Second Poem - Draft - Left Behind

Looking back,

Is hard.

Memories,

Shared no more.

Loved ones,

Gone.

New faces,

Different.

Harsh hands,

Hurt.

Scared of them,

I am.

Voice carries,

Soos 'n engel.

Beautiful,

Songs,

I never heard before.

Sad past,

In her eyes.

Fight,

Is what we do,

Huis,

Is where we want go.

She is kind,

To me.

White faces,

Don’t understand,

Huis we want to return,

Gesin,

Want to see,

Lost they are.

Songs we sing,

Calling,

To the lost,

The land,

Left behind.

Darkness in Progress (rough first half of re-write)

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Cast:
*African name (meaning in English) role in the story
*Baobab (the tree of life) avatar of the wilderness
*Cudjo (born on a Monday) narrator
*Azubuike (has much strength) hunter/protector
*Abrafo (executioner) hunter/protector
*Kamau (quiet warrior) hunter/protector
*Tapiwa (ravager) hunter/protector
*Daktari (healer) healer
*Duna (lord/master) chief
*Kalisha (sorceress) main witch
*Malaika (angel) student witch/Kurtz intended
*Ramla (predictor of the future) wise fortune telling elder
*Olumide (“god has bought me”) Kurtz

One

“Initially, they had terrified us. We first heard of them when three fishermen returned from the riverbank. They ran, clambering over each other, towards the house of Duna, our great uncle. Later I heard that they had spoken of a beast on the water; a great otherworldly thing made of rock and teeth. It had shrieked warning at them. Two of the warriors, Azubuike and Tapiwa, had almost immediately gathered their armour and weapons and were dispatched to the riverbanks to investigate the claims further.

“In their absence, fear spread through the village like a hungry flame. Stories were swapped for descriptions of the beast, even though none involved had witnessed it in person. Nevertheless, one could feel something ominous in the air. A strange devil had reared its head here and surely there would be grave consequence.

“’Calm yourselves for we have not yet ascertained the nature or intention of the beast’ Duna had called. ‘There is work to be done and we cannot afford to fret over what may be but a minor folly’. The villagers had taken heed and stepped back into their respective routines. It was not over though, whispers of the beast could still be heard in the village’s motionless corners. Workers exchanged worried glances as they went on with their tasks. An unspoken but universally recognised concern had descended on the village that day, and not one man woman or child was free from it.

“Duna had gathered council inside the meeting house. Among those he spoke with was Ramla, the eldest woman in our village. Ever since her youth in ages long past she had been able to foretell coming events. Heeding her advice, Duna had been able to steer the village away from famine and war. Along with Duna and Ramla, Kalisha too was in attendance that day. Kalisha was a powerful witch, a kind soul, beloved by all of the children. Daktari was there too, the old healer. The last man in attendance was the warrior Abrafo, a man who knew the smell of evil better than anyone. The five souls sat huddled, speaking in quiet tones, their heads low and their gaze fixated purely on whoever spoke.

“Standing outside the meeting house was Kamau, son of Abrafo. Kamau too was a warrior, there to keep guard. Malaika also stood outside. She was a beautiful young witch and apprentice of Kalisha, whom Ramla had predicted would one day possess great power.  Although I had no right to approach and ask questions, my curiousity had the better of me.

“Malaika” I said quietly. “What will become of us?”

“Silence, boy. They will hear you. And this business doesn’t yet concern you.”

“But I am worried” I pleaded, “for the village, for our family.”

“We are all worried. Please, Cudjo, leave us be. You cannot help us here. Soon we will go to Baobab for guidance, and when we have devised a course of action I personally will seek your assistance. Be patient.” There was a warmth and openness to Malaika that was at once maternally comforting, yet her beauty was equal parts hypnotizing and terrifying.

“I will be waiting. Good luck to you Malaika.” With that I returned to my house and waited.

Two

“It was that evening that Tapiwa returned. Alone. The entire village gathered around as he spoke to Duna. ‘We found the beast, and it was not alone. There were many more. I saw pale men climb down from the backs of the beasts. Azubuike suggested that these beasts were vessels for the pale men, he saw fire in their bellies. He has stayed to keep watch, while I have returned to gather more warriors.’ The crowd murmered and shuffled, uneasy.

‘Who are the pale men?” Duna asked.

“What do they want?” someone else called.

“I do not know. They are pale not only in appearance, but also in spirit. Many of these men are soulless and small, but they must not be underestimated. They are setting up camp and we must watch them to discern what it is they have come for and prepare in the event that what they have come for is us.”

