DOWNFALL OF PRINCE SHEN-SHENG - Chinese Literature   Term Paper ID:27728 Click to get this paper

Essay Subject: Uses THE DOWNFALL OF PRINCE SHEN-SHENG as basis for analysis of themes in Chinese literature. Focus is on responsibilities of rulers.... More...

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Paper Abstract: Uses THE DOWNFALL OF PRINCE SHEN-SHENG as basis for analysis of themes in Chinese literature. Focus is on responsibilities of rulers. Paper Introduction: Many of the important ideas that would be transmitted and repeated throughout Chinese history began early in that history, as early as the Chou dynasty and before. Some of these conceptions are reflected in the literature of the era and would reappear in later literature. These ideas can be seen in early historical writings such as "The Downfall of Prince Shen-sheng," and a variety of cultural and social elements of the time can be discerned in this story. An important theme in Chinese literature is the responsibilities that devolve to the ruler, and this theme is clearly important in the story under discussion. It was a theme that developed early in Chinese history: For unexplainable reasons the Chinese, as early as the first millennium before Christ, during the Zhou (Chou) Text of the Paper: The entire text of the paper is shown below. However, the text is somewhat scrambled. We want to give you as much information as we possibly can about our papers and essays, but we cannot give them away for free. In the text below you will find that while disordered, many of the phrases are essentially intact. From this text you will be able to get a solid sense of the writing style, the concepts addressed, and the sources used in the research paper. Even at this early period, it is seen asright to question wrong decisions by the ruler, as does Pi Cheng when hequestions this change: I have heard. Someone tells Shen-sheng hehas done no wrong and should flee, but he will not because to do so wouldplace blame in the wrong place. Works CitedBirch, Cyril. This would not be in keeping with hisdedication to his mother or his father. Early in history thinkers articulated a sense of social malaise and proposed tactical and strategic ways for altering conditions, making the Chinese unique among ancient peoples (Pye 31).The question of what is the right way to rule infuses the story of PrinceShen-sheng. An important theme in Chinese literature is the responsibilities thatdevolve to the ruler, and this theme is clearly important in the storyunder discussion. that he who serves his ruler follows what is right but does not flatter the ruler's delusions. Over time, this is a very large group and isfurther divided into sublineages and their constituent families. Similarly, ideas about religion are evident in this tale and can alsobe seen as developing during this era. If the ruler is deluded the people will be misled, and if the people are misled they will abandon virtue (Birch 35).Hsun Hsi expresses the differing view that the ruler should always beobeyed: "Whomsoever the ruler establishes as his successor we shouldfollow. Oracle bones indicate the presences of the practice.Thompson says that ancestor worship is not merely a ritual observance ofthe past or even of the present but is also the root from which the lineagetree has grown (Thompson 36-37). What right have we to question this change?" (Birch 35). The practice of ancestor worship can be divided into funeral rites,mourning observances, and the continuing sacrifice to the manes, or spiritof the deceased. In the ancient age, ancestor worship wasprevalent. (Birch 37).Lady Li uses the fact that such a sacrifice is revered to carry out herplan, for she poisons the offering itself knowing how it will be receivedby the duke once he returns from hunting. These practices served as the means to express the griefof the survivors in accepted or ceremonial manner, to help the spirit ofthe dead in its journey through purgatory, to give peace to the soul in thegrave so it would not become a malevolent ghost, to obtain the blessings ofthe soul for the family, to give the family and the clan a continuing senseof wholeness, and to demonstrate the move and remembrance in which thefamily continued to hold its deceased members. As a result of properevidence of continuing love and remembrance, the ancestors would send downto them good luck, health, happiness, wealth, and so on. Li means ritually proper deportment in all socialcircumstances. The importance of ancestor worship appears in this story when Lady Litells the prince that he must sacrifice to his mother: Last night our lord dreamt of your mother, the princess of Ch'i. The Chinese word for lineage is tsu, which refers to the maledescendants of a common ancestor, bearing the same surname, and includingtheir wives and children. We tend to think of this interms of the future of humanity, but the Chinese tend to think of it as themost important requirement for the support of the older generation andthose that have passed away. Anthology of Chinese Literature. . At this time, leadership was still primarily a matter ofheredity. (Does the name of the Lady Li refer to this meaning? Sourceas of Chinese Tradition: Volume I. The son and his wife