The Garden of Words

In the film, The Garden of Words, analyze the thematic
arguments of the power of words and redemption through the non-traditional love that Yukari
and Takao experience. You will have the freedom here to go in any direction you like. You may
want to look at how society defines who can love because of age, background, and position
(Think about the taboo student/teacher relationship, especially in Japanese society). Inside of the
garden, these social norms do not exist, so Yukari and Takao have the freedom to find their own
form of love regardless of age and position, which is deep and authentic, and may or may not
even be romantic. In the garden, ironies may occur. (Example: Takao is the teacher/adult, while
Yukari is the student/teenager.) Be sure to provide specific evidence from the film in your
analysis to back up your thesis and points.