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Fukuzawa Yukichi of the lower samurai enjoyed lesser freedoms than did upper samurai. A samurai in Tokugawa era was part of the ruling class, split into the upper and lower classes. They had strict rules to obey but loyalty was not a crucial component of their lives as it was for the samurai in "Chushingura."
However, the brave and loyal samurai no longer grace society's gateway. In "Chushingura," loyalty is 47 masterless samurai laying Lord Kira Yoshinaka's head before the grave of their former Lord Asano. In "The Autobiography of Fukuzawa Yukichi," loyalty is largely a concept ignored by Yukichi, of the lower samurai class.
The "Autobiography of Fukuzawa Yukichi" translated by Eiichi Kiyooka portrays a samurai as a "distasteful position." When Yukichi reflects on his father who passed away, he notes with a tone of an almost condescension, "apparently he submitted to the distasteful position and the small stipend, and buried his discontent in his heart" (3). He seems to......

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Approximate Word Count: 1872
Approximate Pages: 8 (250 words per double-spaced page)

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