Due Saturday Morning 9 a.m. Eastern!

In Praise of Shadows

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1. The essay consists of many sections. In your own words, analyze and discuss this structure. How does it move from one subject to the next? What is the overarching theme or themes?
2. Describe the tone of the essay. Where is the narrator joking/being ironic? Where is he serious? How can you tell?

3. Among the topics Tanizaki discusses are: traditional architecture, electric lights, fans, candles, screen doors (shōji), electric stoves, gas stoves, fireplaces (danro), bathrooms, tile roofs, wood, radios, films, oil paintings, traditional lacquer (urushi), ceramics, roofs in traditional Japanese architecture, uses/value of gold, Japanese food,yōkan confectionary, walls, study bays, alcoves (toko no ma), hanging scrolls (kakejiku), flower arrangement (ikebana), traditional Japanese rooms, the importance of silence/quietude/pauses, temple architecture, priest’s robes, Noh costumes, the skin of Noh performers, Kabuki, puppet theater (bunraku), teeth blackening (o-haguro), etc. Discuss these and their relation to the essay’s main themes. How do they each illustrate “the magic of shadows”?

4. Take notes on this selection and list observations, questions, and themes. Reflect on the sections that interest you and challenge you. How do these selections relate to you and your culture? Where and how around  you are shadows praised? Denied?

Support your statements with evidence from the required studies. Answer in a minimum of 500 words.