The Wifes Story Ursula Le Guin

The Wifes Story Ursula Le Guin Ursula Le Guin tells us in The Wifes Story, about a woman who meets a man who would later become her husband and father to her children. This story has a great twist on what the werewolf and human perspective. Told from the wifes view, it shows her love for her husband and children. As time goes on she notices something different about her husband. Having to choose between the two of her loves, she will have to make a decision of whether to save her husband or her children. Ursula Le Guin will show us how our minds can be trick into believing what we perceive. Many times our views will be predetermined before we gather all the facts. Often times siding to what we hold to be right or wrong, good or evil. After reading this story and gathering all the facts, it is amazing on how fast we switch our thoughts on which side we emphasize with. Not only will the readers allegiances that are put to the test but also the wifes. Through the telling of this story she will manipulate our imaginations. She will lead us to the complete opposite of what we are thinking. It will not be until the ending that we find out we have been tricked. Being told from the wifes view, we sympathize with the wife. She will lead us into believing that her husband is cursed and is changing, that this once good and loving man is turning evil and is going to be a danger to her and her children After watching the way the he interacts with his mother and playing with the children, she finds him to be a kind and gentle man. Anyone that nice must be worth knowing (Le Guin, 2012, p 29). He always seemed to be happy, never in a foul mood. This is what would eventually lead her to fall in love with him. The wife describes him as a good husband and a good father (Le Guin, 2012, p 29). Being a young and hard worker he was look up to by the community. This is a recipe for the perfect man for her. During the first year of their marriage, life was wonderful for them. Soon we will start to see changes from him. As their life goes on, she starts to describe strange behavior from him. He would start waking up during the night. Unable to sleep, he would tell her he was going off to hunt. After these trips he seemed to be different, tired and worn. This good natured man would be terse and short, not wanting to talk about where or what he was doing. His wife would also know that there was a scent to him that could not be washed away, It would be in his hair and in our bed for days (Le Guin, 2012, p 30).This starts to give us the idea that the wife is starting to be concerned about what is happing to her husband. Le Guin gives us clues as to what this behavior stems from. Giving us key words she leads us to believe that this man is turning into a beast. The curse comes from his fathers blood and it only happens in the dark of the moon (Le Guin, 2012, pp. 29, 30). She also tells us the he is not from around these parts, a stranger here with no ties to the community. There is very little known about his true background. Le Guin was careful to not give to many details about how the story would turn. She lets the readers imagination take them where they lead themselves too. This would give us a realization as we find out how our own thoughts and preconceptions can betray us. The wifes suspicions start to grow, along with our own. When the youngest of the children seemingly just overnight (Le Guin, 2012, p 30), starts to fear her father, we have a sense that that the wife is not the only one who notices these changes. The father tries to play the fear of the child off as a bad dream. The wife still does not want to believe what she feels, admonishes the baby for her bad behavior. We discern now, that he knows there is something terribly wrong with him. He is either in denial or does not want his family and community to find out the truth. As she states that he kept away that whole dayprobably sensing the beginning the dark of the moon (Le Guin, 2010, p 30) Not only do we believe that the wife is in danger but, now also the whole family. As most of us probably have seen a werewolf movie or more, recognize what dangers may lay ahead. Now that Le Guin has our interest peaked, she will push our own thoughts even farther against us. Now that Le Guin has our full attention. She will reveal the truth of the story. The wife would wake up during the night to find that he husband is not in bed. He has once again wakened up and left. Hearing a noise she could no longer bare it (Le Guin, 2012, p 30), she goes to investigate what is going on. The wife sees her husband sitting outside. Her fears hold her in place as she starts to witness his transformation. His feet are getting longer with toes, as he starts to turn fleshy whiteà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦losing his hair to become smooth skinned, his ears disappear and his eyes turn blue and white rimmedà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦then standing on two legs (Le Guin, 2012, p 30). He has change into a human man. All along we have been thinking he was human and was cursed to be a werewolf. We find that the story was being told from the werewolves point of view. The wife finally sees for herself that he has been cursed, My dear love, turned into the hateful one (Le Guin, 2012, p 30). We know that the wife and werewolf community have dealt with human men before. The man thing looked around. It had no gun, like the ones from the man places do. I knew the man would kill our children if it could (Le Guin, 2012, pp. 30, 31). We get that the wolves have been hunted down before and killed by her reaction. She fears for her childrens lives even though the man in unarmed. She starts howling, alerting others of her kind. They would chase down the man and kill him.

