Laboring over an essay causes one to feel melancholy that it should be reviewed by such a limited audience as only one professor.  This was written for today's exam in the class, Asian Civilization to 1500. 

Han Confucianism Displayed in The Celebrated Cases of Judge Dee

 

            The Chinese worldview by the time of the Han Dynasty (206 BC—220 AD) had become a composite of Confucian, Daoist, and Legalistic principles.  The melding of these influences during the Han dynasty produced what has been dubbed Han Confucianism.  Han Confucianism was displayed to a remarkable degree in subsequent literature.  The Celebrated Cases of Judge Dee is an authentic Chinese detective novel set in the Tang era of 618—907 AD that provides wonderful evidence of the application of Han Confucian principles.  

             Judge Dee as the main character in The Celebrated Cases of Judge Dee was the district magistrate of Shansi province.  Based on an actual individual who lived in seventh century China, Judge Dee with the help of his lieutenants solved three murder cases using a mixture of Confucian, Daoist and Legalistic principles in his methods. The murder cases took place in both the upper and lower strata of Chinese society.  The first was the double murder of an obscure silk merchant on the treacherous routes of his trade and another regular citizen.  While in the opening stages of his investigation in this case, Judge Dee was apprised of a poor shopkeeper’s death.  Operating out of his Confucian worldview, he took actions that established this death as the second murder case.  Engaged in these pursuits, Judge Dee found himself obliged to take on a third case dealing with the death of a young bride on her wedding night.  The bride had married into a very distinguished family, which added its own dimension to the situation.  These simultaneous investigations that ultimately culminated in success established Judge Dee’s reputation as an exceptionally astute district magistrate of his time.

Confucianism was the dominant motivator evident in Judge Dee’s career.  Confucian thought as a slight antecedent to Daoism and Legalism originated with a thinker named Kong Fuzi or Confucius, as the Western world knew him.  A principle idea in Confucian thought was the attempt to understand humanity through the idea of relationships.  To be human meant to relate.  Five key relationships according to Confucius determined whether or not social harmony could be maintained.  They were the following: ruler—subject, father—son, wife—husband, older sibling—younger sibling, and older friend—younger friend.  The starting point for the entire framework was the family and respect for elders.   A Confucian relationship, ruler—subject was evident in Judge Dee’s drive to solve his murder cases.  He acknowledged as much when he observed to Sergeant Hoong that he…” as district magistrate…[was] considered ‘the father and mother’ of the people.”  Again in the use of those filial terms, he was defining his role within the family context and the mandate to maintain personal virtue.

Confucian family roles also emerged in the manner that Judge Dee went about opening his second murder investigation.  While in disguise, Judge Dee entered the house that had belonged to a late shopkeeper named Bee Hsun and was now occupied by his widow and her mother-in-law.  Having met the mother-in-law in the marketplace and heard of her son’s death he became slightly suspicious on the account of her telling how the corpse’s eyes had bulged.  His suspicion increased when he noted how the daughter-in-law, Mrs. Djou, scolded and reviled her mother-in-law for bringing a stranger into the house.  This violation of the Confucian relationship of wife—husband, where the widow was abusing her husband’s relatives convinced Judge Dee to charge her with Bee Hsun’s murder without a shred of hard evidence.     

Daoism emerged as counter-acting influence to Confucianism with entirely different emphasis.  Whereas Confucians thought to oil the social wheels with an active effort to enhance personal virtue through the application of relational guidelines, Daoists sought more of a withdrawal as the key.  Laozi, the obscure founder of Daoism, compared his recommendations for entering the “Dao” or “Way” to the nature of water.  Water was weak on its own, yet it could accomplish great things through prolonging its very passivity.  Striving had to be eliminated to a quiet moderation.  Judge Dee exemplified this notion when he became frustrated with his lack of progress in his investigations.  He decided withdraw for a time and spend the night meditating in the city temple hoping for an insight via a dream or vision.  He was at first unsuccessful in calming his thoughts.  However after having used the divination slips as a diversion and thought about a cryptic verse of poetry thus obtained, he at last became calm and drifted into a trance that produced a very satisfying vision giving clues to his perplexities if not dispelling them entirely. 

Daoistic thought may have been the inspiration for Judge Dee to disguise himself as a doctor in order to gather information about the murder of the silk merchant.  He reasoned within himself that people generally confide more to those skilled in the art of healing.  It was the concept of ceasing inordinate struggle and allowing information and success to come his way naturally.   

