Chapter 5

As the civilizations started to settle, they were able to create different cultural traditions. Thinkers started to arise, questioning the human and spiritual side of things. As mentioned in the book WW, I believe that people have a capacity to improve; and as a teacher I support Confucius’ ideas of emphasizing in education because it is the key to moral improvement. I didn’t like how Ban Zhao twisted the ideas about education for girls, and how women were inferior compared to men. He also said that if girls had to study it was because they could “learn to be better prepared to serve their husbands” (WW – page 130). Religion became a very important part of their cultural traditions even though there were some religions that started as movements questioning the way of living. Each society adopted these different forms of religions and adapted to them according to their own way of seeing and doing things. That is why (I believe) religions have been distorted. But on the positive side, religion was this new tradition that helped societies in unity and togetherness and gave women a chance to be part of these new rituals.