Powerful Women of Homers Odyssey Essay -- Homer Odyssey womody

The Powerful Women of Homer's Odyssey Homer's "Odyssey" depicts women as strong subjects-they are real substantive characters. Women in this poem are tough, strong-willed and are treated with the respect and seriousness they deserve. Homer characterizes the women in his poem as the real counterparts of men-they have real feelings, real plans and are able to accomplish them on their own. Some of the more impressive and intriguing women in the book are Nausicaa, Arete, Circe, Calypso, Penelope, Helen and Athena. Nausicaa is a sweet girl, and on the outside she may appear to just be the stereotypical woman, but, in the poem she has much more depth. She is the daughter of a king with dreams of her wedding and other girlish fantasies. She characterizes all that is pure, innocent and righteous in the world. Arete is Nausicaa's mother is very intelligent and is independent in nature. She is abl...

Book Jackets :: Essays Papers

Book Jackets Book jacket, book cover, dust jacket, dust cover. They are all words that describe one pretty innocuous thing: the thing that covers the hard cardboard cover of a book. The book jacket was developed for practical purposes only: to protect books from dust, insects and other harmful entities. However, as years progressed, the book jacket has become a separate part of the book itself and the reading experience. The book jacket has morphed into not only an addendum used to help sell the book, but also into a piece of art in and of itself. Classic books such as Ralph Ellison's The Invisible Man , Joseph Heller's Catch-22 and newer titles such as Michael Crichton's Jurassic Park and Chuck Palahniuk's Lullaby . There's even a celebrity book jacket designer in our midst; it's hard to miss Chip Kidd and his eclectic and eye catching designs gracing the shelves of bookstores and libraries across the country and the world. The book jacket has come a long way since its early inception as a protector of books; it has become the first step in the reading experience. Although book covers have been decorated for many years, it wasn't until the 1800s that book jackets came into existence. â€Å"Book jackets first appeared in England in the nineteenth century, in a culture that was still discovering the rules of consumerism. Their early evolution came about in fits and starts, constrained by cultural inhibitions that are now difficult to understand. When decoration was present on the outside of the book, it took the form of either blocking onto binding cloth, or pasting printed paper sheets onto the front and back boards† (Powers 6). Up until the advent of book jackets at this time, the decorated covers of books were quite popular and even produced celebrities of book cover design. Aubrey Beardsley and Sarah Wyman Whitman were popular book cover designers of the 1800s. Pasted paper designs started appearing on books as early as the 1830s which soon gave way to two colored textured designs and gold stamping in the 1840s and 1850s. As the years progressed, the use of text and colored ink was simplified and became commonplace on book covers around the world. â€Å"The transformation of book design owed much to the Arts and Crafts movement, which revered the book as an object both functional and aesthetic, a part of everyday life yet worthy of care and adornment.

