continued............ Early modern literature in Japan was written in the largely peaceful Tokugawa period, and so thus experienced relative growth. One of the most significant contributions made from this period was the creation of the Haiku, which would forever play a part of the Japanese culture and experience world wide acceptance and interest towards other cultures. The Meiji period brought westernization and a re-opening to western intellect. The introduction of European Literature brought free verse into the poetic repertoire and became widely used for longer works embodying new intellectual themes. The Vargas 6 accomplishments were huge, Japan developed a new stage of colloquial literature, adopted Western literary concepts and techniques, introduced Realism, and Romanticism was adopted to fit their own culture, but kept the European themes and concepts. All these changes in their literature was the outcome of the Japanese government opening up to Western intellect and commercing with them. Although changes in any society does indeed influence its literature, we shouldn’t forget the effects literature has on society itself. In Japan literature played a role in changing the Japanese culture, by the means of acquiring modern concepts and intellect from the West. Through time the Japanese gradually took in Western thought, but adopted it to fit their cultural values without changing the concepts that came with them. As a result in their choice to Westernize, Japan’s culture is reflected from their literature due to their writings of nature,ethical values, people, and society. As more and more numbers of Japanese writers were converting to many methods of Western literary practices, they, slowly but gradually, incorporated them into the Japanese literature we see today. Vargas 7 Works Cited . "History of Japan's Literature." The web kanzaki. N.p., 1995. Web. 9 May 2012. <Http://www.knazaki.com/jinfo/jliterature.html>. Leo, Tolstoy. How Much Land Does a Man Need?. Evanston: McDougal Littell Inc., 2002. . http://lotusgreenfotos.blogspot.com. N.p., 2007. Web. 10 May 2012. Niyama, Taiki, and Caroline Tsai. "The Meiji period (1868-1912)." Japan Cultural Profile. Japan Foundation, 5 Oc. Web. 10 May 2012. <http://www.culturalprofiles.net/japan/Directories/Japan_Cultural_Profile/-13234.html>;. "Reconfiguring Romanticism (22): Yosano Akiko, Two Poems with Commentary." http://poemsandpoetics.blogspot.com. N.p., n. d. 0. Web. 10 May 2012. http://wutheringexpectations.blogspot.com. N.p., n. d. 0. Web. 10 May 2012. it's a little messed up since I pasted it, but please enjoy it and criticize!

Although I already know English. I want an English teacher to help me proof read a paper I wrote. The Ogon Jidai in Modern Japanese Literature. Japanese literature was, and still is, a reflection of the Japanese society and its peoples. Japanese literature offers many dark, sad, strongly nostalgic, tormented pages where often suicide and depression represent the key elements reflecting the pain of living concealed in the Japanese society. And yet, Japanese literature is neither depressing nor saddening. Its pages wonderfully written suggest a world full of traditions, permeated of Japanese culture. We, through the course of history, see an evolutionary change in Japanese literature from pre-modern to more “westernized” modern styles of writing. From the Tokugawa period ranging all the way to the Meiji Restoration, pre-modern/modern Japanese literature flourished, became better established, and took a significant role in shaping the course to modernity. The influence of western literary concepts and techniques was felt strongly. New ideas were experimented with new concepts, such as liberalism, idealism, and romanticism, but, ultimately, at the end Japanese authors still kept a sense of unity and still carry on some traditional literary topics such as the writings of the natural beauties. During the Tokugawa period, Japan became a state consumed with poetic works. “Toward the end of the Heian period, Japanese poets began to divide tanka into smaller parts. From this practice, Japanese poets created the haiku” ( Tolstoy 493). One of the most significant people to make huge contributions towards haikus in Japan was Matsuo Basho. Take for example his “Death Poem”: Vargas 2 “sick on my journey, only my dreams will wader these desolate moors” (Tolstoy 542). This poem from Basho exhibits elements of darkness and even sadness, but the feelings it produces on the reader are feelings of wonder, and maybe even sympathetic ones. This goes to show how Japanese writers are influenced and even inspired by nature. In fact a majority of haiku poetry is purely about nature. Prior to the 20th century haiku poetry continued to revolve around nature. Literature in this period wasn’t completely focused in nature, there were plenty of other topics, but the second most common one was the writings of contemporary urban life, a trend that continues even today. This trend was quite common in Santo Kyoden’s writings in the late 18th and early 19th centuries. Kyoden was a popular writer of gesaku fiction in the late 18th century Edo (lotus). Basically any literary work