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Catherine the Great is a good subject to choose to discuss over this interview for several reasons. She was a female ruler of a country she wasn’t even native to. Her husband, Peter III, was the Czar of Russia before her, and he was mysteriously murdered. No one knew why, but there were several people, I’m sure, that thought she had something to do with it. She presumably had a few unmentionable hobbies that could have caused the people of this tremendous country to lose respect for her. She tried to centralize Russia, which, I believe, would go against their views of governing. Torture was a big thing in Russia. They were fond of tying a criminal’s arms and legs to separate horses and sending them shooting off into different directions, causing the limbs to be brutally torn from the body. This was called Drawing and Quartering, and they liked to do this publically to sort of further the humility and terror. Not only to the victim, but to the present crowd as well. I can guarantee that after witnessing this, the villagers would try to stay on the czar’s good side from then on. Another big shock to Russia was when Catherine decided “enough with this,” and dramatically reduced torture. And after dividing the already 10 part division of Russia into 50 parts, yet another shock to the system, there was a massive peasant rebellion lead by Pugachev. Pugachev claimed he was the long lost Peter III. After a massive attack from the presumed “Peter,” and a famine that nearly wiped out the peasant population of Russia, Catherine again declared “enough of this,” and had Pugachev captured and drawn and quartered publically. After this near fatal blow to her country, Catherine changes her enlightened views, becomes very practical, gives almost complete power of the estates back to the Boyars, ends their state service, and returned torture to its reign of terror.
Catherine the Great was a great lady, and there are a couple of questions I would like to ask her. The first is, “What did you think people were thinking or saying about you when you, being a Prussian, married Peter III, a Russian Czar?”
This is an important question, because at the time, Russia was a xenophobic civilization, which means they had a great fear of foreigners, so I’m sure that the welcome home party for the new “happy” couple couldn’t have been very welcoming.
To pursue this question I think that I would first ease into the conversation by asking what brought the two love birds together. That way I’ve already moved the conversation in the direction of their relationship, so my question won’t seem too subtle or suspicious. Of course with any successful conversation, more questions are going to arise. Some questions that may come up are: “What was the cause of your marriage with Peter, the czar of Russia?” “Was there a secret plot between Prussia and Russia?” “Was it ‘love at first sight’?” and “What did your own family and country think of your union with the czar?”
Another question that I would like to ask is “What really happened to your husband?”
This question is important, because something happened to him, and no one has any clue as to what happened. Not only that, but Peter was dethroned almost immediately after he was crowned, and only two years later Catherine took the throne. This seems like a very suspicious turn of events. She either knows what happened, did it herself, had someone else do it, just to take the throne, or it was his time and was just an unfortunate accident.
And where else can the first question of their relationship go to except to the untimely death of her husband? That will be the leading factor into the second question. No need to pave a new road because there’s already a slide to send it through. And some questions that would surface after this would be, “How and why did your husband die?” “Did you kill him?” “How did you feel after becoming czar?” “Was there sorrow, joy, victory, or even relief?” and “Was there any suspicion or revolt to your becoming czar?”
Catherine was great, and stood strong in the face of all the presumably negative judgments from the citizens of the country she governed. Obviously she’s a very intelligent lady, if she indeed killed her husband, because no one found out about it and she ran quite a long reign as czar. All of the questions that could possibly be presented to her are important questions, because no one really knows what happened that far back. Most of the histories that were that old were oral presentations rather than literate recordings. And, of course, important questions are only going to lead to more important questions.
 l BeautifulxOblivion l · Thu Mar 11, 2010 @ 08:51am · 0 Comments |
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The history of the Chimera began in Greek mythology. The creature was described as a fire breathing composition of a lion, goat, and a snake respectively from front to end. The place in Greece where this creature was said to originate was on the fiery hills of Chimera in Lycia in Asia Minor. The two beings responsible for creating this monster were Typhon and Echidna. Typhon was the “deadliest monster of Greek mythology” (“Typhon”), and Echidna was called the “Mother of All Monsters” (“Echidna”). And the Chimera was often considered a female regardless of her mane, which was said to be short and showing her ears just like a lioness’ does. Unrelated to our Chimera in Greek mythology, the term Chimera came to mean “hard to believe or difficult to understand” (“Chimera(mythology)”).
