  Not only does it highlight the tremendous sense of honor that the Japanese culture has and reveres, but also to what lengths a person would go to help another, even when the horrors of war abound.It adds another cultural layer to the story. 

[Geoffrey Smith]

Question 2.

 

The glass breaking scene shows the financial and emotional suffering of individuals, specifically the glassmaker, during the war, as well as the attitudes and actions by Gen to alleviate the suffering.  On page 231, box 1, Gen and the glassmaker have a misunderstanding. Gen tells the glassmaker, “There’s good days and bad days, but if you wait long enough the sun always shines again!” The glassmaker interprets Gen’s casual, optimistic encouragement (“So hang in there, Mister!”) as an insincere (and possibly immature) imperative and responds, “Heh, heh, smart-aleck kid!” 

 

This stage of the scene foretells benevolent, though possibly unethical, action by Gen to help the glassmaker by creating business for him by (intentionally) breaking windows.  It may have been included as a proud memory, “That poor old guy’s been through so much in the war.  It’s worth getting in trouble to help him…” (page 237, box 3).  It is significant, too, that Gen invokes hi pacifist father’s outlook at the opening of this scene, “My Papa always says…” (page 231, box 1). 

 

The overall scene adds depth to the storyline by linking the antiwar attitudes of the father and the son, and it reveals Gen’s empathy, especially when he gives the coveted battleship to Shinji.

 

Question 4.

 

These optional documents could be used to explore challenges and issues related to translation.  When a work is translated from one language to another (and from one culture to another), what remains the same and what changes?  Why?  The different (color) pictures, too, would lead to a divergence of perspective.  I would hope to use these differences to explore “intent.”  Who was the intended audience of each version?  Japanese?  American?

[Geoffrey Smith]

I forgot that Gen was planning on playing with the boat with Shinji on the day of the atomic bombing.  Thanks for reminding me and for making me rethink of the significance of this passage.  It is an example, I think, of how one scene (like this one) needs to be revisited with our students after encountering another scene (like the bombing itself).  This work is clearly emotional on so many levels, and it is threaded so carefully, too.

[semba...@gmail.com]

Laura Semba - Week 6

#2) The glass breaking scene was a poignant example of someone (Gen) trying to bring some happiness and justice to a world that seems devoid of both happiness and justice.  Gen's decision to break the windows is the action of someone who just wants to do something, anything, to make the world a little better.  He's not doing it to gain any reward and doesn't even tell his parents when they severely punish him.  It speaks to Gen's character that he would make the decision to help someone he didn't know.  This action unexpectedly leads to Gen receiving the battleship and giving it to his brother (despite having to deal with his little brother tormenting him while he was tied up).  The joy of the little brother and the brief moment of happiness for the family are actually heartbreaking because it's their last time together before horror descends on them.  We are given a glimpse of what could exist in a better world, but there is unimaginable suffering ahead.

#5) I would highlight the koi scene for my students and ask them to discuss the reaction of the man who lets them take a fish.  He makes some significant comments on the parent/child relationship and the regret he feels for not treating his mother as he should have.  It's touching to see someone react in a compassionate way and be sensitive enough to see the good intentions of the kids, even though they were stealing from him.  A tiny glimmer of humanity in a brutal world.

Lori Stubben: Since you're interested in Japanese onomatopoeia, you might want to check out this book (Nihongo Pera Pera) if you haven't already seen it.  It's an entire book of Japanese onomatopoeia!  My students always like looking at this one.

https://www.amazon.com/Nihongo-Pera-Japanese-Onomatopoeia-Language-ebook/dp/B007ECJEK4/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1500255841&sr=8-1&keywords=nihongo+pera+pera

[aethe...@kapaun.org]

T#2 Why include this? I agree with others saying that this provides Gen with a happy memory.  When Gen hands the boat to his brother, Gen's caring attitude is highlighted. We, the readers, know the back story of how this boat was purchased with some "hard work."  When Gen hands this to his brother at the end of the novel, it is a selfless act and also one to show the brotherly love/comfort Gen has. Gen will not be able to do anything else but give the ship to him.  To make that scene even more, this will be the last memory Gen will carry about his brother. It was not a bickering scene or silent treatment or holding grudges or sharing unkind words---it was a loving concern and a "good" memory to hold. By placing it in the book, the memory becomes permanent. 

#3 Color certainly influences the reader as different colors and shades can be used to layer a mood. Reds tend to show power, anger, fire---all of these seem highlighted on the sample pages and I would ascertain may coincide with the events in the book such as the Japanese government exerting its power over its people to sacrifice food and human lives; the anger of Gen's father during the war and the fire power of the bomb to come.  It was mentioned in one of interview snippets that film provides music, setting and character's voices to layer meaning, but the black and white pages are void.  It is more of a story that you will have to determine the mood on your own.  With the switch in some of the panels, isn't Japanese writing read opposite of English, so while on one had the pictures give a different perspective read in an English speaking way, if read the opposite way do give the same order.

