It was great to meet all of you today! I am impressed by your intelligence in class and in the survey forms I'm reading now. I think this is going to be a very good course for all of us. Difficult, but good.
- Click here for my summary/analysis of your responses to questions #1-6 of the survey, about the biographical profile of the class.
- Click here for my summary/analysis of your responses to question #7 of the survey, about concepts of empire.
- Click here for a blank form. I also put the completed forms in my mailbox in case you want to add more to them, and then return them to the mailbox.
I hope you will ask me any questions you have about the course or the syllabus, either here on the blog, by emailing Ms. Chen, or by emailing me. Note: some of you have said that my
NTHU emails are rejected by your server due to virus threat. I have
experienced the same problem when extracting NTHU mails to my Gmail
account. So I will email the whole class from my Gmail and you will
have a better address to use. I don't list it here because it will draw
spam.
Remember that you need to "catch up" on today's reading assignment if you didn't have the texts to read, or didn't have the time to do so before class. That means you need to buy the Norton Anthology (Shorter 7th Edition) from the NTHU bookstore if you haven't already done so. Each of the groups needs to post one comment here as an answer to the question that was given to them on Tuesday 9/15. Please do so by Friday. Click on the comments below to see my response to a student email, in which I give guidance as to the level of detail I would like in your answers. I am reducing the size of this reading assignment, as follows! If you read more, that's not "bad" because it gives you extra understanding.
- I still want you to read Norton 1-9 for background, and all the writing by Columbus and Cabeza de Vaca on 24-36.
- The most important part of the Columbus letters, I think, is the last paragraph on 26, which is very famous.
- I find the entire Cabeza de Vaca letter fascinating! But I suppose the most important part is "The First Confrontation" & "Falling-Out with Our Countrymen" on 34-36. So when I say most important, I mean you should read the rest at moderate speed but read more slowly and carefully on these important parts.
- But we can reduce the Champlain reading ... the only part that I think is necessary is the fourth, fifth, and sixth paragraphs of Chapter III, in which Champlain tells the aboriginal leader that Christianity is superior to the aboriginal religions
Cool class~~
ReplyDeleteThanks for the first lecture!!
I'm glad you enjoyed it, Ted. One strange thing I find about my teaching is that the less energy I have, the more I talk. The more energy I have, the more I listen. This is the opposite for some people, no? (I had almost almost no energy today because I stayed up too late on Monday night... so too much talking. I didn't even realize until reading your survey responses that many of you are already familiar with concepts from post-colonial studies.)
ReplyDeleteI received an email tonight from the group of
ReplyDeleteCarol, Winnie, Vincent, and Ken. They are working on an answer to question #2 and wanted to know if the following is sufficient/complete. Below that you will see my response. The format of their answer is fine, but I would prefer more detail and more citation to the relevant text. Like my "multi-part" questions, the group doesn't need to take ALL of my suggestions, but maybe SOME of them that they find most interesting/relevant.
---ANSWER-IN-PROGRESS---
To answer question 2, we choose 鄭和 (Zheng He) as Chinese explorer.
*The similarities of Columbus and Zheng:
1. Both of them start their voyage from a powerful country at the period and make those relatively primitive countries their destination. ex: Columbus is from Spain, and Zheng is from China.
2. They both have various forms of interaction with people who lived in foreign territories; including goods, residents, culture ideas, etc.
*The differences between Columbus and Zheng:
1. The purpose is different. The purpose of Columbus's voyage is "adventure" while Zheng's purpose is to "visit" other countries as an ambassador in behalf of China emperor.
2. The difference of setting a system or not. After Columbus's each voyage, several crew members stayed in the place they visited and build a kind of system for settlement (build up political system and bring destruction as well). Zheng's visiting to different places does not build any form of system in order to control or for settlement.
---MY-GUIDANCE---
The best part of your answer is the distinction between settlement and mere visitation. Any visitation could lead later to settlement, but it is clear in the case of Columbus that eventual settlement was planned by the Spanish before his expedition even departed.
A factual mis-statement, or at least a dubious interpretation, is that Columbus' purpose is "adventure," if you mean the modern sense of this word, which is something like "sampling novelties and hazarding risks for the purpose of enjoyment." Cite the text to support this "adventure" interpretation, or consider his other stated/unstated purposes.
A useful clarification would be, what do you mean by "powerful"?
A REALLY useful clarification would be, what do you mean by "primitive"?
The answer would also benefit from citations of the assigned text. Another good place to do this would be in your description of "various forms of interaction." Which specific forms of interaction do we see in the text, and how does Columbus describe them?
Our group members are Sharron, Ted, Clara, and Jenny. We chose to answer question number 8.
