Assessment sheet

Acknowledgement-

I would like to express my special thanks of gratitude to my

English teacher Anuprerona Mam as well as our Senior
Principal Mrs. Jyoti Kashyap and Principal Shivani Singh who
gave me the golden opportunity to do this wonderful
project , which also helped me in doing a lot of Research
and I came to know about so many new things. I am really
thankful to them.

Secondly I would also like to thank my parents and friends

who helped me a lot in finalizing this project within the
limited time frame.
index-

About the author-

Lafcadio Hearn, also called Koizumi Yakumo, was born on June 27,
1850, Levkás, Ionian Islands, Greece

He immigrated to the United States at 19 and settled in Ohio,

working as a reporter for The Cincinnati Enquirer .
Hearn’s most brilliant and prolific period was from 1896 to 1903, as
professor of English literature at the Imperial University of Tokyo. In
four books written during this time—Exotics and
Retrospective (1898), In Ghostly Japan (1899), Shadowings (1900),
and A Japanese Miscellany (1901)—he is informative about the
customs, religion, and literature of Japan. Kwaidan (1904) is a
collection of stories of the supernatural and translations of
haiku poetry. Three of the ghost stories formed the basis of a
critically praised Japanese film, Kwaidan, in 1965.
He was a writer, translator, and teacher who introduced
the culture and literature of Japan to the West. In the us he is also
known for his writing about new Orleans based on his decade long
stay there.
Hearn’s influence in Japan is also significant.
Summary-

‘A Living God’ is an excerpt from Hearn’s book Gleanings in Buddha-

Fields (1897)
A living god is a short story written from a limited omniscient point
of view about a man named Hamaguchi Ghoei and the way he
burned his market produce to save the people of his village from the
tsunami. The story provides an insight into the quick thinking of
Hamaguchi as he selflessly burned his whole years’ worth of rice with
the help of his grandson Tada to save his entire community. This
story provides a realistic experience of dealing with natural
calamities and the sense of urgency that is required for it.

The tale is started by the author as he is mentioning about the

landscape of Japan. He tells of the phenomenon of the water rising
from the sea all of a sudden which the Japanese call a “tsunami”. He
says that a typhoon occurred in the month of June in 1896, but in
this story, it is taking place much earlier, that is before the Meiji era.
At the time of the incident, Hamaguchi had been the most influential
man in the village. He was their muraosa, or headman and people
called him Ojiisan with respect. He was selected as choja officially
due to his status as the wealthiest man in the village. Hamaguchi
helped out the villagers during difficult times and was quite well-
known among them. His house was located at the top of a plateau
that overlooked the bay. The downward slope from the plateau led
to the village and the festival shrine.
One afternoon Hamaguchi had been looking at the festival
preparations in the village below. He could see the nobori and the
paper lanterns swinging on the bamboo poles. He had stayed at his
house with his grandson, Tada, since he felt a little weak. There was
a different kind of heat around that time, the kind that reminded
Hamaguchi of the warm air that blew before an earthquake. And
presently an earthquake did come shaking and tumbling his house,
but it was not so big that the villagers felt it. When the shaking
stopped Hamaguchi realized that it was a bit different, more drawn
out.
Suddenly he got a premonition that there was danger approaching.
He noticed the sea being sucked into the land and moving away from
the sea bed. He remembered stories from his grandfather about such
an event and quickly realized the tsunami was approaching.
Hamaguchi quickly called to his grandson to bring him a pine-torch,
used by the villagers during storms and went outside to where he
had stored his harvested rice. Once, there he quickly started setting
them on fire. Tada who was watching shouted at his grandfather to
stop. However, Hamaguchi ignored him and eventually set the whole
thing on fire.
Once, the fire increased Hamaguchi saw the villagers approaching his
house one by one. By this time the temple bell had also been rung
which added to the urgency in the villagers. As the people gathered
at his house, Hamaguchi did not allow them to put out the fire until
everybody had reached the summit. By this time the people were
very much confused and asked Hamaguchi the reason for the fire.
Once he made sure that all were safe, Hamaguchi pointed out the
tsunami that was approaching the once lively village. The people
understood the reason and shouted the word /’ tsunami”.
Immediately after that a wave two hundred meters long came and
crashed along the shore. It came again and again and each time it did
so it destroyed the village a little more. After the typhoon receded
Hamaguchi declared that this was the reason for the fire.
After this incident, the people presented a temple with Hamaguchi
name inscribed on a golden tablet. They believed that he was a
divine being and gave him the status of a god, calling him
“Hamaguchi Daimyojin.” After this Hamaguchi lived with his family
and even after his death pole believed that praying to him would
bring relief from their troubles.
Analysis-
A living god is a story that deals with the themes of humanity and
courage. Hamaguchi was a clever fellow who had the foresight to
predict the tsunami. Even at such a time, he was not concerned with
his own safety, rather he was thinking of the people below who were
enjoying the festival unawares. That he choose to burn his crops
rather than to ask the temple priests for help indicated his love for
his people. He had no time so he chooses the quickest way to help
them albeit it came at the cost of his money. He never for a moment
thought about his loss or about the amount of money that would be
wasted. Instead, his only concern was to save his people
This reflects his kind soul as he watched the fire lead the people to
safety.
Eventually, Hearn has shown through the character of Hamaguchi
how the smallest sacrifices can lead to a greater victory. This story
becomes a symbol of the spirit of Hamaguchi as he fights the tsunami
head-on. Perhaps by writing it in such a way Hearn also wishes to
make people hit by natural disasters to have faith and courage and
to show kindness in times of need.
At the core of it the story explores the courage of Hamaguchi to be
able to save his people by overcoming the temptation of greed. He
acted without a moment’s hesitation to save his community; he
embodies humanity and the way to help our people who are not
aware of the danger.
Usage of literary devices –
Here Hearn has applied the technique of foreshadowing to add
tension to the story. He says that “the sea was moving away from the
land”. Here he is trying to point out the event that is about to occur.
By using a very simple diction, Hearn has craftily increased the
tension of the story as readers themselves wait with bated breath till
the moment all four hundred people arrive at Hamaguchi’s house.
Bibliography-
https://litmarked.com

https://brainly.in

https://www.wikipedia.org

https://literature4life.com
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