Danielle 8-6
Humanities

THEME SUMMATIVE ASSESSMENT
“The Aged Mother”

Can love really change a despotic leader? In this story, a poor farmer is ordered to abandon his old mother on a mountain due to a new law made by the governor, however, he is touched by his mother’s act of unselfish love and decides that he cannot abandon her.
In the story “The Aged Mother”, by Matsuo Basho, the author believes that love and wisdom can inspire change in others. Seeing that the son does not know which mountain paths are dangerous, the mother snapped twigs off of trees with her “shriveled hands all scratched and soiled by their work of love” (Basho, 2) and dropping them along the way to assure that he would not get lost on the way down. She says, “‘The mountain road is full of dangers. LOOK carefully and follow the path which holds the piles of twigs. They will guide you to the familiar path further down’”. (Basho, 2) This shows his mother’s unselfish love for her son because although she is weak and about to be abandoned, she is still thoughtful of her son and would rather sacrifice her own comfort for her son’s safety. Heartbroken by this act of kindness, the farmer carries his mother back home, into hiding. Then, as the story progresses, the repressive governor (as a boast of power) sent forth an unreasonable request, demanding that his subjects present him with a rope of ashes. In great distress, the son told his hidden mother the news. However, the wise mother found a way to make a rope of ashes. Surprised by this, the governor demanded to know how the farmer made it. When the governor found out about the farmer’s story, he immediately abolishes the law, saying, “Ah…with the crown of snow, there cometh wisdom!” (Basho, 2).