The Spider's Thread: The Spider's Thread by Akutagawa Ryunosuke

INTRODUCTION

We made this blog to give enlightenment to the story,"The Spider's Thread".

The story entitled "The Spider's Thread" taught us a valuable lesson about attitude of a person.This story tells about a man,a notorious,a murderer,arisoner and performed other act of evil whose named Kandata. Despite of being a very sinful man in the story,the Buddha still gave him a chance to get out of Hell and gave him a chance of salvation.Through his one good deed the Buddha got his attention and offer his compassion to hound Kandata from floating and sinking in the Lake of Blood at the bottom of Hell.

About the Author:

Akutagawa Ryonosuke was born in Tokyo into a family which had lived for generations in the shitamachi district of Tokyo, famous for its cultural traditions. Shortly after Akutagawa's birth his mother, Fuku, became insane. His father, Niihara Toshizo, a dairyman, was not able to take care of his son, and Akutagawa was adopted by his uncle, Akutagawa Dosho, whose surname he assumed. In 1913 Akutagawa entered the Tokyo Imperial University, where he studied English, graduating in 1916.

Akutagawa wrote almost all his central works in the ten years before his suicide. His early short pieces were carefully plotted historical tales, but toward the end of his short life, he focused more on his own emotional state and contemporary settings.

DISCUSSION (Edennessa)

Setting:

along the edge of the Lotus pond in paradise
in the depth of Hell
in the Lake of Blood
at the bottom of the Hell

Characters:

Buddha- the powerful God

Kandata- the sinful man

Plot (Development of the Conflict):

Kandata, a sinful man float and sank along with other sinners in the Lake of Blood at the Bottom of the Hell.

Plot (Climax):

Buddha recalled Kandata's kind act performed and thought to use his good deed a way of giving a chance to save him from fate.

Plot (Denouement):

Buddha used a spider's thread to help save Kandata to get out from Hell.

Ending:

Kandata have been surprised that even after such severe punishment he still given a chance of salvation.

CHARACTER (Mica)

Buddha

He is the powerful man.He is also forgiving. He seems affected by the righteousness and sinfulness of the people.

Kandata
He is a sinful man.He was a notorious thief and a murderer. He was fascinated about the importance of life bringing him NOT to kill the little spider along his path.

VOCABULARY ENRICHER (Althierr)

indescribably-adj.;incapable of being described
wondrous-adj.;surprisingly
glimpse-transitive verb;a momentary view or look
celestial-adv.;pertaining to the sky or heaven
depths-noun;profundity of thought of feeling
writhing-noun;to cause ,to twist or bend
notorious-adj.;widely known and generally disapproved of or deplored
arson-noun;law the crime of setting fire to a building or other property
glint-noun;to gleam
faint-adj;;to loose
torments-noun;intense bodily pain or mental
dying-;near death
choke-noun;struggle to breathe because something is blocking the breathing passages
emitting-transitive verb;to release or send out something such as heat,light,sound
frail-adj.;easily broken or destroy
cling-itransitve verb;to hold on to something or something very tightly
chased-noun;to run faster someone in order
pace-noun;the progress made in one such movement
queue-noun;a pendant braid hair on the back of the head
scurrying-intransitive verb;to move or go hurriedly

  LITERARY LUMINARY (Marc Levin)

"Even if you do a good deed but your sin can't be counted, you will be punished in the end."

~ Even if you do a good deed but your sin can't be counted, it didn't mean that if you do just one good deed, you are already accepted by God because your sin is many as the good deed you did.

"In every good deed, there are many more bad deeds."

~ In every good deed, there are many more bad deeds, this means to say the for the many good deed you do there come always a bad deed. It may be a thing you did on purpose or accidentally.But good deeds comes from work, NOT by accident.

"As you can imagine those who had been a sinner, they are the whose suffering in the end."

~ As spoken in the Bible, those who are sinners are usually suffering the in the sense that is already their reality as what is revealed in the divine law.

"Great robber though he was, Kandata could one trash about, like a dying frog, as he choked on the Lake of Blood."

~ It is said to be that sinners have nothing to do with the sins they have committed but to accept the punishment given to them.

"As you can imagine those who had fallen this far had been so worn down by their tortures."

~ Falling people to the depths of Hell is a punishment in accordance of the sins they have committed.


  CONNECTOR (Edennessa)

This story entitled "The Spider's Thread" has the same thing of what God revealed in the Bible particularly in our religious belief. Even how sinful we are, if there are good deeds that God be appreciated on us we are still possibly given a chance of God's help. God is very compassionate to those who are doing righteous things. God is good that every willing to hound and save the person from fate if he had attracted of his good deeds.

This story taught valuable lesson t everyone of us. It remind us of what God has taught in the Bible and let us always bear in mind the saying, " There is nothing impossible with God."

SUMMARIZER (Jimm Ralph)

The story begins when one day the Buddha was strolling along the edge of a lotus pond in paradise.After a time the Buddha paused at the edge of the pond and from between the lotus leaves that covered it saw a glimpse of the state of things below and just happened to lie directly over Hell.
The Buddha saw there in the depth of Hell,a single man. This man was named Kandata,a sinful man which had been a notorious thief,murderer,arsoner,and has done many more acts of evil.Despite of his past, he had performed just one good deed one day when walking through the deep forest,he saw a spider crawling along the road at first he attempt to raise his foot to crush it,but suddenly he changed his mind and stopped saying, "No,shall small though it may be a spider too has life."He got pity on the spider and he did not kill it.
Remembering his good deed, Buddha took the thread of a spider nearby and lowered the thread straight down into the depths of Hell. Kandata, who had notice the thread, clapped of joy due to the upcoming chance of getting out of Hell. He climbed up the thread, not realizing the group of people climbing also up the thread. After a while, Kandata has made progress when he saw the long line of people also climbing up the thread, afraid that the thread would fall he shouted, " Hey! You, sinners! Who said you can also climb up the thread?! This thread is mine!" The thread was fine until Kandata spoke those words. All of his efforts were a waste due to his greediness.
Buddha, who has been watching the whole time, stood there disappointment and sadness visible on the features of this face. Due to the lack of compassion of Kandata, he has fallen back to Hell, along with others. With no more chances of going back up paradise again. This may have surprised Buddha. Continuing to his walk, the smell of the white flowers illuminated around the air. Not even paying attention to the screams and shouts of the sinners below.