Free Essay

The Dutch Ships

In: Novels

Submitted By cdoriley
Words 1691
Pages 7
The Dutch Ships by Rai San’yo was a great piece of history. The main purpose of this poem is to shed light on the happenings of the time. This was not a formal history piece, as it was designed to be an informal piece that described the events that occurred in the early 1800’s. The purpose for this piece was simple, yet complex. The poems form was meant to show the feeling that the people had about these ships and the people on them. This is demonstrated by the line, from the Dutch Ships by Rai Sanyon, “The red-haired Westerners are coming!”(Line 6). This was arguably an attempt to give the reader insight to the worry that the Dutch was causing by simply visiting the island. This is due to the inherent fear of cultural contamination that the Japanese had experienced 100 years ago. This was also entering a transition time for Japan; clashes of people’s were happening. This line serves to tell us their opinions of them, which gave a negative connotation. The term “red-haired Westerner” could be comparable to the term “slant eye” when trying to define negative connotation. This tells of the time period of Japan, early 1800’s as we know.
The style of this poem matches well with how it sounds. The sentences are noticeably emotional, with short ideas in them. His comments demonstrated a quick and sporadic view of all that was happening. This style adds very well with how the author felt. The poem is oppressive in nature; this is not about welcoming the Westerners. Line 4 of Dutch Ships says “In twenty-five watch stations, bows are bared” which indicates that the Japanese are ready for a fight and not being receptive. This could indicate that the Japanese have had trouble before with the Westerners.
The reason for it having an oppressive feel is the level of weariness that the Japanese are exhibiting with their language. Line 21 and 22 illustrates this restlessness in the Japanese, “The barbarian heart is hard to fathom; the Throne ponders And dares not relax its armed defense.” This illustrates the government is very weary of these barbarians, not just in their strangeness but their ideals. This weariness is more like someone who expects this to happen and someone who cannot deal with a problem presently. This fits into the time period of the early 1800’s. Instances of these happenings were taking place in many places and a growing fear was happening in Japan that the western contamination of their culture would occur. The way the language is used falls in line with the short idea’s used in each sentence. This also allows for the style to be more than just how the author writes his story, it became a very important way to give details of this era. The context of this story is historical. The story itself was meant to be a piece of history, not some work of fiction. The story has been true to its form throughout. The purpose of the text is clearly historical, and the tone shows the emotions taking place with the details. This leads us to assume a few things. The poem was meant to be seen as a type of record for the happenings of the time. It was to illustrate this important point, but it was meant to do more. This was to be not just a historical book, but a more complete record. Japanese slavery was prevalent with the Dutch population in the 1600-1800’s.
The author wanted future generations to know about the events, but to also grasp the feelings of the time. Japan was weary of the westerners, because their influence was starting to change Japans culture and there people were slaves to them. Japan did not want to fall prey to the materialism of Europe, but Europe’s influence was slowly breaking down the Japanese isolation. The poem itself described the arrival of the Europeans entrance to their territory. It can be said then that this is a social warning to those future generations would need to secure their culture. Therefore not only is this a historical piece but also a social warning. The author new Europe would get back into Japan, but he wanted Japan to remain Japan and for that he wrote this poem. This is a situation common throughout the world. The next part is the conversion of the poem into a modern day situation in newspaper form.
Invasion or Immigration?
Country rocked by recent Humanitarian Crisis
The US for decades has welcomed legal immigration into this country as a necessary act for our civilization. This has changed in the recent decade. A border no one is regulating and a president who won’t act for his citizens. Texas and Arizona are the forefront of this problem. The hordes of people coming into the country illegally now are staggering. In recent weeks, we have had more the 50,000 people enter this country illegally with a lot of them being children sent. Our patrols have been armed as we meet the people; many citizens are calling for an end to this illegal immigrant problem.
Border Patrol Officer Bradley says “When we all get the call that a patrol has nabbed a few, the usual phrase is “Aliens are coming.” The usual response is the launch of several pursuit vehicles, with radios alerting all nearby agents. Often times, our agents are outnumbered three to one. The pursuit vehicles are often camouflaged, blending in better with the terrain. The caravans that the people come in are often huge lines of people, often times over crowded carts and boats. The criminals among them stand as a new disease for our country. They laugh and mask their way with the crowd attempting to hide themselves amongst the crowd.
The people normally shout in happiness when they reach our land, most thinking they have secured their new home. Oddly enough, little is understood why parents would send their children alone to America with smugglers and groups of random people. It makes no sense to risk their safety in such a way given how we often times do not know how many children actually make it. This is why our government has not relaxed its guard and leaves it completely unattended too.
These poor souls do not know the reality of what they face here. Does their drive for freedom blind them to the madness they sow by burdening our country with so many people not paying taxes? There tattered caravans are but a locust flying against our border with increasing successful rates. Why is it we must risk killing these people to stop their entering or trade away our economy and our rights for their lives? The rationale behind this adaption is complex as it is simple in effect. The tale of the Dutch Ships is every bit historical, emotional, and a warning to whoever reads it. The form of a poem helped it not to be lost in history; it made the record stick out. This is why it made sense to link the two stories together like this. The Dutch Ships was at a turning point in Japans history, because in a decade or two Japan would become a modern military power. The ancient code of the Samurai would be crushed in favor for western technology, an entire way of life gone forever. In the same way, the adaption of the poem to today’s events mirror in the same way. America is at a massive crossroads right now. This immigration problem will either cause a drastic shift in laws, a heavy wound on the middle class, a change in the definition of being an American citizen, or even the shift in the balance of power in America. Both of these stories are focal points with so many strings attached to them, they cannot help but be of great historical value. This is also emotionally decided upon. Japan at that point was starting to become divided. The oppression felt in the story would soon divide the people of Japan, one for Europe and one against Europe. People were starting to get riled up, much the same way America is now. Emotions are running high in America, one could say with an oppressive feel to it as well. The two sides are at odds on whether to do the morally right thing by helping the illegal immigrant’s vs following the law. Some American’s agree that tens of thousands of immigrants can come in illegally and work to become legal. Others wish for them to go through the process as it stands and not come into the country illegally. The emotional divisions are the same but with different issues. The third and final reason why the adaption was on immigration is how Rai Sanyo’s was a warning. Dutch Ships was a warning to future generations. He knew a great change was coming, and he knew it was not going to end well. The oppressive nature of the poem, the language, the style, and how he calls the westerners leads to the image of these people being bad for Japan. Thus we can infer he wanted to warn of being them. He wanted Japan to remain Japanese. Americans are struggling with the immigration changes and how it could change our country. Rai’s poem was a warning of change coming; just how today situation is a warning of impending change. Both changes are not necessarily positive for it looks to trend into something bad. Dutch Ships was a great poem, full of deep thought. The style, language, purpose, and value of it allow it to tell more than just a historical event. The informal nature of this historical piece allows for it to be expanded than traditional history books. The contemporary conversion of the piece was exciting as it focuses well into what is happening. The meanings are very close to being the same.
Davis, Paul. "Dutch Ships (1818) by Rai Sanyo ." The Bedford Anthology of World Literature: The Nineteenth Century, Book 5. : Macmillan Higher Education, 2007. . Print.

