I am a teacher of Japanese Language at Canakkale University in Canakkale in western Turky. \u201cTrojan Horses\u201d is a legend of this city.<\/p>\n
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Scholars in Japanese Language Faculty begins with its preliminary course and undergo master\u2019s degree if they can finish four years\u2019 undergraduate program. I am a person- in charge of the class of \u201cJapanese Literature\u201d for the third year (Junior).<\/p>\n
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I, as a teacher of Japanese language, expect them to graduate. But they do not care about \u201cJapanese literatures\u201d. There are only five experts for Japanese literatures in Turky. I do not know who the sixth expert would be. Under such situation, the class of \u201cJapanese literatures\u201d for the junior were just enumeration of the names of writers and their works.<\/p>\n
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I cannot forget the first week of my class when I was transferred to Canakkale University and met the junior firsts. It was a day in Autumn two years ago. I said \u201cHello! I am a person in charge of Japanese language\u201d in quiet classroom in front of thirty-three students who opened their eyes wide. They did not say anything \u201cAs we are busy at teaching practice, we do not care your talking\u201d. But I understood from their faces, that they would like to say so. However, I cannot lose them.<\/p>\n
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I used Japanese only during my classes. Students were surprised. Afterwards I heard students talked about \u201cTeacher Melek\u201d (myself) a lot saying that \u201cHow long does she can keep speaking in Japanese?\u201d after the class. In fact, for the first year we did not speak Japanese so often after finishing the preliminary class of Japanese language. When they become the junior, they had to attend educational courses from Japanese language teachers and did not study Japanese language. Japanese language was recognized as \u201cdead language\u201d which is used in theoretical class only. I noticed it from an atmosphere of the class.<\/p>\n
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I thought Japanese literature was good for thirty-three students from 21 years old to \u201clive pleasantly the world which is not-interesting\u201d.<\/p>\n
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I did not give an ordinary lesson for Japanese literatures like authors arguments, representative authors of naturalism nor the names of female writers in the HEIAN<\/span> Period. I did not ask students to memorize when BASHO<\/span> was born.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n I distributed MANGA<\/span> (cartoon) version of \u201cWagahai wa neko dearu<\/span>\u201d (I am a cat) and I imitated \u201cKushami-sensei<\/span>\u201d (sneezing teacher). Students who got lessons in Japanese laughed. It was a goal of lessons of \u201cJapanese literatures\u201d. In the case of NATUME SOUSEKI<\/span> , the class was excited by its protagonist \u201cCAT\u201d. When I told students \u201cLook at the classroom by cat\u2019s eyes and explain in Japanese\u201d, students were excited. I heard they discussed afterwards about and laughed at \u201cLesson of Japanese literature which is described by cat\u2019s eyes\u201d.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n When we read \u201cKumo no Ito<\/span>\u201d (spider\u2019s thread) by Ryunosuke Akutagawa<\/span>, I asked Aicha-san <\/span>(female college student) to continue the sentence \u201cif I would be \u2018KANDATA<\/span>\u2019 (protagonist of Kumo no Ito<\/span>)\u201d. She replied \u201cPerhaps, I may survive kicking others down to the nethermost hell thinking only about myself would be helped\u201d. The number of \u201cAkutagawa<\/span> Fans\u201d increased. When we read \u201cHana<\/span>\u201d (nose) by Akutagawa<\/span>, I asked students \u201cHave you ever been pleased with weakness or disparagement of your colleagues?\u201d Discussions heated up imperceptibly and continued with full of nervousness.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n In case of \u201cRasho-mon<\/span>\u201d (Gate of Rash<\/span>o) by Akutagawa <\/span>also, we went astray much where \u201cGe-nin<\/span>\u201d (man of low birth), who was drenched beneath the gate would go. Good or wrong? We discussed about inner part of human beings which is grotesque and fishy setting up a scene where Ge-nin <\/span>pull out hairs of dead body. I asked students which they would select. Death from starvation or pulling out hairs of dead body to make wigs for sale. I realized \u201cwe can discuss in Japanese!\u201d about feelings of human beings and the bottom of their hearts. The twenty-one years old young in Middle East might feel an affinity with dark-side of Ge-nin<\/span>\u2019s heart. I do not know why. They talked very often in my class about their dreams of oversea or places very far. I was interested in what they had implication about Ge-nin<\/span>\u2019s acne which he had been cared. When I made an analysis of textbook, I did not explain about an acne biologically. I analyzed in textbook that \u201can acne has a meaning of movement of body of protagonist\u201d. Students concluded that Akutagawa<\/span> wrote uneasiness of human life using Ge-nin\u2019s acne\u201d.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Surprisingly students were divided into \u201cDazai<\/span>-person\u201d and \u201cAkutagawa<\/span>-person\u201d thereafter. Coy and shy students are Dazai<\/span>-persons. I gave them an assignment that they read \u201cNingen Sikkaku<\/span>\u201d (\u201cNo Longer Human\u201d in English) in Turkish and Manga<\/span> version. Akutagawa<\/span> was an idol of talkative students. I am translating his collection of short stories into Turkish with the aid of third year students.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cJapanese Literature Class\u201d for the third year was the class which they could communicate in Japanese from their bottom of heart. We do not know where did \u201cGe-nin<\/span> \u201cgo after getting out from \u201cRasho-mon<\/span>\u201d. But I think the third-grade students can watch human beings in Japanese language through Japanese literature.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n