The first time this creature shows up in the records of Greek mythology was in Homer’s Iliad: “a thing of immortal make, not human, lion-fronted and snake behind, a goat in the middle, and snorting out the breath of the terrible flame of bright fire” (“Chimera(mythology)”). In the Iliad, the Chimera was eventually slain by Bellerophon and Pegasus. So far we have only touched on her make and history in Greek mythology, and the next four points I’m going to make are the Chimera’s relationship and theory related to the ancient science of Alchemy; some of the natural ways Chimeras can occur, as well as the human interfering procedures; Chimeras that are produced for medical research means; and the way in which the Chimera is related to the novel Frankenstein.
The word “alchemy” originally came from the ancient Greek word khemia that was said to mean “art of transmuting metals” (“Alchemy”). A few philosophies of alchemy are the creation of an elixir of longevity, life, or youthfulness; changing base metals into precious ones such as gold and silver; the all-consuming search for the philosopher’s stone, a stone said to be the cure or answer for everything; the theory of fusing bodies and souls, a chimera; and even the hope of bringing someone back from the dead. All of these points of philosophy are extensively expressed in the anime and manga series called Full Metal Alchemist. This story starts when Edward Elric and his younger brother Alphonse Elric try to bring their dead mother back to life. The number one rule governing the use of alchemy in this tale is the law of equivalent exchange. This law states that something of equal value must be given in exchange for taking something else of equal value. So in the act of trying to bring back their mother, Ed lost his right arm and his left leg, and his brother Al lost his entire body. Ed had to then quickly transfuse his brother’s soul into a suit of armor before he lost the only person he had left. Since this tragic incident, the Elric brothers spent their whole lives searching for the philosopher stone to get Al’s body back. On their journey they run into some interesting characters called homunculus that were named after the seven deadly sins. Ed joined the military and became an official State Alchemist known as the “Full Metal Alchemist,” because of his metal arm and leg he added to replace the ones he lost. And he does alchemy without the use of a transmutation circle, due to participating in the forbidden act of trying to bring someone to life and having the opportunity of seeing the great door to “the other side” and surviving. A particular story these boys access in their travels, was the story of a little girl named Nina that, through the use of alchemy, was transfused with her dog, Alexander, by her own father. The Chimera that was created by this dreadful act of cruelty was the only one that Tucker, Nina’s father, could create that could talk. Previous to this, Tucker had done the same thing to his own wife just to pass his State alchemist review by creating the first talking Chimera. This Nina/Alexander creation lived in dreadful physical and emotional pain because of the unnatural union that takes place in this particular type of transmutation, and all she wanted to do was die.
Chimeras can actually occur in many natural ways. “Chimeras are animals that have more than one genetically distinct population of cells” (“Mosaicism and Chimerism”). This usually occurs in the fusion of two or more eggs, sperm, or the zygotes themselves. Zygotes are egg cells that have been fertilized by the sperm. So sometimes a fertilized egg cell will fuse with an unfertilized egg cell providing two sets of DNA, an egg cell will be fertilized by two sperm cells, or two of the finished zygotes will fuse together. In the cases of Chimerism where two zygotes are fused, a hermaphrodite can be produced, an organism with both sex organs. With cattle this is called freemartins, and they are typically sterile. For many years people have taken advantage of this natural Chimerism and produced them intentionally by combining two early embryos of two different species or subspecies and hoping the cells will mix and not be rejected by the host uterus. A new study is now being conducted to hopefully renew populations of endangered species. For example if you encase a goat fetus with a sheep placenta and then implant it into the sheep host you can enable the goat-sheep Chimera to be carried full term by the sheep. But if you were to just implant the goat fetus into the sheep “the sheep will immunologically reject the goat placenta and fetus” (“Mosaicism and Chimerism”). Chimerism in humans is extremely rare, but two reported mothers were told they weren’t the mothers of their babies because the DNA didn’t match up. This theory was later denied when the DNA of both mothers’ uterus matched that of their babies. This misunderstanding occurred because they were, in fact, Chimeras.
