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Land of the rising sun: Japan and its beautiful culture 

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Land of the rising sun: Japan and its beautiful culture 

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Japan is a country famous for its cultural practices, technological advancements, and social manners and conduct. Japan is a small country in East Asia. The country is well-known for its cultural heritage that dates back many years ago. One amazing Japanese has is their preservation of cultural practices and heritages that even in modern times, those traditions are practiced and relevant to their society.

Japan is indeed a beautiful country and a lot of people admire this beauty around the world. One famous contribution of Japan to the literature of the world is Haiku, Haiku is a type of poem with a specific format following the 5-7-5 pattern in crafting the poem. Japanese usually writes Haiku about nature.

On the history of Japanese literature, it is heavily influenced by Chinese literature, thus we can see the similarity of its writing to the writing of China. The ideas and context of early Japanese literature had the resemblance of the literature of China.

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The story took place on an era where education is forced to the society. Literally because refusing to let you child go to school would be a criminal offense that would send you to jail.

This piece is somewhat a mirror of what of the reality beyond the efforts of the government to force education to their countrymen. Though their intentions are clear most of the parents who were not educated tends to have opposition since they are not aware of the lessons being taught to their child. One great example of this is the literal in take of the parents with the sentence "The ox tends the fire; the horse eats noodles." Which is clearly a figure of speech but since they were not educated they do not understand it.

For me this piece is a reminder that for you to educate the young generation of our society we should always start from their roots.

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In our report I was assigned to look for Geographical facts regarding India and I was surprised that it is the biggest to occupy the South Asia and having almost one - sixth of the world total population. I began to be curious about it's literature.

Knowing that writings of the Indian subcontinent, produced there in a variety of vernacular languages, including Sanskrit, Prakrit, Pali, Bengali, Bihari, Gujarati, Hindi, Kannada, Kashmiri, Malayalam, Oriya, Punjabi, Rajasthani, Tamil, Telugu, Urdu, Lahnda, Siraiki, and Sindhi. Also some are translated in English. But Since the establishment of THE REPUBLIC OF INDIA in 1947 they are all addressed as the Indian Literature.

Earlier Indian Literature are stories showing the Gods which are known as the VEDA, aside from that they also genres like rotic and devotional lyrics, court poetry, plays, and narrative folktales.

Though these literatures are not written in one language it kinda give me the view that it is like the folktales in our country that are written in different dialects. Maybe sooner or later these literary pieces shall be written in one language so that more can enjoy these pieces of art they have created.

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Chinese literature though is sometimes compared to Japanese Literature is actually influenced by it. Not only Japan but Also Korea and Vietnam since they are geographically near China.

Due to this reason writing has been hard to local writers since the pronunciation of these graphs is monophonic it created a large amount of homonyms causing confusion to these with less understanding of these graphs.

But this didn't hinder them to create beautiful lyrical poems that tell historical events and adventures, drama and other forms of fiction.

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Japan is highly known for their traditions and disciplines. These are greatly seen in known literatures from their rich history. Like Haikus that requires deep understanding and great discipline before one can craft such a masterpiece. From what have observed they are funned of using nature, adventures and even love stories as topic for their literary pieces.

Though Japanese Anime can be translated in English unfortunately translating old Japanese literary pieces has the tendency to lose its brilliance if translated to English. Due to the reason that the structure and discipline followed by the writers are fitted to the language only. So if you want to enjoy the beauty and brilliance of these works I would suggest that you should add a little effort in learning the language first.

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Last but definitely not the least, Japan, an island country in East Asia, located in the northwest Pacific Ocean. The last country that we've tackled in this class.
Japanese literature is deeply rooted in ancient China as it was influenced by their culture and literature. The Indian literature also had an influence on the spread of Buddhism in Japan. Japanese literature explores literary works such as novels, poetry, and plays that depict the nature and way of living of the Japanese people.

An example of their poetry is a traditional Japanese haiku it is a three-line poem with seventeen syllables, written in a 5/7/5 syllable count. Often centered around the images of nature, haiku emphasizes the simplicity, intensity, and directness of expression.
In this course, we were tasked to picture the imagery of a haiku of our choice and I can say that this activity is really interesting as it develops our imagination through the various meanings that one can perceive in a haiku. The character of Japan in terms of culture and appreciation of nature is one of the reasons why I fell in love with this country, and learning their literature added even more admiration in both country and people.

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China is one of the most diverse countries when it comes to culture and literature. Its history is rich in art, politics, and philosophy, and the video presentation has helped a lot in recognizing these factors.

Scriptures in China dates back to the hieroglyphics that were used in the Shang dynasty. Chinese literature is a vast topic that extends over a thousand years. One of the interesting things about Chinese literature is that much of their literature was composed using a formal written language that is called Classical Chinese.

The great literary works of philosophy and religion that have become the foundation of Chinese religious and social belief come from the so-called spring and autumn periods. Taoism, Confucian literature, and other prominent religious and philosophical schools all emerged during these two periods. The major literary achievements of the Confucian Classics, early Taoist writings, and other important prose works originated in the late Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period of the Zhou Dynasty era. These literary works have profoundly shaped the philosophy and religion of China.

