The Peasant’s Changing Face in Chinese Literature Essay Example for Free

The Peasant’s Changing Face in Chinese Literature Essay The peasant has figured in modern Chinese fiction as a central character, through which point of view the political and social atmosphere in China can be seen. The peasant has been used a vehicle to communicate the concerns of modern China: the lack of food and supplies, the inaccessibility of education, the poverty, the uncertainty of the future. The peasant in China was regarded as the means towards progression; yet they were mere workers, insignificant compared to the grand dream. In the selection of Chinese fiction however, the peasant figures prominently as the heart and soul of its society. Even though the peasant has become the subject of Chinese fiction, it is important to understand that the peasant is a general term, and it is composed of great number of people characterized by their station in life; thus, peasants all over have similar qualities: they are uneducated, poverty-stricken, and largely overworked-underpaid. Further, it is equally important to see that the peasant is not singular and all-encompassing; there are different depictions of the peasant, to capture their different facets. In this paper I will discuss the changes in the image of the peasant in modern Chinese fiction. In Lu Xun’s â€Å"My Old Home†, the peasant was presented as a person who first saw the world as a human being just like his master; in Gao Xiaosheng’s â€Å"Li Shunda Builds a House†, we see a persevering and ambitious albeit a naà ¯ve peasant; in Qiao Dianyun’s â€Å"A Wordless Monument† the peasants were shown as self-interested, lazy and short-sighted individuals; in Mo Yan’s â€Å"The Cure† the peasants were too superstitious for their own good; and in Li Rui’s â€Å"Electing a Thief† we saw that peasants were dependent and passive. In this paper, I would like to show that although the peasant in modern Chinese fiction remains largely as an uneducated and subservient class, these manifest in more ways than one. In Lu Xun’s â€Å"My Old Home†, the peasant was introduced through the eye of Master Xu going home. The master saw the peasant, Jun Tu, from memory. They were young, and although Jun Tu was the son of their servant that automatically makes him his servant, they became friends. From the text it was clear that the young Master Xu looked up at Jun Tu because he knew how to catch birds, have seen many different colored seashells, and knew so many stories outside the young master’s experience. For the brief time that they were together, the boundaries of master-servant collapsed and they were simply children who knew friendship. It is through this that we see an image of the peasant as equally human as any – first and foremost, before he is a servant he is an individual, he has dreams and aspirations, he was once a child. Jun Tu the child saw the world as brightly as his young master, if not more so. He had seen more of the world and loved it. However, as Master Xu realized when he saw the grown up Jun Tu, the child was no longer there. The harsh realities of life have forced the wonder out of his eyes, and in its place set eyes who have known suffering intimately. In â€Å"Li Shunda Builds a House†, we see a different kind of peasant – Li Shunda was naà ¯ve and almost childlike in his simplicity, but he is persevering and ambitious, and although he believes in being a follower, he learns to think for himself in small ways. The family willingly sacrificed to build their dream of a house, starving themselves to save money to but the materials only to be duped into contributing the fruits of their sacrifice to the commune. In this story we see a cast of peasants – Li Shunda, his sister, his wife, his son. The wife showed more sense than Li Shunda, despite her being a beggar before, when she saved and hid a number of belongings from being donated to the commune by her husband. Even with her sensibilities, she kept silent because of the political atmosphere during that time which was hostile to objections, and because in Chinese culture women are submissive to their husbands. His sister Shunzen stayed with him despite wealthy suitors so she can help him pursue his cause; after all, Li Shundan had taken care of her since she was small. She grew old and ended up with an utterly destitute man, which did not bother her since she was used to hard work. In Li Shunda’s sister we see a peasant who values paying back the family more than seeking better opportunities. Clearly, this behavior is borne out of culture and lack of education – in her case, she did not realize that by marrying into a wealthy family she would be in a better position to help her brother. All she knew how to do was manual labor, and that what was she was going to pay him back with. Li Shunda was a loyal follower – he believed the leaders and he followed what was said even though he did not quite understand it. He worked hard and never lost sight of his dreams (although from the two-storey house he eventually conceded to building just a one-storey), despite having lost his money and investments one way or another through a cunning official or a failed revolution. Still, not losing faith in the power of an honest work, he kept on despite his disappointment in the leaders he loyally followed. In Li Shundan we see an image of a hard-working peasant who does not get the appropriate compensation for all his work. In the end of the story he manages to build his house, but the questions begs whether it was all worth it. If he was in