1. Daily Agenda, Goals, & Homework
Quick Write
Vocabulary
Review Ramayana and Mahabhrata
Begin Tao Te Ching
Goals
Become familiar with Indian and Chinese Literature
Homework
Read and annotate Tao Te Ching

2. Quick Write Respond to the water pump story What does it mean?
What would you do?
Connect to something?

3. Daily Agenda, Goals, & Homework
Vocabulary (review or new depending on the class)
Review Ramayana and Mahabhrata
Tao Te Ching
Goals
Become familiar with Indian and Chinese Literature
Homework
Work on Tao Te Ching Project

4. Vocabulary Impotent: (adj) Lacking power
Impudent: (adj) A bold disregard for others; without shame
Miscreant: (N/adj) villainous or unbelieving
Persevere: (v) Persist despite opposition

5. Vocabulary Enmity: (N) A state of hatred or ill-will
Cynical: (adj) Believing the worst of humans (fun fact- comes from Latin kynikos…like a dog)
Dissent: (N/V) different opinion or opposing opinion
Ensconce: (v) To firmly place or hide

6. Vocabulary Apathy: (N) Not caring; without emotion
Maxim: (N) A general truth; a short phrase that expresses a truth (Ie. A watched pot never boils)
Preeminent: (adj) The greatest in importance
Gambol: (v) To frolic; to skip about in play

7. Vocabulary Axiom: (N) An accepted truth
Ignominious: (adj) deserving shame
Irrepressible: (adj) impossible to control
Tractable: (adj) easily managed

8. Review Rig Veda, Mahabharata, and Ramayana
Epic poem
Epic Hero
Rig Veda
Creation hymn
Who is “that one”
Is there a definite “answer”?
Burial Hymn
How does the earth treat the dead?
What is asked of the living?

9. Review Mahabharata Ramayana Who is Arjuna?
How does Drona test him? (both times)
Ramayana
Who is Rama? (include Vishnu)
Who is Ravana?
What evidence do you see of a code of conduct?
How does Rama treat Ravana once he is the victor?

10. EPIC POETRY
A long narrative poem featuring an epic hero (who embodies the traits and characteristics valued by a specific culture)
The setting is vast–often moving from earth, to underworld, to the heavens
The tone is serious
Often include epithets and repetition

11. EPIC heroes Noble birth
Capable of great strength/courage (larger than life)
Great warrior
Travels over a vast setting
Faces supernatural foes / receives supernatural aide
Is a representation of the values of a specific culture
Displays humility

12. Wu Wei: Non-doing
Yin-Yang: (in Chinese philosophy and religion) two principles, one negative, dark, and feminine (yin) and one positive, bright, and masculine (yang) whose interaction influences the destinies of creatures and things.
Tao: (the) Way. Taoism emphasizes living in harmony with the Tao. It does not follow the rigid

13. Didactic Literature: Literature that is intended to teach something, often religious or moral.
Paradox : seemingly contradictory statement that is true upon reflection.
Confucius: offered his teaching to all social classes. Taught that authority should arise from morals rather than birth and rulers should care about what is best for their subjects.
Lao-Tzu: (Old Master) credited with writing the Tao Te Ching. It is not known if he actually existed. Supposed contemporary of Confucious.

14. What is didactic literature?
What is a paradox?
What is Yin and Yang?
What is Wu-Wei?
Who was Lao-Tzu?
Who was Confucius?

15. Tao Te Ching
The most important piece of literary tradition for Taoism is the or Tao Te Ching. The Tao Te Ching is like the bible to Taoism, or the Analects to Confucianism.
The Tao Te Ching is very complicated– multiple translations and versions exist ranging as far back as the 4th century BCE.
It contains many paradoxes: such as “Thus being and non- being produce each other”
What does this particular paradox remind you of?

16. Taoism
Taoism (pronounced Daoism) is a religious, spiritual, and philosophical belief system in China and much of Asia.
It’s creation is credited to Lao Tzu, who may not even have ever existed. (We’re going to assume he did).
Less is better
Tao means “the Way” or “the Path”
Inspired by the balance seen in nature.
Pantheistic.
Important concepts: “Qi” (chi) and “Wu Wei” and ying and yang
Taoism inspired impressive landscape art

17. Application Task Choose ONE:
Pick your favorite chapter from the Tao Te Ching and create an annotated poster to show the Taoist concepts in it. You must have 7 detailed annotations explaining the Taoist philosophies in your chapter. And a graphic image that helps explain the concepts. OR
Create your own chapter for the Tao Te Ching (#82) and, copying the style of the text, include 2 paradoxes, the concept of wu-wei, the idea of ‘less is more’ and the “tao.”

