Block+C+Journal+Kevin+G.+Lee

1. The entire distortion of thoughts from the passed down tradition of Confucianism had interested me. Before the entire start of spread of Confucianism women had enough rights to compare to present day, but as the increasing powers of men had started, women were considered obsolete. This did not seem exaggerated because something like this would have happened because of unbalance of power. It was only natural this would happen. If one person was considered not useful, they would obviously get less rights compared to those who were useful.

2. What does Pooh and Piglet represent?

Pooh represents a Taoist, and Piglet representations the mind of a taoist starter who is unsure of things/simplicity. Piglet constantly asked questions on why and how they should do things, while Pooh talks about "his" reasons and way of living life. Piglet also represents simplicity-which in a way also represents a bit of taoism-because he likes to simplify things much like pooh does. However, unlike Pooh, Piglet is not always sure about his decisions and his thoughts. Thus this relates back to the idea of Piglet being a follower who is not sure of everything

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

According to Tao, a ruler should "rule by inaction" mainly because, if one tries too hard, thing will eventually fall apart. For instance, if a ruler was too oppressive towards the people, they would eventually lash out against the ruler, when they believe they have nothing else to lose. But the inaction of the Tao doesn't really mean don't do anything at all, it means, don't attempt to do anymore than is absolutely needed. Tao also says that most things could be simply finished with a quick simple method, but humans usually think over it, and try to get something from it. Because people do things to want to gain more knowledge, they aren't able to stick to their natural-selves.

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

Right mindfulness is basically knowing when things happen at what time and being focused on whatever is going on in a particular moment. So to put it in even more simpler terms, it just means that you should know and react "correctly" to the moment. Right concentration is basically focusing on objects or concepts as part of meditation to develop personally. These 2 paths can apply to anyone's daily life. Being mindful will help one focus and achieve their main goal at the moment without creating distractions. Concentration helps people understand objects/concepts and their use in real life.

 5. 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.

Basically this quote is saying that the Japanese were able to develop as if it were 400 years have passed. Their quick change of government and their ability to create such a powerful empire was surprising to many others like the British. The Meiji reforms implemented in Japan proved to not only strengthen their own power, but it also increased their technology.

6. Japan had to Westernize or be destroyed.

The main reason Japan was "forced" to westernize was to prevent outer civilizations from a complete takeover of their country. Because of Japan's original isolation and their history of keeping foreigners out of their country, Japan had experienced less industrialization, giving them little power compared to most European and American civilizations. Thus, Japan had to westernize themselves, mainly to understand the concepts of the west, and to increase their own power in the world's view.

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

The thing i found most shocking about what i read so far, is how cruel the Japanese were to the Chinese people of Nanking. They raped, mutilated, and murdered thousands of soldiers and civilians, all of which were over the top, unnecessary force. Even those who were innocent in the begining were told to have the eyes of a murderer. The only way one could reason why such cruelty was imposed was the fact that this was one of Japan's first wars with others. Being the newcomer to wars, they would have been high on the success of their small country on such a big country as China.

 4/10, 4/13 What do you find most shocking about what you have read so far? How do make sense of such cruelty?

I find that the amount of cruelties happened is war are all nothing but personal disputes about another form of government. The best person to be during this group would most likely being a south Korea, and a non communist. Because Communist did not have as many allies as S. Korea had. Also, at the end of the war, communists were bombed frequently because of UN Air attacks, killing millions of people. Another reason it was not favorable to be communist would be the fact that so many people were angry at communists, frequently attacking and killing those who supported it.

** Do countries have an obligation to compensate each other for injustices done in time of war?

When a war ends, both sides of the battle suffer losses. Whether it be economical, or population, the loss hits a nation greatly. However, when one needs to compensate the other country for injustices, its like throwing salt in a wound. Though its something that should be done, its nothing more of a hassle. One country will try to gain leverage onto another country and humilate them even further. And once a country is humiliated to a certain point, they will try to gain back some pride and honor, in ways like starting another war. This has happened before with Germany, where WWI debts that they had gotten humilitated them as far as paying several other countries while being in an economical depression. So thus, other countries do have some sort of obligation to compensate the other, but it is not something that would be reccomended.**

5/8 Explain the meaning of "Shattered Faith" how does it relate to the story?

The meaning of Shattered Faith is basically when ones faith is lost or destroyed to the point where one won't believe in what they did before again. In this story. Hongyong loses her faith in Korea. Because the government had gotten Yongwoon, Hongyong's eldest son dead, she had lost all the hope that remained. Hongyong had also believed that her innocence was no longer valued within the country.


 * What do you see in the picture, who is the subject, how is he portrayed**

The subject is Mao, and in the picture he is standing on a ledge holding what seems to either be a scroll or a flag of China rolled up. Mao seems to be up in the mountains somewhere, representing the his great power above the others, yet he is down on earth, also showing that he is not a god, but another human. The fact that he wears green, and he is in a green environment complements the red scroll/flag thing that Mao is holding. His left hand is in a fist approximately 7 inches from his waist, showing himself to be in a confident and proud position. Finally his gaze is looking towards the sun and right against the wind, showing that he is seeing the bright future, even when a "wind" will prevent it. Mao is portrayed as the perfect individual, though he may not really be like that. Needed to represent himself as the peak of China.

What do these pictures tell you about the Four Olds and the Cultural Revolution?

The pictures consist of statues, figures, and people being shamed, destroyed and vandalized. Because of the Cultural Revolution, previous religions and such were prosecuted by officials and citizens alike. For instance, the nuns were forced to be in shame in front of everyone and many people were attacked to "free" the country from the evils of a capitalist society. It shows all the methods the Cultural Revolution used to weed out and destroy anything that was related to the Four Olds.

__Questions on Reflections on the Cultural Revolution pages 82-84__ 1) When was this document written and by whom? It was written by the CCP(Chinese Communist Party) and it was written on June 2, 1981 2) According to the document, who was largely to blame for the excesses and mistakes of the Cultural Revolution? According to the document, the people whoe wre to blame were Lin Baio and Jiang Qing and the others in the "gang of four." They were blamed for the cause of 2 counterrevolutionary cliques in attemps for them to seize power against Mao. They were also blamed for taking advantage over faults made by Mao 3) What errors does the CCP believe Mao was responsible for? Mao was responsible for the fact that the revolution hel no real confomity to Marxism, Leninism or to chinese reality. It is stated that the revolution states something comepletely different, such as the appraisal of the prevailing class relations and political situation in the part and the state. He is also blamed for giving power to the people who were plotting 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 that most of the blame is being headed onto the gang of four. This plays into the memory of Mao being a great leader. They wanted the people to feel as if Mao was a great leader. To protect his image, the blame is shifted away onto the next person who could be blamed much more easily. (In this case 4 others) 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 The ccp believed that the 4 consquences were the following: 1. It was a mass confusion between right and wrong, 2. The confusion caused people to believe the people to be the enemy, 3. the revolution was separated from the masses and the party organizations, and finally 4. the revolution was not needed especially since the class overthrowing that is usually in a Revolution but there was no class to start with in China. 6) Why do you think the document mentions achievements made by China during the Cultural Revolution? The document wants to make sure that the Chinese people do not feel completely down, and to make sure that the people think that Mao had started the revolution for the people. When so many things were improved, nationalism would definitly go up, Mao would be praised. 7) Describe the tone at the end of the document. Why do you think it ends this way? The tone was a feeling of pride knowing that the Chinese people prevailed even with the attempts to ruin it by Lin Biao and Jiang Qing. It ends this way to give the people some hope and to show one more time that Mao and China was a great power to be proud of.