Literary Analysis Essay: My Country and My People by Lin Yutang

In the first chapter of the book "My Country and My People," Lin Yutang, the author of the book, believes that in the research of every literature period, the end effort is always an aim to gain a close perspective of the man in that particular period. According to him, every creation of literature, there is still a person who is after all of primary interest to us. A person can identify languages between pliable south and the rugged north.

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This book points out that Chinese people failed to survive due to the coarse nerves and the suffering they went through. The fact is that Chinese history is divided into cycles of a period of a hundred years (Lin, 2013). Every cycle starts with the military dynasty, which played a vital role in the unification of China during the time of internal strife. A combination of the Japanese and Chinese, which is very rare, has established two noteworthies.

This book questions how the country could survive disasters that were experienced as a result of politics. In this regard, Rome was immersed under the Lombards. Racial stamina played an essential role in ensuring that Chinese people survived political conflicts that were experienced in the country. The entire family system present in China made it possible for them to absorb Jews from Honan.

Yutang reveals that Chinese people avoided the dangers of civic deterioration through the acquisition of natural distrust. However, it was not the civilization that established peace in the country without a period of disorder. Cultural stagnation in China is a misconception of a person looking at China from an outside perspective. Lin Yutang says that a person should try to think of the late development in China, which failed to happen as a foreigner imagined.

The book my people defines character a common word in which few countries have laid stress on the style. China is preoccupied where its entire philosophy is that they are not in a position of thinking about anything else. The Sung philosophy has high confidence in the strength and the supremacy of the mind. Looking at the Chinese from their national behavior perspective, the Chinese possess traits characters such as sanity and frugality.

This book establishes three main striking features, which include old roguery, indifferences, and patience. Yutang believes that these characteristics are the effects of culture and the surrounding. Patience is a great value in China, and no person who knows them will gainsay (Lin, 2013). Yutang gives an example of a prime minister known as Chang Kungni, whom people become envious due to his earthly blessedness. This minister had nine generations that lived together under the same roof.

Moreover, Yutang explains that if the Chinese people are exceptional in their patience, then they are justly famous due to their indifferences. Although the survival value concerning indifferences entails the absence of protection of human rights. From a different perspective, indifference is not necessary a moral value but a social attitude established by a lack of legal protection. According to the book, an old rogue is a person who has experienced a lot in life.

From a Chinese perspective, pacifism cannot be defined as noble, but it is merely good since it is common sense. If this is the kind of earthly life people have, then people should train themselves to live in peace if they want to live happily. In this note, self-assertion is a sign of the young generation's rawness. Yutang perceives pacifism a matter that requires a high level of human understanding. If human beings could learn to be cynical, then he would be motivated towards warfare.

Explorers in China, especially the one who goes past seldom parts of China, are amazed by the poor standard of living experienced by the Chinese. Yutang reveals that Chinese people are living in a misery world because undoubtedly to the submission of Europeans standards. Chinese people are recognized to be contented compared to Western people. The spirit of contentment is within illiterate and literate levels, where penetration of racial tradition is evident.

According to the book, there is no representation of Chinese character that would be complete having not establishing its conservatism. Conservatism can be defined as a form of pride and lies under the feeling of satisfaction. Yutang defines Chinese as people who, by nature, are very proud of their race. The only cultural rival of Chinese people that represents a different perspective was Buddhism. In this note, the real Confucianism has been the measure of sneering contempt.

Chapter three of this book addresses the mind of Chinese, where Yutang views supremacy of mind to possess myriad meanings. Not only the application of man cunning habit that changes a world full of suffering into a suitable place for the human being, but also natural courage and power. Confucius has, in the past, criticized the Jack Dempsey type of inherent power and strength in disciple Tziilu. Yutang argues that Confucius could have preferred a Gene Tunney who stays at home.

Yutang views the Chinese mind as similar to the feminine account from different perspectives. The book uses the term femininity to summarize different types of aspects. Enough discussion concerning the features of Chinese thinking has been established to appreciate the reason for the failure to improve natural science. The book also reveals the challenge of Chinese logic, which is created based on the Chinese conception of fact.