Healthy Grief Essay

The Book of Job is a profound story about a man who was â€Å"perfect and upright, and one that feared God, and eschewed evil† (Job 1:1). Job was a man who had a loving family, prospered and was very wealthy. For whatever reason, Satan challenged God regarding Job. Satan told God that if everything were taken away from Job, he would surely curse God. It was a â€Å"bet† of sorts. So God gave Satan the power to destroy everything Job had with the exception of Job’s life. Satan took away Job’s possessions, family and health. Unbelievably, even after all his loss, Job still fell to the ground and worshipped God. Job 1:2-20) The trials and hardships that Job suffered were inconceivable, yet Job seemed to persevere and demonstrate resilience beyond what is human. What made the difference? Was it his faith? This paper will discuss the five stages of the Kubler-Ross grieving process. It will examine the successful example of Job’s own grieving process as it relates to the Baha’i faith. The Five stages of Kubler-Ross can be seen throughout the story of Job. According to Kubler-Ross (2013), the grieving process is comprised of five formal stages: denial, anger, bargaining, depression, and finally acceptance. The first stage, denial, actually enables the person to initially endure an incredible loss. While it may seem counterintuitive, denial is actually a critical aspect of the healthy healing process. It is comparable to entering a stage of shock. The act of denial actually is a protective mechanism that helps a person cope with the overwhelming situations. (Kubler-Ross & Kessler 2013) One could interpret Job’s statement, â€Å"Lord gave, and the Lord hath taken away†(Job 1:21) as a form of denial. Others may interpret it as his unwavering faith in God’s plan. Anger is the next stage, and is absolutely essential to the grieving process. Job is seen voicing his anger, â€Å"Therefore I will not restrain my mouth, I will speak in the anguish of my spirit; I will complain in the bitterness of my soul. † (Job 7:11) Pain is the emotion most closely related to and buried under anger. So, in essence, the pain drives anger and anger drives change. As it relates to the grieving process, anger instigates a form of strength and can provide the backbone and structure necessary to move on to the next stage. Kubler-Ross & Kessler 2013) Although Job voices his anger it isn’t directed to God but rather the situation. Bargaining in the third stage and is the stage of negotiating. In their mind, a person will remain in the past, and try anything to return to the way things were before. (Kubler-Ross & Kessler 2013) At first glance, it appears Job doesn’t ever go through the bargaining stage, he clearly expresses his sadness. He continues to praise and worship God in spite of the losses he is going through. However, one can observe how he clearly wishes he could return to the way things were before. He is wise in heart, and mighty in strength, who hath hardened himself against him, and hath prospered. † (Job 9:4) But his sorrow could certainly be seen as a type of bargaining with God to relieve his sorrow. The fourth stage is depression, the stage where one will experience feelings of emptiness and hopelessness. Some people worry that their feelings of despair will last forever. Yet this stage is part of the natural order of loss, and a critical component of the five stages. When someone is depressed they become withdrawn. They sometimes question whether or not they should go on themselves. The depression stage is part of the natural healing process and is a necessary step one must experience in order to heal. (Kubler-Ross & Kessler 2013) Job reveals his own deep depression he says, â€Å"My days are swifter than a weaver’s shuttle, and are spent without hope. â€Å"(Job 7:6) â€Å"Let that day perish wherein I was born, and the night in which it was said. † (Job 3:3) and continues to question why he survived birth and should probably never have been conceived. (Job 3:3-11). Job is feeling hopeless and is becoming depressed. He also feels his problems are ith no end in sight, and he is experiencing the thoughts of giving up. Acceptance of his trials is evident in Job 13: 15-16 â€Å"Through he slay me, yet will I trust in him, He also will be my salvation. † Job accepts that God is wise and puts his trust in him. This stage is about the acceptance of a new reality; people change, learn and develop empathy from their grief to move on. Acknowledging the pain and moving on doesn’t mean the past is forgotten, rather it enables the person to move forward with an open heart and a broader perspective. Job didn’t fully understand the purpose of his trials, but he accepted the omnipotence of his God. His faith sustained him just as faith sustains people today. Job’s faith is similar to that of the Baha’i faith. Those of the Baha’i faith believe that the body, mind, and spirit grow when they are tried by suffering. Trails or tests are viewed as a gift from God. Those who have these tests and persevere will have happiness while those who don’t are cowards. They are asked to turn to God and pray when enduring these tests and be thankful. Grief and sorrow do not come to us by chance, they are sent to us by the Divine Mercy for our own perfecting† (Baha’i International Community 2013). Job persevered and believed there was a reason to why God was putting him through these trials. Studies have shown that those who attend church, pray, and actively practice their faith actually suffer less depression and resolve their grief sooner than those with little or no faith at all. (Quick, 2012) Clearly, there appears to be a correlation between spiritual beliefs or faith, and the ability to handle stress and accept tragedies in a more positive way. Healthcare providers, counselors, and clergy have all recognized that having a faith to cling to or a greater belief in life after death can ease the grieving process. In conclusion, having a belief in a greater power and life after death can make dealing with loss much easier. When a person has something to cling to, it can make dealing with trauma or loss more manageable. If there was no belief in life after death or no belief in a greater power, life’s tragedies would be far more difficult to deal with. It’s actually healthy to cultivate a belief in something. Like Job, we will all experience some type of loss in our lives. Grief is a common thread to each and every person on the planet. Identifying the stages of grief, and having the resources and skills to cope with grief is crucial for handling grief in a healthy way. Everyone experiences the stages of grief. The difference seems to be faith. People who have a deep sense of faith are better equipped and more quickly navigate the stages of grief. As with Job, their faith allows them to go forward and successfully help others through the grieving process.

