The World We Live In (Madman's Diary)
* Was my own opinion for my assignment~
Modernization in Asia: Get Mad on these Situation
Lu Xun “Diary of a Madman” is a Chinese novelette which published in The New Youth in 1918. Through this novelette, author described a madman and the situation of modernity reached China. Many people people interpret it as a story of a tragedy that happen to an intellectual in China at the beginning of the twentieth century. At the period revolution of liberty has brought into China, but Chinese has not much experience and doesn’t fully understand about liberty compare with western countries.
The madman in this novelette is showed that he is in illness, but he is not. He keep on mentioned that human is eating each other, if they are eating people, he might will be the next. Even though her sis is left. These are the causes made madman suffer all the time. In this novelette, the most important part is human is ‘Eating other people’. It is human really kill other and eat their flesh? Is it the situation are so disgusting caused madman suffered? Finally I found out that ‘Eat people’ just a parable in this novelette. Actually the madman is the one who clearly understanding how was the situation going on, clearly see through other people characteristic.
‘Eat people’ is those fine Confusion principles ‘benevolence, righteousness and morality’. From the Records of the Past showed that this situation already began long time ago which mean revolution of modernization in China is useless is this period such as they are not success in science, society and civilization. Citizens are still don't realized liberty, equality, and fraternity, we can say that their thinking still immature at the period. They were living without morality, they were using authority to bully and dominate over the weak. In the period there was unfairness on female, female doesn’t got any respect and no rights to speak in front of a man. I believe that was the reason madman’s sister left Madman. His sister was ate by his elder brother and his mother knew the situation also can’t speak anything.
Besides ‘Eat people’ in diary of madman, atmosphere of surrounding was a reason to made him suffer too, he mentioned he had not seen moon is bright for thirty years and there is a bad sign if no moon at night. Which mean he lives is darkness and suffered in thirty years, but the not mean he suffered because he can’t see any thing can’t see the brightness is because the actions took by human are so dark, cruel and unmorality. He can’t believe to anyone surrounded him, included his brother. Another example showed in the passage is a group of people huddled around, one of them pulled his lips back into a grin. He knows that person grin not because happy it was thinking something else.
Madman was describe some animals and expression of other person in his diary such as fierce as a lions, cunning as a fox, rabbits, reptiles, fishes and more in this novelette. It is very obvious showing the characteristic and situation of human are same with animals. In society there many people fierce as a lions and bully those people cowardly as a rabbit. Rabbit doesn’t has courage, has no enough power neither to defend from lions nor attack back the lions. It is same case that showing human in this society, weaker doesn’t has right or power to attack a strong person.
Madman was realize that his country has been eating human flesh since four thousand years ago. China doesn’t has any changes in these long period, they still keep their tradition since long time ago. Even though his closest brother is one of them, he cannot believe anyone. These are the reasons, human’s cruel actions cause madman suffer always in his life. At the last part of his diary, he wrote “Save the children”, which means he really hopes there are changes in future, revolution of enlightenment will be success, but limited by Chinese tradition.
Revolution doesn’t changed anything, they were still maintain the way they live, their traditions and thinking. It is can’t compare to western country, even though Chinese invented papers, compass and gunpowder, but development of China is slower that western countries because of their thinking are limited by themselves and they have no courage to speak out. Revolution of enlightenment and democracy in China doesn’t worked well in twentieth century. Peoples of Europe had fight for hundred years for liberty and many people in West have engaged in rewarding study of liberty. At the same time, liberty also brought into China, but Chinese do study and to understand, but they still have no idea on liberty.
While author’s attitude toward the traditional Chinese society might be traditional Chinese should be reduce while try to develop by own thinking so the author was using a Madman to express and showed how scary of the situation on the period. Through his novelette, he is show how he not satisfied, anger and really disappointed with the actions took by human. There were many rude and non-morality person in China. Author really hopes can save the next generation in future. The reason of tradition of Chinese still maintain until now because of all the children are taught by their parents since when they are young.
Author also mentioned that only the one who become human, genuinely human, is not going to eat people through Madman’s diary. The person with morality will think it positively and take action in fairness, think in human way. At the period western country was develop in short period but China still not develop yet because selfishness of citizen and consider not an enlightenment and democracy country. There were unfair and no freedom to a women and those weaker. Women and weaker are human too why they treated in different way? Women was not aloud to has education at that time, they just can stay at home take care their children and do some household while man should earn money for his own family so it cause a woman has no right to speak out even thought bullied by a man.
Once tradition of Chinese not reduce, the culture in Chinese would not be change too. As we known history of China is recorded thousand years ago Chinese has started eat human flesh. The way how a king or high official treat the slaves and women.
I think these situation is not just happen in the early twentieth century nowadays we are living in the same situation too. Many people living without benevolence, righteousness and morality because there are selfish. For own benefit and gain any rewards, human does hurt each other to gain the benefit. That author described ‘Eat person’, in daily life actually we can always heard that “We just live like a food chain of animal. There are predators and preys. If I don’t eat him other person will eat him”. In emergency case, human does kill other for survival. Human always lie and betray each other for own benefit.
This kind of situation happen everyday and everywhere not only in China, especially in Asia. These actions showed China has a huge difference of wealthy and poverty. This case also might happen at family, school, office, politic and more. For example some wars are still happening nowadays, a strong country try to attack a weak country to get resource or occupy their land. Through news we can know that closest family might betray own brothers and sisters, usually asian people will fight for legacy. I think the reasons are education and culture of Asia is different from western countries so the revolution in Asia is weaker.
The difference of previous and nowadays is women were independent, they are really hard work in study and work, but one thing that still can’t be change is in workplace there are many positions and it is very competitive in every career. Workers may use different method to get up to higher position instead don’t care other person feeling. However women was independent but they still need protected. Women are not strong as a man, there still some difference from a woman and a man even both are human.
This is what different of modernization between western country and Asia. First how they study of concept of enlightenment is totally different. Second the tradition of a country or own culture is the one cause that provide different thinking. Selfishness of a human is the scariest because it might be harm someone and at the same time ourselves will get harmed. Way to change a person become a real human is depends on their own mind and realize themselves, no one can control each other’s mind indeed studied moral, once they didn't take any action from learning, they can’t understand or realize importance of benevolence, righteousness and morality. I have same thinking with the author, this society is so scary and disappointed on it. If this situation become more serious day by day I am the one will become “Madman”.
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