[glas...@shaker.org]

Glasier Response

Week 6

2. The glass breaking scene in this section was pretty emotional.  I believe it was to highlight the cruelty of the war but also the inconsiderate nature of the authorities.  Here is a man who lost his leg to the war, his son to the war, his wife is ill and he will soon lose the family business and no one in the community is helping him, until Gen comes along.  In my opinion, this cruel story was added to emphasize in the inhumanity in war.  War makes people cruel.  The story helps to build the anti-war narrative and gives Gen’s character some complexity.  The way he helps is by breaking windows.  Is that the best way to help the store owner?  Probably not.  But it shows how Gen keeps his humanity in theses cruel times.

4. The optional documents were pretty interesting.  The color panels I thought were especially beautiful.  The lighting on the wheat stock was fantastic.  I might use these pictures as a task for students to see the differences in the two but mostly focus on the similarities.  Other than the reading direction and color are really similar.  This can lead to a discussion on interpretation and understanding.  I might as a homework assignment, print copies of the Japanese pages and have students circle any discrepancies between the two, much like those puzzle pictures I did as a child.  Then we could discuss why something was added or dropped for the English copy.  

[glas...@shaker.org]

In your response to question 6, It was great how you pointed out the loss of words by the glass installer.  I think he was so overtaken by Gen's kindness.  It was a great moment in the book.

[crenn...@gmail.com]

Sorry for the late responses this week. 

4. I would definitely want to use part of the interview in my classes. Alan Gleason's discussion of the debate about profanity would be a good excerpt, and I really liked the section on sound effects too.  In general, I find that my students are purists when it comes to any kind of adaptation or translation. When students see a film adaptation, they are often really put off by cuts or anything that seems unfaithful to the text. But while I suspect that many students would argue for whatever option seemed closest to the original, Gleason does make us think about audience and how that might factor into a decision. Personally, I like the way that the sound effects look when turned into writing, but my experience of those would never be the same as that of one of Nakazawa's Japanese readers.

 

5. I found the episode of the boat (224-240) really interesting. Even though Nakaoka is opposed to the war and his children are opposed to the war, the children have a fondness for military toys. In this section, Shinji is willing to humiliate himself just for a chance to play with his friends' battleships. Later, the glass-seller holds onto his son's battleship and even displays it prominently, even though he himself has suffered greatly from the war, losing his leg and his son. At the end of the section, Gen gives the boat to his brother but admits that "Gee, I liked that ship too. It's hard to give it up" (240).

There are a few things that strike me as important. First, this section follows a section about Akira's experiences in pilot training. One of Akira's fellow cadets kills himself in response to the brutality after admitting that he thought that it would be "cool" to be a pilot. Akira warns his own brothers not to fall into that trap. And yet it's almost impossible not to fall into the trap. The boxes of boys playing with boats is preceded by a frame (indeed, the boat goes beyond the borders) that makes us imagine real naval warships. It is a surprise to see them in perspective and proportional to the boys. 

[genjimu...@gmail.com]

I agree with what you said about why that scene was included in the text. It really illustrates the pain, fear and anxiety people like the shop keeper would have felt back then. Especially since he was not receiving any help from the Emperor he also gave his life to serve.  

[morgan...@gmail.com]

Mdzanko

I like your focus on the wordless scene on page 239.  It reminds me of a conversation with a graphic novel artist from a few years back.  There's an artist named Gareth Hinds whose graphic novels the Odyssey and Romeo and Juliet I like to use.  He creates many of his works with classrooms in mind and so he works in some things.  One of the things he does is put in the occasional page without any words.  One of the ideas behind this is for students to create text and analyze the pictures.  Not only does this make for some interesting breaks from the text, but it helps to make the text a little more interactive.  There are also several graphic novels out there that are completely wordless.  

There are a number of fun activities you can do with single pages of a graphic novel (either by removing the text or going with parts that don't have text like the piece on 239 that you mention).  Many I'm sure you've already considered, but just in case here are a few

• Have students create haikus to go with the page or the scene
• If you are focusing on some literary piece (verbs, adjectives, hyperbole, alliteration, metaphors...) you can have them focus on creating text/dialogue that uses that literary piece, you can have them create the text before they see the real text
• You can have them create an original story or journal about what they think is happening in that wordless scene
• You can have them look at the wordless section and create an observational poem about what they see
• You can have one student describe the scene and another who hasn't allowed to see the original draw out the description and compare/contrast the two pictures to analyze
  

[morgan...@gmail.com]

Liz

Your question about the legacy of the propaganda songs on the young after the war ended is a very good one.  Being who I am, I don't know that I'm necessarily qualified to answer it, but I will put in a few thoughts.  In later Barefoot Gen books we will see a lot of anger from Gen, anger that doesn't really have a focus.  Granted there are many reasons for this and his cognitive dissonance from the propaganda vs reality of post-war Japan would be a less than others.  But that could be a contributing factor.  If we look at the 1950s through the end of the Showa period we see that the young people start doing a lot in Japan that shows a great deal of anger too.  Protests by young people become extremely common, crime from this generation becomes very publicised (so it is hard to know if it really increases or it just becomes better covered, but there is the feel of increase), there is a great deal of censorship towards anything that might make US occupiers unhappy and I'm guessing there would be a lot of shame associated with these songs that previously elicited pride and other positive feelings.  

