EA 40 (Winter 2014) Take-Home Midterm (Due Tuesday February 4 at 10 am by Dropbox)
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EA
40 winter 2014
There are three parts to the midterm.
In the first part you will discuss the wikipedia article on "real world" versus "in-universe" writing about fiction (see below); in the second and third parts you will analyze an oracle and ghost story using a "real world" perspective.
NOTE: you do not need to give me a synopsis of the oracle or story -- I know it already!
Feel free to do extra research on the politics and religion of the period (follow all the links I've provided! Find new resouces on your own!), but you should be able to answer the questions with the readings and lectures from the course.
Make sure that you cite any information you use both from outside sources and from Borgen, Ellwood, or Blacker! If you have any questions about proper citation forms, SEE "CITATION FORMS" BY CLICKING here AND SCROLLING DOWN. Remember that if you fail to cite properly, your grade will be lowered. If you use outside sources and fail to cite them, that consitutes plagiarism, and would be a reason to fail that question.
The number of pages given below for each question is a general guideline for the least space you would need to answer the question. You can write more if you wish, but remember we have 72 exams to grade!
PART ONE (30 points):
In 1-2 paragraphs at least (type-written, double-spaced), give an example of a "in-universe" explanation of Rokujo's possession of Aoi no Ue in Tale of Genji and what a "real world" explanation would be for the same event. In doing so consider how the "critical analysis" questions we use in class (i.e. Who is the author/patron? Who is the intended audience? What is the goal? Who benefits? etc.) relate to a "real world" perspective. Note that although Wikipedia discourages you from presenting your own original ideas and interpretations, I DO want your own thinking when analyzing ghost stories, albeit supported by secondary sources!
PART TWO (35 points)
The point of the analysis will be to explain why Dōken might have claimed to have had the dream vision, and what he hoped to accomplish by communicating it to the government.
An excellent answer will use a "real world" perspective to analyze the text of the oracle itself closely, using appropriate quotations from the text and readings to support your points. If you quote from Borgen’s analysis, you will need to explain the quotation!
Questions to consider as you organize your case: 1. Who was the "author" of the oracle? I.e. who became possessed to give the oracle or had the dream vision? (Male or female? Part of a religious institution or non-institutional? What kind of shaman -- passive medium or active ascetic?) 2. Intended audience? (i.e. what political and religious factions were involved?) 3. What does the author and his faction have to gain from the oracle? What do you think the goal of the oracle is? What elements in the oracle (narrative, religious) support that goal? 4. How is this vision of Michizane similar to and different from other representations of Michizane in the oracles we've read (that is, the oracle supporting Taira no Masakado; the oracle transmitted through the shamaness Ayako; and the oracle transmitted through the son of Miwa no Yoshitane) How might Dôken's dream vision have fit into the eventual pacification of Michizane's spirit? 5. What elements (rituals, deities,
etc.) of shamanic religion do you see here? What elements of esoteric Buddhism?
What elements of the yamabushi religion of Shugendo (which combines elements of
shamanism with esoteric Buddhism)? Hint: for this question you should be using Catalpa
Bow and Japanese Religion. PART THREE (35 points): Write a 1-2 page (type-written, double-spaced) analysis of the setsuwa (didactic folktale) "A Plea from Hell" #147 pp. 208-209 in Japanese Tales. The point of this question is to think about why this particular story would have been written, and how it fits into the historical development of hell and ghosts. Again, an excellent answer will use a "real world" perspective to closely analyze the text itself, using supporting quotations, and will be informed by the general class lecture/discussion about the author, audience, goal, etc. of medieval setsuwa folktales. Questions to consider in organizing your answer: 1. How is the ghost represented (note that although the priest worries she might be a demon, she does not look like a demon but like an ordinary young woman)? Who can see her? How does she fit into the models of ghosts so far (angry ghosts, hungry ghosts, demons, muenbotoke)? (Note that she may not be exactly like any of these.) Similarities? Differences? 2. Where would you guess this story fits into the chronology of ghost development, from the 9th-13th centuries, compared to the other stories we've read as well as the Hungry Ghost and Hell scrolls? 3. What appears to be the didactic point or goal of the story? (Hint: think about why she is in hell -- does it seem fair to you? Why might the author have chosen such a reason?) How do the various religious elements of the story support that goal?
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