Shangri-La: a mystical lamasery that serves as either a paradise, prison, or both to those who happen to stumble across it. “Our prevalent belief is in moderation. We inculcate the virtue of avoiding excess of all kinds”(76). Moderation, defined as “the avoidance of excess or extremes, especially in one's behavior or political opinions,” is part of the tenet of Shangri-La and plays an important role in the nearby Valley of the Blue Moon. In James Hilton’s fictional novel Lost Horizon, 4 individuals known as Conway, Mallinson, Brinklow, and Barnard are kidnapped while attempting to escape a revolution. They are rescued, and brought to the secretive and uncharted lamasery known as Shangri-La, where they unlock a world of mystery and impossibilities. …show more content…
Lo-Tsen, a Manchu princess who arrived at Shangri-La at the tender age of 18 in 1884, looks like she has not aged a year. However, it is only the mystic properties of Shangri-La and its tradition of moderation that keep her young; when she leaves Shangri-La, she ages rapidly: “About that Chinese woman,... was she young?... Oh no, she was most old-- most old of anyone I have ever seen”(240). The doctor who treated protagonist Hugh Conway said this about Lo-Tsen, having seen her when she dropped Conway off at the hospital. It is later revealed that the old woman the doctor spoke of grew ill and died not much after. In order to live an abnormally long life, like those who live in Shangri-La enjoy, one must embrace the concept of moderation. The residents of Shangri-La have done such: Father Perrault learned over ten languages during his time at Shangri-La, though he believes that he could have learned twenty had he been immoderate. Shangri-La is a peaceful sanctuary, away from the all the suffering and strife in the modernized world. Those who reside at Shangri-La often willingly adopt its doctrine of moderation, as they are keen to explore, and later exhaust, their passions. For example, Ms. Brinklow learned Tibetan in order to convert the residents of the valley to Christianity. However, the undertaking of these passions leads to exhaustion of said passions, and that is what leads to wisdom. …show more content…
Fertile and rich with natural resources, it is a businessman’s Garden of Eden. Peaceful, and rid of all crime, it is a Utopia for those who seek an escape from all of the conflict and suffering found in the “outside world.” There is almost no form of structured government: “Ah, but you see, we believe that to govern perfectly it is necessary to avoid governing too much”(119). Conway and Chang were discussing how the valley effectively runs itself; it is clear that it is run by moderation. Moderation in the sense of an almost non-existent government; governing in moderation, per se. There is no democratic institution: voting is non-existent, and there are no set laws, only actions that are “not done.” The people of the valley are peaceful, and without want, according to Chang. The system of moderation that is present in the valley allows all affairs to run smoothly.There is no intervention in the valley, and the people are left to run their own business, free from government presence. The residents of the valley are mellow, and that is what allows the system of moderation to work so effectively. However, moderation in governance does not mean a non-existent government. Intervention is still an entirely possible scenario, and punishments are meted at the discretion of the servants of the lamasery. But, the moderation omnipresent in the valley is the key factor that keeps the
She heard about the Hmong through a friend, and so she spent 4 years living in Merced, California and another 5 writing this book. She attempts to stay fairly neutral in her writing, though through her time with the Lees, she confesses that her writing may appear biased toward the Hmong culture rather than toward the Americans. However, in the end she could not blame one side or the other for the unfortunate tragedy of Lia, who got hit in the cross-fire between these two cultures. Her theoretical view is a type of cultural relativism. Neither the Hmong nor the Americans could emerge as the better culture. She does not address any questions about direct unethical practices. The Hmong did not practice human sacrifices, and the animals they did sacrifice were theirs. She does seem to believe that every culture has its weak and strong
2) Medical pluralism was used to treat Lia in Fadiman’s book as she was treated using both Western medicine and Hmong medicine. For example, she was taken to Merced County Hospital by her parents after she began to have seizures to get her looked at by Doctors and while there she was treated using western medication. At the same time though her family also treated her using Hmong medical beliefs which involved sacrificing animals in an attempt to bring her spirit back as well as visiting Twix Neeb, a Hmong shaman, in Michigan in an attempt to get professional help in curing their daughter.
... story ‘Harrison Bergeron’, it can be derived that that these societies have strict rules and regulations, citizens of the society have become so adapted that they are afraid of change, and there is a severe lack of freedom. Both environments displayed uncivilized and inappropriate behavior, with innocent people being killed in front of their loved ones. What appeared to be an innocent tradition and harmless government turned out to be the perfect recipe for disaster.
To conclude, with the Lees being Hmong and not wanting to conform to society and abide by the way things works, I feel Lia’s fate was inevitable. The doctors did as much as they could, but in the end, it still wasn’t enough to prevent Lia from going brain dead. Language and communication may have been the one thing that caused Lia to suffer because the doctors couldn’t understand the Hmong and the Hmong couldn’t or refused to understand the doctors.