Implications of Aging in Contemporary Society Essay

A Census is a study of individuals and families to supply necessary information from national to the neighbourhood level. The United Kingdom first took a census of its population in 1801 and every 10 years thereafter. Census is an important measure to impart a good number of remarkable information about the structure of the country. The results are often used to estimate resource distribution to regional and local service providers, by governments in the United Kingdom and European Union levels. A survey conducted by Kevin Kinsella and Victoria A. Velkoff (2001) showed that global population is aging at an unprecedented rate. This means that there are more elderly citizens across the globe, not just in the United Kingdom. Implications of Aging in Contemporary Society The 2001 UK census revealed that there are now more people in the United Kingdom over the age of 60 than people under the age of 16. This shows that there are more older people in the UK than younger people. Economically, this has implications in today’s contemporary society. The valuable history of a society is sustained, communicated and improved in grand showcase through the participation and contributions of older persons. These elder persons will likely to get low-wage jobs which mean less income from which to put aside for retirement and are less likely to be covered by private pension plans. Low paying employment form the least secure fraction of the labour market, leaving these workers jobs more susceptible to unemployment. The so-called age dependency ratios or the ratio of retirees to workers, will be higher than we look at it today. The implications of this development are simple. The collective effects of less workers, more retirees and longer retirement periods endanger not just the continuity of pension systems but also the larger fiscal prospects of countries such as the United Kingdom. A summary report conducted by Schwab, K and Samans (2004) stated that the most effective solution to this is quite complex. That is to have more workers, longer careers, higher productivity and more global exchange and cooperation. With a diminishing supply of young workers, the older workforce will have to put more years in the labour market. This is one of the many consequences of the growing financial problems of retirement systems. The ageing trend will also have to be attended by a modification of stance towards the older workforce and practical guidelines for boosting training, efficiency and integrity of work for the older workforce. Working longer and retiring later while paying higher pension payments for reduced pensions can be viewed as a venture from a reorganized regime, bringing portions of the fruits of progress to early retirement with occasionally high wage replacement rates. A phenomenon has come up with the aging of our societies through the advent of organized retirement programs. These programs basically owe their subsistence to the rising worker efficiency and principles of living and the idea that these developments or improvements should be shared among workers and older members of society. The older members of the society have become mostly dispensable in the fabrication of economic goods in developed economies. Conclusion Since the survey is aimed at coming up with figures to help in determining the distribution of resources, the United Kingdom governments will have to allocate its revenues to both the young and the old. What the 2001 survey showed is that the government will carry out programs that will help the elderly population of the Kingdom. The aging phenomenon goes past the composition and funding of government programs to bigger concerns about falling productivity and standards of living. Everyone is a consumer and all consumers jointly rely on people to produce the goods and services they consume. Retirement schemes let older people to continue to consume without openly giving to the useful ability of the economy. The survey by Kevin Kinsella and Victoria A. Velkoff (2001) further said that there are now about 420 million elderly citizens worldwide as of 2001. These individuals have actually paved a better way for this generation. Sources Kinsella, K. and Velkoff, V. An Aging International Population Reports International. U. S. Government Printing Office, Washington, DC, 2001. Living Happily Ever After: Schwab, K and Samans, R. The Economic Implications of Aging Societies. Executive Summary of a Report to the World Economic Forum Pension Readiness Initiative developed in partnership with Watson Wyatt Worldwide 2004

