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Ancient china social structure essay
Ancient china social hierarchy
Ancient china social structure essay
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Maxine Hong Kingston’s “On Discovery”, was an interesting read. The description of what is happening to Tang Ao in this paints a very painful reality of the ways of the Chinese woman. I am not familiar with Chinese culture but have heard stories of binding the feet because small feet are considered beautiful. These stories were told to me because I have tiny feet for my size and my mother said it was a sign of beauty in the Chinese culture. My feet however did not need to be painfully bound. What are my fellow student’s interpretation of this
The article “Navigating the Age of Exploration” by Ted Widmer explains how people view American history with only the assumptions pertaining to the present boundaries of the United States instead of seeing the world as explorers did during the Age of Exploration and expanding our boundaries to understand America’s history more fully. Widmer points out that many teachers of American history don’t teach a full continental perspective extending beyond American borders, which doesn’t give credit to the various cultures that contributed to the foundation of the United States. Today, people know little about the contributions of explorers during the Age of Exploration, and their impacts on America. During the Age of Exploration, the Europeans created
From the beginning of Wang Lung’s marriage to O-lan, she saved him time, money, and effort without complaint. She offered wisdom when asked and was smart in the ways of the world. During the famine, when the family went south in search of food, O-lan taught her children how to beg for food, “dug the small green weeds, dandelions, and shepherds purse that thrust up feeble new leaves”(p. 128). She raised her children prudently. She knew how to bind her daughter’s feet, and she gave them a better childhood than she had had. O-lan knew that the land was the only consistent thing in her life, so she willingly helped Wang Lung as he bought more and more land. O-lan knew her place in the family was as a wife and mother. As a wife, she fe...
In Unbound Feet: A Social History of Chinese Women in San Francisco, Judy Yung narrates the story of the immigration of Chinese American women to San Francisco, their struggles to maintain their homes and raise their children, their ability to acculturate into a foreign way of life, and how these women were ultimately able to succeed in the United States. Unbound Feet is a multi-layered book, with Yung using her own family history as the starting place for her interest and research into the immigration of Chinese American women. Moreover, the title is a play on the Chinese practice of foot binding which “involved tightly wrapping the feet of young girls with bandages until the arches were broken, the toes permanently bent
Traditions in Chinese culture are long-rooted and are taken very seriously from generation to generation. However, there must always be room for modern change in order for society to grow and strive across the globe. In Bound Feet and Western Dress the conflict between Chinese traditions and modern change arises. With this conflict it is important to discuss the different meanings of liberation for men and women and they way in which Chang Yu-I was able to obtain liberation throughout her life.
The world we live is in no ways perfect. Our world is littered with pride and greed. We want money and to advance in our life and in some ways we forget the people we walk over. It is about the money and it doesn’t matter who gets in our way. Most people also have a problem with admitting their mistakes. The United States of America was at one time a country that on the outside seemed to be perfect, but in truth it had dark secrets. It held slaves for hundreds of years and once they were emancipated the world turned to other means. Releasing the slaves gave the people freedom according to the Constitution, but they were never truly free. The people had fought all of their lives. Caucasian people still had this idea that they were better because of the color of their skin. Slavery was still a part of the world, but instead of being held in chains their individuality was taken away. They couldn’t be or do what they wanted because they were forced to live and do what and how the white people wanted. No matter how hard it got, they still had hope. They knew that their ancestors had succeeded and that if they continued to try they would succeed. In The Explorer by Gwendolyn Brooks and Fredrick Douglass by Robert Hayden show in three way hoe people were hurt, but also the wants of the people: freedom, hope and individuality.
The word “bias” has always had a negative connotation. Although it is used synonymously with bigotry and prejudice, its meaning is actually more akin to “point of view,” “personal tendency,” or “preference.” Just as every individual has her own worldview, so she has a set of biases. These biases are often observable in a person’s habits, speech, and, perhaps most explicitly, writings. Daniel Boorstin, renowned University of Chicago professor, historian, author, and librarian of Congress, is undeniably biased towards certain cultures in The Discoverers. A book chronicling mankind’s scientific history, its first words are “My hero is Man the Discoverer.” In his telling of “man’s search to know his world and himself,” Boorstin declares that
Most outcasts of history had a particular, exclusive life; full of struggles against the society ever since birth and grew up with a heart made out of steel from the harsh criticism they have endured. They differ from the community within their beginning to their end, and many of their stories end up becoming legends and gaps of the past that nobody will be able to reincarnate. China’s first and last female emperor, Wu Zetian, was one of these exclusives. Ever since birth, her history of tactics to the people around her; in order to ascend the throne, juxtaposed towards society’s attitudes of women at the time; through her breakdown of gender stereotypes and quick knowledge, and offered a new perspective to the world of just how cruel and beautiful women can be. She successfully destructed all accumulated views of women in the Tang Dynasty, and created her future in the way she wanted it – on top of every man in her country. She was an outcast – somebody who juxtaposed against the demands of her. She was history.
