Infographic- Classical China (Chapter 8)

https://magic.piktochart.com/output/1946787-new-infographic

Imperialism in 1900

Map:

How did Britain maintain such a large empire?

How was Belgium able to control a territory in Africa that was landlocked?

Similarly, how were the Germans able to control such sparse territories?

Also, no one wants Ethiopia.

Lin Zexu and Queen Victoria

Lin Zexu expresses his disdain to opium through his descriptions. He says opium has a repugnant odor when processed in factories. He also cites opium usage and production as deeds that will keep people from heaven. Lin Zexu believes opium is leading to China's downfall. They institute a death penalty through beheading or hanging. This isn't done to punish the user, but it's done moreso to incite fear in those who use opium. Lin Zexu employs fear to stop the spread of opium usage and cut it down to nothing.

Industrial Revolution

Changes that will occur

• increased technology leaves less room for human labor
• Ability to move further away for work allows for the purchase of goods found far from home
• China's working class loses its status because their hard work is being replaced by technology
• Increased movement allows for cultural integration
• families are less unified because anyone can work
• the concept of work has changed from incredibly demanding tasks to simple movements
• focus on technology because small amount of farmers take care of all the demand for food
• Animistic religions lose values because humans now can control all the necessities and things like watering crops, efficient production of food, etc.
• Factories are huge sources of wealth, so the value of land is not because of agriculture, but because of the potential to build a factory

The discussion of liberals, conservatives, radicals, and reactionaries helps when viewing the Industrial Revolution. People are resistant to change no matter what the circumstance entails. And because the Industrial Revolution is huge, we see groups like the Luddites arise who actively oppose change. The Industrial Revolution puts new groups at a disadvantage (skilled artisans) and helps those who lack skill.

6 Killer Apps

Ferguson knew what he was talking about. He took rather complex ideas and made it presentable for common viewers, yet supported his ideas with examples that weren't simple, but still effective. I agree with Ferguson and how there are 6 killer apps that are involved in the divergence. However, there could be more and his arrogance towards that idea is off putting. It also seems like everything ties back to work ethic. Work ethic is important towards competition, modern medicine, and more. It also looks to be the prime reason as to why the eastern world is rising above the west.

Fabian Fucan Page 748

Fucan uses religious attacks against Christianity. He calls Christianity a waste of twenty years of his life, and its teachings had "little truth". For its cultural aspect, Fucan insults their culture by calling them barbarians whose goal is to spread their faith of lies and take down the more sophisticated culture of Japan. Fucan also insults their valuing of faith over life, saying that their soldiers value their own lives as less than trash. Christianity's spread into the New World and into Asia is also criticized, especially because it is their goal to move their faith of lies to every corner of the world.

Page 710 Olaudah Equiano

Slaves ships took a few steps to ensure maximum profits: physical beatings, psychological punishment, and restraining movement of the Africans. This stopped the rebellion and suicide of slaves, which in turn kept them alive to be sold across the Atlantic Ocean.

Physical beatings includes the whipping of Africans who attempted suicide by jumping out of the ship. Also, Equiano was beaten and force-fed food after refusing to accept their food. These physical beatings tie into the psychological punishments. The Africans on board the ship had to decide between remaining on the ship with filthy conditions, knowing that their future was empty of any hope. Or they could have attempted suicide and end their torture, and if they failed, then they would be tortutered hourly before they return to the same hopeless situation they were in before. The ships also restrained the movement of Africans on board. There was netting of some sort that prevented them from jumping overboard. In addition to that, many were chained to the ship, and the ones who weren't were placed under the supposedly careful watch of some crewmembers.

Map of Africa and DBQ

Map of Africa

The document based question is really different, and to me, not in a good way. There's so much more to write for the document based question, each document requiring 4 sentences with specific targets. I think with enough practice, the requirements for each document will become ingrained, making the DBQ relatively easy because there's no need for outside knowledge regarding these questions. Grouping the documents was a bit challenging for me as well. For me, it's something that needs to click, and that could take anywhere from a minute to 15 minutes. I think the organization will also come with practice too. Time management is also a key point in this essay compared to the other two essay types. It's different, but not too challenging except for the writing cramps.

Promotional Video

Looking at these videos, there are a couple of things that are key for a good promotion. Confidence is key, and this can be done with a strong voice. A quiet voice can easily be overwhelmed with white noise, so it's necessary to be loud. Asking questions also works really well. It addresses topics that might provide some doubt as to why they would want to come here, and then that question is answered right away. It takes all the doubt and gets rid of it. Presenting only the positives is also a really good idea. I think explanations about specifics like pros and cons about the geography about every region of South America is not a good idea. And speaking quietly is not effective; Mr. Whitten was louder than the people speaking in one of the videos. Personally, I was a fan of Yash and Prateek's promotional video. I found the duo to be entertaining, and the use of informal phrases was also amusing. They got all of their points down, and they didn't lose my interest even though it was a lengthier video. Yash also dresses really well.

Loewen vs. Bentley and Ziegler

Loewen makes a really compelling argument about Christopher Columbus. He clearly expresses his disdain towards the teachings that students have recieved while young about Columbus's heroic actions. 

Columbus was a founder of half of the world. This is not true. There is evidence of vikings finding their way into North America prior to Columbus. There's evidence that Chinese and other countries have made their way to the Americas prior to Columbus. There are also groups called Native Americans. However, Columbus did popularize the travel between the eastern and western hemispheres.

Columbus went against popular "fact" and said that the earth wasn't flat and proved it on his brave expedition. I don't know how much more incorrect it could get. Irving did a good job at bringing this lie into the textbooks. Hardly anybody believed the idea that the earth was flat at the time. So Columbus wasn't really being extremely brave and risking falling into the void of space (if only space travel was so easy); he was just travelling in an unknown direction. And Columbus was not some scientific genius for discovering that the earth was flat.