To comprehend the Chinese perception of life, Yutang says that a person should understand well Chinese humanism. Chinese humanism has a clear definition; for example, it is used to refer to a proper conception of the ends concerning the life of a man (Lin, 2013). Yutang reveals that nothing is striking than the people's humanist devotion to the real end as they get it. From the book, the Doctrine of the Golden Mean shields everything and envelops all.

According to Yutang, Buddhism is the most crucial foreign influence that has become a portion and parcel to the people of China. The impact has become high that people can only talk about children's dolls. Moreover, the book points to culture as a product of leisure where people living in China had immerse leisure for almost three years to develop it. Chinese used these three years to reflect on life and had enough time to drink tea.

Chapter five of this book is no the subjection of women where Yutang, the author of the book, points out that Chinese blood failed to give the woman her from instinctive times. The respect for a woman was not present in the early history of the Chinese book. The initial social scheme was a matriarchal scheme where the spirit of the Chinese continued to survive in the womanhood. Yutang believes that in a particular home where a woman is a ruler, there is no modern man who can persist in finding with Shakespeare.

There has been seclusion of a woman that has caused a significant influence over people's ideal beauty in China. This ideal of womanhood entailed different training for Chinese daughters. This book brings about a question of ways in which seclusion of a woman in terms of romance and courtship was possible among the Chinese. Yutang argues that there is no sexual repression for a man, particularly those who belong to the higher class.

The seclusion of a woman in China has now reduced. However, people are still misunderstanding the nature and the source of foot binding. Footbinding has been viewed as a symbol of seclusion of women. The book has also pointed out how modern girls are exposed to new ridicule magazines in China due to their superficialities. Several politically prominent women and court in publicity are the nastiest rogues.

Chapter six of this book is on the social and political life of the Chinese. China is a country of individualists who are family-minded rather than social-minded. Each family in China is based on the communistic unit. Various social features come from the family system apart from official corruption. One of the best examples is Chinese courtesy, although China people have good manners toward other individuals who are outside their families.

Yutang reveals that a lack of social awareness is the leading cause of the entire bus companies losing funds, and it's also the reason for the closure of mining companies. The truth is, the family system remains amid social consciousness and the individualism. The society has been divided into family units where there is the existence of a great communistic co-operation. Confucianism stands typically based on civilization's influence in establishing social order.

According to the book, there exist only two social classes amongst Chinese, which includes the yamen and the non-yamen level. The yamen class enjoys extraterritorial rights while the non-yamen class obeys the laid down rules and pays taxes. From the doctrine of social positions, various laws concerning social behavior emanate as a result. The village spirit in China facilitates the development of a communal system of government. Yutang believes that the essential characteristic in people's political life as a state in the absence of a constitution.

There is a distinction that is established by the Chinese between literature that pleases and the one that instructs. The development of writing in China has been contributed by the Chinese language. The best adjustment established between monosyllabic words in China, as well as the written characters, can be started as plain. Yutang has to define China as a state of scholars, where scholars are the ruler of the country and where worshiping of the scholarship is generally cultivated in the time of peace.

Yutang identifies China as a nation that has fewer real scientists when compared to the West. The reality is that literary linguistic was unsuitable for making a discussion, which is the cause of writers of the novels to use vernacular language (Lin, 2013). Naturally, the bondage of linguistic has been established with the subjugation of thoughts. For an individual to comprehend Chinese politics well, he should be very conversant with Chinese literature.

Yutang explains on a Chinese drama which holds a mean position between the body and the classical literature. There is one main difference between western opera and the people of China. In western opera, there is the privilege of the social classes, while Chinese opera is concerned with metal food for the needy. The Chinese novelists were anxious in letting the Chinese know that they could condense various things, for example, the writing of novels.

According to Yutang's opinions, among the phases of Chinese civilization, the central aspect that makes a long term impact on the culture of the world is Chinese art. Rhythm is the main problem associated with the artwork. Therefore, to comprehend Chinese art, we start by Chinese rhythm and the origin of the inspiration. The dynamic aspect of the movement contributes to a principled organization that is important to the understanding of calligraphy among the Chinese people.

This book establishes that nature is always presentable; however, man architecture is an act. Unlike painting, architecture cannot be defined as an attempt to imitate or copying nature - sagging aspect of roofing in the unique feature of Chinese architecture.