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The Forgiveness Project
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The Forgiveness Project
Presentation & Music By: Kevin Gillespie
Context
Context
Eric Lomax was a prisoner of war during World War II. He was put into an internment camp where he was treated horribly. This included overwork and torture. The man responsible for his pain was Japanese officer Nagase Takashi.
After going back to his home town, Lomax is lost. However, an opportunity to move on arises when he has the chance to meet his former torturer.
Sometimes the key to moving on is reconciliation
with and
forgiveness
for those who have wronged you the most.
Theme
Juxtaposition
“Nagase Takashi - my interrogator and torturer… was still alive, active in charitable works, and that he had built a Buddhist temple” (3)
Juxtaposition
- The qualities of being a former torturer and current charitable man are juxtaposed
- Change in Takashi is demonstrated
- Our perception of him begins to change too
- Foreshadows a more positive ending to the story
Word Choice
“I also had an intense hatred for the Japanese…. I wanted to drown him, cage him and beat him - as he had done to me” (2)
Word Choice
- The word choice is very strong
- "intense hatred"
- "drown," "cage," "beat"
- Reflects his current mindset
- The reader begins to anticipate change
Situational Irony
“We promised to keep in touch and have remained friends ever since” (5)
Situational Irony
- This was a seemingly unlikely outcome
- It is ironic that two people once bitterly opposed to each other have become lifelong friends
- Shows the amount of change forgiveness and reconciliation can create
Contradiction
“I wanted to drown him, cage him and beat him - as he had done to me” (2).
“When we met Nagase greeted me with a formal bow” (5)
Contradiction
- The contradiction between these two quotes demonstrate that the meeting will not be what the reader expects
- The start of a friendship is signaled
- This will end up being the key to Lomax's moving on
Photos &
Musical
Explanation
Japanese Prisoner Of War Camps
Eric Lomax
Nagase Takashi
Lomax and Takashi together
Musical Elements
- There are two main elements to this piece, the background and the improvised solo saxophone
- At first, both are very sparse
- There is a call and response between the piano and saxophone
- The mood is ominous and somber, reflecting the outcomes of Lomax's experiences in the POW camp
- The backing track begins to pick up motion, with a sense of confusion in the harmonies and odd time signatures
- The saxophone improvisation during this section starts more dissonant but gradually incorporates more happy ideas, symbolizing Lomax's gradual change of heart about his former torturer
- The final section: a very complex set of chord changes I created which has a dramatic but overall happy feel, added to by the improv
- The ending: a minor resolution technique (minor ii-V) going into a major chord
- This summarizes the story in one simple change: that from negativity to positivity - the role of forgiveness and reconciliation