IRP Blog Post 1

Entry 1

Events & Places
"Yoroido?, You can't mean it. You, growing up in a dump like Yoroido. That's like making tea in a bucket!" (Golden 8)
The main character, Chiyo grew up in a poor city called Yoroido. Many people thought it was not the "right place" for her to grow up since later in her life, she became a fancy geisha. This book starts off as the present Chiyo, and it leads the story into her childhood life, told from Chiyo's memories. In Yoroido, she lived in a house right before the cliff. She calls it the "tipsy house" because it looked like at any moment, the house would fall into the cliff. The fact that she had a tough childhood makes her an interesting character because she is so contrasted by who she is now. However, most importantly, she meets Mr. Tanaka in Yoroido, which seems like an interesting event that can lead her to a better future.

Entry2
People
Chiyo: Chiyo is the main character so far, and later when she becomes a geisha, she changes her name to Sayuri, but for now, since it is about her childhood memories, Chiyo is used. She has a very soft and peaceful personality and after she meets Mr. Tanaka, she seems to become more mature and lady-like. When the story starts off, she is only nine years old.

Mother: Chiyo's mother is described as beautiful, old women who is always sick because of her muscle pain. She is predicted to die in the next couple chapters. Chiyo received the unique grey-blue eyed color from her mother.

Father: Chiyo doesn't really interact with her father because he is very quiet and never really friendly. He is a fisherman and his past wives and children has all passed away.

Satsu: Satsu is Chiyo's older sister. She is just like her father, but more negletic towards Chiyo. Chiyo doesn't think Satsu is very mature compared to her age.

Mr. Tanaka: Rich, intelligent and nice, Chiyo thinks Mr. Tanaka is the best person around. He is exceptionally kind to Chiyo because he knows about Chiyo's family problems. Also, he was adopted and became rich from that, so he knows the paiin of being poor and lonely.

Entry3
Symbols
So far, I think Chiyo's house, the tipsy house, is a significant symbol because Chiyo is always lonely and is very close to falling or slipping whenever she collides with problems. When a strong winde blows, Chiyo is not very strong to with hold the blow. I think her personality will grow stronger throughout the book, but for now, when she is young, she seems very weak and unsteady.

Another symbol that I thought was interesting was Mr. Tanaka. Although he is a character, I think he is like a motivator for Chiyo. She always tried to look nice and perfect in front of him because she thought he was very gentleman-like. I think Mr. Tanaka is like a savor and will save Chiyo from her hopeless childhood and set a brighter path for her.