Choice relating to virtue

Literary Blog Entry 3

After reading “Diary of a Madman,” by Lu Xun, “Sealed Off,” by Zhang Ailing, and “Man of La Mancha,” by Chu-T’len-Hsin, there seems to be a common theme: choices. In Eastern Asian writings, a trend was used among philosophers such as Confucius, who wrote about people making virtually sound decisions, and how they could become more virtuous. In between the 1920’s and 1930’s there was a noticeable change in writing styles as they began to take a more Western turn.  

To teach on the topic of choices in Contemporary Eastern Literature in the classroom I would have students learn about Chinese culture and how it impacts the choices the characters in the afore mentioned books made. Students could read passages and interpret the meaning and write how Chinese culture and traditions may or may not affect decision making and possible different outcomes.  “Sealed Off,” talks about situations people were faced with daily. “Inside the tram, people were fairly quiet. They had somewhere to sit, and though the place was rather plain, it still was better, for most of them, than what they had at home.” Students could compare “Diary of a Madman,” “Sealed Off,” and “Man of La Mancha,” how being in the war during that time may have affected human relationships.

By bringing popular culture into the classroom, such as having students read a book from a “manga” series that reflected Chinese or Japanese culture and traditions, giving students a modern perspective how culture can influence decision making. Students could also write a sequel using a manga style format.

                                                        

Works Cited

Ailing, Z. (2014). Sealed Off. Contemporary World Literature. The Norton Anthology World Literature. Second Edition- Vol. 2. New York: W.W. Norton & Company: Puchner

Frontiers in Psychology. (2020). Retrieved from https://thetecsite.com/free-manga-websites-to-read-manga-online

Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://iep.utm.edu/confuciu/

Shen Yung Performing Arts. (2020). Retrievedfrom: https://www.shenyunperformingarts.org/explore/view/article/e/RfnBu8uCUfg/the-phoenix-of-the-orient.html 

The Tec Site. (2019). Retrieved from https://thetecsite.com/free-manga-websites-to-read-manga-online

T’len-Hsin, C. (2014). Man of La Mancha. Contemporary World Literature. The Norton Anthology World Literature. Second Edition- Vol. 2. New York: W.W. Norton & Company: Puchner

YunnanGateway. (2006). Retrieved from: http://english.yunnan.cn/html/2018/culture_0405/13945.html

Xun, L. (2014). Diary of a Madman. Contemporary World Literature. The Norton Anthology World Literature. Second Edition- Vol. 2. New York: W.W. Norton & Company: Puchner