with a humoristic nature may be called gesaku. His writings were mainly about social life during that period, therefore differing from contemporary “natural” writings. From this stand point it is clear how Japanese literature is slowly evolving into different branches coming closer to modern ways of writing. After the 18th century Japan took a turn to even newer ways of writing, this was the effects from “westernizing” and also in part from romanticism. During the Meiji Restoration (1868-1912) Japan experienced a great change, not only was this change economically but also changed the content of their literature. At this time Japan was experiencing an influx of foreign poetry, and thus led to a “new style” of poetry movements. For example novelists such as Mori Ogai and Natsume Soseki studied in Germany and Britain, respectively, Vargas 3 and their works reflect the influence of the literature of those countries (history). An author that greatly contributed to this “westernization” period in Japanese literature, was Futabatei Shimei. Shimmei is the first modern Japanese novelist. Meaning the first to successfully incorporate novelistic techniques like interiority, colloquial language, and psychological realism (wuthering). As more and more numbers of Japanese writers were converting to many methods of western literary practices, they, slowly but gradually, incorporated them into the Japanese literature we see today.These changes prove to be a reflection of how evolution can come in many forms. Another innovator of early Meiji was Higuchi Ichiyo (1872-96), whose stories about life in the streets of Tokyo showed a sympathetic sensibility and highly-developed sense of realism. Realism, again, is something most commonly known in Europe, which took on its own impact in Japan during this era of “change.”Ichiyo still incorporated traditional writings of urban life, but were distinguished mostly from the forms and topics they took, such as writings of “feminism.” This shows readers that not only are these newly adapted literary works and ideas a change in thought, but also a mirror of the ever changing culture, like writings that would, originally, be a crime and disgrace to the government, such as topics of feminism, women writers, and philosophical views on society that neglect or contradict Japanese governance. She is a late Meiji figure that symbolizes the changing opportunities for women in the new age. A change of thought worthy of recognition. During this literary evolution another cultural change was taking place: it was the development of Romantic School. The development of Romantic School, under the leadership of Kitamura Tokoku, gained prominence and reassurance in the country. Romanticism in Japan explored philosophical concepts of Vargas 4 self and society, drawing heavily on European literature (Niyama). By a European stand point, “Romantics rejected science and reason and instead embraced nature, emotion, and individual experience” (Tolstoy 870). Take, for example, William Wordsworth’s romantic poem: “The World is too Much With Us”; “The world is too much with us; late and soon, Getting and spending, we lay waste our powers: Little we see in nature that is ours....... We are out of tune: It moves us not.- Great God! I’d rather be A Pagan suckled in creed outworn;...........” (Tolstoy 900). In this verse we can clearly tell this author is trying to express concerns towards society and is not happy with how “man” is degrading humanity’s potential in education through nature. Now, in comparison, lets take a look at a sample from a Romantic Japanese poet, Yosano Akiko from his poem: “In Praise of May”: “May is a fancy month, a flower month, The month of buds, the month of scents, the month of colors,.... Lilacs, tulips, poppies, The month women’s cloths turn Light and thin, the month of love,.... The breezy month, the month of Vargas 5 The blue moon, of platinum-colored clouds,... So here comes May To toss at us a giddiness Sweet as the lemonade you suck with a straw From a thin, skinny glass” (Reconfiguring). This Romantic poem, written by a Japanese, is symbolic on it’s views of nature. It resembles the previous Romantic poem by the fact that both poems, and poets, value the beauty of nature. While one expresses concern the other expresses a feeling of its native culture and values. The Japanese poet inscribes images that reflects Japanese society/culture, such as the first two lines stating May as the month of scents, colors, and flowers. Indeed, during the month of May, Japan is full of celebrations and is covered with the famous Sakura trees, transforming the Japanese climate into one of raw beauty and, of course, thick in culture. Although Romanticism played a role in the process of “westernizing” Japanese literature, the Japanese still kept a majority of their writings focused on the beauty of nature and the detailed writings of the urban life.

こんいちは。 Here are two Japanese sentences: わたしはきのうなにもたべませんでした。 and きのうのばんいほんごをはなしました。 Does the second sentence have the particle の because it is describing when it took place? And why doesn't the first sentence have a "no" particle after kinoo? Isn't it being descriptive?