Thursday, March 13, 2014
Honor East vs. West
In the East, China, they have very strict beliefs about honor, or as they call it a matter of face, while the West, the United States, has a much more slack view on honor. Mark went to support the friend of his teacher Zheng, while he was going through a difficult time. While he was there, he leaned that the friend, Lin, really liked Michelangelo, so Mark promised Lin that he would have his family send a book filled with pictures of Michelangelo and his work. A little time goes by, and Mark discontinues his lessons with Zheng, one of his marshal arts teachers. He then goes to a friend who knows Zheng, asking if he could get the book to Zheng to get the book to Lin. The friend says no due to the fact that it's a matter of face. "Under these conditions, it would be impossible. Lin, as a matter of face, would not accept it, because you have insulted Zheng by discontinuing your lessons. You will ave to give it to someone else..."(pg.116) As it turns out Mark really can't give the book to Lin for these reasons. In the United States we really just wouldn't care that somebody would be 'loosing face' if we accepted the gift. I think that that we, the west, don't really acknowledge honor in the way the Chinese do they go to great lengths to protect not only their own honor but the honor of their friends and those around them. I think this is mostly because it kind of reflects back on to them. In the book Lin only has one picture of Michelangelo and yet he says that Michelangelo is his sculpture teacher. So a book filled with many pictures of Michelangelo and his work would have been priceless to Lin and yet he wouldn't have accepted the gift due to the fact that Mark insulted his best friend. In the United States I think that we don't care as much about honor. We wouldn't give up something that would be priceless to us due to the fact that it was from someone that insulted a friend. I think that in the United States we are a little more selfish than the Chinese we don't put the honor of our friends before our own hopes and desires at all times , and it seems to me that it can be a downfall in our society.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
The theme of your quote is very similar to the theme of the quote I posted about; Western culture focuses on individualism, whereas Eastern culture is centered around community as a whole. Even the American and Chinese Dreams differ. We are well known for the "American Dream" in which someone can move up the social hierarchy of society. Even this focuses on individual success and prosperity. Of course, this comes from a country based around democracy. According to Wikipedia, "The Chinese Dream" is based on prosperity and development of all. These varying cultural views are what influenced the countries' governments. The individualist country, the United States, created a democratic government that gives each individual an opportunity to participate vs. the community oriented country, China, which created a Communist government and tries to focus less on individuals and more on the community as a whole. Which government is better and higher functioning is purely for the spectators and citizens to decide.
ReplyDeleteRobyn,
ReplyDeleteI was also very intrigued by this scene. While I read it, I couldn't help but think about a relatable incident in the TV sitcom, "How I Met Your Mother," and how it demonstrates how the cultures of the East and West actually encompass the theme of honor in similar ways but just seen on very different ends of the spectrum. One of the main characters, Barney Stinson, writes a set of laws to mandate the behaviors of men. He calls it, The Bro Code. In it describes how men should respect each other by not dating other bro's ex's and things like that. Although it is objectifying and demeaning towards women, it is a clear example of how in our culture we seem to live by a set of social standards. They are a form of unspoken laws in the sense that if you break them you see the consequences in your relationships. Lin could not except Mark's book because he does not want to downplay the loyalty between he and Zheng. I saw parallels in the strong moral compass of the East and the sometimes swaying moral compass of the West. Still, it is clear that we see example of how social structures are suppose to function differently in different areas of the world, different areas of the country, or even different areas of high schools.
-Aria
(This is my second blog comment)