The Taming Of The Harp From The Book Of Tea Analysis

757 Words4 Pages

Title: The Taming of the Harp (from The Book of Tea) Author: Kakuzo Okakura Literature: Japan Characters: Peiwoh Theme: Art Appreciation Point Of View: The point of view used in the story is an Omniscient Point Of View. Plot Summary: This story came from the chapter 5 in the book The Book of Tea by Kakuzo Okakura which emphasizes art appreciation. The Book of Tea is one of the works which aim to preserve the Japanese heritage despite the modernization the country is facing at the middle of the 19th and 20th centuries. Includes this heritage is the tea ceremony. Teaism or the tea philosophy is said to have a close relation to that of Taoism and Zennism for it borrows a stress from the two other philosophies which focuses on the individuals, the …show more content…

Unlike the other musicians who have tried playing the harp, Peiwoh’s approach was different. He has allowed the harp to choose its own theme. He had given a chance to feel not just the unseen but to also hear the unspoken. The others failed to do so for they have played to speak for themselves and played only by themselves aiming only to show their expertise in music without connecting to their instrument. The harp also has its story to tell and it is what the others failed to acknowledge. The line “I left the harp to choose its theme, and knew not truly whether the harp had been Peiwoh or Peiwoh were the harp" showed how they have had the connection that Peiwoh controlled the harp and at some point Peiwoh was being controlled by the harp and they seemed to appear as one, though Peiwoh should be the master among the