Hirabayashi Taiko, "Blind Chinese Soldiers" 平林たい子「盲中国兵」

Warm-up questions:

1. Why are people sometimes indifferent to the suffering of others?

2. Talk about class in Japan. What is its structure and how does it manifest itself?

3. What can literature tell us about war?

4. Are we responsible for past (war) crimes?

Reading analysis questions:

1. What is the historical significance of the story taking place on March 9, 1945? What meaning do you think this has for the story?

2. What is the meaning of the train station attendant drawing white lines on the platform?

3. Consider the organization of the train. How is it arranged? Who is that the front, middle, and back? What might the train be a metaphor for?

4. Who are the blind Chinese soldiers? How does the text describe them? Why do you think they are depicted in this way?

5. Describe the reactions of the Japanese passengers to the blind Chinese soldiers. What is the significance and/or meaning(s) of these reactions?

6. The Japanese in the story seem unclear about the details of the Chinese soldiers. What is the meaning of their conversation on the middle of p.185 in the text. How does the narrator evaluate this? What is the significance/meaning of this?

7. Describe the last scene on p.186. What is the meaning/significance of this? What symbolism is used in this passage?