Discusses the Korean War, the first major test of the post-war, soon to be called Cold War, period, examining the background to the war, the war itself and the American role.
900 words (approx. 3.6 pages), 3 sources, 1993, $ 31.95
Introduction
Although World War II ended in 1945, the aftermath of the war included continuing skirmishes with the Soviet Union, primarily through its surrogates, in both Europe and Asia. The Korean War was one of the more visible of those fights, and it led to a stalemate that continues to this day.
Background to the Struggle
Although the war did not actually begin until June of 1950, the circumstances that led to it began long before. By the mid.1940s, Goncharov et al. (1993) reported that Kim Il Sung was already determined that Korea would be unified, and that it had to be unified by force. At that time, Kim was training in the ..."
This paper analyzes the generational conflict and continuity in relationship between Jing-mei "June" Woo and her mother Suyuan Woo in Amy Tan's novel "The Joy Luck Club".
1,350 words (approx. 5.4 pages), 4 sources, 1995, $ 47.95
From the Paper "This study will analyze the relationship between Jing-mei "June" Woo and her mother Suyuan Woo in Amy Tan's novel "The Joy Luck Club". Specifically, the study will describe how Tan brings the generational and cultural conflicts into focus through the use of characterization, point of view, and symbolism. The relationship between June and Suyuan will be shown to be based on the awakening of the daughter to the true worth of her mother's life. This awakening is meant by Tan to honor Suyuan and the other mothers and to have the reader appreciate their humanity, heritage, courage and culture. The generational and cultural conflicts are ultimately transformed into generational and cultural continuity and endurance in June's eyes.
The brief opening tale sets the stage for the exploration and appreciation of this theme. A Chinese woman has brought a ... "
Abstract Discusses changing labor management and relations in China. Impact of membership in the World Trade Organization (WTO). Availability of large pool of labor. Employee-employer relations. Unions. Worker's Councils. Profit sharing. Working conditions. Fringe benefits. Hours worked; holidays and vacations. Termination of employees. Foreign personnel; work permits.
From the Paper "Labor Relations in China
Labor Relations
The concepts of labor management and labor relations as they are understood in the Western World are basically unrealized in China today, although that situation is changing rapidly, and, most experts agree, will probably change more as China become fully vested as a World Trade Organization member.
Availability of Labor
According to a special report on labor in China, as of June 1, 2000, there were more than 200 million people earning work wages, and half of them are affiliated with labor unions. However, those wages typically average $20 to $30 U.S. a week. Likewise, most of the available labor is moving to the cities along the coasts, where the wages are higher, sometimes reaching $400 a month. There is, the ..."
Abstract This paper deals with the concept of partition within a country, with an emphasis on the the conflict between the Hindus and Muslims in India, since the creation of the states of Pakistan and India in 1947 after the partition of India. It studies the past and the present situation with definitions for its historical motivation and culture. It provides a brief history of the conflict between the Hindus and Muslims and examines how after its Independence, the Muslim India needed to establish its political and territorial identity and were directly against Gandhi's view of a united India.
From the Paper "Partition in India has not ended and it is far from ending. The territorial right that Masumi Jadwani deals in his thesis are political rather then religious and analyze it from a historical perspective. Of course, religion will play a role whenever the substratum citizen has to find a reason to quarrel over rights of some type. Conflict may initiate locally, bottom up but mainly it will originate from top bottom decisions. Eventual conflicts in India surge in a bulk of problems that exist for long time. Conflicts of Hindus and Muslims date from even before the British."
This paper discusses the book, "The City of Joy," by Dominique Lapierre, which projects the underlying message that despite the devastating life of the slum dwellers in Calcutta they have hope and love.
Abstract This paper explains that author Dominique Lapierre researched this book by living with the people of India and the people who try to help them for three years. The author states that critics have called "A City of Joy" one of the most important books on the culture and sociology of India. The paper points out that the author does not look at the topic through rose-colored glasses; he shows the abject poverty in enormous and memorable detail.
From the Paper "This is a story of people who are used to hardships and have learned how to deal with them through courage and good humor. Rather than bemoan the loss of everything he had worked so hard to obtain, Prodip Pal revels in the joy of his sons. "What a blessing those sons were" (Lapierre 7)! This is the central conception to the book, and one from which everyone can learn important lessons. These people do not feel sorry for themselves ? rather they revel in the joys they can find, because they "shared in a communal world and respected its social and religious values, maintaining the ancestral traditions and beliefs" (Lapierre 45). This is why the decrepit slum is called "The City of Joy." It is more than clear they are poor, but they are happy, and it becomes a joy to read about it, even though many of their experiences are quite simply unspeakable."