“From there the entire village erupted into preparation. Each soul knew the job that they must do. Warriors mobilized into two groups; one led by Tapiwa to take the charge and return to Azubuike’s position, the other led by Abrafo to hold and defend the village from potential attack. Weapons were prepared by the armoury, farmers prepared provisions for the outgoing warriors. A drum beat was struck up, and a great performance of an ancient protection rite began. I was not a part of these proceedings; instead I listened to the drum and the chants and felt the tingling magic in my bones, as one does in these moments. I was on the edge of the village, watching as Kamau, Kalisha and Malaika ascended the hills into the wilderness to consult Baobab. I let them travel a safe distance before I grabbed my staff and followed behind, carefully, quietly.

Three A

“Kamau lead the two women through the forest along a makeshift passage that seemed to open at your approach and grow over as you passed. This journey turned out to be quite a long one, and at times I thought that Kamau was aware of my lingering presence, though at no point did he acknowledge my hiding out of sight in the thick of the green.

“Finally, we approached Baobab as the sun began to rise. It was the first time I had beheld the Tree of Life with my own eyes, and it was beautiful. As wide as ten men at his trunk, taller than twenty at his peak, his snake-like branches spreading up, out and back down towards earth again. Daktari had once told us that Baobab was modest, and pointed his branches down so as not to overshadow the rest of the forest. Daktari also said that a man could live for one thousand years on only one of Baobab’s fruit per season, and that Baobab’s bark could be woven into fireproof fabric.  Daktari said in his youth he had seen a dead man resurrected when Baobab reached out and touched him. Standing there in his shadow I believed every word, the Tree of Life was sacred, and I felt naked and ashamed to be there in that way – hiding from my own kin. The three stood in front of Baobab, bowing in respect. Kalisha signaled for Malaika to proceed, and in doing so she walked toward the mighty trunk and placed her hand flat on the bark. The bark seemed to move as it rotated her hand inside the trunk. It sounds impossible, I know, but I saw. She reached inside of Baobab, and in turn, Baobab reached inside of her.”

My rewrite's narrative

The Hound of the Baskervilles Re-Write Narrative

The Hound of the Baskervilles is the third Novel by Arthur Conan Doyle starring his Detective Sherlock Holmes. The tale follows the Detective as he and his colleague are called by the Baskerville family to solve the mystery of a strange Dog with supernatural qualities that has been terrorising their family for generations over the lands of Dartmoor. At the same time, they have to capture a convicted killer who has escaped from a local prison and try to understand why the Baskerville family have a seeming rivalry with another family on the moor, the Stapleton family. My chosen rewrite for this story is Chapter XIV of the book which is titled after the book itself. Despite the novel being synonymous with its eponymous villain which is the Phantom Dog itself, it becomes evident over the course of the book that the real villain is Stapleton and that the dog was in fact used as an advantage for the Stapletons against the Baskervilles. This is relevant to my choice of re-write because of the fact that the story involves a more supernatural touch than the original story did and that the villain is relying on the help of the occult to get at what he wants through the dog.

The plot of the original tale is set at the turn of the 19^th century in the English countryside of Dartmoor in Devon. My rewrite is also set at the same time in history. I have based it on a myth or belief shared by the locals of Dartmoor which is sighted even today and was the inspiration for the original tale. It is believed that Phantom Dogs known as ‘Black Shuck’ thought to be Pets of the Devil, roam the Moor and have been involved in several grizzly events over Dartmoor such as the sinister account of a Devil-Worshipping Squire called Capbell, as well as their involvement in the deaths of people during Church services. While in the original tale, the Dog is simply found to be trained by Jack Stapleton as a savage killer, here I have given the Dog a paranormal character to directly reference Black Shuck in order to draw a comparison between the inspiration for the Arthur Conan Doyle’s original tale and the tale itself so that the Dog’s supernatural presence in a fair manner can be as strong as the inspiration for the tale is.

The setting is the English countryside of Dartmoor in Devon. The location of the story offers a perfect setting for such a tale with its foggy atmosphere as well as its eerie and sinister feelings of terror and doom where it is easy to conjure images of the supernatural.

