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A Tale of Two Cities From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

A Tale of Two Cities is an anime-inspired graphic novel written by Jess. Set in a fictional, twisted version of 12th century Japan, the story follows the adventures of Akemi Tademaru, a geisha whose modern personality clashes with the conservative world she is born into. The story begins with Akemi getting called to the imperial palace to perform for a Prince who is struggling with his own battles. The series focuses its main critique on patriarchy and the oppression and inequality that stems from it. Heteronormativity and what it means to be “normal” is also analyzed within the context of patriarchy.

Setting and Plot The graphic novel takes place in a fabricated version of Japan during the Samurai Age. Two neighboring kingdoms, Myogo and Femkura, exist and are equally oppressive. Myogo is patriarchal and ruled by Samurai men while Femkura is matriarchal and ruled by Samurai women. Myogo is essentially Japan during the Age of the Samurai. Women were expected to obey and please their husbands. Women were also seen as lesser beings and often disrespected. Similarly, the city of Femkura is structured like Myogo except the women and men’s rolls are switched. Women are revered for their intelligence, beauty, and fertility, while men are seen as simpleminded animals that need to be trained and controlled. Men must always respect and obey the orders of women, and are confined to humiliating and labor intensive jobs such as mining and disposing garbage. In Femkura, women are manipulative and use their beauty to help disguise the fact that they are oppressing the men.

The graphic novel begins in Myogo. Prince Takehashi Kamakura feels insecure about not being attracted to women. He therefore decides to have geishas come perform for him and take a girl in order to prove his manliness. Among these geishas is Akemi. The palace is grand and well lit with bamboo mats, blooming gardens and ponds, and many important officials. Takehashi tries to court her, but she remains cold to his efforts. In a moment of panic over how others will view him and his unsuccessful endeavor, he decides to rape Akemi. Afterwards, she is left with massive mountains of shame. Takehashi offers to marry her so she is not seen as a disgrace but she refuses. He becomes angered by her defiance and decides to have her executed for treason. Scenes switch to the city of Myogo itself as Akemi tries to escape from Prince Takehashi’s grasp. Myogo is filled with temples, a plethora of cherry blossom trees, and simple, brown wooden buildings. Akemi manages to escape to the city of Femkura where she meets Queen Amaterasu.

Femkura looks like Myogo except it is more ornate and decorative with stone roads and silk banners hanging from businesses. Queen Amaterasu offers her comfort, shelter, and food. After hearing Akemi recount her ordeal, the Queen becomes enraged and vows to take over and destroy Myogo. Amaterasu gives Akemi a tour of Femkura and shows her how well women are treated there. Akemi is amazed and falls in love with the city.

A month later, Amaterasu and her army of warrior women invade Myogo and conquer it. They then begin to oppress and exploit the men there. As Akemi watches this happen, she begins to realize the familiarity of the situation. Just as women were oppressed in Myogo, men were oppressed in Femkura. As a past victim of gender inequality, Akemi empathizes with the men in Myogo and realizes that having one sex rule over the other is not right. As she is realizing this, Amaterasu brings her the head of Prince Takehashi.

Characters AKEMI TADEMARU: an insightful, wide-eyed, and adventurous 20 year-old geisha with long, flowing black hair TAKEHASHI KAMAKURA: a dark haired, 24 year-old homosexual samurai prince who struggles with his identity and is incredibly skilled with his samurai sword. AMATERASU OMIKAMI: the ruler of Femkura who’s in her late twenties; she is a great leader and warrior.

Themes and Social Critiques A Tale of Two Cities examines gender roles and oppression based on sex and sexual orientation through the perspectives of both of patriarchal and matriarchal societies.

Prince Takehashi Kamakura’s internal and external struggle with his identity in order to uphold family and public expectations is a clear example of how social and cultural structures demand heteronormativity. Although Takehashi is incredibly skilled with a sword and is considered courageous and handsome, he has always felt insecure about his masculinity because he has never been attracted to those of the opposite sex. As a result, Takehashi has been struggling with his identity his entire life along with what it means to be the ideal man and Samurai Prince. These insecurities and pressures cause him to panic and make rash decisions (like raping Akemi) in order to prove his manliness.