a different place and time, if he knew what the ideology of socialism and communism meant, if he understood what was happening in his country at that time, maybe he could have built his house sooner, all the sacrifices and failures he had to endure were unnecessary. Perhaps what separates Li Shundan from the other peasants in the collection is that he has a dream he was willing to give up anything just to reach it. In this story, the image of the peasant is one who never gives up irrespective of the hardships he has to endure. On the other hand, in Qiao Dianyun’s â€Å"A Wordless Monument†, we saw the events unfold through the eyes and voice of a peasant. The peasants lived blissfully in their village going about their and followed what was handed down to them even if they did not understand what it was about. They worked to survive and feed themselves, and although they have an idea of what will be a more efficient system for them, they did not do it because their old ways are working just fine for them. In this attitude we the peasant as having no ambition or desire towards progress – they are content and comfortable with their lives. They dislike hard work – they knew that no matter how hard they worked the fruits of their labor will not be for them anyway, so they find excuses not to toil. Also, they dislike those who do not conform, who they do not understand. As a peasant village generally unsatisfied with their lives and yet unwilling to work hard because it offers them no incentives, they are naturally miserable. They passed their days not thinking and analyzing their actions, not knowing why they do the things they do. To vent out their misery they picked on the things they do not understand, like the monument which they turned into a bridge, and later on picked on the old school master Xu Shuge. They were particularly angered with Xu Shuge who will not bend according to their ways, who will not walk on the bridge, who will not even speak despite torture. They cannot understand why Xu Shuge chooses to suffer when he can easily opt out and join their protests. It reflects their behavior – they dislike suffering. They want money and better lives without working hard for it. They get easily jealous of somebody else’s good fortune, and gossips and fights ensue. In a nutshell, the peasants were depicted as self-interested, lazy individuals who cannot comprehend the value of working together as a group to build their community, and they have no desire to learn; for them, what they need is food and money, not education or learning about the past or future. Mo Yan depicted a more sympathetic peasant in his â€Å"The Cure†. Although it is tempting to credit the peasant’s overly superstitious nature as rooted also in the lack of education, it could be that the violent and vicious atmosphere at that time has forced people to search for and turn to anything that could offer them hope. In this story, we see a peasant and his son driven by desperation and out of love for the grandmother to take out the gall bladder of his masters. He reasoned that the master is not bound to live because of the gunshots, but nevertheless he asks for forgiveness even before he takes out the gall bladder, sending his master to his already certain death. The feudal system of servants and masters, and of children and parents have trapped the peasant to do what is only available for him to perform his duties, if not as a servant then at least as a son, no matter how absurd these are, since no other alternative is possible. The fallacy of superstition then becomes the only way for the peasants, the only truth they can grasp. Lastly, in Li Rui’s â€Å"Electing a Thief†, we are faced with a dependent and passive image of the peasant. First, we saw the peasant as getting even with the team leader by electing him as the most possible thief, and it seemed like a victory for them to finally take over their lives and their production of grain. And yet, when the team leader resigns in disgust, the peasants find themselves lost and unable to lead themselves. The peasant have been used to being subservient that they cannot imagine being responsible for themselves; even if being a peasant meant hard work and measly pay, it is better than being burdened with responsibility such as securing grain. After all, they have grown accustomed and comfortable with that kind of feudal system, that they can no longer imagine how they could survive outside of it. We see here that even though the peasants were given the opportunity to be free, they would probably seek the old limitations that hindered their growth and industry because they have been trained to look down at themselves as incapable of handling such a huge task of leadership, and they see themselves as workers of the community not as producers or providers for themselves. From the selections, we have gleaned that although the recurring problem of the peasants stem from their lack of education and their subservient mentality, there are varying depictions of the peasant’s life. Also, we saw how the peasant tries to cope with the challenges of his time. The image of the peasant might be the poverty-stricken and desperate peasant, but let us remember that the peasant wears different faces, has different images. That for every lazy peasant who disliked work there is also the peasant who persevered and gained the respect of men despite his simple-mindedness, that the peasant was once a child and owned the world, and that there is always the peasant who was handed freedom and refused to drink from it.

