In his book, “Memoirs of a Geisha”, Arthur Golden, chronologically pinnacles a tale about women’s independence, as well as how Late 19th and Early 20th Century Japanese women were perceived. He discusses sexism, and hints at how it relates to the ingenuity of a woman At first glance, the book appears to be an autobiography, written in first person; the story of a Japanese woman forced to become a geisha in the years preceding the Second World War Golden completed his masters in Japanese history from Columbia University, as well as some time dedicated to Beijing University for research among the following; He indulged into Japanese lifestyle, learning Mandarin, and acquiring an occupation in Japan. It arises as palpable that the above-mentioned was predominately used as his base, and or background for writing the book. Additionally, Golden’s research for the book included a lot of background reading, including Liza Dalby’s “Geisha”, a book written by the only American woman to become a geisha. He also interviewed Mineko Iwasaki, a woman who was one of the foremost geishas in Japan in the 1960s and 70s. As his research is apparent, Golden borrows heavily from Iwasaki’s life to create a narrative that is much more than simply an account of the traditions and rituals behind geisha training. He provides readers with a coming-of-age story that is, at once, both relatable to the hardships and ordeals attributed towards women of the west; much the same of slave women (captured Black women brought to the west), white women, and even Native American women. Published in 1997, “Memoirs of a Geisha” was an instant success, selling over 4 million copies worldwide. Due to accredited success, recognition, and overall enjoyment of the book, it was later recreated through film version in 2005
Very early on in the book, Golden effectively establishes the patriarchal nature of Japanese society, where women had to be subservient, lady like, and respectful, especially towards their male counterparts. This in turn created an image of women as distractions and liabilities, in which compares to both 19th and 20th century American society and their depiction as facets of a “…exclusively domestic realm of home, family and childrearing.”(Dubois & Dumenil 156). Golden’s protagonist, a young girl named Chiyo who grows up in a fishing village, narrates an example of this patriarchy. Japanese men did not like women to have anything to do with fishing. They sensed it as unladylike. One man within Chiyo’s village, Mr. Yamamura, found his daughter playing in side of his boat with her toys, and upon finding her, “… he beat her with a stick and then washed out the boat with sake and lye so strong it bleached streaks of coloring from the wood.” (Golden 15) He also during latter parts of the day had a priest within the village to bless it, and relieve the boat of its impurities, hence his innocent daughter. Soon after, Chiyo is shadowed by an older man, seemingly unbeknownst to her four year old self, Mr Tanaka, who shows great interest, admiration, and engrossment, chiefly about her beautiful eyes hints at sexism, and tradition towards her premature disposition when he describes how Japanese Geisha’s acquire the essence of great beauty. This is also unbeknownst to her as she describes the fact that as Mr. Tanaka was chronicling this to her, yet even when” he said it to me, before. I’d ever heard of such a thing as a Geisha, I could almost believe it was true. (Golden, 16) He therefore is inflicting male preference, ideologies, and perspective upon her as to what a woman should be like. Important to note that their aforementioned conversation was about Chiyo swallowing her blood amidst hurting herself, in which Tanaka deemed suitable. Additionally the location of where she hurt herself was at Seafood dock surrounded by fishermen and boats*.
Our writers can help you with any type of essay. For any subject
Order now
Later, Chiyo, and her sister Satsu is sold by her father to Mr. Tanaka, who sells her to a geisha house, indicating that she had no choice in the matter due to a poor father, and bed- riddened mother close to death. Women were considered commodities who could be sold off to meet household expenses, but in turn seen as liabilities, much like when the fisherman bleached his boat where his daughter played. The lack of choice is further driven home by Chiyo’s geisha training, where she is taught to be quiet, subservient, and do everything that would attract a man to her. Moreover, her named was changed to Sayuri, in which was mandatory within the Geisha field. That signifies that you are not self anymore and that you are upholding a new life. It also hints at enslavement, and superiority among Geishas, and evokes them to lose all dignity, and value hence a new demeaning lifestyle. She was instructed to keep her appearances, mannerisms, and attitudes within a beauty bracket. She was advised from her sister shadower, Mameha that she was ready to be a Geisha once she has been able to “stop a man in his tracks, just by flicking your eyes at him (Golden, 159).
