Japan and Poetry

In English class we've been working on quick, efficient, and sound analysis of poems, especially on initial encounter, in preparation for the AP Literature exam. While I won't be taking the exam (I already satisfied my whole humanities requirement for college last year!), the idea of poetic structure was interesting to me, so I did some research about poetry in Japan. While most grade school-aged Americans could tell you about Haiku, there are some other important forms.

Haiku- Old, shortest, originated by Basho. Have always contained a set number of syllables, even though originally had up to 100 verses versus the now common 1 verse of 17 syllables. Typically written about nature or daily life.

Here's one from Basho:

Fallen sick on a journey,
In dreams I run wildly
Over a withered moor.

Tanka- Older, longer. Typically written after an important event, focused on feelings and depth. Uses vivid imagery to discuss and issue of personal passion.

Here's a few verses from one:

as I sit in thought

she moves briskly

around the room,

stirring the chill

in the air

this complete enigma

of me wanting more solitude

then company in turn

on my terms

at just the right time

Ranga- More of a form of entertainment/game than poem. Allows two people to co-write a poem by adding on to each other. Can last up to 100 verses. Played at parties, and requires quick thinking and humor.

Here are a few verses from a poem:

silencing

the foursome at bridge

geese fly south

a rim of ice on the pond
oak leaves float on the water ** (Joyce Shriver)

silencing
the foursome at bridge
geese fly south
a splash on the river
circling ripples swirl ** (Donna Thomas)

If you're interested in reading more Japanese poetry in general, check here.

These styles of poetry have been adapted to English, but probably are more beautiful in the original Japanese. Regardless, poems in any culture express ideas personal and societal, and while the structure surely influences how ideas are expressed, the ideas themselves certainly do not change to the same extent. The skills we develop to understand poetry in one language are probably also applicable to analyzing poems from another. A poet's method of piecing together words and choosing them always reveals a deeper side of a poem than could be acquired by simply reading.

Japan and the Environment

Recently in English class we've been discussing the environment as its represented in literature. This extends to classics like Ray Bradbury's The Veldt. We've learned that characters' relationship with the environment, and the environment's role in their lives (not necessarily the same thing) strongly influences characters' actions and the course of the story. More interesting is adopting this critical approach to texts less overtly environmental- such as supermarket labels- and using them to understand our relationship to the environment. These conclusions are of course almost always culture-dependent, and while we all have some understanding what protecting the environment means in our culture, it is worthwhile to determine what it means in Japan.

There are two first impressions of Japanese environmentalism. The first associates the Kyoto Protocol with Japan and assumes Japanese policy helps the environment. The second is based on knowledge of things like whaling and assumes Japanese exploit the environment to no end. As a blogger discussing the differences between American and Japanese environmentalism explains, the answer is somewhere in between. While the Japanese government certainly has environmentally friendly policies, the environmentalism of the citizenry is generally limited to following government regulations. Despite claims of actively helping to preserve the environment, most Japanese only change their behavior insofar as the government mandates. While this doesn't necessarily contrast with environmentalism in the US, it's important to note that the aspects of consumer culture which prevent living in a way truly amenable with the environment apply there as well as here.

This tension reveals a broader tension in Japanese environmentalism: the difference between rhetoric and reality. This tension also gets to the heart of the ways we choose to represent the environment and what it says about culture. As one study shows, while the Japanese government is excellent at paying lip service to the environment and appearing to lead on the issue, in reality its model of development only creates crisis in other countries. This seems like a common tactic used by governments, corporations, and even individuals: Pointing to a single or small group of initiatives to prove ecological soundness while continuing policies and structures fundamentally opposed to the environment which are far more damaging. Often such policies are mere distractions while organizations continue to damage the environment.

We can see that Japan has a mixed record on the environment both in terms of actions and perceptions. In spite of continued problems with whaling and pollution, Japan has emerged as a leader on issues such as carbon emissions because of the Kyoto Protocol. Is this a positive development? Should Japan be held to a higher standard before being recognized as a leader? Anyone who argues Japan shouldn't be recognized as a leader on the environment is probably setting the bar much too high. In this world of consumer capitalist cultures which, the world over, have been too slow in taking action to help the environment, refusing Japan the role of leader doesn't mean we'll get a better leader, it means we're out of leaders, because few individuals, corporations, or countries meet that high of a standard. It's better to accept the good with the bad: acknowledge there are problems in the way we discuss and represent the environment, and even that there are contradictions in policy approaches, while continuing to work towards better policies. The issue is simply too complex.

The debate over nuclear power in the wake of the tsunami exemplifies this problem. Nuclear power emits less CO2 than most energy generating technologies, but also has the potential to create large scale environmental disasters. Just like any government policy there are major costs and benefits. Accepting the good with the bad is the only way to get more good. Behavior change is always gradual, and rather than throw the baby out with the rhetorical bathwater, we should teach the baby to walk, one step at a time.