ReplyDeleteWe find the marriage customs as the strangest one, especially the rule that a man can’t say hello to his son-in-law on the street. Because of marriage, their relationship should be closer, even becoming a part of their own family. Females can show their closer relationship with the parent and the relatives of the husband, why not males?
It’s just like showing how reluctant to let the daughter marry out for they would lose a member to support the family or give away the daughter who they raise for 15or more years. Even thought parents would be sad to marry the daughter out, but they should be happy at the same time, too. Besides, for an aboriginal society, it should be important to increase the children number. We can’t figure out why the man can’t be nice to his son-in-law.
Cabeza de Vaca said in the pang 32 that “they have a strange custom when acquaintances meet or occasionally visit, for weeping for half an hour before they speak. ... often without a word.” He didn’t describe other customs as “strange” like this one at the beginning, even though others are no less strange than this one.
Besides, we also think that a husband wouldn’t sleep with his wife after the pregnant (p.34) a little bit strange. Yet, we guess that it may because they think women are filthy to be near during that time. We don’t know if it could be a kind of discrimination. Yet, there’s some similar cultural tradition in other aboriginal tribes on the Oceania islands. (reference: http://web2.nmns.edu.tw/Exhibits/Oceania/main/7-2.htm)
Ps. In the part where Cabeza de Vaca said about the custom of children are suckled until they are twelve (p.34), he also wrote the reason. Then, why he didn’t explain those aboriginal customs he listed in the section of “the Malhaado way of life”?
Our group members are Meg, Natalie, Andrea, and Tedy.
ReplyDeleteCabeza de Vaca found how people act when acquaintances meet or occasionally visist strange. He describes the custom as “a strange custom,” which does not appear in the descriptions of other customs. After he describes the custom, he also mentions that “they have other strange customs, but I have told the principal and most remarkable of them.”
“…when acquaintances meet or occasionally visit, of weeping for half an hour before they speak. This over, the one who is visited rises and gives his visitor all he has. The latter accepts it and, after a while, carries it away, often without a word.” (p.32)
We also find this custom very strange to us because we would not greet acquaintances by weeping for half an hour, and we would not receive things from others and carry them away without a word. According to the description, they do not talk a lot when they meet or visit their acquaintances; all they do were just weeping, giving things and receiving things, and parted. However, we talk, even just about tiny trivial things in daily life, when we meet, and when we receive things from other, we express and talk about our appreciation.
Group member: Carol, Winnie, Vincent, Ken
ReplyDeleteQ2.
To answer question 2, we choose 鄭和 (Zheng He) as Chinese explorer.
*The similarities of Columbus and Zheng:
1. Compared to the places they visit, both of Columbus and Zheng are from more civilized and prosperous countries (Spain, China), which have well-developed political and economic system and are more advanced militarily.
2. They both have various forms of interaction with people who lived in foreign territories. In America and South-east Asia, both Columbus and Zheng have made various kinds of interaction with the locals and also discover innumerable new things and introduce them back to their own countries. For instances, in the letter to Luis de Santangel regarding the first voyage, Columbus describes the many things he hasn’t seen before: “There are six or eight kinds of palm……and there are birds of many kinds and fruits in great diversity.” (26) Besides, it’s without question that when two different groups of people meet, there must be some kind of interaction between them. In one of Zheng’s voyage, he has brought many monks with him while we can also see that religion has been affected during the interactions between two peoples in Columbus’ case. In letter to Ferdinand and Isabella regarding the fourth voyage, Columbus writes “Here in the Indies I have become careless of the prescribed forms of religion……and so separated from the holy Sacraments of Holy Church.” (28)
*The differences between Columbus and Zheng:
1. The purpose is different. The purpose of Columbus's voyage is for "ecnomic purpose" while Zheng's purpose is to "visit and spread the fame of China to" other countries as an ambassador in behalf of China emperor. Columbus is searching for a more feasible sea route between Europe and Asia. The crews wanted to avoid the costly overland routes to Asia in order to purchase the goods found in the East and demanded by the consumers in Europe. On the other side, Zheng's voyages are mainly focus on the diplomatic issues.
2. The difference of setting a system or not. After Columbus's each voyage, several crew members stayed in the place they visited and build a kind of system for settlement (build up political system and bring destruction as well). Zheng's visiting to different places does not build any form of system in order to control or for settlement.
These are excellent, keep them coming.