Earlier this year, I became the government. Everyday, for the next few days, I woke up before the sun rose and filled my hotel room with light. In business professional attire, I would walk down the halls of the California State Capitol and into the Assembly Chambers. I experienced firsthand how the administration of our society works. There came a day, a cloudy day with rain falling momentarily, in which a protest was gathered in the streets. A man spoke, asking for the government to remove its mask. I failed to understand. What did this man want? Deep in my gut, I knew a life of terror, a life a darkness, and a life of despair could only be the outcome of the absence of government. This ideal is explained by the classic novel, Lord of the Flies by William Golding, which explores the universal theme that civilization is significant, regarding its role in securing that man does not return to his primitive nature of savagery.
Similarly, Wong also grew up in America with a traditional Chinese mother. In contrast, Wong’s upbringing involves her mother forcing her into attending two different schools. After her American school day, Wong continues on with Chinese school to learn both cultures. Her mother felt it was her duty to “[. . .] learn the language of [her] heritage” (Wong 144). This puts a burden on Wong as she starts to despise the Chinese culture.
O-lan said many significant things that showed her to be the modest woman she was. She was a very quiet woman. Though she spoke very few words, they meant so much. In the first part of the book, when the Ancient One asked O-lan if she was ready to head into the world with this stranger, answering in her "not loud, not soft, plain, and not ill-tempered" voice, she says, "ready" (17). Many times, O-lan is fearful of speaking. When it is the first time taking hot water to the old man, she tells Wang Lung fearfully, "'I took no tea to the Old One-I did as you said-but to you I . . .'" (27). O-lan listens well to Wang Lung, but fears that she is not doing her jobs correctly. O-lan's timidity when she first gets married is only natural for her situation. At the b...
Li, Chenyang. The sage and the second sex: Confucianism, ethics, and gender. Chicago, Ill.: Open Court, 2000. Print.
This article is a good example of how life would be like for a foreigner in a different country. Because the author talks about the Chinese culture, living space and funeral. The author uses a humorous tone to talk about her living in China. This story has great balance between humor and emotions. “The Old Man Isn’t There Anymore”, by Kellie Schmitt tells a beautiful tale of her experience of life in China.
In the time they spend at Shangri-La they learn that this is a Utopia where they do not age. Because of the people's long life, they find time to become educated and "achieve calmness and profundity, ripeness and wisdom, and the clear enchantment of memory" (155). Surprisingly, the paradise is rich in culture. It contained work of art that "museums and millionaire alike would have bargained for" (94). Along with the arts, Shangri-La's library contains "a multitude of books … that the whole atmosphere was more of wisdom than of learning" (95). The distinct philosophical views of Shangri-La create the essence of th...
The scene is always the same: the three of us sitting in a room together, talking. I see her from the corner of my eye, glancing for only a second or two, but always long enough to notice the look on her face, the expression I’ve become so painfully familiar with over the years. I am forced to turn away; the conversation resumes. She is a few feet from us. She hears everything, and understands nothing except what she can gather from the expressions on our faces, the tone of our voices. She pretends not to be bothered, smiling at us and interjecting random questions or comments in Chinese—a language I was raised to speak, a language I’ve slowly forgotten over the years, a language that is now mine only by blood. It is an earnest but usually futile attempt to break through the invisible barrier that separates her from us, and in spite of all her efforts to hide it, that sad, contem...
... the existence of the absolute authority of the sovereign there is the threat of returning to the State of Nature because there is nobody to punish anyone who breaks the social contract. Furthermore, the people have consented to the existence of the sovereign with absolute authority and they must accept that whatever the sovereign decides to do is an action that they have consented to through the social contract.
I find it interesting that this piece places such an emphasis on person versus the state. It is apparent through the text that this issue has plagued society since ancient times. This theme reminded me of the multiple times that challenging the state has worked out to the benefit of humanity.
...Also an important quote is when she says, "But today I realize I've never really known what it means to be Chinese. I am thirty-six years old" (857). Even though she was in her 30's and still had that identity crisis, it was uplifting knowing that all it took for her to resolve that conflict was one meeting with her sisters.
Lindo Jong provides the reader with a summary of her difficulty in passing along the Chinese culture to her daughter: “I wanted my children to have the best combination: American circumstances and Chinese character. How could I know these two things do not mix? I taught her how American circumstances work. If you are born poor here, it's no lasting shame . . . You do not have to sit like a Buddha under a tree letting pigeons drop their dirty business on your head . . . In America, nobody says you have to keep the circumstances somebody else gives you. . . . but I couldn't teach her about Chinese character . . . How to know your own worth and polish it, never flashing it around like a cheap ring. Why Chinese thinking is best”(Tan 289).