Chapter 9, 11 & 12 Reflection

One of the most interesting topics in the section to me was the Mongols. The debate was especially fun for me. It was really interesting to learn that the Mongols have such a bad rap for what they did in order to stay on top and conquer when so many other conquering civilizations have done so much worse. I had no idea who the Mongols were and definitely did not know they had such a huge contribution to society today. Pastoral societies heavily stressed equality and I think that equality is one of the biggest topics in our lives right now. I think we have a long way to go but we have definitely come a long way. The Mongols were known for all of the killing they did and the conquering but no one really focused on the good that they brought. For example, women had a higher status and followers were extremely loyal to their leaders. They introduced standardized weights and measures which is huges. Where would we be without those things? The Mongols lived in tent cities that could be packed up and moved which contributed to the exchange of ideas and techniques. It’s terrible that they killed and harmed so many but at the same time, it’s kind of like survival of the fittest. They did what they had to do to survive and when put in perspective, they didn’t do anything more terrible than any other civilization that conquered another. 

Chapter 7, 8 & 10 Reflection

I was born in 1992. I remember dial-up internet and having to look things up with resources other than the internet. I know what Hollywood Video and Blockbuster was. I know what life was like before amazon. I know that all of these things came to an end shortly after I learned what they were but it’s pretty amazing to me how it doesn’t even phase me that I can order something on amazon, with my phone and receive it in two days if I have a prime membership. Whereas, before there was no way that I could talk on the phone and surf the internet at the same time. I never realized how much of a luxury it is to be able to purchase a good that I need from someone across the world without even knowing their name. It wasn’t always like that and it’s pretty fascinating to read about how trade started. When I buy something I don’t realize that I’m participating in trade because that’s just not how I look at it but it makes sense. We trade labor for money and money for goods. Chapter 7 talks a lot about how trade was a way for civilizations to connect with people. I found this fact to be really sad because I feel that right now we as a society are so consumed with technology and take all measures possible to avoid human contact. Trade was such an asset and still is an asset. Trade was able to affect political life and it also spread different religious ideas. It’s pretty amazing to think of how much was accomplished with such few resources.

Chapter 3-6 Reflection

This reading was definitely not an easy one. Before I begin my reflection I do want to say how interesting it is to be taking this class now. I used to hate history and now I find myself fascinated in the topic. The chapter that really caught my attention was chapter 5 when it discussed the inequality in society. Slayter discusses that anyone who had power in China was male and that power meant owning land. I found it to be really sad that peasants are actually the ones who owned all of the land but as the civilization progressed they felt that it was necessary to sell their land because they weren’t able to afford the taxes. It’s very fascinating because years later, land is still power and land is even more valuable than before. Not much has changed there. This chapter really made me think of my personal background. I am an American citizen and was born here but my mother was born in Korea. This chapter was mainly about China but a lot of their ideals were the same as Korea. I am half Korean and to this day, Koreans and many other Asian ethinicities still believe that males are superior to females. My mom is still so stuck on how it was in Korea that she would always tell me to not marry an Asian man because he would always think of me as inferior. Whereas, a Caucasian male would worship me. I don’t believe this but it’s very interesting how one could grow up learning this and even though she has been in America since she was 16 years old, she still believes this to be true. Learning about the history and how it used to be really puts your life into perspective and make you appreciate all of the opportunities that are now so easily accessible to you.