What is your chosen literary piece? Give the title and its author(s).

The title of the literary piece I wish to present is "The Story of the Aged Mother by Matsuo
Basho. It is a well-known Japanese Folktale, which is handed down from generations through the
power of mouth. Matsuo Basho is well known as the Father of Haiku, a Japanese Poetic form, 5-
7-5 scheme. 

How does your chosen literary piece conform or deconstruct literary standards?

This Japanese folktale conforms with the seven literary standards provided. Here are a brief
discussion of the seven standards. 

A. Artistry- The Story of the Aged Mother reveals the truth, beauty, and value of the elderly.
Basho emphasized that the elderly should be taken care of as a sign of respect and thanksgiving.

B. Suggestive- As a reader, you will feel the emotion as Basho tells the story. The emotional part
is when his son lifted his mother, and they were on the way to Obatsuyama, the mountain of the
"abandoning of the aged." Readers tend to feel angry towards the leader. 

C. Intellectual Value- Basho constructed the folktale that requires an understanding of the culture
of Japan towards their elderly. As part of Asian developing country, we are well-known for
respecting and taking care of our elderly. In Asian countries, there are only a few "homes for the
aged. 

D. Spiritual Value- It touches the inner spirit of the readers to respect their elders as time goes
by. It is one way to show thanksgiving for the sacrifices that the elderly did when we were
young. The moment the son did everything to save his mother from abandoning is an eye-opener
for everyone to do the same. 

E. Permanence- The story is timeless. The theme and the moral lesson everyone could learn are
relevant up to this day. We may slowly shift into technology, but serve as a gentle reminder for
everyone, that we need to respect and love our elderly until the end of time. 

Another thing, in our society, our government leader gives brutal and unjustifiable order to their
people. The reason why the son wishes to abandon his mother is the order from the community
leader.

F. Universality- The folktale touches the lives of everyone regardless of gender, culture,
language, and even race. It uplifts the reminder that the elderly have a special place in our hearts,
and abandonment is never an option. 
G. Style- Instead of telling to love the elderly as you love yourself, Basho created a story where
everyone can relate. He made it more convincing and realistic so that everyone could learn from
it.

What is the literary genre of your chosen piece? How does it fit that genre?

The literary genre of "The Story of the Aged Mother is Fiction - Folklore. As I have mentioned
with the introduction, this is an old cultural story that perfectly fits the description of "Folklore"
under the type of Fiction. 

Others may regard it as Realistic fiction. Scenarios, data, and even the setting were accountable
to be true. However, this was written around the 1640s. 

An excerpt from the five criteria made by Jan Brunvard;

(1) its content is oral (usually verbal), or custom-related or material; 

(2) it is traditional in form and transmission; 
(3) it exists in different versions; 
(4) it is usually anonymous; 
(5) it tends to become formularized

Reference: Bason, J. (2011, December). The Digital Folklore Project: Tracking the Oral
Tradition on the World Wide Web.  Retrieved from: https://dc.etsu.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?
article=2589&context=etd#:~:text=Furthermore%2C%20Jan%20Brunvand%20gives
%20five,formularized%E2%80%9D%20(Study%207). 

What are the distinct literary elements of the genre that are present in your literary piece?

There are literary elements that make the story better. 

A. Character- The character has enough background and description provided by the author.
There are protagonists, the mother and the son, the antagonist (the leader), and as well as the flat
characters (the constituents). 

B. Setting- The story took a long time ago in the land of Shinano. The author described the place
as peaceful and harmonious. 

C. The Plot- The author organized the story well. The story has its five parts; the exposition, the
rising action, the climax, the falling action, and the denouement. Everything perfectly fits in
order. 

D. Conflict- The conflict of the story is "Man vs. Man. The problem of the mother and the son is
the order given by the leader. They are against the leader.  
E. Point of View- The point of view utilized in the story is Third Person Omniscient. The
narrator shows different characters' thoughts since the beginning of the story.

F. Theme and the Moral Story;

 It discussed the abuse of power of government officials, which is still rampant up to this
day. 
 It also reminded everyone to take care of their elderly.
 Respect is passed through generations, and we, the youth, are responsible for taking
care of it.