How My Stories Were Written Essay

Have u ever read a story where you were related to or change your life? In the short story by Bulosan, he uses a few literary elements such as setting, and irony to show how someone’s life can be change by a storyteller. In the following, I will explain what is the role of the Apo Lacay in this short story and how he has helped the author to overcome in the new world. In the beginning of the story â€Å" It is true there are mountains which are green all the year round bordering the northside of the province of Pangasinan, my own native province, in the island of Luzon†, Bulosan uses setting to let us know where the story takes place; he also give us details on how it looks like. This place is so important to him because he was born and raised here; his childhood was not as greater as his adult life but he gain so many anecdotes about it. The people that lived in the village were attached to the past centuries and a lot of things have been said from one generation to another. There was a man who had lived more than anyone else in the village; he is a storyteller that comes from a mysterious dwelling in the mountains and start telling his tales to the children and adults. Repentantly, he became friend with Apo Lacay (the storyteller), and learned from his tales even if they were not true. The boy (the author) thought that there were wisdom from his tales and he wanted to remember what kind of people lived in the village when he moves to the land far away. We sometimes do not pay attention to what or whom we listen to, we do not realize that we can learn a lot from books or simple short stories and gain the greatest wisdom ever; no matter where we go, in this case the author went to America, nothing cannot take the knowledge from you. The boy has also learned that there is more fear among the man than in the night forest full of beast, birds, the trees, storm and tempests. â€Å"In the savage heart of man there dwells the greatest fear among the living†.