She was even prompted to hide her true self from her doctor once Mameha advised her that she should want her “doctor to see you looking as innocent as possible. Lie back and try to look weak” (Golden, 215). this undoubtedly puts the Doctor in a role of dominance. Ultimately, she had to undergo a mizuage ceremony, where she loses her virginity to become a full geisha. The practice, very common in Japan before the 1960s, was a way of enforcing the domination of men, who could simply pay money and claim a woman’s virginity. In Golden’s book, it is shown that Chiyo had no say in whom she would lose her virginity to, and that the profits went to the okiyo, or geisha house, to pay for the debt Chiyo owed for her extensive geisha training. Chiyo was once used to independence, cooking and cleaning for herself and her mother, and was know subjugated to helplessness, sexism, misogyny and prejudice.
Another interesting point is the frequent use of water as a literary tool throughout the book, to imply sexuality. The book constantly points out that Sayuri is an individual who “has a great deal of water” in her personality (Golden 43). Water, in Japanese culture, is used to connote sexuality in the case of prostitutes (Akita 7). Geishas, who were unable to get a Danna, or a patron, often had to resort to prostitution. This is shown in the story of Pumpkin, a character in the book, who is forced into prostitution during the war, to make ends meet.
Golden’s book reinforces certain stereotypes about the geishas, in which he does in order to make the book more palatable to his target, western, and Japanese audiences. This book closely relates to the, norms, events and occurrences of objectification, and or enslavement regarding women amongst American times, notwithstanding an interesting and accurate account of patriarchal norms in Japan in pre-WWII era. Black women and men were sold to the highest bidder, and often lost their virginity to white men, and slave masters, much like Chiyo experienced. Slaves had to change their names from names of meaning, tradition, and honor to western first names, and slave owners last names given from someone of higher authority, much like the Mameha character who instructed Chiyo that Sayuri was her new name.
Equally Native American women were independent and even leaders during their tenure, especially through the matrilineal system that gave them sovereignty amidst their regions. Native American women practiced division of labor, equally sharing tasks with men, in which “consolidated women’s positions in their land” ((Dubois & Dumenil 10).. However once enslavement, and eradication occurred, women’s free practice of ingenuity, and independence were limited, and eventually stopped through dominance of the British in which held views of male dominance, superiority, and misogyny, also much like,. Japanese, and American patriarchy. Other historians and members within History, Arts, Sociology, and Psychology fields could use this to relay studies, and education. Other historians in other sectors can use this book to shed light on women’s plight and disparagement, as well as overall slavery. It should be pointed out that much has not changed today through means of glass ceilings, glass walls, unequal pay for women, and disrespect and belittlement against women, comparable to president Donald Trump’s, and Harvey Weinstein’s misogynistic insignia as an example.
I was particularly affected by the fact that Chiyo had no control over her future, or her body. The fact that she was beautiful, and had unique gray eyes, decided that she would become a commodity in the eyes of her family and countrymen. I would recommend this book to those who wish to get an insight into the role of women in Japanese society, and the oppression they had to face at the hands of men, as well as enslavement, and how this closely relates to other civilizations, and races of women throughout history.
Works Cited
- Akita, Kimiko. “Orientalism and the Binary of Fact and Fiction in Memoirs of a Geisha.” Global Media Journal 5.9 (2006): 1-11.
- Golden, Arthur. Memoirs of a geisha: a novel. Vintage, 2005.
- Dubois, Ellen Carol, and Lynn Dumenil. Through Womens Eyes: an American History with Documents. Bedford/St. Martins, 2016.