            Legalism took a much more rigorous approach.  A boon to the authoritarian inclined, it advocated clear strict laws imposed on a population with detailed punishments attached as deterrents to lawbreakers.  Infractions could also be addressed on the concept of collective responsibility.  An individual’s family could be punished for his crimes in the event he was not available for retribution.    The gruesome punishments recommended by Judge Dee for the three criminals in each of his cases clearly reflect the influence of legalism.  Adultery and murder of a husband or the breach of the husband—wife relationship was considered such a serious crime that when a confession of that nature was ultimately extracted from Mrs. Djou, she was recommended for the “lingering death” or gradual dismemberment.  Thankfully it was mitigated to death with the first cut.  Shao Lee-huai, the double murderer in the first case, was beheaded, and Hsu Deh-tai, Mrs. Djou’s lover and therefore accomplice in crime was strangled.   The public spectacle described illustrates the mindset that these capital punishments would act as a deterrent to potential criminals.   Justice was portrayed as this terrible entity that was no respecter of rank or position. 

            Judge Dee’s successful efforts in solving his cases and meting out due punishment as prescribed by legalistic governing earned him a promotion from the emperor.  Han Confucian methods had led him to pursue cases where others would have feared to venture.  The Celebrated Cases of Judge Dee gives an accurate portrayal of actions modeled implicitly on the three elements of Han Confucianism. 

            Pleasantly blank thoughts flitted through my mind as my Corolla smoothly navigated the curves and hills on the county line road.  The more than familiar scenery on this my regular route on the commute from home to college dwelt for an infinitesimal period in my cognitive processes before passing into oblivion. Yet there were the occasional anomalies that managed to prolong their consideration.  One such was the marker proclaiming HEIDI DR.  This consistently became the stimulus for imagination.  

 How, I wondered, did this particular road come by its moniker?   No doubt at some point when roads in this area needed christening there was a certain Heidi who was somehow associated with this location.  And certainly it is far from uncommon to have a road named for an individual.  Yet often it is the full name of a famous persona or something equally impressive.  Rarely in my experience had I seen an ordinary first name itself gracing the signpost.  Then as the mental locomotive rushed on as it’s wont, I began reviewing the many terms in our rich language’s repertoire that signal a place for regular travel.  Each is unique.  Each conjures it’s own mental representation.  To which would I want to attach my name?

Interstate Andrew?

Definitely not!  I am not such a cosmopolitan

          Andrew Highway? 

Mm no.  In fact I reject the entire industrial category

          Andrew Avenue? 

Not quite.  I usually enjoy alliteration, however, it seems distinctly tacky in this case

Andrew Street?

 Much too commonplace.  It could be in any inconsequential urban area.

          Andrew Alley?

A somewhat trashy nook with dangerously rickety housing and broken glass liberally scattered.  The dumpsters are setting prominently in the corner.  An abandoned warehouse…No no.  Surely I deserve better

           Andrew Rd.? 

Extremely generic! One of those “little boxes on the hillside” An emphatic negative

 Andrew Dr.? 

Almost. Still the inconsequential image of a cul-de-sac with boringly middle class two stories and well-manicured lawns resembling every other development…

 Andrew Lane?

 Hmm.  More congenial perhaps. Yet approaching too closely to the rustic..

 Andrew Trail?

Narrow, winding, exhausting…Not at all!

 Andrew Track?

The ear-splitting roar of engines or the pounding of hooves, feet, etc. No, no.  Much too disturbing

             Andrew Path?

Again the confines

             Andrew Way?

Hmm.  Could be the modestly successful route I envision yet does not please as the final one….

             Andrew Boulevard.  

 Yes! This I believe is adequate to my expectations.  A spacious tree-lined roadway exhibiting a quiet grace.  A place to cruise unhurriedly with the most debonair sangfroid.  That may be redundant, but I like those words.  

 What would you choose?

When one has accumulated a stack of used notebooks from years gone by, a perusal of them will prove most entertaining.  I have not yet invested in a virgin notebook for this new semester, therefore I was richly amused this morning as I sat waiting for class to begin.  The one I am currently using as a stand-in, is one from my FB Creative Writing class.  I had to grin heartily at the tortured poetical attempts and the random thoughts recorded from those days.  One of these items was a pet peeve list written as a warm-up exercise for a poem dealing with an issue.  I have reproduced it (the list) here for your benefit.