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56 pages 1 hour read

Osamu Dazai

No Longer Human

Fiction | Novel | Adult | Published in 1948

A modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more. For select classroom titles, we also provide Teaching Guides with discussion and quiz questions to prompt student engagement.

After Reading

Discussion/Analysis Prompt

According to Yozo, what does it mean to be a human? How does he define himself against others? Does your understanding of being a human differ from his? If so, how?

Teaching Suggestion: Students might review and connect their response from the Personal Connection Prompt as they formulate an answer. Once students have an opportunity to respond independently, they might work in small groups or with a partner to list the strongest examples in the text of the theme Disqualified as a Human Being before discussing this question aloud.

Differentiation Suggestion: For advanced classes or for an intra/interpersonal approach, the following question may be added to the above prompt: Consider Yozo’s self-esteem in relation to his opinion on being human. How are the two connected? If the novel was set in a different time and/or place, would Yozo have had better access to resources that could help his overall self-esteem? Explain.

Activities

Use this activity to engage all types of learners, while requiring that they refer to and incorporate details from the text over the course of the activity.

CREATIVE WRITING: “Yozo Through the Eyes of His Community”

In this activity, students will create a letter from the perspective of one character in Yozo’s community.

In the final scene of the novel, the madame alludes to the fact that Yozo was an “angel.” Imagine that a publisher is commissioning the narrator’s novel based on Yozo’s autobiography and is seeking testaments from Yozo’s family members and/or friends. Chose one friend or acquaintance of Yozo’s who will write a testament.

  • Write a letter from the perspective of this character in which you share your opinion of Yozo.
  • Be sure to maintain the integrity of the character, while taking into consideration both this person’s interactions with Yozo as well as the madame’s final comment.
  • After completing a draft, share your letter out loud with the class.

Reflect on the differences and similarities between your classmates’ responses in a brief journal entry.

Teaching Suggestion: Students might begin by brainstorming a list of characteristics and traits for the character from whose point of view they would like to write. Students should maintain the narrative style of the overall novel. Students may need to consider the extent to which the madame’s final statement holds valid for their chosen character’s perspective.

Essay Questions

Use these essay questions as writing and critical thinking exercises for all levels of writers, and to build their literary analysis skills by requiring textual references throughout the essay.

Differentiation Suggestion: For English learners or struggling writers, strategies that work well include graphic organizers, sentence frames or starters, group work, or oral responses.

Scaffolded Essay Questions

Student Prompt: Write a short (1-3 paragraph) response using one of the bulleted outlines below. Cite details from the text over the course of your response that serve as examples and support.

1. The Japanese title of No Longer Human is Disqualified From Being Human. This is a subtle difference, but Yozo meditates on the idea of being disqualified as a human several times throughout the text.

  • What disqualifies Yozo from being human? (topic sentence)
  • Explain your topic sentence in 2-3 clear points of analysis, using examples from the text to substantiate your discussion.
  • In your concluding sentences, briefly explain the difference in meaning between the two titles and evaluate which suits the overall novel better. Provide a brief rationale for your choice.

2. Yozo’s ghost paintings come to haunt him later in life once he loses them.

  • What is the significance of these paintings? (topic sentence)
  • Explain what the paintings represent to Yozo; also, explain how the paintings function in a symbolic role in the overall novel. Cite key examples or details to support the paintings’ symbolic representation.
  • In your concluding sentences, briefly summarize the connection between the paintings and the theme Yozo’s Faith: Shame, Sin, and Virtue.

Full Essay Assignments

Student Prompt: Write a structured and well-developed essay. Include a thesis statement, at least three main points supported by text details, and a conclusion.

1. Takeichi tells Yozo that women will easily fall for him (Yozo) throughout his life. Examine the women in his life (Tsuneko, Shizuko, Yoshiko, the madame of the bar). How does Yozo view and treat these women? What can be inferred from his dialogue and actions in his relationships? In a 3- or 5-paragraph essay, explain what these relationships reveal about Yozo and summarize his character arc as a result of his experiences with the women. Use details and quotations to support your discussion.

2. Yozo believes he has been cursed with “a pack of ten misfortunes.” (Part 1) What might Yozo consider to be a “misfortunate” event? To what extent do outside circumstances befall Yozo, causing his distress? To what extent are his misfortunes his own doing? In a structured paragraph, discuss Yozo’s potential for taking ownership of his misfortunes. Considering the end of the novel, how is the idea of a “curse” on Yozo’s life ironic? Include details and examples from the story to substantiate your points.

Cumulative Exam Questions

Multiple Choice and Long Answer Questions create ideal opportunities for whole-text review, exams, or summative assessments.

