21st Century Literature

• The Mahabharata’s main story revolves around two branches of a family - the Pandavas and Kauravas.
• Create your own family tree.
• Asian literature is diverse in style and themes, with common ideas identified between the texts from various regions of the Asian continent.
• The most common styles in Asian literature are poetry or verse and dramatic prose.
• Asian literature reflects the similarities in customs, traditions, struggles, and successes of the various Asian countries.
• Asian literature has aided in the spread of Asian spirituality, heightening major religions such as Christianity, Judaism, and Islam, which originated in the continent.
• The oldest known written piece is the Epic of Gilgamesh, a series of Mesopotamian tales that recount the exploits of Gilgamesh, King of Uruk.
• Enkidu, a character in the Epic of Gilgamesh, is described as being so similar to Gilgamesh that they are considered one person.
• Chinese literature began at around 1300 BC under the Shang Dynasty, leading to the foundation of Confucianism and Taoism.
• Literature in China was composed using a formal written language called Classical Chinese.
• Chinese literary works include fiction, philosophical and religious works, poetry, and scientific writings.
• The grammar of the written Classical Language is different than the spoken languages.
• China’s Four Great Classical Novels are Journey to the West, Outlaws of the Marsh, Romance of the Three Kingdoms, and Dream of the Red Chamber.
• Journey to the West, also known as Xi You Ji, is a book that belongs to the “four most wondrous classical novels” of China, revolving around Buddhist monk Xuanzang, who travels west to India with his four disciples, including the famous monkey king Sun Wukong, in search for holy scriptures.
• Outlaws of the Marsh, also known as Water Margin, is a story about an evil ruler who has imposed a tyrannical reign of terror over his impoverished subjects.
• An intrepid band of resourceful men and women, driven into hiding, have formed themselves into an outlaw army dedicated to restoring the rule of law and justice.
• The Ramayana is an ancient Sanskrit epic which follows Prince Rama's quest to rescue his beloved wife Sita from the clutches of Ravana with the help of an army of monkeys, traditionally attributed to the authorship of the sage Valmiki and dated to around 500 BCE to 100 BCE.
• The Mahabharata is an ancient Indian epic where the main story revolves around two branches of a family - the Pandavas and Kauravas - who, in the Kurukshetra War, battle for the throne of Hastinapura, interwoven into this narrative are several smaller stories about people dead or living, and philosophical discourses.
• Dream of the Red Chamber is a novel by Cao Xueqin and Deng Lingyua, depicting the rise and decline of a family much like Cao's own and of the dynasty itself.
• Cao Xueqin's novel Dream of the Red Chamber depicts the power of the father over the family, but the novel is intended to be a memorial to the women he knew in his youth: friends, relatives and servants.
• Yin types are more passive, relaxed, and easygoing, while Yang types are more active, extroverted and ambitious.
• The name Genji is primarily a male name of Japanese origin that means Source, Heal, Peace.
• Epics of Ramayana and Mahabharata, all of which inspire morals and philosophy in the form of myths, chants, narratives, and verses.
• Yin and yang is a Chinese philosophical concept that describes opposite but interconnected forces, with Yin representing darkness, femininity, passivity, and the earth, and Yang representing light, masculinity, activity, and the heavens.
• The Romance of the Three Kingdoms is a historical novel, famously referred to as 70% history and 30% fiction, encompassing the last years of the Han dynasty.
• Some of the oldest literary masterpieces in Indian literature are religious and reflective in nature, becoming the basis for the major religion of Hinduism.
• Romance of the Three Kingdoms is a novel by Luo Guanzhong that explores major themes from the Three Kingdoms period in ancient China.
• The novel depicts the political and military strategies employed during the Three Kingdoms period.
• Balance Reflection involves taking time to reflect on areas of your life where you may be experiencing imbalance.
• The concept of Yin and Yang in Chinese culture suggests that the universe is composed of competing and complementary forces of dark and light, sun and moon, male and female.
• Yin personalities are more hesitant, emotional, and read into things.
• Yang people are more about radical change, dramatics, and standing out from the crowd.
• Yin and Yang in shaping one’s culture involves finding a partner and developing positive affirmations that embrace the principles of Yin and Yang.
• Education and awareness-raising contribute to fostering a more just and inclusive society.
• As an Ignacian-marian, avoiding imbalance in your life involves following the conventions of Yin and Yang.
• Based on the conventions of Yin and Yang, in a yellow pad paper, using 5 sentences, answer the questions below.
• What are you, a Yin or Yang?
• If you have someone that you’ll consider as your Yin or Yang who is it and why?
• Personal Yin and Yang Exploration involves creating two lists, one representing Yin qualities and the other representing Yang qualities.