Writing the Research Paper The research paper is the capstone project of the English composition sequence. It demonstrates the student s understanding of the course objectives, serving as documentation that he or she is ready for the demands of the transfer institution and workplace in regard to managing information efficiently, analyzing and evaluating it accurately, and communicating it effectively. The paper s primary purpose is to examine an issue from multiple perspectives and reach a research-driven conclusion based on the analysis and evaluation of evidence that represents those perspectives. Each claim the paper makes must have supporting evidence from multiple sources which are credible and relevant. Prior to the drafting process the student is required to compose a research proposal that identifies the focus of the research along with strategies and sources that will be employed. An annotated bibliography is also required. One Student s Research Paper Experience For her research paper topic, Haley Akeson and her classmates are asked to choose a historical event and argue a claim about its consequences, supporting the claim with evidence that might change or alter the audience s point of view. As one possibility for focusing the paper, Haley is encouraged to choose a Hollywood film that focuses on a historical issue and argue how accurately or ineffectively the film addresses the issue. After some deliberation, Haley chooses the film, Memoirs of a Geisha, released by Columbia pictures in 2005 and based on author Arthur Golden s novel, published in 1997. In her proposal written prior to her research, Haley expresses her reasons for selecting her topic noting the misunderstanding that varying perspectives often present: Fascination with the differences of culture has always been a part of my life. Growing up as a navy brat I saw the world in a somewhat broader scope than most my age. Color and race have never been something that defines a person in my eyes. To me it is the beauty of personality, the richness of culture, the love of one s heritage, and the expression of tradition that makes a person. I chose to write specifically about geisha because of their vibrant nature, secretive traditions, and artful back rounds. However, there are those who as Edith Wharton said in her book Roman Fever, see each other through the wrong ends of their little telescopes. I feel that as a person who has experienced the true nature of diverse cultures it is my duty to open the minds of others and with this research paper I can fulfill said duty through dissection of the lives of the lovely geisha.
Memoirs of a Geisha: Flowers in a Fading World Commented [HA1]: I am asking Haley to provide a title. Haley s first paragraph illustrates her exemplary command of the language, choosing precisely the right word to convey the beauty that the Japanese geisha traditionally represent. Her concluding sentence serves as her thesis, presenting her specific argument about the challenges the geisha culture faces today. There once was a time when beautiful young girls were raised in small flocks to become swans. Tan by nature, they hid their lustrous skin under a creamy pale clay mask. Their hair was painstakingly arranged into waxy black sculptures atop their heads and their lips were stained satin rouge. Such swans still exist today in what is known as the floating world of Japan and they are called geisha. However, these modern day geisha are an evolved species compared to the originals. Though geisha are meant to uphold the old traditions of the fast advancing country of Japan, there are ways in which they, too, are affected by the technological and social changes of the world today. In her second and third paragraphs, Haley creates a transition between her thesis and the essential information her audience needs to understand about the history of the geisha before she continues with her argument. In particular, Haley takes steps to refute the common assumption that geisha were traditionally prostitutes: Before one can understand the subtle changes in the ways of geisha today, one must first be informed of the history that lay behind their origins. In truth, their story begins as far back as the seventeenth century, when they would entertain in small businesses such as bars or inns. Geisha are not to be confused with prostitutes though, because there were certain parts of the town that prostitutes were restricted too called pleasure districts that a geisha would find beneath her. As Jeffrey Hays writes in his informative website on Asiatic culture, In a world where women were either wives or prostitutes, geisha lived in separate communities known as the flower and willow world, which gives support to the fact that geisha were entirely separate from prostitutes, and even wives for that matter. Geisha lived a single life and were almost similar to nuns in that instead of worrying about relationships, they focused on bettering themselves and becoming educated. In fact the very name geiko (in Japanese form), means arts child, because most of their education/profession revolved around artistry. One surprising fact about geisha is that many of the first geisha weren t women, but men. It wasn t until the eighteenth century that women dominated the profession and took the artistic skills of geisha to the next level. And, she also challenges that, in spite of their focus on the art of beauty, their lives were frivolous or charmed as many westerners seem to assume.