One of the most prominent works is The Country Boy Quits School by Lao Hsiang, A Story of a family who sends a young country boy to school which only seems to have bad results. Country Boy Quits School demonstrates the importance of education to our lives. The narrative makes it clear how poor education can lead to chaos and confusion in the life of someone, even to his family. As much as it calls into question the importance of education, this story also discussed how books and teachers do not just define education. A very beautiful story that illuminates life in general.

To study the country, culture, and literature of China is fascinating. The principles and teachings of their philosophy are a restoration of our beliefs. As for me, It is The forgotten doctrine.

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Lyric, Life, Poetry:  Chinese literature and  philosophy 

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Lyric, Life, Poetry:  Chinese literature and  philosophy 

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China with land mass that is easily recognizable in the world map is one of the country in east Asia. Along with its large population and numerous things that you can connect to them have its origin from India. A long cultivation and preservation of their culture is something China is well-known about.

One of the societal aspect China is recognizable is their Religion. Buddhism, the prominent religion in China, directly affects the beliefs of the society. The emergence of Literature came from the rise of the Philosophers and thinkers such as Chuang Tzu, Lieh Tzu and many more. As time pass by more and more writers developed and cultivated the culture of writing in China.

The history of Chinese literature can be dated back 3,000 years ago. Some of its remarkable literature are the Five classics and the four books. Chinese literature had greatly brought an impact to their society and the neighboring countries such as Japan, Vietnam, and etc.

The tale of "A country bot who quits school" by Lao Hsiang is one of the well-known composition in Chinese literature. If was narrated as a family with child that helps the family provide the basic goods and necessities that they need. As the tale continues the family had a trouble making a decision whether they will send the child to school or not. It was a tale of educational privilege and how education may seem a luxury to some. The importance of education is evident in the context of the Chinese people. The tale although it was written many years ago is still relevant and continues to reflect our society for years to come.

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Japan is truly a beautiful country with resplendent sceneries, harmonious culture, and nurtured literature and art. One of their famous pieces of literature is Haiku, which is an unrhymed poem that consists of three lines with 17 syllables. Prominent haiku writers such as Matsuo Basho and Yosa Buson contributed numerous imaginative haikus that are still famous up to this day. For our activity, I've chosen Basho's "A Caterpillar." It was indeed a remarkable work where you can associate various meanings from just a three-sentenced haiku.

Known for its politeness and hard work, Japan has plenty of features and stories to offer. Starting with their history, since then, Japan was headed by an emperor. This government system emerged during 660 B.C. led by Emperor Jimmu in Tokyo Imperial Palace. In 1185, samurai lords also called shoguns, took over the government until 1868. Samurai is a member of the Japanese warrior caste who was supposed to lead their lives in the "way of the warrior".

Moving to their literature, Japan's literature was heavily influenced by China before but soon formed their own style of writing. The history of their literature was divided into six periods: ancient, classical, medieval, early modern, modern, and postwar. The oldest literary works are the Kojiki and Nihom Shoki which were completed in the early 8th century. It was then followed by the world's first novel, The Tale of Genji which was written in the 11th century. Other forms of literary compositions include Waka, Haiku, Renga, and Monogatari. The video graphics of Japan gave me a glance at Japan's flourishing country. Such a beautiful country Japan is, prosperous with history, culture, and art.

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Chinese literature is the least I am familiar with which is why I find the video graphics for China helpful and informative. China is undoubtedly rich in art and literature.

One of the major Chinese writers, Chuang Tzu, also known as Zhuangzi, used his literary and philosophical skills to debunk the Confucians. The Zhuangzi is one of the significant contributors and earliest text that has been known as Daojia. It contains a collection of various parables and philosophical dialogues. It is recognized as the greatest literary and philosophical masterpiece. Chuang Tzu proved that he's worthy to be recognized as a prominent philosophical figure.

Chinese literature is considered one of the major literary heritages of the world with a history of more than 3,000 years. Plenty of their well-known literature are associated with philosophy such as The Five Classics and The Four Books. The evolution of Chinese literature is fascinating. From using classical Chinese, a formal written language, to a more open atmosphere that covers broad themes and comes in various forms.

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Japan is a beautiful country filled with literary works from all periods still appealing to readers even today. Japanese literature is known for its prevailing subjective colored emotionally rather than intellectual or moralistic.

One of the most admirable in Japanese literature is their fluid syntax in their prose. It was not just the style but also the content as their sentences are inordinate length because of the subjective turnings and twistings of the author's thought, even then there is still the smooth transitions from one statement to another. Japanese literature was influenced by China but there is still complexity in the relationship of their texts.

Kojiki is the most ancient document filled with Japanese mythology and history of its people.  It is mostly about travel, place names and love for mountains, rivers and towns which is fascinating. This document really showed how Japanese people admired their own nation's beauty.

