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Reading Notes Week 10 Part A


Toshio Mori
Born in Oakland and son of both immigrant parents
The first American Writer of Japanese Ancestry
A writes stories about Japanese-American ancestry

The Woman Who Makes Swell Doughnuts
Focuses on silence
The narrator of the story does not speak a lot but rather say what is in his mind. The silence does not depict the idea of boredom but somehow it gives the reader the idea of relaxation, growth, and peace.
The story somehow could be incorporated on our daily lives, in which we forget the feeling of being in silence. The story states that “Silence does not bother her. She says silence is the most beautiful symphony…” which people forgot, having a time of silence could help a person relax from the noises produced by the outside world.

The Eggs of the World
A type of story that could be considered idiomatic
The story has given the reader something to think about and when we understand we realized that Sessue Matoi is correct, we are all an egg. No one understands Matoi because no one has ever escaped from their own shell, Matoi has already broken his shell and now he sees other eggs around him. In own understanding, people tend to be secluded and hide something inside, they are not strong enough to break through or somehow they are afraid to get out of their shells. Then time passes by, people then became too weak to break their own shell they only leave inside their egg, not knowing that there is something more out there.
This story was indeed an eye-opener, most especially for people who can’t be the one they wanted to be.

He Who Has the Laughing Face
Another story which focuses on silence and the only thing that we read is the thought of the narrator.
The same as the other story, this story is also relatable in our daily lives in which people forget to have time for themselves and laugh or smile for a moment. The narrator has mentioned that Tsumara laugh or smile people could still see the sadness in his face. Tsumara is taking a pause from the world and having a short time for himself. The things that he has seen, experience, feel, or hear has been paused for a while. Look at the world, breathe, and smile.
This story focuses on a single person who has been observed by the narrator, this story also affects our lives by simply understanding the underlying meaning of the story.

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