Monday, April 18, 2011

The Sound of Waves Blog # 2

Please read pages 95-120 and respond to the following prompts in complete sentences.  2-4 sentences should suffice for each response.

Due: B4 - Wednesday, 4/20
A1/A2 - Thursday, 4/21

1.  Describe one scene that depicts Shintoism in the novel.

2.  Why do you think Hiroshi was so amazed about his trip?

3.  What do we see in the weather that suggests a change in seasons?

4.  Summarize Hatsue's letter (4-6 Sentences)

5.  What does Terukichi's behavior in the public bath house tell us about his character?

6.  If you were Shinji, what would you do about the rumors?

7.  What does Chiyoko say about Shinji?

8.  Again, is there anything in this section that represents Japan as a whole?

9.  How can we compare this island to HIS?

10.  Argue why it would be good for every person to live on this island for a year.  Or why not?

18 comments:

  1. 1. One scene would be when Hiroshi and his friends are role-playing in the gave, and have to make an offering and pray to god in order to appease his anger, as displayed in the crashing waves.

    2. He was amazed because he was seeing things he never dreamed of seeing. Although he has a view school books, almost everything he saw on his trip was new to him.

    3. The weather gets quite stormy in the next few chapters. This means most likely that spring is coming soon.

    4. Hatsue's letter basically says that her father heard rumors and gossip at the shower house, and will not let her go out, and never take his eyes off of her. She suggested of a scheme for them to keep communicating with each other, and she admitted her true admiration towards him.

    5. It tells us that he has a short fuse. When he hears something that offends him in anyway, he has absolutely no control, it seems, over his actions.

    6. I would ignore them the best I could. I wouldn't go to any great lengths to spread counter-rumors, as the gossip would surely change in good time.

    7. Chiyoko says that she is deeply sorry for spreading the rumors out of jealousy, and is happy that Shinji said she was pretty, as she often doesn't receive that compliment, even from herself.

    8. I don't think that it's possible to use Uta-Jima to represent Japan as a whole, because of the physical location and domestic economy. Uta-Jima is an island, and the inhabitants often enjoy nature and treat her as their friend. In Tokyo, however, nature is said to be an enemy. Also, Tokyo has a lot of industrial and historical monuments that cannot be compared to those found in Uta-Jima.

    9. HIS is a small school. Uta-Jima is a small island. In both places, I see, gossip spreads quite quickly it's often that this sort of thing happens in small areas with a small amount of people, because for one, you see almost everyone everyday, practically, and two, you can get bored with the same old routine everyday. HIS is also like Uta-Jima because most of the inhabitants are from the island itself, with the occasional foreigner.

    10. I think that it would be perfectly fine to stay on the island for a year. For one, you'll know the whole time that in the end, you're going to leave. This can be a hard fact to face, but personally, I'm somewhat used to it. Also, because you won't be there for too long, you won't be prone to a bunch of gossip. Well, you might, but you'll be able to leave in the end, so you'll never hear of it again anyway.

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  2. 1. There is one scene where in Hatsue's letter, it says that: "Everyday I will be praying before the memorial tablets of my mother and father…" (Mishima 111). Praying to objects in place of spirits of the deceased is one of the customs in Shintoism.

    2. Hiroshi was so amazed of the things he saw, that he couldn't put his thoughts into words. It was because the historical sights that he visited were things that were so new to him, that he could not even compare what he saw with his life on the island.

    3. It says that Hiroshi's summer vacation was almost over, and that the cormorants were leaving. It probably means that it was starting to get colder.

    4. To summarize Hatsue's letter, it basically tells Shinji how her father had heard the rumors about the two of them, and that he is not taking his attention off of her so that she can't see him. She also talks about how writing to each other would be a bad idea, since the postmaster would find out that they are talking to each other, so she thinks about how they could communicate back and forth secretly. In the last paragraph, she finally admits her affection to Shinji for the first time.

    5. It means that Terukichi has a very short temper, and is prone to get angry at anything said against him. He doesn't seem to be so understanding.

