Prompt 18

My first impression of Chinese views on American society was that they laugh at us. China is extremely versatile in their economics as culture. History and politics has a large place in society but China might think that America gives too much leniency to their citizens. For example, America allows guns for protection in the home when China forbides firearms of any kind. This can be viewed by the Chinese as a violation of the right to stay alive and have a society without fear. The Chinese government is very strict in their laws and on their people. With so many citizens that is the type of governement that is needed. The government seems to think that peace comes from structure, whereas in America peace comes from diversity.

Prompt 17

Two generalizations that I feel express the basic lessons in "Yellow-Girls" are first, the idea of natural born Chinamen that American born Chinese person's are not equal and second, the urge of American born Chinamen to be accepted by their fellow man. We, as humans, are born with compassion and from these generalizations, we must learn that people are all different and yet equal, no matter who they are or where they were born. For example, "It was there in the train station in Tainan that I realized that I was a foreigner everywhere I went, no matter how fluent I was in English or how un-American my facial features were." Meggy Wang said this in her essay, The Train, and I believe that everyone feels this if they are multicultural. I think the way these girls feel should be open to everyone so that maybe when we run into a multicultural person we wont push them out of a place they might belong even though they don't look like they belong in a part of a certain culture. For example a Chinese American has a Chinese culture and can be apart of it their whole lives, but still want to be a part of the culture that we as American's from time to time call our own and hesitate to let others into.

Prompt 16

When we went to the restaurant in Chinatown, we had an amazing meal! The food was prepared with care and love. There was so much food that we had to take it home or give it away! I ordered something safe and easy, something I knew that I could eat. However, when the food was brought out I tried it all. First I tried the hot and sour soup. It was really good and not too spicy at all. The menu was in both chinese and english, and for things that I did not know about, the waitress was very helpful in describing what I would be eating. The dumplings and pancakes were served first and most everyone gobbled them up.
I think having a meal out in a place that I have never was an extreme culture shock. It helped me to understand a little how eating and interacting in another country and culture would be different and strange, but knowledge baring at the same time.

Prompt 15

Chinatown in Honolulu is a self-contained community because there are homes, businesses and everything someone would need to live without ever leaving. Chinatown is a place of culture within the Hawaiian culture where the residents live, work, worship, and survive. I saw many tourists and people just passing through. I also saw businesses that catered mainly to the residents of Chinatown and not tourisits. There were banks, religious sites, churches, and there might have been a school. I think Chinatown is neccesary to the people who are from China or other similar cultures who need to have some connections with their home. However, Chinatown is neccesary so that others can learn about the culture who might not have the opportunity to go and learn in China. Chinatown contributes to the people by being there for learning opportunities and a place to go to feel like they are at home. The major implication of a Chinatown could be considered as the people who live there are cutoff from life and the culture around them. These people are so stuck in their way of life that they do not want to assimilate into what America considers "American Culture." This dynamic has changed over time because they welcome visitors but only leave if they have to. But in general the people who live in Chinatown work in Chinatown and are happy to accept tourists but generally do not want to leave what they know.

Prompt 14

In the movie, To Live, filial piety is not shown to be very important. Fugui does not respect his father nor the legacy he has built for him. Fugui gambles it all away without respect to his father, finally making himself and his family homeless as well as causing his father's heart attack. Harmony within a family is shown to be fleeting. When it is found it is usually pushed away or shattered by tragedy or stubborness. Fugui knows that hardwork will pay off in the end and lead to self-cultivation so after the war he works hard to provide for his family. At the time the movie is set in, survival is the philosophy of life. Fugui and his wife, Jiazhen fight and survive for their lives even though they do not believe in the Party's cause. At this time in history I believe that the philosophy of life was survival. I think everything can be related to the idea of yin and yang including survival. This philosophy is the same throughout the Great Leap Forward and the Cultural Revolution. The family will say and do anything to stay together and stay alive.

