Assignment for The Poets and Writers of the 20th Century

Last class I talked about the roles of women and men in society 18th century in China. In this class I choose to talk about the poets and writers of the 20th Century in China. In this class I can learn some Germanic culture, but I come from China, and I want to introduce some Chinese to my classmates.

From 1990 to 2000, China had many famous poets and writers. Today I want to introduce a great Chinese writer. His name was Lu Xun.

Lu Xun or Lu Hsün, was the pen name of Zhou Shuren (September 25, 1881 – October 19, 1936) is one of the major Chinese writers of the 20th century. Considered by many to be the leading figure of modern Chinese literature, he wrote in baihua (the vernacular) as well as classical Chinese. Lu Xun was a short story writer, editor, translator, critic, essayist and poet. In the 1930s he became the titular head of the Chinese League of the Left-Wing Writers in Shanghai.
Lu Xun's works exerted a very substantial influence after the May Fourth Movement to such a point that he was highly acclaimed by the Communist regime after 1949. Mao Zedong himself was a lifelong admirer of Lu Xun's works. Though sympathetic to the ideals of the Left, Lu Xun never actually joined the Chinese Communist Party. Like many leaders of the May Fourth Movement, he was primarily a liberal.

Early Life:
Born in Shaoxing, Zhejiang province, Lu Xun was first named Zhou Zhangshou, then Zhou Yucai, and finally himself took the name of Shùrén, figuratively, "to be an educated man".
 The Shaoxing Zhou family was very well-educated, and his paternal grandfather Zhou Fuqing held posts in the Hanlin Academy; Zhou's mother, née Lu, taught herself to read. However, after a case of bribery was exposed – in which Zhou Fuqing tried to procure an office for his son, Lu Xun's father, Zhou Boyi – the family fortunes declined. Zhou Fuqing was arrested and almost beheaded. Meanwhile, a young Zhou Shuren was brought up by an elderly servant Ah Chang, whom he called Chang Ma; one of Lu Xun's favorite childhood books was the Classic of mountains and seas.

Education:
Lu Xun was educated at Jiangnan Naval Academy (1898–99), and later transferred to the School of Mines and Railways at Jiangnan Military Academy. It was there Lu Xun had his first contacts with Western learning, especially the sciences; he studied some German and English, reading, amongst some translated books, Huxley's Evolution and Ethics, J. S. Mill's On Liberty, as well as novels like Ivanhoe and Uncle Tom's Cabin.
 On a Qing government scholarship, Lu Xun left for Japan in 1902. He first attended the Kobun Gakuin a preparatory language school for Chinese students attending Japanese universities. His earliest essays, written in Classical Chinese, date from here. Lu also practised some jujutsu.

In Sendai:
Lu Xun left for Sendai Medical Academy in 1904 and gained a minor reputation there as the first foreign student of the college. At the school he struck up a close student-mentor relationship with lecturer Fujino Genkurou; Lu Xun would recall his mentor respectfully and affectionately in an essay "Mr Fujino" in the memoirs in Dawn Blossoms Plucked at Dusk. (Incidentally, Fujino would repay the respect with an obituary essay on Lu Xun's death, in 1937.) However, in March 1906, Lu Xun abruptly terminated his pursuit of the degree and left the college.

Lu Xun, in his well-known Preface to Nahan (Call to Arms), the first collection of his short stories, tells the story of why he gave up completing his medical education at Sendai. One day after class, one of his Japanese instructors screened a lantern slide documenting the imminent execution of an alleged Chinese spy during the Russo-Japanese War (1904–05). Lu Xun was shocked by the complete apathy of the Chinese onlookers; he decided it was more important to cure his compatriots' spiritual ills rather than their physical diseases.

