Moral influence stimulates one's thoughts and direction within their interest. This changes within generations, for the reason that society is continuously evolving. The chronicles of two best sellers - The Travels of Marco Polo by Marco Polo and The Strange Stones: Dispatches from the East to West by Peter Hessler - gives a great example on how foreigners enter the Eastern world with mentality/behaviourism. From a merchant's perspective, to a journalist who immerses himself into the society, both authors bring two distinct perspectives to this topic. The impact of social standards, that have evolved over seven centuries, essentially affected the approach and research shown in both authors in perspective of women, religion, the commercial industry and under authority. Through their …show more content…
his wife has a right, if she is inclined, to take another husband” (60, Polo). Marco observed how Mongolian men “kept from fifty to even hundreds of wives” and felt envious to this culture. Even as a Christian - who would sin the act of Polygamy - Marco endorses the act since he feels the presence of virtue, between the relationship, much stronger than a marriage with a Christian woman. In addition, Marco discovers the courtesans in Quinsai are audacious compared to the Western women. Quinsai advocate their sexual culture primarily focused on female pleasure - for women to reach orgasm. This way, the men can better preserve their semen without ejaculating after sexual intercourse . Overall, Marco had concentrated on the aspect of sex due to the influence from back home. Whereas, in the modern day, feminism was arising in the western culture. Hessler’s novel presents a women’s voice, opposed to Marco. In “Boomtown Girl”, Hessler introduces one of his students, whom he taught English at a teacher’s college in Fuling. Her name was Emily, a Chinese women who opposed all traditional gender roles.
Christopher Columbus is a mythical hero or in other words, not a true hero. The story of Christopher Columbus is part of the many myths of Western civilization. Also the story of Christopher Columbus represents the power of those that are privileged and in most cases white European men that have written this mythical history. Zinn (2009 exposes the truth about Columbus through eyes of the people who were there when he had arrived which were the Native Indians (p.481). Columbus had kept a personal journal for his voyage to describe the people and the journey. What was evident throughout his journal was the Native Americans were very nice, gentle and kind hearted people (Zinn, 2009, 481). As Zinn suggests Columbus spoke of the Native Americans as” they are the best people in the world and
Ken Wolf, a professor of history at Murray Sate University and author of Personalities and Problems, wrote with the intent to illustrate the varied richness of human history over the past five centuries. He took various personalities such as adventurers, princes, political leaders, and writers and categorized them in a way for readers to draw lines between them to create a clearer view of world history for himself. Beginning each new chapter with a specific question about worldly concerns and disciplines allowed the readers to relate the topics to broader, more general scenarios of their cultures. Answering the questions in essay form gave examples of how certain cultures/ parts of the world dealt with those issues. The answers that pertained to the questions informed readers about many historical figures without drawing a time line for the course of history and simply reiterating information as in a textbook. Wolf's layout of the book created an interesting, clear, and informative study of world civilizations.
Nowadays the wide array of transportation means and infrastructures at our disposal has made it relatively easy for us to travel from one country to another; even when those countries are thousands of miles away from each other. However, during the 13th and 14th centuries, travelling was not that easy. Yet, two men, the Italian tradesman Marco Polo and the Moroccan Jurist Ibn Battuta became famous for having managed to perform extremely long distance journeys away from their home country. At the end of their long travels, both men shared their experiences with the world via the books, The Travels of Marco Polo and The Travels of Ibn Battuta. An analysis of those two texts reveals two things. On one hand, Marco Polo remained a cultural outsider to the people he met during his travels, thus enhancing his power of observation and stimulating his curiosity. On the other hand, Ibn Battuta travelled as an insider, and consequently he judged the people he met only in light of his Muslim background.
The idea that a single person’s actions can resonate and intrude into other people’s lives is a concept not often though about. Being that each of us has our own individual life to worry about, it is hard to imagine that we are all deeply interconnected to others within the human race. We often tend to only think of ourselves and our immediate families; disregarding our relationship to everyone else in this world. Each one of us holds a position in life in which we all influence one or more persons. Depending on the amount of a power a person holds certain people can influence an even wider range of others. These positions do not always have to do with a career or a job, as socioeconomic positions are fair play in this world (a rich man of resources exudes more power and influence than a homeless man). Even though those who hold more power in society actions and personality can also influences more people than one may think. A person’s occupation can also establish a connection with others which allows for influence. Since people are highly interconnected to others and their surroundings, we must approach the decisions we make with regard to the preservation of morality. Certainly we have law, however it is the duty of the people to make the right choices and to teach doctrines that do not threaten or hurt others. Individuals yield more power than they think they do, as many are influenced by the ways that others approach things. In Susan Griffin’s “Our Secret” and the critically acclaimed film “Babel”, the way in which people are connected seems to be a consistent theme though out both of the texts. In these works we see how the actions or decisions of a single person can influence and corrupt the lives of many.
Torres Gregory, Wanda, and Donna Giancola. "Part 2: The Asian Traditions." World Ethics. Eds. Steve Wainwright, Lee McCracken, and Anna Lustig. Belmont, CA: Wadsworth, Cengage learning, 2002. 197-202. Print.
People are famous for many reasons. Today, it can be started just by sharing one picture and having it spread like wildfire. Back then, it was about traveling and the adventure. Man has been traveling since the dawn of time mainly for getting food and other resources. Meanwhile, they are recording the experiences one encounters along the way. A prime example of this would be a man by the name of Marco Polo. Marco, often mistaken for being the first European to make it to China, was the first person to leave a book based on his experiences. Without him, he would not have inspired people like Christopher Columbus. Although it has been said that Marco Polo reached China, this has been a subject of debate of whether or not this is true. Historians have argued whether or not he ever made it to China for many years. As new evidence emerges, it can be proven that Marco Polo has reached China.