[morgan...@gmail.com]

Elizabeth

There is a strong connection you could make with the students with your #1 answer.  As you state music is universal.  One way is to ask students to reflect on the music they listen to in different circumstances i.e. for jocks what music do you listen to when getting pumped up, for people who are feeling dark or creative or whatever what type of music and/or artist do you listen to?  A different way could be to look at some music not in English and have students describe it and its effects.  There is a fun Japanese band called Baby Metal it's kind of a mix between heavy metal and pop, their song about chocolate is fun and annoying at the same time (it sticks in your head).  You could play that for students, there's a Bulgarian band called D2 that has a variety of types of rock including some obviously sad songs that aren't in English, I'm sure you and/or your school's music teacher could provide you with many more options.  After talking about music in general you could then have students look at the songs in the book.

[morgan...@gmail.com]

Geoffrey

I think it's interesting that you point out the connection between the father and his beliefs to the glass breaking scene.  I think you could even go a step farther here.  If Gen's family had a window broken would they be able to pay to replace it, what about Mr. Pak their Korean neighbor?  Probably not.  Gen seems to target his victims specifically, people with money (people are buying not just one plane but up to 18 at a time).  As we note in the book the regular people are suffering with almost no food, work and no money.  So these people buying umpteen planes of glass at a time are unlikely to be the regular people.  The father is always raging about the other people who are perpetuating the suffering of the regular people.  I think it is safe to say that Gen targets people who can afford to replace their windows, but is he consciously taking out some justice or retribution on the others his father rages about?  

[morgan...@gmail.com]

Laura

You mention a couple of things worth exploring I think.  One of those is the compassion and humanity of the adult who owns the koi.  This is a common thread throughout the book.  The neighbor Mr. Pak shows compassion despite what he has suffered, the old lady who tries to adopt Gen and his brother while they are begging, the friends in the country who protect the belongings and share food, the glassmaker who gives the boat to Gen, Lt. Kumai (in his own way), if you think the policeman believed Gen's family to be illegal black marketeers than you can view him as being compassionate to a certain degree... We see this humanity and compassion even from strangers again and again in the book.  If we go back to the wheat metaphor, yes Gen and his family are being tramped down, but they are also being helped on their way to growing stronger.

The other thing that could be explored that you mentioned is the regrets the koi owner has about his mother.  The possibility here is that this is really the author talking.  Nakazawa's mother does a lot for him and in his interviews he speaks of her with a lot of respect and longing but in a retrospective way.  I wonder if this is really Nakazawa speaking about his regrets towards his own mother?

[morgan...@gmail.com]

Aetheredge

Your focus on the meaning of the colors could lead to a fun activity.  If you wanted to explore this with your students and have them realize what they already know (just what you mentioned about the effects of color) why not consider copying a few pages (maybe even enlarging them on the copy machine) and then have students color them.  

First of all, who doesn't like the occasional coloring activity?  Adult coloring books are surprisingly popular right now.  You could break the kids into groups and task them with certain feelings to convey with their coloring and let them pick the colors, you could give certain groups some pre-selected colors and tell them that they have to only use their colors (no swapping with other groups) and then have the groups talk about the difference between the group that used harsh colors and those that used mellow colors, you could just have each group or individual color how they think it should be and then discuss the differences that will inevitably come up.  

I realize this isn't necessarily a normal activity for high school honors students, but besides being fun I think it could lead to some interesting discussions.

[morgan...@gmail.com]

Glasier

Your answer to #2 allows for an interesting discussion with your students.  We definitely see a lot of cruelty caused by this war (sometimes it is even blatantly pointed out for the reader).  But we also see a lot of compassion.  People like the Korean neighbor, the old lady who wants to adopt Gen and his brother while they are begging... There's this undertone that the area used to be a place of strong community bonds, but the war has been eating away at that like a cancer.  I think this could open up to a few interesting anthropological discussions.  And this could definitely be applied to what happened in Germany or the US with Japanese-Americans or German-Americans.  

[morgan...@gmail.com]

Crennertmay

You are right that it is interesting that there is a lot of anti-war in the book but that this does not translate over to toys and play time.  Furthermore we see that Gen and his family frequently do things that cause them to stand out yet this is a time when Gen is focused on helping his brother conform.  

[step...@brpsk12.org]

bac

I agree that Gen is fed up, but frustration he feels is not being depicted in a negative way after the fact.  If he had not broken the windows, the shop keeper would not have been able to pay off the loan he heard about.  I wonder what other way Gen could have taken out his frustration.

[Donna Kokojan]

Mgbl....@gmail.com

Your answer to question 2 made me stop and think.  The breaking of the glass was a prime example of Gen's character.  I also think it showed that even in the mist of limited choices, people had choices to make.  Gen's character, which ultimately helps him survive, gives him the courage to make tough choices that went against societal accepted behaviors.   Gen's character really does give the author a chance to show the innocence and victimization of children under conditions in Japan.  Donna

[aethe...@kapaun.org]

I, too, like the glimmer of happiness right before the devastation. It adds so much more emotion when those happy moments are obliterated by the atomic bomb later and the family unit will never be the same.