Dietary Guidelines For North Americans And Suggestions For Food Choice :: essays research papers fc

Dietary Guidelines for North Americans and Suggestions for Food Choices In today's society nearly everyone follows some kind of dietary guidelines. Whether it is in the goal of losing weight, gaining weight or just simply to maintain it, people are jumping onto the dietary band-wagon. A diet is basically to take food according to rule, a mode of living in reference to nourishment. There are various types of diets that one can follow; a high or low calorie diet, low fat diets, diets modified in protein, minerals, water, and carbohydrates, and so the list goes on. Many business enterprises base their entire corporations into the field of weight loss. Many of these diet programs are merely fads that lure desperate people in with their guarantees to lose so many pounds or inches in an " x " amount of time. There are also many pills that one can take, but they are not always safe and can be very damaging in the long run. It is not all people that are on weight loss programs though. Many athletes are on strict programs to gain weight. However this kind of desired weight is not measured in fat but in muscle mass. Many muscle and fitness magazines will feature advertisements and articles for such gains in body mass. Advertisements for diets can sometimes be very dangerous though. Pretty well all the people used in these particular ads are slim and beautiful and it can therefor be very misinterpreting to someone who is overweight. The pressure of being fit can lead to very damaging disorders such as anorexia and bulimia. These two very serious conditions affect a very large amount of women and men in North America these days and can be quite lethal if not cured. So it is important to be careful not to do any physical or psychological harm to one self when trying to lose weight. When embarking into any kind of diet it is extremely important that one gets the sufficient amount of nutrients from their food and/or supplements. A proper diet must consist of more than simply a glass of water and a piece of fruit per meal. One must have a certain daily intake of specific vitamins and minerals to stay in good health. If one were to follow the RDA's (recommended daily allowance) guidelines, one has to be sure that the food that is consumed contains the proper amount of nutrients that is so suggested. A lot of the foods that we consume today do not contain the amount of vitamins and minerals that the U.