The Declaration of Independence was adopted on July 4, 1776. It was written by Thomas Jefferson with input from other delegates and it stated that “All men are created equal…”. The declaration of Independence was written as an argument for the people claiming that they had the right to do away with King George III’s unfair government and declare independence from it. This event was significant because it guaranteed the governments safety to the people of the United States and it guaranteed that all individuals are treated equal regardless of their skin color, ethnic background, or
History is rich with culture and tradition. Culture and traditions greatly influence people’s behaviors, the way they perceive others, and the way they are perceived by others. Environment also plays into the development of culture and the decisions people make. Although each person has an individualized idea of what culture is and practices their own unique traditions, the fact remains true that every human being is subject to the effects of culture and tradition. Three classic authors accurately portray culture through setting and tradition in order to affect the reader’s view toward the characters and the authors themselves in Zora Neale Hurston’s “The Gilded Six-Bits”, Alice Walker’s “Everyday Use”, and John Patrick Shanley’s Doubt: A Parable.
However, both of the novels express those subjects living by values beyond the social norms as having some power to change societal norms. By examining Turk’s theory of conflict between authorities and subjects, it becomes apparent the deviant behaviour observed from the characters in both novels is an influencing method of power to alter cultural and societal norms.
In 1492, an event took place that would change forever the way the world is viewed, and the way people viewed themselves. When Columbus set foot on that Caribbean island on an August morning over five hundred years ago, he set in motion one of the greatest migrations the world has ever seen. Two separate and distinct worlds met that day, even though both had populated their separate continents. One world, the old world, was made up of Europeans looking for fame and fortune, not necessarily for new and uncharted lands. Divine supports this idea by stating, “They (explorers) came not as colonists but as fortune hunters seeking instant wealth, preferably gold, and they were not squeamish about the means they used to obtain it” (Divine, p.9). The other world, the new world, was made up of “Indians”, or the people native to this newly found hemisphere. They had their own cultures, and treated the newcomers like Gods, not knowing who or what they were. In document two of Gorn, Columbus supports this by saying, “ …and others in loud voices called to all the men and women: Come see the men who cane from the heavens” (Gorn, p.9). The opportunistic and power hungry old worlders took quick advantage of this, eventually either subjugating or outright slaughtering these unsuspecting natives. In document two, Bartlolme de Las Casas states, “And they (Spaniards) committed other acts of force and violence and oppression which made the Indians realize that these men had not come from Heaven” (Gorn, p.13). Why did these adventurers choose to take advantage of the natives they encountered, rather than try to peacefully coincide and cooperate with them? I will try to answer this troubling question while chronicling the documents of Columb...
Western culture, full of contradictions and uncomfortable compromises, is slowly slipping out of balance influencing many people. The increasing social inequality expressed in the increasing gap between the rich and the poor, in people’s obsession by the external signs of success, and not in real development can see this. False images and fake characters leaves you to make the right decision out of the wrong on how you are going to live your life.
Before the most famous historic voyage to the Americas Christopher Columbus had no support to go on his expedition. Christopher Columbus tried to get support from the King of Portugal John II, but he was turned down. Spain finally agreed to sponsor his voyage in 1492 across the Atlantic Ocean. By agreeing to sponsor Christopher Columbus voyage they believed they would have gained leverage in what they were trying to do in Spain. The Reconquista made the Spaniards very powerful. By Christopher Columbus finding new land with people and gold it convinced King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella to continue to support his voyages. Even though the king and queen believed that allowing him to go on the voyages benefited them it actually allowed Christopher
Many scholars believe his accounts of the city are exaggerated and Marco Polo even states himself “that it is not easy to even put it in writing.” (317). Furthermore his accounts of the women in China seem to be exaggerated as well as missing some information of the society: “These women are extremely accomplished in the arts of allurement, and readily adapt their conversation to all sorts of persons, insomuch that strangers who have once tasted their attractions seems to get bewitched, and are so taken with their blandishments and their fascinating ways that they never seem to get these out of their heads.” (317). While women in China experienced fewer restraints, there were still many patriarchal rules put in place that made women subordinate to men. The act of foot-binding was one such rule which placed an emphasis on “small size, frailty, and deference and served to keep women restricted to the ‘inner quarters’ (331). For reasons unknown, Marco Polo leaves this excruciating detail out of his tales completely, leaving some scholars to question whether he really did make it to
This is an analysis of Christopher Columbus’s Letter on His First Voyage on page 381. Christopher Columbus wrote a letter to his King and Queen of Spain, while he was in the West Indies. He wrote this letter in February 1493 reflecting on his voyage across the Atlantic in 1492. After reading this letter, I can tell that Columbus felt like he was better than the native people of the different islands he journeyed and that a lot of things they did were very strange to him. I can also tell that the world was a lot different to him and to people in 1492, than it is to people in 2014 because he referred to the native people of the various islands he traveled to as Indians, whereas most people in 2014 know that India and Latin American are not the
It holds that, as a matter of fact, moral beliefs and practices vary between cultures (and sometimes between groups within a single society). For instance, some societies condemn homosexuality; others accept it; in some cultures a student who corrects a teacher would be thought to be disrespectful; elsewhere such behavior might be encouraged. The rules, principles and standards that constitute a morality differ in different religions, and cultures, just as they differ historically. The morality of ancient Greece was not the morality of feudal Europe or contemporary American; the morality of the Trobriand Islanders is not the same as the morality of the Kwakiutl Indians (Barnet, 2008). In this paper I intend to argue that moral reasoning