Question

Read the passage and answer the following question(s).

Sei Shonagon
A Classical Woman Writer
1
Sei Shonagon, a great woman writer, lived in Japan in the last part of the tenth century. At this time in Japan, the leader, called an emperor, had a court where the nobles met. Shonagon was a part of this court, where she attended to the empress as what was called a “lady-in-waiting.” During her time at court, Shonagon observed many things and wrote about them. She wrote her reflections in a book that was published, The Pillow Book.

2
The Pillow Book is a fabulous collection of her writings that consists of 185 sections. She recorded insightful observations about people, nature, society, and relationships. She listed these notes in poetic language under headings that include “Nothing Can Be Worse,” “Annoying Things,” “I Remember a Clear Morning,” and “Things That Make One’s Heart Beat Faster.” The first thing she listed under “Things That Make One's Heart Beat Faster” is “Sparrows feeding their young.” This is an example of how she captured moments in the natural world with graceful language.

3
Shonagon’s writing allows people today to learn about life in Japan over 1,000 years ago. The emperor of ancient Japan did not have much authority. In fact, he was a figurehead. Certain families had a lot of power in political decisions. People put much emphasis on government work positions and their social rank. For the most part, those with a higher social rank would get privileges. These privileges could include more land or servants. In fact, sometimes pets or even objects were given a high social rank. Readers can see this in The Pillow Book. One of Shonagon’s headings was “The Cat Who Lived in the Palace.” This cat was the emperor’s cat and was called “Lady Myobu.”

4
Shonagon had a great deal of respect for the royal family that she shared with others in her writing. She was also a woman of firm opinions that she wrote about with wit, meaning, and intelligence.

5
Readers can learn so much about ancient Japan through Shonagon’s writing. Her work shows us how life was lived in a different time and place, and that time was ancient Japan. Her rich language and humorous, thoughtful insights show that she was a classic writer of her time.

The Other Side of Writer Sei Shonagon
1
Many claim that Sei Shonagon was a great writer in ancient Japan. Though Shonagon wrote The Pillow Book, a collection of 185 notes about life in court, she lacked compassion for the rest of society.

2
At this period in Japan, the end of the tenth century, society favored boys in terms of education. One may think that boys learned to write their schoolwork in Japanese, but this was not the case. Chinese was considered the language of educated people, so boys wrote in Chinese, not Japanese. This worked in Shonagon’s favor because she wrote in what was called “low” Japanese. This was the language most Japanese people read. Shonagon and other women writers benefited from more people being able to read their writings.

3
The Pillow Book is sectioned off under headings such as “Depressing Things,” “Things That Arouse a Fond Memory of the Past,” and “Pleasing Things.” Many believe Shonagon was a master of humor and poetic language. These people overlook how she had bad opinions of those in lower ranks. For example, under her heading “Nothing Can Be Worse,” she wrote, “Nothing can be worse than allowing the driver of one’s ox-carriage to be poorly dressed.” She didn’t think that perhaps servants were poorly dressed because they had a low rank in society and couldn't afford many luxuries. It could have been that they could not afford more than one work outfit. Again and again, Shonagon showed her snobby nature. To Shonagon, servants were viewed only in relation to whether they looked good enough to make her look good.

4
The Pillow Book may have beautiful language. Some may also say that readers now can view life in court during Japan’s classical period. Shonagon’s The Pillow Book is still read. The unfortunate part is that her bad opinions of those less fortunate are still in print and shared with people today.

Read paragraph 3 from The Other Side of Writer Sei Shonagon. Which detail shows Sei Shonagon's relationship with the lower classes?

A.
Sei Shonagon often wrote about the lower classes in terms of how they could serve her or others in her rank.

B.
Sei Shonagon did not spend any time with the lower ranks.

C.
Sei Shonagon made special headings and sections in The Pillow Book for people in the lower ranks.

D.
Sei Shonagon used humor to make fun of how people in the lower ranks lived.

Answer 1

A

Paragraph 3 explains that she judged servants mainly by whether they made her look good (e.g., complaining about a poorly dressed ox-carriage driver), showing she viewed lower classes in terms of how they served her rank.