Loewen does a good job at showing the Eurocentric teachings that have been spread to us. He's very passionate about it; perhaps a bit too passionate. Loewen rants in this selection about how everyone is wrong about Columbus. I believe Loewen, but he just goes on and on. Perhaps it's a bit better to remain concise, but still present your idea. Bentley and Ziegler's approach is much easier to grasp. There's very little bias, and it's concise. Then again, Loewen and Bentley and Ziegler are trying to present two different things revolving around the same person. Loewen is trying to convince his readers that the way Columbus is presented by America is wrong, Eurocentric, and full of lies. Bentley and Ziegler just say what Columbus did in 2 brief paragraphs.

Zheng He in America

Menzie does make some compellling arguments about China discovering the Americas. The accuracy of the maps of the two islands serves as such an important piece of evidence suggesting Chinese arrival. Menzie was fascinated that they even got the three bays down. However, on the next island over with the volcano, the old map has a clear depiction of a bay, but the modern map shows no bay in that same location. I fail to see how Menzie can accept a false placement of a bay and accept three correct ones, unless volcanic eruptions filled in the bay. 

Stones in a peculier arrangement points to an idea that a civilization has come and gone. I don't see why Menzie thinks that it had to have been a Chinese civilization. People have been in America before the arrival of people from ships from the eastern hemisphere, and they could have made those stones. Also, I don't see why an armada of ships would stop to build shelter and then go back to the waters.

Two-Way voyaging

Two-way voyaging occurred much more frequently than I had thought in Pacific Islands.  Regarding politics, voyaging acted as a method of escape.  Mo'ikeha, the chief of Tahiti, fled from his home in order to escape domestic difficulties.  Two-way voyaging allowed for people from Hawai'i and Tahiti to intermingle.  Two-way voyaging allowed for the spread of ideas as well.  La'maikahiki of Tahiti brought a god with him when he traveled to Hawai'i.  Two-way voyaging acted as a vessel for the spread of ideas and ease from turmoil.

Muslims and Christians

Based on the Christian documents, it does not seem possible for them to have had a more positive relationship with Muslims.  William of Tyre, the archbishop of Tyre, had nothing positive to say about the Muslims.  He seemed to have antagonized them at every given opportunity.  In Tyre's story of the Muslims blaming the Christians for placing a corpse of a dog in a Muslim temple, Tyre expresses his dissatisfaction against the Muslims; they threatened to slay every Christian for the action of a Muslim infidel.  This situation seems like a reasonable one to express his dissatisfaction of the Muslims.  However, in his first statements, he claims that Muhammad is not some proclaimed prophet.  Rather, he is an infidel who is the Son of Satan.  This antagonization of Muslims had no specific event to inspire it.  It was simply said, from what I know, from frustration.  And something coming from someone as high as an archbishop has the power to influence many others.

Griot Learning

Although the aspect of someone teaching through dancing and singing is actually quite appealing, learning history through the same methods that the Griots used would cause a lot of agony.  As high school students today, we groan about memorizing twenty vocabulary words, their definitions, synonyms, and antonyms.  Griots recited thousands of years of history as taught by those before them.  They would recite this history verbatim.  This would be equivalent to memorizing more than a page of the textbook.  It's simply inefficient and there is nothing to be learned except for the placement of one word after another.
Also, some portions of history are up to interpretation by those who are learning.  Some people will look at Alexander of Macedon and be impressed by his ability to conquer such a large amount of territory; others will look disapprovingly at him for bringing violence throughout a large portion of the world.  It seems that Griots would favor one perspective over another and only tell of that perspective when presenting their history.

Shape of History

When I thought about the cycle of society and how it rises from family to community to cities and then falls, I tried thinking of ways to represent it.  Although not necessarily a conventional diagram, I thought of rainfall and virga (rain that evaporates before it hits the ground). So the initial vapor is the formation of families to communities and so on.  But once it reaches the high point, which in this diagram is the cloud, it falls again.  But they fall to different location before they begin to rise again.  A couple issues I see with this is that there is now where to go once the water reaches the clouds- it is doomed to fall.  This might be representative that we cannot reach further than where we have gotten.  It is also entirely possible that it is completely incorrect.

Semester 1 Essay Reflection

https://docs.google.com/a/bps121.org/spreadsheet/ar?id=tx4w_B3k-Zpwx3pMGBIAZ-Q.13058560154484656329.1007675670144522199&action=1&tile=0&rpert=20&srow=0&erow=44&scol=0&ecol=7&fprt=false&tfe=qc_562&gsessionid=w9RGps5ReDs

Regarding both essays, I struggled to obtain any expanded core points.  This is because I was not able to achieve all 7 points in the basic scoring guide.  In the compare and contrast essays, I repeatedly made errors with the analysis between the two points I was comparing.  Evidence was no problem, and thesis statements yielded me points.  I need more practice with change over time essays before I can make concrete statements, but with the information I have, I can begin focusing on areas on which I need improvement.  I made a stupid error with evidence on my midterm change over time essay by not specifying exactly what I was talking about.  That will receive some of my attention, but looking upon it now, I can see what I did incorrectly.  But once again, the analysis proves to be a weak point in my essays.  Global context may need some attention as well.

Classwork 1/7

Today in class, I helped TJ look for information about the witnesses that he is going to cross-examine.

Defense Work 1/6

Today in class and during break I did research on my character, Boerte. I searched for how she was involved in Genghis Khan's life. I also helped with looking at the definitions and seeing how we could work with them.