My students have begun to pick up on the fact that I love to read. They love to make fun of me because let's face it... reading is just "not cool." Oh well, I haven't been "cool" my entire life and look at me, I am a good member of society. More importantly, I am happy. Oh well, back to books I go. I mention this because I had a student tell me yesterday that because I had forced him, he was actually beginning to enjoy reading. I told him that I could die happy now. It really meant a lot to me, I think that reading is really important and it is something that will help him in his college career or even if VoTech school which is where he is planning to go. It just goes to show you that good modeling is important. I am not saying that if you don't read then you are stupid and won't amount to anything. I am saying that it can help!
Back to the original point to this blog post... Memoirs of a Geisha. I was pretty excited to read this book. It was first published when I was in high school and became a movie a short time later. I never saw it and I never read the book. I had actually forgotten about it for a while until I saw it on the BBC list and I was excited to give it a try. I tell you, this book didn't disappoint. There were a couple of places where it was really awkward (I mean she is a geisha and sometimes they are expected to do.... certain things) but it was a very enjoyable story. It was interesting to experience WW2 from Japan. We have spent so much time in school talking about the home front here in the States so it was great to read about it from Japan's home front. Especially after the war and the occupation by American soldiers and how the geisha reacted to them.
What I really loved about this story was the detail it went into describing what a geisha is and how young girls became geisha and the process that it takes to become one. It is not easy, you have to be chosen, you have to be charming, you have to be able to make a lot of money! You usually do not get to act on your feelings, you have to do what is expected. Our main character tried to do what she wanted, and almost ruined her chances of becoming a geisha and being a maid for her entire life. Then she "played by the rules" long enough for her to become famous, make a lot of money, defeat her nemesis, and be adopted. Then she promptly did what she wanted again. She made some friends and many enemies. But she did what she felt that she needed to do in order to make herself happy. No matter what. Isn't that kind of like real life, where you make some friends and you make some enemies, but you try to do what you can to survive?
Poor Pumpkin. If you have read the book, you know what I am talking about. She was another young girl that the okiya (or geisha home) obtained at the same time as Sayuri (our main character with the startling eyes) They became friends when they were younger, then as they were assigned to older sisters, Pumpkin to Hatsumomo (Sayuri's nemesis) and Sayuri to Mameha (another nemesis of Hatsumomo). Pumpkin helps Sayuri and while Sayuri defeats Hatsumomo, she also crushes Pumpkin. Pumpkin tries to get her revenge but she is clearly defeated. Pumpkin was just trying to create a life for herself and Sayuri (maybe unwillingly) crushed her dreams and lowered her status. Pumpkin is the nice girl who got caught up in other circumstances and never really recovers. Sayuri endured some hardships, but she ended up inflicting some on Pumpkin.
Love or duty? A geisha's life is full of duty. She has a duty to her okiya, to her tea house, to so many others except for herself. Our geisha, however, took time for herself and did what she had to do in order to get the man of her dreams, The Chairman. She crushes the hopes and the heart of one man who had a huge part to play in her rise to fame, he was then burned by her but came back when she needed help the most and gave her a place to stay through the most difficult part of the war. Low and behold she finds a way to burn him again to get her man. I was a little sad at that. He did so much for her and she was willing to sleep with a man who was really disgusting in order to get away from him. He was a gruff but a kind man at heart. I have to admit I felt a little bad for him.
It feels like you should be reading this book with a nice cup of green tea in a sunny room, but to be truthful, after a few minutes of reading, you won't care where you are and that tea will become cold. You will be transported to another time and another world. A great book, and a great read!
Next up, I move from Japan to the South for Gone with the Wind.
"Rhett, oh Rhett!!!"
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