API - Module Overview

Introduction

A single raindrop slides off of a cherry blossom tree and silently falls onto rich, Japanese soil. The families gather together and eat as the evening passes. Thoughts never fade of ancestors who have passed because their spirits are alive. The most vital concepts in Asian literature focus on the importance of nature and ritual in order to retain honor and appreciation throughout the years. Not only do certain themes belong to the region of Asia, certain poetic forms are only native of the area. The Japanese created the haiku and tanka poems, and these poems serve to encompass nature in only a few short lines. The beauty of Asian culture clearly appears throughout the literature of the area.

Essential Questions

1. How are nature and ritual apparent in Asian and Pacific Islander literature?
2. What do imagery and literary devices add to the literature?
3. How has the history of Asia contributed to the literature from Asia?
4. How have parables and analects impacted the literature of the region?

Key Terms

Tanka: Form of Japanese poetry with five lines containing a pattern of 5-7-5-7-7 syllables

Haiku: Form of Japanese poetry with three lines containing 5-7-5 syllables

Zen Parable: story that reveals a lesson

Analects: Collection of sayings and ideas

Ballad: Poem that tells a story and is normally set to music

Noh: A type of Japanese drama that includes dancing, music, poetry, and costumes

Shite: The main character in the Noh play

Waki: The secondary characters in the Noh play