UCSD Humanities Kokoro by Soseki Natsume Essay

Writing assignment for Kokoro by Natsume

Write an  essay  based on the question below.  
Essay Question:
Near the end of his testament, Sensei writes:  “Then, at the height of the summer,
Emperor Meiji passed away.  I felt as though the spirt of the Meiji era had begun with
the Emperor and had ended with him.  I was overcome with the feeling that I and the
others, who had been brought up in that era, were now left behind to live as
anachronisms.” (245)  Why did Sensei feel this way?  Was it because Japan had
changed so much during his lifetime or was it because he failed to live up to a strong
moral code?  What value system did the young narrator live by?  What did he want out
of life?
Note:  Remember that the Meiji period refers to the age of the Meiji Emperor who
reigned from 1868 to 1912.  This was the time of Japan’s rapid modernization so
Sensei’s youth was during a time of massive change and the narrator’s youth was when
many of the big changes had already happened.