Question # 1
One of the major concepts of Confucianism is “Jen” and in Confucianism, Jen is what makes individual an individual. It is what gives self its humanity and dignity. In Confucianism, the concept of self is not an isolated one. In Confucians teaching, it is not possible to be an individual without the society and the concept of the self emerges only in the relation to others. Confucianism gives much more value to the whole society rather than individualism as it considers individuals to be a constituent of society instead of isolated objects. Confucianism propagates strong hierarchical order and persuades individuals to follow the hierarchy as it is necessary for the social order. Observance of this hierarchical social order is the essence of Confucianism and individual freedom pales in front of the strict social order. To attain the mastery of the self an individual must show benevolence and human-heartedness towards others and personal freedom can be sacrificed if need be for the welfare of the whole. “Li” that is translated as propriety is very crucial to complete the self. For an individual, it is essential that he should know what to do with regards to others in a particular situation. Concept of self is closely linked to how to deal with people in the day to day affairs. Confucianism is cardinally a social religion and philosophy in which the notion of self is inextricably linked to others. The majority of us live under the influence of various types of "I's." But in Confucianism the focus is on an impersonal ego, and individuals are asked to identify with that superego which originates from the common social values of the society, the Confucian true self.
Taoism in many ways is the opposite of Confucianism, where Confucianism deals in strict Dos and Don’ts of daily life, Taoism believes in the philosophy of inaction. While Confucianism observes hierarchical social orders, Taoism emphasizes spiritual freedom. The goal in Confucianism is to attain perfect human behavior towards others while Taoism strives towards the salvation of the individual spirit. Classic Confucianism has a much more earthly feel and doesn’t bother with life after death while Taoism is a spiritual philosophy in essence. Taoism does not propagate many rules and seeks primarily the salvation of an individual in isolation from the society. According to Taoism, an individual attain self-mastery through spiritual practices and not by following a social order. In Taoism individual is described in the following words, “[The sainly man] has forgotten his five viscera and has abandoned his bodily form. He knows without apprehending, sees without looking, accomplishes without doing, and discerns without applying himself. He spontaneously responds to the outer stimuli and acts only if he cannot avoid it.” ( Pregadio )
Question # 2
The main theme of the epic of Gilgamesh is the inevitability of death and the reconciliation of self with the idea of death. In the story, Enkidu symbolizes as a second self of Gilgamesh and acts as a counterweight for Gilgamesh. The friendship of Enkidu and Gilgamesh is a symbol of the fusion of two sides of a self. The epic of Gilgamesh is a journey of and for knowledge and it imparts on the reader that the knowledge of self is cardinal to attain the inner peace. An individual has to go through an inner and spiritual journey to reconcile with his mortality and to maximize his potential in this mortal world. Without this inner awareness an individual cannot perform constructive deeds and he would act as a force of destruction much like Gilgamesh before the journey. The epic of Gilgamesh is a journey of transformation of an individual and it is the story of life itself. It is the very mortality of the individual that gives meaning to the individual self. Raven in the story of "Raven steals the Sun" can be interpreted as a metaphor for the self. Like an individual the Raven represents a complex personality, on one hand it is the trickster and stealer while, on the other, it is the force of creation and the bringer of light. Raven, here, symbolizes the creative energy of an individual and the river is the river of conciseness.
Question # 3
The era of Romanticism is marked by the notion of individualism, and the emphasis on the individual feelings and experiences is central to the movement of Romanticism. The upheaval in the socio-political realm persuaded the writers and poets to look into the inner self. The writers of that era were not much interested in the social problems but expressed individuality and individual experiences. The focus on individual and his emotional experiences and psychological states is quite obvious in the texts of the Romantic era. Clear expression of individualism and personal imagination can be seen in the following words, “I wandered lonely as a cloud. That floats on high o'er vales and hills.” (Wordsworth, I Wandered Lonely as a Cloud) And “Leave to the nightingale her shady wood; A privacy of glorious light is thine;” (Wordsworth, To a Skylark) The following lines from Wordsworth also points out the isolation of the self and its inner experiences along with lack of social interaction and “bliss of solitude”, “For oft, when on my couch I lie. In vacant or in pensive mood, They flash upon that inward eye. Which is the bliss of solitude; And then my heart with pleasure fills, And dances with the daffodils.” (Wordsworth, I Wandered Lonely as a Cloud) The Victorian age was quite the opposite to the Romantic era in this regard, the authors in the Victorian age were much more concerned with social and practical side of life instead of imaginary and inner aspect of self.
Question # 4
The central theme in Dickinson’s poem is the mortality of the self as well as life after death. The tone of the poem depicts a very calm attitude which is the indication that the poetess accepts the reality of death. More importantly, Dickinson points out that death is not the end of the self, it is, she claims, the transformation of the self from one reality to another. In the last lines, the author expresses that the event of death happened centuries ago, that is to say, the self exists after its death in some form. Khalil Gibran in his poem also expresses similar views on death. Death is not the end and destruction of the self, he explains. Life and death are not two opposing realities; they are the parts of the same whole. The self can find the secret of death only in the heart of life. The author tries to reconcile with the inevitability of death; he remarks that the self should not be afraid of death. Death is simply the gateway to freedom of the self from the drudgery of the physical world. The documentary underlines the near death experiences of the people and how they felt about it. The people in the video describe this near death experience as a transformation from this reality to a much more intense reality and they say that during the experience they saw their whole life played out in front of them.
Works Cited
45cobden. "Near Death Experience Documentary - Commonalities of the Experience." YouTube. YouTube, 16 Aug. 2013. Web. 11 Dec. 2014.
Brown, Arthur A. "Storytelling, the Meaning of Life, and The Epic of Gilgamesh." EAWC Essay. N.p., n.d. Web. 10 Dec. 2014.
Dickinson, Emily. "Because I Could Not Stop for Death." Poets.org. Academy of American Poets, n.d. Web. 09 Dec. 2014.
Faith Reason. "World Religions: Confucianism." YouTube. YouTube, 17 Jan. 2011. Web. 11 Dec. 2014.
Gibran, Kahlil. "Kahlil Gibran On Death." Katsandogz.com. N.p., n.d. Web. 11 Dec. 2014.
Pregadio, Fabrizio. "An Introduction to Taoism." The Golden Elixir. N.p., n.d. Web. 11 Dec. 2014.
"Raven Steals the Sun." Magma.ca. N.p., n.d. Web. 10 Dec. 2014.
Wordsworth, William. "I Wandered Lonely as a Cloud." Poetry Foundation. Ruth Graham, n.d. Web. 11 Dec. 2014.
Wordsworth, William. "To a Skylark." Poetry Foundation. Ruth Graham, n.d. Web. 11 Dec.
2014.