ReplyDeleteWe never learned about the phrases like “a medium of expression” or “a kind of expression” in or literature courses before, so we tried to analyze the two in or own thoughts. It would be great if Mr. Winter could guide us a little bit after reading our answers. If we define “a medium of expression” as “written down works” and “a kind of expression” “a literary form no matter the work appeared in verbal style or written style in the beginning,” then we think in Chinese tradition, literature is often regarded as “a kind of expression.” However, if we consider the motivations of the literary works, then it’s actually really difficult to distinguish which description is more suitable, for many of ancient Chinese canons are verbal forms when it first came into existence; but later when the Chinese writing system appeared, they are written down by some people such as historians. And afterward, they begin to be called literature. Many famous Chinese poetry and articles that have been passed down for more than a thousand years were derived from this way.
ReplyDeleteWe believe the travelogue letters that we read this week to be literature. The works which we’ve been reading this week that record actual events can be considered literature, because aside from the animals, plants, people and the phenomena that the travelers saw and recorded, there are still some individual observations and thoughts in the travelogue. People travel to different places of the world, and then live there for a period of time. And afterwards some of them publish the diaries that contain their thoughts and show them to the readers. Although the letters that we read may be too precise in date and time, which may reduce the beauty of reading and writing in some people’s point of view, the travelers intended to show the very “faithful testimony to the truth” to the receivers, then it can be regarded as literature.
Oh sorry, I forgot to add that our group members are Caleigh, Esther, Crystal and Sydney.
ReplyDeleteGroup Members: Fiola, Emma, Lucille, Teresa
ReplyDeleteQuestion 1#
Before clarifying the two definitions of literature: “a medium of expression” and “a kind of expression,” their prerequisite should be mentioned. Both ones have confined literature with the word “expression,” which brings up different levels of the author’s purpose when turned into the verb ‘express.’ So we assume that both “a medium of expression” and “a kind of expression” can be distinguished according to each purpose. It is the authors’ purpose or attitude to their writing that decides whether the work belongs to “a medium of expression” or “a kind of expression.”
“A medium of expression” represents a vehicle for ideas, opinions or emotions.
In this sense, literature itself seems not to be much important. It is regard more functional rather than emotional or artistic. “A kind of expression” on the other hand, means expression itself. The author write in a more subjective but also speak in more private way to express. Therefore such literature concerns more with the author’s debating to his own thoughts and imagination without obvious purpose toward outside world.
We are convinced both definition of literature work nowadays, but the latter one is more artistic and represents more spirit of literature. Also, we’ve reached a conclusion that in Taiwan, literature is more considered a medium of expression traditionally. Because literature is not truly treasured on this island, it is usually seen as a vehicle for information. When one walks into a bookstore and take a look at those best-selling books, he or she can easily realize how literature is degraded by those reference books.
As the travelogue letters in our textbook, we won’t regard them as literature if the author’s purpose in writing a great piece of work is not well demonstrated. After all, it was meant to be an ordinary, information-carrying letter.
Question 1
ReplyDeleteGroup members:Sherry, Tracy, Jane, Alyssa
Before answering this question, we think that we should first clarify the meaning of the word“medium”and the word“kind”in the description. From The Norton anthology of American Literature, we learned that the“medium”of expression means all language preserved in letters. That is, only those written texts can be considered as literature.
In the Chinese/Taiwanese tradition, we think that some literary works can be regarded as literature under such explanation. For example, the so-called Chinese Five Classics, which are the most significant works in Chinese tradition; and some books written in literary language of ancient China chronicle the Chinese history such as Chunqiu（春秋）.
However, we think such definition is problematic because we will not think a random note or a mathematic formula to be literature, even if it is a type of language preserved in letters.
If we consider literature to be a kind of expression, which means those texts that emphasized the imaginative and emotional possibilities of language, according to the Norton Anthology, it must be very subjective because literature are involved in one’s personal emotion and ideas. As for the Chinese/Taiwanese examples for such definition, we think that the Chinese poetry and lyrics conform to it. Yet we still think such classification has its problems to clarify. For example, Charles Darwin’s “The Origin of Species, ” a work that emphasizes neither the imaginative nor emotional possibilities of language, is still considered to be a literary work and is collected in The Norton Anthology of English Literature. As a result, we think that it is not so appropriate to define literature through the two definitions. Eventually, we raise the ultimate question: what is literature?
Since we think the two definitions provided by the Norton Anthology are not sufficient enough, we think that it is difficult to regard these travelogue letters as literature or not. We think that the idea of“literature”is constructed by the society and people’s ideologies as the time passes. In addition, in the process of its construction, there are numerous powers and scholars and other conditions involved. And the“power(s)”to determine what to be“literature”is very complex and changeable. As a result, we think that literature is not totally objective(preserved in letters) or totally subjective(emphasized the imaginative and emotional possibilities of language) Therefore, we think that the key to answer this question is to define what is literature before starting discussing the relationship between literature and expression.
