"The Life Of An Amorous Woman" - Dirty Profession, Pure Heart
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3 pages in length. Sometimes life is nothing more than a means to an end, and everything that happens in between the start and finish of a given life does not define the person who has endured its imperfect reflection. This is the case in Saikaku's "The Life of an Amorous Woman" and its concluding statement whereby the protagonist states "I've certainly worked in some dirty professions, but is my heart not pure?" (Saikaku, 1963). From such socially unsavory professions as Geisha, Madame and bathhouse servant, the protagonist's acknowledgement of what might otherwise be construed as an inappropriate or unfulfilling road is indicative of her realization that while she may not have made the best choices throughout her life, they did not serve to taint her pure heart. No additional sources cited.
Filename: TLCLifeAmor.rtf

"The Love Suicides At Sonezaki"
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A 4 page discussion of the early eighteenth century play by Japanese dramatist Chikamatsu Monzaemon. This paper discusses the sexual and religious intonations of the play and discusses it from Buddhist, Hindu, Jewish, Roman Catholic, and modern American perspectives. No additional sources are listed.
Filename: PPjpLove.rtf

"The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down": Culture and Medicine
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A 7 page review of the book by Anne Fadiman. The tale of a young Hmong girl whose treatment for a severe form of epilepsy is impended by miscommunications and misunderstandings between the medical establishment and her traditional family. The author of this paper asserts that a little more effort to communication with the family could have proven miraculous in terms of the positive impacts to the patient. Bibliography lists 3 sources.
Filename: PPspirit.rtf

"The Tale of Genji"
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A 5 page paper which discusses the masculinity of the male character in Lady Murasaki Shikibu's "The Tale of Genji." The paper also discusses the role and the influence of the women in the story. No additional sources cited.
Filename: RAgenji.rtf

"The True Story Of Ah Q" by Xun Lu
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This 3 page paper discusses the work "The True Story of Ah Q" by Xun Lu and argues that Ah Q's self-involvement prevents him from seeing the reality of the situation he is in, which ultimately proves fatal. Bibliography lists 2 sources.
Filename: HVTruAhQ.rtf

'Family' and 'Beauty and Sadness'
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A seven page paper which looks at 'Family' by Pa Chin and 'Beauty and Sadness' by Kawabata, in terms of the way in which they deal with the themes of loyalty and responsibility, especially in relation to women.
Filename: JLfamily.rtf

A Critique of “A Woman Soldier's Own Story: The Autobiography of Xie Bingying
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A 5 page review of the first English translation of the experiences of one Chinese woman in pre-revolutionary China. The contention is presented that Xie’s experiences serve to dispel the Twentieth Century notion that up until the 1949 revolution China remained to a large degree traditional. Bibliography lists 2 sources.
Filename: PPchnSld.rtf

A Review of The Political Thought of Mao Tse-Tung by Stuart R. Schram
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This 5 page paper is a comprehensive review of the 1969 edition of The Political Thought of Mao Tse-Tung by Stuart R. Schram. The book looks at both the political ideas of Mao Tse-Tung, also known as Mao Zedong, along with his background and characters, placing the ideals and the development of these ideals into a personal and cultural context. The writer shows how the book takes the reader on a journey that gives understanding as well as facts. The bibliography cites 1 source.
Filename: TEmaotung.rtf

Agatha Christie and Kazuo Ishiguro
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A 3 page paper which compares and contrasts Agatha Christie’s novel “The A B C Murders” and Kazuo Ishiguro’s “The Remains of the Day.” No additional sources cited.
Filename: RAagatha.rtf