I have maintained the personalities of the two main characters as they are in the original work. However, I have modified the character of the antagonist Jack Stapleton to fit into the dark tone of the tale’s events, by making him a Devil worshipper in order to give more emphasis to the sinister qualities of the Hound so that the tale delves further into the darkness and savage tone and character that the Hound brings with him. The character of Sherlock Holmes continues to be the classic, logical detective maintaining the qualities that enable him to keep on the case. One of the main reasons that the character of Holmes remains the same is that my rewrite is giving more focus to the inspiration for the original tale and thus would require a sort of supernatural change in the character of Stapleton so that the hound who is used by him is as devilish as himself. In fact, what is appealing about the original tale is more its origins than the fact that it is part of the Sherlock Holmes series. The serious and logical tone of Sherlock Holmes as we know him gives a balance to the sinister overtones of the rewrite.

The climax of the story is something that was not revealed in the original tale. The original tale opens with a story relating to what are thought to be some of the first known ancestors of the Baskerville Family. Hugo Baskerville was obsessively in love with the daughter of a farmer. He captured her, only for her to escape and the love-crazed Baskerville proclaimed that his soul would be the Devil’s if he could recapture her. Aided by his companions, he pursued the girl out onto the moor and raced ahead of the others. He and the girl were later found dead. She had died from fright, while a giant spectral hound was seen standing over Baskerville's body and tearing at his throat, before vanishing into the night. I decided to connect this prologue to my rewrite in order to make things simpler for the reader. Because it is not directly referenced in the original tale, I decided that I would make a direct link between Stapleton and the farmer as being related to one another with the farmer being the ancestor of Stapleton.

The story relates to post-colonial theories in three of its aspects.

a. Gap in the lifestyle between the wealthy and the working class. This is much like when the colonialists were living a large and luxurious lifestyle in secluded houses with servants and objects of luxury for their pleasure whereas the natives lived far away from the main house, leading a simple and sometimes difficult lifestyle.

In the re-write, the Stapleton family were of a lower social status than the Baskerville family and lived away from Baskerville Hall in a simple home as did the other people who lived on the estate. This shows a clear divide/gap between the wealthy Baskervilles and the people who lived on their estate. This is quite similar to the way the colonialists separated themselves due to their power and wealth from their local natives.

b. Pagan or heathen practices of the natives which are considered savage or unchristian by the colonialists.

The practice of Devil-worshipping by Stapleton in the rewrite is a theme that symbolizes the pagan or heathen cultural tradition of natives in colonies which were looked down by the colonists as savage or unchristian. This is in turn repelled by the use of Christianity and Faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. I have created an original character, the Priest Father Robert who is the representation of those opposed to savage and unchristian practice and helps Holmes and his team to confront the practices of the occult with his Christian faith.

Us vs. Them – The clear distinction between the ways of the colonists and the natives which set them apart from each other and in a way caused the natives to almost dislike the colonists for having what the natives did not have. There may have been an ambition on the part of the natives to acquire the wealth that the colonialists had.

This is evident in the rewrite when Stapleton reveals his family’s desire to take over Baskerville Hall and their wealth at the time that he is being questioned about his motive. Due to their experience with Hugo Baskerville in the past, the Baskervilles are hated by the Stapletons and that gradually turned into an ambition for the Stapletons to seize the wealth of the Baskerville family.

Although my rewrite is unusual in that it is not set outside Europe where most post-colonial stories and theories would be evident, it is set in the English countryside where social classes were differentiated and myths/legends and beliefs of the occult were prevalent. This has helped me to delve further into the English way of life during the colonial period in England which is quite similar to what was being practiced in colonies outside of Europe. Just in the same way as the wealthy English were living and treating the ordinary and not-so-wealthy folk around them, the European colonists were also doing the same to the natives in the countries that they had colonised. Also simple folk in the English Countryside believed in myths and legends to do with the supernatural and the wealthy and educated class would look at these beliefs with disdain; it was the same with the beliefs of the natives in colonies where the colonists considered the native practices as pagan

Final version of Re-write

Due to the length and complexity of “The Good Earth” by Pearl, Buck, I reconsider the rewrite during the break and shift my original text to “Life of Pi”, which both the lecture and I are familiar with. I choose to write a short scene before the 21^st chapter, which pi and his family are making preparation to move to Canada. In fact, the rewrite is more like an overview of Pi’s religious life and I’ve changed some contents of the original story.

Pi’s religious life

Having been brought up by strict Indian parents, the life of Pi was full of mystery. However, he was lucky to have few friends and teachers who helped him during his dark days. His involvement in mindful practices of religion and academic studies slowly brought Pi back into life. After entering high school, he was able to study different religions and not many students preferred studying religion at the time since science was believed to conquer the world. However, as for him, the light of science doesn’t cancel out the light of religion. Pi was an observant shy boy who liked interpreting things according to religion. He believed in the several major religions of the world including Christianity, Buddha and Islam. Religious studies always reminded him the existence of God, who is capable of performing miracles.