Through Takehashi’s identity crisis, we get a glimpse of society’s values and concept of the “ideal” man. Samurai men were expected to be loyal to their state. They had to be courageous, strong, and loyal [1]. Cultural structures in Myogo also dictate that a man’s honor resides in his sword. This causes a twisted misconception that if a samurai was skilled in the art of swordsmanship and loyal to his country, he was honorable and thus, could behave however he wanted. This false sense of honor leads men to act immorally and carelessly. Men are also not always penalized for their actions because legally and historically, samurai are always considered sincere, polite, and loyal; their offenses were always obscured or kept secret. The only way a man is to be at fault is if he went against or dishonored Myogo. In this sense, if it became public that Takehashi is attracted to men, he will dishonor his kingdom. He would then have to commit seppuku (self-disembowelment), an honorable method of suicide. Takehashi lives in a world where being different is not accepted or tolerated.

Conversely, we see how women are expected to behave in the customs of Myogo. Women are expected to always obey the orders of their husbands, and it is rare to find them working outside the home. The sole purpose of a woman’s life is to get married and please her husband [2].  This expectation causes women to neglect their own interests and happiness and only focus on those of their husbands or children. Women are also considered unintelligent, and the husband and wife relationship resemble that of a lord and his subjects.

The aftermath of Prince Takehashi forcing himself upon Akemi highlights the sexual double standard between men and women. After the incident, Akemi feels ashamed and is ostracized from society for being “desecrated” and “impure.” Women are expected to feel ashamed for being sexual before marriage and are put down even more for being sexually assaulted. Meanwhile, the men that carry out those actions are rarely looked down upon. Takehashi extends an offer to marry Akemi, but she refuses. She is about to be executed for treason (since she went against the wishes of the Prince) when she manages to escape into the kingdom of Femkura where she receives help.

Through these gender roles, we see the inequality between men and women. This stark contrast between the sexes is not based off of tangible differences. It is more a product of ancient history and cultural structures that have been so deeply imbedded into society that they are internalized; most people do not even realize that they hold these gender prejudices. Men and women alike reproduce gender expectations and discrimination through their words and actions because they are considered normal. Equality between the sexes or the idea of “women acting like men” is seen as foreign and thus rejected because people are usually and naturally resistant to change and new ideas.

In this case, however, instead of blending into societal norms, Akemi thinks for herself and recognizes that the oppression of women and the sexual double standard that follows is wrong and fights back by refusing the Prince’s hand. She also uses her intelligence and wit – which women supposedly lack – to escape from the imperial palace. Akemi defies the stereotypes that women are believed to embody.

Conversely, when Akemi arrives in Femkura, we see what oppression is like from a matriarchal standpoint. Femkura is structured like Myogo except the women and men’s rolls are switched.

Here, there is also gender oppression and stereotyping. After spending some time in this city, Akemi realizes that neither kingdom is ideal. Having one sex rule over the other does not produce equality, but rather, the opposite. In order to create a balance of power, everyone must respect and try to understand each other’s similarities as well as differences, opinions, and backgrounds. Keeping an open mindset is essential.

When Queen Amaterasu invades and takes over Myogo, we see how colonialism facilitates patriarchy, inequality, and insensitivity. Femkura completely ravishes Myogo without giving a second thought at how the inhabitants of the kingdom might be feeling. During a time of war and fighting, emotions are rarely taken into account even though those are the things raging the most. All that really matters is which side wins. Unfortunately, this mindset dehumanizes people during a time when compassion is crucial to resolve conflict. As a result, the men of Myogo are enslaved and Prince Takehashi is publicly beheaded.

Influences Jess has mentioned that social media as well as the sociology class she took her first year in college played a large role in the world she has created. She wanted to show the erroneous ways of gender inequality and the skewed misconception of heteronormativity.

Jess’ Sociology 1 class first made her aware of how serious social issues were and how prevalent and deeply embedded they are in society. Social and cultural structures and stigmas heavily influence the opportunities and life chances certain groups of people are presented with. For example, homosexuals are less likely to acquire jobs as teachers because some parents have an irrational and ignorant fear that they will teach their children to also be homosexual. Jess quickly realized that it is not ideal for people’s futures to be premeditated based on stereotypes that are not always accurate and through this graphic novel, set out to create social change.

