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Unit 10 - Writing Historical Fiction Analysis Essay

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Unit 10 - Writing Historical Fiction Analysis Essay

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I really liked writing this essay. I like writing essays simply because they have a certain format they need to follow and I like having guidelines I can follow, kind of like a safety net. However, I did not like the time constraint of the essay, it made me feel rushed and therefore, made me unhappy with my work. I also did not like how the introduction was supposed to be formatted. I understand why it was important to write a summary, however, having to write the summary made it very difficult to write a compelling introduction paragraph. I usually begin my introductions by placing the reader into a topic appropriate scene in which I introduce the main idea or thesis, adding the summary would have been near impossible to do in that format, that was my weakness. Not having a way around the introduction. One of my strengths was the fact that I was confident in myself because I consider myself a pretty decent writer so I felt I could do a good job, despite my predicament in the introduction.
This essay mattered to me because it taught me that there won't always be a single way to do something, like an introduction, and that there is plenty more for me to improve on in the topic of writing.
This might matter to the people around me because maybe someone who has read the book might want to dig deeper into the meanings behind it.
This could matter to the world because, tying into my thesis, people might be blind to the hardships a "villain" faces and how their circumstances affect their views and actions.

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This book is important to me because I've always been interested in Chinese History, especially the topic of emperor after emperor. In this book he meets the first emperor of china and they discuss how he died and why.
This book review might matter to the people around me because maybe they want to read the book but are unsure whether it's right for them or not. Or perhaps it would interest someone who reads my review and they proceed to read it.
This might matter to the world because it's getting a small sample of Chinese history out there in a fun way. As well as that, it explains, to a small degree, why the chinese may have acted the way they did.

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Gladys Gallegos's review of Boxers (Boxers & Saints, #1)

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4/5: Boxers is the story of a young man, Little Bao. He grows up with foreign missionaries and Chinese Christian converts along with foreign soldiers roaming village to village bullying and robbing the Chinese peasants.

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I was not able to personally attend or present but I am very proud of what I heard from my group members. I did my part by researching information, making the slides, giving the ideas for the food and games, and making the travel video. Although I was not able to participate as much as I would've liked, I still enjoyed hearing that they did so well on their own. Overall, I enjoyed working on this project despite everything happening. I was in charge of making the slides and researching. I collected quite a lot of information, however, I made the decision of only adding in small amounts. My thought process was influenced by the age of the audience. Knowing how young the children were going to be, I knew that I had to make the information short and sweet. I did this in order for the presentation to go quick and for them to be able to understand the material. The presentation had to go quick because children that age do not like to sit and listen.
Moving on. I think I learned a lot about my world region throughout the year. From the readings to the excessive assignments/projects, we learned from text and visuals. If there were anything I could change from the beginning of the year, I would change my attitude towards the projects. At the beginning of the year I did not take the assignments and projects seriously because I did not think I was learning anything new. However, sometime during the middle of the first semester I realized how interesting this class really is and began having a lot more fun with the work. This Project matters to me because I've always been interested in Asian culture. Not only that, but I quite enjoy teaching other people so this project just seemed right up my alley.
This project might matter to people around me because a big percentage of our community is of Asian heritage so either they can learn more about the culture they're not so familiar with, or they could just be appreciative that others are learning more about them.
This project might matter to the world because it's demonstrating Asian Culture and allowing people to discover and explore differences and similarities between Asian culture and their own.

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I liked making this website, it was nice to reflect on the reading and the story. This website encompasses the entirety of the storyline and the characters as well as the emotions anchored to them and why.
The character portion of the website includes work that introduces a new reader to the characters and their lives. Having done these made me really think about how these characters would react in certain situations and what I liked or disliked about their personas.
I particularly liked the Plot portion because it really made me think about the miniscule details that one doesn't doesn't normally pay any mind to, such as word choice.
Finally, the theme portion was by far the most interesting to write because it forced me to read between the lines and find the meaning hidden behind the words.

This book matters to me because it really opens my eyes to how messed up the world can be and how "good" I have it compared to real life people like Lakshmi.
This book should matter to people around me because these things aren't exactly a rare phenomenon that only happens once in a blood moon, these things could always happen anywhere, even right around the corner.
This book should matter to the world because it is something that happens everywhere and anywhere and is a serious issue that should be addressed.