Tags: india, hardship, courage, poverty, community
Abstract Confucianism is derived from the teachings of the philosopher K?ung Fu Tzu (Confucius) and has been embraced in various nations throughout history including Japan, Korea and China. China, in particular, embraced Confucianism as a basis for governmental practices and societal morality. This paper explains the main rules and teachings of the philosophy, including the tenant of Ren, "passages of life" and its ideas on government. The paper also discusses how the Han and Qin dynasties of China impacted the religion.
From the Paper "Confucianism is primarily seen as a set of beliefs that form the basis of government rather than a religion with sanctuaries and ministers. Additionally, Confucius never promoted himself as a god and was never worshipped as such. However, there were temples built to Confucius but they were only used to celebrate significant events. ("Confucianism") Confucius had definite opinions about the way that government should be. The philosopher believed that within government ?the sovereign is benevolent and honorable and the subjects are respectful and obedient.? ("Confucianism") In addition, he also believed that the sovereign should promote morality and be of high moral character. Confucius also believed that the key to creating anonymity between the classes was through education."
Abstract This paper will analyze the book "When Heaven and Earth Changed Places: A Vietnamese Woman's Journey from War to Peace by Le Ly Hayslip". By understanding the culture of the Vietnamese during the Vietnam War, we can see a perspective from the Asian side of the conflict.
Abstract This paper explains what Taoism is, as well as its roots and practices. First, it explains the concept of the Tao, then it goes on to describe how the philosophy originated and progressed. It concludes with the main concepts followed by Taoists.
From the Paper "Taoism is one word part of the English language that doesn?t have a detailed definition. According to the American Heritage Dictionary, Taoism is defined as ?A principal philosophy and system of religion of China based on the teachings of Lao-tzu in the sixth century B.C. and on subsequent revelations. It advocates preserving and restoring the Tao in the body and the cosmos.? This dictionary entry does not explain what the Tao is, how Taoism came about, or even the basic practices of a Taoist. Taoism, as a religion does not have a simple explanation or definition, as it is not simply a school of thought but many teachings combined into one. The two books that clearly go into the purpose of a Taoist, the Chuang Tzu and the Lao Tzu, are compilations of many great scholars. In this paper, I will do my best to explain what Taoism is, its roots, as well as practices."
Abstract This paper summarizes, "Paradise of the Blind", one of the first Vietnamese novels translated into English and published in North America. The paper then analyzes each of the main characters in the novel and explains how they deal with the conflict that exists between living a life of the past or living a life that embraces the future.
From the Paper ""Paradise of the Blind" is the first Vietnamese novel to be translated into English and published in North America. The story relates the tale of Hang, a Vietnamese woman of the 1980s, who works in a Russian textile factory, and is traveling to a new job in Moscow that her Uncle, a high ranking member of the Communist Party, obtained for her. The novel takes place mostly in Hang's memory as she remembers her family, her life, and how the Vietnam War changed her country forever."
Tags: hang, communist, party, vietnam, war, que, older, generation, memories, homeland
Abstract Provides statistics, facts, and figures in relation to China's current economy and examines whether this country could become the future superpower. It looks at initiatives proposed by China's current president, Jiang Zemin, to strengthen China's economy. These initiatives are listed and discussed.
From the Paper "Ancient China was a world leader in arts and sciences, but encountered civil unrest and military defeat, famine, and foreign occupation during the 19th and early 20th centuries. Originally ruled under the Qin or Ch?in Dynasty in 221 B.C., the Dynasty was replaced by the Republic of China on February 12, 1912. In October of 1949, the communist People's Republic of China came under the leadership of Mao Zedong, who ruled a dictatorship that ensured China's dominion at the cost of strict controls over the lives of China's citizens as well as colossal loss of life. Mao's successor Deng Xiaoping introduced market reforms after 1978 and decentralized economic control, although political control remained tightly centralized. This relaxing of economic rule resulted in a high GDP (real growth rate) that sustained decades."
Abstract This paper is about the increase in freedom Japanese women experienced during the Meiji and Taisho periods in Japan and the subsequently greater role they had in both the family and the political life of the country. The paper explains how, unwittingly, the Samurai revolution contributed to women's greater liberation and how the combination of increased urbanization along with a higher degree of mobility tended to loosen the traditional strictures on women's physical and social mobility. The paper also points out how the increase in a Japanese middle-class after the Samurai revolution and their corresponding demands for more rights also contributed to greater freedoms for women. The paper makes it clear, however, that the status of Japanese women during this period was never close to being equal to that of Japanese men, but their social and political gains were significant.
