Ashoka according to the Ashokavadana

          This story from the Ashokavadana may have appealed to various groups of early Buddhists because of the respect Ashoka demonstrates for all classes and the manner in which he teaches his way to his minister. The Buddhists believed that all the members of all the caste are equal and since Ashoka treats the different classes equally, the Buddhists would like the story from the Ashokavadana. Ashoka teaches his minister by demonstrating his point that his head was not worth anything. Buddhists like the teach by demonstration, so they can relate to the story.

Map of China

Dynasties: China vs. India

                   Political systems in classical Chinese and Indian Dynasties had the common goal of control over an empire, but the imperial Chinese Dynasties (Qin and Han) were much more effective and successful than the Indian Dynasties (Mauryan and Gupta). This was probably because of the strictness of the Chinese empire versus the loosely watched Indian empire.
                   The Chinese imperial dynasties were based on intricate bureaucracies that kept the empire strong and unified. One example of their strength and unification is the standardization of weight & measurements, coins, and writing in the Qin dynasty within a short period of time through force. Another example is during the Han dynasty, when people were educated based on Confucianism. These strict centralized dynasties flourished and increased in size and power. On the other hand in India, the dynasties that barely lasted were relatively loose with their policies. The Mauryan dynasty was based on a simple bureaucracy derived from Kautalya's political handbook, the Arthashastra. This method worked reasonably well when a diligent ruler, like Ashoka, was in charge, but once he died, the empire collapsed because his policies did not carry on. Later on, the Gupta dynasty, slightly smaller than the Mauryan dynasty, tried to maintain control. Their method was more laid back than that of the Mauryan dynasty; failure to unify the empire to defend itself, left them vulnerable to attacks from foreigners like the White Huns. The Gupta's loosely managed empire falls as well. Ultimately the organization and effectiveness of the political structure determined the stability of the dynasties. China had that strictness, India did not.

Mencius vs. Xun Zi

          Mencius believes that in is human nature to be pleased when others treat you well. He also believes that "[a]ll men have a mind which cannot bear to see the sufferings of others"(Book 2, Part 1, Ch. 6) implying that everyone is naturally compassionate and kind, good.
           Xun  Zi believes that "[h]uman nature is bad." He thinks that humans are given, by Heaven, a natural desire to be selfish, like eating when hungry or resting when tired and that good is learned through rituals of letting elders eat first or not resting because it is not time yet. He believes that humans are born bad and learn to be good.
            Of these two men's theories on the nature of human beings, I "line up" with Xun Zi. I think that Xun Zi's thoughts on human nature being naturally bad is more correct. I think that people are selfish until they learn to be "good" though teachers or others examples.

Confucian Analects

                    I think that religion includes a deity and a dimension of faith. The Chinese Classics--Volume 1: Confucian Analects has neither, therefore I do not think it is a religion. This reading implies and supports the idea people are born good. It starts off with "Is it not pleasant to learn with a constant perseverance and application?"(Book 1, Ch. 1) that implies that a person is born good with the desire to learn. It is through the way the analects advise and instruct people that I can infer that the reading supports the idea that people are born good. Later on in book one chapter eight, it tells you what to do and not what to refrain from:
          "2. Hold faithfulness and sincerity as first principles.
          3. Have no friends not equal to yourself.
          4. When you have faults, do not fear to abandon them."
This supports the idea that people are born good and can do these things to maintain the goodness. If the reading were to support the idea that people were born bad, it would state what to refrain from, not what to do. If the reading were to support the idea that people were born neutral, it would state more about the choice of becoming good versus bad. In book two chapter fourteen assumes a person is born good and has the natural ability "[t]o see what is right". Also in book four chapter ten, "what is right [the superior man] will follow". This implies that he knows what is right internally, which means he was born that way, good.

Map of Persia

Zarathustra on Good and Evil

Zarathustra makes the assumption that it is in human nature to make a choice; the choice to be good or evil. He assumes that humans have the capability to make morally good choices out of free will.

History Head Comments

Hi Cecilia. Nice job drawing the pictures (especially Africa) and I think the map of the Egypt area is informative. Your key for the map is great, but where is your key for the poster? You should add in a key to mark the five themes. Both Egypt and India have a river, the Nile and the Indus respectively, that influenced agriculture. In Egypt, the pharaohs were at the top of the hierarchy; in India the Brahmans were at the top of the hierarchy. Could you clarify why you drew a house?
- Sam Lee =)



Hey Holly! I like how your title and timeline are clear and easy to understand. Red, a color associated with China, might not have been the best color to use on an orange poster. I saw how on your poster, you used a blue triangle to represent the social hierarchy; very creative. Both in China and in India, social hierarchies are present to influence the person's daily life. I did notice that the levels within the hierarchy were a bit different in China versus in India. The pictures inside the head seem to be a bit unclear; could you explain them?
- Sam Lee =)

History Head

Test and Essay Reflection

          The test and essay on the second and third day of school went reasonably well. I felt prepared walking into the test, but found myself second guessing my answers. For the essay, time pressure was one of the pressing issues constantly on my mind. Next time I think I should review the chapters more thoroughly and what happened where (like where chickens were originally domesticated...). I'm happy with how I did, but not satisfied.

There is always room for improvement!