Entry 2

            Good afternoon, readers! In the last week, we’ve read through four classics from ancient Eastern Literature. “Classics of Poetry”, “Confucius”, “Du Fu”, and “Yuan Zhen, the Story of Yingying”. We have examined them quite heavily in order to discern common themes between them. A common theme amongst these pieces is the concept of “Wen” which has great importance in just about anything in Eastern literature. Wen is, according to individuals who have studied the concept extensively, the manifestation of the real world when its elements are brought together to become known or visible. Additionally, Wen is also that which is of supreme importance in most Eastern literature.

            Teaching students the concept of Wen would require students who are just as engaged as their teacher, as Wen is most easily discerned on an individual basis. After all, discerning that which is of supreme importance in any piece can be entirely up to the individual, something which is paradoxically different to the first half of Wen’s meaning. Teaching methods might require preparation such as, for example, getting some students to tell the class stories they’ve made up, or telling students some yourself, and having them try to explain what they thought was most important from said story.

            Elements of popular culture that could be used to engage said students most effectively would be popular media such as films, books, or video games. Somewhat current media like Ghost of Tsushima or American Gods would draw student attention very well.