Confucian In Japan Essay Example for Free

Confucian In Japan Essay It is fundamental that anyone that wants to understand the Japanese understand their way of life, their cultural roots. To be Japanese is to be Confucian. In Japan, there is an order and a structure to every aspect of life from older brother to younger brother on up to emperor and military. There is a Confucian saying, a code of conduct that they live and die by. â€Å"Only when things are investigated is knowledge extended; only when knowledge is extended are thoughts sincere; only when thoughts are sincere are minds rectified; only where minds are rectified are the characters of persons cultivated; only when character is cultivated are families regulated; only when families are regulated are states well governed; only when states are well governed is there peace in the world† (Neo, â€Å"The Confucian Ethics of Raise the Red Lantern,† par. 1). Japan’s attack on Pearl Harbor was strategic let me explain why and how. The rise of militarism in Japan wasn’t just sparked by the imperialist West. Japan has a long history of militarist behaviors and relationships internally and externally. Japan’s foundations in Confucianism exemplify their loyalty to master. This loyalty is first and foremost because, according to Confucius, the emperor is a mandate of heaven, hence, deifying the emperor. Militarism in Japan began to show itself during the Yamamoto period and has continued to grow throughout time. Military structure can be seen through the samurai class and the emergence of the shogun. Japan had almost a 300 year period of time where they remained closed. No one was allowed to leave and no one was allowed to enter. During this time, there weren’t any wars internally or externally. The West re-opened Japan as a stopping point for trade with China. The re-opening of Japan would ultimately be the beginning of hostility between Japan and the West. For some time after Japan had to modernize so that they could keep up with the West and be considered a world contender. â€Å"The Meiji Restoration ultimately revolutionized Japan. Within three years the new government had abolished the domain, erased hereditary status distinctions, and allowed people to change their occupations and move about the country. Ironically for a government that owed its origins to the movement to revere the emperor and expel the barbarians, it invited foreigners to educate Japanese in things Western and launched a drive to bring modern industry and a modern military to Japan† (Walthall 44). During Japan’s modernization and fight for supremacy, the West issued them unequal treaties for their military. The West did this several times. This decision would prove to be fatal for the West. In September 1940, Japan signed the Tripartite Pact with Germany and Italy. â€Å"Germany insisted that any alliance would have to be directed against the United States and Britain† (Craig 123). Germany ultimately betrayed Japan and in an act of desperation, Japan attacked the United States. When you consider Japan’s deep roots in Confucianism and their desire for supremacy, ethnically and militarily, it is easy to understand their disdain for the West. Japan knew that they had to learn from the West, emulate what they do as seen during the Meiji Restoration, in order to defeat them. Japan had the ability to take what the West taught and make it better. If you think about it, it was a brilliant plan. Japan’s only downfall was that their military was to spread out between China and the United States. Had they actually not been, we might actually live in a very different world. To say that the attack on Pearl Harbor was merely a tactical move completely underestimates the Japanese. It is a foolish way to think and discredits their history. Japan has a history that the West can draw from. It’s like comparing an old wise person to a young person. The attack on Pearl Harbor was a strategic move, one that failed, but strategic indeed. Walthall, Anne. Modern Japan. United States of America: Scholarly Resources Inc. , 2002. Craig, Albert M. The Heritage of Japanese Civilization. New Jersey: Prentice-Hall, 2003. Neo, David. â€Å"The Confucian Ethics of Raise the Red Lantern. † Senses of Cinema. August 2004. 18 March 2009 http://archive. sensesofcinema. com/contents/cteq/04/33/raise_red_lantern. html.

