A: In the first Chang Tzu exerpt, Wang Ni states that “the paths of right and wrong are all hopelessly snarled and jumbled” while discussing the retreat patterns of species when they encounter one that is not their own. Several Americans would act similarly when put in a group of individuals of whom they are not familiar with. For example, a group of college-aged girls may gravitate towards one another at a social gathering while a large majority of middle aged women would likely avoid conversing with them and vice versa. This is likely because they have fewer things in common, similar to the fish and the human. At the end of this passage, Wang Ni explains that a “perfect man” does not let this get to him. One could interpret this response as allowing nature to act as it will, and finding the wisdom within to accept the ways of the world rather than question them.
C: In this passage, Cook Ting explains how he butchers an ox to Lord Wen-hui. “After three years,” Ting states that he begins to lose his visual perception of the oxen, and uses the spirit to guide him instead. This can be interpreted as him starting to lose one perspective of the situation and gain another. I would compare Cook Ting’s analysis of butchering the ox to modern-day surgery and how doctors for a time may only see the patient as a structure composed of flesh and bone. Intuitively, they understand that it is a human being they are operating on, but in the moment they are focused solely on the physical body. Ting explains that times can be difficult and he must focus and put extra thought and energy into his next move. Once the move is successful, an evident amount of relief is described and Lord Wen-hui states that he learns how to care for life by watching the butcher. From this passage, I can compare the butcher’s viewpoint of the ox to a narrowly focused objective. Life can often be overwhelming if an individual views it from too broad of a scope, just as the butcher did at first with the ox. However, once a person is able to focus on individual tasks that must be completed, large tasks no longer seem as unmanageable. Lord Wen-hui realizes that life is best perceived from a similar perspective, controlling one’s focus on what is important and what is worthy of extra effort.
D: In this exerpt, Yen Ho asks what should be done with an individual who knows the faults of others, but not their own. Ch’u Po-yu responds by explaining that he must follow “along with him,” indicating that Yen Ho should teach to the level of his understanding. Through this story, I draw a connection to a parent teaching a child how to speak. If an individual speaks to a child in a proper way that they are not able to understand, they will face numerous barriers as they will not be taught how to sound out syllables or build language properly. As stated in the passage, Ch’u Po-yu says to “lead him to the point where he is without fault,” meaning serve as a leader rather than a commander. As with any method of teaching, this passage states that an individual must discuss and demonstrate new ideas at a level low enough that the learner understands and can relate to the teacher.