Vignette I
It was on June 21 last year that I sent my first email to an English girl named Amy and I have corresponded with her ever since. I intended to make our correspondence as enjoyable and as fruitful as possible, and one of the things I did was to ask her to comment on my vignettes. So far I have written 30 vignettes. Here are one of my vignettes and her comments on it.
The Kamikaze Pilots Who Were Willing to Die
On the previous evening of the day when they were to make suicidal attacks on US warships on the Pacific Ocean, three kamikaze pilots were drinking sake in a dim, small room. They were all in their early twenties.
'Long live our Emperor!' exclaimed one of them. 'I'm so proud of having been ordered to die for His Majesty.'
'And yet,' said another, shedding tears, 'it grieves me to think that I have to die so young.'
'What!? You mean you are reluctant to die for His Majesty?' said the first, clenching his fists with rage.
'Of course not!' replied the second.
'And,' said the third, 'I can't resist smiling at the thought that I, too, will die tomorrow. But my reason is quite different from yours.'
'Why the hell can't you?' asked the other two wonderingly.
'Well,' said the third, 'it is because tomorrow I will be able to say my final good-bye to this abominable country, which has robbed me of everything, especially of the freedom to live!'
Amy's comment (dated 27 June 2008, 21:56 UTC)
I feel the vignette, initially, features many negative issues, and upon reading the first lines the audience of the vignette may feel the subject will continue this way throughout. When imagining the setting of this vignette, I imagine a very dark, dingy place which is filled with misery, therefore the humour featured in the last lines of the vignette is made all the more surprising and amusing, even though such dark, morbid issues are raised. I also feel the third pilot may feel that, since he is going to die the following day, has more freedom now than ever before as he can finally speak out against something which has been concerning him for however long he may have known his fate, and as he now has nothing to lose, he is able to speak freely, and this may even bring him some happiness as he is able to state his point in a humorous manner. The vignette was surprising to me, due to the fact that humour can be found in even the most desperate, serious situations, which made the final line of the vignette all the more enjoyable. I feel there may also be a lot for an audience to contemplate in the differing opinions of the first two pilots with the third.
Amy's supplementary comment (dated 28 June 2008, 15:38 UTC)
Regarding what the pilots were forced to do....I feel the pilots were put in a very awkward, upsetting situation, as they were asked to die for their country, and surely, in a way, for two of the pilots, this would have been an honour, and although I am not one hundred percent certain, if they refused to do this, I feel they would be considered traitors to their country and possibly executed, where they would die as cowards and not regarded important or a credit to the country as they would had they died fighting. I also find it interesting that these three men, who were most probably raised and lived in similar households holding similar morals could have such differing views upon what they had been asked to do. The first man seems so strong and determined, as well as very patriotic, as he is not prepared to hear an ill word against his country or his King. Although, it may be possible that this is merely a front the first pilot is 'putting on' and this may merely be a display of bravado, when in actual fact he may be afraid or worried about his ever closer fatality.
The Kamikaze Pilots Who Were Willing to Die
On the previous evening of the day when they were to make suicidal attacks on US warships on the Pacific Ocean, three kamikaze pilots were drinking sake in a dim, small room. They were all in their early twenties.
'Long live our Emperor!' exclaimed one of them. 'I'm so proud of having been ordered to die for His Majesty.'
'And yet,' said another, shedding tears, 'it grieves me to think that I have to die so young.'
'What!? You mean you are reluctant to die for His Majesty?' said the first, clenching his fists with rage.
'Of course not!' replied the second.
'And,' said the third, 'I can't resist smiling at the thought that I, too, will die tomorrow. But my reason is quite different from yours.'
'Why the hell can't you?' asked the other two wonderingly.
'Well,' said the third, 'it is because tomorrow I will be able to say my final good-bye to this abominable country, which has robbed me of everything, especially of the freedom to live!'
Amy's comment (dated 27 June 2008, 21:56 UTC)
I feel the vignette, initially, features many negative issues, and upon reading the first lines the audience of the vignette may feel the subject will continue this way throughout. When imagining the setting of this vignette, I imagine a very dark, dingy place which is filled with misery, therefore the humour featured in the last lines of the vignette is made all the more surprising and amusing, even though such dark, morbid issues are raised. I also feel the third pilot may feel that, since he is going to die the following day, has more freedom now than ever before as he can finally speak out against something which has been concerning him for however long he may have known his fate, and as he now has nothing to lose, he is able to speak freely, and this may even bring him some happiness as he is able to state his point in a humorous manner. The vignette was surprising to me, due to the fact that humour can be found in even the most desperate, serious situations, which made the final line of the vignette all the more enjoyable. I feel there may also be a lot for an audience to contemplate in the differing opinions of the first two pilots with the third.
Amy's supplementary comment (dated 28 June 2008, 15:38 UTC)
Regarding what the pilots were forced to do....I feel the pilots were put in a very awkward, upsetting situation, as they were asked to die for their country, and surely, in a way, for two of the pilots, this would have been an honour, and although I am not one hundred percent certain, if they refused to do this, I feel they would be considered traitors to their country and possibly executed, where they would die as cowards and not regarded important or a credit to the country as they would had they died fighting. I also find it interesting that these three men, who were most probably raised and lived in similar households holding similar morals could have such differing views upon what they had been asked to do. The first man seems so strong and determined, as well as very patriotic, as he is not prepared to hear an ill word against his country or his King. Although, it may be possible that this is merely a front the first pilot is 'putting on' and this may merely be a display of bravado, when in actual fact he may be afraid or worried about his ever closer fatality.
この記事へのコメント