Now on to the medical interfering Chimerism. This happens when you receive a transplant from parts of animals. Because pig DNA is close enough to ours, we have been able to successfully use the valves, hearts and skin from that of a pig to replace our own. Technically these certain transplant patients are considered Chimeras due to the combination of two species and having two sets of DNA. “The next step…was to make pigs grow human hearts that were coded by the DNA of humans” (Michael). This form of Chimerism is also used to study and research the functions of the human body and diseases, as well as to produce drugs. To conduct these studies, scientists like to use mice or rats. Because cloning has been banned, the use of Chimeras in medical research became a useful alternative. “Science fiction authors sometimes use the term parahuman to refer to distinct ‘races’ of human-like creatures created through genetic engineering” (“Parahuman”). For example if you were part human and part machine, as in Full Metal Alchemist; a cat; or any other animal, you would be considered a parahuman. Parahumans, or Chimeras, are important figures of mythology such as the Sphinx in Egypt and “Satyrs, Centaurs, and Minotaurs in Ancient Greek Myths” (“Parahuman”).
The last point is how Chimeras and alchemy are related to the novel Frankentein. In Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein, Victor Frankenstein creates a human being by piecing it together from different parts of many different dead people and shocking it to life. Because of the composition of this creature it is technically a Chimera, and though it was pieced together by sowing instead of fusion, it could still be said that it was created by alchemy, which was in fact the basis of Victor’s study and his crazed obsession to the recreation of life. Some of the books Victor read regarding this science were of Cornelius Agrippa and others by Paracelsus, or Hohenheim, a Swiss alchemist and physician; and Albertus Magnus, a philosopher and natural scientist. When Victor’s father found out that he was reading such things he tried to discourage him, but Victor states that “f…my father had taken the pains to explain to me that the principles of Agrippa had been entirely exploded, and that a modern system of science had been introduced, which possessed much greater powers than the ancient, because the powers of the latter were chimerical, while those of the former were real and practical; under such circumstances I should certainly have thrown Agrippa aside and have contented my imagination…by returning with greater ardour to my former studies.”(Shelley 20). Hohenheim was also the name of a character in Full Metal Alchemist that was a contributor of the creation of Homunculus by trying to bring his oldest son back to life.
Chimerism can occur in mythology, through the ancient science of alchemy, naturally by fused zygotes or embryos as well as forced, medically through transplants, and in science fiction novels like Frankenstein and Full Metal Alchemist. A Chimera can be noticeable through coat patterns or other physical features, or hidden such as through genetics, where you’ll only be able to tell that they’re a Chimera if you’re an embryonic specialist and test their DNA. Chimeras usually end up sterile, more often in males than females. And Chimeras sometimes go by different names such as “parahuman.”
l BeautifulxOblivion l · Thu Mar 11, 2010 @ 08:49am · 0 Comments |
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“A phobia is an intense and persistent fear of certain situations, activities, things, animals, or people” (“Phobia”). A phobia is usually classified as an irrational fear to something, but in reality a phobia can occur in any intensity. If it is severe enough to control the subject’s life, then it can be diagnosed under an anxiety disorder. There is theoretically a phobia for anything such as breathing, kidney disease, walking, tastes, light, noise, different ethnicities or anything to do with that particular ethnicity, culture or country, and anything above or under the sun. And, yes, even the sun itself! The object of this study is that of a particular phobia of interest called monophobia. Before I go any further I need to mention why I chose this topic. In researching phobias for a topic for this paper, I started listing specific ones that might apply to me, or that interested me. In doing so, I came across monophobia. This particular phobia is one that applies heavily to me.
Monophobia is the fear of being alone. There can be other classifications of it such as being left out, left, abandoned, or forgotten. As with any phobia, any thought or mention of anything related to being alone can send chills up a person’s spine, or goose bumps all over their flesh. To a normal minded person, a sufferer of monophobia may seem over dramatic, and that their feelings are just silly misconceptions or illogical, but in fact, the sensations of fear the subject may experience are quite real. A big association the monophobia subject will make is that of a particular place or person and safety. Monophobia is one of several rather disturbing phobias.