Chinese History: The Han Dynasty Essay

The Han Dynasty was founded by Liu Bang in 206 BCE. He came of peasant stock and rose to power slowly from being a petty government official to the role of emperor. Liu Bang ruled China for eleven years with felicity and wisdom. He was intelligent and sought to win over the elder statesmen by promising to eliminate all the harsh laws of the Qin government. His experience as the â€Å"neighborhood head† (Hansen 114) had given him the opportunity to be familiar with the legal system of the Qin Dynasty and he made full use of this knowledge to establish a rule of prosperity and leave a long line of rulers who ruled for four hundred years in China. This paper will discuss such themes as have emerged from the research done of the Han Dynasty and will be divided into sections each dealing with one theme at a time. State and Succession: The state of China that Liu Bang wrested from the Qin ruler was in turmoil with several intrigues being hatched by the court officials against the cruelty of the Qin ruler. The rebels wanted to place the first son of the emperor to the throne but Liu Bang was able to defeat the rebels and ascended the throne as the founder of the Han dynasty. He used both stratagem and skill to either defeat his rivals or win them over with promises of sweeping changes in the administration and the legal system. The extent of his empire was divided between his nine brothers and one hundred and fifty loyal followers. The only region that was under direct control of the emperor was the western part of the empire with its capital at Changan and comprised about one-third of the total empire. His rule from 206- 195 BCE was not without troubles. He had to spend a lot of his time trying to suppress rebellions in different parts of his empire and at this time China was invaded several times by the powerful Xiongnu tribe. After being defeated by them Liu Bang concluded a humiliating treaty with the shanyu, leader of the Xiongnu, by which he had to grant equal status to the Xiongnu people and marry the Chinese Princess to the shanyu. As a result of this diplomatic gesture the Xiongnu people promised to leave China alone and not invade them any further. Liu Bang was followed by his fifteen year old son Huidi to the throne, who ruled for seven years from 195- 188 BCE. After his death the reigns of the kingdom was taken over by the widow of Liu Bang, Empress Lu who ruled in the name of Han dynasty for eight years between 188 and 180 BCE. She placed minor princes to the throne and ruled as their guardian and was able to bring peace and stability to the empire. After the death of Empress Lu intrigue again raised its head and senior court officials placed the son of Liu Bang’s concubine who was a puppet in their hands. The descendants of Liu Bang’s relative continued to rule two thirds of China while the Han Dynasty was directly in charge of only a third of the entire empire. Emperor Wu ascended the throne at the age of fifteen in 140 BCE. For the first few years of his reign he was under the control of his grandmother, the dowager Empress Dou and his uncle who was his chancellor. However, from 131 BCE, after the death of the chancellor, Emperor Wu took full charge of his kingdom and established an empire based on the principles of Confucius. He is credited with having extended the Han Empire in the southern districts and continued to maintain diplomatic relations with the Xiongnu people by paying them annuity in keeping with the treaty signed by Liu Bang. Emperor Wu was a follower of Dong Zhongshu, a student of Confucianism and under his influence established Confucian schools in every district. Emperor Wu strengthened the bureaucracy and curtailed the powers of the regional rulers who had been given kingdoms by Liu Bang (Hansen 127). He ruled as a despot with unlimited powers until his death in 87 BCE. He dissolved the position of the Chancellor and promoted his step brother-in-law to the position of regent who put minor princes on the throne and ruled in their name, thus weakening the power and influence of the Han dynasty. The influence of the Han dynasty was later restored by the support of some powerful consort families to which it remained beholden. The consort families wanted to marry their daughters to the emperor in the hope of becoming regents of minor princes and ruling in their names. One of the notable emperors of the later Han dynasty was Emperor Huan, who ruled from 146-168 A. D. Emperor Huan threw the yoke of dominance by the consort family by hatching a plot against them with the help of eunuchs. He managed to break free of the consort family’s stranglehold but set a precedence of encouragement of the eunuchs that did not augur well for the Han dynasty. The last of the Han rulers was a puppet ruler who had to abdicate and thus bring about the end of the Han dynasty in 220 A. D. Administration: Liu Bang had established some good norms of governance that were refined and made more effective by some of the other prominent Han emperors. The administration was carried out at two levels, the central government and the local governments. There were three major divisions of the central government; collection of taxes, maintaining the army and overseeing the work of the government officials. The three divisions of the local governments were later modified to include; registering population, collecting taxes, maintaining waterways, dispensing justice and recommending educated men for government positions. After becoming emperor, Liu Bang distributed his kingdom between his nine brothers and sons and gave them the titles of kings and named a hundred and fifty men from the nobility, marquis and gave them portions of the kingdom as well. These later became the regional kingdoms of China. The land directly under the control of the emperor was divided into one hundred commanderies which were further divided into one hundred and fifty counties. Under Emperor Wu the inheritance of land laws were changed and the land was divided equally between all the sons of the Emperor and did not go only to the eldest son after his death. He also altered the practice of appointing sons of the noble families to high official positions and started the practice of appointing his own nominated officials to government positions. The land revenue had been fixed at one fifteenth by Liu Bang and it was later reduced to one thirtieth by later emperors. However, with the introduction of reforms and establishment of schools and Confucian institutions Emperor Wu realized that the land revenue collected from taxes was not enough to finance his reform projects. So he issues government monopolies on salt and iron. The society under Han dynasty was divided broadly into two categories; the land owners and the slaves. The structure was not rigid and the emperor had the power to strip a land owner or noble of his land and powers and a slave could buy his freedom and become elevated in social stature. There was great disparity of wealth in the Han society. The rulers used to make grants of land to nobles who gradually made them very powerful and corrupt. They stopped paying land revenue and the revenue dropped considerably so that the emperor had to limit the size of the land holding and number of slaves in 7 BCE. The later Han rulers