Our inquisitive America, extensively interested in science, geography, history, and art, had an enormous discovery sitting in its backyard. The Corps of Discovery – installed with dangerous travel, difficult interactions, and golden opportunities – was America’s greatest expedition, led by the famous Meriwether Lewis and his chosen partner, William Clark.
In China, women were put in subservient positions to society. They were quiet, obedient creatures who "gathered patience". Song speaks of how women learned to provide for their families, as they were "learning to stretch the family rice". Women were expected to serve a purpose and be seen and not heard.
A custom common at the time, it ensured the prevention of growth in the feet of young girls. The coveted result was one of pain and disability, however, was considered one of beauty, prestige, and social standing. Those with bound feet, or "lotus feet," were admired for their dainty feet and the beauty that was acquired through painful bindings around the feet. This is a portrayal of the status of women in society as well as the males' population's perception of women. A representation of the aristocratic hierarchy present in China, the prevalence of those with small feet were often among the wealthy and they possessed a higher position in society as a result of their husband. Due to the nature of the bindings, women would develop a careful and cautious walk composed of tiny steps. The nature of their walk asserted that women were seen as mere items of pleasure to men, as their walk did not enable them to work. This limited mobility may reflect the limitations women suffered in politics and society as they were perceived as less adept and competent as their male counterparts. As items of pleasure and service, the role of women in society may be illustrated in the tradition of foot
Wang Lung needs a wife so saves up the little money he has and buys a woman who is a slave named O-lan. O-lan is sold to Wang Lung so she can take care of the home, cooking and bear children. Wang Lung is disappointed when he first sees O-lan because she does not have bound feet which was a desirable quality at that time but he does enjoy when O-lan has the food ready when he comes in a night from the land. Wang Lung is very proud when O-lan makes cakes that no one else in the village knows how to makes and when his family comes to feast for the new year at their house.
(Un)Bound feet: Wang Lung is disappointed and repulsed when he realizes that O-lan's feet are not bound. O-lan was sold to the great house as a child, and thus, her mother did not have the time to bind her feet. Later, O-lan insists on tightly binding the feet of their second daughter so that she may have small feet. The girl cries every night because of the pain. Lotus has small feet that have been bound.
Helen Gardner the author of the article, “As You Like It: A Comedy of Discovery” states that Shakespeare’s play “As You Like It” plans for the characters to eventually “find happiness by recognizing and accepting the briars with the roses, the sour with the sweet.” The author points out here that in order for the characters to achieve the ultimate goal of happiness in the end they have to be able to recognize and accept everything for what it is. The example she argues is “the briars with the roses, the sour with the sweet” meaning that you must push through the adversities and the hazards that come with happiness or in this case, the rose. The Forest of Arden is a pleasant refuge from the barbaric court life. The characters gain an understanding
Kingston uses the story of her aunt to show the gender roles in China. Women had to take and respect gender roles that they were given. Women roles they had to follow were getting married, obey men, be a mother, and provide food. Women had to get married. Kingston states, “When the family found a young man in the next village to be her husband…she would be the first wife, an advantage secure now” (623). This quote shows how women had to get married, which is a role women in China had to follow. Moreover, marriage is a very important step in women lives. The marriage of a couple in the village where Kingston’s aunt lived was very important because any thing an individual would do would affect the village and create social disorder. Men dominated women physically and mentally. In paragraph eighteen, “they both gav...
Is it because he was a woman that he cried out at the sight of a child being harmed? Did he not cry out at the death of his wife because she was a woman? The role of the female in this story reveals a sense of inferiority towards women. These questions that the story raises show how women were viewed as inferior and weak in the eyes of the Chinese culture.