View the short video outlining China's Boxer Rebellion during 1900 and read the interview of Boxers and Saints author Gene Luen Yang. For this blog post, write about your initial thoughts on Yang's graphic novel in light of the history of the rebellion and the interview. In your response, answer the following questions: 1) Were the Boxer Rebels justified in their fight against foreigners and foreign missionaries? Why or why not? 2) How does Yang connect his Asian-American upbringing with these graphic novels? 3) What are some of your predictions about what the second volume, Saints, will be about?
Responses must be 2-3 paragraphs long and must be posted by Tuesday, April 29th at 5:00 pm.
Excerpt from documentary on the Boxer Rebellion:
Fore the interview of Gene Luen Yang from Newsarama, click here.
Bonus! If you would like to view a more comprehensive history of the Boxer Rebellion, watch this.
Gene Luen Yang tells the story of another failed revolution in Boxers. The rebellion has reflections of what Zoe Valdes described in Yocandra and the Paradise of Nada. In the beginning there were amazing speeches promising justice and righteousness. Like those rallies Yocandra’s parents went to where Che Guevera promised to restore peace and autonomy to the Cuban people, in Boxers, Bao promises “righteousness and harmony to the black-headed people (Yang 143).” Similarly, The Big Sword Society set out for justice and with good reason, but we see Bao’s battle with morality and how he slowly crosses the fine line between fighting for glory, “for China (Yang 312),” and for justice. It seems to me that the Boxer Rebels were justified up to a point. In the book, when the “brother disciples” of the Big Sword Society first start roaming the country, they rebel against injustice, such as when they saved Mei-Wen and her little sister from the soldiers. I believe they were justified when they started training the villagers to defend themselves. But at some point along the way, Bao sacrificed each edict of the Big Sword Society one by one. It’s hard to say when exactly this happened, but I think a clear sign that the cause was no longer just is when Bao kills the woman on page 229. From the 3 minute video, it sounds like the Boxer Rebels also got caught up in an “us against them,” mentality, where the original values they began fighting for get lost in only fighting anybody who represented the foreigners and their religion. At some point they lose the idea that some foreigners and Chinese-Christians might not want to cause the harm and injustice they’ve been experiencing. Gene Luen Yang connects the dilemma of the “Chinese-Christians” to his “Asian-American” upbringing because they were seen as traitors by their own countrymen, yet still looked down on by the Westerners who taught them the religion. Gene says that he grew up with Eastern and Western traditions, and that there was a tension between the two. I think that this is what the second book, Saints is going to focus on. In Boxers, we see how the rebels fight against losing their culture, and in Saints I think Yang will emphasize the predicament of the Chinese who adopted Western Culture and Religion.
Gene Leun Yang tells the story of the revolution of the Boxers, people who are opposed to any religion that is not of ancient decent, like Buddhism and Confucianism. These people saw the others as outsiders and people who are embracing a foreign religion. I understand where they were coming from because, up until this point in time, their ancient religions were all the knew, and shaped their culture and customs at the time. When Christianity was adopted, they saw it as betrayal and initially had wanted to protect their ancient religions and fight for justice. They have the right to do that, so that is understandable and justified. However, just as Kayla said above, there was a turning point where the Big Sword Society lost sight of what they were fighting for and began breaking the edicts that they stood for. Some of the Chinese people who converted to Christianity were simply trying to fit in in a place and time where they were outcasts and didn't know where they belonged. They didn't seek violence, but the Boxers mistook them for people who turned their back on their own people to embrace the Western face, so it is understandable why they wanted to fight against them. Gene Luen Yang grew up in the Bay Area in a Chinese-American Catholic church. Although he did not grow up in China during the time of this revolution, there is always a struggle between maintaing and holding true to one's culture and heritage even though one is in a place that has a different culture and heritage. This is a theme that we also saw in Persepolis, especially when Marji travels to Austria, and back to Iran again. He can relate because he knows what it is like to try and hold on to his origins, even though he is in a place that is different. He does mention that in the church he grew up in, Catholic and Chinese intermingled and that often times the church was the place Chinese was spoken the most and the place the held all the Chinese events and celebrations, so it was a preservation of his culture. Saints is going to be more similar to Persepolis, I think, in the fact that it will portray the struggles of an individual to fit in. It will follow the story of Chinese people who feel like outcasts and only want to embrace something they fit in to. Yang mentions he wanted to book to have a more humble and intimate feel as well, so violence and fighting may not be as prevalent, since it is seen a lot in Boxers.