were able to hold on to their position of power and rule with the help of a few powerful consort families. They dare not challenge their power and gave in to most of their demands. In the third and fourth centuries of Han rule eunuchs became very powerful after the Han Emperor Huan enlisted their support to overthrow the yoke of the noble families and they played an important role in court intrigues. Crime and punishment: Liu Bang became familiar with the legal system of the Qin dynasty as a neighborhood head and realized that though the main tenets of law and justice in the Qin dynasty were good, some of the punishments meted out were harsh and barbaric. It was with a promise to change these laws that he was able to come into power in 206 BCE. Eventually, he ended up modifying some of the laws and relaxing punitive corporal punishments like beheading. Since he had to depend a lot on the support of the rich and noble families, members of these families were almost exempt from corporal punishment. Most offenders could get away with paying a huge fine or being confined to rigorous labor like masonry for men and pounding grains foe women were the most common punishments. More severe offenses were awarded amputation of a limb or cutting off of the nose. Shaving off the head and beard and tattooing were considered severe enough punishments for lesser crimes. In keeping with Laozi’s teachings, law was considered to be â€Å"the way† that emperors were supposed to rule their empire. Everyone was considered to be equal in the eyes of law. But in reality it remained a guideline and was not always implemented, the rich people usually got less rigorous punishments could pay their way out of serving punishment sentences. There was no law or power to curb the powers of the ruler. The framework for a good legal system was present and rulers like Emperor Wu made use of the law to curb the rising clout of the nobility. Role of women and eunuchs: Chinese society was male dominated and the position of women was not very enviable. The birth of a girl child was not very welcome. According to Ban Zhao, who was the scholarly and brilliant sister of court historian, Ban Gu, there were three things that had to be performed when a girl was born. The infant needed to be kept under the bed indicating that her position was lowly and weak. She would be given a potsherd to play with reminding her that she needed to work hard all her life and that the announcement of a girl child to the ancestors needed to be accompanied with an offering to remind the child that she was born to serve them. She mentions four virtues that women should practice; â€Å"womanly virtue, womanly words, womanly bearing and womanly work† (Hansen 139). Women were mostly relegated to the chores of cooking, sewing and weaving and hardly ever had the opportunity to voice their opinions. Ban Zhao advocated the education of women. She preached that both men and women must understand their respective duties and work together to make the marriage work well. She agreed that women must do the household chores but not be ignorant and serve as a slave. She must not be manhandled and treated badly and she should not argue as well. It was a poor man’s bad luck to have a daughter while the rich families could afford daughters and used them to their advantage by marrying them to emperors or nobility. Though the general condition of women in China was not encouraging there have been some powerful empresses like dowager Empress Dou who ruled in the name of the Han dynasty and brought peace and stability to the kingdom. The instances of the dowager empresses and that of Ban Zhao are examples of how women could break out of stereotypical roles if they wanted to. The Emperor had harems full of women concubines. Emperor Huan was said to have six thousand women in his harem. As the Han dynasty’s rule extended to the third or the fourth centuries the role of eunuchs became very important in the kingdoms. The eunuchs were usually kept along with womenfolk in the imperial households and played a part in the court intrigues. Like the women dowager empresses they would usually place a minor prince on the throne and rule in their names as their regents. It was during the reign of Emperor Huan that the eunuchs became very powerful because the Emperor hatched a coup to overthrow the influential consort families with the help of the eunuchs. A bitter conflict between the eunuchs and the consort families ensued only to be put down by General Cao Cao when he became regent. Philosophy and Society: Liu Bang was respectful of Confucian thought and philosophy but was not slavish to it. For example he did not allow personal ties to come between him and his ambitions (Hansen115). The Huang –Lao school of thought founded on the teachings of Laozi and Huang commended their teachings in the books, The Way and Integrity Classic and The Classic of Law. These books gave guidance in various aspects of life and living. However, they could not check the power of a ruler who did not abide by its laws and where there was poor governance. These teachings were contrary to what Confucians believed and taught Emperor Wu was greatly under the influence of Dong Zhongshu, who believed that the emperor was the link between heaven and his subjects. When Emperor Wu came to power he established Confucian academies in all the districts in order to centralize its power. As the Huang-Lao philosophy was contradictory to the Confucian philosophy Emperor Wu enforced the closure of these schools and established Confucian schools in every district. Emperor Wu was the first to establish the Confucian canon by had Confucian school of thought and institutions in all the counties. He believed in the Confucian principle that if a ruler ruled his kingdom well heaven would support him and if there were poor governance then the he would incur the wrath of the heavens and his kingdom would be afflicted with floods, droughts and other natural calamities. The tombs of the marquis of Mawangdui and his family bear testament to the Han dynasty’s belief in afterlife. It also demonstrates that people had two kinds of souls – one was the superior spirit soul or hun that was free to travel to the land of the immortals and the other the inferior body soul or po which had to reside in the tomb and if not taken care of in its tomb, it may have to travel to the netherworld. The tomb had to be supplied with replicas of gold and bronze coins, lacquer vessels, ceramics and bamboo suitcases. The food items that can be assumed to have been presented to Lady Dai, the wife of the marquis, are meat dishes and beer. The scenes depicted within the tomb provide an insight into their ideas of afterlife. The top section depicts two gods of destiny who keep records of the individual’s life and the moon and sun with their residents and the Queen Mother of the West. From the above study we see that the various themes that emerged during the course of Chinese history have shaped the philosophical and political destiny of China. The present day Chinese beliefs can trace their roots in this period of history. That history of a nation or people is dynamic and sustainable is borne out by the fact that many of the Chinese institutions and policies were shaped by the values and laws of the Han dynasty.