Also, after taking Sociology 1, Jess began to notice that social prejudice was all around her, even amongst those who were her age and younger. On Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook, it is common to come across misogynistic and offensive posts. Some of these make light of domestic abuse, having “side hoes” and “bitches,” and homophobic actions. The horrifying part about all of this is that people actually support this content. These posts often have many “likes” and “retweets,” showing how commonplace these jokes are and how ingrained this mindset is in our society.

Visual and Literary References Most of the graphic novel was inspired by 12th Century Japan. During this time, men usually wore kimonos made out of silk and hemp [3]. These kimonos were usually gray or brown because ones of outlandish patterns were typically seen as a show of immodesty. Women would wear kimono layers and colors that were dependent upon their husbands' power and status [4]. Footwear generally consisted of sandals or wooden clogs. Usually, those of the lower classes such as geishas or kabuki actors would wear clogs [5].

These styles heavily influenced my graphic novel in terms of how I dressed my characters and as a result, the artwork I created for the novel. My cover features Akemi and Takehashi in front of a cityscape of Myogo. They are both wearing kimonos and facing away from each other, showing that they are adversaries. In trying to overcome his own internal battle, Takehashi pushes Akemi away from him. The two characters are standing on a Japanese bridge with blooming cherry blossoms in the background to showcase what Myogo looks like.

A Tale of Two Cities was influenced by the story of Hera. When Hera was younger, Zeus tried to court her but she refused all of his advances. He then tricked her by turning himself into an injured bird so she would hold him [6]. Zeus then transformed into his actual self and forced himself upon her. In order to cover up her shame, she married him [7]. Likewise, Akemi is put into a similar situation when Prince Takehashi assaults her, except that she refuses to marry him.

Queen Amaterasu’s name and the entire kingdom of Femkura was inspired by the sun goddess of the Shinto religion, Amaterasu [8]. Amaterasu is considered the most important Japanese deity and is revered for her beauty, intelligence, and fertility. Likewise, in the novel, the women of Femkura are admired for these qualities.

Graphic Novel Episodes The first episode is mostly inside Prince Takehashi’s mind and shows him internally struggling with his identity. He ends up falling asleep and dreams about what would happen if he tried to be his true self.

The dream is a whimsical exaggeration of reality that displays society’s irrational homophobia and intolerance of those who are different. In his dream, Takehashi is a dragon that falls in love with another male dragon. As him and the dragon are about to fly away together, Takehashi gets struck by lightning and falls down endlessly as various animals and objects around him berate him.

The lightning represents how society prevents Takehashi from being himself because homosexuality is viewed as taboo and “unnatural”. Just as how the lightning bolt struck down Takehashi and prevented him from flying and being with someone he loved, society prevents homosexuals from truly being open and comfortable in their own skin.

At the end of the episode, Takehashi wakes up feeling even worse about the situation he is in. In order to deal with his unhappiness, he decides to conform to society and vows to try to become heterosexual in order to not let down his kingdom.

Author Jessica Tran also known as “Jess” is a professional shopper and foodie. She always knows the latest trends and has no problem spending money. You can also find her eating, Yelping, or talking about food 99% of the time.

Jess also aspires to be a vlogger, writer, and blogger and is working on various amateur projects in those fields. She plans on vlogging about the next music festival she attends, Coachella, as well as her various food adventures with her friends. She hopes that enough people will find her life interesting enough to subscribe and watch her videos. Jess is secretly hoping to become YouTube famous so that she does not have to complete her degree in computer science because she feels like “the dungeon is way too cold” and does not want to be surrounded by “awkward nerds” all day (she’s totally kidding…). Jess currently owns a semi-successful Tumblr blog that has attracted over 10,000 followers. However, one day, she hopes to create her own fashion blog. In the future, she also hopes to own a fluffy kitten and travel the world.

