Description
First Essay Assignment:
Early China: The Problem of Sources
Thus far in our course we have encountered a range of texts which purport to describe life and thought in early China. Having read these texts and considered their possibilities and limitations, write a brief essay in which you use some examples from our assigned readings to explore what ancient texts can and cannot reveal. To do a good job with this essay, you should select a small number of texts and analyze them closely, focusing your analysis on some specific issues, or one specific issue, which you select. Then, use that focused inquiry to reflect on larger issues of the limitations and possibilities of historical sources.
Your essay will be judged by the extent to which:
You offer a sound and convincing argument;
You demonstrate careful reading of the sources;
You include ideas from lecture and other assigned readings as appropriate;
You craft a well-written and well-constructed essay;
You demonstrate understanding of the history presented thus far in class;
You are able to write a paper that is free of careless errors.
Papers should be approximately 1000 words in length, You do not need to submit a hard copy. Instead, upload your paper to Blackboard using the "Submit Assignments" tab. Your paper should be double-spaced, and your name should appear on page 1. You must carefully cite all quoted material and evidence presented in your essays.
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Running Head: EARLY CHINA
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EARLY CHINA
Name of Student
Institutional Affiliation
Date
EARLY CHINA
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Introduction
Historical sources can be described as materials usually written, recorded, painted, among other
forms that serve as inferences for historical explanations and evidence for practices in early life.
Even though these historical sources serve as rich sources of information, there are several
limitations and possibilities associated with them. As a requirement of the assignment, this paper
presents an essay written in relation to the assigned readings that gives an exploration of what
ancient texts can and cannot reveal. In line with this, the essay outlines the limitations and
possibilities associated with the readings. The readings chosen for this essay are the oracle-bone
inscriptions, an excerpt from "The I Ching or Book of Changes" named Ch'ien, the creative and
the receptive and another titled Mozi: Utility, Uniformity and Universal Love. The three readings
describe the life and thought in early China and, therefore, would serve as the basis for finding out
possibilities and limitations associated with historical sources.
The Oracle-bone inscriptions of the Late Shang Dynasty
In this reading, the author, Knightley (1999), gives an overview of the oracle-bone
inscriptions of the late Shang dynasty. The author argues that the earliest corpus of the Chines
writing consists of the inscriptions of the late Shang dynasty, which record the pyromantic
divinations for the last nine Shang kings at their courts. Usually, the king or his diviners would
address an oral charge based on the outcomes of the specific ritual that they perform. The king was
to make a careful interpretation of the results from the ritual, after which...