Essays from An Artist of the Floating world on how the past affects the present and the future

The past can be bizarre, threateningly spilling into the present and the future. To avert tragedy, sufficient personal effort must be inculcated
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The past can be bizarre, threateningly spilling into the present and the future. To avert tragedy, sufficient personal effort must be inculcated for a gratifying future.

With illustrations from An Artist of the Floating World by Kazuo Ishiguro, write an essay to demonstrate this. (20mks)

Life decisions can be detrimental and regrettable at times. When a person opts for a course of life, they may inadvertently make a wrong choice and be forced to bear the consequences. As shown in the book, some characters such as Mr Ono, Matsuda, Yugio Naguchi, and Mrs. Kawakami make unfortunate choices that later haunt them in life but endeavour to right the wrongs.

Mr Ono created propagandist and imperialist paintings which fuelled the Japanese war. He was favoured before and during the war, thus making a great name from the aforesaid paintings. The fame enhanced his acquisition of a magnificent house at half price. However, after the war, Mr Ono was taken aback by the waning fame and the rate at which people were disassociating with him. He and his comrades were primarily blamed for the misfortunes of the country. The disrepute hampered the marriage negotiations between his daughter Noriko and Jiro Miyake. To save face and make up for the past failings, Mr Ono decided to make peace with the past by visiting a couple of friends he might have wronged. During the marriage negotiations with the Saitos, Mr Ono was forced to admit his mistakes and association with the Japanese war painfully. This confession and admittance of guilt helped his daughter Noriko get married.

Matsuda decided not to marry. He spent his youth indulging in imbibing joints and enjoying the pleasures of the floating world. He was a proponent of the Japanese war and spent much of his time popularizing imperialist art. He also advocated for the use of art to address the sociopolitical issues in contemporaneity. However, after the war, Matsuda is a shadow of his former self. He agonized over his failure to marry as he had no heir. To ease the pain of solitude and make up for the squandered youth, Matsuda hired a personal aide and nurse named Miss Suzuki. He also fed carp as a way to occupy his free time and admire the neighbors’ children.

Yukio Noguchi composed popular patriotic songs that the Japanese soldiers used to psyche themselves up during the war. He perceived his compositions positively before and during the war but regretted them after the war. Noguchi's embitterment stems from the deleterious effects of the war- orphaned children, widows and widowers, economic downturns, etc. He chooses to end his life as indemnification for his wrongdoings. Though contested as to whether the decision was worthwhile, the proponents of change regard Yukio Noguchi's choice as a valid way for the warlords and violence sympathizers to apologize.

Shintaro was Mr Ono's pupil and was regarded as less talented than his other colleagues. Shintaro was a formidable companion to his teacher in the drinking dens, especially at Mrs Kawakami's bar. He was a frequent customer in the bar, and his association with drunkenness was disreputable. Also, his association with Mr Ono and his propagandist and imperialist art was questioned when he applied for a teaching job, as the appointing committee insisted that they didn't want to hire someone who actively partook in the Japanese war. Shintaro, however, quit drinking, as he was subsequently never a customer at Mrs Kawakami's bar. Also, he sought vindication of pre-war paintings by seeking recommendations from his erstwhile teacher.

In conclusion, though it is impossible to rewrite history, it is inadvisable to live in denial. Miscalculations and blunders are commonplace; thus, every effort should be made to discontinue penitence in life

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