Pi never believed in the theories formulated by scientists whom according to him were “atheistic, friendly, beer-drinkers and hardworking”. According to him, scientists were always preoccupied by with chess, sex, and baseball whenever they were not thinking about science. This made him hate science with a passion, and he performed better in religious studies. He noted that religious studies were not taken seriously in the school by the department and the students as it was regarded as a subject of “fools”. For instance, there were no awards in religious studies, but in other disciplines, there were various awards for those who performed well. This made him fall in love with religious studies and disapprove those who despised religious studies. Pi had a strong belief in the existence of God, and he was unable to explain some things such as death from his belief in religion.

In his study, there were both male and female students, though the number of male students was high compared to females. Most male students preferred taking science related courses such as engineering, electronics and astronomical studies. On the other hand, the few female students preferred taking arts related courses such as linguistics, literature and religious studies. During that period, there were several women rights movements that were empowering girls to get educated. This was probably one of the reasons as to why female students were increasing every year in most schools including the school where Pi was studying. Men believed that women should not get educated simply because they will get married afterwards. The life of female students at the school was not simple either. Male students believed that they were sex objects, an idea that did not impress Pi. According to one of the religions that Pi believed in, both men and women are equal hence he never saw a reason as to why women should be despised. He once listened to a conversation between a male and female student at the school where he got shocked.

Boy: Why do you need to study?

Girl: All my friends enter the high schools and my parents suggest me to study.

Boy: You girls shouldn’t have the legal rights to enter the high school. Just marry a man quickly and give birth to children!

Girl: what? Nonsense!

   This conversation annoyed Pi who was forced to interrupt the conversation and defend the girl. Having been brought by a poor and humble family, Pi believed that there should be equality. However, this was not the case due to class. Different people in his society belonged to various classes and interaction with a different class of people was prohibited by law. Pi could only communicate with members of his class. He never found answers from the different religions which he believed in. in one of the religions, it was clear that humans are divided into classes while in another religion, all humans are equal regardless of their physical appearances, color or race. Pi was not able to answer the question why some people are extremely rich while others are extremely poor, yet they live in the same locale or society. He always wondered why power is only given to the rich and not the poor like his family. At school, most student leaders came from rich and wealthy families, and this shuttered his dreams of becoming a student leader at the high school. The other reason that barred Pi from becoming a student leader is his religious beliefs. Most students who were elected as leaders were not religious hence as a religious person, he stood no chance of being elected. At times, he was torn between religion and science. Some of the things that science was able to explain could not be comprehensively explained by religion.

One incident happened that made Pi to believe that there is God, and that miracles do happen. He once saw a lion trying to get out of a zoo but it never attacked him. Back at his home, Pi’s father was a zoo-keeper hence he was brought up with animals. Pi indicated that he had heard much nonsense about zoos just like God and religion. People always thought that animals are always happy since they are free. However, he believed that that was not the way it should be as animals in the wild had compulsion as well as necessity within unforgiving social hierarchy where there is a lot of fear and little food. Even animals bred in zoos do not realize they are wild as they are adapted to their environment and feel no tension when humans are around. He thought that the reason as to why animals try to escape from zoos is to escape from something and not somewhere. He also thought that animals feel insecure in the zoos since when they escape, they always hide in a place where they think is secure, and they become dangerous when one happens to get between them and their safe spot. His encounter with a lion also made him think that lions tear people into pieces not because they are hungry or blood thirsty, but because its territory has been invaded. When he met the lion, Pi thought that it would tear him into pieces, but it never even looked at him. He was so scared, and was whispering to his heart that God will eventually save him from the animal. This was the first time he believed that miracles are real and God really exist. He would give a testimony everywhere he went.

Pi’s believe in different religions caused him trouble in his hometown. One day, he wanted to visit a church, but was afraid that he may be prosecuted by the staunch Christians. He decided to dress like a Christian and visit the early very early. As he entered the church, he felt a deep fear inside as he thought he would meet a Christian who would shout at him “what are you pagan doing here? Get out before I inform the authorities”. However, this did not happen, and Pi advanced to the inner sanctum of the church and there was a painting that was treated like God. He was amused by the fact that the idol was being worship as it symbolized God. From his religious experience, Pi said that humanity sins, but it is the son of God, who pays for the price. His experience and research on different religions indicated that people will always fight over religion since every religion believes it is superior than the others. Every religion had its own shortcomings in terms of practices. Pi strongly believed that religions are not bad, it is humans who make them bad. In the high school, he worked on a thesis that sought to answer whether there is a superior religion on earth. He spent most of his time researching on the practices of different religions of the world. His faith was strengthened by religion, but not in the human practices of religion. Pi believed that a religious person is the one who preserves morality and not the practices of religion such as going to worship places. He developed a dream of becoming a priest of all religions. 

