Japanese 2451

First Paper Topics

 

No late papers accepted unless accompanied by official note (e.g., doctor).

Grading: 20% of final grade

 

 

Instructions:

 

Write a two-and-a-half to three-page (excluding bibliography) literary analysis on one of the following topics.  If you would like to write on another topic, you must get the instructor’s approval.  The essay must be typewritten in Microsoft Word format, double-spaced, in 12-point font, with 1 inch margins.  (Approximately 800 words.) Discussion of specific passages from the literary works we have read in class is expected; cite page numbers of referenced quotations. You must cite the specific editions that have been assigned for class. Do not consult secondary sources (sources outside the literary works assigned for class); if you want to cite historical/political/social/cultural facts needed to support your arguments, cite from Varley’s Japanese Culture (the recommended text for class) or from the Powerpoint lecture notes.

 

Please include a bibliography, even though you are only consulting the works assigned for this course.

 

 

Topics: 

 

1.  What are some of the characteristics of the ideal “hero” or “heroine” in the works we have read up to this point?  Make certain to define what a “hero” is and to build your argument and analyses based on a specific definition of this key term.  How do literary works emphasize characters’ “heroic” qualities?  Are there some patterns to the “heroism” lauded by premodern Japanese literary works?  You may want to consider how the “young noble in exile” plot convention operates.  Some of the following characters may be examined:  Izanagi, Amaterasu, Susanowo, Yamato Takeru (all of the preceding from Records of Ancient Times), Prince Takechi (Hitomaro’s poem), the Shining Genji (The Tale of Genji), and the women of The Tale of Genji.

2.  Unlike many premodern patriarchal societies that belittled and constrained the literary accomplishments of women, Japan’s Heian-period aristocratic society is unique in having nurtured the writing of women.  In fact, the literary works penned by women in Heian-period Japan are now some of the most famous works of the Japanese literary canon.  What then is the role of women as featured within Heian-period, women-authored literature? Consider within your analysis the production of literature by women writers as well as the roles/treatment given women within the female-authored works we have read.  The prose literary works written by women were primarily targeted toward other women. That being the case, what “message” do these women writers convey to their female audience? Give specific examples from our readings.  Consider issues of social structure and language, as well as the topics/themes dealt with in Heian-period literature. Do these works reveal particular feminine concerns?  Provide close readings of The Pillow Book of Sei Sh?nagon and/or The Tale of Genji for your analyses.

3.  How is the relationship between nature and humans depicted in the premodern Japanese literature we have read? Consider the role of the indigenous religion Shinto and its animist beliefs in shaping the dynamics between nature and humans (definition of “animism”: the belief that all things, including objects and all natural phenomena, have spirits).   In your analysis, discuss some of the figurative uses of nature imagery that convey human emotion or human physical states.  Cite and analyze specific literary instances from the texts we have read.

Academic Integrity:

 

For the two papers required for this course, I am interested in your own interpretations of the literary works. Make certain to cite the page numbers of all literary passages cited in the text, as well as specific events or sections of a plot of a text summarized or mentioned in your essay.  Disciplinary action will be taken in cases of plagiarism.  A plagiarized paper will result in an automatic “F” for the paper.  Additionally, the instructor will report the case to the Committee on Academic Misconduct to determine disciplinary action.  Please review the Code of Student Conduct at:

http://www.studentaffairs.ohio-state.edu/resource_csc.asp

 

 

Criteria:

 

1) Effective development and discussion of thesis.  Decide upon the argument you would like to develop concerning one of the topics–this will be your thesis statement. Next, build a discussion that supports the thesis.  Do not just list your examples, but discuss them in relation to your thesis statement.  Conceive of your essay as a whole before beginning your writing. This means making certain you have a clear idea of the discussion you would like to develop.  Mercilessly remove anything that does not help develop your thesis.  (6 pts)