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China originated from the ancient India when the Sanksrit word was found. Chinese literature is known for their  philosophical texts even making Daojia a masterpiece.

With  them being rich in art and literature, their works are sometimes affected by their religion. Philosophers from different dynasties, with Chinese literature, has impacted the literature of the countries around them like Kore, Japan and Vietnam. It is no brainer that the script used by these countries before the 20th century was adopted from China even making it as chief literary medium.

Shijing was the first anthology of Chinese poetry which is about temple, court and folk. It consist of 305 songs with the first song dated back in Zhou dynasty. It was third of the Five Classics of Confucian literature. China is undoubtedly one of the major literary heritages of the world with it's it's collection of different types of texts.

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India is a beautiful country shaped by it's own history. It was assigned to us and I must say, I had a wonderful time doing research about it. India has a diverse culture because of the constant integration of migrating people throughout their history.

The most fascinating about India s the known civilizations that spans all htrough their history. Although one of the civilization is the Vedic Civilization intrigues me the most. It was around this civilization that the caste system was developed. The caste system was a class system determined by birth created a hierarchy of Brhamins or priests,  kasha trios or warriors and kings, next are the Visayas or skilled workers and merchants and then the sutras or Labor's farmers and unskilled workers. With this typed  of class system before, it is no wonder  that we still have this days  albeit different the division is clearly visible.

India's history is endless. It was like uncovering all the covered aspects on why their country is what it is now. Researching about their history will never be boring as it has a lot to offer.

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Dr Gikandi's Speech on World Literature and African Literature

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Dr Gikandi's Speech on World Literature and African Literature

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The world is filled with surprising information that includes the world literature. Dr Gikandi's speech opened our eyes to the truth that African Literature is not included in what we call World Literature. I'm sure we all have the same question in mind that how come we call it world literature when African Literature is not included.

The answer to that is standard. Although African Literature passed the  standard to be included in world literature, it still meets a lot of discussion because there is this famous treatment which is discrimination.  African Literature has so much to offer if we allow them to showcase their history along with their experiences through literature instead of being always undermine because they do not belong in one of the European countries as their story is different from them.

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The way of the divine: India's culture, religion, and philosophy's reflection on their literature

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The way of the divine: India's culture, religion, and philosophy's reflection on their literature

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India is a country well known for its strong ties to religion and philosophy, which is observable in their way of life, religion and philosophy is one of many things makes India a beautiful country.

Our group is assigned to present a video that would highlight some of the important aspects and details of India for us to clearly and fully understand India. One fascinating aspect that makes India a interesting country is the strong bond of their religion and philosophy that manifest into several distinctive ways in their country. You can think of anything and they have a God or Divine being that could represent that.

Those aspect is also evident in the literature, Indian literature manifest all this culture, beliefs, and tradition and this enable the knowledge to be passed down form generations to generations. Their literature and writing also represent their devotion, their faith to their religion because if they can honor the divine beings their works would be much blessed and appreciated by the Gods.

What we can take from India's diverse culture, tradition, philosophy, and religion is that their is something that guides us in our lives. May it one of those said aspect manifest and help you through your life, something that keeps you motivated is something that you believe.

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Japan is another country of East Asia. It's a small archipelago at the edge of a world map. Japan, like other countries, has a very deep history. Japan was colonized by many countries, including Western countries, but Japan was also a colonizer. Nowadays, Japan has fused their ancient traditions to modern life like it was naturally done before.

Japan's literature have diversely grown throughout the periods of history. The earliest work was made in the Nara-period, namely, The Kojiki, a historical record that also chronicles ancient Japanese mythology and folk songs; Nihon Shoki, a chronicle written in Chinese that is significantly more detailed than the Kojiki; and Man'yōshū, a poetry anthology. What is deemed as the golden era of art and literature is known as the Heian period, where the works such as The Tale of Genji by Murasaki Shikibu and The Pillow Book by Sei Shōnagon were written. With Japan's medieval period, works like The Tale of the Heike represents this period which tells themes of life and death, simple lifestyles and redemption. In the Edo-period different genres fluorished. Matsuo Bashō is recognized as the greatest father of haiku poetry. Meiji period was marked as the re-opening of Japan to the West, where genres like Enlightenment literature, realism, romanticism and naturalism bloomed. Writers  such as Natsume Sōseki, Fukuzawa Yukichi, Mori Ōgai and Jun'ichirō Tanizaki was Japan's of the Nobel Prize for Literature.

Pop fiction, non-fiction and children's literature flourished in the 1980s of the urban Japan. Manga is one example of literature that is now mainstream in Japan.

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China is one of the countries in the East of Asia. China wasn't called China until the 16th century. But the origin of the country dates back to ancient India, when the Sankrit word Chīna was found. China, like other countries, has a very long history. From Xia to Shang, Qin to Modern China, the country has flourished with their culture, technology, arts and economy.

Religion also highly affected their beliefs and political views now. Buddhism, aside from Confucianism and Tao Te Ching. Literature slowly started to bloom through philosophers such as Chuang Tzu and Lieh Tzu and so much more. From this, poets and writers from different dynasties emerged.

