Title: Family and Religion Do Now Today is “Home Run Day” in honor of baseball
great Hank Aaron hitting his first home run in 1954. If someone was to create a day to honor a first for you, what would that day be called and what event of yours would it honor?
Agenda
Do NowAncient China Family and
Religion LessonCompare and ContrastChinese dragon
Objective
Students will compare and contrast their family structure and roles with those of the Ancient Chinese
VocabularyValue: an ideal thought to be
worthwhile by a person or groupGeneration: a group of family
members born and living at about the same time
Extended family: several generations living together
Ancestor worship: the practice of honoring the spirits of the dead
Family UnitFamilies are important in most cultures
They help to ensure children are protected
In China, loyalty to one’s family was more important than almost any other value
Family UnitThe traditional family
in China included many generations.
It usually consisted of children, parents, grandparents, aunts, uncles and cousins.
Often a family occupied rooms or houses around a courtyard and lived with their extended family
Family Relationships A person’s position was
based mainly on age and gender
The older you were the more power they had and men were considered more important than women
A father had all the power in the household and his wife and children were expected to obey him in all things
Family Relationships Marriages were arranged by parents to strengthen the family
Many couples did not meet until their wedding day
Some did fall in love even though they knew their parents would disapprove
Family Relationships I beg of you, Chung Tzu,DO not climb into our homestead,Do not break the willows we have planted.Not that I mind about the willowsBut I am afraid of my father and mother.Chung Tzu dearly love.But of what my father and mother sayIndeed I am afraid.”
-Shijing (Book of poetry)
WomenChinese women had and still have little power in the traditional family
Their job is to serve other family members
Chinese tradition and Chinese religious beliefs supported this view.
Women
A woman’s duty is not to control or to take charge…When she is young, she must submit to her parents. After her marriage, she must submit to her husband. When she is widowed, she must submit to her son. These are the rules of correct behavior”
-Liu Hsiang
Traditional Religious BeliefsThe ancient Chinese viewed Earth as a flat
diskAt the center lay the middle kingdomAbove earth stretched the sky (Heaven)Heaven gave Chinese rulers the right to
rule but it was far awayThey were more concerned with the
spirits than Heaven they believed surrounded them every day.
SpiritsThe Chinese
believed the world was alive with spirits
Heaven was home to the sprits of the sun, moon, stars and storms.
On Earth, spirits lived in hills, rivers, rocks and seas and ruled the daily lives of people
SpiritsSome spirits were good (made rain fall/crops grow)
The Chinese dragon was a symbol of these kindly forces of nature
They believed the dragon could bring rain and help sailors travel safely on the ocean
According to legend, the Chinese dragon was created from the
characteristics of several animals. China’s emperors later adopted the
dragon as a symbol of their authority…Why might an emperor want to be
compared to a dragon?
Spirits Not all sprits were good Demons and devils haunted dark and lonely
places and hid in homes During festivals, the people used bonfires, loud
sounds, and paper dragons to frighten evil spirits away.
Spirits of AncestorsThe most important spirits were ancestor spirits
They believed the family members lived on after death in the spirit world
The spirits of ancestors were viewed as part of the family as well
Spirits of AncestorsThe living and dead were tied by
powerful bonds.The dead looked to the living to
keep their memory aliveThey were honored with prayers and
giftsLiving members did this because they
believed that the more honor they paid to their ancestors the more likely the dead would become good spirits
Older family members often performed the
ceremonies for honoring ancestors…why do you
think they did this?
Spirits of AncestorsThe living looked to the dead for help
in ongoing affairs because their spirits were more powerful than the living
The spirits of ancestors protected and guided family members
Ancestor Worship
The Chinese found many ways to honor their ancestors.
Every home had a shrine known as a “red table”
It held tablets with the names of family ancestors
This was the place they would practice ancestor worship
Ancestor Worship
In early times, only powerful noble families may have honored the dead
Over time, ancestor worship became deeply rooted in Chinese culture
Compare and Contrast First, draw this on the left side of your notebook
Chinese Families My Family
Spend the next 10 minutes filling out this chart. Include
specifics of family structure and life of ancient China and your
family
You have the next 20 minutes to write a compare and contrast
essay to show the differences in China’s structure and your own. You can choose to either do it point-by-point or chunking the
information
Compare and ContrastOpen your books to pate 311We are going to read how Confucius
and Wilma Mankiller are similar and different
When we are finished, you will write me a compare and contrast paragraph to show the similarities and differences.
Chinese DragonI will give you a
handout. You need to listen closely and follow directions so your Chinese dragon looks as it is supposed to.