Confucian Values

Ok, so I'm just going to cut to the chase and say that the poems we read for China did reflect many of the confucian ideals. But the one I saw most dominant in the poems was the idea of repicrocation between two people, namely those involved in a marriage, but in other ways as well. The reprocation reflects mainly the idea that one must serve another in order to recieve from that person, or basically contribute in a way the maintain a relationship. We see in Quince that there is a reciprocation, even if unequal, between two who love each other. And although the main point of the poem is that love is a powerful force, it is also the force which drives that same balance and harmony of their relationship. In contrast, in the Willows by the Eastern Gate, we observe a failure of reciprocation between one person and another. The two have agreed to meet at a certain destination, however, only one shows. This sort of stand up reflects the absentee's failure to uphold an agreement or obligation between himself and the other person. In She Bore the Folk, Lord Millet sacrifices himself so that he might feed others, and in return, they sear the crops so that he may grow back again and be resurrected. Ultimately, the idea of reciprocation seems pretty big in Chinese culture, as these poems and our class discussion can attest.