In the 1900s, Chinese literature continued to grow. One example of work is A Country Boy Quits School by Lao Hsiang. It's a story about a country boy who was forced to enter school by law. The boy was required by the school to buy expensive books despite them being poor. After being able to buy the book, conflict and misunderstanding started as they misinterpret the contents and intention of the book because of the family's lack of knowledge. The boy reads the book frequently and the family eventually became angry and annoyed by the inaccurate interpretation of the foreign schools instruction. Because of this the father decided to pull him out of school because he believe that the school isn't teaching the proper way. In conclusion the father was sent to jail to stop the family from continuous arguments.
The story shows how much education is important in our daily lives since it also leads to a better future.

Other works from China are Love Must Be Forgotten by Zhang Jie

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Japanese literature was greatly affected by cultural interaction with China and Chinese literature, and early works were frequently published in Classical Chinese. The introduction of Buddhism in Japan also had an impact on Indian literature. Japan's initial kokuf culture (lit., "national culture") evolved during the Heian period, and literature acquired its unique style. Following Japan's openness of its ports to Western trade and diplomacy in the 19th century, Western literature encouraged the formation of modern Japanese writers, who have been rewarded with two Prestigious Awards as of 2020.

Japan had no writing system prior to the arrival of kanji from China; Chinese characters are said to have arrived in Japan around the beginning of the fifth century, introduced by Korean and Chinese immigrants. Early Japanese writings followed the Chinese model at first, but eventually changing to a mix of Chinese characters employed in Japanese syntactical forms, resulting in phrases written in Chinese characters but understood in Japanese phonetically.

The activity that I have enjoyed the most is when we are given the responsibility of finding a Japanese haiku and then creating an art piece based on how we interpret it. Because you'll notice that words take on different meanings depending on the reader's attitude, and it's interesting that they can communicate so much with so few words in a single haiku. With that stated, we can all agree that Japanese literature deserves to be included among the many great works of literature from across the world.

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China is one of the eastern nations. It wasn't until the 16th century that China was given its current name. However, the country's origins may be traced back to ancient India, when the Sankrit term Chna was discovered. China, like all other countries, has a rich and illustrious past. From Xia to Shang, Qin to Modern China, the country's history, science, art, and commerce have developed.

Religious belief has now had a significant impact on their thoughts and political ideas. Aside from Confucianism and the Tao Te Ching, Buddhism is a popular religion. Literature began to bloom slowly, thanks to thinkers like Chuang Tzu and Lieh Tzu, among others. Poets and authors from many dynasties arose as a result of this.

A work entitled "A Nation Boy Quits School" is one of the literary works published in this country. To be absolutely honest, I didn't fully grasp the story's meaning aside from the fact that it plainly demonstrates how a lack of education can lead to violence and chaos in a person's life, including their family. This narrative not only illustrates how important education is, but it also discusses how education is defined by more than just books and professors, prompting me to search the internet for its lesson. After doing some research, it appears that the message is about the value of education and how not having access to it may lead to difficulties in one's life. If this is accurate, it's incredible to think that an ancient work could represent and express an issue that we're still dealing with now. It's incredible to see how literature can portray stories with seemingly eternal viewpoints.

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India was the country to which our group was assigned. There was a lot of information to go through regarding India when producing the video, especially given its size and diversity. A few of the Indian ideas appealed to me when writing the script and recording it. Samkhya, a philosophy in which reality is derived from the soul and matter, was one of my favorites. We might claim that what is genuine are those who surround us. We're real, and the stuff we engage with in our environment are genuine, which I find fascinating. Though I find it fascinating, I don't think it's a concept I'll follow because I appear to believe in something that isn't similar to the Samkhya ideology, but it's fascinating to learn about. The Mughal Empire, which was created by Babur, is one of India's many empires and kingdoms. India, like our own nation, the Philippines, was not immune to colonialism. Britain was the most powerful colonial power, with control stretching all the way to the Afghan border. Several European countries, including France and Portugal, joined Britain.

Indian literature shown that literature reflects one's culture, beliefs, and identity. It may seem incomprehensible to people who were not born in the same country, but it does not negate its significance and importance to them. Every piece of literature depicts a different element of mankind, and if we want to completely comprehend one another, we must learn to read each other's words on our own sheets.

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Alberto, Princess Dominique

Alejandro, Janah

Balucating, Gillian

Batalon, Mark Joshua

Collado, Hazel Ann

De Borja, Bill

Delos Reyes, Nhivrazzir

Edquilane, Kenneth Brian

Maulana, Aisah Jamillah

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The body of composed works delivered by Japanese writers in Japanese or, in its beginnings, when Japan had no literature language, in the Chinese old style language. Both in amount and quality, Japanese writing positions as one of the significant literary works of the world, similar in age, lavishness, and volume to English writing, however its course of advancement has been very different.