Hiding Behind the Words :: Writing Education Self Analysis

Hiding Behind the Words As I look back at the first paper I wrote for this class, I see lots of things I needed to improve on. I was simple minded in many of my ideas that I wrote about. Throughout the paper I only elaborated on a few thoughts and ideas. It all could have been summed up in two paragraphs. My opening paragraph talked about my whole paper. "A university education is important to me. By getting a degree in geography I hope to improve my knowledge and increase my chances for a good job. Not only will I gain knowledge but also gain the experience of university life as a student. By receiving my education I will prepare myself for a job and improve my communication with other people." After the first paragraph I bullshitted through the rest of the paper. I had repetition over and over again. For example in paragraph three I wrote, "I have chosen my major in Geography because I find it interesting and hope to obtain a job in the field." This repetition can be seen in the opening paragraph above. It also is in the last paragraph, "Bemidji University will have prepared me with the knowledge I need to obtain a job in Geography." If I were to make a revision on the paper I would need to cut down on the repetition, this is not the only example throughout the paper. My first paper was also written in the official style and the five theme essay. I stated my theme in the first paragraph and everything form there on pertained to the theme. I did not elaborate on other things that make a university education important to me. I needed to reconstruct my thoughts and dig deeper to find the real meaning behind my university education. As I read this paper again it was plain, simple and not very interesting to read. It was simple in a way that everyone probably has the same thoughts and could write it just like I did. To make it more interesting I could leave the theme, and change the voice and style within the paper. The voice in the paper pertained to the normal student who wrote about their education. It was plain and did not express any real values I had toward my education. Sure I want to graduate, get a job, and have fun, but doesn't everyone want to do this? Hiding Behind the Words :: Writing Education Self Analysis Hiding Behind the Words As I look back at the first paper I wrote for this class, I see lots of things I needed to improve on. I was simple minded in many of my ideas that I wrote about. Throughout the paper I only elaborated on a few thoughts and ideas. It all could have been summed up in two paragraphs. My opening paragraph talked about my whole paper. "A university education is important to me. By getting a degree in geography I hope to improve my knowledge and increase my chances for a good job. Not only will I gain knowledge but also gain the experience of university life as a student. By receiving my education I will prepare myself for a job and improve my communication with other people." After the first paragraph I bullshitted through the rest of the paper. I had repetition over and over again. For example in paragraph three I wrote, "I have chosen my major in Geography because I find it interesting and hope to obtain a job in the field." This repetition can be seen in the opening paragraph above. It also is in the last paragraph, "Bemidji University will have prepared me with the knowledge I need to obtain a job in Geography." If I were to make a revision on the paper I would need to cut down on the repetition, this is not the only example throughout the paper. My first paper was also written in the official style and the five theme essay. I stated my theme in the first paragraph and everything form there on pertained to the theme. I did not elaborate on other things that make a university education important to me. I needed to reconstruct my thoughts and dig deeper to find the real meaning behind my university education. As I read this paper again it was plain, simple and not very interesting to read. It was simple in a way that everyone probably has the same thoughts and could write it just like I did. To make it more interesting I could leave the theme, and change the voice and style within the paper. The voice in the paper pertained to the normal student who wrote about their education. It was plain and did not express any real values I had toward my education. Sure I want to graduate, get a job, and have fun, but doesn't everyone want to do this?

