Memoirs of a Geisha

US and Them Foremost, “Us and Them” is a memoir by the humorist writer, David Sedaris. This text can be interpreted as a satyr showing people how they act in society, or it can be considered a self-mocking piece showing people they should look within at themselves to see their own qualities instead of only judging others. The author gains credibility for this explanation as the piece itself is looking at his childhood and showing his own childhood faults. If he did not do this, telling people to do something would not be as effective because the readers would have no way of knowing if he himself is a hypocrite.

Cultural structures are often very complex and unique guidelines that vary across the globe. These cultural aspects provide a prominent background into the lives of each society respectfully, as seen often throughout the historic piece of literature, The Tale of Genji. Three crucial aspects depicted in the novel’s progression are the role of women, Buddhism, and the political configuration, each containing positive and negative attributes prevalent in the tale. China was a powerful nation at the time, and during this age, these three societal concepts were important, yet controversial at times. These concepts can all be related directly back to the central character, Genji, along with the other vital people who, not

The story is written as a second person narrative. This style puts the reader in the position of the main character. We are never told the main character’s name, making it easier for the reader to relate to the character. Writing in the second person also challenges the reader, putting them in the position of the main character.

Chiyo Sakamoto is born in Yoroido, Japan. With her mother sick and her father growing older every day, she believes Mr. Tanaka is her liberator. Little does she know that, at the tender age of nine, she is to be ripped from her poor, simple life and sold to an okiya in Gion. And at the age of fourteen, Chiyo becomes a geisha and is renamed Sayuri Nitta. As described by a client, the idea of a geisha as successful as Sayuri

The novel is narrated by Mattie Cook in the first person. She is only able to speak for herself. The only thoughts and feelings she displays are her own and the story is set wherever she is.

In the novel, the author uses characters in the novel to narrate the story in their eyes, therefore being a first person but in some parts in the novel, the narration is seen from an omniscient point of view. Though the novel is mainly first person, some can argue that some parts are in different point of

We follow the life of Sayuri, who begins as a peasant in a fishing village, as she becomes a geisha. The real interest of this book is in the first half - her training and schooling. After that, the book devolves into a rather standard romance-novel-type plot concerning Sayuri's love for the Chairman, an important figure in her life.

Both Sayori and Sybil die by suicide, but complete suicide for different reasons. Sayori

The author who brought to us The Tale of Genji, a novel now regarded as the first written novel in history, left behind an arguably more treasurable artifact: a diary that opens a window into history. The Diary of Lady Murasaki by Lady Murasaki Shikibu gives the reader a glimpse of the imperial court during eleventh century Japan and presents the past in an illuminated vision. Being an attendant in the imperial court, Lady Murasaki is frequently involved with the activities of elite Japanese women. Her day-to-day interaction with the nobles and elites enhance her account with the curious perspective of an elite female. As a woman, Lady Murasaki's descriptions are oriented around clothing

This novel is written in first person and written in recent perspective along in present tense form. Lily Owen's the protagonist of the story telling her life experiences and how she perceives things. Lily's point of view stays consistent all throughout the story which makes the reader experience her life at

The governess is a proud, protective, boastful woman who wants to prove she can be in charge of Bly. After

This simple yet significant deed shows us that she was allowed to speak out of her normal position as a reward for her character, but that she mustn’t hesitate to return to where she truly belongs: sitting quietly beside the

Traditions worldwide order the structure of the different cultures and civilizations and thus regulates the role of women, men and children as well as the functioning of the society. Crouching tiger Hidden Dragon develops on the impact of the Chinese tradition in the old times and how it affects 5 different people: Master Li Mu Bai (Yun Fat Chow), Yu Shu Lien (Michelle Yeoh), Jiao Long (Zhang Ziyi), Lo (Dark Cloud), and Jade Fox (Cheng Pei-Pei). The film televises the frustrations of the main characters due to the lack of flexibility of their tradition as they all quest for the Green Destiny, symbol of martial art mastery. Li Mu Bai and Yu Shu Lien experiment the weight of loyalty on their

Unlike the enthusiastic Western women, women grew up in oriental culture often have more restrained and gentle attitude, and this is one of the most symbolic cultural landscapes in Japan. In the movie, Sayuri chases for love and all she wants to do is to get closer to the Chairman. In fact, before the end of the story, she only sees chairman a few times in all, but she has strong faith to be with him. It could even be said that her whole life started from the few minutes of their encounters on the bridge. This is the typical oriental love, implicit but deeply passionate.

It is not with the Chairman, but instead with the manipulative owner of the Japan Coastal Seafood Company, Tanaka Ichiro. After Sayuri’s first meeting with him, in which he helps her and compliments her beauty, she develops a “pleasant thought that I [she] tried again and again to bring into focus” (16) about him. Never having felt love or affection from her own father, her subconscious search for a paternal caretaker lands on Tanaka-san, the first male adult to treat her with affection. Later, Sayuri “began to have fantasies that Mr. Tanaka would adopt me [her]” (20), proving that she considered him her legitimate father figure and desired for him to replace her biological father.