Commentary of the novel “Life of Pi”

In the story of ‘life of Pi’, the author explores animal behavior, a boy’s maturity and survival .It reflects mystical interaction with animals and the flexibility of storytelling, as well as, the author’s imaginative power. The story is imaginative because it shows a beast and man working out a truce. Interestingly, Pi and the tiger continue to coexist harmoniously, contrary to the reader’s anticipation of conflict between them. This is not the case in the contemporary world where man and beast are in constant strife, primarily for resources such as land and water. Thus, the reader can derive the moral lesson of peaceful living with other beings on the universe. It is also unusual that the tiger saves Pi from an attack by his fellow man. In a way, the story reflects the selfishness that has ravaged the human society today. Instead of helping his fellow man, the blind castaway demonstrates his selfish interest when he attacks Pi. He strives to survive by making a meal out of his fellow man. The story also reflects the protagonist’s personal growth in the face of adversity. During his childhood, Pi watches a tiger devouring a live goat. From this experience, he learns that wild animals are dangerous. However, when he finds himself alone with a tiger on the lifeboat, he has to overcome his fear and fight to survive. The shipwreck triggers Pi’s maturity because he succeeds in fending for himself in the absence of his family. He accomplishes his goal by achieving harmony with his environment. He does so through physical and spiritual survival, in which case, he confirms his faith and maintains his belief in miracles. Ultimately, strength, wisdom and wit replace his fear of interacting with the tiger. Thus, Pi’s story is one of courage and maturity through his adverse experience as a shipwreck survivor. One thing inspired me in the story is that the book has an open ending. I could say it is not clear which side the author advocates. Is he advocating for belief in religion? Or is he advocating for empiricism and atheism? I think the author displays clever storytelling skills which make the novel more readable.  

 

Fist of Fury

Fist of Fury rewrite 

 

One

After lost the second Sino-British Opium War (1839-1842), Chinese people were called “Sick man of East Asia” by Japanese. Before long, in 1900, the Eight-Power Allied Forces , which was also known as Eight-Nation Alliance, aggressive troops sent by Britain, the United States, Germany, France, Tsarist Russia, Japan, Italy and Austria-Hungary, came to China to suppress the anti-imperialist Boxer Uprising and the siege of diplomatic legations of the Chinese people. After that, they began to divide concessions in China, since then China thoroughly became a semi-colonial society. At the gates of the public areas of  concessions were inhumanly written “Chinese with no dogs allowed.” During the period of time Huo Yuanjia founded “Jingwu Men”-- a martial arts school aimed at Chinese salubrity and patriotism. “Jingwu Men” gained world renown and he was called a generation master because at that time for him there was no counterpart over the world. But several months later the founder of “Jingwu Men”, Huo Yuanjia suddenly died. Hearing the sad news, his favorite apprentice before his death, Chen Zhen returned to Shanghai from Japan where he was studying. 




“Your honor, the defendant still doesn't have an alibi for the night of the murder.” 

“Your honor, all of my client’s fellow apprentices have agreed to testify for him” said the defender’s counselor 

“Your honor, the witnesses are related to the defendant, their testimony can’t be adopted by the court of law,” said a man in Japanese military police uniform. Behind him were dozens of Japanese military men sitting on the plaintiff looking disdainful and confident. 

After a long silence, a court police suddenly came in and whispered in the defender’s attorney ear. All of a sudden a joyous smile appeared on his face. “Your honor, I have another witness.” the defender’s attorney stood up and said solemnly. 

“Your honor, the court of law shouldn’t adopt any testimony coming from Chinese people.” said the Japanese prosecutor. 

“Your honor, my witness is Japanese.”


  

Two

The door slowly opened. I followed after the court police when I suddenly felt panic as I had never been to a place like this. Stepping into the court of law, the first thing I saw was a huge British flag hanging above the hall. A white man who was supposed to be the judge was sitting under the flag. He was about fifty with a strong accent when speaking Chinese. “A typical British” I guessed. I subconsciously glanced at the whole court, without surprise I found him sitting in the dock appearing tranquil as he always was until he saw me. 

“Identity yourself, miss?” 

