Nature and Human-Sylvia Chen

This week's readings struck me as particularly interesting, as they explored how humans interact with their environment. 

While reading Scattered All Over the Earth, I started thinking about the connection between language and
existence. Hiruko’s invented language may seem absurd, but it most truthfully expresses her state of being “in between” nations. It made me think that, in a way, all of us are constantly “translating” ourselves, not only across languages, but also across cultures and emotions. Perhaps identity is something of losing and finding something new to speak with.

And The Memory Police is my favorite piece! The flow of the story feels so smooth, and I love how the author pushes the theme of “loss” to the extreme, describing how objects and memories are erased one by one. What unsettled me most was the calm acceptance of forgetting that the people in town seem to have common sense. This reminded me that while Tawada’s characters can still create a new language, Ogawa’s characters live in a world where even language can be taken away.

The Little Woods in Fukushima made me think about the disasters our generation faces. I started to realize that the post-disaster world is not an “end” but a “continuation.” Every act of writing, every attempt to record, is humanity’s way of refusing to let memory erode.

In The Easy Life in Kamusari, as I watched the character move from resistance to acceptance, I learned that true freedom isn’t always about leaving; it’s about learning to live with the world around you. We talk so much about “finding ourselves,” but maybe that search begins right where we are.

After reading all the pieces, I started reflecting on how I face change in my own life. Sometimes, leaving familiar people or places brings that small feeling of loss. But from these stories, I learned that loss can also be an opening, a way to see existence anew.