Toyo Eiwa University Repository / 東洋英和女学院大学学術リポジトリ
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Introduction to Little Death Studies : From Little Death to Big Death
Get PDFIn this paper, I will make clear that the concept of “Little Death” is connected with the concept of“ Big Death” in an empirical relationship, and the studies of“ Little Death” will contribute to Death Studies.
The concept of “Little Death” has been considered by some people concerning the acceptance of death in the academic field of Death Studies. Especially, it is a well-known fact that Kazuko Watanabe, a catholic sister, characterized“ Little Death” as a rehearsal of“ Big Death,” or an individual death. Moreover, it is known that Georges Bataille, a French thinker, regarded“ Little Death” as a sexual ecstasy and the denial of individual human existence.
Watanabe argues that the concept of “Little Death” has three meanings: a rehearsal of “Big Death,”restraining one's egoism, and creating a new life. Considering these meanings, we can understand that“ Little Death” has a continuity with“ Big Death” in that we can experience its dying process, and, at the same time,“ Little Death” has noncontinuity with“ Big Death” itself, in that we cannot experience the latter directly. Furthermore, Batille argues for the continuity between “Little Death” and “Big Death,” considering the fact that both of them have the same meaning of denial of individual human existence.
In conclusion, the concept of“ Little Death” brings rich discussions to Death Studies, which investigates how people come to accept death.departmental bulletin pape
What the Bible Says about End-of-Life Care
Get PDFThe topic of this volume of the annual “Views of Life and Death and End-of-Life Care”, reminds me of the words of Jesus of Nazareth: “Follow me; and let the dead bury their dead” (Matthew 8: 22). These are drastic, or “extravagant” words even for the biblical world itself. However, according to Paul Ricœur (1975), if one minutely analyzes Jesus’ parables in the synoptic gospels, for example, that of “The Parable of the Great Banquet” (Matthew 22: 1-14, Luke 14: 15-24), and compares them to different versions of the same parable in the non-canonical Gospel of Thomas and in the Jewish Talmud, one can find that such “extravagance” is the most prominent feature of the canonical Gospels. And this “extravagance”, not only of Jesus’ parables, but also of his other sayings and deeds, which are described in the New Testament, might create and reinforce particular cognitive, albeit unconscious, ways of thinking about many problems of life that are inherent in the Christian mind both ancient and modern. Not only Christians but others as well can be disciplined in these ways in order to go beyond the narrow contexts of their established systems of thought. In turn, this may affect how they deal with life-and-death situations.
Views of life and death, and opinions about end-of-life care vary tremendously according to the context: (eg. biological, medical, legal etc.). Some discussions of these views and opinions that go beyond the narrowness of current thought is necessary in order to develop new approaches to these complex problems. Thus, these cognitive methods in which people can be disciplined by such an “extravagant” feature of Jesus’ parables (and the Bible itself) can be helpful in discussions of end-of-life care in many difficult practical situations.departmental bulletin pape
Santōka（山頭火）:Expression of Life and Death Seen in Haiku
Get PDFSantoka Taneda（種田山頭火）was a haiku poet of the Taisho period and the early Showa period. After becoming a Buddhist priest, Santoka set out on journeys in which he wandered aimlessly and became a drunkard, which caused a great deal of trouble. In this study, from a psychological perspective, the underlying reasons that made him a wanderer and in what ways his wanderings influenced his haiku creations are investigated. This is done through examining his diary, letters, and haiku poetry to gain insight on his life.
Santoka’s life was a never-ending repetition of wandering and resettlement. Such a state can easily be explained by him having the disposition of the Trickster. A person who has this disposition continues to vacillate between drifting and settling down and is swayed by his greed without having any moral or social values. However, for some reason, Santoka was accepted and sheltered by the people around him. Furthermore, his unique actions helped him create original haiku poems that only he could produce.
If one adopts the view that Santoka might have had a neurodevelopmental disorder such as Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), one can understand more clearly many aspects of his previously incomprehensible and repetitive life. He could have been tormented by this affliction but somehow continued to live in society. ADHD is believed to be something in which the pain of not having Henderson’s (1995) puer aeternus (eternal youth) is considered the essence of life. Santoka may have experienced a great deal of anguish related to being unable to escape from this eternal regression. Subsequently, he expressed his anguish in haiku poetry.departmental bulletin pape
The Current State and the Future of Information Education at Toyo Eiwa University
Get PDFProblems in the current state of information literacy education at Toyo Eiwa University are analyzed in this paper. For my analysis, I used questionnaires executed at the start and end of the academic term. At Toyo Eiwa University, a class in information literacy has been introduced for first-year students, and all students must complete the class. Since information education has been initiated as a subject in high school, students should have acquired basic knowledge at the highschool level, but actually, students who don’t understand the operation of a computer may be found. As a result, differences in ability exist among Tokyo Eiwa University students. When the results of the self-evaluation questionnaires conducted at the end of term are analyzed, it can be understood that students recognize that their knowledge and skills are insufficient, and that they have the will to study more. “Is information education needed at a university?” I have reached the conclusion that information education “is necessary”.departmental bulletin pape
From Kiki's Delivery Service and The Wind Rises to the Oedipus Myth : Is it possible to control the wind and fly?
Get PDFManipulating the wind and flying in the sky are dreams that the film director Hayao Miyazaki had since he was a boy, and they are also universal dreams of mankind. The desire to fly higher, farther, and faster has been one driving force behind the development of human civilization. The merits, demerits, and conflicts of civilization symbolized by “flying” form one issue that Miyazaki has consistently addressed in all his films since Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind in 1984.
In this article first, Kiki’s Delivery Service released in 1989, and The Wind Rises, produced 24 years later in 2013 as a culmination of Miyazaki’s work, are compared. In these works, “wind” symbolizes the free work of human intelligence. The wind of intelligence encourages communication with others, such as with the character Nahoko from The Wind Rises, who represents the earth. As pure desire, intelligence helps develop science and technology but also can become a windstorm that destroys the world. Is it possible for humans to control the wind called intelligence and fly?
Both Tombo (in Kiki’s Delivery Service) and Jiro Horikoshi (in The Wind Rises), though on different scales, had a growing desire to develop technology and subsequently, a growing conflict was caused by this desire. These phenomena represent human suffering itself, which can be seen as far back as the desires and the conflicts of the main character Oedipus in the ancient Greek tragedy.departmental bulletin pape