Life as a traditional geisha was hard. They had to go through a stepping stone of ranks which required grueling work. Every young prospect had to start out almost as if they were a slave of the Okia that purchased them. The Okia would pay a hefty sum to buy the young girls (or boys sometimes), then the owners would feed, clothe, and educate their protégée. As Johnson and Wales University student Lauren Lockard notes in her research, Once a child was in the pleasure quarter, yes, they did indeed have the opportunity for a better class of life, but they were now the property of the brothel owner and saddled with an outrageous level of ever increasing debt. In order to return the large debt the geisha to would take on as the maid of the house. Then when old enough they would go to school, and if they were obedient and trained enough the time would come for them to become maikos, or apprentice geisha. All young maikos were given big sisters known as onesans, who guide them through the toughest years of their training. Some believe that mizuage (the selling of a maikos virginity) has been a necessary part of a maiko becoming a geisha, but a true geisha only becomes so when all of their training is complete. Mizuage was really only invented as an opportunity for the young geisha to pay off their debts to their Okia sooner. Typically a geishas debt would take many long years of work, if not a life time, to pay off. In her fourth and fifth paragraphs, Hayley introduces her audience to Chiyo, the primary character in the film. She describes the life that Chiyo, whose name is changed to Sayuri, must endure in order for herself and her family to survive. However fanciful the geisha may appear to be, the molding of their persona is not quite what one might first perceive. To fully understand one must imagine walking down a must cobble street in a small Japanese village nearly a century ago and as the market place stalls come into view, watch as a couple of small girls are being hustled around among the array of wilting vegetables, molded teas, and pungent spices. It is in this setting that the film audience is first introduced to nine-year old Chiyo in Memoirs of a Geisha, released in December 2005 and directed by Rob Marshall. A diamond in the rough, she is sold to a local teahouse in order to provide money for her family who live off the meager nourishment of the land. For Chiyo, being sold in order to learn the ways of the geisha means the chance to not only save her family from poverty, but also to gain an education, live in a comfortable home where she can earn food and all of her necessities, as well as establish a respectable career through the artistry she will be taught. Sadly, Chiyo s struggles in life are only just beginning once she sets foot inside the world of the geisha. Her name is changed to Sayuri and as she matures and learns more of the art of geisha, she must endure her time as the maid of the house, the pain of a geishas beautiful attire and hairdos, as well as quarrels with other geisha. As Haley continues with her paper in the next two paragraphs, she examines the perspective of those who visited pre-world War II Japan and the consequences that arose because many in that era misunderstand its culture.
Sayuri s experience is just a smidgen of the raw reality of a geisha s life experiences director Rob Marshall tries to illustrate in his film considered to be one of the more historically accurate depictions of traditional geisha life. It was in 1930s time period in which the movie is set that the face of geisha was first represented to the outside world. Many may expect such publicity to have been a good thing for the geisha, but quite the opposite is true. As Sayuri experiences, many westerners who visited Japan during and after the war couldn t tell the difference between a common prostitute acting as a geisha from a real geiko. In fact since the entire social system of Japan was in turmoil at this time, the first impression westerners had of Japan was one that significantly misrepresented their once stoic empire. In turn, the role of geisha was besmirched, just as the Japanese culture was misconstrued. Many viewers of Marshall s movie have found it hard to believe the lives geisha led and how they were perceived during the war. In fact, even Mineko Iwasaka, Arthur Golden s inspiration for the character of Sayuri, was emotionally torn and disgusted by the gruff reality with which he portrayed her life and the life of her family for the world. In reply to her disgust, author Golden replied "If someone writes a book about your `family,' the closer it is to truth, the more you aren't going to like it" (qtd. in Struck). And, she counters the perspective above with a detailed description of the role geisha actually served in their culture. What many do not realize is that the traditional geisha were not meant to be displayed as loose women or prostitutes who seduce their male customers through their graceful dancing, red stained lips, and elegant kimonos which display a subtle view of the small of their neck and glimpse of their milky white backs. Yes, they were mentored for entertainment reasons, but their mastery of skills were to be seen as a unique art form. As the Sayuri s mentor Mameha said in the movie Memoirs of a Geisha, we are not courtesans, and we are not wives. We sell our skills, not our bodies. The very word geisha is to be judged as a moving work of art, and geisha truly are works of living art. Geisha of present and past alike present themselves as artwork by their use of fluid movements, carefully orchestrated conversation, and ritualistic tea ceremonies. Each dance a geisha performs has a story. Every conversation they construct is light, humorous, and engaging. Just as any and all tea ceremonies are held with pristine accuracy, as the tea must be brewed, poured, and drank in specifically detailed manners. Geisha are not ordinary women, but extraordinary ones, though there are those who see otherwise. In turn, Haley examines the perspective that many outsiders today maintain of modern Japan. With the help of journalist Miki Takinawa, she argues that little has changed in the eighty years since the 1930s setting of Golden s novel:
