after the quake by haruki murakami

After the Quake by Haruki Murakami

CLIP Summer 2011Class 2E

Dustin Hovda Perez

UFO in Kushiro Part 1: Vocabularyvanish, dissipate, crumble, glare, vastness, stolid, colleague, sullen, subtle, monotonous, puzzled,

fragile, peer

1. Vanish (V.)- to disappear suddenly especially in a way that you cannot easily explain. My cell phone was here 5 minutes ago, but now it has vanished.

2. Dissipate (V.)- to decrease. 3. Crumble (V.)- to break into small fragments. The buildings crumbled after the terrible earthquake. 4. Glare (V.)- to look at something anxiously. I glared at the television because of the news about

Osama Bin Laden’s death. 5. Vastness (N.)- something very big. In the vastness of the ocean we can find different creatures. 6. Stolid (Adj.)- stubborn and unemotional. He is so stolid because he never listens to other opinions

from his friends. 7. Colleague (N.)- a person with whom one works especially in a professional job. Many professionals

ask their colleagues at the office for advice about problems. 8. Sullen (Adj.)- angry and silent. Bill sat in sullen silence and refused to eat his lunch. 9. Subtle (Adj.)- difficult to understand with your mind. In a business meeting, you don’t want your

competitor to be subtle, you want them to be honest and clear. 10. Monotonous (Adj.)- boring and repetitive. I need a break because this situation is too monotonous. 11. Puzzled (V. or Adj.)- something that confuses. When I drove my car to Long Island the directions

puzzled me. 12. Fragile (Adj.)- something that can break easily. My glasses are fragile, so I have to take care of them. 13. Peer (V.)- to look with attention at someone or something. I peered at my father when he gave me

some advice.

UFO in Kushiro Part 2: Vocabularydesolate, destination, domestic, somber, absurdly, weep, raunchy, moan, verge, commit,

overwhelming, lousy, nocturnal, cast

1. Desolate (Adj.)- lifeless. The old house in the village looks desolate. 2. Destination (N.)- the place to which someone or something is going. We are almost close to our

destination. 3. Domestic (Adj.)- relating to family relationships and life at home. There are some organizations that

support women facing domestic violence. 4. Somber (Adj.)- dark, gloomy, grave or melancholy. There are some somber rooms in funeral homes. 5. Absurd (Adj.)- ridiculous or senseless. It’s an absurd explanation because it doesn’t make any sense. 6. Weep (V.)- to cry or express grief. He wept when his wife left him.7. Raunchy (Adj.)- having or showing sexual desire. He has a raunchy personality because he always

behaves badly around women. 8. Moan (N. or V.)- low, prolonged sound of pain or grief. A lot of people moaned about parking

problems. 9. Verge (N.)- very close to a harmful or extreme state. Some of these ideas are on the verge of danger. 10. Commit (V.)- to do something bad or wrong. The murderer committed many crimes in the city. 11. Overwhelming (Adj.)- something so strong that it’s difficult to overcome. The congress passed the law

by an overwhelming majority. 12. Lousy (Adj.)- of very bad quality, awful or terrible. Unstoppable is a lousy film because it doesn’t have

any action. 13. Echo (N.)- a sound that you hear again after a loud noise. Screaming in a cave makes an echo. 14. Cast (V.)- to put or send forth. When I was a little girl a witch cast a spell on me.

Reading Journal• For After the Quake you will write a reading journal for each short story.

In your journal you will usually include the following components:1. Summary: You have to think about the main idea or message of the

story. Then, you will include details, quotes, and ideas from the story that help to support your idea. (10 points)

2. Quote Analysis: Each journal will include an analysis of one or more quote. You will explain what the quote means and why it’s important. (5 points)

3. Vocabulary: In your writing, be sure to use the vocabulary we are learning for that chapter. You have to include at least 5 vocabulary words (5 points)

4. Grammar and Spelling: Take your time writing and typing this journal so that your grammar is polished and clean. (5 points)

Journal #1: UFO in KushiroPart 1: Summary (Characters: Komura, Komura’s wife, Sasaki, Keiko, Shimao)

Part 2: Quote #1 (Page 14):“Do you mind if I ask you about your wife?” Keiko said. “I don’t mind.”“When did she leave?”“Hmm…five days after the earthquake, so that’s more than two weeks ago now.”“Did it have something to do with the earthquake?” Komura shook his head. “Probably not. I don’t think so.” “Still, I wonder if things like that aren’t connected somehow,” Shimao said with a tilt of the head. “Yeah,” Keiko said. “It’s just that you can’t see how.”

Quote #2 (Page 21): “What did it say?” “That living with me was like living with a chunk of air.”“A chunk of air?” Shimao tilted her head back to look up at Komura. “What does that mean?”“That there’s nothing inside me, I guess.” “Is it true?”“Could be,” Komura said. “I’m not sure, though. I may have nothing inside me, but what would something be.

After the Quake: Landscape with Flatiron

by Haruki Murakami

Landscape with FlatironQuote #1: Page 26

“The trouble is, I don’t have a damn thing to do with anything fifty thousand years ago – or

fifty thousand years from now, either. Nothing. Zip. What’s important is now. Who knows when the world is going to end? Who can

think about the future? The only thing that matters is whether I can get my stomach full

right now and get it up right now. Right?”


