Shangri-La: a mystical lamasery that serves as either a paradise, prison, or both to those who happen to stumble across it. “Our prevalent belief is in moderation. We inculcate the virtue of avoiding excess of all kinds”(76). Moderation, defined as “the avoidance of excess or extremes, especially in one's behavior or political opinions,” is part of the tenet of Shangri-La and plays an important role in the nearby Valley of the Blue Moon. In James Hilton’s fictional novel Lost Horizon, 4 individuals known as Conway, Mallinson, Brinklow, and Barnard are kidnapped while attempting to escape a revolution. They are rescued, and brought to the secretive and uncharted lamasery known as Shangri-La, where they unlock a world of mystery and impossibilities. …show more content…
Lo-Tsen, a Manchu princess who arrived at Shangri-La at the tender age of 18 in 1884, looks like she has not aged a year. However, it is only the mystic properties of Shangri-La and its tradition of moderation that keep her young; when she leaves Shangri-La, she ages rapidly: “About that Chinese woman,... was she young?... Oh no, she was most old-- most old of anyone I have ever seen”(240). The doctor who treated protagonist Hugh Conway said this about Lo-Tsen, having seen her when she dropped Conway off at the hospital. It is later revealed that the old woman the doctor spoke of grew ill and died not much after. In order to live an abnormally long life, like those who live in Shangri-La enjoy, one must embrace the concept of moderation. The residents of Shangri-La have done such: Father Perrault learned over ten languages during his time at Shangri-La, though he believes that he could have learned twenty had he been immoderate. Shangri-La is a peaceful sanctuary, away from the all the suffering and strife in the modernized world. Those who reside at Shangri-La often willingly adopt its doctrine of moderation, as they are keen to explore, and later exhaust, their passions. For example, Ms. Brinklow learned Tibetan in order to convert the residents of the valley to Christianity. However, the undertaking of these passions leads to exhaustion of said passions, and that is what leads to wisdom. …show more content…
Fertile and rich with natural resources, it is a businessman’s Garden of Eden. Peaceful, and rid of all crime, it is a Utopia for those who seek an escape from all of the conflict and suffering found in the “outside world.” There is almost no form of structured government: “Ah, but you see, we believe that to govern perfectly it is necessary to avoid governing too much”(119). Conway and Chang were discussing how the valley effectively runs itself; it is clear that it is run by moderation. Moderation in the sense of an almost non-existent government; governing in moderation, per se. There is no democratic institution: voting is non-existent, and there are no set laws, only actions that are “not done.” The people of the valley are peaceful, and without want, according to Chang. The system of moderation that is present in the valley allows all affairs to run smoothly.There is no intervention in the valley, and the people are left to run their own business, free from government presence. The residents of the valley are mellow, and that is what allows the system of moderation to work so effectively. However, moderation in governance does not mean a non-existent government. Intervention is still an entirely possible scenario, and punishments are meted at the discretion of the servants of the lamasery. But, the moderation omnipresent in the valley is the key factor that keeps the
... insight into how the peasant judicial system attempted to benefit the peasants but was mostly filled with inadequacies.
From the beginning of Wang Lung’s marriage to O-lan, she saved him time, money, and effort without complaint. She offered wisdom when asked and was smart in the ways of the world. During the famine, when the family went south in search of food, O-lan taught her children how to beg for food, “dug the small green weeds, dandelions, and shepherds purse that thrust up feeble new leaves”(p. 128). She raised her children prudently. She knew how to bind her daughter’s feet, and she gave them a better childhood than she had had. O-lan knew that the land was the only consistent thing in her life, so she willingly helped Wang Lung as he bought more and more land. O-lan knew her place in the family was as a wife and mother. As a wife, she fe...
... story ‘Harrison Bergeron’, it can be derived that that these societies have strict rules and regulations, citizens of the society have become so adapted that they are afraid of change, and there is a severe lack of freedom. Both environments displayed uncivilized and inappropriate behavior, with innocent people being killed in front of their loved ones. What appeared to be an innocent tradition and harmless government turned out to be the perfect recipe for disaster.
Earlier this year, I became the government. Everyday, for the next few days, I woke up before the sun rose and filled my hotel room with light. In business professional attire, I would walk down the halls of the California State Capitol and into the Assembly Chambers. I experienced firsthand how the administration of our society works. There came a day, a cloudy day with rain falling momentarily, in which a protest was gathered in the streets. A man spoke, asking for the government to remove its mask. I failed to understand. What did this man want? Deep in my gut, I knew a life of terror, a life a darkness, and a life of despair could only be the outcome of the absence of government. This ideal is explained by the classic novel, Lord of the Flies by William Golding, which explores the universal theme that civilization is significant, regarding its role in securing that man does not return to his primitive nature of savagery.