Safety from the Inside Out: Rethinking Traditional Approaches

â€Å"Safety from the Inside Out: Rethinking Traditional Approaches† by Alfie Kohn aims to educate the public regarding the real threat of violence to children. While school shootings and other violent crimes that happen on school grounds gain a lot of media attention, it is far more likely for a child to become the victim of violence off school grounds (Kohn, 2004, 33). Further, children are more likely to suffer from violence at the hands of an adult rather than at the hands of their peers (Kohn, 2004, 33). However, the issue of school violence is analyzed along with the mistaken assumptions of how to respond to school violence. The problem the article tries to address is how to create policy that will be both effective as well as reduce violent acts committed against children while on school grounds. There are several terms that must be defined in order to present a clear picture of the issue. The first is violence which by definition means attempting to or engaging in actions with the goal of inflicting bodily harm or death. This definition is important when discussing violence both in schools and off school grounds. Technical fixes is another definition that directly relates to this article. Technical fixes are technologically advanced pieces of equipment designed to reduce violence and include such things as metal detectors and video cameras. The final term to be defined is zero tolerance. Zero tolerance is the idea that any type of violence or intent to become violent be dealt with swiftly according to a designated set of strict consequences. In response to these definitions, the author of the article assumes that the vast majority of Americans equate violence against students as being violence that happens at school. The author also assumes that Americans believe that technical fixes and zero tolerance policies will solve the problem of violence against students (Kohl, 2004, 34). The orientation of the article strives to make sense of the misguided assumptions that Americans have with regards towards violence against students (Kohn, 2004, 34). It builds upon existing research that proves that teaching anti violence skills to students isn’t enough. The author proposes that students must also be taught how to apply these skills if violence prevention is going to be effective (Kohn, 2004, 35). Further, the author discusses behaviorism and the tendency for humans to preoccupy themselves with behavior rather than looking deeper at the values, reasons and motives behind certain behaviors (Kohn, 2004, 35). Finally, the author argues that when skill based prevention does not work then technical fixes are the answer to the problem (Kohn, 2004, 36). The research the author completed for this article disproves many of these assumptions. Using research as his method, Kohn discovered several discrepancies between what Americans believe and what students actually report about violence. For example, Kohn’s research shows that zero tolerance policies have the opposite of their intended effect. Instead of making students feel safer, zero tolerance policies actually make them feel less safe (Kohn, 2004, 36). Additionally, zero tolerance policies don’t make schools any safer than they were before (Kohn, 2004, 36). As part of his research, Kohn suggests that the threats of zero tolerance policies can be replaced with safe school environment where students are taught to trust and protect one another (Kohn, 2004, 36). Kohn also discovered that teaching students anti violence skills is not as effective as creating schools that are committed to the value of peace so that the physical safety of students is protected (Kohn, 2004, 36). The solution to the article seems to be getting rid of zero tolerance policies that turn children into criminals and replacing them with policies that promote peace and trust among students (Kohn, 2004, 36). According to the author, the consequence of not doing so will ensure that school violence remains a problem. Personally speaking, I think Alfie Kohn has noble goals and ideas to keep children safe at school. However, creating peaceable schools is very difficult because it seems impossible to instill peace values into every single student. The reality is that there will always be a few students who do not care about peace and would rather cause trouble through violence. At the same time, Kohn raises some important questions that I think should be addressed and considered as schools continue to search for a solution to the problem of school violence.

Modern Family: Show Review

Barren Modern Family Is a popular television show that underlines family values and gender roles. The show centers on a divorced father, Jay, and his two adult children, Mitchell and Claire. Jay Is a wealthy, retired business man, who has remarried a younger Latino woman, with son from a previous relationship, and Is very close In age to Claire. Mitchell is an opening gay man who recently married his partner, Cameron. Together they are raising their adopted Vietnamese daughter, Lilly.Claire is married to Phil, and together they have three teenage children. This show does an excellent job of displaying traditional and non-traditional roles within each household. All three of these families represent diversity within a traditional setting. It is constantly pushing boundaries by switching mixed messages for gender roles, traditional family values, non-traditional roles, and stereotypes in today's society. For example, Mitchell is a full-time attorney, while Cameron is a stay-at-home dad .Cameron, who Is more feminine, has worked part-time Jobs in the past for extra money and self-worth. It can be said he Is portrayed as the â€Å"wife† In the relationship since he Is consistently shown doing the majority of the household duties and child rearing. Parts of the mixed messages that are gleamed from the show come In the form of comic relief. When Cameron goes home to the farm he was raised on, he is portrayed in a more masculine role, to include a more dominant tone in his speech.In these scenes, Mitchell is portrayed as more feminine. Another example of a non-traditional role is Claimer's family. At first glance, they appear to be very traditional; however, there have some non-traditional qualities. While they are a happily married straight couple raising three children together, they both work since Claire began running her father's company. The show follows Claire dealing with traditional challenges women face in the work place such as earning respect of her peers and gaining acceptance as a superior.The show Is a brilliant representation of how society has changed and what constitutes a traditional family. The dichotomy ranges from a big strong man, Ewing very friendly In demeanor and a stay-at-home dad, to the stereotype of an older man marrying an inappropriately younger minority woman. The woman being slightly portrayed as only interested in the older man for his wealth, to a daughter attempting to fill her father's shoes in the work place.As people have become more tolerant and accepting of different people, cultures, and ways of life, it has opened the door to new possibilities. From Cameron providing support work in his family dynamic, to Gloria subtly providing status production desperately needed in Jays life o Claire living up to the stereotype of the second shift routine, this show points out that as we look at a time diary of how gender roles in society have changed and how in our modern society we define family, the basic t hemes of domestic labor still plays an Impacting role to maintain a family.Modern Family: Show Review By k-barren Modern Family is a popular television show that underlines family values and gender and Claire. Jay is a wealthy, retired business man, who has remarried a younger Latino woman, with son from a previous relationship, and is very close in age to s a full-time attorney, while Cameron is a stay-at-home dad.Cameron, who is more can be said he is portrayed as the â€Å"wife† in the relationship since he is consistently shown doing the majority of the household duties and child rearing. Parts of the mixed messages that are gleamed from the show come in the form of comic relief. As a superior. The show is a brilliant representation of how society has changed and being very feminine in demeanor and a stay-at-home dad, to the stereotype of an an impacting role to maintain a family.