The causes of monophobia are usually unexplained. An “underlying cause may be the memory of a frightening experience that remains locked deep within the subconscious” (Zagata). Now, knowing that, you can kind of guess what I’m going to say next. I have a strong idea of why this phobia affects me. I believe the cause of my phobia is that of the previous cause I mentioned. When I was four years old, my mom got in a terrible accident on her way to pick me up from preschool. All of the kids in my class were being picked up by their family members, and no one came for me. This normally didn’t happen, so imagine my shock as a four year old. This traumatic incident was imprinted so heavily in my subconscious at age 4, that I can remember most all of the event even now. The same can be said for another similar influential experience, about a year previous. My mother is a severe diabetic, which is the underlying cause of both tragic events. My mother and I were home alone together and she had a low sugar episode. For some reason, she was planning on leaving the house, so she got in her car, but she just sat there. I had followed her out and tried to get her to let me in the car with her, but all she did was just stare at me through the window. It had to have been the beginning of summer, because the heat outside was sweltering, so imagine what it could have been like in the car. I remember the look on her face. It was so dazed, and the mix of the heat and her low sugar had sweat pouring down her face. With enough encouraging, I got her to let me in. I sat there with her for a moment, but it was too hot. I wanted back out and I wanted her to come with me. She wouldn’t, of course, because convincing a diabetic to do something in this state is quite a dueling task. After I was out I wanted back in again. Can you imagine that? A child that is not able to make up her mind? And typically as a child you’re not able to take many frustrating tasks at a time, so I left and occupied myself with trying to get an old TV to work. After giving up this task, I was told that I had gone back up to my room and cried myself to sleep. But no worries, someone found my mom and got her help. Both of these experiences have affected me so greatly that they changed the way I live my life today. Even just simply trying to recall them has caused me to tear up. Another cause of monophobia is an anxiety disorder. Again, monophobia is so real to an individual, that “the person exhibits physical symptoms” (Zagata).
Symptoms of monophobia are panic attacks associated with the anxiety disorder, dry mouth, trembling, and one that is highly experienced by monophobes is the desperate need to have a certain person or persons close by, or to be in a certain place. These two needs are ones that make the individual feel safe. They typically try to be constantly around that person. Some think that they can’t cope without a particular person, or without anyone in close contact. “This ‘closeness’ might mean in the same house or flat or even in the same room” (“Fear”). They won’t feel comfortable in new places, situations or with new people. For example, I have a problem with my friends even leaving me in one part of the store to go to a different part. In that case I may be familiar with the place and have someone in close proximity, but it still affects me because one of those people aren’t one of my best friends that I’m familiar with. A symptom that may occur due to the monophobia is depression. I’ve been diagnosed with depression, but it seems to get worse when I’m alone. I only feel better if there is someone close by. As stated above, I don’t’ need the person to be right next to me; just in the same building is ok, but I prefer in the same room. I don’t need to be interacting with the person; I just want them close by. This is a great sense of comfort to me, and it is an essential requirement in my life. Other “ymptoms typically include shortness of breath, rapid breathing, irregular heartbeat, sweating, nausea, and overall feelings of dread, although everyone experiences being alone fear in their own way and may have different symptoms” (Berger). Another symptom I have and that is common in monophobes, is the dislike of speaking in public, making a lot of noise, or drawing attention to themselves. This social phobia is, a lot of the time, linked to monophobia.
Other links to monophobia are agoraphobia, anxiety disorder, and other social phobias.
Agoraphobia is the fear of leaving the house to go to public places, and it doesn’t matter if they’re crowded or empty. A link monophobia has to agoraphobia, is that the person may not even be able to work in a public environment. Because anxiety disorders are one of the causes of monophobia it is considered to be linked to it. Not only is it linked because of being one of the causes, but because the symptoms are relatively shared. When an individual with monophobia is faced with the fear of being alone, the person can experience anxiety or panic attacks. Social phobias are definitely linked to monophobia. As stated previously, sufferers of monophobia will be very uncomfortable speaking in public or having attention directed at them. So a monophobe, like me, will usually tend to be very quiet and shy. But some individuals will exhibit anger when faced with their fear, or even tend to be more outgoing in the public scenarios.
There are several ways a person can recover from monophobia. One way to recover from monophobia is to first get down to the bottom of the cause with the anxiety disorder, and then by overcoming the anxiety disorder, the symptoms of the monophobia will disappear as well. Another way is to prescribe anti-anxiety medication for the sufferer. This will reduce or overcome the symptoms of monophobia, so that the person can live a relatively normal life in situations that would otherwise be difficult for them. Psychotherapy is used by “verbal or nonverbal communication and interventions with the patient” (“Psychotherapy”). Hypnosis is a state of extreme focus and it can be executed in the sleeping or waking state. “Clinical hypnosis is used to effect change in a person’s behavior or thought process” (Beam). And the last recovery method that I will mention is relaxation techniques such as controlled breathing and visualizing a “happy place.” Your happy place could be the place or person that makes you feel safe.