Li, Chenyang. The sage and the second sex: Confucianism, ethics, and gender. Chicago, Ill.: Open Court, 2000. Print.
This article is a good example of how life would be like for a foreigner in a different country. Because the author talks about the Chinese culture, living space and funeral. The author uses a humorous tone to talk about her living in China. This story has great balance between humor and emotions. “The Old Man Isn’t There Anymore”, by Kellie Schmitt tells a beautiful tale of her experience of life in China.
At this point in time the Lees were demonstrating behaviors that the health care provides wished would of showed up sooner in Lia’s health condition. Two years later, the Lees are providing Lia with the adequate care that she needs. The Lees are making sure Lia is eating and is bathed every night. They make sure that she is groomed and dressed appropriately. Since Lia is not considered an epileptic any more there is no need for a drug regimen, but the Lees continue to treat her with Hmong medicine such as teas. When it was time for Lia to receive her bath Foua would join her, because at the end of it all she would be soaking wet. After the bath Foua took this opportunity to bend Lia’s arms and legs ( Fadiman, 2012, p.217). During Lia’s feeding
The Vietnam War caused great destruction in Laos, and so the Lee family migrated to America, after spending a short time in refugee camps in Thailand. After settling in America, Foua gives birth to Lia, who unbeknownst to them will suffer from epilepsy soon after she is born. For four years, little Lia is admitted to hospital seventeen times, after suffering both grand and petit mal seizures. Through miscommunication and a failure to understand each other’s cultural differences, both the parents of Lia, and her American doctors, are ultimately at fault for Lia’s tragic fate, when she is left in a vegetative state.
...ur trials and manage the city in other ways, has in fact come to an agreement with us to obey our instructions (63e). If the decisions of the city’s governing agents are not thoroughly respected as just and cohesive parts of society, the very structure by which the society stands is subject to collapse.
This is evident in the persistence of elderly characters, such as Grandmother Poh-Poh, who instigate the old Chinese culture to avoid the younger children from following different traditions. As well, the Chinese Canadians look to the Vancouver heritage community known as Chinatown to maintain their identity using on their historical past, beliefs, and traditions. The novel uniquely “encodes stories about their origins, its inhabitants, and the broader society in which they are set,” (S. Source 1) to teach for future generations. In conclusion, this influential novel discusses the ability for many characters to sustain one sole
To conclude, with the Lees being Hmong and not wanting to conform to society and abide by the way things works, I feel Lia’s fate was inevitable. The doctors did as much as they could, but in the end, it still wasn’t enough to prevent Lia from going brain dead. Language and communication may have been the one thing that caused Lia to suffer because the doctors couldn’t understand the Hmong and the Hmong couldn’t or refused to understand the doctors.
I find it interesting that this piece places such an emphasis on person versus the state. It is apparent through the text that this issue has plagued society since ancient times. This theme reminded me of the multiple times that challenging the state has worked out to the benefit of humanity.
...Also an important quote is when she says, "But today I realize I've never really known what it means to be Chinese. I am thirty-six years old" (857). Even though she was in her 30's and still had that identity crisis, it was uplifting knowing that all it took for her to resolve that conflict was one meeting with her sisters.
The author travels to China as an English teacher for the Hunan Medical School. There he stayed for two years picking up many anecdotes along the way. The author already had spent a large amount of his life studying Chinese language and the martial arts. However, when he arrives in China he meets teachers who have dedicated their entire lives to perfecting a particular art or skill, whether it be martial arts or calligraphy.
Thus, the aanganwadis, computer education, healthcare and mid-day meals are the various ways in which the dominant group (Vedanta) negotiates with the subordinate group to gain their consent. In Gramsci's theory, the dominant group gains its power from its position in the economy and therefore, the concessions granted are mostly economic in character. However, hegemony is also a terrain for negotiating ideas and values, so the the subordinate groups must also recognize their own ideas in the prevailing hegemony. The Vedanta Group obviously realised that simple rehabilitation packages will not allow them to gain the consent of the villagers, and thus extended their “generosity” towards building a better life for this anonymous village. Viewers are now made to consume the image of Vedanta as a benign corporation, only trying to help. Mukesh Kumar, a top-executive from Vedanta, claims that, “Our effort is to bring the poor tribal people into the