Following the general directions for writing assignments, write 5-6 pages answering the following question:
Both the selections of the Konjaku monogatari, translated by Wilson, and parts of the the Tale of Heike, translated as The Tales of the Heike by Watson and Shirane, offer a romanticized portrait of the samurai that some might call "fake news." Select three aspects of these war tales that you think need to be investigated to see if they actually correspond to real life. You do not have to do any additional research. Instead, propose in a thesis what new light might be shed on the samurai if those three aspects of the war tales were more closely scrutinized through historical research. In other words, what three facts, traits, or themes do you propose checking in the war tales and what sort of conclusions do you hypothesize historical research might yield?
Sample Solution