References ^1. "The Bushido Code: The Eight Virtues of the Samurai." The Art of Manliness. N.p., n.d. Web. 29 Apr. 2015. <http://www.artofmanliness.com/2008/09/14/the-bushido-code-the-eight-virtues-of-the-samurai/>. ^2. "Women in Ancient Japan: From Matriarchal Antiquity to Acquiescent Confinement." RSS. N.p., n.d. Web. 29 Apr. 2015. <http://www.studentpulse.com/articles/286/women-in-ancient-japan-from-matriarchal-antiquity-to-acquiescent-confinement>. ^3. "Samurai Clothing." Clothing. N.p., n.d. Web. 29 Apr. 2015. <http://www.samurai-archives.com/clothing.html>. ^4. "Samurai Clothing." Clothing. N.p., n.d. Web. 29 Apr. 2015. <http://www.samurai-archives.com/clothing.html>. ^5. "Samurai Clothing." Clothing. N.p., n.d. Web. 29 Apr. 2015. <http://www.samurai-archives.com/clothing.html>. ^6. "Hera." Hera. N.p., n.d. Web. 29 Apr. 2015. <http://www.greekmythology.com/Olympians/Hera/hera.html>. ^7. "Hera." Hera. N.p., n.d. Web. 29 Apr. 2015. <http://www.greekmythology.com/Olympians/Hera/hera.html>. ^8. "Shinto Deities in Japan, Japanese Shinto-Buddhist Syncretic Deities." Shinto Deities in Japan, Japanese Shinto-Buddhist Syncretic Deities. N.p., n.d. Web. 10 June 2015. <http://www.onmarkproductions.com/html/shinto-deities.html#amaterasu>.

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Sketchbook 12

1. Queen Liliuokalani – the last monarch and only queen regnant of the Kingdom of Hawaii. Area 51 – The United States Air Force facility commonly known as Area 51 is a remote detachment of Edwards Air Force Base, within the Nevada Test and Training Range Nishnaabeg Nation – or Anishinaabeg or Anishinabek is a collective term that refers to the Ojibway, Odawa and Algonkin Peoples, who all share closely related Algonquian languages Mississauga Ojibway – subtribe of the Anishinaabe-speaking First Nations people located in southern Ontario, Canada

2. Lilo and Stitch do not belong to a nation state, but they want to. They seek belonging and want to fit in with the rest of society. At the beginning of the movie, we see Lilo trying and struggling to fit in with the other girls in her hula class. She ends up trying to solve her problems by getting a dog.  Likewise, Stitch tries to fit in too and tries to surf even though he is deathly afraid of water.

3. drawing turned in during discussion

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Sketchbook 11

1. Handala – a refugee child present in every one of Naji Al-Ali’s cartoons, who remains a potent symbol of the struggle of the Palestinian people for justice and self-determination Kufiyyat” – headdresses are worn by Arab men in most if not all Arab countries of the Middle East Nakba – also known as the 1948 Palestinian exodus, is when more than 700,000 Palestinian Arabs were expelled from their homes during the 1948 Palestine war Haifa – the largest city in northern Israel, and the third largest city in the country

2. In my hometown, homosexuals or those personally affiliated with homosexuals are not allowed to attend my private Christian high school. Even kids whose parents were homosexual could not attend the school. Christians probably viewed the rule as a way of upholding “good” and traditional Christian values, but those who were not heterosexual saw it as an attack on individuality and the freedom to be themselves. Those who were homosexual or had homosexual parents would have to hide and lie about their identity. They were probably incredibly conflicted. On one hand, the private school provided great education and could instill good behaviors and morals into their students. However, on the other hand, they probably felt incredibly uncomfortable being in an environment that was hostile to those of their “kind” and where they were stigmatized. Growing up is already difficult and confusing, but being in a situation where you know you would not be accepted makes everything even worse and magnifies your problems.

3. Because heterosexism is seen as “normal,” homosexuality is thus looked down upon and seen as undesirable, weird, or even a sin. This stems from deep-rooted cultural and social structures that traditionally dictate that normal love and marriage was between a female and a male. This mindset has been ingrained into society since the beginning of time. The belief in heterosexism is so deeply internalized that it is difficult to alter and those that go against it or seem “different” such as homosexuality is automatically rejected and seen as wrong.