    6. Hopefully, it wouldn't get the best of me, although I wouldn't really care. If I were Shinji, I would try to ignore it the best I can, and hopefully after the rumors and gossip dies out, things would go back to normal.

    7. Chiyoko admits that she had spread some rumors about Shinji and Hatsue, and she apologizes for doing so. The conversation ends in a good state, with Shinji telling her a compliment that she was pretty.

    8. Besides the people (characters), there isn't really much that represents Japan as a whole, probably because this part of the book tells us how Uta-jima is abundant in nature; not like the other cities in Japan. In my opinion, this island doesn't seem to show that it is a microcosm of Japan. It's like they are two completely places.

    9. HIS and Uta-jima are both pretty alike. I've been here for a long time, and so have many other people. Many people come and go, so it isn't a permanent residence for the majority of students and teachers. If I were to compare myself and other people at HIS to Uta-jima, I would consider myself as an old person who has lived here all my life, and the people who come, then leave soon, as the foreigners that come to the island for a while.

    10. I didn't really understand what this question meant, but I'm guessing that it's asking how people can benefit from living on Uta-jima for an year. For me, it would be a very new experience, because I haven't really lived anywhere else except Sapporo. That's why leaving would be extremely hard for me. But for people such as myself, it could be a good experience to live for a while in new places.

    Rina Dishman
    B4 Literature

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  3. 1.One scenes that depicts Shintoism is when Hatsue wrote in her letter that she will be praying in front of her mother and brother’s memorial tablet. Memorial tablet is a cultural thing in Shitoism because it is like a symbol for praying toward your family, relatives, etc.

    2. I think Hiroshi was amazed about his trip because he saw things he never saw in his life. For example like automobiles, tall buildings with neon lights, and things they don’t see in Utajima.

    3. It says that spring was starting to end, and that Hiroshi’s summer vacation was ending. It tells that it is starting to get colder. Also, it says that the cormorants are starting to leave, which tells that winter is coming.

    4. Hatsue’s letter talks about how her father got very angry, and didn’t let her go outside of the house. It says that Hatsue is very miserable and she can’t stand the situation. Hatsue wants to meet Shinji very much and she want to find a way to communicate with Shinji. She also said that she’ll be praying that nothing bad will happen to Shinji, and hope to meet again.

    5. It tells that Terukichi gets mad and picky when someone else is talking about him. If there is something that he doesn’t like, he does something back to that person.

    6. I would ignore it because rumors go on for only a short time, when the rumors sounds interesting. So as time passes, people forget about it and people will have no interest in it.

    7. Chiyoko went to apologize to her, which wasn’t really stated in the book clearly. But it tells that she wanted to apologize to him, and was in her mind. But she asked Shinji if she’s pretty, and he said she was. She was very happy about it and she became more positive about herself.

    8. There isn’t that much place that represents about Japan. But for the whole book, it tells the culture of Japan, and how they live. Like about the public bath, ships, etc. For me I thought that it represents how Japan likes saying gossips instead of saying face to face. Japanese don’t like saying things face to face, so they say gossips on purpose.

    9. We can compare Utajima to HIS, because they are both small. But also, as I said before, I thought that every news or gossips go around fast. Since both are in a small community, everybody knows each other and their news. So it is likely that everybody knows each other very well.

    10. I think it would be good to live in Utajima for a year because you can learn new cultures. I think we could experience different life because in Utajima, there isn’t anything technological compared to Tokyo. Now, many people use electronic devices (like ipods and computers) and they are into it, so people should experience a life without any electronic devices.

