Block+A+Journal+ChrisN

**Journal #1 – 2/19/09** //**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 agreed with what the packet established upon how women were treated during the Chosun Dynasty. The rise of Confucianism in Korean society provided a list of societal burdens towards the Korean female population that it did not have to bear before. It is quite clear, however, that Korea still held a patriarchal society even before the coming-into-prominence of Confucianism and its ideals. It is quite obvious that women became subservient to men on a variety of different counts, many of which were related to relationships. An example of this is polygamy: polygamy amongst men was almost ordinary; the same amongst women was almost completely unheard of. Confucianism is still rife in Korean society; the Koreans' love for orthodoxy and tradition speaks for itself. However, with this conformity also came an influx of newer, fresher, more international ideologies that Korean society has more or less accepted also. One such ideology is feminism, and while it would be completely wrong to state that Korean society was feminist, the female gender is a rightfully growing one in today's society.

**//If Rabbit is too smart for his own good, Owl is the Brain, and Piglet ... Pooh ...?//** Piglet represents a mixture of Confucian and Taoist in the book, although a Confucian of a different nature from that of Rabbit or Owl. Rabbit provides affectatious behaviour that Hoff frequently states is common amongst Confucians; Owl stresses the Confucian emphasis upon inherent knowledge rather than knowledge via experience. Piglet, on the other hand, is a more enigmatic figure, for he does show elements of the Taoist character that Hoff celebrates, such as the usage of his Inner Nature, but is not of the overly simplistic, Taoist Pooh. Pooh is the ultimate manifestation of almost every Taoist ideal – the Uncarved Block, one's Inner Nature, and the acceptance of nature as is.  **//The Tao says that the ruler should "rule by inaction" How do you make sense of this? Is it at all possible?//** The principle of Wu Wei, or "rule by inaction," is indeed a central facet of the Taoist ruler. Wu Wei does not mean that a person simply should not commit an action in any circumstance or in any way whatsoever. It means that a man should not seek a purpose to commit such actions, but rather should let nature take its course. Ruling in this manner should not be an easy task, however; this depends on the society. Is it possible for a ruler to not act in an educated society, such as a Confucian one? It would certainly be difficult to imagine.
 * Journal #2 – 2/23/09**
 * Journal #3 – 2/26/09**

Right mindfulness and right concentration are two elements of the Eight Fold Path that work towards the emancipation of the soul from quotidian suffering and the achievement of nirvana. Right mindfulness mentions to a correct form of mentality one must attain – one must ever be mindful of the things one utters, the actions one commits, etc. Meanwhile, right concentration / meditation refers to the necessity for one to limit oneself from pleasures, thoughts, and other distracting entities within the mind and merely absorbs the world as is. Such would, I imagine, require a great level of self-discipline and mental strength.
 * Journal #4 – 3/11/09**
 * //Explain right mindfulness and right concentration. Do you see how you could apply this to your daily life? Why or why not?//**

//** 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 was probably indicating the relentless development of the Meiji period that was initiated in 1868. Such development, which included the adoption of Western technologies and Western Enlightenment ideologies, was so relentless that the historian rendered it equivalent to four hundred years of continuous societal growth. The positive connotations of this quotation allows some insight upon the British professor's welcome stance upon Westernisation and perhaps even imperialism (one should remember, after all, that the British were both the catalysts of Westernisation and the masters of imperialist colonisation). This development was what engendered the imperialist Japan of the twentieth century also.
 * Journal #5 – 4/1/09**

//**Analyze the quote from the New York Times, April 5, 1872: "The question is not unfrequently asked... is not Japan going ahead too fast? In some respects we fear she is."**// The quote mentions the extraordinarily rapid development of Japan, which the //New York Times// labels as perhaps too extraordinary. It is quite true that Westernisation in Japan was markedly faster than any other Westernisation process in any other nation. Of course, there are the negative connotations of growth that is excessively exceptional; however, whether there were problems with Japan's growth rate is a very difficult question to answer. Should Japan had reconsidered their plans for militarism, expansionism, and the economic prosperity they would experience through Westernisation; would they have avoided the shame they experienced post-World War II had they done so? In hindsight, such seems a markedly more facile question than it could have been back in 1868.
 * Journal #6 – 4/3/09**

