TEAM KADOWAKI's Long Book Revie

  

      When we read "The Piano", we thought this was a story that could actually be true. The hero is fascinated by the piano, but he has to work though he is young because he is poor. One day he finds an old piano in the garage and is fascinated by the piano. He has an amazing talent for the piano. Some adults see this and try to get the poor boy to take piano lessons. Thanks to them, he was able to become a great pianist. 

      When I read the book, I came to play the piano. Even if someone doesn’t have money enough to live, he must not give up living. Those who are like the main character of the book may have a gift which we couldn’t find easily. I think I don’t have a gift for music, but I am full of curiosity, and I am willing to do anything. So everyone should do anything, if they have curiosity. The main character of the book works well and practices the piano hard and won the competition. I thought the effort is repaid, and everyone should make an effort. 

     Next, I tried to put myself in the hero's shoes and considered. The following is a statement I wrote the main character.  ―I’d been looking for what I really wanted to do. All of my friends worked at shops or factories. For me, those were worst things. But what I can do to make the money? But I found my job. That was farming. I like country. I like Mr and Mrs Wood and their daughter Linda. I worked so hard to make the money. I had only this choice but I liked it, until that day I found the piano in Mr Wood’s building. When I sat front of the piano, something came on to my mind and I felt something special. I didn’t know how to explain it. I think this was the turning point of my life. Until now, I chose my life by process of elimination. I liked working at the farm more than factories and shops. But now, I realized that the piano is what I really want to do. Playing the piano makes me happy. That is why I was obsessed with my work of the piano. What do you think if I didn’t meet the piano at that time? Or if I didn’t try to practice?― Did I understand him a little better?

      Of course, the hero is very fascinating, but I was also particularly moved by the adults around him. They worked to develop the poor boy's outstanding talent somehow. They were all short of money, but each of them did what they could to help the boy. His talent wasn't nipped in the bud, but was nurtured by the adults around him and by himself. No one gave up on him. If everyone else had given up, he would have been a farmer all his life. It's as if he didn't have a talent for the piano. 

      I thought this is true in today's world as well. There are so many children in the world today who want to learn but can't, or who have the ability but don't have the space or money to develop it. Every child has a gift. And we need to know what policies are in place now to nurture them and how we can move forward. I thought we should think about what things are missing and what systems and policies are needed for children's future, so I looked into the recent buzz about Corona virus and students in the view of society. 

     Students who are no longer able to work part-time due to Corona virus pandemic are struggling to live and pay for school. In Japan as well, there are students who have been forced to drop out of school because they were unable to work part-time and pay their tuition fees due to Corona virus, I heard in the news that there is.  I researched what the government and the country are doing to support students, not only in Japan but also in other countries. I found out that the support is not enough. Things what we can't expect is, can't predict the governments neither. The government and the country were confused, just as we were confused by the sudden spread of the corona virus. Governments had to make policies and support in hurry, but of course the politics and supports were not enough. I am able to attend college thanks to my parents, but in a world where anything can happen, this issue could not be said to be irrelevant to me. I want to think about it more.     

     I thank Sawa, Kaori, and Misaki for their contributions to this review.