1 Greaves Amanda





Dangerous red slacks


On the whim of a rough wind


Stretching and flexing





This week was the first week and the class begun discussing, among many topics, the meaning behind symbols.  An object can present itself as one thing but could hold so many connotations behind it. In Evanescence and Form, we see that Charles Inouye exemplified such examples as seen through myriads of poetry forms. Why do they have so many meanings? There is an explanation within Japanese culture that could explain. It could come from the early religious practices in Japan that were and still are, “animistic, polytheistic and shamanistic (Inouye, 11).”  The literature shows the existing connection between nature and everything else surrounding it. There is power in using examples that have anima to explain or convey a feeling. Yamanoue Okura wrote the line,  “ My emptiness is like the clouds drifting through the great void (Inouye, 22).” The usage of ‘clouds’ invokes emotion that can only be felt when comparing the personal self to the power of nature. It summons the connection between what is being said within the piece and the possible bond of the meaning of the words for a person generally.  In the Kitagawa prose he speaks on the overarching theme of this relationship, “ he is not saying that a human being is simply an insignificant element of the natural world and that the meaning of human life is to be understood in the rhythm of nature (Kitagawa, 48).”  Which by his theory should be that the best way to explore experiences, and ourselves we should pull from nature as our guide.  It is still the first week and still am not sure on how this can be utilized to enhance my life.  The emotions I felt while poetry from within Kitagawa and Inouye’s books makes it obvious that the relationship is real but, maybe I have to search for it.


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