** //What do you find most shocking about what you have read so far? How do you make sense of such cruelty?//** I find the merciless nature of the Japanese soldiers most shocking of what I have read so far. The ways in which the Japanese soldiers were conditioned to exercise such a mentality ever since they were schoolchildren also greatly shocked me, and reminded me of the corporal punishment still apparent in Korean schools, while also providing an incredibly sound manifestation of the overall Japanese mentality – one of nationalistic fervour and of nativist pride that subjugates other cultures as necessary. To see that rare mentality translate to the battlefield in the most brutal of ways was gruesome and enlightening.
 * Journal #7 – 4/10/09**

//To countries have an obligation to compensate each other for injustices done in time of war?//** History is merciless in numerous ways, and in a warlike situation, I see no need – or historical evidence, for that matter – for belligerents to compensate each other for injustices. It is impossible to expect a moral standpoint from a belligerent busy defending itself from external assaults. Such an "obligation to compensate others" can be effectuated at another time through diplomacy or other forms of negotiation. However, such idealistic forms of negotiation have been absent throughout history; one could look to the Treaty of Versailles and the Nanking Massacre for great examples. Most usually, as history shows, it is the immediate victor who is the perennial victor also.
 * Journal #8 – 4/30/09


 * Questions: The Chinese Entry into the War**
 * 1) //What did the U.S. have to consider in regards to China and the Yalu River?// The U.S. had to consider whether to cross the Yalu River, and the Chinese response to such plans.
 * 2) //According to the reading, what was the reason China entered the war?// According to the reading, the Chinese entrance into the war was not due to any defensive motive, but was primarily undertaken simply because of the sorrow that Mao Zedong felt for the numerous North Korean casualties in the Chinese Revolution. Thus, Mao sent a "volunteer army" to assist the North Korean effort in the Korean War.
 * 3) //What effect did Chinese intervention have on the US, ROK, and UN troops?// Chinese intervention into the war led to profound implications throughout the war, not least against the US, ROK, and UN troops. Not only were the Chinese armies sizable and influential, they were able to push the ROK troops further south, and the war thus raged on until an armistice was signed.

Changes during the summer of 1966 • Who: Anonymous correspondent • Purpose: To describe the first few weeks of the Cultural Revolution in Shanghai • Summarise main points: o Revolution started indoors o Schools and industrial / commercial enterprises and organisations o Mostly conducted by students or workers o Between 10th and 21st of August, people started processions o Portraits of Mao o Little Red Book o Some places of businesses had their doors sealed by posters, until the demands of the Red Guards o Supporters of the anti-revisionists became popular • Important information o Posters and portraits of Mao were important in the Cultural Revolution o People became more aggressive and acted against anti-revolutionary people • Effect o Increased cult of personality • Significance of the source o The Cultural Revolution was like this at its beginning o What methods people used to change the anti-revolutionary people
 * Notes about Documents**

The Sixteen Points • Who: Journalist of the people’s daily – official newspaper of the CCP • When: August 9th, 1996 • Purpose: To show support for intellectual and imperialist purges and that the purges are most likely to be the work of the Red Guards • Summarise main points: o To crush people with authority who are taking the capitalist road o To criticise and repudiate the reactionary bourgeoisie’s academic authority o To crush all signs of imperialism • Important information o CCP wanted to reform the country through the Cultural Revolution and take down all capitalist influence within the society • Effect o Greater source of support for the CCP’s causes • Significance o Most definitely will affect the citizens o Urge the citizens to take down the capitalist people

Reactions to Mao • Who: One by MS teacher; other by 19-year-old student • When: 1966 • Purpose: To show that Mao was a Godly figure; to show that Mao was in certain quarters met with criticism • Significance o After the people visit Beijing, people label them as counter-revolutionaries because of their ideological differences o Contributed to the eventual suicide of the author o Not EVERYONE was fazed by Mao’s cult of personality o Consequences for this lack-of-faithfulness were great