Phobias are an extreme or irrational fear or something. Monophobia is the fear of being alone. It can be caused by a traumatic experience or an anxiety disorder. There are several debilitating symptoms of monophobia such as the need to have a particular person close to you, and monophobia tends to be linked to agoraphobia, anxiety disorders, and social phobias. Also, the patient can recover from monophobia by taking medication, or taking part in psychotherapy, hypnosis, or relaxation techniques. I believe I have monophobia due to a couple of past traumatic experiences, but I now know that there is hope of a better life.
l BeautifulxOblivion l · Thu Mar 11, 2010 @ 08:48am · 0 Comments |
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You walk through the door of an inconspicuous building in a run-down part of town. Centered in the room is a ring constructed of hay bales and inside the ring is a pair of pit bulls fighting to their death. The thick red substance pouring out their numerous wounds covers the entire surface of the ring and the dogs. Aside from the gruesome scene, the first sound that reaches your ears is the obnoxious bantering of spectators and the dog’s owners. After finally tearing your eyes from the bloody scene you then notice another unfortunate detail. Squeezing through the tightly packed crowd is a dirt-smudged child. You watch him for a while and realize he’s acting as the runner for the gamblers betting on the match. Finally a bell is wrung and you look to find only one dog standing. The fight is over, tempers are flaring and fists are flying between the owners of the opponents. You can’t stand to see anymore of this grisly show so you quickly leave. Animal abuse is illegal, immoral and inhumane. One example of animal abuse is dog fighting, a very illegal sport involving breeds specifically bred for fighting. Also found at these events are other “criminal activity, such as, gambling, drugs, prostitution, and illegal firearms”(“Illegal Animal Fighting”).
Animal abuse can be conducted for financial reasons. One type of abuse that supports this theory is hoarding, or collecting. People may view hoarding as innocent, because the owner’s intentions were “for the best.” This may look innocent, but it can escalate into something very serious.
“Hoarders often have hundreds of animals in their home, living in filth and without veterinary care”(“Animal Hoarding”). People have also been found to hoard animals for profit. They will sell you animals that, in the end, develop psychiatric problems from the experience.
Another reason that animal abuse is wrong is because they’re “man’s best friend.” They’re our friends and companions. Sometimes they’re the only way we can get the comfort and love that we need. They look to us to take care of them; they’re vulnerable and cannot take care of themselves. One of the reasons people abuse animals is because they have a need to dominate or test their power over something. This can be called “Active Cruelty,” where the act is actually being committed(“Animal Cruelty”).
All types of animal abuse are illegal. In Alabama, the maximum time spent in jail in the year 2000 was 10 years, and in 2002 in Colorado, the maximum fine for animal abuse was $500,000(“U.S. Cruelty Laws”). “Every state in the United States and the District of Columbia has a law prohibiting cruelty to animals”(“Animal Cruelty Laws”). These laws at least give animals legal protection.
The best argument the opposition has is that it doesn’t matter because they’re just animals. They don’t have feelings. People may kick and poke at pigs and cows all the time because they think they’re filthy for living outside in the mud. People also think that animals are not capable of rational thought.
I strongly disagree with this theory. Some animals have a very good memory “one nasty moment of fright and the horse will commit the fright, the place and the circumstances to memory for years”(Pellerin). Any animal can remember a certain action when it’s introduced or inflicted enough times. An animal will remember what you do to them and will tend to shy away from that particular person that conducts it or similar situations. And if inflicted enough times, the animal can be pushed to defend themselves. This causes small or even fatal injuries to the abuser or innocent bystanders.
Neglect, animal fighting, shooting, poisoning, hoarding, and even bestiality are all examples of animal abuse. They are all illegal and should be reported and dealt with correctly. Some of these you can start by communicating calmly and politely to the perpetrator to try to persuade them to correct their actions. With others, all you can do is report them to officials to be dealt with legally. For example, with neglect, animal control and human law enforcement will try to educate the handlers first if they believe they are ignorant of how to properly care for the animal.
l BeautifulxOblivion l · Thu Mar 11, 2010 @ 08:47am · 0 Comments |
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In the novel Memoirs of a Geisha, the Golden accurately depicts the story of a poor, young fisherman’s daughter that was sold to become something better. She was sold to be a geisha. Her mother was sick and dying and her father was very old. Soon young Chiyo would not have someone to take care of her besides her older sister, Sayu. Sayu and Chiyo were soon separated when Chiyo was sold to the okiya in the hanamachi of Gion, and Sayu was taken to a brothel in the next district. Chiyo was put through vigorous training to become the best geisha in her geisha district. Through many downfalls, she made it. Geisha are a cultural icon of Japan that should be admired for their passion and dedication.
