Chinese and Japanese Literature, Epic Poetry, and Born a Crime Review

Flashcards covering vocabulary and key concepts from lecture notes on Chinese/Japanese Literature, the Iliad, Daedalus and Icarus, and Trevor Noah's Born a Crime.

Aphorism

A short saying that articulates a generally accepted truth about life.

Paradox

A statement, situation, or concept that seems completely self-contradictory, absurd, or opposed to common sense, yet reveals a hidden truth or valid logical conclusion.

Confucianism

A way of life propagated by Confucius in 6th–5th century BCE, focused on cultural values and social norms.

Zhougong

Also known as the duke of Zhou, he was the hero of Confucius who refined the feudal ritual system.

Ren

The Confucian principle of compassion.

Yi

The Confucian principle of righteousness.

Li

The Confucian principle of ritual.

Zhi

The Confucian principle of wisdom.

Xin

The Confucian principle of trustworthiness.

Junzi

The Confucian term for a gentleman, referring to a good and moral person who is honest, polite, and respectful.

Song

A poetic structure defined as a set of words or short poems meant to be sung and set to a certain type of music.

Incremental Variation

Changing and breaking the pattern of different poems to create different degrees of emphasis.

Imagery

The use of an image or description, such as "like a lion" or "crafty as a fox," to enhance the telling of a story.

Caesura

A stop or pause in a metrical line, often marked by punctuation or a grammatical boundary.

Kigo

A word or phrase associated with a particular season, used in traditional Japanese poetry like Haiku and Renga.

T’ao Ch’ien

The author of the poem "I Built My House Near Where Others Dwell."

Haiku

A Japanese poetic form consisting of 17 syllables arranged in three lines of 5, 7, and 5 syllables.

Tanka

An ancient Japanese poem style written in 5 lines and 31 syllables following a structure of 5-7-5-7-7.

Epic Convention

Literary techniques found in epic poetry, such as invoking a muse, starting in medias res, and featuring a hero's journey.

Epithet

An epic title or phrase that accompanies or replaces a character's name, often naming a family member or a notable trait.

Agamemnon

The commander of the Greek army during the Trojan war, described as a glory-fueled tyrant and violent instigator.

Achilles

A warrior motivated by fame and revenge whose journey ends at the hands of Paris of Troy with a bow and arrow.

Hector

The greatest Trojan warrior and eldest son of King Priam, known for his sense of duty and honor before being killed by Achilles.

Homeric Simile

An extended figure of speech that compares two dissimilar things over many lines to describe complex situations.

Kleos

A Greek term referring to the fame that heroes attain in battle.

Xenia

A Greek term referring to the law of offering protection to strangers.

Time

A Greek term referring to the honor paid to gods.

Patroclus

Achilles' very close friend whose death at the hands of Hector motivates Achilles' rage.

Archetype

A universal character type, theme, or pattern that appears repeatedly in stories across cultures and time.

Constantine Cavafy

The author of the poem "Ithaka," published in 1911 as a tribute to the Iliad and the Odyssey.

Middle Path

The perfect medium and safe path in the story of Icarus, representing moderation between flying too high and too low.

Hubris

An overarching theme of excessive pride within the story of Daedalus and Icarus.

Apartheid

A policy of racial discrimination and segregation imposed on South Africa after the Afrikaners won the election of 1948.

Patricia Nombuyiselo Noah

Trevor Noah's mother, who survived being shot in 2009 and is known for her tough-love parenting and comedic nature.

Black Tax

The economic struggle where black families lose progress trying to bring previous generations "back up to zero" due to past pillaging.

Surface Culture

The tangible and visible norms of a culture, such as language, food, music, and dress.

Deep Culture

The invisible and subconscious aspects of culture, including values, attitudes, morals, and beliefs.