4. turned in drawing in discussion

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Sketchbook 9 & 10

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Sketchbook 9 & 10

1. I am Akemi Tademaru. My superpower is my ability to be compassionate and understand those around me. As a geisha, I’ve had to fine-tune my social skills in order to better serve my customers and patrons. This ability has its benefits and disadvantages.  Because of this, it is usually difficult for me to remain upset at those who have done me wrong because I try to understand where they are coming from. However, I am also able to see the world from a bigger perspective and not be blinded by my own ignorance and lack of compassion. Through my ability, I am well liked, able to help those around me, and be a better person overall.

2. Akemi Tademaru is a 20-year-old geisha from Myogo, Japan. Her most precious possession is a pink kimono her mom used to wear all the time. When Akemi was young, her father murdered her mother. Thus, this kimono is one of the only remnants of her mom that Akemi has. She keeps it in incredibly good condition and only wears it for special performances. Usually it is hanging on her wall and serves as comfort for whenever Akemi is feeling down.

3. It wasn’t there anymore. I searched all over my room and around the house. I couldn’t find it. How on earth could I have lost something so big? I felt a panic attack coming. I’ve cherished that kimono ever since Mom died and now, I’ve lost. How could I? Where is it?

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Sketchbook #8

1. One technology the film, Sleep Dealer, uses is the global digital network. There, people can sell their memories for profit and connect to others. Likewise, in the present day, we can connect to others through the Internet and share our memoires via blogging websites like Tumblr/BlogSpot, or video sharing websites like YouTube. A socioeconomic example from the film is that the United States uses virtual Mexican labor to build their society. Similarly, in the present day, we use Mexican labor to manually work our farms and build our buildings. An ecological example from the film is the dam in Santa Ana Del Rio, which caused the land to dry up because of the lack of water. This affected the lives of the inhabitants surrounding it because now, they would have to pay the Del Rio Water corporation a high price if they wanted to obtain water to drink, cook, or water their plants. As a result, the people who could have used the river as a critical resource in their lives are left with little to nothing.  In the present day, we have a dam in the Colorado River diverts 90% of its water to the United States.

2. Brazzaville is the capital of the Republic of the Congo. A recent technological development in the city is a tablet that is more affordable than the iPad. While iPads in Congo can go for more than $1000, a Way-C tablet costs $200 - $300, making these devices more accessible for the everyday African. In Brazzaville, a huge socioeconomic problem is that garbage is thrown in the streets, streams, and ditches. More than 85% of the population doesn’t have access to adequate garbage collection. An ecological problem that results from the ineffective garbage system is soil pollution. This is the most popular form in Brazzaville because of piles of garbage we find everywhere in the neighborhoods, the use of chemical fertilizers for agriculture, release of toxic industrial waste

If I was a migrant in this city, I would constantly feel dirty because there is garbage and pollution everywhere. The water I’d drink would have a high chance of being dirty and I would have a higher chance of contracting an illness. Soil pollution would prevent me from growing crops. As a migrant, I would be too poor to even afford a tablet, even if it is “only” 200 USD.

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Sketchbook #7

1. Mau Mau – a militant African nationalist movement active in Kenya during the 1950s whose main aim was to remove British rule and European settlers from the country

Ngũgĩ wa Thiong'o – a novelist and theorist of post-colonial literature and Distinguished Professor of the Departments of Comparative Literature and English at the University of California, Irvine

2. Colonialism “I was aware of trees being cut down, leaving only stumps, soil being dug up, followed by pyrethrum planting. It was strange to see the forest retreating as the pyrethrum fields advanced.” This passage reveals colonialism’s ecological effect because the colonizers are changing the landscape of the land. Trees and soil are being uprooted and replaced with fields in order to expand the pyrethrum industry. When places are colonized, they’re taken over by colonizers who alter the ecology of the land for their own benefit, even if it means interrupting or harming the lives of its native inhabitants.

3. “The cows and the goats were the first to go, leaving behind empty sheds…Then our mothers stopped cultivating the fields around our courtyard; they now worked in fields far from the compound…More remarkable, my sisters and brothers were working seasonally in the new pyrethrum fields that had eaten up our forest, where before they had worked only across the rails in the European-owned tea plantations.”