The first geisha were originally men. They were called taikomochi or hōkan. Taikomochi was the Japanese version of the jester. They advised and entertained their feudal lords, known as daimyo, as well as acted as artists and story tellers. The taikomochi even fought next to their lord in battle. At a time of peace they dropped their role as advisors and became strictly entertainers. Some even joined the Oiran. Oiran are courtesans, or people of pleasure, who also played a big role in the origins of the geisha. The first female geisha was a courtesan. She thought she could earn more money in the hard economic times that she started entertaining people in the form of the arts instead of pleasure. This new role soon took over the role of the tayū or oiran. By the end of the 1700’s the female geisha heavily outnumbered the male geisha.
Geisha houses would sometimes buy young girls from poor families to train them to be geisha. They would start out as maids and work until the mother of the house decided they were ready to go to school. As a maid, the young girl will also start working and helping the senior geisha of the house, which would include kneeling in the entryway of the okiya far into the night until the senior geisha came home. At the same time the geisha in training starts school she will register and she will also start observing the senior geisha dress in her kimono and apply her makeup. When the senior geisha first wakes up “she’s a woman like any other, and not a geisha at all. Only when she sits in front of her mirror and applies her make up with care does she become a geisha”(Golden 61). The assortment of classes the apprentice geisha attend include “Japanese instruments, traditional forms of singing, traditional dance, tea ceremony, flower arrangement, poetry and literature”(“Geisha”). Apprentice geisha are called Maiko. Maiko will begin by finding an one-san, or “older sister.” By accompanying her onee-san to her engagements at various tea houses, she will have the honor of silently watching the geisha at work. Here she will learn the necessary skills in the art of conversation and dealing with clients.
After finally becoming a maiko, there are some “rites of passage” to become a full fledged geisha. First, the maiko must go through the Mizuage process. Mizuage is “a ceremony undergone by maiko to signify her coming of age”(“Geisha” Wiki). This ceremony involves the deflowering of the apprentice geisha by the highest bidding patron. This money will go towards the maiko’s future career as a geisha. Second, it is traditional that a geisha have a danna. A danna is usually a man that is wealthy enough to support the geisha’s training costs as well as other financial needs. The geisha and her danna may or may not fall in love, but the relationship between them is not fully understood; even by other Japanese. What is understood is that even though a danna supports a geisha he can also be married.
The geisha’s performance is a very important part of her career, because “geisha” literally means artist. A geisha performs in many types of art such as dance, song, instruments, and plays. Typically maiko are the ones that perform the dance part of the entertainment. Song is a very important part of the performance, because while the maiko dance there will be a geisha that sings and sometimes one that plays the shamisen to set the beat. A shamisen is a three stringed instrument used by geishas that is played with a plectrum. The shamisen resembles a guitar and geisha go through vigorous training to master this instrument. In the older days of the geisha, a geisha will “winter train.” This is when the geisha, or maiko will put her fingers in ice cold water and play her shamisen until her fingers bleed. Another form of performance is plays. Plays are usually performed by geisha, where they dress in elaborate costumes depending on the role thay will play as. This is similar to the kabuki who are Japanese male actors. Just as geisha perform as the male role, a kabuki will play as a female, even as an actual geisha.
Though they are relatively related, a maiko, geisha, and her ancestor, the tauū, are different in appearance. A maiko will wear a colorful kimono with long sleeves. Not only is the kimono brightly colored, but the obi is as well. The kimono and obi are also decorated with an elaborate pattern. The collar of the maiko’s kimono is made of a red and white pattern, and her obi is tied more fancily and higher up. The obi, like the sleeves of the kimono, is also a lot longer than the obi of a geisha’s kimono. Maiko will also wear many extravagant hair pieces in her actual hair, where as geisha will usually wear 2 ornaments, one big one small, and one comb in a wig. A geisha’s kimono has shorter sleeves with an obi that is tied in a box knot. A geisha and maiko will both paint their face, neck and chest with white makeup, leaving a v or w shaped patch of bare skin on the back of their neck. They will also be careful to not cover clear up to their hairline. They will then draw in their eyebrows and eyes with charcoal and paint their lips bright red. A tayū or an oiran is similar, but very different in appearance to the maiko or geisha. Their hair, hair ornaments, and kimono are a lot more elaborate, as the geisha will typically wear a simple patterned kimono. Geisha wear white split- toed socks with their geta(wooden flip flop like sandles), called tabi, where as tayū wear no tabi with their higher plat formed geta. Showing bare skin is erotic to Japanese men, especially showing their toes. A big difference between a geisha and a tayū, is the way they wear their obi. Instead of wearing it tied in the back like a geisha, a tayū will have it tied in the front so as to make access to her body easier. Another difference with the tayū’s ensemble is the immense layers to the kimono.
