Confucius

A 500-word (maximum) response to the film Confucius (2010)

Primary Sources

•              Confucius on "Government" from Analects (excerpts available at: http://afe.easia.columbia.edu/ps/cup/confucius_govt.pdf)

•              Shang Yang on "Making Orders Strict" (excerpts available at: http://afe.easia.columbia.edu/ps/cup/book_of_lord_shang.pdf)

•              Han Feizi repudiates Confucianism (excerpts available on: http://afe.easia.columbia.edu/ps/cup/hanfei_five_vermin.pdf)

•              Sunzi Art of War (excerpt available at: http://psi.mcgraw-hill.com/current/psi.php?editionId=47; search "Art of War")

•              Excerpt from Intrigues of the Warring States (available at: http://www.columbia.edu/itc/ealac/moerman/fall2000/edit/pdfs/wk3/theint1.pdf)

Based on the film, the textbook, class lectures, and the primary sources listed above, consider the Spring & Autumn / Warring States Periods as a set of historical context and contingencies. What was it like during the Spring & Autumn / Warring States Period? How did people -- like Confucius -- respond? How did China change in this era? How did the period's instability affect personal and political experiences? How did these responses, in turn, shape the era itself? In what ways does the film Confucius reflect the period?  

Your response should include specific references to both the film's plot and the primary sources. 

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