18. Daily Agenda, Goals, & Homework
Brief Confucious reading
Tao Te Ching project
Goals
Become familiar with Indian and Chinese Literature
Homework
Work on Tao Te Ching Project
Test Friday

19. Wu-Wei How is Wu-Wei more complicated than doing nothing?
How is Wu-Wei more complicated than doing nothing?
What does going against the “natural flow of the universe” look like?
What situations in your life might be improved by following Wu-Wei?

20. The Antithesis of Confucianism
Confucianism’s goal was to bring China to a more advanced stage of social and cultural progress and teach them to live moral lives together in society.
Taoism is the antithesis of that.
If Confucianism wanted people to live in civilization, Taoism wanted people to live in harmony with nature.

21. -theism
Monotheism: one god Polytheism: many gods Pantheism: ‘god’ is in all things but not one single being, more of an energy or spark of life than idol

22. Taoism Confucius sought to civilize; Lao Tzu sought to naturalize.
Pantheism: ‘god’ is in all things but not one single being, more of an energy or spark of life than idol

23. Wu-Wei Important Tao concept: do nothing or “wu-wei”
The idea of wu-wei does not mean that people should sit around and do nothing, rather people should not indulge in useless efforts or actions and do anything that contradicts nature or the natural flow of the world and Tao.
Use an excerpt from The Lion King- Rafiki’s lesson about what is in the past is in the past.

24. Bad Joke
What do you call a teacher talking about Taoism?

25. That teacher is Tao te-ching!
Bad Joke
What do you call a teacher talking about Taoism?
That teacher is Tao te-ching!

26. Lao Tzu’s response to Confucianism
“The ideal ruler would stop meddling in the lives of people, give up warfare and luxurious living, and guide his people back to a state of innocence, simplicity, and harmony with the Tao, a state that existed in the most ancient times before civilization appeared to arouse the material desires of the people and spur them to strife and warfare, before morality was invented to befuddle their minds and beguile them with vain distinctions.”

27. Quick discussion What does the word “moral” mean?
Who in our society makes the morals for our culture?
What does it mean to have personal morals?
Is it bad to have strict morals? Or is it bad to have loose morals?

28. Didactic Literature
Didactic Literature: texts meant to teach moral lessons or pass on rules for behavior. Didactic Literature texts are often created using allegory and theme to create the idea in reader’s minds that they should behave a certain way. Critics say didactic literature can be boring more often than not. Didactic literature tries to teach what is right and wrong.
What does this remind you of?
What groups of people might have created didactic literature?
Can you think of any examples of stories that might be didactic in nature?
Why would critics say that didactic literature is boring?
#3 the little boy who cried wolf

29. Didactic Literature
There are 3 different types of didactic literature!
1. Maxim: (literary device) is a simple and memorable line , quote or rule that states a general truth, often for a good life.
Example: Better safe than sorry
Can you connect to Ibo culture?

30. Didactic Literature
There are 3 different types of didactic literature!
2. Parable: a succinct story with a moral lesson at the end. Parables are often short and simple stories that use symbolism, theme, allegory, similes, and metaphors to create the lesson a reader should learn.
Example: The Boy Who Cried Wolf
Succinct = short and simple, straight to the point

31. Didactic Literature
There are 3 different types of didactic literature!
3. Anecdote: a brief story that focuses on a single interesting event in order to prove a point. Anecdotes can be stories about real events or people.

32. Idea of “right relationship” Read 434-35
Confucius
Philosopher BC
Chou (Zhou) Dynasty
Idea of “right relationship”
Read
Confucius lived during a golden period. Why are golden periods marked by lots of arts, literature, music, customs?
Confucius believed there was a proper way to interact with people based on station and relationship, and this is still practiced today.
The Analects is one of the Five Classics, the five core texts on which Chinese society is based.

33. Confucius bio https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tUhGRh4vdb8
As you watch, take some notes.
Additional information
Repeated, important
Analects
Didactic
Filial piety

34. Analects Volunteer read 437-38 What are your favorite analects?
filial piety?
“antithesis”? (compared with “juxtaposition”?
Parallelism: the use of a grammatical structure to express ideas that are related or have equal importance.

35. The Analects (Maxims) “To study without thinking is futile.”
“Don’t worry if people don’t recognize your merits; worry that you may not recognize theirs.”
“Set your heart upon the Way; rely upon moral power; follow goodness; enjoy the arts”