World Literature: Asia
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Yukio MishimaÆs short story Patriotism and Ai QingÆs poem Dayahnhe-My Wet-Nurse both employ the device of a male-female relationship as metaphor for love of country. In each work the authors construct their notion of Japanese and Chinese nationhood, though those constructs are quite different. In WindschuttleÆs commentary on Edward SaidÆs Orientalism, the author notes that ôThe construction of identity in every age and every society involves established opposites and æothers.Æ This happens because the development and maintenance of every culture requires the existence of another different and necessarily competing alter egoö (31). While this is particularly true among nations, it is also true internally. Nations often embrace national identity that posits an ôotherö even domestically, the ôotherö being devalued because it is in contrast with the values or beliefs national identity seeks to promote. We see this is clearly the case in both MishimaÆs Patriotism and QingÆs Dayanhe, where each author advocates values of national identity at odds with the then status quo.The use of a male-female relationship in QingÆs poem and MishimaÆs short story mirrors the relationship between individual and country. Qing was a Chinese poet who believed in the doctrines of Mao Zedong, accused of being a rightist in the late 1950s. He was interned in labor camps but was eventually cleared of the charges. Qing advocated measures for the common pe
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ten acquired great wealth and power on the labors of the poor. QingÆs poem is a social protest at the same time that it pays homage to the poor and common people of China whose sacrifices have enabled the nation itself to become powerful and rich. In a sense, the ôotherö in China are the poor who are often neglected by the rich, powerful state that often exploits their labors and fails to respect their sacrifices. Despite such treatment, the poor often remain loyal to the state, much like Dayanhe is portrayed as being ôàso devoted to her foster-childö (Ai 229). Likewise, DayanheÆs dream of one day attending the wedding of her foster-child and hearing the bride exclaim ôMotherö to her is a dream she cannot express. Her voice is silenced by the powerful and oppressive about her, though her sacrifices are only appreciated after her death.
In Patriotism, Mishima also uses a male-female relationship to express the relationship of the individual to the state. Mishima was a political activist who was considered right-wing because he supported a return to the nationalism and values of pre-war Japan. Mishima advocated a number of beliefs for society that were rejected after the end of WWII. As noted in the Economist, ôMishima belie
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Some common words found in the essay are:
Dayanheö Qing, Japan Mishima, Reiko Mishima, Imperialism Lieutenant, WWII Qing, SaidÆs Orientalism, Dayanhe-My Wet-Nurse, Mao Zedong, Lieutenant Takeyama, QingÆs Dayanhe, national identity, male-female relationship, status quo, qingÆs poem, mishimaÆs short story, dayanheÆs house, ai 228, short story, relationship individual, mishimaÆs short, world literature, mifflin co 1993, york ny houghton, ny houghton mifflin, houghton mifflin co,
Approximate Word count = 1539
Approximate Pages = 6 (250 words per page)
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