Similar Documents

Premium Essay

How Did The Netherlands Influence The Economy In The 1600s

...interested in expansion. The middle class of the Dutch saw that the key to survival was commerce. Unlike the Spanish and Portugal, the Netherlands made an attempt to spread Christianity. Around about 1585 the Netherlands revolted from Spain became independent from Philip II of Spain. They did fight, but the Spaniards lost because of the Duchess military advantages and strengths. The Dutchess naval fleet was one of the strongest around. They were also a very intellectual climate of a country, in which attracted scientists. The Netherlands became the financial centre of Europe. The reason for this was because they became very big and the most popular trader and had little interest in seeing trade adopted few mercantilist policies. Dutch architecture was greatly improved in the Golden Age. Cities grew and the economy did as well. New buildings were built. Castles and stately homes were built but most didn't make it. Marine insurance and investment funds were also innovations. The part on the North Sea had very little to work with. They won their independence from Spain in the late 1500s. In the 1600s was the best time for the Netherlands and was then called the Golden Age, in...

Words: 570 - Pages: 3

Premium Essay

Lfb 2

...Law for business Case Old Dutch Gouda (O.D.G.) is a Dutch cheese producer. On November 1st 2015 a Canadian entrepreneur, Canadian Dairy Products, sends a request for product information and price quotes to Old Dutch Gouda. On November 10th 2015 Old Dutch Gouda communicates a proposal to the Canadian. The proposal contains a price quote and also mentions: prices are valid until November 25th 2015. Prices quoted by Old Dutch Gouda are, according to the proposal of November 10th, FOB Rotterdam, INCOTERMS 2000. In total 500 tons of Old Gouda cheese are offered for a total of €2.5 million. On November 15th 2015, milk prices in the EU increase dramatically. For that very reason Old Dutch Gouda informs the Canadians on November 17th it (=O.D.G.) revokes the original offer. At the same time Old Dutch Gouda offers the 500 tons once again, but now for a much higher price, i.e. €4 million, F.O.B. Rotterdam. On November 24th 2015, the Canadians inform Old Dutch Gouda they accept the €2.5 million offer. In a reply, Old Dutch Gouda informs the Canadians they have already revoked the offer so the only thing to accept is €4 million deal. The Canadians inform O.D.G. they totally disagree: they are of the opinion to have entered into a valid sales contract under the original conditions on November 10th. a) Is the point of view of the Canadian Dairy import legally correct, or is Old Dutch Gouda’s view correct? The view of the Canadian entrepreneur is correct. The offer proposed...

