The Book ' Confucius Lives Next Door '

| 2. To start off, Bruce dawe’s text Americanized effectively portrays negative views on consumerism. Dawe uses an extended metaphor which involves a mother and a child symbolizing America and less powerful countries. The significance of using a mother and a child effectively conveys how the less powerful countries constantly need guidance from America.

Confucianism has been a part of Chinese culture for over a thousand years. Many who have studied Confucianism would say that it is not a religion. It is better described as a philosophy or moral code. The philosophy of Confucianism comes mainly from the speeches and writings of Confucius, a great Chinese thinker and educator. He believed that Humanity, Rite, Neutrality, Virtue, Education, and Cultivation were the basis of human behavior. In addition, Confucius felt that this philosophy was the best way for people to behave and interact with others in society.

Reading Questions 1. What, according to Lau, is the most fundamental message of Confucius? What Confucius taught that set him apart from teachings of the past and even of the future, was that living a life with moral conviction was to be done for the sake of the morals themselves. This is to say that rewards for ones morality in the afterlife was, according to Confucius, not to be sought after. He said that the, “burden is heavy and the road is long.” The good you do in this life is meant for this life only and is crucial to demonstrate.

America has been, and still is, known for its obsession with materialism and ignorance towards lifestyles not surrounded by grandeur. Success in America could be defined as a life full of incredible wealth and few worldly problems, whereas success in a third world country can be defined as simply living to have healthy children. Are Americans truly aware of the stark difference between their own lives and the lives of the majority of humanity? Probably not. In The Poisonwood Bible, Barbara Kingsolver uses the character of Rachel to represent, explore, and explain these American cultural issues. Rachel Price represents the voluntary ignorance, political issues, and materialism woven throughout the novel and America.

Well this book report will be one of the hardest one’s for me to write for the book was so boring I literally fell asleep every couple of pages and had to drink a huge amount of caffeine just so I would not be put to sleep. However I learned that if a pick up this book and read I’ll be able to put myself to sleep even if I’m struggling to fall asleep. For Confucius Lives Next Door: What Living In The East Teaches Us About Living In the West is like listening to a monotone speaker that makes everyone want to be anywhere else than suffer anymore to their ramblings.

In the novel there are many Americans that depict the “American Myth,” for example Ann she was typical of the low wage working people ( Shipler, pg. 24-25), but the thing is Ann did not point fingers of blame at anyone, she excepted that she got herself into the situation that she is now. Even though she knew that the credit card companies rates were high she made the option of using them, but that is not because she had a choice or not but only because she had to. The lease on Ann truck was about to expire and her ex husbands child support of $100 was about to stop because her daughter was about to turn 18. Ann only had one option left which was bankruptcy but then she found

“I read American books because America is the future” (Adichie 70). They are envious of America; they believe the literature and learning are better. The more American you are the better your life is.

When I first laid eye on the book,which was given to me by my great English Dr. Sameer Ismaeel, Al-Najah university,I thought it was another book of how miserable Arabs are in the United States.These stories are fimiliar in the Arab world.People are divided into two categories,those who glorify America and make it the dream land of everything.And,those who tare it apart and only see rape,drugs and carelessness.Genuinely,both are incorrect,as America is just

There are, however, two flaws in this book that are hard to ignore. I share his fondness for Japan's national neighborhood. I lived there for 10 years with my family, and very happy campers we were. For the foreigner residing in this Confucian country is like a person given almost total access to an excellent, well-run and well-stocked club -- but without the need to pay any of the membership dues. When my friend the golfing executive talked

In the literature, Confucius Lives Next Door, the author, T.R. Reid, tells a story about his life with his family residing in Tokyo, Japan. Reid and his family moved for his job in the Washington Post. No one in his family wanted to leave the states, but in the end, his family did not want to return home. Reid has a wife and three children who went to Japan with him. He noticed little details of their society, which later became one big picture that shows that the citizens were living their religion, Confucianism, through their actions.

Reid, T. R. Confucius Lives Next Door: What Leaving In The East Teaches Us About Living In the West. United States: Random House Publishing Group, 1999. Print.

Availability and understanding of available information by an individual was taken as a very important treasure. The issues that Confucius taught to be followed were not entirely scientific learning but rather the study of the consecrated contents and the tenets of good worth and propriety (Oliver, 1985). An additional element which he held high was the control of proper example. The heroes, heroines and great people that existed were greatly exemplified by Confucius. Confucius did this by persisting on the scrutiny of the conservative models. Many of his well recorded aphorisms are tributes of his considered men of high caliber. Confucius trained his supporters the significance of constantly welcoming the rectification of personal liabilities. To further assist in the creation of an upright moral fiber, he cherished a particular amount of strength of will. He acknowledged the threat, particularly in the youthful, of falling into unwanted behavior, so he persisted on eradicating the push for uncalled for reassurances (Ferguson, 1972).

Confucianism is one of the main influential ideologies on the Chinese culture. The founder of this religion is Confucius; he was a Chinese teacher. He taught traditional disciplines at that time, and believed that he could change the order of the Chinese society. He has different principals in life. First, Li: “It is the medium within which to talk about the entire body of the mores, or more precisely, have the authentic tradition and reasonable conversations of society” . In other words, li is the social rituals between people and they are divided into different categorized relationships like father and son, filial piety, between brothers, husband and wife; Ruler and subjects, and between friends. The Second principal was Jen, which is humaneness; it describes the inner personality of a person and that people should practice respect to one another. Li and Jen are values that complete each other to create the superior man, according to the Confucius. Also, Confucius believed in the spirits but keeping them at a distance. There are Five Classics and the Four Books are regarded as a reference for Confucianism.

The novel Confucius Lives Next Door: What Living in the East Teaches Us About Living in the West, the author T. R. Reid recounts him and his families experience of their time living in Tokyo, Japan. Reid originally moved to Tokyo to write for the Washington Post, however, shortly after moving there he fell in love with the social miracles that the Japanese culture possessed. When Reid first brought up the idea of moving to Tokyo in the mid-1980s to his family, they immediately shut him down, this was during the period when Americans thought that the Japanese were going to bomb the United States and possibly take over the country, however, after some convincing the Reid, his wife and

All through time, successive generations have rebelled against the values and traditions of their elders. In all countries, including China, new generations have sought to find a different path than that of their past leaders. Traditional values become outdated and are replaced with what the younger society deems as significant. Family concentrates on this very subject. In the novel, three brothers struggle against the outdated Confucian values of their elders. Alike in their dislike of the traditional Confucian system of their grandfather, yet very different in their interactions with him and others, begin to reach beyond the ancient values of Confucianism and strive for a breath of freedom. Their struggles against the old values