Burning Books • Who: Beijing No. 11 Middle School who witnessed a bonfire of books • Purpose: To show how harsh the violence of the Red Guards; to show how unforgiving and radical the Red Guards were • Main points: o All books that did not include Mao were burned o The Black Gang – bourgeoisie – were whipped by leather belts and even burned o Nationalistic slogans o A renewed sense of preciousness for books in retrospect • Effect o May have led to decreased support for the CCP • Significance o Questioning the motives of the Red Guards


 * Journal #9 – 6/3/09**
 * 1) //When was this document written and by whom?//  The document was submitted by the CCP Central Committee on June 27, 1981.
 * 2) //According to the document, who was largely to blame for the excesses and mistakes of the Cultural Revolution?//  The document is largely condemning of the Cultural Revolution, and appropriates blame mostly on the so-called Gang of Four – Lin Biao, Jiang Qing, and others who were placed in important positions by Mao Zedong.
 * 3) //What errors does the CCP believe Mao was responsible for?// The CCP believes Mao to have been equipped with erroneous judgment. Although the document largely avoided blaming Mao at all for the Revolution, Mao's inability to define properly what exactly "an enemy of the state" was, along with his misjudgment regarding his definition of "class struggle" and his belief that class struggle was apparent in a nation where classes had already (theoretically) evaporated through the Communist Revolution. Furthermore, Mao distributed power to supposedly unreliable individuals such as Jiang Qing and Lin Biao.
 * 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? The document places greatest blame upon the Gang of Four, and especially the supposedly counterrevolutionary individuals Lin Biao and Jiang Qing. The CCP also allocated – surprisingly enough – a very insignificant portion of the blame to Mao himself.
 * 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//. **(//Point No. 1 – LEAH//)** The CCP believes that there was no grounds at all for the definition of the Cultural Revolution being defined as a struggle against the revisionist line or the capitalist road. This led to the confusing of right and wrong of theories and policies. Many things that were denounced as revisionist or capitalist during the revolution, were actually Marxist and socialist principles that have been set by Mao himself. Also, the Cultural Revolution proved many of the correct principle, achievements, and policies to be false. It also nullified struggles of the entire people that had conducted in socialist construction. **(//Point No. 2 – JANE//)** A consequence of the Cultural Revolution was large confusion over who should be accused as an enemy of the state. This allowed counterrevolutionaries such as Lin Biao and Jiang Qing to take advantage of their positions in the CCP, such as denouncing Comrade Liu Shaoqi as an enemy of the people when in actuality he was an honorable comrade. The confusion and corruption of Lin Biao, Jiang Qing, and their followers led to the unnecessary persecution of many intellectuals who were in fact strong members of the Party. **(//Point No. 3// – DANIEL)** Different levels of party organizations were attacked and became paralyzed. The leading cadres were criticized and blamed, while inner-Party life came to a standstill. **(//Point No. 4// – CHRIS)** The document states that the Cultural Revolution, technically speaking, did not constitute a "revolution" per se, because there can be no political or economic upheaval in a classless society. Therefore, whatever havoc was imminent through the Cultural Revolution did not manifest itself in a planned, constructive manner, but only brough disorder and damage to Chinese society. Furthermore, the document stresses that every man and woman who were wronged during the Cultural Revolution was wronged in an erroneous spirit, and despite the presence of certain benefits that occurred throughout the Cultural Revolution, the document once again explains that the Cultural Revolution was a disastrous failure, sabotaged through counterrevolutionaries Lin Biao and Jiang Qing and truly a hindrance to the great developments China could have undergone, had they not undergone the Revolution in the first place.
 * 6) //Why do you think the document mentions achievements made by China during the Cultural Revolution?// The document mentions achievements made by China to show that without the influence of Jiang Qing and Lin Biao, the Chinese people remain intact as they are – a nationalistically powerful people proud of the socialist cause.
 * 7) //Describe the tone at the end of the document. Why do you think it ends this way?// The tone at the end of the document is one of nationalistic pride for the Chinese nation. This is probably because the CCP felt the need to restore the Chinese sense of pride after the disastrous Cultural Revolution that they endorsed completely, and they needed to also restore some of the trust that they may have lost through the Revolution.