Gene Luen Yang writes the story of the Boxer Rebellion that occurred in China from 1899 to 1901. In his story, he focuses on describing how normal townspeople are greatly incited by foreign powers, and how the Boxer Rebellion is progressed. However, in my opinion, the Boxer Rebellion cannot be judged as justified or unjustified action since, in the background of the rebellion, the both sides, foreigners and Chinese townspeople, have their own reason to fight against each other. First of all, Chinese townspeople's resistance against foreigners is understandable as foreigners were unreasonably despotic, oppressing and harassing without any logical reason. Therefore, those Chinese people saw those foreign powers as intruders, who must be defeated and deported from their motherland. However, on the other side, the rebellion somehow seems unjustified from the view of foreign missionaries. Because Chinese people have strong belief on their ancient religions and cultures, there might be some outcasts who desire to get away from the strict oriental beliefs. These people are the reason why missionaries came into China, but Boxers recognized them as traitors and intruders as they turned away from the ancient beliefs.Without any respect to each beliefs and differences between individuals, the rebellion seemed quite offensive. Yang connects his Asian-American upbringing with this graphic novel through the background when he was young. According to his interview, he revealed that he grew up in a Chinese-American Catholic Church in Bay Area, and witnessed the canonization of many Chinese saints. His distinct background related to Chinese-Christians and Chinese-American society is interpenetrated deep into his graphic novel, making him to begin writing The Boxer and Saints. Like the other main characters from previous books that we read during the class, Yang tried to express the struggle between two distinctively different and retaining cultures that he went through. So, based on his interview, in my opinion, the second volume of Yang's book, Saints, will be about the struggle of an ordinary Chinese while adopting Christianity through foreign missionaries.
In the graphic novel Boxers Gene Luen Yang talks about the Boxer Rebellion. Some people may argue that the war was not justified and others might say it is justified. I think that it depends on what your beliefs are and what position the people were at the time of the war. Even though the Chinese people belong to one nation and should identify themselves with one way of thinking, one religion or culture it all comes down to the situation they were in when the christians went in to convert people. Some people had strong beliefs about their culture and therefor stood up and felt the need to fight for what they believed in. On the other hand, there might of been people that did not feel strongly about their religion or thought it was easier and better to convert to Christians. The way that Gene feels about the novels and his own upbringing is that both sides of the story are right. There is no right or wrong. He is particularly a Christian Chinese but he understand and respects the Boxer Rebellion and that is why we are reading the book today. I feel that Gene tries to put himself in that position and realizes that back then he wouldn't know what to do or know what was the "right" thing to do. In the Second novel Saints i think we are going to see the side of the story of the Christian converts and what they went through during this time. We will see the circumstances that took them to convert into christians and we will see that in their point of view what they did was the "right" thing to do. Lluvia Macias
In his graphic novel Boxers, Gene Luen Yang tells the story of the rise and ultimate downfall of the Boxer rebels in the first of his two part series about the Boxer Rebellion. The situation surrounding the Boxers and their rebellion is not black and white, and it is too simplistic to conclude that they were either entirely justified or entirely unjustified in revolting against the foreigners. When Bao and his followers were traveling the countryside protecting the Chinese being persecuted and teaching them how to defend themselves, their actions are easily justifiable; Bao and his brothers are not the aggressors and are instead "heros" rushing in to save the common people. Their actions become more difficult to justify, however, when they begin to initiate attacks against the foreigners. Whereas before their violence could be classified as self defense, killing and entire city full of women and children certainly does not fall under that category. In their zeal to protect China, Bao and his brothers lose sight of the ethics that once made them "heros." From Yang's interview, it is clear he feels a personal connection toward the "secondary devils," the Chinese Christians. The Chinese Christians were caught between two worlds, that of their Chinese traditional upbringing and their newfound western religion. As a Chinese-American, Yang also had the experience of growing up as a part of two conflicting cultures, in this case his Chinese heritage and American home. As we move on to Saints, which I think will be about the Chinese Christian converts side of the story, the text may feel more personal because of Yang's empathy toward the Christians' situation.
