Module Reflection (Indian Literature)

 The family is important in Indian literature and drama. Both the Mahabharata and Ramayana—the two most famous works of Indian literature and theater— are family epics, featuring cousins, uncles and aunts “struggling and killing each other over land and dharma and then mourning inconsolably." 

  The Gupta Empire (A.D. 320 to 647) is regarded as the classical period or golden age of Hindu art, literature and science. Art (often erotic), architecture and literature, all patronized by the Gupta court, flourished. Philosophy and science also enjoyed a kind of golden period. Under the Guptas, the Ramayana and the Mahabharta were finally written down in the A.D. 4th century. India's greatest poet and dramatist, Kalidasa, acquired fame expressing the values of the rich and powerful. Poetry in the Gupta age tended towards a few genres: religious and meditative poetry, lyric poetry, narrative histories (the most popular of the secular literatures), and drama. The Nalanda University in Bihar, came to fame during the Gupta rule. 

 

  Sanskrit was the language of learning and theology in South India, as it was in the north, the growth of the bhakti (devotional) movements enhanced the crystallization of vernacular literature in all four major Dravidian languages: Tamil, Telugu, Malayalam, and Kannada; they often borrowed themes and vocabulary from Sanskrit but preserved much local cultural lore. Examples of Tamil literature include two major poems, Cilappatikaram (The Jewelled Anklet) and Manimekalai (The Jewelled Belt); the body of devotional literature of Shaivism and Vaishnavism--Hindu devotional movements; and the reworking of the Ramayana by Kamban in the twelfth century. English is arguably the most important thing the British left behind in India. English helped unify the Indian subcontinent by providing a common language for a region with a multitude of languages and dialects. It also provided a common tongue for administration and education. The Indian constitution and Indian legal code are written in English and the famous speech delivered by Nehru after India became independent was in English. English is especially popular among the affluent middle class. As was true in the colonial era, English is a prerequisite to getting ahead, especially in the outsourcing and technology world. English is more widely spoken in southern India than northern India in part because southerners loath to use Hindi. 

 However,  Indian literature has been also influential for muslim literature and create an impact to the world.

Panchatanra (A reflection of the story The Power of a Rumour)

 

                        

                                Never did I become interested exploring fables not until I've known Panchatanra-- a famous collection of animal fable in Sanskrit literature from India.

                               I mostly done reading the Panchatantra stories available in the Internet without being get tired. One story caught my attention entitled "The Power of a Rumor". With just reading its title it gives me a strong impression of what the story would be and I feel curious since I think it would be completely relatable to life then when I read it, it didn't disappoint my expectation.

                            It happened in the animal world from the album of Sataka Kathaye/Tales. One day, an hare heard a weird striking sound then he got the thought might be the start of the earth is breaking up. He jumped up  and ran madly without even observing the direction of the sound. Along his way, he met another hare spreading his perception and then until the news spread to more of the hares. Very soon, thousand of hares were running through the forest.

                            On seeing hares running through the forest, the other animals too got frightened. The news spread from mouth to mouth and soon, everyone came to know that the earth was breaking. It didn't take much time before all the animals joined the race. The news spread like a wild fire that easy. All creatures whether that reptiles or birds, insects or four-footed animals, everyone was running to escape and their cries creates chaos all around.

                            The Lion, the king of the forest heard about it. Then, he calmly figured out the main source of the news. Then at last, out from asking  several animals it led the lion to the hare. The hare told the lion what happened. The lion investigated the matter and explored the the sound the hare had heard. Untimately, he came to know that the sound had been caused by a large coconut fell on the pile of rocks causing a minor landslide.

                            The moral of the story is that check the rumor before acting it.

                             In real life situation, we often get the same thing happened in the animal world. When a friend told us a rumor about a certain matter either about a person, situation or event , without filtering the information, we get believed since we trust that person. And we also tend to spread that rumor to others not knowing if it's true or not which lead to create a chaos , we ourselves get involved into committing falsehood. From this, we define ourselves a product of stupidity and lies that somehow made us to be fallen into turmoil.

                            To avoid such I remember from the Proverbs 24:28 "Do not be a false witness against your neighbor and also not tear him into pieces with your lips." From this, it teaches us to avoid false acquisition. Putting everything in confusion without even asking and knowing the truth.

                            In real life, we must apply and learn from this story because it's not really a good behavior to follow. With correct mindset and well-equipped of moral values help us to live in a peaceful lifestyle. 

Module Reflection (Chinese Literature and Confucius)

 

Image of Confucius at the palace examination at Kaifeng, in Song Dynasty China.

        I find happiness and exciting when I started to check this module. Knowing that I love Chinese foods which I mostly watch on YouTube made by the vloggers from the around the world. Seeing that this module is all about Chinese culture and Analects of Confucius I get to the point of excitement since I will know another portion of knowledge into this race.

I’ve been hearing Confucius since then but I never get to know him deeper that much but this lesson in World Literature is a big help into reminding me to be curious about him and not only this but also the journey into exploring the literature from across the globe. 

Chinese literature extends thousands of years, composed of literary works in the field of fiction, philosophical and religious, poetry, and scientific writings. The different dynasties across eras frame their history of literature .

It was Zou Dynasty (1045-255 BC), introduced literary works of philosophy and religion which became bases for Chinese religious and social belief. It lasted longer than any other dynasty in Chinese history (790 years).

I found out one remarkable event happened in this dynasty, the progress of One Hundred Schools of Thought . This occurred between 770 to 221 BC which is the expansion of cultural and intellectual aspects to China. It allowed philosophers and schools of thought to shield a discussion of ideas and thoughts. In the same season the four most influential schools of thought that evolved during this period were Confucianism, Taoism, Mohism, and Legalism.

During Song era, Confucian Classics became a dominant political philosophy of several empires until modern times. Even the people of that time were required to study it to pass the examination for the bureaucracy of China.

The Five Classics include: The Book of Changes, The Classic of Poetry, The Record of Rites  it is a recreation of the original Classic of Rites that was lost in the Qin book purge; The Classic of History; and The Spring and Autumn Annals.

The Four Books on the hand include: The Analects of Confucius is a book of sayings recorded or compiled by disciples of Confucius; Mencius which is a collection of political dialogues; and the Doctrine of the Mean which represents moderation, rectitude, objectivity, sincerity, honesty and propriety; and The Great Learning is a book about education, self-cultivation and the Dao.

Lastly, I find it very interesting in reading the Analects of Confucius because I get to understand the meaning of life more than I know.  Moral values and the ideas make me to understand what shall I pursue to avoid bad decision and apply those in my daily living.