Works:

Stories
•from 《呐喊》 Call to Arms (1922)◦狂人日记 "A Madman's Diary" (1918)
◦孔乙己 "Kong Yiji" (1919)
◦药 "Medicine" (1919)
◦明天 "Tomorrow" (1920)
◦一件小事 "An Incident" (1920)
◦头发的故事 "The Story of Hair" (1920)
◦风筝 "Kite" (1925)
◦风波 "Storm in a Teacup" (1920)
◦故乡 "Hometown" (1921)
◦阿Q正传 "The True Story of Ah Q" (1921)
◦端午节 "The Double Fifth Festival" (1922)
◦白光 "The White Light" (1922)
◦兔和猫 "The Rabbits and the Cat" (1922)
◦鸭的喜剧 "The Comedy of the Ducks" (1922)
◦社戏 "Village Opera" (1922)
◦"New Year Sacrifice" (1924)

•from《彷徨》"Wandering"◦祝福 Well Wishes(1924)
◦在酒楼上 In the Drinking House (1924)
◦幸福的家庭 A Happy Family (1924)
◦肥皂 Soap (1924)
◦长明灯 The Eternal Flame (1924)
◦示众 Public Exhibition (1925)
◦高老夫子 Old Mr. Gao (1925)
◦孤独者 Dictator (1925)
◦伤逝 Sadness
◦弟兄 Brothers
◦离婚 Divorce (1925)

•from《故事新编》"Old Tales Retold" (1935)◦补天 Mending Heaven (1935)
◦奔月 The Flight to the Moon (1926)
◦理水 Curbing the Flood (1935)
◦采薇 Gathering Vetch (1935)
◦铸剑 Forging the Swords (1926)
◦出关 Going out (1935)
◦怀旧 Leaving the Pass (1935)
◦非攻 Opposing Aggression (1934)
◦起死 Resurrect the Dead (1935)

 Essays
•我之节烈观 My Views on Chastity (1918)
•我们现在怎么做父亲 What is Required to be a Father Today (1919)
•Knowledge is a Crime (1919)
•说胡须 My Moustache (1924)
•看镜有感 Thoughts Before the Mirror (1925)
•On Deferring Fair Play (1925)

 Collections
•《呐喊》 Call to Arms (Na han) (1923)
•《彷徨》 Wandering (Pang huang) (1925)
•《中国小说史略》 Brief History of Chinese Fiction (Zhongguo xiaoshuo shilüe) (1925) a substantial study of pre-modern Chinese literature
•《故事新编》 Old Tales Retold (Gu shi xin bian) (1935)
•《野草》 Wild Grass (Ye cao) （1927）
•《朝花夕拾》 Dawn Blossoms Plucked at Dusk (Zhao hua xi shi)（1932） a collection of essays about his youth

1. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lu_Xun

The roles of women and men in society 18th century

I come from China, so at first I want to talk about the roles of  women and men in society 18th century in China. In 18th century, China was at Qing Dynasty. At that time, women had no rights. Men always were more powerful than women, and men always had rights.

Life:
Men always ate first. Women could not eat with men at same time at one table. Women always ate after men.
Men always went to work, and made money for his family. Women always stay at home, and did all housework. Women never went out for working. Men did not took care for children. Women always took care for the children at home.

Education:
Only men could go to school for studying. If women wanted to learn knowledge, they stay home, and read some books.
Only men could took test. Women could not took any test.

Government and politics:
Only men could work in the government. Only men could took the test for government.
Women could not work in the government. Women never talked something about politics, and never join some politics activities.

Marriage:
Men could marry several women. Only men could allow to divorce.

The Assignment for Berlin Calling

Questions:
1.He said, drug can help him relaxing. Drug also as a way can help him to escape the emotional turmoil he experienced in losing his mother.

2.I think his fans take drug just for fun. They think taking drug can bring their mind to Ickarus' music. His fans take snort cocaine and ingest pills.

3.I think he does not know drug can hurt his health. He tries new thing, and he is rebel. Everybody in the subculture is on drugs. 

4.I think it is different. I never see people take brug in my live. I do not go to bar, and drink in the bar. My parents always do not allow go to bar. I also do not smoke. My life is different between the movie.

5.I think no.

