The author’s style is a mixture of the opinions of the characters and straight information. The character’s points and views are a major part of the book. The language used is native and does not stand in the way of the story, it helps it flow as the story goes on. Her style makes the information entertaining and enjoyable to
Emperor Wuzong didn't want Buddhism at all, he believed it was poisonous to China's customs and detrimental to Chinese Tang law. Wuzong believed it was “an evil that needed to be eradicated”. The way Wuzong accomplished this was by openly prosecuting Buddhism by destroying Buddhist monasteries and reducing the influence of Chinese Buddhism in favor of Confucian ideology. Both Confucian scholars
The Tao Te Ching is said to have been a political text as it criticized the government and leaders during the Warring States period. It also serves as a guide for leaders to follow. It says that leaders should not be obtrusive and forceful; they should respect, trust, and work with the people, keeping their best interest in mind. It also advocates for peace instead of war and violence. Knowing this background information can help the reader to better understand some of the reasons why the Tao Te Ching was written and who its intended audience was.
In The Tao of Pooh Hoff uses a unique writing style to explain the basics of Taoism, an Eastern philosophy, to Westerners. He takes A.A. Milne’s characters created for Winnie the Pooh, and uses them and their personalities as examples of the different kinds of people in this world. Written in essay form, the book includes dialogue between Hoff and the characters, making it much easier and more enjoyable to read. Hoff explains the principle ideas, starting with the un-carved block, or P’u. He goes on to describe it as everything in its simplest form, and the idea that we should strive to be that.
When writing a novel, authors encounter many obstacles; proving a point to the reader, keeping the reader intrigued, and showing the reader both sides of a conflict. Although the majority of authors are able to convey their important messages, using techniques that keep the reader interested, Benjamin Hoff, unfortunately, was unsuccessful to do so. In my opinion, Hoff was able to display the principles of Taoism in The Tao of Pooh thoroughly by using multiple examples of the ideas he is trying to prove; however, the way he introduces and explains topics throughout the novel is not concise and does not flow, thus creating a disconnect between the reader and the text. Hoff successfully explains Taoist principles and ideas in his novel in three
The approach he uses that moves between Spanish, French, and several Native perspectives leads to repetition which could have been minimized in my opinion. The book's strength is its loyalty to the oral history of indigenous peoples of their own history. Native tribal historians, writers, and elders often shape the sound of the narrative.
However, after Tzu death, Confucianism was crowned the new philosopher of china. As the newly appointed philosopher, he denies all of Tzu opposing views about mankind, but agrees to Mencius another famous Confucian after Confucius himself optimistic theories. Notwithstanding, Tzu was the first philosopher to develop Confucius observation that holds a general truth, for example “if ain’t broke, don’t fix it” into a system of complete thought that become today one of the significant development of the Chinese philosophy. In contrast, he disagrees with the Confucius ideology of human nature, but accepted his analysis on the importance of education that changed a lot of people throughout the Chinese history to commit their lives relating to serious academic learning. Tzu uses figurative words as a main form of procedure to back up his arguments.
Family by Pa Chin is a captivating novel that describes what life in China was like in the twentieth century. Confucianism, a big religion in China at the time, was heavily focused on filial piety. Filial piety is the relationship of obedience, in which the elders are to be respected by the younger generation (Wu, lecture notes, 2015). This religion was one of the main structures on how the society was ran. Chin represents how the younger generation was upset with how the old traditions of the Confucian system were ran and that they were ready to change it.
In the novel Whale Talk, Taoism plays an integral part of the plot from the very beginning. The protagonist of the novel, The Tao Jones, is named by his biological mother after the Taoist book Tao Te Ching. When he enters school, he is often bullied because of his strange name. To avoid being bullied and embarrassed by his classmates, he begins calling himself T.J., his initials. It is very clear that his name is an indicator of what his personality is going to be.
Confucius, Aristotle, and Lao-Tzu—all incredibly influential thinkers—did not always agree on how one ought to live; where Aristotle believed that thought or study led to virtue, Lao-Tzu placed focus on inaction, and Confucius taught that rituals paved the way to the best life. A few ideas, however, tie Confucius closer to Aristotle than to Lao-Tzu. Because Aristotle also placed importance on names, emphasized the need to find a mean of behavior, and believed that rulers should most critically be moral, Confucius would have preferred Aristotle to Lao-Tzu. Names—Aristotle utilizes them, even though he recognizes the difference between what exists in reality and the form represented by its name, while Lao-Tzu, on the other hand, maintains that names only serve to put limits on the named, and, in fact run the risk of creating opposites. According to Lao-Tzu, “Recognize beauty and ugliness is born.
Confucianism enforced harmony, between people while legalism enforced strict following of rules. For confucianism was built on the belief that harmony results when people in society accepted their place in their lives. However, Legalism was built on the fact that all humans are more inclined to do the wrong thing instead of the right thing due to the motivation of self-interest. Confucianism is described through the five key relationships: father to son, elder brother to younger brother, husband to wife, elder friend to younger friend, and ruler to subject. But legalism was described
The third example “Husband and wife were originally birds in the same forest. When destiny determines each flies away” (p.36), Mei is saying Saoqiao is heartbroken and regretful, and even tried to commit suicide after her divorce. These three example conclude Menglong’s languages is hackneyed and low in literary because it quotes a set phrase dismissive of the true emotion between Xingge and Sanqiao. Feng Menglong’s content and method of his edification are different from traditional morality and Neo-Confucian ethics, but I’m still thinking, “The pearl Shirt Reecountered” is an interesting chapter to read because it is different from other books.
Each and every character in Yu Hua’s To Live is a catalyst through which the author explores human nature. The novel itself follows the life of Fugui, whose narrative is framed by pre-communist, Maoist, and post-communist China. Though he chronicles a long period of time, Yu Hua effectively uses characterization to present and prove his claims on human nature. Throughout Fugui’s journey, each character he encounters reflects on an aspect of humanity, through an event or group of people. For example, Long Er symbolizes the death of feudalism, while Fengxia symbolizes the Chinese people under a fascist, nationalist government.
Although both Confucius and Mencius have a lot in common with regards to governance, the two do have varying opinions on certain matters such as the legitimacy when rulers are overthrown, and the relationship between the ruler and his people. In precedence to coming up with policies and administrative measures, one has to first consider the issue of human nature as it plays an essential role in the development of a state 's political system. In the Confucian philosophy, the belief is that goodness is innate in humans and that everyone shares this same trait [子曰:“性相近也,习相远也。”] (Analects, 17.2). Mencius further elaborated on this doctrine by stating that it is mankind’s natural tendency to be kind to others, just as water would naturally flow downwards (Mencius, 6A2).
His approach seemed more objective since it was his intention to follow the will of heaven and regardless of the consequences, a person needed to do what was noble, right, good, and true. Although Confucius and Aristotle had many things in common, I believe the biggest difference is that Aristotle had a more pragmatic approach. Since being happy was the greatest virtue according to his ethical philosophy, it seems to be a much more subjective and relative approach, placing emphasis on the external (choosing and learning to be good – outside-in approach), whereas Confucius’s seemed to focus on the internal (inside-out approach), which was ultimately more beneficial to others because it manifested itself as living out the golden rule. So long as it is grounded in truth, in treating those how one would like to be treated, a kind of peace that surpasses all understanding becomes prominent – resulting in the arts of genuine and authentic