The Samurai's Garden Analysis
Underlying Beauty
Beauty deceives. Those who look the most beautiful end up acting shallow and judgmental, but people who appear unattractive at first glance turn out to show the greatest beauty. People cannot always define comeliness as a well-proportioned face, long, silky hair, or a slender body; it can come in the form of hard work, emotional strength, humor, or intelligence. The Samurai’s Garden, written by Gail Tsukiyama, features a theme of finding underlying beauty and splendor in people and objects typically viewed as ugly or unattractive.
Many parts of the world view scars as more than just a memory of pain. In Africa, tribal leaders receive intricate designs cut into their faces, necks, and chests to show their position and to prove their leadership capabilities. Scarification, the cutting of patterns into the skin to create designs or pictures similar to a tattoo, acts as a common practice in many Asian countries. People do this on purpose because they correspond it to beauty. In western culture, however, many people look at scars, especially if done so purposefully, as gross, shameful, and disturbing. As such, westerners cannot appreciate the beauty of scars or the strength that …show more content…
For example, when people see self-harm scars they look at them and the person they adorn as the scum of the earth. Even psychologists and doctors, people whose job consists of taking care of others and not judging them on their afflictions, look down on people’s scars. During surgery the first goal of a doctor involves keeping the patient alive, but the second consists of leaving an individual with minimal scarring. Our society has morphed into a culture that looks at scars, wounds, birthmarks, and anything not considered “normal” with distain. It takes enormous strength to face the world everyday when society’s only desire involves tearing people
Beauty deceives. Those who look the most beautiful end up acting shallow and judgmental, but people who appear unattractive at first glance turn out to show the greatest beauty. People cannot always define comeliness as a well-proportioned face, long, silky hair, or a slender body; it can come in the form of hard work, emotional strength, humor, or intelligence. The Samurai’s Garden, written by Gail Tsukiyama, features a theme of finding underlying beauty and splendor in people and objects typically viewed as ugly or unattractive.
Many parts of the world view scars as more than just a memory of pain. In Africa, tribal leaders receive intricate designs cut into their faces, necks, and chests to show their position and to prove their leadership capabilities. Scarification, the cutting of patterns into the skin to create designs or pictures similar to a tattoo, acts as a common practice in many Asian countries. People do this on purpose because they correspond it to beauty. In western culture, however, many people look at scars, especially if done so purposefully, as gross, shameful, and disturbing. As such, westerners cannot appreciate the beauty of scars or the strength that …show more content…
For example, when people see self-harm scars they look at them and the person they adorn as the scum of the earth. Even psychologists and doctors, people whose job consists of taking care of others and not judging them on their afflictions, look down on people’s scars. During surgery the first goal of a doctor involves keeping the patient alive, but the second consists of leaving an individual with minimal scarring. Our society has morphed into a culture that looks at scars, wounds, birthmarks, and anything not considered “normal” with distain. It takes enormous strength to face the world everyday when society’s only desire involves tearing people