Short Story: Onawa's Castle

The novel The Samurai’s Garden and the movie The Last Samurai introduce two main characters, Stephen Chang, 20-year-old Chinese college student who is sent to his family beach house in Tarumi in order to improve his declining health due to Tuberculosis, and Nathan Algren, a formerly retired soldier turned alcoholic due to the acts he committed in the American Indian War. Although both characters leave their Ordinary Worlds, cross the First Threshold into their Special Worlds, where they face several tests and challenges which will change them before returning to their Ordinary Worlds, their experiences are very different. Stephen and Nathan’s experiences vary from how war affects them, how they are mentored, and how they have changed by the end of the story.

Due to this loss, houses became very overcrowded to the point where families had to live in a single room. This would be where they would cook, eat, sleep and socialise. Rooms to rent became very popular.

were designed to house half the people who were stuffed into them, were filthy and full of

With all their new land, they would only build a tiny, one bedroom house. In order to make money, they divided their house into two sections; living quarters, and a general store and inn. Travelers would pass through, refilling their carriages with traveling needs, and staying for a good night’s rest and meal before continuing their journey. It is unsure how long they went on before becoming greedy, murdering and robbing their tenants.

They lived in barracks that could house around 700 people, and slept on brick or wooden bunk beds. Often times, prisoners would sleep on possessions they snuck in to prevent them from being stolen or confiscated. They also slept in dirty clothes that were not changed for months. Sometimes, the prisoners woke up to find a few of their bedmates dead due to the previous day’s hard labor and small food portions. As uncomfortable as it was, inmates endured these horrible living conditions to survive in Auschwitz (Jewish Virtual Library

“They resolved to leave means neither of ingress nor egress to the sudden impulses of despair or frenzy from within.” (76). Prince Prospero's castle has no way in and no way out. It was like this to prevent the read death from coming in. The castle is the Prince and his guests “safe place”. With no way in people thought they were safe so they began to enjoy their party and not worry about the poor sick people on the outside.

First, they would make a foundation, which was normally just dirt that got flattened out. During the process of making the barracks they didn't really worry about drainage and ventilation throughout the building, which you would if you were to build a pole barn.

As rent prices were not cheap, some families offered to have other extended family to stay with them. Also is was very common for families to have strangers stay with them in order to compensate for the high rent. More and more people flocked to the cities, and the need for affordable housing was out of control. The main concern for families was finding a place to live, even if it meant living in a tenement faced with overcrowding and safety issues. Most tenements had few if any windows, poor ventilation systems which led to bad air quality, which in turn led to the development of sickness and diseases. The tenements also were extreme fire hazards with no viable escape routes, and most had no indoor running water or plumbing

Room: The entire room was pretty simple, the room started out kinda cheap, but became much more well designed once inside the castle. Inside, you’ll find it to be a good size for a larger group. Be prepared to be running into each other in the first room, but luckily you won't be spending much time in that particular room.

Japan in the 10th century was experiencing change and disorder as its relatively new central government sought techniques for a strong and enduring legacy. In this period lived a man named Taira no Masakado. In events which are swirled with mystery and legend, Masakado found himself in direct opposition with the government, even proclaiming the title of the “New Emperor”. His legacy endures to this day and is a fundamental component in contemporary Japanese folklore. Was Masakado a product of his environment or a self-motivated rebel, examining this question is important in the discussions of the motivations behind his actions. Whether he should be viewed as a villain or a hero is to be considered by the reader.

“It happened long ago in my days of youth, a tale so bizarre, it was as if history itself tried to hide it from the world. Yet those events etched into my heart deeper than I could ever forget, even if I were the only one left who remembers.” A wrinkled, yet sweet and endearing, hand stretches out to touch a young child’s face. A face of innocence to world. The candle that flickered in the room grew strong against the night sky that pierced the windows.

A majority of people own fifty to fewer slaves. These slaves lived in a cabin called slave quarters provided by slave owners. According to a historical article about slavery, some cabins were small stick houses with dirt floors. The cabins had holes in the walls that let in the harsh cold and wind during the night however this was not the case for all. Slaves slept on the ground huddled together for warmth because not all slaves received bedding

Iron Age forts had many defensive systems, but are not seen as a castle like structures. This may be due to the lack of a keep, gatehouse and other buildings associated with the castle, yet the extensive defence systems suggest otherwise. For example at Maiden Castle where there is conclusive evidence of multiple ditches. These ditches made it increasingly hard for an attacker to enter the fort. As Sharples states ‘there is then evidence for a gradual increase in the occupation of the interior: small cluster of houses.’ (1981; 98). This idea is similar to the construction of the motte and bailey castles. Once an area was seen as a secure place, more people occupied the area. One example of this is at Stafford, where the bailey increased in

The common house was quite large during the later years, estimated to be about 20 by 15 feet. Each house offered ample shelter during harsh conditions but was foregone most of the time in favor of outdoor life. Every house had all the fixtures necessary for life, such as kitchens and drying racks. Each house most likely held a few generations of a family at once, so it was most likely that on most nights, inhabitants avoided the stuffy and warm huts in favor of moonlight sleeping conditions (Nash and Gates 1962).

In the movie the commoners were very poor people. They couldn't afford to buy food everyday. They would eat food from weeks ago even if it was rottoning. It also seems as if some days they wouldn't have food to eat and would go days without eating. They had to share their food because their wasn't enough for everyone to have their own food. Their homes were also very old, destroyed, cramped, dark, and they didn’t have much furniture. While watching the movie, there was a scene where we saw what the commoners house looked like. The house didn't seem to have much space, they seemed to be crowded. The house was so dark that they had to have lit torches on the inside to have light to be able to see at night. The commoners could afford any furniture, if they did they didn't have a lot. During this scene we saw Bardolph and Nym eating on the table but it seemed very small and old. We also saw that they only had one bed but Falstaff had been using it because he was very ill.