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Melanie C. Mr. Muldoon World History 1B Samurai's Garden Gail Tsukiyama was born to a Chinese mother from Hong Kong and a Japanese father from Hawaii. She attended San Francisco State University where she received both her Bachelor of Arts Degree and a Master of Arts Degree in English with the emphasis in Creative Writing. She received the Academy of American Poets Award. She has also been apart-time lecturer in Creative Writing at San Francisco State University, as well as a freelance book reviewer for the San Francisco Chronicle ([|Tsukiyama interview]). She has also written many other books. __The Street of a Thousand Blossoms__, __The Language of Threads__, __The Samurai's Garden__, __The Women of the Silk__, __Dreaming water__, and __The Night of Many Dreams__, are all novels created by her creative mind. Most of her books take place in 1930's Japan. Most of which take place in East-Asia or in the 1930's when the Sino-Japanese wars were occurring maybe to have written something about her parent's cultures ([|Tsukiyama interview]). When questioned about her inspiration Tsukiyama said "I've always been fascinated with social groups who have flourished apart from mainstream society. In //Women of the Silk//, my first novel, there were the women silk workers who forged their own sisterhood, followed by the lepers of Yamaguchi in //The Samurai's Garden//" ([|Tsukiyama interview]). The lepers in Samurai's Garden stuck together like a family and helped eachother in their time of need. When the house in their little society was on fire everyone emediatly ran to the families aid and later took them in as their own. One book reviewer said,"In this same vein, there’s Gail Tsukiyama’s //The Samurai’s Garden.// Not only does this story confront us with the many challenges and intricate hardships of personal loneliness, but it also shines a warm and blinding light on some of the amazing (and in fact //super// -human) traits that we sometimes must summon to overcome such sorrows" ( [|Samurai's Garden Review])
 * Part Two-//Author Context-//**

The story takes place in the late 1930's Japan and is about a young man, Stephan, recovering from tuberculosis and is sent to live with his father in Kobe Japan. He soon meets up with his 'butler' Matsu who is the caretaker of their beach house. Matsu is called a samurai by Stephen not that far into the novel and is constantly working silently in his garden or helping out Sachi. Sachi has suffered from leprosy since she was a young girl. She had over the years fallen in love with Matsu who had taken care of everyone hiding away in the mountains. In the book there is a huge storm during which Stephen had hit his head on accident when he was trying to help Matsu save the fish, a huge wave came by and threw him against his house. Which Stephen, obviously was knocked out for some time. Some of the dangers of japan would be the constant earthquakes, the tsunamis, hot seasons, and cold seasons. Japan's rainy season lasts for 40 days in June and July, and in August one could experience a Tsunami. In October you could find colorful leaves and in April you might want to go see the trees blooming with Cherry Blossoms ([|usual weather]). During different yet important people experience several different religions. For example in the Samurai's Garden Stephen learns that each religion is used in different parts of life. For example if you lived in Japan you would have had a Christian marriage. At funerals you would do a kind of Buddha thing with the send off to the other world. Because the Japanese believe in an after life. Stephen visits the Shinto shrine several times during his visit and he learn what to do there to respect other people's religion (Japanese class). Samurai's Garden takes place during the Second Sino-Japanese war. On July 7, 1937 on the Marco Polo Bridge outside Beijing war seemed inevitable because the Chinese were growing increasingly Anti-Japanese. The Chinese boycotted Japanese goods and that just happened to start the second Sino-Japanese war(Encyclopedia of Modern Asia volume 5). So it was very difficult for Stephen to be in Japan at this time because everyone noticed that he was Chinese and he was in Japan, surrounded by alot of Japanese people and they gave him hateful looks or stared at him which made him very uncomfortable. Here's a sample of Gail Tsukiyama's Samurai's Garden this is right after Stephen hits his head in the storm; When i tried to raise my head, i felt an intense pounding that forced me down again. I closed my eyes until the throbbing quieted, then opoened them cautiously, hopeful that the gradual light wouldn't hurt my head. the boarded shoji windows gabe no hint as to whether it was day or night. THe house was completely still. There were no sounds of Matsu anywhere. Outside iI could hear rain falling, but the fierce winds seemed to have died douwn. The strong, sweet and sour odor of the dark tatami mats filled the room. All I wanted was to steady myself enough so that I could get up and see what was going on. Very slowly, i moved my feet from the futon to the tatami mats, and with all the strength i could muster in my arms, gradually pushed my upper body into a sitting position. My head began to pound again. I gently rubbed my temples, still stickly with salt from the ocean. Behind my right ear I could feel a good-size bump. First let me say I am a book nerd, and I've read more books than anyone in my family. When we had to read the book I really didn't want to read it but once I opened the book I could hardly put it down. I really liked that she had written this book because I am also a Japanese freak (Japanese 3!!). And i thought that it was good that i could experience some other culture that's not in a language class but it was also cool that she had put some Japanese words and culture in the book and I didn't really know much about the history of Japan until this project. So on a scale of 1-10 10 being the best i rate it a 9.
 * Part Three-//Culture and Historical/Political context-//**
 * Part Four-//Personal Response-//**