6. Sorry, I did not see similar "cult movies" of US origin.


After watch this movie, I think this movie's story is easy to understand. The actor Paul Kalkbrenner shows his music in this movie. He has nice performance in this movie. In this movie Ickarus take drug. He think taking drug can help him feel better and relaxing. Taking drug is as a way can  exclude Ickarus' stress and the pain of his emotion or spirit. Ickarus is also a young man, he is a rebel person. Sometime he think taking drug can help him make music. However, he found his inspiration was given by his real life. When he in the hospital, he found something at last he made  a nice CD.

From this movie we need to think about what things we should need and own. Some things do not bring or give you real life. Ickarus lost his girlfriend, but at last he knows what is most important for him. In China, some young people go to the bar. They drink a lot, someone take drug. They think drinking  and drug can make them happy. They also think drinking and drug can make thme relaxing. They do not know what is correct way that can make them happy and relaxing.

All Quiet on the Western Front

Last week in class we watched a movie that is All Quiet on the Western Front. All Quiet on the Western Front is a 1930 American epic war film based on the Erich Maria Remarque novel of the same name. I know some characters and stories, but not very well. This movie helps me to understand this novel better than before. It also helps me to know the  characters and stories.

All Quiet on the Western Front is considered a realistic and harrowing account of warfare in World War I, and was named #54 on the AFI's 100 Years... 100 Movies. However, it fell out of the top 100 in the AFI's 2007 revision. In June 2008, after polling over 1,500 workers in the creative community, AFI announced its 10 Top 10—the ten best films in each of ten "classic" American film genres; All Quiet on the Western Front was ranked the seventh best film in the epic genre. In 1990, the film was selected and preserved by the United States Library of Congress' National Film Registry as being deemed "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant." The film won the Academy Award for Best Picture and Best Director.

Universal re-released the film in 1939. It contained anti-Nazi announcements read out throughout the film in a March of Time style; yet the aim was to remind people of the horrors of wars in a time of international unrest.
 Later re-releases by Universal International were substantially cut and the film's ending scored with new music against the wishes of director Lewis Milestone. Before his death in 1980, Milestone requested Universal fully restore the film with the removal of the end music cue. Two decades later, Milestone's wishes were finally granted when the United States Library of Congress undertook an exhaustive restoration of the film, which is vastly superior in sound and picture quality to most other existent prints.
 The film got tremendous praise in the United States, but there would be controversy over the film's subject matter in other places, including Europe.

 On its release, Variety wrote:
 The League of Nations could make no better investment than to buy up the master-print, reproduce it in every language, to be shown in all the nations until the word "war" is taken out of the dictionaries.
 Some of the credit for the film's success has been ascribed to the direction of Lewis Milestone:
 Without diluting or denying any... criticisms, it should be said that from World War I to Korea, Milestone could put the viewer into the middle of a battlefield, and make the hellish confusion of it seem all too real to the viewer. Steven Spielberg noted as much when he credited Milestone's work as partial inspiration for Saving Private Ryan ...Lewis Milestone made significant contributions to [the genre of] the war film.
 Due to its anti-war and perceived anti-German messages, Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party banned the film from Germany in the 1930s and early 1940s. During its brief run in German cinemas in the early 1930s, the Nazis disrupted the viewings by releasing rats in the theaters.
 Also, between the period of 1928 to 1941, this was one of many films to be banned in Australia by the Chief Censor Creswell O'Reilly. The film was also banned in Italy in 1929, Austria in 1931, with the prohibition officially raised only in the 1980s, and in France up to 1963.
 The silent version, restored by the Library of Congress, premiered on Turner Classic Movies on Sept. 28, 2011.[1]

[1]http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/All_Quiet_on_the_Western_Front_(1930_film)