    Shiori Hishinuma, B4

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  4. 1) They talk about spirits and once it is mentioned somewhere about the spirit of the sea. According to Shintoism, everything has spirit/soul in it.
    2) That is probably because on Uta-Jima there are no tall buildings, cars, roads with so many people, neon lights, etc. And Hiroshi saw all of it at once, which is why he became so fascinated about it.
    3) It mentions that Hiroshi’s summer vacation is ending. So autumn is coming soon.
    4) It basically said that Hatsue tried to explain her father about the rumours, but he did not trust her. And she will not be allowed to go out of the house a lot anymore. Then she confessed her love to him and told reply and put the letters under the lids of the water jar
    5) He ripped his clothes vigorously, meaning he is still full of energy in his age. Then, he poured chilled icy water on the two youths, who spoke ill about his niece, and then beat them. This shows us that he is still strong and stronger & more confident than his aged people, averagely.
    6) If I were Shinji, then I would most likely ignore it. Also, since it is a huge matter, I would say something like “I did not do it and if you want to believe then do or if you do not want to, then don’t. And anyways…”, there instead of ellipses (the three dots) I would dramatically, emotionally, but still very CONFIDENTLY try to convince them that I did not do it, by using some inspiring words.
    7) She tells him that she is leaving and wanted to confess that she was the one who spread the rumours. But she did not ask for forgiveness, she just asked if she looks pretty or not. Shinji immediately answered yes, due to his manners and Chiyoko left happily from there like that.
    8) For me, it is really hard to connect this island to Japan, in entirety. But I could say that people know each other in the neighbourhood, help each other, and are pretty nice to each other.
    9) The island is small and rumours spread quickly. So is it in HIS. There are a lot of rumours and most of them are untrue. Also, people avenge for what some other certain people have done to them. And here in HIS, everyone finds someone to be with and eat lunch with, like Shinji has.
    10) I would not recommend for anyone to live there. Mainly it is because the life there is not as simple as here, in the cities. I mean they, do not even have normal lightning systems. Also, because it is located near the beach, it would be uncomfortable to live there due to sand. And, also there is nothing to do, and your will get bored.

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  5. 1. One scene that depicts Shintoism is when Shinji’s mother read Hiroshi’s letter and was moved by what he wrote. She placed the card on the god-shelf and kneeled down and prayed that the storm would not affect Hiroshi’s return.

    2. I think Hiroshi was amazed because there was an advanced technology system. He was amazed especially by the movie theatre because there aren’t any on Utajima. He didn’t know what it was like in modern cities and because the cities were so modernised and different, he couldn’t help but be amazed.

    3. The cormorants are leaving one by one and there are storms. This suggests that the season is changing and is getting colder.

    4. The letter says that Hatsue’s father heard of the gossips about her and Shinji. She says that she cannot go outside and cannot meet Shinji so she will stick a letter under the lid on the water jar and will he ask someone to get it for him every day. She is saying that they must remain strong until they can see each other again.

    5. His behaviour tells us that he is arrogant, short-tempered and he doesn’t like being gossiped about. He easily gets offended but he knows he is well-respected. He uses this to pay them back without getting revenge from them.

    6. If I were Shinji, I would just ignore them. However, I would wonder who would ever spread such horrible rumours.

    7. Hatsue says that she feels guilty about being the origin of the rumour and wants to beg for forgiveness. However, she cannot bring herself to face Shinji and confess. But when she asks him if he thinks she is pretty, he says yes and she feels happy.

    8. Utajima’s religion is shintoism, just like the rest of Japan. There are also legends about the island, like there are legends about Japan.

    9. This island is very small, like HIS. Rumours spread around very easily because we see each other almost every day. People know each other’s face well and know everybody, just like in HIS.

    10. I think it would be good for people to live in Utajima for an year. This way, you can find peace for an year without the noisy sounds of traffic and technology. It would be a chance to relax and find your inner peace.

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  6. 1. One scene that shows shintoism is when Hatsue wrote a letter to Shinji, she wrote "Everyday I will be praying before the memorial tables" (Mishima 111).

    2.I think Hiroshi was amazed because there was things he never saw in his life. For example the neon lights, the tall buildings and etc.

