Good evwning :) Today, I'd like to put on the Boofor Report for IE2. I read "Botchan" in English. This was the first time I wrote the Book report, so threre might be a lot of mistakes, but please don't care of them.
Natsume Soseki, Botchan, Japan : IBC Publishing, 163 pages, 2006.
Responding to the Plot: (e) Which incidents in the novel did you find wonderful, surprising, comical, or even shocking?
I like the part best when Botchan and Yamaarashi fought with Akashatsu and Nodaiko. By abusing his authority, Akashatsu schemed to and succeeded in transferring Uranari , the person who Botchan respected, to another school for Akashatsu's own profit. Botchan couldn't stand his wickedness, so he got revenge on them with Yamaarushi, his friend teacher. I think, this incident describes Botchan's spirit of Edokko. He was a person who had a strong moral grounding. When I reading this part, I was really impressed.
Analyzing 7 Literary Terms:
1.
Setting: Japan, especially in Matsuyama, in Meiji period
2.
Conflict: Botchan was in conflict with the other people in Matsuyama, teachers and students in his school in particular. Botchan had a strong sense of justice, so he couldn't stand their wickedness.
3.
Point of view: This story is told from the first person.
4.
Climax: At the end of the novel, Botchan and Yamaarashi got revenge on Akashatsu and Nodaiko, because they transferred Uranari to another school for their own profit. After that incident, both Botchan and Yamaarashi were disgusted human's wickedness, so they resigned from their jobs and left for their hometown Tokyo. Botchan returned to Kiyo, Bochan's servant in Tokyo, and found a job as a tramway engineer. This is the climax of this novel.
5.
Symbol: Botchan is a symbol of the spirit of Edokko. He did everything with all his strength. He had a common sense and a strong moral grounding.
6.
Irony: The irony of the story is after their revenge against Akashatsu and Nodaiko. Though Botchan punished them, Uranari, who transferred to another school, couldn't returned to their school. Botchan, who had a sense of justice couldn't win Akashatsu, who had a wickedness. To tell the truth, this story isn't a simpl poetic justice story, but a defeat and a setback story.
7.
Theme: I think the theme of this book is the importance of humanity. Botchan was a person who has a strong sense of justice. Though there were a number of people who had wicked thoughts in his school, he carried out his original intention. Soseki must have wanted to know more about thiss importance.
Reflecting on the story: (h) What is something you learned from the story?
I learned the importance of having a strong will. Today, there are a number of people who have wickedness. To struggle against them, we should carry out our original idea, like Botchan did.
And I learned observations and thoughts about Matsuyama, on Shikoku, one of the four main island of Japan and had a great natural view. It was very different from Tokyo. Botchan lived in the ultra-modern Tokyo before moving to the traditional Matsuyama, and is often surprised by their unusual customs.
