Why do we watch Rashomon in a communication class?

Rashomon tells a story from the perspective of multiple individuals. A different perspective exists for each character that was involved in the story being told. The true account of the events is never revealed to the audience; this leaves the audience to make a decision as to which retelling of the story (or which pieces of each story) they believe.

Why does a communication class watch Rashomon?  It’s because people lie by nature. Multiple lessons can be learned from this story.

Use rationale and reason when listening to events being told. People may lie, exaggerate, or alter the story to serve a personal purpose. In Rashomon each character has internal motivations to deceive: honor, reputation, status, and covering up theft.  In real life, the information being communicated to us can also be altered to serve the biases of the information furnisher. Examples of this in the current times could include news stations reporting on a political candidate it doesn’t support, is the information an accurate portrayal? If a vegetarian writes an article about the beef industry, would that article be more likely to exaggerate the conditions of the animals?

When communicating with other people try and maintain objectivity and tell the facts. Sometimes the message isn’t as well received when too much emotional and personal emphasis is placed on the story. Of course this lesson can be thrown out the window during certain forms of communications such as church sermons, ceremonies, etc.  

Full disclosure would have served the story of Rahomon. Had the woodcutter simply admitted to being a thief, he would have earned credibility to his story. Without full disclosure, his story becomes difficult to accept as full fact.

This story can benefit people who intend to communicate and those who receive communication (everybody).  Don’t believe everything you hear or read. A person should question the accuracy of the information and draw their own conclusions.