“The spread of the flames was soft and gentle, like an expert caress, with nothing rough or hurried about it- their only purpose was to

warm people’s hearts. Junko never said much in the presence of the fire. She hardly moved.

The flames accepted all things in silence, drank them in, understood, and forgave. A

family, a real family, was probably like this, she thought.”


• “Anyhow, let’s wait till the fire burns out,” Miyake said.

“We built it, so we ought to keep it company to the end.

Once it goes out, and it turns pitch-dark, then we can die.”


“The scene of the story would always come vividly to mind as she read. She could feel the man’s fear and hope and despair as if they were her own; she could sense the very pounding of his heart as he hovered on the brink of death. Most important

of all, though, was the fact that the man was fundamentally longing for death. She knew that for sure. She couldn’t explain

how she knew, but she knew it from the start. Death was really what he wanted. He knew that it was the right ending

for him. And yet he had to go on fighting with all his might. He had to fight against an overwhelming adversary in order to

survive. What most shocked Junko was this deep-rooted contradiction.”

Landscape with Flatiron Part 1 (Page 25-35): Vocabularydriftwood, bonfire, transform, vivid, despair, fundamental, adversary, contradiction, forgive,

prospect, boast, long, might, intention1. Driftwood (N.)- wood fallen on a body of water or on the beach. There’s a lot of driftwood at Coney Island

beach. 2. Bonfire (N.)- a large fire built with wood in open air. A group of people who camped in the mountains forgot

to put out their bonfire and it caused a forest fire. 3. Transform (V.)- to completely change something especially in a way that improves. He transformed from a

boy into a monster. 4. Vivid (Adj.)- making a strong impression to the senses. She has a vivid memory of that terrible event. 5. Despair (V. or N.)- loss of hope. After the earthquake the survivors felt despair about their future. 6. Fundamental (Adj.)- of great importance, essential. Respect for law and order is fundamental to a peaceful

society. 7. Adversary (N.)- a country or person you’re fighting or competing against, enemy. The girl who is in the corner

is my adversary in the singing competition. 8. Contradiction (N.)- something opposite to another thing. He’s a contradiction because sometimes he loves

going to school and sometimes he hates it. 9. Forgive (V.)- to stop being angry with someone and stop blaming them although they have done something

wrong. Never forgive a person that commits crimes over and over again.10. Prospect (N.)- the possibility of future success. Everybody who knows me thinks I have good prospects for

my future. 11. Boast (V.)- to talk proudly about your abilities, achievements or possessions. Manuel boasted that he is a

genius. 12. Long (V.)- to have a strong desire or craving. Many soccer teams long to win the World Cup. 13. Might (N.)- power or ability to do or accomplish. The news displayed the military might of the U.S. Army. 14. Intention (N.)- purpose. The intention of the Immersion Program is to prepare for college.

Landscape with Flatiron Part 2 (Page 35-45): Vocabularypry, hesitate, wad, sensible, spoil, flask, ponder, suffocate, cramped, squirm, drench, drown,

premonition, agony, fleeting

1. Pry (V.)- to try to find out details about someone’s private life. I don’t want to pry, but what did you do last night?

2. Hesitate (V.)- to pause to think. I hesitated before answering the next question.3. Wad (N.)- a large amount of something, like a ball. She works for television and makes wads of money. 4. Sensible (Adj.)- reasonable, practical and showing good judgment. It is sensible to keep a note of your

passport number in case you lose it. 5. Spoil (V.)- to ruin. The whole park is spoiled by litter.6. Flask (N.)- special type of bottle usually for alcohol. Carlos uses a flask to keep his whisky. 7. Ponder (V.)- to think carefully. He pondered his life goals for when he finishes college. 8. Suffocate (V.)- to not have enough oxygen. Sara’s boyfriend is always suffocating her because he always

wants to know what she’s doing. 9. Cramped (Adj.)- crowded, no space. The stadium is cramped with people. 10. Squirm (V.)- to make nervous motions with the body. Sara squirmed while she was receiving the shot

(injection). 11. Drench (V.)- to soak completely with liquid. After I went running in the rain I was completely drenched. 12. Drown (V.)- to die underwater. If you don’t know how to swim, you shouldn’t go into a deep swimming

pool because you could drown. 13. Premonition (N.)- feeling that an event is about to occur. Some people say that seeing a black cat is a

premonition that you will have bad luck. 14. Agony (N.)- extreme and prolonged pain. The injured soldiers were in agony before they died. 15. Fleeting (Adj.)- lasting for a short time. His feeling of happiness was fleeting because now he’s sullen.

Reading Journal #2: Landscape with Flatiron

Writing a Letter: You will write a letter to one of the characters in this story. You can write a letter to Miyake, Junko or Keisuke.

In your letter you should write as if you are writing to one of your friends, shortly after the end of the short story Landscape with Flatiron. You know everything that happened in the story, so perhaps you are writing to offer advice or ask how your friend is doing. Remember, you want to see how your friend is doing after the giant natural disaster which recently happened in Kobe, so be considerate with your language and tone.

In your letter please include the following:

1. Two quotes by your character2. Explain to your character why the quotes are important

(For example, “I heard you said, _________. I think _________.”3. Use the past tense to talk about what happened in the short story4. Use the present tense to ask about what’s happening now