The Chinese Dynasties are some of the most well-known empires in history. The topic of this report is on the book, ‘When China Ruled the Seas: The Treasure Fleet of The Dragon Throne’ by Louise Levathes. This book was written to narrate the history of China’s gigantic treasure fleet and the policies and events that changed the Ming Dynasty and eventually reached a global influence. Unfortunately, this book also gives a plethora of historical tidbits which the author could’ve explained all at the beginning at the book so she didn’t have to constantly look back at another event for reference and explain why she bought it up.
“Silly monkey. You were never out of my reach. You only fooled yourself.”. These wise words from Tze-Yo-Tzuh set the stage for The Monkey King’s nadir. In particular, on pages 76 and 77, the author portrays The Monkey King's loss of power.
The Yuan dynasty also known as the Mongol dynasty, was considered a brief irrelevance in China’s long history. There are many arguments to say that the Yuan dynasty did in fact make its mark on China’s history. Whereas others argue that the Yuan dynasty was in fact, a irrelevance in China’s history that does not need to be as noted as other dynasties of greater importance. The Yuan dynasty came to pass after the Song dynasty was destroyed by the Mongols river battles and sieges against them. This was only the start of the Mongols reign and need of power.
He tapped the pane 3 times with his claw… The bird spread his wings and flew up into the maple tree. She grabbed the broom…went outside and shook the branches of the tree… ‘Go,’ she shouted…the bird…flew off into the night”(Otsuka 19-20). The bird is the strongest representation of the theme in the novel. It was taken into captivity by the family and put in a cage
Amadou Hampaté Bâ is extremely detailed throughout the book, The Fortunes of Wangrin, in explaining the colonial world in West African societies. He provides multiple examples in this work of fiction that precisely describe the factual aspects of African colonialism that we have discussed in class. I will point out a few of the examples that Bâ uses such as: limitations colonial governments set on Africans, the Métis relationships within colonies, and issues that arose, not only between Europeans and Africans, but within the native African communities as well. I will then point out certain details from the book that do not perfectly reflect the components of colonialism that we have studied in lecture.
Killing old hens served the purpose of making room for new chicks. Perhaps even though her day was a horrid conclusion of an unhappy marriage, the theme is that the aching loss of her husband will serve to make room for some good in her life. When have to let things go that aren’t meant for us, even when it’s hard. In “Escapes” by Ann Hood, Caryn is looking after her niece, Jennifer, who is young and troubled.
One of this week’s readings focused on Ch. 5, “Caged Birds,” in Professor Lytle Hernandez’s book City of Inmates: Conquest, Rebellion, and the Rise of Human Caging in Los Angeles, 1771-1965, and this chapter was particularly interesting because it further explained the development of immigration control in the United States. As a continuation from the last chapter, there was a huge emphasis in the Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882 and the Geary Act of 1892. This essentially prohibited Chinese laborers from immigrating to the United States, as well as eventually requiring these people to comply with regulations. “Caged Birds” encapsulates the events afterwards, as the book heads well into the early-1900’s. The disenfranchisement of immigrants develops towards further exclusivity because “[by] 1917, Congress had banned all Asian immigration to the Unites States and also categorically prohibited all prostitutes, convicts, anarchists, epileptics, ‘lunatics,’ ‘
“No Questions, No Answers: China and A Book from the Sky” by Stanley K. Abe is a short text centered around Xu Bing’s A Book from the Sky exhibit and how it affected/caused various ideals in both China and foreign environments. Abe starts off with a story about Yang and how her inadequate skills at Chinese calligraphy caught up to her when she came to the west for a book signing. Thus, giving a sense of how it is to be Asian and entering western society. This story is told in order to give an little background in understanding how the west views Asian culture/people and gives a lead in to how this notion would affect A Book from the sky.
The metaphor of the birds also serves to create a sense of movement and tension within the poem, as the birds engage in a battle of wills that reflects the speaker's own struggle for
Throughout the story, the narrator feels powerless about his situation, and he envies birds for their ability to fly and be free. The protagonist says, "I told Mom my theory of why we like birds –– of how birds are a miracle because they prove to us there is a finer, simpler state of being which we may strive to attain.” The protagonist of the story uses birds as a metaphor for freedom, escape, and finding nobility in what he views as a harsh world. The protagonist is saying that birds are a symbol of hope and freedom and that they represent a simpler way of life that we should strive to achieve. The narrator expresses his desire to become a bird, as he says, “just make me a bird - that’s all I ever wanted - a white graceful bird free of shame and taint and fear of loneliness.”
Who I am is divided into two distinct sections: the shy, reliant child I was before Upward Bound and the confident, independent adult I have become. Upward Bound (UB) is a college preparatory program for low-income, first-generation college students, but its effects go much deeper than that. The workshops during the school year provide opportunities to meet college students in an informal setting where they can be honest about their college experiences. My first year I remember a girl telling me, “The first week I got to college I cried myself to sleep every night,” which was terrifying to hear. It made me dread the summer segment of UB, when I would stay on Ohio University’s campus in Athens for five weeks to take mock college classes.
In the book Wild Swans: Three Daughters of China by Jung Chang, the author talks about the stories of her grandmother and mother as well as herself during their journeys as women in China. The book discusses how gender roles, political ideology, and economic ideology in China change over time. During the entirety of Chinese history, many changes and continuities transpired and had crucial impacts on China. However, a great amount of change occurred during the time period from the 1900s to present day. These changes and continuities incorporate happenings in areas concerning the treatment of women, political structure, and economic capacity.
Dwarfed by the height of Mont Blanc, the Creature and his creator meet for what seems like the first time. The Creature expresses the injustice dealt to him, proclaiming: “Remember that I am thy creature—I ought to be thy Adam—but I am rather the fallen angel, whom thou drivest from joy for no misdeed.” The Creature feels he deserves a better lot in life, staking a claim to the place of the most holy creation of God – that of the first human. From the Creature’s perspective, his fall is similar to Lucifer’s, the ‘fallen angel,’ cast from Heaven for no other reason than a disagreement with God. In the Creature’s narrowed view, this is no crime at all.
The narrator is aghast when he realizes that the bird can speak. The narrator, both confused and amazed, starts showering the ebony bird with questions. His confusion only grows stronger when he realizes that the bird has only one reply for, Nevermore that he keeps on repeating. The poems major themes are death and sorrow and the nature of the
The traditional Chinese cultures have a development process for thousand years, now we are creating another kind of traditional culture especially under the wave of globalization. Although the form of expressing or performing the culture experienced some changes but the basic idea and belief behind rarely changed. To promote Chinese culture we would refer to the essence of Chinese wisdom so the following is actual practicing of different dimensions of Chinese traditions which show the beauty of China. The family concept is the essence of Chinese culture.