Assignment #3 Reading All Quiet on the Western Front

After read this novel, I found this is an anti-war novel. Throughout “All Quiet on the Western Front” the notion of common humanity acts as one of the greatest anti-war messages communicated. Author does not simply not glorify war, and tells us the war is very terrible. The war can  destroy people's dream, and the so-called patriotism.  The novelist  communicate the human side of war, almost as a direct affront to the centuries of novels that have favored the patriotic and nationalistic over the human cost. The war can destroy every, include human civilization. When the war and death come, human is very small. Human cannot resist death. In the novel ,most importantly, it is the death of emotion which arguably, in the world of war, was Paul’s greatest enemy. In the novel, Paul discovers that the only truth underlying war is that all parties, enemies and allies alike, are human beings—not faceless creatures. In my opinion, this is a good  anti-war novel. Author uncover the war is terrible, and the war can destroy every thing. The war brings death and pain to human.

Group Speech.

I am Hui, and I am in the group one. In my group, my topic is Berlin. I told about some information about Berlin.
Berlin is the capital city ogf Germany. It is one of the 16 states odf Germany. With a population of 3.45 million people. Berlin is the biggest city in Germany. Berlin come s from two small cities one is Colin the other one is Berlin. Bertrade routes crossed the River Spree and quickly become a commercial.

Early Modem Period
Berlin made money, making luxury goods for the Prussian court and suppliies for the Prussian military.

The Industrial Recolution
Berlion become Germany's main rail hub. End the 19th century, Berlin become Germany's banking and financial center.

Massive Unemployment
Only compensated from construction of east Berlin. Berlin has been called the capital of poverty, so many people on the wellfare. Firguress indicate the first surplus in the history of the city state.

Resources: Wikipedia

Assignment #2 Berlin

In group speech, my topic is Berlin. Why I choose this topic? Because Berlin is a famous city in the world, and it is the capital of Germany. Also Berlin is one of one of the 16 states of Germany. The population of Berlin is 3.45 million. Berlin is Germany's largest city. It is the second most populous city in the European Unions. Berlin  located in northeastern Germany.

History:

The first written records of towns in the area of present-day Berlin date from the late 12th century. Spandau is first mentioned in 1197 and Köpenick in 1209, although these areas did not join Berlin until 1920. The central part of Berlin can be traced back to two towns. Cölln on the Fischerinsel is first mentioned in a 1237 document, and Berlin, across the Spree in what is now called the Nikolaiviertel, is referenced in a document from 1244. The former is considered to be the founding date of the city. The two towns over time formed close economic and social ties and eventually merged in 1307 and came to be known as Berlin.

Economy:

In 2009, the nominal GDP of the citystate Berlin experienced a growth rate of 1.7% (−3.5% in Germany) and totaled €90.1 (~$117) billion. Berlin's economy is dominated by the service sector, with around 80% of all companies doing business in services. The unemployment rate had steadily decreased over the past decade and reached a 13-year low in 2008; As of April 2010 unemployment was at 14.2% (German average: 7.9%).

Siemens, a Fortune Global 500 company and one of the 30 German DAX companies, has a headquarter in Berlin. The state-owned railway, Deutsche Bahn, has its headquarters in Berlin as well Many German and international companies have business or service centres in the city.Among the 20 largest employers in Berlin are the Deutsche Bahn, the hospital provider, Charité, the local public transport provider, BVG, and the service provider, Dussmann and the Piepenbrock Group. Daimler manufactures cars, and BMW builds motorcycles in Berlin. Bayer Schering Pharma and Berlin Chemie are major pharmaceutical companies headquartered in the city. The second largest German airline Air Berlin is also headquartered in Berlin.

Sports:

Berlin hosted the 1936 Olympics and was the host city for the 2006 FIFA World Cup Final. The IAAF World Championships in Athletics were held in the Olympiastadion in August 2009. The annual Berlin Marathon and the annual ÅF Golden League event ISTAF for athletics are also held here. The FIVB World Tour has chosen an inner-city site near Alexanderplatz to present a beach volleyball Grand Slam every year. Berlin has a famous soccer club, it is FC Union Berlin .

Resources:  Wikipedia http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Berlin#Economy