Pro Euthanasia
Active euthanasia should be permitted as a medical treatment to allow people the right to die with dignity without pain and in peace. Euthanasia, also known as assisted suicide or mercy killing, takes on many different forms. When most Americans think of euthanasia, they think of a specific form that is referred to as “active euthanasia” which means to actively do something that will end a patient’s life with or without that individual’s consent. When euthanasia is performed in an involuntary manner it is usually because the patient is comatose, unconscious, or otherwise unable to communicate whether or not they want to have their life prolonged through artificial means. In such cases, the physician makes an executive decision whether to end the patient’s life, deeming it just because that individual would experience only pain and suffering in the continuity of their state. In the United States, active euthanasia is currently banned, with the exception of the state of Oregon.
“Oregon’s Death with Dignity Act (DWDA), which was enacted in late 1997, allows terminally-ill adult Oregonians to obtain and use prescriptions from their physicians for self-administered, lethal doses of medications” (Death With Dignity Act). It would appear to be an easy assumption that most people in the United States believe that ending the life of a human being who is alert and able to communicate is morally wrong, though most likely is suffering and experiencing a lesser quality of life because of that; for example, a patient who is suffering from a terminally ill disease like Lou Gehrig’s disease, cancer and multiple sclerosis. With a closer examination of the facts, however, might lead to an extreme change in the opinions of even the strongest supporters of anti-euthanasia.
Our writers can help you with any type of essay. For any subject
Order now
Michael Petrou’s article titled “A Time to Die” provides a prime example of a situation where active euthanasia was the appropriate course of action. Petrou writes about the final chapter in the life of a man named Hans Knottenbelt. Knottenbelt was an adored husband and father, living in the Netherlands, where euthanasia is legal and practiced regularly. The right to die in the Netherlands is highly regulated. Certain situations must come in to play, “the patient must be experiencing unbearable pain, the patient must be conscious, the death request must be voluntary, the patient must have been given alternatives and time to consider these alternatives, there must be no other reasonable solutions to the problem, the patient’s death cannot inflict unnecessary suffering on others, there must be more than one person involved in the euthanasia decision, only a doctor can euthanize a patient and great care must be taken in actually making the death decision” (Euthanasia in the Netherlands).
In the later stages of his life, he was diagnosed with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, also known as Lou Gehrig’s disease. He and his family immediately recognized that this was a death sentence. The disease would cause the nerves which control his muscles to slowly deteriorate. They knew that, in time, he would become essentially paralyzed. He would quickly lose his ability to walk and eventually not even be able to speak or swallow. Finally, he would get to the point where he could no longer take in enough oxygen, and he would suffocate. What made this disease especially terrifying to Knottenbelt and his family, however, was the fact that the disease would not affect his mental capacity. This meant he would be completely aware of what was happening to him as he inched closer and closer to his imminent demise (Petrou 22).
After suffering with the disease for some time, Knottenbelt came to the conclusion that euthanasia was the only reasonable solution for his affliction. The doctor, whose name was disclosed in the article, came to his home and provided the only means of escape from his disease. Knottenbelt lay down on his bed and received a dose of anesthetic, then a dose of a drug to stop his heart. Knottenbelt’s daughter described the peaceful passing of her beloved father as ‘one of the most beautiful things [she had] seen in [her] life’ (qtd. in Petrou 23).
Had Hans Knottenbelt been living in any of the forty-nine out of fifty American states where euthanasia is illegal, the sight of his death would have been anything but beautiful. His daughter describes what an average night was like for her father while he was suffering from Lou Gehrig’s disease: ‘My Dad woke up in the evenings like a scared rabbit. He was so scared. Not scared of dying, but scared of suffocation, of the way he would die’ (qtd. in Petrou 22). Without the option of peacefully ending his life, Knottenbelt’s fears would have become reality. The most likely scenario would have been for him to wake up in the middle of the night and discover his airway blocked up with fluids. In a panic, he would have furiously rung the bell beside his bed to alert his family he needed help, as he did on a near nightly basis. This time his help would either arrive too late, or be unable to clear his windpipe. Knottenbelt would have died in one of the most excruciating ways imaginable.
