Block+B+Journal+Da+Eun+L


 * Feb. 19th**
 * Please take a couple of minutes to respond to the reading. What stood out for you? What do you think of it, is it exaggerated?**

I thought //The Legacy Lingers On// was very well organized, because it explained the relationship between Confucianism and Korean women's rights well with supporting details and facts. What I found the most interesting was how the Koreans adapted Confucianism and changed it to something different, something that lead to the erosion of women's rights. I think some minor parts were exaggerated, but I believe that the majority are true.


 * Feb. 23rd**
 * If Rabbit is too smart for his own good, Owl is the Brain, and Piglet... Pooh...?**

Rabbit is the person who is too smart for himself. The Abstract Owl is the Confucianist, Dedicated Scholar who studies Knowledge for the sake of Knowledge, and who keeps that he learns to himself or to his own small group, writing pompous and pretentious papers that no one else can understand, rather than working for the enlightenment of others. Piglet represents an ordinary person who wonders about philosophies. Piglet can not represent the Taoist ideal, because he cannot make decisions himself and he's too afraid to do so. Piglet is more like the follower of Taoism. Pooh is the Taoist, because he's simple minded like an Uncarved Block. He is able to accomplish what he does because he is simpleminded. The Uncarved Block is not something that takes upon imprints, but the Uncarved Block itself and its simplicity is what the Uncarved Block is.


 * Feb. 26th**
 * The Tao says that the ruler should "rule by inaction" How do you make sense of this? Is it at all possible?**

=
According to Taoism, the Oppressive rulers must beware because if they overdo it they will cancel out the only thing that keeps them in power: oppression. This does not mean that the ruler should be lazy, but it means that he should go with the flow and not try to change things the way he want them to be. The ruler should model himself on the policy of resorting to no action. The natural order is a delicate balance and the least interference could upset the balance and lead to disorder. An ideal state is when people are blissfully ignorant and free from desire. This makes sense because a ruler should always try to avoid conflict in society. And therefore, n ot to value rare goods will keep people from theft and not to display what is desirable will keep subjects from disturbed minds. ======

Two Discussion Questions 1) Why is Bisy Backson always busy?Explain.**
 * Mar. 2nd

Bisy Backson is always busy because he always trys to accomplish his set goal. Bisy Backsons always have to keep themselves occupied with work. Bisy Backsons are always rushing to change everything around them except themselves, because they are inflexible. They have to be busy, because they have to interfere with things they don't really have business interfering with, which is practically every form of life on earth.

**8) Do you agree with Hoff that saving time is wasting your time? Explain.**
I agree with Hoff, because the great obsession for saving time is quite simple: you can't save time. Time is something that can only be spent, not saved. So what matters is how you spend it. You could either spend it wisely or foolishly. The Bisy Backson has practically no time at all, because he's too busy wasting it by trying to save it. And by trying to save every bit of it, he ends up wasting the whole thing.

Explain right mindfulness and right concentration. Do you see how you could apply this to your daily life? Why or why not?**
 * Mar. 11th

Right mindfulness is the seventh step of the Eightfold Path that involves precision and clarity. We are mindful of the tiniest details of our experience. We are mindful of the way we talk, the way we perform our jobs, our posture, our attitude toward our friends and family, every detail. Right mindfulness can be applied to our daily life. For example, we can be more aware of how we talk, how we move, and just basically how you live.

Right concentration, or absorption is the eighth point of the path. Usually we are absorbed in absentmindedness. Our mind are completely captivated by all sorts of entertainment and speculations. Right absorption means that we are completely absorbed in nowness, in things as they are. This can only happen if we have some sort of discipline, such as sitting meditation. We might even say that without the discipline of sitting meditation, we can't walk the eightfold path at all. Sitting meditation cuts through our absentmindedness. It provides a space or gap in our preoccupation with ourselves.

**Apr. 1st**
 * In describing Japanese development, a British Professor in 1873 declared that he felt 400 years old by the end of the century. Explain the historical context behind this quote.**

The British Professor's quote shows how quickly things changed at this period of time. As the feudal society began to end after the 1870s, the government heavily focused on modernizing Japan into a nation that would be equal to Western nations in military, economy, and political power. The professor must have felt tired because Japan have developed extremely rapidly, a development that would have taken other nations about 400 years.

What do you find most shocking about what you have read so far? How do make sense of such cruelty?
 * Apr. 13th

The inhumane actions of the Japanese shocked me the most. I couldn't imagine how the Japanese became so violent and ferocious. The way they manipulated and killed the Chinese was unbelievable. What shocked me the most was how the Japanese basically brainwashed their soldiers so that they became numb to murdering people. I couldn't make sense of such cruelty, because it just seemed impossible for a human being to do such acts. To me, their savagery is just intolerable and unjustifiable. I couldn't believe that humans could becom e that robotic and inhumane and horribly kill people without any sort of sympathy or even emotion.

**


**Apr. 30th D countries have an obligation to compensate each other for injustices done in time of war?**

I believe that countries have some obligation to compensate each other done in time of war, because that will stop countries from fighting about history. For example, because Japan didn't pay Korea back for what they have done, there is still confusion and fight going of what actually happened in the past. If the countries all compensate each other for their unjust actions in time of wars and reach a good conclusion, there would be no controversies or confusions over what has actually happened.