Words: 621 - Pages: 3

Premium Essay

Summary: The Influence Of The Dutch On New Jersey

...The Dutch have influenced New Jersey, in many ways starting with a trading company in Southern Jersey. Interestingly, the Dutch settled in New Jersey, for business purposes and succeeded in retail in the spring of 1572. The Freehold Transcript I, publication was established and successfully wrote about the Dutch population. When the Dutch settled they retaliated against Ferdinand Alvarez, the Duke of Alba when he intruded on William of Orange, Count of Nassau. William of Orange, was trusted highly by the Dutch people. He enforced with all his power and obeyed the laws. (Beekman, G., 1915). Once the Dutch was established in New Jersey they set up a three year monopoly in their fur trading. The first exploration of New Jersey was in 1524, by...

Words: 1629 - Pages: 7

Premium Essay

Spain's Monopoly in the Caribbean

...gold and other resources. Eventually, the prospect of profits from gold was lessened, as the commodity soon became exhausted and so they turned to livestock and sugar production. Spain’s wealth increased tremendously in the sixteenth century and so did their attempts to curtail the Europeans from stealing their riches. The introduction of military measures such as establishing forts, bureaucratic centralization and house of trades (e.g. The Casa de Contratacion) were various strategies that Spain employed to regulate trade between Spain and her colonies. During the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries, three distinct phrases that attempted to challenge or break the Spanish monopoly; pirateering and smuggling, raids against the Spanish ships and settlements and international rivalry and effective occupation. The first attempts in the incursion of the Spanish monopoly were in the form of smuggling. This was the first activity that was considered illegal. Soon, there was a very small...

Words: 1955 - Pages: 8

Premium Essay

The Dutch Collapse Of The Dutch In South Africa

...Beginning in 1652, the Dutch were docking on the southern tip of Africa, on their way to India. When they docked they met dark-skinned natives living there. The people living there welcomed the Dutch, and made deals with them by trading supplies. The Dutch kept pushing their limits with the South Africans, by stealing some of their animals, and using some of them as slaves. They then started settling in South Africa and invading their farmland, eventually forcing all of them out. European Colonization in South Africa was a negative thing because of the European Forces constantly pushing their luck. The Dutch in South Africa stated, “The Dutch sometimes wanted more animals...the Dutch stole Khoikhoi animals and sailed off…” Stealing their animals angered the Khoikhoi. As they stole animals they would return to the docks with their empty ships, and docked. The Dutch in South Africa also stated, “...little worried whether angry Khoikhoi would retaliate against the next ship that anchored in the bay.” The Dutch kept pushing their limits....

Words: 606 - Pages: 3

Premium Essay

Porcelain - the World Connected in 17th Century

...Name: Shivansh Agarwal Roll no: B10031 Quiz 2 paper The picture which has been shown in the paper clearly represents that the women sitting belongs to rich family and are enjoying their time drinking tea in porcelain dishes. The tea is sweetened by sugar. The background given in the picture also gives a good idea that these women belong to rich family. The wooden equipment could be interpreted as a musical instrument which can be acquired from a foreign country. While the Chinese people would feel fear in displaying things which they would get as a part of trade or gifts Europeans were quite fond of displaying artifacts which they would acquire from different countries as a result of trade or whatever means they could, be it war or raid or exploitation of people. The porcelain dishes displayed all came from china and were synonymy as china or chinaware. The sweetener which is used to sweeten tea had come from the European colonies in America. This represents that by the seventeenth century Europeans had established their networks in all part of the world. Porcelain is a ceramic which is obtained at heating ceramics at a very high temperature around 1300 degree high enough to give it a glassy appearance and in the middle is fused with cobalt blue. Europeans were quite impressed by this blue and white mixture and thought of them as classy. Chinese Porcelain was so thin that you could see the impression of your fingers from the other side in presence of light. When Porcelain first...