Sorry for forgetting to cite our second hand reference:
ReplyDeleteOxford Dictionary Online
http://dictionary.oed.com.nthulib-oc.nthu.edu.tw/cgi/entry/00304651?single=1&query_type=word&queryword=medium&first=1&max_to_show=10
Joy posted the following in response to my PDF file analyzing the surveys. I thought this was interesting
ReplyDelete--------------
About the point “Taiwan was mentioned as a non-empire[,]” I understand it might be because of the absence in international conferences and the minor global influence. But as the government of R.O.C. escaped to this island, the new settlers(who were mostly Han) drove the aborigines further up to the mountains than they had already been. The policies back then(or even now to some extent?) like changing their names into Han edition were also meant to assimilate and take control of the aboriginal communities, which may show the same “imperial qualities” with Australia then. As to Taiwan today, the diplomacy with the so-called The Third World is based on financial support, aiming to form diplomatic relations and have an EU-membered “friend” to side with Taiwan in critical issues. With the support, governmental and non-governmental organizations enter those countries with resources, agricultural plantation, sanitary education and foundation of schools/temples/churches. Should we view this interests relationship as a practice of the “empire”(for Taiwan does influence these countries in their opinions and the citizens’ lives somehow)? If so, would the above things be considered to be not-imperial if they were asked by the locals?
We are Letitia, Qianyu, Peggy and Joy, and we are going to give some feedbacks on question 6.
ReplyDeleteIndeed, we found it strange that the Norton editors note the lands visited by the Spanish with the English names used today, as the case in “Galveston Island, now Texas” and “present-day New Mexico”(29), instead of using their original names stated in the texts. The notation is meant for the readers with geographical information of America, and this anthology, too, is primarily for those who have known general knowledge on America and also aim to study the American literature at advanced level.
For us, narrowed to the four in this group, we may know the geographical location of those places, but the notation and the anthology are in fact less accessible and effective to us than to the primary audience. The possible reasons may be our insufficient knowledge on Western historical, literary and cultural context. For instance, on the page 4, those listed Indian tribes such as “Utes,” “Pueblo peoples” and “Iroqoians” make more sense to English native speakers for some of the relevant stories may be familiar to them. Not only the names, but the cultural background can also limit our interpretation. Take Christianity as an example. In Anna Barbauld’s “A Mouse’s Petition” (The Norton Anthology of English Literature, V. II,) the poet uses the capital word “Law”, which can easily refer to the Law of the Bible for those who have lived in a Christian-rooted environment. Although it may be not the only interpretation, for those who merely have ambiguous concepts of Christianity, it is rather hard to come to that conclusion. This lack of religious familiarity also leads to the difficulty of re-presentation and re-interpretation. When we read “Paradise Lost” (The Norton Anthology of English Literature, V. I,) we tend to take Eve’s character as granted without noticing the re-creating of her personality and her role as a female.
However, we can also perceive the Norton editors’ efforts making the texts and the contexts more understandable. On Page 9 of The Norton Anthology of American Literature, they clarify the difference between “Pilgrims” and “Puritans” and explain some Puritan doctrines(10-11) which are only partially understood by the public. With this notation, the ideas and the context of the contemporary works will thus be more accessible to the primary audience and other readers like us.
Our group members are Rea, Iris and Zoe. We chose question 2.
ReplyDeleteThe character we thouht of is Zheng He, a Ming dynasty officer who was sent by the emperor to the South-East Asia.
[Similarities]
They are both detached by powerful governments, China and Spain in the 15 century; meanwhile, they did not doubt the superiorities of themselves. On the behalf of the powers, the two explorers saw the lands they bounded for as their own.
[Differences]
National imperialism and economical competition was growing within European country during 15centry when Columbus started his adventure. As a result, the queen of Spain Isabella supports Columbus’s voyage for gold and economic purpose. Columbus's goal tended to be a profit-seeking one. Before he started his voyage, he knew little about his destination that he made the well-known misunderstanding in the history of the Great Discovery. Besides, in order to avoid difficulties in gathering gold, Columbus brought weapons with him.
On the other hand, Zheng detached by the emperor of Ming dynasty as ambassador to South Asia, giving them numerous luxuries as gift, displaying the power and wealth of Ming. At the same time, those countries would give tribute to express their obedience and loyalty toward Ming emperor. Zheng went there with a peaceful mind, using non-voilence means to fulfilled his task. He already known what his destinations looked like before his departure, and there was no misunderstanding. In addition, his destinations had accepted the Chinese culture more or less.