“Takako, my name is Takako. I am the youngest sister of General Yamamoto, the Japanese army commander of Shanghai.” Hardly had my voice faded away when a ceaselessly whispering between those Japanese military men started.

“Miss, can you testify for Chen Zhen that he was staying in Jingwu Men in the night of murder?” asked the Japanese prosecutor as he looked at me with complex emotions. 

“Yes, he was with me that night, and never got a chance to go out.” I responded immediately without hesitation. 

“The whole night? Are you sure even after you felt asleep? ” 

“Yes, I am sure he was with me the whole night. We’ve been…” Even though I was making excuse for him, but after all, it was the first time for me to speak such a shameful word in front of the public. 

“You’ve been doing what? Please say it out aloud, Miss Takako.” asked the Japanese prosecutor aggressively. 

After taking a deep breath, I pretended to be a little calm and asked, “You think what else it can be?” 

In an instant uproar arose in the court of law mixing with sneering, laughing and condemning, “Silence, silence”, the judge shouted. After a significant eye contact with the Japanese officer, he continued, “I found this case is too ridiculous, I declare that because of lacking evidence, Chen Zhen is acquitted of murder” 

Three

I slowly walked up to Chen Zhen, looking at him up and down. He hadn’t changed much since the day he left Tokyo. It is hard to describe him because his facial features were not prominent, but clearly angular. His cool, resolute temperament made him all the more remarkable. He had black hair and a pair of black eyes, being tall and straight. An ordinary Chinese tunic suit wearing in him immediately set off all over his tight muscles and slender figure. Only the torn skirts and the pieces of bruises on his face destroyed the aesthetic feeling, which seemed weird in a funny kind of way. 

“I’ve thrown off all, you will have to keep my life, huh?” I couldn’t help laughing. 

“Absolutely.” He nodded his head without hesitation, holding my hands tightly. I found a touch flashing out in his eyes. 

“How can you be here?” he paused. 

“Two weeks after you had left Japan, I came to Shanghai and lived in my brother’s in the Japanese concession. Such a serious matter had happened, and you had hidden from me all the time. Don’t you take me as a stranger?” 

After a long silence from him, seeing inner of  his mind through eyes, I continued firmly, “I trust that you are not a murder, and I guess I know what has really happened.” holding his hand tightly. 

“The truth?” Chen Zhen reacted amazedly. 

On our way back to Jingwu Men, I began to tell him what had happened. “I was going to find you directly on the day when I arrived in Shanghai. But no sooner had I walked into the Japanese concession I heard Jiechuan, the master of Hongkou dojo, had been killed by you. It was said that he had insulted Jingwu Men at Master Huo’s funeral with a plaque writing “Sick men of East Asia”. And the next day you forced your way to hongkou dojo, fought against Jiechuan and all of his fellow apprentices. It was also said that you had kicked sign saying “Chinese with no dogs allowed” at the gate of a concession into pieces and defeated some of the guards of the Japanese military. 

Giving a snort of contempt, Chen Zhen said, “After fighting against Jiechuan, I knew exactly that he wasn’t capable of defeating my master. But all I did was to admonish him for his wrong doings. I didn’t kill him.” 

“I know. After I heard that you had been arrested by the police, I went to my brother’s, and I heard something. ” I observed his facial expression with a temporary pause before I continued, “he was arguing with Jiechuan. Even though I couldn’t hear clearly what they were arguing about, but I saw after a while a body rolled up with a filthy rag by one of my brother’s subordinate. I followed him quietly and then saw it was put at the gate of hongkou dojo. There were also some Chinese words written on the rag saying ‘revenge for Master Huo’. So I knew this matter was not simple as it looked like.”  

“According to this, I can no doubt reason that Jiechuan must have hidden somewhere or have gone to Japan. The body which had been put at the gate of hongkou dojo must have been somebody else. I have been framed for murder. How vicious Japanese are!” Finishing this, he suddenly looked sharply at me, “Now I can absolutely conclude that my master's death must have been a catch in it somewhere. I will have to discuss with my eldest brother to open the coffin and find out about the truth. ” Chen Zhen mused a while and then remarked firmly.


