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Cultural Heritage of India China and Japan
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Cultural Heritage of India China and Japan
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What is the historical significance of the Aryans in India?
The Aryans invaded the Indus Valley around 2000 B.C., driving southward the dark-skinned Dravidians, and established small kingdoms in North India. They brought with them Vedic literature, Hindu religion, the caste system, and the Sanskrit language.
What was the early religious focus of the Aryans?
The Aryans' early religion was characterized by nature worship, praying to gods representing natural phenomena such as the moon, sun, storm, and fire.
What is the current religious demographic of India?
Approximately 85% of the Indian population practices Hinduism, while the rest include Buddhists, Sikhs, Jains, Muslims, and Christians.
What are the official languages of India?
Hindu is the official language, and English is used in legal transactions, government offices, industries, and the education sector.
What are the prominent characteristics of Hindu literature?
Hindu literature is characterized by the Hindu mind and essence of spirituality, with religion and philosophy being inseparable.
What are the Vedas?
The Vedas are sacred texts of ancient Sanskrit hymns that include Mantras (hymns), Brahmanas (doctrines and ceremonies), and Upanishads (commentaries on Vedic philosophy). They are believed to have been revealed by Brahma.
Which Veda is considered the most literary?
The Rig Veda, containing 1,000 hymns, is considered the most literary and reflects a mortal's intoxication with God and the yearning of the Individual Soul to unite with the World Soul.
What are the key beliefs found in the Upanishads?
1. The ultimate reality is Brahman, incomprehensible and surpassing understanding. 2. The Individual Soul is identical with the universal soul. 3. The Hindu Trinity consists of Brahma (the Creator), Vishnu (the Preserver), and Shiva (the Destroyer). 4. The development of the Soul involves reincarnation and ultimate absorption into Brahman for Nirvana. 5. Ethics must be transcended by divine revelation. 6. Understanding human things requires understanding divine things. 7. Intuition is key to understanding Truth or Reality.
How is poetry significant in Indian culture?
Poetry recitals are common in India, especially in small towns and villages, helping preserve ancient religious hymns and encourage creative expression.
What defines an epic in literature?
An epic is the longest and most complicated form of narrative poetry, focused on a central character who exemplifies the qualities of a race or nation, often involving supernatural and religious elements.
What are the two major Indian epics?
The Mahabharata and the Ramayana.
How does the Mahabharata compare to other epic narratives?
The Mahabharata is about eight times the combined length of the Iliad and the Odyssey, and it has gone through a process of evolution with many interpolated parts that add variety and complexity.
What is the significance of the Ramayana?
The Ramayana, attributed to Valmiki, is known for its plot, characterization, style, and wise sayings. It illustrates the ideals of behavior and the rigid observance of caste.
What are the four basic types of ancient Indian drama?
1. Nataka - highest dramatic type based on epics. 2. Prakaranas - plays about domestic life. 3. Prahsanas - vulgar farces ridiculing upper castes. 4. Yatra - religious entertainment dramatizing the god Krishna's escapades.
What is the concept of 'rasa' in Indian drama?
Rasa refers to the aesthetic flavor or sentiment elicited in the audience, providing universal character enjoyment rather than individual.
How was Indian theater traditionally performed?
Indian theater was performed on simple platforms with no pretense of realism; actors used minimal props, and female roles were generally played by women.
What distinguishes modern Indian drama?
Modern Indian drama has not evolved into a completely new dramatic form and often incorporates traditional elements.
What is the tradition of Sanskrit drama described as?
Sanskrit drama is described as a dead form.
What influence did British colonization have on Indian drama?
British colonization brought a strong influence on Indian drama, particularly through the establishment of well-equipped theaters in Calcutta.
What is the aim of the Indian Peoples Theatre Association?
The Indian Peoples Theatre Association is trying to evolve a distinctly Indian theater form based on indigenous folklore.
Who is considered the preeminent modern Indian dramatist?
Rabindranath Tagore is considered the preeminent modern Indian dramatist.
What types of plays did Rabindranath Tagore write?
Rabindranath Tagore wrote serious plays, light comedies on social issues, and color and imaginative dance dramas.
What is the historical significance of China according to the text?
China is one of the countries with the oldest and richest civilizations.
When was the first Chinese dynasty founded and by whom?
The first Chinese dynasty, Hsia, was founded by Emperor Yu in 1105 B.C.
What era is known as the golden age of Chinese philosophy?
The golden age of Chinese philosophy occurred during the Chou Dynasty (112-256 B.C.).
Who were the three great philosophers that emerged during the Chou Dynasty?
The three great philosophers were Lau Tzu, Mencius, and Confucius.
Who was China's first emperor and what significant construction did he complete?
China's first emperor was Shih Huang Ti, who completed the Great Wall in 207 B.C.
What does the Han period represent in Chinese history?
The Han period is considered the most inspiring epoch in the history of China.
What significant literary contributions were made during the Han period?
During the Han period, the first standard historical documents and literary manuscripts were collected in the archives of an imperial library.
What dynasty rose to greatness four centuries after the fall of the Han?
The Tang Dynasty rose to greatness four centuries after the fall of the Han.
What was the impact of the Tang Dynasty on Chinese poetry?
The Tang Dynasty witnessed the flourishing of Chinese poetry, with notable poets like Tu Fu and Li Po.
What are the Five Classics of Confucianism?
The Five Classics include: 1. The Book of Changes 2. The Book of History 3. The Book of Poetry 4. The Book of Rites 5. The Spring and Autumn Annals.