The Japanese language was untainted and unfertilized by Chinese impact, contained astoundingly couple of expressions of a theoretical nature. Similarly as English acquired words such as ethical quality, genuineness, equity, and so forth from the Continent, the Japanese acquired these terms from China; yet in the event that the Japanese language was deficient in the jargon proper to a Confucian article, it could communicate practically boundless shadings of passionate substance.

From the sixteenth century on, numerous words that had been prohibited from Japanese poem on account of their unfamiliar beginnings or their unassuming implications, following the directs of the "codes" of beautiful diction was created in the tenth century, were embraced by the specialists of the haiku, initially a renegade, famous verse structure. These codes of idyllic diction, joined by a significant collection of analysis, were the production of an intense literary subtlety, encouraged particularly by the practices of the court, and were normally formed by the main poets or playwrights themselves.

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Chinese writing is among the most inventive and intriguing in the world. The accuracy of the language brings about consummately acknowledged pictures whether in poetry or exposition and, similarly as with all extraordinary writing, the topics are ageless. The Chinese valued literature exceptionally and surprisingly.

Chinese writing is one of the major scholarly legacies of the world, with a continuous history of over 3,000 years, going back essentially to the fourteenth century BCE. Its medium, the Chinese language, has held its indisputable personality in the two its spoken and composed perspectives disregarding slow changes in articulation, the presence of geographical and local tongues, and a few phases in the underlying portrayal of the composed charts, or "characters."

Through social contacts, Chinese writing has significantly impacted the abstract practices of other Asian nations, especially Korea, Japan, and Vietnam. Not exclusively was the Chinese content received for the composed language in these nations, however a few journalists embraced the Chinese language as their superior literary medium, essentially before the twentieth century.

The earliest composed works in China are apparition stories and legends. The tale of "A country boy who quits School" is composed by Lao Hsiang. The story is about a helpless Chinese family which has a kid of an early age, working hard everyday to help providing the essential needs of their family. The family is compelled to send this kid to school following the City Ordinance and appears just to have terrible outcomes. "A country boy who quits School" shows the significance of education to our lives. It unmistakably exhibits how poor education may result to war and disarray to somebody's life, even family. Just like how it explains how crucial education is, this story additionally addresses how not simply books and educators characterize education.

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Japan, also known as the Land of the Rising Sun, is also one of the many countries that we have discussed here in our Afro-Asian Literatire coarse. We have seen Japan's culture, beliefs, religions, and of course, their very own Literature, which is known to be one of the major literature pieces of the world. They have utilized writing as a means of expressing their adoration towards nature, their own culture, beliefs, and way of life. Early Japanese writers have provided us insightful perspectives that is still bringing us amazement up until this day.

One of the most enjoyable parts that I have experienced throughout the semester is the Haiku activity. Aside from learning what a haiku actually is, we are also tasked to choose a haiku and illustrate the image that it is conveying. I really enjoyed drawing and visualizing what my chosen haiku is trying to portray. The haiku that I picked is actually quite vague, which made it sort of difficult to visualize, but honestly, I am glad that it is vague since it allowed me to put my imagination to the test. I do not know what the author of that haiku is looking at when he wrote his piece, so I just drew a wholesome image that is able to depict the story that is being described in the haiku. It is amazing how a short haiku can make our naked eyes see images that are beyond our limited senses.

With all of that said, we can all agree that Japanese literature truly deserves a spot among the many major pieces of world literature. What made japanese literature stood out isn't solely because of the various themes that these texts discuss, but it is also because of the way they are written. It just goes to show that even a piece of paper can weild a million insightful stories as long as one knows how to write words that appeal beyond our naked eyes.

-Kenneth Brian D. Edquilane

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The central point of the story is to show viewers that African literature has distinct characteristics and qualities that represent its own culture and identity, but that the world of literary works is blind to these distinctions. If it excludes minorities and those who were once oppressed, World Literature does not take up its title or assert the term "world." It should encourage inclusivity because it reflects the literature of the world in which we live. The literature norm must take into account the cultural diversity, custom, and everything else that makes up our identity in the world we live in. One of the conditions for contributing to world literature, it was said, is that the text should move beyond its language and cultural limits. African literature, according to Dr. Gikandi, meets all of the requirements for being considered world literature, however it is not accepted. What is the reason for this? It is based on the belief that African literature is too complex to fit in with the existing literature of other nations, such as Western and European literature, and that African texts never seem to be adequate. The omission of African literature from debatable topics and anthologies of world literature, despite the fact that it fits the standards, confirms the Europeans' domination and hegemony and reveals the prevalence of bigotry against them. The Western hegemony is prevalent in the unwritten standards of world literature, which benefit the writers of those criteria and those who think similar, making it Eurocentric and therefore unequal. African literature, in my opinion, has a lot to come. We don't need to translate its beauty in order for it to fit; instead, we can accept it and use literature to learn how magnificent their history, heritages, and languages are.

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The literature of the philophy based from inquiry about life, death, and nature.

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The literature of the philophy based from inquiry about life, death, and nature.