  

Four

As we walked on, “Jingwu Men” heaved into sight. “Here we are” he said, opening the gate. The moment the exciting crowd saw Chen Zhen and I coming, they suddenly became silent. Hardly had he noticed the crowd in the yard when Chen Zhen rushed directly in front of a young man and repeated everything we’d been talking and reasoning on our way back. The man looked like no more than 30, but preserved his grave and dignified bearing. He was Chen Zhen’s eldest brother, the oldest fellow apprentice of Master Huo. However, he ignored Chen Zhen’s words and pointed at me saying, “Chen Zhen, our master sent you to Japan to learn and exchange Chinese martial arts with Japanese judo. But now, you have brought a Japanese woman with you. ” the man shouted angrily. Hardly had he finished his words when the crowds started talking loudly. 

(Crowds shouts)
“What a slut, and said she was sleeping with our junior brother, Chen Zhen in front of the court of law” 

“How dare you are to step into Jingwu Men.” 

“How cheeky she was! Are all Japanese women so casually like her?” 

I was shocked by the recrimination which made me let go of Chen Zhen’s hand, afraid of Chen Zhen’s being really misunderstood. But he griped my hand back, “Don’t worry. ” he said voicelessly. Chen Zhen then looked at a respected old man and said with hope, “Uncle, could you please find a room for her in here? She has been driven out of the Japanese concession and now she has no place to go.” 

“No way! Even though I am only a householder in here, it’s been three generations since our family had been living in Jingwu Men. As long as I am alive, there is no way to let me cook and look after for her! A Japanese woman.” the man whom Chen Zhen called “Uncle” replied categorically. 

The scold sounded again, and more loudly than ever after this “uncle” declared himself. Chen Zhen slightly frowned, and continued, “Uncle, and my eldest brother, she has made all her sacrifice for me and even her own brother has disowned her now.” 

After a long waiting, his eldest brother looked about the whole crowd and said perplexedly, “we can’t let people think we’ve colluded with Japanese, especially her brother is a general of Japanese army in Shanghai. You can choose either to depart from her, or leave Jingwu Men.” 

(Crowds shouts)
“Get them out!”

“Out of our country! You Japanese.”

“You Japanese killed our Master Huo with poison” 

Looking at the angry crowds, Chen Zhen fell into silence. They were all his friends and relatives, his brothers and sisters who had been with him all through his childhood and boyhood, the ones he had cared about the most in the world. Holding my hands, he knelt in front of the memorial tablet of his Master Huo. He said, “Master, I can not show my final devotion to you. I can not keep vigil beside your body. But I was born as a man of Jingwu Men and will die as a ghost of Jingwu Men. Now I swear in front of your memorial tablet that I will find out the truth about your death, take the revenge for you, the murderer must pay with his life! ” 

Finishing this, he then took down a board “toleration” hanging on the wall of the hall and smashed it with his fist. Looking at the stunned crowds, Chen Zhen said emotionally, “Brothers and sisters, this board ‘toleration’ was written by our master before he died. Now I have broken it, because our Chinese can not tolerate any more. Toleration is that why those Japanese have done evils and insulted us on our own land! From now on I have been driven out of Jingwu Men, no matter what I will do next, it is none of Jingwu Men’s business. I myself will take all the consequences and responsibilities. After revenge for our master, if I can return alive, I will ask you for all my forgiveness and kowtow to our master’s memorial tablet again.” Then he seized me by the hand and left Jingwu Men before everyone reacted.  

Five

Sitting beside him, looking at the simple and crude hut that we ourselves set up, I felt happier and easier than never. We had been living quietly and peacefully since we left Jingwu Men. I still remembered the day after we left, we had no place to go. None of the hotels would take us as customers because I was a Japanese woman. I had never felt so nervous to see people other than Chen Zhen. It was because of me that he had been blamed as a traitor and lecher instead of a hero by his own people. 

In an ordinary evening as usual, we were sitting near the bonfire. Leaning against my head on his shoulder, 

“This is fine.” he suddenly said. 

“What?” questioned I. 

“I meant it is fine that we live peacefully like this.” He explained with his arm around me.   

“Sure, it is fine. But…can you really put down everything? And can you really leave your master’s death? There are no places under the sun we can find to settle down” I said softly but surely. 

“It doesn’t need to look for a good place. It isn’t the best place like here? A hut, a bonfire, and only you and me.” A tender smile came out on his face, which was hardly seen for a long time. I couldn’t help moving deeply a while, looking at him in the light of the bonfire. Even if I knew what he said could never happen, I would like to believe that we could find a place like this someday. I knew, I knew it all the time that day like this could not last too long. Maybe today was the time because I saw his eldest brother come to look for him. Chen Zhen, my dear, do whatever you need to do. As what you always used to say there were so many things that we cannot help doing. Don’t worry I will live on well and wait for you even though you would never return. 