Words: 2273 - Pages: 10

Premium Essay

Dutch Republic Dbq

...From 1650-1713 The Dutch Republic faced many challenges. One challenge The Dutch Republic faced was the loss of control over the seas. The Dutch was a strong trading nation until the power shifted to the English. The Dutch Republic depended upon trade to stabilize the country financially and without control of the seas The Dutch Republic faced increasing national debt. This vulnerability made The Dutch Republic susceptible to invasion from nearby countries. Invasion from of France by land and the English controlling the sea brought The Dutch Republic's trade to a near complete halt, leading to the decline and demise of the Republic. From 1652-1674 The Dutch Republic encountered a decline in trade due to The Three Anglo-Dutch Wars. These wars lead to a substantial decrease in Dutch trade damaging their economy greatly. During this time the English war ships seized 2,000-2,700 Dutch ships more than four times that the Dutch seized from the English. (Doc 3) As shown in document 1 the trade and...

Words: 595 - Pages: 3

Premium Essay

Navigation Acts Dbq

...The Navigation Acts, were a set of rules by England, which in effect protected England commerce and economy. The act stated that the only ships which would be allowed to import England goods were ships that were owned by Englishmen, contained goods that were to be shipped to people of the originating country, or whose first shipment was to England also imposed several other seemed like harsh rules of trade, forcing all foreign commodities to be shipped through English ports before reaching their final destination of America. However, due to the acts it ended up leading to the American Revolution and the Anglo Dutch war. The Navigation Acts were created to order to keep control over certain parts of the country, with their shipping by using only English crews, ships and ports. Acts were a series of Acts passed by the English Parliament in 1651, 1660 &...

Words: 502 - Pages: 3

Premium Essay

Holland America Outline

...Holland America Line (HAL) was founded on April 18, 1873 as Nederlandsch-Amerikaansche Stoomvaart Maatschappij (Netherlands-American Steamship Company, NASC), the result of the corporate reorganization of Plate, Reuchlin & Co.. NASC was dedicated to the shipment of cargo and the transportation of passengers, utilizing Plate's first ship, the SS Rotterdam. In 1895 the corporation began offering luxury voyages, and on June 15, 1896 NASM changed its name to Holland Amerika Lijn or the Holland America Line. HAL was soon known as the Spotless Fleet for the high standard in service, comfort, and cleanliness it provided to both its first class and immigrant passengers. As a result, from the 1880s through to 1921 Holland America transported hundreds of thousands of European immigrants to the Americas and became renowned for the style of its vessels. At the turn of the twentieth century, Holland America continued to grow its operations and fleet to include dedicated cargo vessels. Notably, in 1912, a HAL ship, the SS...

Words: 505 - Pages: 3

Free Essay

Sugar Revolution

...cotton and tobacco and reigned in the Caribbean for the next two hundred (200) years was sugar. Dutch colonists in Brazil were the 1st to grow sugar extensively. They then taught the English, in Barbados, ways of cultivation and manufacture in 1644 and soon “sugar was king”. By 1650, Barbados was the primary sugar-producer and was known as “the brightest jewel in the crown of King Charles II”. Other French colonies soon followed Barbados. The Sugar Revolution Definition Sugar Revolution – drastic change from producing a variety of crops to sugar cane ONLY. Implications of the Sugar Revolution/ Changes brought about by the Sugar Revolution: a) New Methods of producing sugar – The English and French began inventing new and better ways of processing sugar cane. b) The Labour Force – Planting and processing sugar cane required extensive labour force. The planters wanted work to be done using the cheapest labour force, which in the end, would mean greater profits for them when the sugar was sold. Thus, an increasing number of African slaves were used. c) Increase in the price of Land: Great sugar plantations developed by buying the small plots of land that were used to cultivate tobacco. As sugar became more profitable, the demand for land increased, which caused the price of land to increase. d) Change in governance – As the English French and Dutch colonies became more important, there was a need for systems of government and control. At 1st, the...

Words: 1472 - Pages: 6

Premium Essay

Marketing

...THE SLAVE TRADE Portugal and Spain were the first to take advantage of the Age of Exploration. The two countries began their colonial activities in the fifteenth century and became great colonial powers. Later, in the seventeenth century, the Dutch, followed by the French and then the British joined in the colonization activities. The Portuguese sailed around Africa as part of their exploration activities, and their main objective was to find a route to the Spice Islands. The Spice Islands are a group of islands in eastern Indonesia. Although the initial objective of the Portuguese sailing around Africa was to find a route to the Spice Islands, they later realized that they could make some gains or profits from Africa itself. Due to this new idea, the Portuguese constructed forts on both the western and eastern coasts of Africa. One of the economic interests of the Portuguese after they had settled on the coasts of Africa was to dominate and control the trade in gold, which was an important natural resource in Africa. Later in the seventeenth century, the Dutch took control of a number of the Portuguese forts as well as much of the Portuguese trade across the Indian Ocean. The Origins of the Slave Trade Slavery was being practised in the world long before the colonisation of Africa by Europe. You would recall that in our study of the First Civilisations, we came across slaves. Before the Europeans came to Africa in the fifteenth century, most of the slaves that existed were prisoners...

