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Essay / Research Paper Abstract
A five page paper which looks at character and theme, especially with reference to the Japanese concept of honour, in Death in Midsummer and Patriotism by Mishima. Bibliography lists 5 sources
Page Count:
5 pages (~225 words per page)
File: JL5_JLmish.rtf
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Unformatted sample text from the term paper:
especially in Death in Midsummer and Patriotism, it is helpful to understand a little of his background. As Vila (2002) points out, he was fascinated almost to the point of
obsession with the samurai code of Japans past, and formed a small group of like-minded men who attempted to revive the old bushido code of honour. Mishima, although married and
the father of two children, was also openly homosexual, which contributed to his complexity especially given the cultural climate of Japan at the time. His devotion to the samurai way
and to imperialism culminated in his tragic death in 1970, when he committed suicide in the ritual manner at an army base in Tokyo.
Mishimas work is invariably centred around the concepts of honour, the
importance of patriotism and the role of the individual as an integral part of the community, who partakes in both its honour and its shame. Japanese culture revolves around ritual,
custom and the individuals commitment to the community: the idea of individuality and antagonistic debate within a group which characterises western ideology is for the most part absent in Japan.
The honour code which decrees that those who bring shame on the community must remove themselves from it was the ethical system which Mishima lived and died by.
This theme, of shame and self-immolation, is explored in detail in Patriotism,
in which a group of young soldiers act dishonourably, and one who has only witnessed the incident takes it upon himself to make atonement. He is a young newly-wed, and
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