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Unit 6 - Transforming Myths, Legends, and Folktales

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Unit 6 - Transforming Myths, Legends, and Folktales

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Video Project Link below**
I was quite content with both the process and outcome of this project. Some simple cultural aspects we represented in the video were clothing, housing, and simple relationships. I believe the class enjoyed our video. Some of the strengths were our good communication and our weaknesses were time constraints and such.
This folktale could be important to me because it represents bonds between family and how people tend to not focus on the importance of that. I feel like that is something that is often forgotten in day-to-day life and really shouldn't be.
This folktale should matter to the world because not only does it show the importance of family and the acknowledgement of it, it also shows how easily it can be ripped away.

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Unit 5 - Reading Myths, Legends, and Folktales 

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Unit 5 - Reading Myths, Legends, and Folktales 

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Story Link Below**
This folktale is from Akita, Japan, a small town that now exists under a different name.
This story is about two daughters and their father. The father loves to hunt game, however, the daughters find this to be a huge sin according to their religion and they consistently beg their father to stop. When he eventually gives in a promises to stop, he is faced with some neighbors requesting him to shoot them two storks. He gives in but doesn't tell his daughters, however, they overhear him and make the decision of sacrifice. They decide that one of them will dress in white and pretend to be a stork in order for their father to shoot her and learn the value of a life. However, they have a misunderstanding about who will do it, and they both end up going and getting shot. Their father then mourns them, learns his lesson, and devotes his life to religion.
Theme: The theme of the story is that one must value all life equally.

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At Akita, in the province of Inaba, lived an independent gentleman, who had two daughters, by whom he was ministered to with all filial piety. He was fond of shooting with a gun, and thus very often committed the sin (according to the teaching of holy Buddha) of taking life. He would never hearken to the admonitions of his daughters. These, mindful of the future, and aghast at the prospect in store for him in the world to come, frequently endeavored to convert him. Many were the tears they shed. At last one day, after they had pleaded with him more earnestly still than before, the father, touched by their supplications, promised to shoot no more. But, after a a while, some of his neighbors came round to request him to shoot for them two storks. He was easily led to consent by the strength of his natural liking for the sport. Still he would not allow a word to be breathed to his daughters. He slipped out at night, gun in hand, after they were, as he imagined, fast asleep.

They, however, had heard everything, and the elder sister said to the younger: "Do what we may, our father will not condescend to follow our words of counsel, and nothing now remains but to bring him to a knowledge of the truth by the sacrifice of one of our own lives. To-night is fortunately moonless; and if I put on white garments and go to the neighborhood of the bay, he will take me for a stork and shoot me dead. Do you continue to live and tend our father with all the services of filial piety." Thus she spake, her eyes dimmed with the rolling tears. But the younger sister, with many sobs, exclaimed: "For you, my sister, for you is it to receive the inheritance of this house. So do you condescend to be the one to live, and to practise filial devotion to our father, while I will offer up my life."

Thus did each strive for death. The elder one, without more words, seizing a white garment rushed out of the house. The younger one, unwilling to cede to her the place of honor, putting on a white gown also, followed in her track to the shore of the bay. There, making her way to her among the rushes, she continued the dispute as to which of the two should be the one to die.

Meanwhile the father, peering around him in the darkness, saw something white. Taking it for the storks, he aimed at the spot with his gun, and did not miss his shot, for it pierced through the ribs of the elder of the two girls. The younger, helpless in her grief, bent over her sister's body. The father, not dreaming of what he was about, and astonished to find that his having shot one of the storks did not make the other fly away, discharged another shot at the remaining white figure. Lamentable to relate, he hit his second daughter as he had the first. She fell, pierced through the chest, and was laid on the same grassy pillow as her sister.

The father, pleased with his success, came up to the rushes to look for his game. But what! no storks, alas! alas! No, only his two daughters! Filled with consternation, he asked what it all meant. The girls, breathing with difficulty, told him that their resolve had been to show him the crime of taking life, and thus respectfully to cause him to desist therefrom. They expired before they had time to say more.

The father was filled with sorrow and remorse. He took the two corpses home on his back. As there was now no help for what was done, he placed them reverently on a wood stack, and there they burnt, making smoke to the blowing wind. From that hour he was a converted man. He built himself a small cell of branches of trees, near the village bridge. Placing therein the memorial tablets of his two daughters, he performed before them the due religious rites, and became the most pious follower of Buddha. Ah! that was filial piety in very truth! a marvel, that these girls should throw away their own lives, so that, by exterminating the evil seed in their father's conduct in this world, they might guard him from its awful fruit in the world to come!