lived with the parents and owedabsolute obedience to them. Some of these conceptions are reflected in theliterature of the era and would reappear in later literature. The family is a vital element inthe religion of China and in popular culture, with ancestor worship, filialpiety, and family structure both in the present and in terms of the pastholding an important position. Hsiao is the basis for the family's government, and different aspectsof life have been adapted to the rule of hsiao and to the role of ancestorworship. Belmont, California: 1989. As Menciusstated: There are three things which are unfilial, and the greatest of them is to have no posterity (De Bary, Chan, and Watson, 196 , 98). New York: Columbia University Press, 196 .Pye, Lucian W. Chinese Religion. Confucius would later call for three years of mourning for the deathof a parent, and this was based on the fact that the child does not leavethe parents' arms until three years old. Lineageties are renewed through various rituals, including elaborate mourningrites and the wearing of mourning garments for long periods of time.Proper conduct based on family lineage are known as li, which includeseverything from the most weighty religious ceremonies to the trivialitiesof daily etiquette. Theodore, Wing-Tsit Chin, and Burton Watson. The Prince is designated crown prince because he is the eldestson of Duke Hsien, but the birth of Hsi-ch'i causes the duke to change hismind and alter the succession. . If there wereno heirs, the ancestral sacrifices would be discontinued. Prince Shen-sheng is himself the proper model of deportment, and eventhough he knows how he and his father are being manipulated by this woman, He is the model of passive suffering, a figure tragically paralyzed by the ideal of filial piety (Birch 37).This dedication to an ideal is more important than winning against theenemy, and it is clear from this story that the enemy--Lady Li--knows thisand makes use of it to destroy father and son. Many of the important ideas that would be transmitted and repeatedthroughout Chinese history began early in that history, as early as theChou dynasty and before. How reverence was to be shown was embodied inthe codes of li. They had no independent property rights. New York: Grove Weidenfeld, 1965.De Bary, Wm. These ideascan be seen in early historical writings such as "The Downfall of PrinceShen-sheng," and a variety of cultural and social elements of the time canbe discerned in this story. The power ancestors seem to have over theirdescendants seems to derive from the fact that the ancestors are able tointercede with the Supreme Ruler in Heaven to send down blessings orcalamities, as written in Shu Ching. Ancestor worship was firstconfined to the kinship group, and in this story the kinship between motherand son reflects this worship. Marriage in all cultures is rationalized as an institution forthe production and nurturing of children. That right came about as the Chinese people demanded that rulers notbe hereditary but competent: At an early stage in their history, the Chinese also abandoned the traditions of an aristocracy based on birth and invented the great principle that those who manage government should do so because of merit and individual attainment in competitive examinations (Pye 31).This would occur some time after the date of this story, but we can see inthe story the early development of this view as decisions of the ruler arequestioned as to whether they are right and are not accepted simply becausethe ruler has given orders. You must sacrifice to her spirit at once and bring him a portion of the sacrifice! Boston: Little, Brown and Company, 1984.Thompson, Laurence G. It is notclear whether it does or not, though the idea of proper comportment doeshave much to do with this individual, though it is a requirement sheviolates.) Filiality means the elevation of the parents to a highposition, with the son emulating the father and revering him at the sametime. The assumption from the most ancienttimes has been that living and dead are dependent on one another, thelatter for sacrifices and the former for blessings. Thompson notes that the family has centralimportance in Chinese society. Inliterature there are many stories of filial sons and their wivessacrificing everything for the comfort and well-being of their parents.Propagation was another way of showing devotion to parents and ancestors,for not to have an heir was a heinous offense against hsiao. It was a theme that developed early in Chinese history: For unexplainable reasons the Chinese, as early as the first millennium before Christ, during the Zhou (Chou) dynasty, developed an awareness of government and began to ask what the ideal form of the state should be. China: An Introduction. The reason for the development of the system of li was toserve as the means for emphasizing status in society, and the code ofbehavior rested on an ideal called hsiao, commonly referred to as filialpiety. This form of worship is usually considered a feature ofprimitive cultures. If this paper is not what you are looking for, you can search again: Search for: or Click here to request an essay written just for you.

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