 

Afterword

“Chen Zhen my love. I am sorry, I finally decided to leave.There is something in our life more important than love;Maybe without me, you will have no burden to do whatever you have to do.Keep your words, I will wait for you in Tokyo on the day when Japanese army return.”

                                                                                                                        -Takako

It was two months since I had been back to Japan. My despair when I departed from him had faded away and my expectation of waiting for him to return to me had gradually disappeared. I went to the same dock where he left Japan that day. Listening to the horns of the steamboats coming and going in and out of the port, I still couldn’t help staring at everyone step out of the boats, hoping that you were the next one. But I knew, you would never come back. I knew it, I knew it was on the day I saw you leave. It seemed like our destiny. I can still remember everything you said. I can’t help hoping the time could stop on that day, 

“Chen Zhen, would you return someday?”

“I will return on the day when Japanese army return to Tokyo.” 

“But Japanese army is going to Qingdao to fight against Germans”

“Qingdao is our land. Both German and Japanese are invaders. And my master was killed by…” 

“It is impossible. Your master couldn’t be killed by Japanese. ” , “Chen Zhen, do you really hate Japanese?” 

“I don’t know, Takako, growth in this era, you and I cannot help doing. You …take care of yourself.” 

(The end...)

My writing intentions

My rewrite was based on the Bruce Lee’s movie Fist of Fury in 1972. The historical background of the movie was that after Chinese were defeated by Britain army in the second Sino-British Opium War (1839-1842). After that China, Qing Dynasty becomes a semi-feudal and semi-colonial society. The difference between “semi-colonial” and “colonial” was that in semi-colonial society, the colonized country was allowed by the suzerain to keep their own government. Since then the Qing Government had become a tool for foreign powers. And a number of humiliation protocols had been signed, which Chinese had endured the national humiliation for a hundred years by Japan and some other western countries. Among those, China had been divided into concessions, the existing Qing government was to help the suzerains rule Chinese people. Chinese were called “Sick man of East Asia”, they had no right. At the gates of the parks in the concessions, “Chinese and dogs are not allowed to go in.” was even written. The national conflict became the most intense by the time of 1900, The Eight-Power Allied Forces which was also known as Eight-Nation Alliance, aggressive troops sent by Britain, the United States, Germany, France, Tsarist Russia, Japan, Italy and Austria-Hungary, came to China to suppress the anti-imperialist Boxer Uprising and the siege of diplomatic legations of the Chinese people.

The movie described a character named Chen Zhen, an apprentice of “Jingwu Men” created by his master Huo Yuanjia. He was sent to Japan to study Japanese Judo by his master. During the time in the concession of Shaighai in China, “Jingwu Men” aimed at Chinese salubrity and patriotism.  “Jingwu Men” gained world renown and Huo Yuanjia was called a generation villagemaster because for him there was no counterpart over the world. But several months later the founder of “Jingwu Men”, Huo Yuanjia suddenly died. His favorite apprentice, Chen Zhen returned to Shanghai from Japan. The story started after he returned.

My rewrite changed Chen Zhen’s girlfriend into Japanese named Takako. In the original movie, Chen Zhen had been engaged to his youngest sister apprentice before he went to Japan. But I think if Chen Zhen had a Japanese girlfriend, the content of the movie might become more interesting and richer. The struggling of Chen Zhen and Takako whether to choose to be loyal to their personal feelings or devote themselves to their country was the whole ideology of the rewrite. It might be a good way to express the national conflict between Japanese and Chinese during that period of time. And apart from that, I chose to describe the story through Takako’s eyes. The character of Takako might give the audience another perspective of that period of time.  Especially what it had reacted was from her deep inside of heart by experiencing the same events. Besides, most of the movies described at that time were based on the hatred of Japanese. But I tried to show people that there were still a great number of ordinary Japanese people who were innocent. And I also wanted to show that there would have been a sweet love without wars even if they had been from a different country. The conflict and wars had happened between China and Japan, and Britain, or any other western countries. It was some ambitious politician who had committed crimes, but they could not represent all of their people. However, the ordinary people had paid for them, physically or psychologically.

Bibliography

Edward Said, E. (1993) Culture and Imperialism. New York: Aldred A.Knopf

Metcalf, M (2011). Imperialism with Chinese characteristics? Washington, DC. National Intelligence University

Osterhammel, J., (1986) Semi-colonialism and informal empire in twentieth-century China: towards a framework of analysis. Mommsen, Wolfgang J (eds). Imperialism and after: continuities and discontinuities.(pp290-314) London: Allen & Unwin