Words: 1389 - Pages: 6

Premium Essay

How Did The Mayflower Compact

...Section One—short answer The mayflower compact During the sixteenth century, English Calvinists led a Protestant movement called Puritanism in England. Its name was derived from its adherents’ desire to purify the Anglican church of Roman Catholic Practices. English monarchs of the early seventeenth century persecuted the puritans, and so the puritans began to look for a new place to practice their faith. One puritan group, called Separatist, because they thought the Church of England was so incapable of being reformed that they had to abandon it, left England around this time. First they went to the Netherlands, but ultimately decided to start fresh in the new world. In 1620 they set sail, but their ship, the mayflower, went off course and they landed in modern-day Massachusetts. Because winter was approaching, they deiced to settle where they had landed. This settlement was called Plymouth, while on boards...

Words: 1707 - Pages: 7

Premium Essay

How Did Spices Influence The Europeans

...He was able to capture the city and established an important trading port. This was a vital area as it marked the entry to South-East Asia and the Spice Islands. Portuguese navigator, Antonio de Abreu, sailed from Malacca to the Moluccas where he discovered the Banda Islands, which nutmeg and mace originate from. The Portuguese were now trading every spice on the market except clove. Despite desperate attempts to monopolize the clove industries in Ternate and Tidore, both Spain and Portugal fell short to the Dutch. The reign of Portugal came to an end when Spain defeated and conquered them in 1580 CE. Spain pushed the Dutch out of the market and raised all of the spice...

Words: 1474 - Pages: 6

Premium Essay

Cicero's View On Piracy

...Hugo Grotius was a brilliant lawyer who is known as one of the greatest Dutch thinkers. His great intelligence at an young age shocked and inspired many, including the King of France. As a burgeoning new lawyer, was hired by the Dutch East India Company in 1604 to defend the actions of Captain Jakob van Heemskerck. At this time, the Netherlands were not the only ones expanding into East Indies; the Portuguese had a monopoly there after the Treaty of Tordesillas. The Portuguese were proving to be an obstacle in Dutch trade, harassing ports that had agreed to trade with the Dutch. So, when Heemskerck saw a Portuguese vessel in the straits of Singapore, he attacked and claimed the ship as his prize. Although this seemed like a blatant act of piracy, Grotius defended the captain in an expansive defense called the Commentary on the Law of Prize and Booty. He justifies Heemskerck's actions by arguing that the Portuguese were in fact more piratical because they continually violated international commerce laws. He also introduces the idea of just war as a justification for the attack. He argues that the wealth of the Portuguese is the equivalent to a weapon in war and it was Heemskerck's duty to capture his ship. Grotius' most convincing arguments are based upon the idea that Heemskerck did his duty to his country. By attacking the Portuguese vessel, he ended the harassment from the Portuguese...

Words: 684 - Pages: 3

Free Essay

Why Did the Spanish Armada Fail>

...simple, but could have been deadly if it had worked. The main reasons for it not working out were the communication problems. The messenger ships travelled the same speed, as the Armada so they were nearly useless and the communication between Parma’s army and the Armada were not good. On top of all of this the Armada had received message that Parma’s army was not ready when they were at Calais, however modern research shows that the army would have been ready in just 5 hours but the Armada didn't know this because of Parma's plan to keep it a secret that the invasion army was ready to give the English a surprise attack... unfortunately it didn't just fool the English, it fooled the Spanish as well. Communication was not the only problem the planning was put together so quickly, King Philip hadn't thought of the area at all. The coast where Parma's army were waiting the coast was very shallow and not a very steep gradient at all. The sand was less than 20 metres deep for up to a mile out to sea and the Armada’s ships needed at least 20 metres. This meant that the ships couldn't pick up the army. That problem was soon solved when the army managed to get lightweight barges to transport the army across. A new problem arose, how did they get across to the Armada without the Dutch fleet seeing them and attacking them. If they were spotted the Dutch could kill them all and the Armada couldn't do anything about it because of the shallow...

Words: 332 - Pages: 2