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Multiculturalism
By Mike Haran
Aug. 8, 2007
We are now supposed to be living in a multicultural
society but when I switch on the TV, listen to the
radio, or pick up a newspaper I hardly come across any
thing with a multicultural flavor. Sure there are
songs and stories based upon Caribbean or African
cultures but I can’t help feeling that the world is a
lot bigger than this and that we are maybe missing out
on something. In order to correct this skewed view of
the worlds cultures I have listed two that come to
mind at this moment.
Persia.
The Rubiyat of Omar Kayam.
A Rubiyat during the days of ancient and medieval
Persia was a poem written by an individual for the
purpose of explaining his or her view of the world.
One of the best know to the westerner is the Rubiyat
written by an Omar Kayam, the line -A jug of wine, a
loaf of bread, and thou besides me in the howling
wilderness- famous all over the world. Kayam was also
know for other Rubiyat’s. He wrote pieces dealing
with the mortality of man and the hopelessness of
existence in addition to pieces dealing with the
pleasures of drinking, his position being that as life
made no sense and that there was no point to it man
may as well indulge himself in order to get some
pleasure during his short stay on Earth.
China
The Shih chi.
China became a united country in 221 BC when the Ch’in
faction overcome the Chou, for centuries the dominant
power in China. All dynasties left an historical
record, the first exclusively Chinese one the Shi chi
written by Ch’in chroniclers. Chapter 88 and 110 deal
with the construction of the Great Wall beginning in
the west in barbarian country. One can read of the
legalistic system imposed in opposition to the
traditional family one previously espoused by
Confucious.
The Journey to the West.
This is a large many volume account of the T’ang monk
Tripitakka's travails as he, with three companions:an
old wise monkey, a stupid pig,and an iron willed
horse, makes his way to the west in order to obtain
sacred Buddhist scrolls. If one is into the Lord of
the Rings type of thing this would suit them although
it has more of an intellectual bent, despite the
hilarious occurrences involving monsters disguised as
men and women. For 1500 years this has been a favorite
among Chinese of all ages as well know to them as are
The Iliad, The Odessy, and Gulliver’s travels to
those in the west.
Po Chui
Staying in the same era one can then read the poet Po
Chui. One of his most famous epics deals with events
surrounding the rebellion of An lu Shan, a favorite of
the emperors sons concubine, whom the emperor, his
father, had a crush on. She is accused by the royal
establishment of being a catalyst for the rebellion as
she took the emperors mind off matters of state. Yang
kuei fie was strangled by a member of the royal body
guard during the retreat to the south. From this time
on China lost control of the north for a period of six
hundred years.
If one is not so militarily minded one can read Po
Chui's shorter poems. One I kind of like, and one of
his most famous, is The Red Parrot.
The Red Parrot.
Distant Amman sends the court a red parrot,
As gaudy as peach blossoms, loqacious as me,
But learning and eloquence all meet the same treatment
-
The encompassing cage. Does one ever get free?
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About the author: Read Mike Haran's essays on history at
http://www.geocities.com/manzikertca/
Email:
manzikertca@yahoo.com
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