    3. In the chapters the weather gets windy and stormy. I think it's getting colder.

    4.Hatsue's letter was about that she was not allowed to go outside because of her father. Hatsue's father heard rumors of Shinji and Hatsue and Hatsue tries to explain what had really happened but her father didn't listen to her. So Hatsue wanted Shinji to find a way they could meet each other.

    5.His behavior tells us that he gets angry easily when someone talks about him. Terukichi takes revenge to that person who said something about him.

    6.If i was Shinji i would just ignore the rumor. I would wait until the rumor goes away, then things will be back like before.

    7.Chiyoko apologized to Shinji about the rumor she spreaded because she was jealous of Hatsue. Then later Chiyoko asks Shinji if she was pretty or not, then Shinji told Chiyoko that shes pretty. Chiyoko was very happy and became more positive about herself.

    8.Utajima doesn't represent Japan as a whole, but it does represent the culture, history, and the japanese way of living.

    9. I think Utajima and HIS are quiet similar because they both are a small community and rumors spread easily. Everyone knows what their name is by looking at their face. Mostly everyone knows each other like Utajima.

    10. I think it would be a good experience for everyone because they would learn how to live peacefully and also there would be no cars and noisy things around so it would be calm and quiet.

    ReplyDelete
  7. 1) One scene that shows shintoism is when Shinji preys at the grave. They had offerings to calm the Gods. If they dont, the Gods will create a natural disaster.

    2) I think Shinji was amazed because he saw many new things, it was so modernized compared to utajima.

    3) The birds were moving, and it was more windy. I think its getting close to winter.

    4) Hatsue was trying to tell her father that the rumor was not true. But her father did not believe her, and band her from getting out of the house. So, she writes a letter to shinji instead.

    5) His behavior tells that he has a short temper. He takes revenge to the people who gossips.

    6) If i was shinji, i would find a way to find out what was the source of rumor.

    7) Chiyoko reveals that she was the source of the rumor, and that she felt sorry for that. She did so because she was jealous about shinji and hatsue's relation. And Hatsue askes shinji if shes pretty, and shinji answers yes. After this Chiyoko started to have a positive feeling towards herself.

    8) I think because utajima is very small, compared to Japan, its more of a closer society. Everyone knows each other, and they are more friendly.

    9)I think utajima and HIS is similar, because the society is very small, so everything spreads really easily.

    10)I think it would be a great experience. I think not much of us has been fishing on a boat for your living. So i think the things we can gain from the island, for example, knowledge, strength, and the personality (calmness).

    Jun Ogawa A2

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  8. Janet Choi A1

    1. When Hiroshi and his friends play in the cave, they think that the tremendous sound of the waves is god showing his anger, and they try to appease the god’s anger by offering food and praying.

    2. Hiroshi was amazed because in his trip, he saw things that he had never seen before, like automobiles and tall buildings. Since Hiroshi lived in Uta-jima where technology was not very well developed, modernized cities would have been a shock to him.

    3. Hiroshi’s summer vacation is ending, and the cormorants were staring to leave. Also, the breezes in the Red Nose Pass were not that cold enough to turn a person’s nose red. This explains that summer is ending and fall is coming.

    4. Hatsue’s letter says that Hatsue could no longer go outside because Terukichi heard about the gossips spreading in the village. She suggests that they secretly send letters to each other to keep in contact. She ends by saying that she truly loves him and that they must stay strong until they meet again.

    5. Terukichi’s behavior tells us that he has a short temper. He gets mad very easily when someone says bad things about him, and he cannot control his actions well.

    6. I would ignore the rumors and wait until they stop spreading. However, if the rumors do not seem to calm down, then I would try and find out who spread them and talk with them about why they spread the rumors.

    7. Chiyoko’s original intention was to confess what she had done and apologize to Shinji. However, when she sees him, she does not have the courage to tell the things she has done. Instead, she asks Shinji if he thinks she is ugly. Shinji says that she is pretty, and that makes Chiyoko happy.

    8. The people of Uta-jima believe in Shintoism, which many people believe in Japan. Also, most of the men in the village are fishermen. Many people in Japan also catch fish for their living.