Prompt 13

The reason Nobody can be no body and no thing at the same time might be contirbuted to a state of life. Someone who is dead will not have a body, and will be no thing, just a figment long past. The term could mean that the writer is dead and no longer exists, or that he is just a wanderer, a man of no name and no home. The double meaning of the boys hand turning white and the falling snow is death. Cold means death while warmth means life. The skin pales and loses pigmentation in death, just as the snow and cold kill nature. These Haiku represent the core values of Japanese Aesthetics by showing naturalness in the words, opening to take one moment of time and describing it in very few words. It shows Perishability because they know the seasons and how they end and give life, and finally the haiku show sensitivity with the compassion they show to the value of life.

Prompt 12

Japanese aesthetics are inseparable from religious views because of the way they view nature. Their art shows the love of nature and in religion with the respect of nature. The art of Japanese aesthetics is seen in not only their gardens but in their heikus, ikebana, tea and calligraphy. While we were at the Buddhist Temple and the Shinto Temple, I noticed that the structures were not put together with nails or glue. They are molded together by the cut of the wood as if they were meant to be together. The respect paid to the wood by the craftsmen is seen as a sign of reverence not only to the gifts of nature but settled there in the heart of nature. The rock garden was kept clean and unobstructed by anything. The things I saw at these religious places had many sites to support the fact that Japanese aesthetics and religion are inseparable. In Christianity, people view their ancestors as gone and in Heaven, unable to take care of them. In Shinto, the Japanese believe that their ancestors can help them at anytime. In American religions and day to day life, ancestors are not given a special place unless it means going to place flowers on a marker. Japanese persons keep things in their homes to remind them of their ancestors even going so far as to set a plate of food for them at the dinner table and leave a chair open for them.

Prompt 11

John Dower calls World War II a race war because the axis side was trying to rid the world of races, in their eyes, were imperfect, while the Allies were trying to save all races. The primary storyI noticed at the U.S.S Arizona was not the bombings themselves, nor the vicious attacks that would not stop coming, but the burial at sea for the 1,177 men who lost their lives that day. The memorial brought up the sailors, marines, and other workers from that day, but it did not prejudice Japanese persons. The primry story was the grave of the ship, and not the attack itself. People that visit the memorial are from all races, ethnicities and ages. There were many Japanese persons mingling with Americans. There were toddlers and college students, as well as middle aged couples and couples celebrating their fiftieth wedding anniversaries. I think people were visting the memorial to achieve knowledge of what happened on December 7, 1941. However, others were at the memorial to pay hommage to all the brave men who survived and died that fateful day. There are many stories that were not told that day. One being the many changes that came about in military security. Another isthe story of the heroes that were not recognized but fought valiently to saves as many sailors as they could. This reminds me of another day when attacks hit much closer to home. September 11 is like this day, where heroes who will never be known or recognized fought hard to save strangers they'de never met.

Prompt 10

Japanese understandings can be characterized as closed-minded for the survivors, uncaring for the second generation, and unknowing for the third. The Japanese who saw what happened in Nagasaki, probably to this day will not understand why American's dropped the bomb. The children of the survivors of the bombing wish to protect the feelings of Americans and do no seem to care about their parents feelings. And grandchildren of the survivors have not been taught about the history and the horrific things the bomb did to their ancestors. If one had to guess how they feel about Pearl Harbor, they could say the Japanese are sympthetic and remorseful, but will not apologize just as the United States will not be remorseful for doing something that we belived was right.

Prompt 9

The Family Game portrays the Japanse family as a divided front, where all members are at the mercy of the father. The mother was the one that made sure the kids were acting they way they should and doing what they should at school. The kids did what the father wanted with encouragement from their father. Self-image and worth rely heavily on where one is educated. One must go to Seibu High School to be of any worth and to graduate with the best grades just to be of some meaning. There are many interpersonal dynamics that show in every personal relationship. This is seen between Shineyuki's relationship with Yohimoto, the tutor. The two figured out each other's weaknesses, and used them to get along. Yohimoto discovered the boy's weakness and taught him how to fight. In turn his teachings forced the boy to work hard and to focus. The purpose of the young wife was to show how separated and distant people are from one another in Japan. She needed a friend and in the city, the only people you might talk to is your family. The boys and the mother dying shows that they, having completed their goals, couldn't possibly move any farther in the congested world of Japan and all of it's shortcomings.