芥川小论文
有人说我是芥黑不是芥厨，康康我，写篇英文（超短小）论文（伪）都是芥川龙之介
Essay210
Research Paper Writing Sample
Task: Choose one area of studies and develop a research paper on a topic of your choice. The paper should be at least one page long and it should provide at least 3 different sources, cited at the bottom of the page (footnotes). Check the example showed below.
My topic will be about a Japanese writer named Akutagawa Ryunosuke.
Born in 1892, Akutagawa started writing when he was only 23 years old. During his life he wrote 148 pieces of works, including short stories, proses and many more. Many regard him as the person who had corrected the way of Japanese short-story writing. His writings were short, but they inspire people to think more about human beings and the society.
Not long after Akutagawa had been born, his mother went mad and soon died. Twelve years later, his father removed him from his family tree and he was adopted by his mother's sister. Being an adopted son, Akutagawa was used to be repressed (supressed). In his final letter to his friend, he said that deciding to die would be the only time in his life that he would follow his own will. However, on the other hand, his uncle's family positively influenced him in his preference on literature. This also affected his style of writing.
Among all of his writings, "Rashomon" and "Nose" are the most famous. Natsume Soseki once said that "Nose" was a great story. He thought it used serious words but gave people a humorous feeling. These two short stoies are both based on historical stories. Although it happened in the past and was simple, Akutagawa gave them new and deep meaning.
For example, "Rashomon" is about an old servant who had just been fired by his owner because they couldn't afford him anymore. After struggling for a while, he decided to do what he thought was necessary in order to survive. The story was trying to show the dark side of human nature. In the story, the servant chose to live of robbing others. He believed that if it was for survival, then it wouldn't be evil. This is the egotistical and selfish part of human beings. Akutagawa demonstrated it all to us through just a short story and an old servant. It also showed the disappointment Akutagawa felt towards the world.
Another example is "Nose", which some believe is the best piece Akutagawa had ever written. It's a humorous story about a monk who had a very long nose. The monk was really perplexed by his nose and wished to make it smaller. However, when he made his nose smaller and it looked normal, others laughed at him more. A few months later, when his nose suddenly grew longer again, he felt as happy and satisfied as he felt when his nose became smaller. This story mainly shows what people do when a problem doesn't bother them and they are only watching. It can also be seen as a story about the dark side of human nature.
CONCLUSION - 1. Re-state main idea 2. Summarize the supporting details in one/two sentences. Closing sentence with your insight/opinion（意思就是结尾没写但就这个意思）