This passage is a counter narrative to the master narrative of European colonizers in Africa because while the colonizers are reaping money and resources from the lands they are colonizing, the lives of the African natives are drastically being altered. Africans are losing what little they already had (goats and cows) and are being forced to change where they work and how they live. In a sense, colonized Africans are forced to take care of their colonizers instead of themselves.

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Sketchbook #6

Hitchiti – a Native American tribe formerly residing chiefly in present day Georgia Craig Womack – an author and professor of Native American literature

1. “This is what we always been, before they ever came here, these white peoples. We always been a nation.” This passage shows that even though Native Americans had their lands, and essentially lives, taken away from them, they were still united as a nation. They’ve always been. There’s a strong sense of unity and community among Native Americans.

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Sketchbook #5

1. Lilith, Hera, The Lady in Lace, The Lady in Red

2. Master narrative: “This ancient myth reminds Mexican women that, culturally speaking, there is no mother-woman to manifest who is defined by us outside patriarchy.” Counter Narrative: “And maybe if this play doesn’t satisfy my hunger for La Llorona’s story, maybe another later work will.”

Master narrative in Lilith: Lilith refused to lie beneath Adam during sexual intercourse. Adam wanted to assert his authority over her by being on top, but she refused because she considered herself to be his equal. She then abandoned him. The counter narrative was the fact that Adam demanded another companion and thus, Eve was created or that Lilith was created out of filth and sediment, not dust like Adam so they weren’t actually equal.

3. Greece 500-300 BC, London 19th century, Japan 1400-1600

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Sketchbook #4

1. Gila Internment Camp – an internment camp 30 miles southeast of Phoenix Arizona built by the War Relocation Authority for the internment of Japanese Americans during WWII

Densho Project – a nonprofit organization that collects testimonies, video oral histories, and documents regarding Japanese American internment in the United States during WWII

2. In “Yellow Creosote Blossoms, Piss-Stained Gaillardia,” Kiik A.K. writes about intersexuality. Ruthie Araki is a female who was born with a penis. In the internment camps, Ruthie struggled with using the bathrooms because her penis prevented her from using the female bathrooms without making other women feel uncomfortable. Yet, Ruthie felt incredibly uncomfortable and degraded using the men’s bathrooms, which were disgusting and offered no privacy. The Japanese internment camp offered little resolution to this Ruthie’s dilemma much like how today, we are insensitive to those who are intersex, transgendered, and homosexual. Every day, those who are not heterosexual struggle with not being considered “normal” and are not accommodated in society.

3. Kane Araki was a Japanese man in an internment camp who sprouted wings one day. Kane’s superpower was that his wings gave him the ability to fly and to leave the camp. Using his superpower, he would fly to Chinatown, roam freely, and buy whiskey and cigarettes for the people back at the camp. His disability is that he could not say no to the people who wanted whiskey and ended up taking too many orders, resulting in his downfall (he got shot at and was severely injured). Later, his wings were removed.

4. “A metallic click rose from the jaws of the wasp. Margaret gently squeezed it by the abdomen, and set it upon her left ear” (Kiik A.K. 32).

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Sketchbook #3

1. Tonton Macoute – a special operations unit within the Haitian paramilitary force created in 1959 by Francois Duvalier

Haiti Earthquake 2010 – a massive earthquake centered at Leogane with a magnitude of 7.0

2. “"At one time, I would have given anything to be in school. But not at my age. My time is gone. Cooking and cleaning, looking after others, that's my school now. That schoolhouse is your school. Cutting cane was the only thing for a young one to do when I was your age. That is why I never want to hear you complain about your school." She adjusted a pink head rag wrapped tightly around her head and dashed off a quick smile revealing two missing side teeth. "As long as you do not have to work in the fields, it does not matter that I will never learn to read that ragged old Bible under my pillow."” (Danticat 4).

This passage reveals that in Haiti, education was not common. Tante Atie used to have dreams and aspirations of her own that could be attained through learning and education, but those were ruined by the circumstances she lived in. Instead of attending school, children would have to work in fields and cut sugar cane. Thus now, she wants a better life for Sophie who is fortunate enough to attend school. She does not want Sophie to complain about school because it is better than working in the fields, and at one point, Tante Atie would have given anything to receive an education.

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