2) Close analysis of original literary text.  Support your statements and observations with passages from the text(s).  These references must be footnoted (endnotes and parenthetical notation are fine also).  Explain by analyzing the chosen phrases, sentence, paragraph, or poem how you arrive at your interpretation. (6 pts)

3) Originality. I would like to get a sense for how each of you has responded to the works we have read.  While listing the facts that have been discussed in lectures will result in an adequate grade (“C” range), incorporation of your own reactions and interpretations of the literature, supported by objective analysis of the readings (that is, close reading and interpretation of quotations from the texts), will result in a much higher score.  Close attention to the language of the literature—that is, “how” the literature expresses itself—as well as “what” it expresses will lead you to your own original interpretations.  (6 pts)

 

4) Mechanics.  Correct spelling of Japanese names will create a good impression.  English-language misspellings, mistakes in punctuation, misusages, and grammatical errors will result in deductions from your score.  (1 pt)

5) Style.  In writing a formal paper like this assignment, avoid vague words and phrases such as “very,” “kind of,” “stuff,” and “a lot”.  Avoid slang and colloquial expressions unless you are employing these for specific effects related to improving the presentation of your arguments. (1 pt)

 

 

For Writing Assistance:

 

1)    Assistance from the Instructor

If you have any problems or concerns at any point in the writing process, please come see Prof. Fukumori during her office hours, Thursday, 5:30-6:30pm, or by appointment (Hagerty Hall 354). She is happy to read and comment on outlines and rough drafts, up to two days before the due date (deadline for drafts: Oct.11, 5pm).  Please send your drafts electronically (in Microsoft Word) to Prof. Fukumori by e-mail attachment ([email protected]).

 

2) The Writing Center: 485 Mendenhall Lab, 125 South Oval Mall, phone: 688-4291, website http://cstw.osu.edu/writingCenter/default.cfm

 

“The Writing Center offers FREE 50 minute tutorials for help on writing.  OSU students, staff and faculty set up appointments for all kinds of writing projects.  If you need help brainstorming or starting a paper, or need someone to help with the grammar, flow, or coherence of your writing project, the Writing Center is the place to go.  Times vary.”

 

Paper Hints

Keep in mind that an effective humanities paper is written for a “lazy reader.”  What this means is that you need to explain and support every point you make.  Define key terms that you are using (for instance, “hero”), since usages of terms can vary depending on the culture, the text you are reading, or the person who is interpreting (the reader, you).  Organize your paper logically so that your reader does not have to work to follow what you are doing or where your ideas are headed.  Humanities papers are graded both for content and structure.

I. Five-paragraph Essay Format:

The basic format of a literary analysis essay is the five-paragraph essay.  Mapped out, it looks like this:

I.  Introduction (includes thesis statement)

II.  First supporting argument

III.  Second supporting argument

IV.  Third and final supporting argument

V.  Conclusion

Writing an outline (filling out the Roman numeral points above as five sentences or fragments) before embarking on the paper is necessary.  It will help you structure your ideas most effectively.

It may be useful to imagine that you will need one-fourth of your paper for your introduction and conclusion.  The remaining three-fourths can be divided up for each of three points you should be making to prove your thesis (argument).  What follows below is merely a guideline and you should feel free to adjust it as you see fit.

II. Introduction:

Your Introduction is most easily handled if you conceive of it as cone-shaped, with its point at the bottom.  Start with a broad statement about your topic or some issue that surrounds it, and gradually work into the specifics of your thesis.  By the end of your introduction, your reader should know what your argument is and by what approach your propose to support it.  The thesis statement normally is the last sentence of your introduction.

III. Supporting Argument Paragraphs

Make certain that you have no more than one central idea in a paragraph, but also be sure to provide smooth transitions between your paragraphs and sentences to show how the parts of your paper connect to support your thesis statement.  You should have a topic sentence at the beginning of each argument paragraph and a summary/conclusion sentence at the end of each argument paragraph.  When you use a quotation (whether from the literary works or from a secondary source), set it up well in your own words.  After the insertion of the quotation, explain the significance of the quotation to your argument.  Quotations are not self-explanatory; never assume that the reader will share your view about what is significant in a quotation! See the example of how to incorporate a quotation into the flow of your paper on page 7 of this handout (“Example Block Quotation”).

