Humanities Question

Write a short essay on ONE of the following topics. Be sure to support your arguments by exact references to the material that you have read and watched during Weeks 2 and 3 of this course. Avoid long quotes, and express the ideas found in the texts in your own words as much as possible. The essay should be between 600 and 700 words. Use font size 12 and double space the essay.

1. The Meiji Restoration ushered in a period of rapid modernization, industrialization, and social and political change in Japan at the end of the 19th century and the beginning of the 20th century. The drive towards modernization was accompanied by attacks on superstition and what was perceived to be backward beliefs and customs, along with a push for adopting scientific thinking and modern ways of life. Describe how Natsume Sōseki and Akutagwa Ryūnosuke defied these trends to abandon elements of Japan’s past and insisted instead on telling stories that reflected Japanese culture and customs molded in a modern narrative style.

Understanding Japan: A Cultural History. Episode 17, The Meiji Restoration (The Great Courses) (2015)

https://search.lib.jmu.edu/permalink/01JMU_INST/1jlet4m/alma991016479404806271