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Ancient Indian literature is one of the most beautiful and largest to read and understand.
Indian literature dates back to the courts of monarchs over 5000 years ago in the forms of oral poetry, song, and verse. The literature of ancient India is based on an inquiry about life, death, and nature.

The Indian literary tradition is one of the oldest and complex cultures in the world, making it very interesting to learn and delve through. We are lucky to have been given the chance to research and study the country, culture, and literary works.
I was assigned to its Philosophy together with Gillian. I am honestly overwhelmed with all the concepts that India acknowledges, being a student of comparative religion, and learning various beliefs, and the ability to compare and contrast things is truly an exciting experience for me. I believe that the video we made as an output of the group was successful in showcasing the history and their literature. At first, it was a bit hard to understand the concepts, but spending extra hours is all worthwhile and thrilling as this country is very rich when it comes to culture.

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Gikandi on African literature in the world A keynote lecture on “African Literature in the World: Imagining a Post-Colonial Public Sphere.” 

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Gikandi on African literature in the world A keynote lecture on “African Literature in the World: Imagining a Post-Colonial Public Sphere.” 

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The academic discourse on African postcolonial literature is characterized by a continuous process of debates on a variety of issues, reassessments of theories, and redefinitions of terms. The term African postcolonial literature refers to writings produced after the political independence of various African states which were formerly subject to European colonial rule. Most of this literature written by African authors in their home countries or diaspora deals with colonial experience or decolonization issues.

Gikandi explains that the foundations of modern African literature have been laid by the process of colonization, e.g., through education in Christian schools, which have enabled today’s forms of literature. Gikandi emphasizes the irony of this fact: “While the majority of African writers were the products of colonial institutions, they turned to write to oppose colonialism.” This leads to various problems when dealing with African writings, especially when applying the viewpoint of postcolonial criticism, which has been trying to theorize African writings since the 1980s.

African literature is not important only because of its relevant setting and relatable storylines. It also increases our social consciousness and raises awareness of the social, political, and economic crises that the African continent is facing.

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China is among the many countries that we have tackled within the entire semester. Now, I am going to tell you the most significant concepts that I have learned about one of the greatest contributions that China had provided to the world: Timeless wisdoms.

Chinese literature is one of the most well recognized pieces of literature in the entire world. Not only these pieces contain the culture and identity of the different dynasties in China, these writings also posses ideas that are considered as "timeless" since these works relay messages and perspectives that are insightful and meaningful, making them still relevant up until today.

One of the literary pieces that is written in this country is a story called "A Country Boy Quits School". To be completely honest, I did not fully understand the message of the story, resulting for me to look for its lesson in the internet. Upon searching, it appears that its message revolves around the importance of education and how not having access to such may cause hardships to one's life. If this is correct, then it is truly astonishing to know that an ancient piece was able to depict and describe the problem that we are still facing up until today. It is amazing to witness such literature being able to tell tales that hold perspectives that are seemingly timeless.

Of course, we can't leave this blog post without talking about Confucius and his endless wisdom. Confucius' teachings are so impactful and insightful that his words are still being used up until our modern times. His perspectives towards ethics, morals, and social standards paved the way for Confucianism to exist. Confucius' words are so powerful that his teachings still hold great importance to us modern folk.

Throughout this entire blog entry, I have shown you that the wisdom of the past is still something that we should focus on. Just because it is ancient, doesn't mean that it is no longer prestigious. Sometimes, the greatest treasures of the world isn't a chest filled with gold, rather, it is the messages hidden behind the words of insighful people. If only we are able to see the world based on these teachings, then maybe humanity would've thrived more.

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Literature as a Reflection of One's Identity

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Literature as a Reflection of One's Identity

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Just like the other countries that are discussed throughout the entire semester, India is also unique, grand, and filled with its own wonders. Our group was actually assigned to make an infographic about the different aspects of India, from the holidays that they celebrate, up to the many beliefs that many Indians hold. My partner and I are tasked to search and discuss the religious aspect of India, and to be completely honest, I am surprised and astonished to discover that India's religious beliefs had greatly impacted the way how the early Indian literature was written and made.

Based on the research paper that my partner and I have discovered, India's religion and literature have always had a meaningful connection towards one another since Indian writers believed that stories from such divine source held universal truths that are needed to be told. Additionally, Indian writers utilized religion as an inspiration for writing because they somewhat believed that writing about divine beings make their writing more worthy and much more meaningful.

Based on the information that we have gathered, it is safe to say that Literature does take inspiration from various sources. I have come to realize that the world is filled with wonders that we may or may not understand. As humans have a limited understanding of reality, we often interpret wonders in a way where we can relate to it, and writing words on a piece of paper is one way of relaying these mysteries. Indian Literature showed us that one's literature is a reflection of one's culture, beliefs, and identity. It may not be understood by those who are not born within the same land, but that doesn't mean that it is no longer significant and important to them. Every type of literature shows a certain aspect of humanity, and if we want to fully understand each other, we must then learn to look at each other's words that are written on our own papers.