Multiple Choice

1. How does the narrator find the expression of the man in the three photographs?

A) Genuine

B) Delightful

C) Pained

D) Monstrous

2. What of the following conclusions can be drawn about Yozo based on his summary of his early understanding of the railway systems?

A) He had an innate understanding of public transportation.

B) He possessed a detached and false impression of the true purpose of things.

C) He developed an acute sense of spatial awareness.

D) He abhorred the idea of traveling from his home.

3. Which of the following ideas best describes the purpose of Part 1?

A) To explore Yozo’s goals in writing the notebooks

B) To describe the setting in great deal to the reader

C) To establish Yozo’s character through the eyes of a mature adult

D) To highlight the social injustices that plagued Yozo in adolescence

4. Which of the following roles best describes how Yozo sees himself in relation to society?

A) A rebel

B) A hero

C) A misfit

D) A leader

5. To which of the following situations does Yozo allude in his childhood?

A) The death of his mother

B) The abuse from a housekeeper

C) The suicide of his cousin

D) The ruin of the family’s status

6. Which of the following summaries best describes the content of Part 2?

A) Examples of his adolescent antics

B) Memories of his budding relationships with friends

C) Asides on the importance of early childhood education

D) Pleas for the legalization of euthanasia

7. Which of the following words best describes how Yozo views women?

A) Identical to men

B) More patient, but harsher than men

C) More revolting than men

D) More mysterious than men

8. Prior to his relationship with Horiki, Yozo shares the following reflection:

To tell the truth, when I first came to the city, I was afraid to board a streetcar because of the conductor; I was afraid to enter the Kabuki Theatre for fear of the usherettes standing along the sides of the red-carpeted staircase at the main entrance; I was afraid to go into a restaurant because I was intimidated by the waiters furtively hovering behind me waiting for my plate to be emptied. Most of all I dreaded paying a bill—my awkwardness when I handed over the money after buying something did not arise from any stinginess, but from excessive tension, excessive embarrassment, excessive uneasiness and apprehension.” (Part 2)

Which of the following phrases best summarizes Yozo’s sentiments in this quote?

A) Fear of rejection

B) Need for attention

C) Social anxiety

D) Disregard for gender norms

9. Which of the following reasons best describes why Yozo attended the communist meetings?

A) Because he felt understood and accepted

B) Because he believed in the Marxist philosophies

C) Because he enjoyed the company of the people attending

D) Because he sought to overthrow budding revolutions in the country

10. Which of the following words best describes how Yozo’s family treat him after his suicide attempt?

A) With pity

B) With concern

C) With disgust

D) With curiosity

11. How does Yozo feel when he is considered to be a criminal?

A) Ashamed to be disliked

B) Relieved to be in custody

C) Abhorred to be among poverty

D) Delighted to be attended to

12. Which of the following phrases best describes how Flatfish responds to Yozo’s comment that he wants to be an artist?

A) With disdainful mockery

B) With punctuated interest

C) With sympathetic support

D) With sheer disinterest

13. While at Horiki’s house in Part 3, what clarification does Yozo make about his true feelings regarding poverty?

A) That it makes him physically ill, but he cannot change it

B) That it disturbs him, but he does not loathe it

C) That it saddens but does not overwhelm him

D) That it does not phase him, but it reminds him of home

14. Which of the following attributes does Yozo struggle with throughout the novel?

A) His inability to speak up for himself

B) His desire to move abroad

C) His interest in opioid narcotics

D) His yearning for accumulating wealth

Long Answer

Compose a response of 2-3 sentences, incorporating text details to support your response.

1. What is the time period of the novel? What is the time period of the framing device of the novel?

2. What is the story’s narration style? How does this style impact other literary elements of the story?

Exam Answer Key

Multiple Choice

1. D (Prologue)

2. B (Part 1)

3. C (Part 1)

4. C (Various parts)

5. B (Various parts)

6. A (Part 2)

7. D (Part 2)

8. C (Part 2)

9. C (Part 2)

10. C (Part 2)

11. B (Part 2)

12. A (Part 3, 1)

13. B (Part 3, 1)

14. A (Various parts)

Long Answer

1. The novel is set in early-to-mid 20th century Japan, with Yozo’s narrative occurring around the turn of the century until the 1920s. The unnamed adult narrator whose commentary in the Prologue and Epilogue frames Yozo’s story occurs in the 1930s. (Various parts)

2. The narration style is in the first-person perspective, divided into two narrators: the first is an unnamed narrator who authors the Prologue and Epilogue, and Yozo, who is the narrator of Parts 1, 2 and 3. Yozo’s first-person perspective conveys a general tone of angst and dismay as he gradually concludes the extent to which he is unable to fit in; this voice clearly communicates to the reader the emotions Yozo experiences throughout the narrative while still allowing the reader to infer traits, character arc, and truths through indirect characterization. (Various parts)

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