Myra Blogs

WU Zetian: FIRST and ONLY Female emperor of China Legends have it that fortune-teller Yuan Tiangang visited Wu Shiyue’s estate. A master in face reading, Yuan Tiangang preached that Wu Shiyue’s wife’s facial structure tells she had borne noble children. Wishing to appraise the children of the Wu family, they were all brought out one by one. For the sons of the family, the fortuneteller predicted an honorable life of Rank 3 officials. For the elder daughter, he predicted a noble future but wretched luck for her husband. Finally,  the youngest member of the Wu family was brought out. Upon seeing the child walk, the fortune teller stood stunned. He proclaimed the child had the eyes of a dragon and the neck of a phoenix; if only the child had been a girl, she would have risen to become the ruler of all under heaven. To the fortune teller’s surprise, the child was nothing short of a girl, her infancy causing him to mistake her for a boy. However, his prophecy held, as she would rise to ...

 Empress Lu: The Wife of Gaozu Pierced and Wounded by an arrow, The Gaozu Emperor found himself incapable of fighting on the battlefield against the rebelling forces. Thus, he hoped to send his son to fight in his stead.  However, Empress Lu, protective of her son, went on the command the troops herself and returned victorious.  Born in 241 BC to a noble family in Sha ndong, Empress Lu, in her early years, had to witness a time inflicted with absolute social unrest. This period marked the unification of China under the Qin dynasty and was characterized by war and violence.  To avoid the chaos of war, Lu Zhi’s father, Lu Wen,  fled with his whole family to the town of ‘Pei’. It was in this town that Lu Zhi and her father enc ountered Liu Bang, a low-ranking official who later went on to become the first Han emperor of China.  While quite a few suitors were vying for Lu Zhi, upon meeting Liu Bang, Lu Wen was sure that he was destined for nobility and betroth...

Origins of China: Pangu, Nüwa, and Fuxi   In an endless expanse of nothingness, when there only existed a cosmic void, chaos (Hundun) reigned supreme. However, with the flow of time, the celestial energies of Yin, the passive and cold force, and Yang, the active and hot force, began to stir as they yearned for balance. As a result, they coalesced into an egg, and from their congealment Pangu, a colossal hairy, giant, with two horns and two tusks, was birthed. 18000 years passed before Pangu, in his egg, realized that he was surrounded by nothingness. It was then he hatched, fully formed, holding an axe (a symbol only visible in Chinese Mythology since the Ming dynasty). With this axe, he hacked apart the Yin and Yang. The Yin, the dark and murky energy settled to form the earth whereas the Yang, the light and clear energy, rose to form the vast skies. To prevent Yin and Yang from merging, Pangu stood between them and pushed them apart with his own bare hands, with his head touching...

Through this essay, I will confirm and refute the arguments provided by Taiwo in India's context and draw my own conclusions.  Firstly, it's important to preface this essay by mentioning that while the piece delves into the intersection between race, class, and politics, I shall elucidate on politics intersection with two prominent aspects of Indian society i.e. Caste and Religion.  Likewise, it is important to appreciate that religion is a more expansive concept in India compared to the West and influences the major life decisions of the citizens.  Secondly, the caste system, indigenous to India, promotes occupational division of people sanctioned through several traditional practices. Caste still has a strong correlation with one’s economic and social status. Identity Politics is a medium through which historically worse off groups and individuals susceptible to oppression can struggle for greater self determination and gain empowerment. However, Identity politics in In...