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Kappa
Oct 29, 2015 3:43:05 GMT
Post by Pedro J. Paez on Oct 29, 2015 3:43:05 GMT
This story is very interesting as it taps into the mind of a psychological depraved patient and the experiences he transcends into a 'crazy' place or town called Kappaland. The narrator lives there peacefully because in that 'world' no one needs to work for a living even I'm in favored of that. The storytelling centers around his analysis of his symptoms of misanthrope in Japan's society in the early 20 century and late 19 century based on what he experiences in Kappaland. This was written as a satire of Japanese society because of Akutagawa's imaginary world probably due to the fact that his sickness was transmitted from his own mother therefore he despised his birth into this world at that point of time. I would like to mention when the kappa refused to be born due to their freedom of choosing to either be born or die via abortion. I believe the author refers to this custom in Kappaland because of his inner desire to wish to have been able to control his 'destiny' and choose what he thinks would have brought happiness to his lifetime of mental suffering. What an awful thought it is to be able to wield the fate of your birthright in your premature awakening to life. I can't imagine a fetus wielding such godly power it would literally destroy the balance of our world. I mean think about it if you had the innate trait to refuse your birthright because you would know that this 'life' would bring pain and torment. In my views I see the act of choosing to live or not similar to the decision of suicide. We have the freedom to end our lives however we can't do so as a fetus. Suicide can be understandable in the face of complete depression but life is truly a wonderful thing if you don't only look at the negative aspects. Suicide is a nasty subject to delve into especially during those old times in Japan where suicide was seen as a taboo subject.
Discussion Question: Is suicide a possible option when our lives are miserable? Why does the author use the fetus as a will of its own?
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Kappa
Oct 29, 2015 18:47:33 GMT
Post by Ariella Crisano on Oct 29, 2015 18:47:33 GMT
For the first question: For me, suicide is never an option no matter how miserable you are. I agree with the notion that it is a selfish way out of your problems. Not to put down anyone who has ever done it because I can understand their mind set. I've never known anyone personally who has commuted suicide, but I have personally been down that road myself. I have been so miserable that I have seriously considered that option and it's a very tough place to be in. It's a place of total depression where there is no light of hope. I also agree with the authors explanation of the bullies being responsible for the people who commit suicide. They push suicidal people further than they might have gone on their own. But the one thing that helped me was to realize that there are people who care about me. There might be very few people, but they still care and would be devastated. So for me now, I believe suicide is a selfish option that only causes more problems for those you leave behind. And it should never be considered an actual option for someone.
Number 2: I believe that Hiba was right about the fetus. She said that it was the authors way of mocking the debate of abortion and the selfishness of the parents by choosing to "kill" the baby or let it live only considering themselves. However, in kappa land, they consider the baby and ask it if it wants to be born, something we don't consider in our world. It also goes with what you said about inheriting traits from your family. Akutagawa had no choice in his inherited traits and was born with a disease from his mom. I agree that the fetus having this choice is a direct reflection of his wish to not have been born. He wishes he had that choice to know he would be given a disease and have the option to get out of it.
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Kappa
Oct 29, 2015 20:31:29 GMT
Post by Won Young Seo on Oct 29, 2015 20:31:29 GMT
I've been mildly depressed before but not for an extended period of time or that deeply so I don't think I'm in a position to judge those who have truly been stressed and depressed to the point where they see suicide as a viable option. That being said, I also think it depends on the society. A large society like America also has a lower suicide rate and counseling and other services are portrayed as good and valuable options. However, Japan and Korea have smaller populations and yet boast the highest suicide rates in the world, and counseling services have stigmas attached (and are put on your health record for employers to see). In a society where it truly seems like there's no one to help you and suicide is practically a "norm" I think the opinion of suicide will be much different.
As for the fetus, I think it is a mockery of abortion but it's also an idealistic view. If a fetus was able to judge its own future physical and mental state and choose not to be born, you'd eventually have a society of "perfect" beings.
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Kappa
Oct 30, 2015 0:29:02 GMT
Post by qian lin on Oct 30, 2015 0:29:02 GMT
I think nobody wants to choose suicide to end their lives. I think surviving is the human nature. When we get hurt, we will automatically protect ourselves. I think people who choose to get suicide may lose their consciousness at that moment and they do not know other choices to the reality. They see the negative sides of their lives without looking at the positive sides of the life. They might really feel hopeless and have no power to change it. I think when life is miserable we just leave it miserable. To survive is more important than anything.Sometimes we get confused in our life and we have no ideas to deal with it. Once we think about these confusion over and over, which will make us lost. I think be positive and hopeful when life is miserable and try to accept "imperfect and unexpected life". This is one way of our life. Also, we have many options in our live and we have to think in may ways.I think the author himself inherits the madness from his mom and he feels that the madness makes his life terrible. He does not want to accept the reality that he is mad and he feels regretful for his birth. He hopes that he can choose his life like the kappa fetus.
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