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At Akita, in the province of Inaba, lived an independent gentleman, who had two daughters, by whom he was ministered to with all filial piety. He was fond of shooting with a gun, and thus very often committed the sin (according to the teaching of holy Buddha) of taking life.

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I interviewed Kim Esther.
In this interview I learned quite a lot of new information. First off, I learned about their values in their culture. In asian culture as a whole, it seems that family unity is valued a lot more than in any other cultures. I also learned about the not so pretty truths of the region. Disagreements. It seems there are countless political and moral disagreements in their country, just as any other place. Same-sex marriage, modernization, immigration, and religion all being hot topics still. I found it quite interesting to compare and contrast those kind of problems with the ones we have here, in the US. It kind of reminds me of how we both have ideas and morals varying regionally. For the US, the first thing that it reminds me of would be the civil war, where ideas shifted in the North vs the South.

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"Singularity"

I hear something shattering
It suddenly wakes me up
I hear strange sounds
I try covering my ears but I can’t fall back asleep
My throat keeps hurting
I try to wrap it
But I have no voice
Again today, I hear that sound

That sound is ringing again
Another crack forms on this frozen lake
I left myself behind on that lake
My voice was buried for you

Above the winter lake where I’m left alone
There’s a thick sheet of ice
Even in my momentary dreams
The illusions that torture me are still the same

Did I lose myself?
Or did I gain you?
I started to run to the lake
Inside, I saw my face

Please, don’t say anything
I hold out my hand to cover your mouth
But in the end, spring will come someday
The ice will melt away

Tell me, if my voice is fake
Should I have not thrown myself away?
Tell me, if this pain is fake
Then what must I do?

A reason why this poem might matter to me would be because it seems to deal with some heartache and struggles of this person. Due to the struggles expressed in words, it becomes that much more relatable and interesting to read.

This poem might matter to people around me because, similarly to my opinion, it might touch them or sympathize with them on a level, whether that be big or small.

This poem might matter to the world due to these issues or struggles becoming more public and open to talk about. That way, more people can come out and talk about their problems freely without fear of disapproval or judgment.

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My world region is East Asia. I did originally have it take place in Tokyo but I forgot to add that into the final draft. I did, however, try to make the names of the two boys kind of traditional names in order to fit the theme. I had originally planned to add in details about some food he ate in order to bring across the traditional foods, but that did not make it into my final draft either, unfortunately, due to the already surpassed word limit. So basically, I failed to adjust the story to the world region theme.
This story matters to me because of the message of not just love, but betrayal in the love story of the mother. She, in having betrayed her husband, was then met with a pitiful life. I enjoyed writing this because it adds a small level of angst and realism. This story might have some importance to people around me because they, along with myself, could realize the consequences of mistakes and realize that not every tale has a happy resolute ending. This story might matter to the world because it would show the ugly head of infidelity and open people's eyes to the harm and pain relationed with it.

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Read story Cursed Love by GladysGallegosM (Gladys Gallegos) with 8 reads. love, boyxboy. Early morning sun rising to the sky, sunlight seeping through the curt...

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This book shows the cruel reality of overpopulation and child negligence in Asia. I don't say this is the case in all households, however, for the sake of the story, I will discuss it broadly. The book itself is about a chinese girl with many siblings, whos mother passed away after birthing her. She lives her life always at a disadvantage of both being the youngest and being hated by her siblings due to the loss of their mother. Her father remarries to a cruel women who neglects all the children but her own.

Some of the most important cultural things I took away from the book would be the pressure to be successful in an asian household/family. The kids in the story basically go by, "Survival of the fittest," in order to get the attention of their father. Their clothing also seems to be quite an important feature in their culture. Not only for display of wealth or class, but as well as regional representation. Food. Food is always a big part of culture, no matter what, however, it seems that the scarcity of certain foods in China added to the importance of having certain meals in special occasions. It also played a role in showing bias from the step-mother, for the fact that she would give her own children the more expensive/rare foods while the secondary children were stuck with the common, cheap foods.
Some history seemed to be taking place during this book. It seems there was some sort of take-over in china and foreigners coming in and causing disruptive behavior.