Nathan

1) Finish up Scholar and Knowledge “My words are very easy to understand and very to put into practice,” but “Straightforward words seem paradoxical…”

What does this mean? How does it come into play in The Tao of Pooh with regard to scholars? I think it means those words are very natural and similar to what people have been going through that they can understand easily. In __The Tao of Pooh__, It was mocking the scholars because Scholars often use hard words to feel superior, which cause readers to get confused.

2) Read the poem page 30. What does Pooh seem to think about scholars? How does that relate to the Taoist view of knowledge?

Pooh seem to think that scholars confuse people by relating things to another unimportant matter. This relates to the Taoist view of knowledge because Taoism emphasizes simplicity and natural flow. Taoism thinks that scholars just think too much and make things more complicated, which just makes life messier. Scholars just say whatever they want to say from their knowledge, but the truth is that they say those without experiencing the reality. The knowledge from the scholars are found by using brain too much rather than following and feeling the natural flow. Even though the scholars say about those, while we are reading their work, we get confused and lose track so we just ignore it or just didn’t notice that the topic was out of flow.

3) Write a short reflection of what you learned from these readings. With the benefit of hind site and knowledge of China and Japan, would Korea had been better off if it had “opened up to the west.”

Western Influence had developed many other countries, such as Japan. If you look at the history of Japan during the 1850~1960, they accepted the Western influence in order to modernize their country. This attempt of modernization led Japan to become strong country like other imperialist countries. I think Korean would been better off if it had “opened up to the west”. If Korea accepted the Western influence without any hesitation, other countries, such as Japan and China, wouldn’t underestimate Korea. They underestimated Korea and approached with pride that their country is more developed, stronger, and wealthier. Japan felt superior and thought that Korea would easily accept their influence by the attraction of developed technology. If Korea accepted the Western influence, they would have been stronger or strong as Japan and China.

Also, from these readings, I learn that one country can’t really develop by itself without any help and influence from outside. It seems like without socializing and interacting with other countries, it is hard to modernize and develop its country. I think this is a common sense and tradition because there are still some countries that reject influences from other countries. For example, North Korea doesn’t accept any influences or help from other countries except when they desperately need help. As a result, North Korea is lack in many ways and things, such as technology and foods. Tae Won Gun can be the example too. He tried to make Korea stronger without any influence and help from other countries, but, as a result, He failed because of the financial problem. From this Tae Won Gun’s experience, we can learn that financial support is important in developing. If Tae Won Gun accepted the Western Influence, he could have been successful at his reformation by the financial support from the Western country.

- The Rape of Nanking and Hand Out Japan invaded china with developed military machine and mastered race mentality to set about its right to rule its neighbors. They basically wanted to imperialize its countries to join. They basically wanted to imperialize its neighbor countries. After Japan held the control of China, Japanese soldiers began an orgy of cruelty seldom in Nanjing (Nanking) if ever marched in world history. For example, it says many soldiers went beyond rape to disembowel women, slice off their breasts, and nail them alive to walls. This cruelty was worse than the Jewish holocaust, but it is shocking that this incident is infamous crime.

The Rape of Nanking should be remembered not only for the number of people slaughtered but also for the cruel manner in which many met their deaths like the Jewish holocaust. Compare to the Jewish holocaust, Information about the Rape of Nanking is not detailed and it was full of lies, which caused to be infamous crime. Germans admitted and felt sorry for what they had done, such as the mass murder of Jews and Hitler’s selfish invasion, but Japan did not feel sorry for what they had done to Chinese people. Iris and many Chinese people are mad at how Japanese reacted to their crime. Also, they are mad at how people’s writings about the rape of Nanking are lacked in details and in human dimensions. This frustrating and miserable historical incident should have accepted throughout the world from the beginning like the Jewish holocaust. It is not just how the information is written, they are mad at how this frustrating and miserable historical incident is being treated.