    9. Because both Uta-jima and HIS are small communities, rumors or gossips spread around very easily. Also, people get to know each other very well and everyone knows about almost everyone else. Because of this, people in the two communities get along very easily and are united.

    10. It would be a good opportunity to live in Uta-jima for a year, because you can leave the big, modernized cities where everyone lives busy lives. Today, due to the developed technology, people very often have tight schedules and they are very busy. If people live in Uta-jima for a year, they would be able to take a good rest in a place where you do not need to worry about busy schedules and time pressure.

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  9. 1. A scene describing Shintoism is the very beginning of the book where the author describes the island. "Yashiro Shrine is dedicated to Watatsumi-no-Mikoto, god of sea" (Mishima 4).

    2. Hiroshi was very amazed since many people could not get out of this town. The technology outside of the island probably was more advanced , which amazed Hiroshi.

    3. The waves that happened during Hiroshi's school trip doesn't explain alot. However it describes that it might have been getting warmer.

    4. Hatsue's letter basically described about her father and Shinji. First off, it started with Hatsue's father hearing a rumor about Shinji and Hatsue. Then Hatsue explains how she might not be able to meet him again, and so on. The last few sentences describes how much Shinji means to her and how much she will miss him. She loves Shinji.

    5. Terukichi is an arrogant and short-tempered fellow. He would be a dangerous person to be around with.

    6. If I was Shinji, I would try to let the rumor go, but I know it would be hard to happen. So I would want to know what the rumor is about, and put that in mind, while I try to let it go.

    7. Chiyoko's conversation starts off with her admitting that she actually kind of spread rumors about Shinji and Hatsue. Then she finishes the conversation by asking Shinji whether she is pretty or not. Shinji says she is pretty.

    8. Not really, just the little bits of text that describes public bath houses, etc.

    9. Utajima and HIS are very similar since it is both small places, with such small communities. Especially with rumors and how it spreads so quickly to everyone.

    10. It would be a good experience for some people, especially if they like peaceful places. Although for me, I wouldn't want to live in such a small island with limited freedom etc.

    Milan A1

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  10. 1. When Hiroshi gets scared when the weather gets bad. He thinks that God is mad, and he gets terribly afraid of it. "'Oh! oh! I'm afraid! I'm afraid! O Chief, the god is teribly angry. What could have made him so angry? Tell us, O Chef'" (Mishima 100). The way it showed shintoism is that those people believes that when the nature is rough it shows God's anger.

    2. Hiroshi was amazed about his trip because he was able to see many amazing things that he had never seen before.

    3. The weather says that the Hiroshi's summer vacation is almost over, and fall was close.

    4. Hatsue's letter said about how her father found out about Shinji's rumor; and he is not letting Hatsue meet Shinji. In the letter Hatsue asks Shinji to exchange letters by him asking his good friend that he can trust to take it to her house; so that Terukichi won't find out about it.

    5. His behavior tells that he has low temper, and he gets mad easily. When Hatsue tells Terukichi about the rumor, he won't even listen to her; and that's how Terukichi believes in what he hears first about it.

    6. If I was Shinji I would try to convince Terukichi in some way that the rumor is not what he actually did. Because if he would just wait and leave the rumor, it is not going to help for Shinji being able to talk with Hatsue. I would have to make some kind of changes to the situation.

    7. Chiyoko says that she feels guilty of wha she did, spreading the rumors and she apologies to Shinji about it. She says she feels bad of what she did. But when Shinji tells Chiyoko that she is pretty, she feels better.

    8.I didn't really get to find much things that represents Japan with Utajima since Utajima is so different and unique from the usual Japan we see. Usually I have this image for Japan that it is with buildings, with cellphones, and people working but in The Sound of Waves I don't see much of that. Utajima is small compared to Japan, so it is hard to compare.

    9. Utajima is similar to HIS how rumors spreads around easily. Because it is both a small community, once few groups of people knows about it, almost everyone knows it. Same in Utajima, when a tiny group of people knew about Shinji's rumor, it was very quick for Terukichi to know about the rumor.