Stanley Milgram experiment

Stanley Malaria experiment Could you deliver electroshocks to a person you do not know? In addition, having someone behind you coaxing you the whole way until you get to 450 volts? That was Stanley Amalgam's idea. He wanted to find out how obedient one could be if they were in a position to harm another human being with an administrator in the same room. The administrator would coax the men to administer electroshock to another human being, being unseen, until the learner stops screaming.How far could you go before topping yourself or killing another human being VIA electroshock? Summary of the study and how it was conducted In the sass's, Stanley Malaria conducted a study to see how far a person could go by shocking an unknown individual with heart problems. The study was to show if someone of authoritative position told an individual to deliver an electrical shock to another human being for being wrong on a question. Malaria put an ad into a newspaper that recruited close to 40 men and they were to be paid $4. 50 for their participation. The experiment was conducted in a laboratory at Yale University.There was the administrator, a teacher, and a learner. The teacher had an electroshock machine that went from 15 volts to 450 volts. When the teacher asked a question to the learner and the learner knew the answer there was to be no shock. When the learner got the question incorrect, the teacher would press the buttons in sequential order on the electroshock machine (which was already hooked up to the learner). This would then deliver a current of electroshock to the learner. This was to teach him no to get the questions incorrect. Each time the learner got the question wrong the voltage went up.The learner and teacher only saw each other once and that was before the test. The learner, after a few incorrect answers, started to kick, scream, and protesting the shocks that is being delivered to him. The teacher started to be concerned about the learner, but the adm inistrator would say, â€Å"Please continue† or â€Å"please go on†, â€Å"this experiment requires that you continue†, â€Å"It is absolutely essential that you continue†, muff have no other choice; you must go on. † (Fiske, 2010, Para. 50). What the teacher did not know was that the learner was not really being shocked.This was to see how far the teacher would go before calling t quits on the learner. The learner would be screaming and pleading for his life saying, â€Å"please no more, my heart cannot take it anymore, please stop. † After the 300- volt shock, the room went quite. The administrator told the teacher to take the silence as an incorrect answer and shock again. There still was no voice on the other side. The teacher fell silent and felt stressed and tension. An explanation of the study results: What happened? Were there any unexpected findings? What did the authors conclude? What did the results mean, and what are their implica tions?The results of he Amalgam's study was found to be shocking and appalling. â€Å"The core findings showed that 65% of participants progressed up the shock generator past Danger: Severe Shock to 450 volts labeled simply XX. Only 35% resisted† (Fiske, 2010, Para. 51). The breakdown of the 40 study participants, 26 delivered the maximum amount of shocks to the learner, while only 14 participants quit when the learner was screaming in pain. The majority of the teachers went to the maximum amount of voltage due to the administrator telling them to keep going with the experiment.There was not any unexpected finding with the Amalgam's experiment. However, the numbers for those who went all the way was extremely high. â€Å"Malaria later surveyed the participants and found that 84% were glad to have participated, while only 1% regretted their involvement† (Cherry, n. D. , Para. 10). Malaria concluded that people will comply with orders either out of fear or to cooperate e ven when they are scared or know better. Those who complied through the duration of the experiment struggled with power. Those who participated in the study felt coerced by the administrator. They felt guilt, remorse, and anxiety.If a person of power says meeting is okay, majority of individuals that will continue will be few, but the show will go on. The results from Amalgam's experiment meant that most individuals put into a stressful situation as so; they comply and obey with orders. The select few that did not comply, knew when it was time to stop. They had more of a conscious to stop then to â€Å"kill† a person by shocking them over questions. This study was all about power and obedience. Malaria expected most of the participants to stop when the learner was yelling and screaming in pain. However, that was not the case. After the study was over there was a debrief.The teacher finds out the learner is not injured. Most were relieved to find the learner alive and not hurt . The implications for the Amalgam's experiment are showing that of dangers and obedience. Amalgam's experiment is one of the most psychological studies. If the original variable is not the outcome, then it is time to take a step back and rulebook at the experiment. If the study was reproduced a second time and the same results occur, then that is the purpose of the study would be Justified. An explanation of how the concept situations applies to the study results Situations played a major role in the Amalgam's experiment.The circumstance that was around the teacher was the administrator that was in the same room as the teacher. The administrator was coxing the teacher to keep going even after the yells and screams for help. Most of the teachers went along with the plan even if personal ethics told them not to or to stop. This author believes that if there were not an administrator in the room with the teacher, they would not have gone as far as they did with the electroshock machin e. There were many mitigating circumstances as to why the teacher did not stop when they knew they should have.Do you think the study results might have been different if the participants were from a different cultural, ethnic, or gender group? How so? This author does not believe that the results would have differed if the participants were from different cultures, genders, or ethnic groups. This author saw an updated Amalgam's experiment with females and males and the females was Just as ruthless as the males were in 1960. This author believes that it does not matter where you are from or who you are, but rather what kind of conscious that individual has. Could you be cohered into shocking an individual who said he has a bad heart?That would stop many people, or would it? Do you think the results of the study are important and relevant to contemporary society? Explain This author believes that the results are important. This way when and if the study is conducted again, there is a basis to go by. Does this author believe the results are relevant to contemporary society? This author believes the results were relevant in sass's, but not today. Amalgam's views are out of today's ethical standards. Regardless if the learner was getting shocked or not, many questions still would surface. How would individuals act today?Would the number that takes it all the way be higher? Society would be interested, but not maybe people would report to the study. Conclusion The Malaria study did not go as planned and the results were unexpected. Malaria â€Å"The Malaria studies are a paradigm for understanding evil, but opinions differ as to whether the actual participants were necessarily behaving in an evil manner† (Fiske, 2010, Para. 63). Amalgam's experiment has become a topic in not only Psychology, but also other areas. His experiment has gone down in the books as one of the most studied topics.His experiment shows how obedience is dangerous in this case. The teach ers were being cohered by the administrator to keep going even while the learner was saying, â€Å"his heart hurt to stop. † Luckily, no one was harmed during this experiment and the individuals that went to 450-volts felt remorse.

The National Coordinator For Health Information And...

Meaningful Use and Health IT Introduction The charge of the Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information and Technology (ONC) is to coordinate â€Å"national efforts to implement and use the most advanced health information technology and the electronic exchange of health information †¦ to improve health care† (Health and Human Services [HHS], n.d., website). However, sharing confidential information found in the electronic health record (EHR) for research and quality improvement potentiate legal, financial and ethical challenges. Summary of Legal, Financial, and Ethical Issues Health care agencies invest large sums of capital into EMR and in addition, rely upon reimbursement from the Health IT system (for example Medicare and Medicaid). According to Hurdle et al., (2007), the American Medical Informatics Association [AMIA] Code of Ethics, â€Å"patients have the right to know about the existence of electronic records containing personal biomedical data† (p. 391). In addition a patient has the right to expect that â€Å"biomedical data are maintained in a safe, reliable, secure, and confidential environment that is consistent with applicable law, local policies, and accepted informatics processing standards† (p. 392). The Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) allows for the sharing of information for research purposes (Schonfeld et al., 2011). However, Croll (2010) asks, â€Å"If you don’t trust the systems being employed you cannot be sure thatShow MoreRelatedUnited States Department Of The National Coordinator For Health Information Technology2900 Words   |  12 Pageshow the Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology (ONC) presents the incentives for electronic health records. 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