What are the Four Books of Confucianism?
The Four Books include: 1. Analects 2. The Book of Mencius 3. The Great Learning 4. Doctrine of the Mean.
What is the relationship between the Japanese people and other ethnic groups?
The Japanese are related in blood to the Korean, Malays, and Chinese, and are basically Mongols.
What are the official historical accounts of Japan after 400 A.D.?
The official histories are the Kojiki (Record of Ancient Matters) and Nihon Shoki (Nihon Chronicles).
What significant cultural influences did Japan adopt from China?
Japan's arts, letters, philosophy, and other schools of thought were greatly influenced by Chinese learning.
What are some contributions of Japan to world civilization mentioned in the text?
Contributions include: 1. Kana alphabet 2. Bushido 3. Shinto religion 4. Japanese kimono 5. Japanese gardens 6. Ikebana 7. Delicate ceramics 8. Cha-no-yu 9. Zen meditation 10. Various sports.
What is the significance of the Manyoshu collection?
The Manyoshu is a collection of one thousand Leaves that includes lengthy poems in refined literary language.
Who is Lady Murasaki Shikibu and what is her notable work?
Lady Murasaki Shikibu is one of Japan's greatest writers, known for her work, Genji Monogatari.
What themes are common in Japanese lyrical poetry?
Common themes include nostalgic yearning for home and beloved, love, elegies on the dead, and the beauty of nature.
What is the Haiku and how did it develop?
The Haiku is a 17-syllable poem that evolved from haiki, which was introduced in the 15th century.
Who is credited with developing and perfecting the haiku?
Matsuo Basho (1643-1694) is credited with developing and perfecting the haiku.
What are the characteristics of a haiku?
A haiku is a rimless, short poem that captures fleeting moments and employs a 5-7-5 syllable structure.
What is the significance of Uzume's dance in Japanese dramaturgy?
Uzume's dance is considered the first dramatic performance ever recorded.
What fusion led to the emergence of Noh drama?
The fusion of Dengaku and Sarugaku dance drama gave rise to Noh drama.
What are the classifications of Noh plays?
Noh plays are classified into five categories: god plays, warrior-ghost plays, women plays, plays of insanity, and demon plays.
What is the main distinction between Noh and Kabuki theater?
Noh caters to the elite, while Kabuki caters to the needs of the populace.
What are the two surviving Filipino epics mentioned in the text?
The two surviving Filipino epics are Biag ni Lam-ang and Indarapatra at Sulayman.
Who is considered the Father of Ilocano Poetry?
Pedro Bukaneg is considered the Father of Ilocano Poetry.
How does African literature relate to oral traditions?
African literature includes traditional oral and written literatures, with oral traditions exerting their own influence on modern written literatures.
What defines the storytelling art according to the text?
The storyteller combines the audience's present waking reality with explosive emotional images, creating a context that masks the past.
What condition does the audience experience while engaging with history?
The audience experiences a collapsing of time, joining its forebears and reliving an indeterminate and deeply obscure past.
How does storytelling relate to the past and present?
Storytelling is a sensory union of image and idea, re-creating the past in terms of the present using realistic images to describe the present and fantasy images to evoke the substance of a culture's experience of the past.
What do ancient fantasy images contain in storytelling?
Ancient fantasy images contain the emotional history of the culture, its most deeply felt yearnings and fears, and have the capacity to elicit strong emotional responses from audiences.
What is the role of the storyteller in blending past and present?
The storyteller's task is to forge the fantasy images of the past into masks of the realistic images of the present, enabling the performer to visualize the present within the context of the past.
How does performance affect storytelling?
Performance gives the images their context and ensures the audience a ritual experience that bridges past and present, shaping contemporary life.
What is the nature of storytelling according to the text?
Storytelling is alive, ever in transition, never hardened in time, and is always responding to contemporary realities.
What is the significance of memory in storytelling?
Memory involves the recollection of experiences from both the audience and storyteller, welding disparate experiences into the images of the story.
How does a storyteller craft a story?
The storyteller re-creates the ancient story within the context of the real, contemporary, known world rather than crafting it out of whole cloth.
What constitutes the essence of storytelling?
The metaphorical relationship between memories of the past and known images of the present constitutes the essence of storytelling.
What is the difference between story and history?
The story is never history; it is built from the shards of history, with images removed from historical contexts and reconstituted within the frame of the story.
How do storytellers appeal to their audience?
Storytellers appeal to their audience by knowing that the way to the mind is through the heart, creating a sensory experience that evokes emotions.
What themes do stories deal with?
Stories deal with change, mythic transformations of the cosmos, heroic transformations of culture, and transformations of the lives of everyman.
What is the dual role of myth in storytelling?
As a story, myth reveals change at the beginning of time with gods as central characters; as a storytelling tool, it acts as both material and method for creating metaphor.
What elements characterize oral forms like epic tales and proverbs?
These oral forms are characterized by a metaphorical process, resulting from patterned imagery.
What specific cultural experience do these universal art forms root in?
These universal art forms are rooted in the specificities of the African experience.
What are the key references mentioned in the text?
1. African Literature. n.d Britannica.com. Retrieved from https://www.britannica.com/art/African-literature last March 31, 2017. 2. Rodil, Ruel C., Cuntapay, Maria C. Nanquil, Luisito M., Garay, Gary A. 2014. Heritage of World Literature. Mandaluyong City. Books Atbp. Publishing Corp.
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