    10.The good point is that because there's only few groups of people in the island, everyone knows each other and I think ti will be like a big family. When one needs help, everyone will be able to help. But the bad point is that like I said, if one person knows about you everyone knows about you and you won't have much privacy.

    Suzu Hiroyama
    Literature A1
    4/20/11

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  11. 1. Everyday I will be praying before the memorial tablets of my mother and father…" (Mishima 111). Praying to objects, believing it had spirits, is Shintoism

    2. He was amazed to see things he had never seen before. Like movie theaters, tall building, and other things that you so not find on Utajima.

    3. There are more and more storms being shown in the novel. It must be getting colder in the season.

    4. Hastue's letter is basically saying, that her father has heard about her and Shinji. She says that he is keeping an eye on her, and so she can not see her. She also suggested that they do not write cause then the post man can see if they were talking to each other secretly. She tries to find ways to communicate secretly and in the last paragraph she reveals how she feels about Shinji for the first time.

    5. He gets angry easily to people talking about him. He can not control his actions as well.

    6. If I was Shinji, I would ignore the whole thing, and deny the rumors. Plus I would ask where the evidence came from, not just a person making up lies.

    7. Chiyoko admits to Shinji, that she started the rumors of Shinji and Hatsue, and it was all because she was jealous. Later on, she asks if Shinji thinks she is pretty or not, and Shinji says that she is pretty.

    8. I do not think Utajima represents Japan as a whole, like the Japan today. Although it does represent the old fashioned Japan, like the culture, religion and history are from the old times.

    9. Since Utajima is a small island, rumors spread fast, same here in HIS, since the school is small. Another example would have to be people knowing each others names and recognizing people.

    10. I think it would be a great place to relax from all your stresses of the world. It is a calm place and a nice place to relax, with the sea and nature.

    Kai Izumi
    A2 Literature

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  12. 1. When the weather is bad or when nature goes wild, the people of Shintoism thought it was because of Gods anger. When Sochan, Katchan and Hiroshi were playing, a big sound came along. Which thought was to be caused by God.
    2.I think Hiroshi was amazed because all the things around him were new to him. The tall buildings, neon lights etc. Compare to Uta-Jima, this was a place that had everything.
    3.As the cormorants leave, the weather started to change. Cormorants leaving meant that it was getting cold and the people started to enter winter.
    4. Hatsue told Shinji that her dad has been hearing rumors about her and Shinji. Father does not like the idea of Hatsue and Shinji going out so he tells Hatsue that she cannot leave the house.To communicate, Hatsue suggests that they stick a letter underneath the water jar because the postman would probably read the letter if send by mail. Hatsue tells Shinji that she will be praying to see him.
    5. It tells us that he has a short temper and gets angry easily. When some one is gossiping about him, he gets angry and later on, takes revenge.
    6 If I were Shinji, I would ignore the rumors because they are rumors, not facts. Rumors spreading around is something you have in life and you have to live with that so it does not really bother me.
    7. Chiyoko told the truth about her spreading the rumors about him and Hatsue. She says that she is terribly sorry. Later on, she asked if she was ugly and Shinji answered “what makes you say that..... You’re pretty” (117). Which leads Shinji and CHiyoko to a positive side.
    8. There actually isn’t that much sections where Japan is represented as a whole except the fact of Shintoism. Because Uta-Jima is a small island in the side, it cannot represent Japan that well. Japan is a country where we have different cultures even though we are all Japanese. So there is not that much sections that represent Japan as a whole.
    9. HIS is a small comunity where rumors spread easily. Uta-jima was an island with not that many people on it so a rumor spread fast to everyone. Just like HIS.
    10. I would not recommend people to live on Uta-Jima due to the fact that it is a small community. The island its self is not huge and contains only few lights in the dark. Which causes many troubles such as car accidents, raping, robbery etc. Also mentioned before, when some rumor goes out, everyone will know right away.
    A2 Lit
    Hugh K.