The eNotes Blog Writer Fight! Writer Fight! William F. Buckley, Jr. v. NormanMailer

Writer Fight! Writer Fight! William F. Buckley, Jr. v. NormanMailer Norman Mailer, that ever-so-macho author (The  Armies of the Night, The Naked and the Dead)  is almost as well-known for his physical fights as for his writing. He famously head-butted Gore Vidal in the green room before their mutual appearance on the Dick Cavett Show  in 1971.   Once on set, the altercation turned menacingly verbal, with Cavett getting in at least as many digs as Mailer: A less-famous incident of verbal sparring occurred between Mailer and  William F. Buckley, Jr. founder and long-time editor of the  National Review:   In this corner, in crisp, starched Brooks Brothers Boxers, the Venerable William F. Buckley, Jr! VS! In this corner! Wearing TIghtie Whities he picked up off the floor, Maulin Norman Mailer! William F. Buckley Jr. called Norman Mailer an egotist, â€Å"almost unique in his search for notoriety and absolutely unequalled in his co-existence with it.† Mailer called Buckley a â€Å"second-rate intellect incapable of entertaining two serious thoughts in a row.† In 1966 Buckley sent Mailer an autographed copy of  The Unmaking of a Mayor, the memoir of his unsuccessful run for mayor of New York City the previous year. Mailer turned to the index and looked up his own name. There he found, in Buckley’s handwriting, the words â€Å"Hi, Norman.†   (Source)