The unlucky family member who had come to his side to try to help him would be forced to watch him violently struggle for air right up until the moment of his death. Frank Collins from Baruch College wrote an essay titled “To die or not to die” which gives another prime example of a case where active euthanasia should be practiced. He writes about the tragic story of a French woman by the name of Chantal Sebire.
Sebire was diagnosed with Esthesioneuroblastoma, an extremely rare form of cancer of the nasal sinuses. It leaves the patient horrifically disfigured and in constant excruciating pain. Sebire’s extensive facial tumor took her sight, as well as her senses of smell and taste. Her request for legal euthanasia went all the way to the high court in Dijon, France where it was rejected. Sebire was found dead two days after the court made its ruling. She had committed suicide by overdosing on barbiturates. Sebire was a former school teacher and a mother of three. She attracted a strong outpouring of sympathy when she appeared in a French television news interview for the right to ‘depart peacefully’.
Before-and-after pictures of the woman, her face severely deformed, have been featured in the press along with her account of frightened children who ran away at the sight of her. “Sebire learnt in 2002 that she had developed an esthesioneuroblastoma, an uncommon malignant tumour in the nasal cavity, which she said had led to ‘atrocious’ suffering” (Collins). ‘In 2000, I lost the sense of smell and taste… and I lost my sight in October 2007,’ she said in the television interview. ‘One would not allow an animal to go through what I have endured,’ she said before urging President Nicolas Sarkozy to intervene and grant her request (The Daily Telegraph). It would seem nearly impossible to make a case for telling patients in situations such as Knottenbelt’s and Sebire’s that they do not have the option to die with dignity. The majority of American lawmakers, however, do just that.
The most common, and seemingly strongest, argument used by knowledgeable detractors of euthanasia is the idea that a system of legal, active euthanasia would be impossible to properly enforce. Those who oppose the Death with Dignity Act say it is a certainty that euthanasia would be abused and there would be no way for law enforcement to ever prosecute those responsible. The best that euthanasia-supporters can offer, they argue, is a sort of honor-system (‘Should Euthanasia’ 26). These supporters of the ban on euthanasia seem to have overlooked the system currently in place in Oregon, which seems to provide reasonable guidelines. The state’s “Death with Dignity Act” lays out strict guidelines to prevent the misuse of euthanasia. “The law states that, in order to participate, a patient must be:
- 18 years of age or older,
- a resident of Oregon,
- capable of making and communicating health care decisions for him/herself, and
- diagnosed with a terminal illness that will lead to death within six (6) months.
It is up to the attending physician to determine whether these criteria have been met” (DWDA). According to the act, doctors may provide lethal medications only to patients who are terminally ill with less than six months to live, who receive a second medical opinion, who formally request lethal medication three times, and who do not seem to be suffering from a mental disorder (‘Oregon’s’ 3). While certainly not completely foolproof, this system seems to work well enough to put in place and allow patients in Hans Knottenbelt’s situation to avoid painful, traumatic deaths. Opponents of the Death With Dignity Act, such as former attorney general John Ashcroft, say the law violates the Controlled Substances Act because it allows doctors to prescribe drugs that are not for a ‘legitimate medical purpose’ (‘Death’ 33).
However, this argument is innately flawed since Ashcroft fails to make a case as to why the drugs Oregon doctors prescribe are not for a ‘legitimate medical purpose.’ One has to wonder what purpose could possibly be more ‘legitimate’ than saving a person from an agonizing death such as the one with which Hans Knottenbelt was faced. Active euthanasia should be allowed under very strict circumstances. When a person is faced with an imminent, painful demise, as Knottenbelt and Sebire were, it is the most suitable option.