From the Paper "The Meiji period, as Gordon outlines in Chapter Five, "The Samurai Revolution", began with a political revolution that returned the country to direct imperial rule under the Emperor Meiji and brought to an end the era of the Tokugawa Shogunate. The emperor took advantage of the restoration of his power to try to push Japan towards the West and to introduce Western concepts of modernization. The effect ? over the period of Meiji rule from 1868?1912 included the rise of a much larger and more powerful middle class in Japan. This came about in no small way because the samurai who lead the restoration understood that their own rising power ? as well as that of the imperial house ? was dependent upon the diminishment of power by the feudal lords."
Tags: role, sex, traditionally, imperial, rule, emperor, tokugawa, shogunate, fuedal, tokyo, edo, shufu
This paper reviews an unusual novel written in French by Dai Sijie, "Balzac and the Little Chinese Seamstress". He describes it as a playful, fable-like fairytale about life in Communist China.
Abstract This paper explains that Communist China is not at all a bad place to set a fairytale because there are several important elements to a good fairytale, including he "once upon a time" element, the involvement of royalty, good and evil characters, magic, a problem, a happy ending, and the heroes and heroines are almost always living under adverse conditions. The author points out that the story revolves around two thoroughly modern, young bourgeois men placed in a re-education camp in Communist China. The paper concludes that one of the reasons that the novel works is that the world of the Communist China is shrouded in mystery to many of us in the Western world just as "the beautiful palace that has been cut off from the world for a thousand years" terrifies us.
From the Paper "Another important element of the story, with regards to the setting, is magic in relationship to Communist China and the re-education camps. China is almost like the Arthurian Europe so many of Western fairytales. It is a place where palaces are still built, people labor in the fields. It seems to be unmoved and unchanged, from the perspective of outsiders. It is a place stuck in time, much like the settings of many fairytales. Case in point, Sleeping Beauty, the princess is asleep for one hundred years and the world around her has barely changed at all; only the characters change. Fairytales are set in places where time does not seem to matter. Communist China is one of those places. The bonus, of course, is that dragons, an important element to many fairytales, is still alive and well in China. Much of the magic that lives in the world of fairytales, lands that exist outside of time, has some how disappeared from the land where time seems to go by so fast. So in a place like Communist China, in a location like a re-education camp, magic is still alive and well."
Tags: mystery, bourgeoisie, re-education, western, government
Abstract This paper provides a comprehensive look at how the United States failed in Vietnam. Its main focus is that the U.S. didn't understand the nature of the war. The paper provides a summary of the war, intertwined with evidence about why American leadership did not have a full understanding of the war.
From the Paper "The Vietcong instead utilized guerilla warfare, which was effective against the French, and fared well against the U.S. too. This was a strategy that was also coined total war, because it was the destruction of the adversary at all calls. In addition, it included a myriad of small-group surprise attacks with the Vietcong then retreating back into the jungle. But also, the United States did not realize how powerful the Vietcong could be, thanks to the Soviet Union and China. "American technology was well matched by defensive fighter aircraft and radar-directed antiaircraft weaponry put in the hands of the Vietcong by the Soviet Union". One such example was the widely used Soviet-built surface-to-air missle (SAM). "The SAM was a kind of highly sophisticated aerial torpedo launched from the ground" (Larson 52). Along with the SAM, the Soviets supplied AK-47s and MiG interceptor aircraft among other items."
Abstract This paper examines the threat posed by North Korea to the United States. The paper contends that the complex nature of the problem of the North Korean nuclear program and the ways and means to handle it pose one of the greatest challenges to the U.S. foreign policy during the second term of President Bush. The paper determines that the challenge is not only in finding a way to put a cap on the nuclear weapons program of North Korea, but also in seeing that the present regime of Kim Jong Il adheres to the terms of the agreements hammered out, since this regime has shown scant respect for earlier agreements.
From the Paper "President Bush was of the opinion that three countries were members of the 'Axis of Evil' and during his first term in office he took necessary efforts to neutralize or prevent any kind of threat or attack from Iraq. His second term as the President of Unite States is likely to see a greater emphasis to remove the perceived threat from the other two members of the Axis of Evil, which are Iran and N. Korea. North Korea is likely to be the greatest challenge posed to the US foreign policy in the coming years. For too many years North Korea has remained on the back burner, but the recent developments make it necessary for the US to initiate a stronger foreign policy effort on North Korea to remove threats to itself and its allies in the North Asian region. In the last five decades or so North Korea has developed a nuclear weapons research program by exploiting its own uranium and a pool of nuclear physicists available in the country."