Chapter 1 Through reading chapter 1, it seems like Japanese have really strong nationalism and competition. Japan was transforming into militarization for the place of most outstanding country in Asia. According to the book, Japan attacked China was because they feared the power of China. China was a massive country that has high possibility of conquering the Asia. So to prevent from the China’s growing power, Japanese thought that they have to attack them quickly. In 1930s, the government of Japan started to give martial influence to young men and kids by selling anything that was related to the war, to motivate nationalism and competition in their mind. Toyshops became virtual shrines to war, selling arsenals of toy soldiers and tanks. Also, Japanese schools operated like miniature military units and in the late nineteenth century, the Japanese minster of education declared that schools were run not for the benefit of students but for the good of the country. Through these facts, we can notice how Japanese are sensitive towards the goal for most outstanding country in Asia.

Questions: Japan has already experienced the pain and disgrace of imperialism by foreign countries. Then why did they act out the imperialism to its neighbor countries? And why not to European countries?

What is the real meaning for education?

What was Korea to Japan? Why were they so upset about china convincing Korea?

Observations: Human’s desire, such as expansion for power and land, is unstoppable.

Pride and Benefit was what made people selfish

Too much of nationalism and competition can lead to harm

====re-read 54-59 complete the following Write a three paragraph reflection: Why do you think the Japanese were so cruel? How can ordinary Japanese soldiers commit such atrocities( cruel acts)? Be sure to copy and past the prompt. You may post to the wiki. ====

Through reading these pages, I found out the real insight of Japanese. They were not cruel. What I mean by this something forced them to be cruel. This is very similar to Child soldiers, who are forcibly recruited by the rebel soldiers and brainwashed to fight for the rebel groups. If you look at the page 56 ~ 57, it gives a testimony by Japanese private named Tajima, who experienced the force by his Second Lieutenant Ono. After he killed one Chinese for practice by the force of pressure, his mind was already brainwashed by the shock that he killed someone.

Also, there are some other predictions. I her book “The Chrysanthemum and the Sword”, the American anthropologist Ruth Benedict wrote that because moral obligations in Japanese society were not universal but local and particularized, they could be easily broken on foreign soil. Other experts blamed the non-Christian nature of Japanese religion. So, there are two implications: one, that the Japanese, by virtue of their religion, are naturally less humane than Western cultures and must be judged by different standards, and two, that Christianity puts forth the idea that all humans are brothers. However, Shintoism in Japan purports that only the emperor and his descendants were created in God’s image.

After comparing all these different perspectives, I have concluded that it was the forcible commands and the dark environments that soldiers were in. As a typical example of Child Soldiers, once humans get brainwashed, they lose their identity and have no idea what they are doing.

Guiding Questions: 1) What is a massacre, holocaust, and genocide? 2) Was "The Rape of Nanking" a genocide and/or holocaust? 3) Why do you think some refer to it as a massacre? 4) Does the term we ascribe (assign to) really matter? 5) Why do we study such horrific events? 1) Massacre: an indiscriminate and brutal slaughter of people Holocaust: destruction or slaughter on a mass scale, esp. caused by fire or nuclear war Genocide: the deliberate killing of a large group of peoples esp. those of a particular ethnic group or nation. 2) “The Rape of Nanking” was more like genocide because the reason why Japan attacked China was they thought China was the only country that had potential of ruling the Asia. So they thought China as their competition. 3) I think some refer to it as a massacre because in this war, thousands of people have killed randomly and brutally. 4) The term we ascribe does really matter because the word we assign tells us the intention and purpose of this massive brutal slaughter. 5) we study such horrific events to remember and learn about historical incident

Do countries have an obligation to compensate each other for injustices done in time? Countries do have an obligation to compensate each other for injustices done in time because I personally think history lives forever. If we don’t fix something that has been marked wrong, those are going to be taught to the next and next generation. Also, it just makes the relationship between different nations worse because if this problem doesn’t solve, the conflict is going to remain forever.