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Unique Lenses: Reflection on Dr. Simon Gikandi's Presentation

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Unique Lenses: Reflection on Dr. Simon Gikandi's Presentation

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The main idea of the entire video is to inform its viewers that African literature possesses unique traits and qualities that reflects its own culture and identity, but the world of literature cannot see these differences since the people that are supposed to translate such writings are only interested in interpreting ideas that are easily understood by the majority of readers. With that said, the video made me realize that we, as readers and learners of literature, have to understand that there are certain things in literature that cannot be translated into another angle, not because it is misunderstood or confusing, but because it has qualities that can only be seen if we look at it in the lens of its own roots, culture, and identity as a form of writing.

It is important for us language educators to acknowledge and accept these differences that revolves around the world of literature in order to make writing more inclusive, and not only represent a single form of writing. We don’t need to alter its form just for such literature to fit amongst the already published ones because the true nature of writing is not constrained within a single criteria that had been set by the majority. The ultimate key in making World literature more inclusive is to accept any literature or any writing for what it is, along with its familiar narratives, and unique hues of its own lenses.

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Our group was actually assigned to the country, India. In making the video, there was so much info to go on about India, especially because of how big and diverse it is. Kudos to my group mate, Josh, who made the video. For the video, I was assigned with Ate Aisah to research and make a script on the philosophies in India. While making the script and recording, I really liked some of the Indian philosophies. One specific philosophy that I liked was Samkhya, where reality stems from the soul and matter. I mean we can say that what’s real is those that are around us. We’re real, the things we interact with around us are real and I find that interesting. Though I find it interesting, I think it’s not a philosophy that I’ll pursue because I already believe in something that is not like the Samkhya philosophy but it’s interesting to read up on. I found the video-graphic activity really cool because I get to know something about another country different from mine. It helps me to know about them so when I meet people from India or if ever go to their country, I’ll have knowledge to base from and not cause anything negative. To think about the video in general, it was made well and not because it’s made by my group mates but because I saw all the information that went into it. There was a lot of information but the video got to explain all that within 18 minutes. I gives us a glimpse of India and its upbringing.

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Despite the speaker’s accent being hard to comprehend, I think the talk was overall insightful. To quote from the speaker, Simon Gikandi, the conference “... is an affirmation of the centrality not only of Africa within the project of World Literature but most importantly it calls attention to the richness and the complexity of African languages.”

I can tell that African Literature doesn’t have that great presence when studying literature. Even in my 8th grade English class, where we were supposed to be studying Afro-Asian Literature, I was missing the “afro” part of that study. Yet, it’s nice to know that African writing is making itself known. What I’ve noticed as the African Literature’s issues mentioned in the talk is translatability, intelligibility and opacity. But even though the translatability of an African writing is a struggle, I feel like the World Literature establishment should still withhold to the principle of inclusiveness. Being said that their name does say “World” not only “European” or “Asia” or “Western”

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World Literature and African Literature? : A Reflection on Dr. Gikandi's Speech

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World Literature and African Literature? : A Reflection on Dr. Gikandi's Speech

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The speech of Dr. Gikandi's speech to be honest is a real struggle to understand due to his accent that is why I watched it two and a half times (I only finish half in my third time cause I fell asleep) before I finally understood his point which struck me really hard.

Dr. Gikandi opened not only my eyes but my entire being that for a very long time of attending different literature classes I was studying what I can say an Ironic subject, I personally have encountered WORLD LITERATURE thrice but upon listening to Dr, Gikadi I realize that it isn't containing all of the world's literature. As he pointed out African Literature inarguably a literature that should belong to the umbrella covering world literature many studies has proven that African Lit has achieved all the requirements needed to be classified as one of the World Literatures. Unfortunately up to this moment it hasn't been approved to be one of them. Is it because African Literature is too hard to understand? Or Is it because we are to tied with the standards set by the popular Western Literatures? Why are we not studying these literatures?

For me we need to embrace this new culture that African Literature has to offer. We need to set aside those things that we are used to. Let us not be too caught up with the thinking that there are standards in Literature thus let us be open with what each piece of Literature has to offer us.

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For our video graphics in India, I was assigned to research their history. This activity gave me a glimpse of India's prosperous past. As early as 5000 and 2000 B.C.E, the now known as India and Pakistan used trade and communication networks to link their settlements with one another. Around 2600 B.C.E, the Indus Valley Civilization and Indo-Aryan Culture emerged. The highly organized settlements grew in population and dimension. The inhabitants of the region had similarities in cultural characteristics and abilities such as planning urban developments, using an undeciphered script, and crafting technologies. During the early years of this period, one of the oldest languages in the world rose - the Sanskrit. This language is associated with the Veda texts that formed the basis of Hinduism. It is evident how rapid Indians are with their progress and civilization. After the birth of Hinduism, other religions arose - Buddhism and Jainism. However, these newly formed religions are connected with Hinduism. India is also home to many empires and kingdoms such as the Mughal empire which was founded by Babur. Like our country, the Philippines, India was not spared from colonization. The most significant colonial presence was Britain whose dominance reached the Afghan border. Along with Britain were numerous European countries such as France and Portugal.