In part because of the tainted perception many westerners formed of the Japanese during the second world war, the geisha of today struggle with the besmirching of their once honored profession. In Sayuri s time the geisha were regarded much like our supermodels today; yet that has changed, because they are often thought to be dolled up call girls. For this reason many geisha do not have the respect they once did (at least not from foreigners). In her New York Times article, Miki Takinawa writes of the tourists who visit Japan today, Maiko and local residents say foreigners seem to view the entire Gion area, which preserves much of the traditional appearance of Kyoto, as a huge theme park and to believe that the maiko in the streets are on duty for the tourists. It saddens many native born Japanese to see the beautiful swans of their old world being treated as theme park characters such as Mickey Mouse, or actors one finds in places such as Universal Studios and the Hollywood board walk in America. To the Japanese, geisha are meant to be respected as a part of their country s heritage. And, in two well- rounded concluding paragraphs, Hayley emphasizes the point first introduced in her thesis: the geisha tradition and the art form of beauty and grace that it once represented is vanishing like many other time-honored customs in many cultures. Sadly, the struggles and changes modern geisha face today don t end with confused and rude tourists. They must also deal with the growing communication modifications caused by the advanced technology of this era. In fact, some geisha have their own websites, which potentially give more freedom to these women trapped in a time before automobiles. The use of said websites could turn out to be either good or detrimental to their way of life, as it is one way that many people on the outside can have a glimpse into their private and once very secret world. As geisha expert and author Kyoko Aihara reports," In the old days, people only got to know geisha through introductions, but now people rely on the Internet to gather information," (qtd. in Lies ). Some geisha have gone to even more extremes by allowing documentaries to be filmed or written about them such as Real Geisha Real Women, in order to make more money or to find ways of helping others understand the true meaning of geisha. Another, bigger change is the fact that most geisha today schedule most of their own parties, when they used to have to go through a kenban (or agency) that regulated all events related to their industry. In other words, even the holders of Japanese history, culture, and tradition have being involuntarily sucked into the evolution of the world in order to survive. It can be seen that geisha today are not like their predecessors, but there is still hope for these lily white swans of the flower and willow world. Perhaps the magic of geisha is that no matter what era, they have always managed to live in a dreamscape of sorts. Although change is inevitable, they may adapt in some ways to thrive in it, yet there are principle traditions they will forever maintain. Geisha are not ruled by time. Instead, they are ageless creatures who endure through bone-breaking training with smiles on their ruby lips. They are the everlasting symbols of Japan s heritage. Geisha are not
courtesans or seductresses, but works of art that with every step, breath, as well as motion, perform as if the world were watching. Geisha numbers in Japan peaked at 80,000 in 1928, but now only a 1000 are left, reports Reuters writer Elaine Lies. Though the future of their world is unknown, there are many who believe they will never go extinct. The flower and willow world will hopefully be a reminder to the present, as well as future generations, of the beautiful cultural history the Japanese people have. When students submit the final copy of this five - seven page paper, their instructors expect to find the following objectives addressed as Haley demonstrates in her paper above: An engaging introduction that identifies the subject and warrants its investigation. A thesis that communicates the conclusion that writer has arrived at following an extensive examination of the evidence. A discussion of the perspectives that surround the subject; what historical significance does it have? What is its cultural value? How has the event contributed to the way we regard social issues today? Evidence from reputable sources including printed and electronic sources, surveys, and expert testimony that support and confirm the writer s thesis. Compliance with MLA or APA standards for documentation