IV. Conclusion

Summarize your arguments and reiterate your thesis.  You can also place your argument in a broader context in the Conclusion and suggest the larger significance of your findings.  End with a flourish!

V. Quotations:

You should have at least one quotation from the literary texts in each of your supporting argument paragraphs.  You should be able to support your argument through interpretation/analysis of illustrative passages from the works we have read.  As a general rule, quotations three lines and over are indented and single spaced (set off from your doubled-spaced text), while shorter quotations are merely marked off with quotation marks within your double-spaced text.  No quotation marks are needed around the indented, single-spaced block quotation (unless what you quote is dialogue); the shorter, unindented quotations, however, do require quotation marks.  The original lineation of poems should be preserved; you can mark off the lines with a forward slash (/) within your essay.  Make your quotations count–they should be significant selections that allow you to show the reader how you read and interpret the literary work.

Example Block Quotation (example written by Naomi Fukumori):

 

The description of the vine-choked mansion reflects the psychological turmoil experienced by the Kiritsubo Lady’s mother:

In earlier days, the widowed mother had managed to keep up the place as a suitable residence for her daughter, but the autumn storm seemed to have wreaked havoc on the plants in the garden, which had shot up while their owner lay prostrate, lost in the darkness of parental grief; and no visitor except the moonlight had braved the tangled growths of wild vines (McCullough 29).

The storm blasts ruin upon the plants, just as the Kiritsubo Lady’s sudden death shocks her mother into a state of inconsolable grief.

Note:  Block quotations are quotations longer than three lines.  The entire quotation is indented and single spaced.  Quotation marks are not placed around the quoted text, unless you are quoting dialogue.

VI. Citation:

For citation, you may use parenthetical notation, footnotes, or endnotes, but you must be consistent in the method you choose.  Please include a bibliography, even if you don’t use works from outside the course reading.

A.  Examples of citations:

•parenthetical (in the text of your paper, at the end of the sentence in which the quotation appears; the period of the sentence is placed outside the closing parenthesis):

(McCullough 20).

•footnote (at the bottom of the page):

Helen McCullough, trans., Genji and Heike: The Tale of Genji and The Tale of the Heike (Stanford, CA: Stanford University Press, 1994), 20.

•endnote:

Same as footnote in style, but appears at the end of the paper.

•bibliography:

McCullough, Helen, trans.  Genji and Heike: The Tale of Genji and The Tale of the Heike.  Stanford, CA: Stanford University Press, 1994. Print.

B. Citing the Course Packet

•For the course packet, you can use the following notations.

parenthetical:

(Course Packet 20)

 

footnote:

“the title of the work cited,” Japanese 2451 Course Packet, 20.

bibliography:

Author. “the title of the work cited.” In Japanese 2451 Course Packet, Autumn 2014. Page numbers of reading.

 

C. Citing the PowerPoint Lecture Slides

•For citing information from the class’s PowerPoint lectures you can use the following formats.

parenthetical:

(PPT lecture, slide 5, October 2, 2014)

footnote:

PowerPoint lecture, slide 5, October 2, 2014.

VII. Title:

Choose a provocative title that is informative and yet will draw the interest of your reader.

VIII. The Writing Process:

Make sure to give yourself enough time to ponder over your ideas before beginning to write.  Thorough brainstorming can save you valuable time.  However, even with the best planned papers, you may find after finishing the first draft of your paper that you reach a slightly different conclusion than that with which you began.  Thus, having time to re-read and edit your paper is vital.  Ask yourself the ten questions from Sylvan Barnet’s A Short Guide to Writing About Literature (New York: Harper Collins, 1985), which is also uploaded on Carmen.

I look forward to reading your papers!