Do countries have a responsibility to document their war crimes in history books? Countries have a responsibility to document their war crimes in history because through the real story, next generation can feel and learn about the real war. Through the real story, they would learn that fight is not a good action to take.

Read today's article on Nogun-ri and write a half page reflection explaining how this is the same or different from Korea-Japan controversy. Note how the perceptions of the Koreans and Americans involved in this incident differ. Do you still have the same opinion about compensation? Why? If you believe this situation is different, how is it different?

Based on the reading, Nogun-ri was different from Korea – Japan controversy because the reason why US soldiers took such brutal actions toward the civilians were different than the reason for Japanese soldiers. So, Korean civilians were evacuating under the guidance of US soldiers. However, when they reached around Nogun-ri, US soldiers started to massacre the innocent Korean civilians. From this Nogun-ri incident, survivors, their families, and advocate groups were not appeased by the agreement between the two nations, Korea and US. However, as some people say, I think it was our ROK’s responsibility for the task of keeping innocent civilians out of the war and making sure the difference between the guerillas and civilians. For example, ROK should have given a sign or mark to civilians so that soldiers can know. Not all of them were sure if they were innocent. Some of them could be the guerillas that harbored among civilians. So under these circumstances of guerilla threats, unmanageable numbers of refugees, careless responsibility of ROK, miscommunications, and questionable strafing targets, it tells people that it was probably done under specific orders and reasons killed civilians.

Unlike the controversy between Korea and Japan, the action that US soldiers took was probably done with serious consideration for the safety of Korea and US soldiers. Also, one of the initial reasons why this incident happened is because North Korea instigated the war. This Nogun-ri incident was a conflict that happened inside one nation between two different nations, Korea and US. When Japan conquered Korea, they started to take all kinds of brutal actions. One of the reasons for those brutal actions was just for fun or their desire, such as raping women and children. US soldiers did not massacre the Korean civilians with such idiotic reason. Therefore, I would say that Nogun-ri wasn’t same as the controversy between Japan and Korea.

I still have the same opinion about compensation even though I think ROK had some fault too because American soldiers decided to massacre Koreans without any question to ROK authority. They should have contacted with Korean government or soldiers for the decision of killing if they weren’t sure. Also, they could have killed only young and little bit old men and women because they were the ones who were the most and could be active with guerilla actions. American soldiers could have just leave the children and elders and later put them in the prison.

NOVEMBER 13-14 write a two paragraph reflection: Should Korea and China have a say in what Japan puts into its textbooks?

If Japanese put something that is not true, only great things about them, such as their achievements, and only their opinions, Korea and China should have a say in what Japan puts into its textbooks. As the article “internal affairs” says, some of the Japan’s textbooks obscure Japan’s militarism, justify and glorify Japan’s militarist past and beautify its invasions. These textbooks are supported and complied by the government. The problem is that they didn’t write the truth, such as the rape of Nanking, and how other people felt in or from the past.

Another issue was that Japan wrote Dok-do Island is their land. Even people from other nations supported Korea that Dok-do Island is clearly Korea’s land. From what they wrote in their textbooks and what they have done in the past to Chinese and Koreans, they are still the same. They are selfish and cocky. Even some of the athletes from Japan, who are playing in other country, always think Japan is the best in Asia. About two years ago, there was a match between Korea and Japan for World Baseball Classic. Before the match, Ichiro Suzuki, Japanese baseball player, claimed that Korea wouldn’t be able to beat Japan for next 30 years. However, claim is just a claim; Korea beat Japan every single match in next games.

Korea and China should have a say in what Japan puts into its textbooks because history lives forever and lying about history can’t be considered as a history. Also, teaching only the truth to people and next generations could help in making better and peaceful society and earth. It will give the concept that fight and war is not a good action to take. One of the reasons could be because it always harms other people and ruins people mentality and personality.