She was the first ever female court historian in china’s history, that same position that sima qian and his father had occupied during the early han dynasty.

This week I am asking you to divide your reflections evenly between 2 excerpts, 5 notes for The Analects and 5 notes for Lessons for Women.
The Analects is the main source for both the life of Confucius and his philosophy is an ancient text known as “The Analects.” Most scholars agree that “The Analects” wasn’t actually written by Confucius himself but pinning down the real author or authors isn’t easy.
Some sections were undoubtedly written down during Confucius’s lifetime, but others appear to have been written sometime later because they contain references to events that occurred well after Confucius had died.
The traditional view of “The Analects” is that they do contain the teachings of Confucius as they were transmitted verbally by the sage and faithfully written down by his disciples.
Any statements that were made by Confucius the teacher were collected and transcribed, often in the form of answers or sayings to specific questions posed by his students.
Scholars must resist the temptation to compare this masterpiece to the works of Greek philosophers like Plato and his masterpiece “The Republic.” Plato’s masterpiece lays out a carefully-argued philosophical agenda. But “The Analects” doesn’t provide a clear statement of Confucian philosophy. Instead, “The Analects” read as a collection of seemingly disconnected conversations that take place between the sage and his disciples. These conversations include terse, cryptic pronouncements that are open to all sorts of interpretation.
The Analects of Confucius EXCERPTS.pdf
Ban Zhao is another fascinating historian from the Han dynasty. She lived between 45 and 116 CE. She was the first ever female court historian in China’s history, that same position that Sima Qian and his father had occupied during the early Han dynasty.
She came, as you’d expect, from a very distinguished family of scholars and soldiers, and she inherited this position of court historian from her brother [Ban Gu]. She then devoted the rest of her life to scholarship, especially the theme of women’s roles and gender relations and developing her concept of the ideal woman. She herself never actually married, but preferred to explore her extensive interests in history, astronomy, and mathematics.
By far her most famous work was “Lessons For Women,” a short book of only seven chapters that outlines the proper behavior expected of good Confucian women.
This book has been widely and variously interpreted. Some argue that the book supports the subjugation of women by men; others feel it actually is a very useful guide to teach women of the court how to avoid scandal and survive long enough to achieve venerable dowager status. Yet others argue that it is a subtle plea to the emperor for equal access to education for women.
Lessons_for_Women – Ban Zhao excerpt.pdf
WRITING ASSIGNMENT AND REFLECTION FOR BOTH EXCERPTS:
Divide your observations into 5 notes per excerpt. Then in the reflection section, reflect on both of these excerpts and share what you learned from these documents. Follow the same directions from the previous PSR writing assignments.