One of my favorite discoveries in this activity was the Indus Valley Civilization. It is something that I want to know more about. I will attach a picture below to show incredible it looked.

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Simon Gikandi on African Literature in the World: Imagining a Post-Colonial Public Sphere

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Simon Gikandi on African Literature in the World: Imagining a Post-Colonial Public Sphere

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World Literature should not take up its name or claim the word “world” if it excludes minority and the ones who were once marginalized. It should promote inclusiveness as it represents the literature of the world we are part of. The standard for the world literature must recognize the diversity of culture, tradition, and everything that comprises our identity in the world we live in. It was said that one of the criteria of belonging to the world literature is as long as text can travel outside its linguistic and cultural boundaries. The absence of African literature from the major discussions and anthologies of world literature though it meets the criteria of that of affirms the dominance and superiority of the European and says something about the persistence of discrimination against them. Many African literature define its historical identity, introduce their cultural difference and lived experience of an African as a citizen unbeknown to the rest of the world hence it is worth knowing and sharing. The hegemony of the Western is present in the unwritten criteria of world literature which favors the creators of such criteria and the people whom they look alike which makes it Eurocentric thus being unfair. It is ironic that the Europeans who once colonized Africa hinder them to have the opportunity to express their history and experiences through literature to the world.

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For our videographics about India, Me and Kenneth was relegated to accumulate data about their religion in the internet. Me, myself is devoted in my religion, which is Born Again Christian and when this task was assigned to me, I accepted the opportunity to know and comprehend India's religion. India is the origin of four of the world's significant religions: specifically Hinduism, Buddhism, Jainism, and Sikhism yet today, India is home to around 94% of the worldwide populace of Hindus, where Hinduism being the principle religion of the country.

India's religion is extremely intriguing, I am now acquainted with Hinduism since we discussed it already before, on various occasions. Aside from that, religion and Indian Literature had consistently had a significant association towards each other since indian authors accept that stories from such religion held all inclusive certainties that should have been told. Indian scholars used religion as a motivation for writing since to some degree, they believe that expounding on divine creatures make their writings more commendable.

I'm truly astounded in our group since everybody is so dedicated and everybody participates to finish the task. As fas as I recollect that, we completed this job in only three (3) days before the submission date. Thanks to Nhiv's leadership and Mark's incredible skills in editing. I additionally need to thank, obviously, the cooperation of each one of us to make our video graphics marvelous and educational.

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Honestly, watching Dr. Simon Gikandi's “On African Literature in the World: Imagining a Post-Colonial Public Sphere” gave me a hard time since I don't really understand what he is saying due to his African accent but his lecture truly opened my eyes about the significance of African Literature and why it was ignored all over the world. Dr. Gikandi stated that African Literature meets all the criteria to be considered as world literature, but despite of that, it is still not recognized. Why?  It is on the grounds that the world accepts that African literature is too diverse to fit in with other countries' literatures such as Western and European Literature and the world also believes that African text never appears to be adequate. And it saddened me to know that African text needed to be translated for it to fit in. As I finished watching the video, I realized that literary works helps us, the readers not just to comprehend as well as urges us to draw in in a country's cultures and heritages and I believe African Literature has a lot to offer. We don't have to translate its uniqueness for it just to fit, instead we should embrace it and discover how beautiful their culture, heritages, and language is through their literature.

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World Literature: On why African literature is being left behind. 

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World Literature: On why African literature is being left behind. 

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A reflection of beauty, culture, and life, African literature has been in ages trying to get their beautiful writings to being known around the world. With all honesty, I wasn't familiar with African literature until this moment. Dr. Gikandi gave me a new perspective of world literature and questioned what makes literature known and recognized as part of world literature. On the discussion, Dr. Gikandi gave us the knowledge that literature is part of world literature. It must be diverse and understandable as the world is. It must also have the ability to cross the linguistic and cultural boundaries. Dr. Gikandi was able to tell us that African literature has all that it takes to be recognized in the Republic of Letters.

Another page of the long story of African literature being deprived of its recognition and reputation as being included in world literature is the difficulties and wrongful translations of the languages used in their literature. Dr. Gikandi provided examples that translation is a struggle, and somehow it is an image of oppression and discrimination. What we need to understand is that what makes the identity of their literature where we can see the authenticity and beauty of their language as it is.

The talk was fruitful because it delivers us to understand that world literature is still not "world literature." What implications can we see to this? As language educators, we should understand the meaning of world literature. We have the power to change things as to what African literature is going through. We can help, and we can promote; we can be the bridge to close the gap the world and the Africans have. The actual product of education is change. Suppose we start to plant the seed of education that African literature deserves more recognition. In that case, the fruit will be feasted by the next generation, and thus we brought them change and a better future.

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To guide you through your scrolling here's color codes to identify which entries are for which countries!

RED - Africa
BLUE - India
YELLOW - China
GREEN - Japan

Now that things are cleared up, have fun reading!