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  13. 1) According to Shintoism, everything has spirit/soul in it. It is mentioned somewhere about the spirit of the sea they talk about spirits. So practically, just the sea.
    2) The stuff outside were probably “cooler”, or more advanced. It might have just been excitement for more advanced technology.(?)
    3) It was very rainy, and stormy, I’m not sure how this is affected by seasons, but most likely it may be Spring soon
    4) It started with rumors about Shinji and Hatsue, that Hatsues’s father had heard about. Hatsue explains in the letter how this is a serious thing, and they may not ever be the same anymore. It is also more of a love letter. They do not dislike eachother.
    5) Terukichi isn’t a very nice guy. He would get mad very easily.
    6) I would just ignore the rumors, and think positive. Rumors can’t harm you in any way, physically.
    7) Chiyoko says that she was sorry for spreading the rumors out of jealousy. She was happy that Shinji said that she was pretty.
    8) This island is only a small proportion of Japan, so it’s very hard to connect. It would be a nice community to help out each other, when you need help.
    9) HIS is a small community, a very small school. Uta Jima is a small community, where people can help eachother out. I suppose in HIS, kids help eachother out.
    10) I think people should live here, or come here, because of the fact that it’s a nice place to be, when everyone knows you. Wouldn’t you like to be in a community when everyone smiles and greets you everyday?

    THIS IS MIKE

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  14. 1.In that portion of reading there was a good example of Shintoism appearing. When Hiroshi and his other friends had to make god and offering and pray for him so they god won't be angry at them anymore.

    2. Hiroshi was amazed because he had never seen all those things before. The most exciting part for him was cars, neon lights, tall buildings which is unusual for Uta-jima.

    3.It started to say that spring is over so is summer. Also it was getting colder everyday.

    4.She tells Shinji that the rumors about her and him came to his father. After that he became very strict towards her and didn't allow her to get out of the house after dark so she can't meet him. Also she said that messaging each other secretly isn't a good idea anymore because somebody can find out. It was the first time when Hatsue told him about her feelings.

    5.Terikuchi loses his temper easily because when sombody disagrees with him, he can't handle it. In his opinion everyone has to listen to him.

    6. If I was them I would ignore all the rumors and be with the person I love. Because the truth will always be known.

    7. Chiyoko couldn't leave back to Tokyo because she spread rumors about Shinji and Hatsue. It made her feel bad and guilty, so she apologized to Shinji and they ended as friends.

    8.Well it shows that people there believe Shintoism and also do fishing as their thing for living. In my opinion though I think it doesn't represent Japan that much because that's how it is in almost every japanese city.

    9. Utajima and HIS can be compared to HIs because they are both small places where people do same things: fishing and studying. Also the fact that everyone knows each other and can immidiately say whe someones is an outsider is a good similarity.

    10. I personally don't think its a good expirience to live there because life there is very boring. But for people who are lazy its a perfect place because you can survive there only if you are a hardworker. Also people who need peace could move there for some time to learn how to be calm and peaceful.

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  15. 1. Shintoism is depicted in the letter that Hatsue wrote to Shinji. "Everyday I will be praying before the memorial tablets of my mother and father..." (Mishima 111).

    2. Hiroshi was amazed by his trip because everything was new to him, since it was his first time to leave his island. Also, what he found in the big cities were things that he would never find in Uta-jima.

    3. It says that Hiroshi's summer vacation is almost ending and also that the cormorants are leaving. It shows that the weather is getting colder. At the same time, there are more storms and windy days which also shows the end of summer.

    4. Hatsue wrote to Shinji that she will not be able to see him because his father, Teru Miyata heard the gossips about their relationships. She also mentioned that she will keep writing and the way she and Shinji can still communicate by letters without getting noticed by her father. At the end, she told Shinji that she will keep loving him.

    5. His behavior showed in the public bath shows that he never accepts to be humiliated. And the bad gossips about his daughter made him lose his temper which shows that he easily gets angered.