Liza Dalby writes “Geisha are the naval of society”(Dalby 81). When journalist or critics broadcast Japanese tradition, geisha are used as the prime example. They are the key to the Japanese culture. There are many opinions on the social status of the geisha. “A few nostalgic writers suggested that Japan would lose something valuable if geisha were to change or to disappear”(Dalby 82).
Geisha were busy at a time when times were tough. Money was scarce, so it was extremely valuable. Kimono cost thousands of dollars each and each okiya held many in a special storage building. So it was very logical that the mothers of the okiya were very worried about their okiya’s catching on fire. The training of a geisha costs lots of money, so it is imperative that she be very successful in her future career so that she may pack it all back to the okiya. This is where obtaining a danna is important, if a geisha can find someone wealthy enough to support her career, the less debt she’ll be accounted for.
After WWII the career of the geisha steadily declined. Whatever geisha were left lost the “tradition” of their activity. After the Americans inhabited Japan geisha have adopted the western look and act. Things just weren’t done the same way it had in the past. Some Japanese towns had gone in ruin from the aftermaths of the war, causing the geisha to lose their okiyas, resulting in their forced early retirement. Some went back home to family, if they had any, but those that didn’t have family had to find an alternate home.
Because geisha closely resembled the courtesans of Japan, they themselves were thought to be prostitutes. Geisha were not actually allowed to sell their bodies, or offer that service at all. People also thought they were prostitutes, because of their “services” to men. They entertained men and patrons through art and conversation. They would often flirt and make innuendoes jokes, but that was all the farther they would go. It was thought that what really attracted or satisfied men at these events was the idea of something they couldn’t have.
Today there are only a few geisha left in Japan. Now, modern women are trying to bring back the tradition of the geisha, though girls are no longer required to start their training at a young age. Now girls will normally start their training junior high, high school, or even later than that. They don’t even have to complete their role as a maiko first, and just go straight to the status of a geisha. Because it is legal for kids to go to school until they are at least 16, girls can fully commit in their training by actually living in an okiya. Geisha are mainly known to be found in Kyoto, but those in Tokyo are also popular. The more accurate number of geisha in Japan would be 1,000 to 2,000 when there once use to be around 80,000. Sightings of geisha outside of the hanamachi, or geisha district, is extremely rare. Modern maiko are still trained in the traditional arts, but acts such as the mizuage ceremony have ended.
From the beginning with the courtesans and the male entertainers, to the end with the dwindling numbers of a cultural icon, the geisha has had quite an impact on the culture and existence in Japan. Through arduous training, endless stereotyping, a struggling economy and war, they had endured and prospered in a developing country.
l BeautifulxOblivion l · Thu Mar 11, 2010 @ 08:45am · 0 Comments |
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A relationship is a contradiction. There are many conflicts included in a relationship: personality, how a person acts or reacts to emotional stimuli or everyday activities; interests or hobbies, what a person likes to be involved in for business or relaxation; dominance, who likes to be at the top or in control of the relationship; commitment, being loyal with full involvement and interest in the relationship; money, being stingy, over generous, or lack of money can determine how much is being spent on activities; politics and religion are a big conflict with relationships these days, our country is currently going through many political developments that stir up strong political feelings in a lot of people, and there are religions that have varied degrees of preference on relations between a believer and a non believer; family, someone’s family is an important aspect of that person’s life, a person’s family has certain ideas for that person’s life that are acceptable or not, and they are to be regarded before anyone else’s; and last, morals, people have different ideas of right or wrong. To integrate these conflicts could be for the greater or better of the relationship or cause it to fall apart.
l BeautifulxOblivion l · Thu Mar 11, 2010 @ 08:43am · 0 Comments |
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