__What did the U.S. have to consider in regards to China and the Yalu River?__ The U.S. thought that the Chinese would fear an invasion of Manchuria and that they would seek to establish a cordon sanitaire for border security. The best informed media in America were strongly behind the march to the Yalu, and just as incapable of judging Chinese intentions.
 * May 7th**
 * Chinese Entry into the War**

__According to the reading, what was the reason China entered the war?__ The reading states that Chinese did not enter the war as a defensive measure to protect its border, rather that Mao determined early in the war that if the North Koreans faltered, so many Koreans in the Chinese revolution and the anti-Japanese resistance. The rollback strategy led to the Chinese intervention, not the subsequent arrival of American troops at the Yalu River.

__What effect did Chinese intervention have on the US, ROK, and UN troops?__ They made the North Korean troops struck the UN front lines savagely, with tanks and air support; ROKA units went reeling back in disarray. Comebined Sino-Korean units came roaring out of the mountains at Unsan on October 26, site of the old American gold mine concession, and badly bloodied American forces.

Explain the meaning of "Shattered Faith" how does it relate to the story? "Shattered faith" shows the emotions of the people at the time of the war. It displays the desperate, hopeless feelings the civilians had because of the war. Hongyong also felt this way because her family was basically broken because of the war. She had to abandon her daughter and grandfather, she had to be separated from her husband, and she had to live for tens of years not knowing weather her oldest son was alive. Just like Hongyong, numerous people at that time suffered from the war, and the title obviously displays their emotion.
 * May 11th

** In the last few paragraphs, Biao talks about the greatness of Mao, and how everyone should follow their great leader. He claims that people shouldn’t worry about chaos, because young students can’t possibly cause much. Also, he talks about why they should strike the counterrevolutionary groups first and why they should not fear chaos.
 * May 26th **
 * Explain what the main ideas of the last few paragraphs are, evaluate Biao's reasons for the revolution. Does his argument sense? Is it reasonable? should be about three paragraphs to answer,** **__upload to wiki__** **journal**

Biao’s argument does not make sense to me, because his reasons are not reasonable at all. The “reason” he provides for attacking the counterrevolutionaries is more of an excuse. Although he has no evidence that the counterrevolutionaries are going to attack, he assumes that they will, and strikes them first.

His explanation of why people should not fear chaos and follow Mao is also not quite clear. He just says that they will end up committing huge errors, if they do not put daring above everything else. He tells people that anyone who’s part of the Liu-Deng line is a selfish bourgeois, and reminds people that as long as they obey Mao and follow him, everything will get better.

Responding to Images** In the images, anti-communists are being forced to shame themselves. There is a picture of about 10 men standing in front of the public, holding dazibaos that denounce themselves. There is another picture of Red Guards forcing a woman to put on clothes that label her as a counterrevolutionary. There is another picture of a bunch of Red Guards standing on a stage stepping on a bunch of people, probably anti-communists. A picture shows Buddha being "defaced," people are bringing his statue down and there are things written all over it. All it probably took them to be publicly embarrassed was probably a little criticism, an argument with a Red Guard, or they might even have been mislabeled. Some of these people probably were intellectuals (teachers and professors), and nuns.
 * June 2nd

__**Questions on Reflections on the Cultural Revolution pages 82-84** 1) When was this document written and by whom?__ The document was written by the CCP Central Committee on June 27, 1981.
 * June 4th**

__2) According to the document, who was largely to blame for the excesses and mistakes of the Cultural Revolution?__ People placed in important positions by Comrade Mao Zedong, such as Lin Biao, Jian Qing, and others, were to blame. "They rigged up two counterrevolutionary cliques in an attempt to seize supreme power and, taking advantage of Comrade Mao Zedong's errors, committed many crimes behind his back, bringing disaster to the country and the people."

__3) What errors does the CCP believe Mao was responsible for?__ The CCP believed that many things denounced as revisionist or capitalist during the "Cultural Revolution" were actually Marxist and socialist principles, many of which had been set forth by Comrade Mao Zedong himself. Another big error made by Mao was placing Lin Biao, Jian Qing, and the others in important positions to go behind his back.

__4) Who seems most responsible according to the document? How does this play into the memory of Mao as a leader and his Cult of Personality?__ It seems like Mao is the most responsible in this document for contradicting his ideas. He negated the Marxist and socialist principles which he claimed to believe in, calling them revisionist and capitalist ideas. Many correct principles, policies, and achievements were negated by his "Cultural Revolution." It also negated much of the CCP government, including his own contribution. He was also held responsible for placing Lin Biao, Jian Qing, and others in important positions, because that's what enabled them to go behind his back and take advantage of him.

__5) What does the CCP believe the consequences of the Cultural Revolution are? (4 of them) each person in your group read one, and explain it to others__ 1) CCP believes that the consequence of the Cultural Revolution was contributed by Mao, where Mao committed some fault that was not blamed for. 2) CCP believes that the consequence of the Cultural Revolution was that academic authorities in the cultural revolution during which many capable and accomplished intellectual were attacked and persecuted also badly muddled up the distinction between the people and enemy. 3) It caused grave disorder, damage and retrogression in its train. 4) Most of the intellectuals, model workers, patriotic democrats, patriotic overseas Chinese and cadres, and masses of all strata and nationalities who had been wronged and persecuted did not waver in their love for the motherland and in heir support for the Party and socialism.

__6) Why do you think the document mentions achievements made by China during the Cultural Revolution?__ The document mentions achievements to emphasize the Party's hard work and greatness. The CCP does not want the Cultural Revolution to have credit for making progress the Chinese economy.

__7) Describe the tone at the end of the document. Why do you think it ends this way?__ The document ends with a claim that the Chinese are great people and that their Party and the socialist system have enormous vitality. This is probably because the CCP want people's support. They also want the Chinese people to think that they won over Lin Biao and Jiang Qing's sabotage.