The Events of Septrmber 11, 2001

The Events of Septrmber 11, 2001 On the morning of September 11, 2001, Islamic extremists organized and trained by the Saudi-based jihadist group al-Qaeda hijacked four American commercial jet airliners and used them as flying bombs to carry out suicide terrorist attacks against the United States. American Airlines Flight 11 crashed into Tower One of the World Trade Center at 8:50 AM. United Airlines Flight 175 crashed into Tower Two of the World Trade Center at 9:04 AM. As the world watched, Tower Two collapsed to the ground at about 10:00 AM. This unimaginable scene was duplicated at 10:30 AM when Tower One fell.   At 9:37 AM, a third plane, American Airlines Flight 77, was flown into the west side of the Pentagon in Arlington County, Virginia. The fourth plane, United Airlines Flight 93, initially being flown toward an unknown target in Washington, D.C., crashed into a field near Shanksville, Pennsylvania at 10:03 AM, as passengers fought with the hijackers. Later confirmed as acting under the leadership of Saudi fugitive Osama bin Laden, the terrorists were believed to be attempting to retaliate for America’s defense of Israel and continued military operations in the Middle East since the 1990 Persian Gulf War.   The 9/11 terrorist attacks resulted in the deaths of nearly 3,000 men, women, and children and the injuries of more than 6,000 others. The attacks triggered major ongoing U.S. combat initiatives against terrorist groups in Iraq and Afghanistan and largely defined the presidency of George W. Bush. America’s Military Response to the 9/11 Terror Attacks No event since the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor propelled the nation into World War II had the American people been brought together by a shared resolved to defeat a common enemy. At 9 PM on the evening of the attacks, President George W. Bush spoke to the American people from the Oval Office of the White House, declaring, â€Å"Terrorist attacks can shake the foundations of our biggest buildings, but they cannot touch the foundation of America. These acts shatter steel, but they cannot dent the steel of American resolve.† Foreshadowing America’s impending military response, he declared, â€Å"We will make no distinction between the terrorists who committed these acts and those who harbor them.† On October 7, 2001, less than a month after the 9/11 attacks, the United States, supported by a multinational coalition, launched Operation Enduring Freedom in an effort to overthrow the oppressive Taliban regime in Afghanistan and destroy Osama bin Laden and his al-Qaeda terrorist network. By the end of December 2001, U.S and coalition forces had virtually eradicated the Taliban in Afghanistan. However, a new Taliban insurgency in neighboring Pakistan resulted in the continuation of the war. On March 19, 2003, President Bush ordered U.S. troops into Iraq on a mission to overthrow Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein, believed by the White House to be developing and stockpiling weapons of mass destruction while harboring Al Qaeda terrorists in his county. Following the overthrow and imprisonment of Hussein, President Bush would face criticism after a search by United Nations inspectors found no evidence of weapons of mass destruction in Iraq. Some argued that the Iraq War had unnecessarily diverted resources from the war in Afghanistan. Though Osama bin Laden remained at large for over a decade, the mastermind of the 9/11 terror attack was finally killed while hiding out in an Abbottabad, Pakistan building by an elite team of U.S. Navy Seals on May 2, 2011. With the demise of bin Laden, President Barack Obama announced the beginning of large-scale troop withdrawals from Afghanistan in June 2011. As Trump Takes Over, War Goes On Today, 16 years and three presidential administrations after the 9/11 terror attacks, the war continues. While its official combat role in Afghanistan ended in December 2014, the United States still had nearly 8,500 troops stationed there when President Donald Trump took over as Commander in Chief in January 2017. In August 2017, President Trump authorized the Pentagon to increase the troop levels in Afghanistan by several thousand and announced a change in policy regarding the release of future troop level numbers in the region. â€Å"We will not talk about numbers of troops or our plans for further military activities, Trump said. Conditions on the ground, not arbitrary timetables, will guide our strategy from now on,† he said. â€Å"Americas enemies must never know our plans or believe they can wait us out.† Reports at the time indicated that top US military generals had advised Trump that a â€Å"few thousand† additional troops would help the U.S. make progress in eliminating the insurgent Taliban and other ISIS fighters in Afghanistan. The Pentagon stated at the time that the additional troops would be conducting counterterrorism missions and training Afghanistan’s own military forces.   Updated by Robert Longley

Answer one of three Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Answer one of three - Assignment Example The purpose of the present essay is to show how such estrangement, or ‘Othering’, played out in the course of several centuries of history of political, economic and cultural ties between the Christian West and Islamic Orient. For the purposes of present discussion, the terms â€Å"West† and â€Å"Islam† will be used in generalized sense, with the former corresponding to the cultures and nations dominated or influenced by Western (Catholic and later Protestant) Christianity, while the latter encompassing the totality of political and cultural space for which the religion of Islam was the most fundamental unifying factor. The issues of relationship between the cultures influenced by Orthodox (Eastern) Christianity and Islamic civilizations are to be analyzed in this essay to the extent of their impact on the perception of Islam in the West and the attitude of Islamic cultures towards the Christians in general, respectively. The chronological boundaries of the research encompass the historic period ranging from 7 century CE to our times, with special attention being paid to the vicissitudes of change in the models and criteria of ‘Othering’ being employed by both parties. The rise of Islam as a religion of the new mighty world empire, which managed to destroy centuries-old powers of the Middle East, i.e. the East Roman Empire (Byzantium) and the Sassanian kingdom of Persia, from the very outset led to the increasing feelings of insecurity and dismay on the part of Christian scholars and theologians. Having been previously accustomed to the feeling of utter superiority and ultimate triumph of the Christian faith, they were immensely surprised by the fact that an initially ‘insignificant’ religious group from the Arabian Peninsula managed to assert itself as a viable proselytizing alternative to their own creed. At the same time, the direct connection between Islamic