    6. I would just ignore it because I know that I didn't do it and I will still have smart people around me who will believe me, like Jukichi, Ryuji or his mother for Shinji. And it's just a gossip so at some point, it will stop because either people will get bored or there will be some new things to talk about.

    7. Chiyoko feels really guilty because she feels that she is the origin of this gossip. Though she is saved by the fact that Shinji doesn't know that Chiyoko started it by telling Yasuo, she really feels sorry that Shinji and Hatsue can't meet each other anymore. So she goes up to Shinji right before going back to Tokyo to apologize but doesn't really succeed.

    8. I think there is a major connection between this island and Japan as a whole in the culture and the way they live. Because Japan is an archipelago, fishing is very important and also very traditional. I think the personality also shows how Japanese people act. Though it might be for not only Japanese, they like gossiping and talking about people.

    9. The first connection made is the size of both HIS and Uta-jima. They are both small places and have relatively small population. Everyone knows each other which shows how social people can be. On the other hand, because they know each other, the gossips spread really easily.

    10. I would want to live on the island because first of all it's not a big city. I would rather visit large cities than live in them because at it' just too large. But, on islands like uta-jima, you are still able to live without any difficulties and I think they are a lot more welcoming than the city people. Also I just like being surrounded by nature, being calm and in Uta-jima, there are beautiful views that we cannot find in the capital cities like Tokyo.

    Kana Ikezawa
    A2 Literature

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  16. 1.There is one scene in Hatsue's letter where she prays. "Everyday I will be praying before the memorial tables" (Mishima 111).

    2.Shinji is amused on his trip because he sees things he never imagined before. There were things that were not on Uta-jima.

    3.The cormorants were leaving and it was getting colder. It showed that it was almost Fall.

    4.Hatsue tells Shinji in the letter that her father had heard the rumors. He won't let Hatsue out of the house unless he is watching her. She explains that she might not be able to see him or be able to talk to him. Hatsue tells Shinji that she loves him.

    5.Terukichi loses his temper quite easily, especially if a rumor or something includes him in a bad way.

    6.If I were Shinji, i would try my best to ignore the rumors. If I couldn't, I'd probably tell people that the rumors are not true.

    7.Chiyoko admits that she spread some rumors about Shinji and Hatsue. At the end of the conversation, she asks Shinji is he thinks she's ugly or pretty. He says that Chiyoko is pretty.

    8.The people believe in Shintoism, like many others in Japan, but besdies that, I don't think it represents Japan that well.

    9.HIS and Uta-jima are similar because they are both small. Also both rumors and gossip goes through the small community very quickly.

    10.I think it would be good experience to stay on Uta-jima for one year. It would be good for people who like and would like to go to calm places, and also for people who might be a bit stressed. I would like to go to Uta-jima.

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  17. 1. There is one scene when Hatsue's letter says "Everyday I will be praying before the memorial tables" (Mishima 111).

    2. I think he was amazed because he saw thing he never saw in his life before during his trip.

    3. The weather was getting windy and stormy which will probably that spring is coming.

    4. The letter was about Hatsue's father hearing the gossips about her and Shinji. And she said that she can't go outside and can't see Shijarnji. So she puts a letter under the lit on the water and ask someone else to get it for him.

    5. It tells that he has a short temper because when he hears somethin offensive, he gets out of control.

    6. I would try my best to forget about it untill everyone forgets about the rumor.

    7. Chiyoko said to Shinji that Chiyoko admits that she started the rumors of Shinji and Hatsue and the reason why she did that was because she was jealous. Than she asks to Shinji is she is pretty or not and Shinji says that she is pretty.

    8. I think Utajima doesn't represent Japan as a whole but it does represent the culture and the japanese way of living.

    9. I think HIS is similar to this island because they both are small and there is lots of rumors and we all know each other.

    10. I think it's gonna be great because it's gonna be a good experience. Forexample, i don't think many of us had been fishing on the boat.

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