My initial thoughts on Gene Luen Yang’s graphic novel, Boxers was that it was a fun, entertaining read. This particular graphic novel is much more colorful and expressive with the images, unlike the previous graphic novel, Percepolis. But just because it is a vibrant, entertaining graphic novel doesn’t dimension the fact that the historical acts it illiterates is extremely hard to justify whether they demies right or wrong. When it comes down to justifying the Boxer Rebelling against the foreigners, and the foreign missionaries, I don’t want to cop out and say it depends which side you’re on but in a way it does, and I think Yang agrees, and that is why he didn’t want to combined the Boxers and Saints stories. In the interview Newsarama states that in regards to the point of view for the two books, and which one you decide to root for, “It’s really a no-win situation.” Yang then replies in saying that, that is why the two volumes are such different lengths, because it is not a “perfect match up.” I believe that both the Boxers and the Saints were standing up for what they believed was right. They both were fighting for a just cause of preserving their notion of what they thought was “right,” so in that case, again, it depends on what side you are on, and whether you decide to define the Boxers rebellion justified, and vice versa , in whether you find justification in the Saints fighting against the Boxers. Yang also finds it difficult to justify one or the other because of the Asian-American upbringing he experienced. Eastern and Western culture for him was combined, he grew up in a Chinese Catholic Church and religion and Christ was always talked about in Chinese. Yang’s Chinese pride and culture, being a Boxer was also mixed in with his faith in Christ, and standing up for the Lord, was him also being a Saint. Yang is very much like the box in which the two books come in, he is both, Boxer and Saint. Some predictions or questions that I had about the second book, Saints, before class today, because we discussed the second volume a little, was who was going to be the main character, the leader, the hero or the saint? A prediction that I had about the second graphic novel was that the Saints too are going to deem themselves righteous of their bloody acts, and find themselves in the right and the Boxers in the wrong.
I believe that the Boxer Rebels were justified in their fight against foreigners and foreign missionaries. Though it is extremely difficult to justify violence of any sort and especially violence of such degree wrought by the Boxer Rebels, I believe that priorities exist within one's moral's and values. The Boxer Rebels obviously felt as though they were granted the right and privilege of fighting for autonomy within their homeland, and it is difficult to argue against their beliefs. I believe that people are entitled to their respective opinions, as their values and morals may be completely different in culture and thought from one another. Yang connects his Asian-American upbringing with these graphic novels through his upbringing - both as a Chinese American and a Chinese Christian. These binaries are made distinct and set apart in both Boxers and Saints, yet Yang is the embodiment of both for both aspects. As such, Yang obviously faces difficulty in taking sides with either the Western world or the Chinese world, or the Christian world or the secular world. I think Saints will obviously be a story told from the perspective of a Chinese Christian, and their explanation for their stances on life. Yang will present both sides of the war/argument presented here, and leave it up to the reader to identify with the side(s) they agree most with.
“Boxers” by Gene Yang provides readers with a visual, fictional account of the Boxer Rebellion. Although the storyline and characters are fictional, I think that his portrayal makes the rebellion a lot more relatable and easier to understand. The fact that the book follows the story of a young, teenage boy while depicting his actions and emotions provides readers with a better idea of what it was like to live in China during the time of the uprising. It also allows readers to sympathize with Bao and better understand his motives. Because of this, it is easier to understand the motives of the Boxers as a whole. I think that the Boxers were justified in their fight against foreigners and foreign missionaries because as the book depicts, they were doing everything for what they thought was the greater good of China. Their nationalistic views and the threat that the missionaries imposed on them and their families are what drove them to rid China of foreign influence. All of their interior motives stemmed from external threat and led to their desire to protect their country.
Yang recounts the story of the rebellion from the perspectives of both the Boxers, the ones fighting to preserve Chinese tradition, and the Saints, those influenced by Western Catholicism. He is connecting his Asian-American upbringing with the novels by being impartial to both sides, showing that Chinese and Western beliefs can coexist. Yang wanted to trace back to the origin of his upbringing and show readers what the Chinese went through in order to reach this point. “Saints” will illustrate the perspective of the Chinese converts and show that their conversion was not a deliberate attempt to oppose tradition, but seen as a chance to better themselves when they felt as if they have reached a dead end with Chinese religion. Reading both volumes will give audiences an objective view point to both sides, a better understanding of what it was like to live in China during this time and a greater appreciation of what it is currently like to live as a Chinese American.
To every story there are three sides, one of which is the truth and the others which are based on each cause. Definitely that is the case with Boxers & Saints. Gene Yang attempts to do both justice by including both sides as he can recollect from records available and the research he was able to attain. Boxers are definitely justified through their eyes and for their cause... Sometimes even accepting extremism as a form of advancing the efforts of the uprising and ensuring its success. In my opinion, there is this transitional period where justification seizes to exist. This line is crossed when there is an ironic flip in the actions Bao takes that parallels those of which he was first against. In example, one of the events that marks this transition are the idols he breaks of the Christian missionaries despite being angered by when they did that to him (an event that fueled his drive to become a Boxer). Despite their organization being a non-peaceful one there is the internal conflicts present within Bao as a leader between his edicts and his obligations. When he burns the church with all the converts as well as the missionaries he abandons all his edicts and morality and relies rather on lies (that of which he know) to be able to commit such an act. The fact that he must rely on lies inplies that his obligations predisposed as a designated leader must mean doing what is best regardless of your own beliefs. He is a sense looking at a bigger picture to lead a successful uprising. Yang then does essentially attempt to showcase that his upbringing as a Chinese American in his graphic novel. He is part of a group of converts (Christian raised) and this idea to abandon the Chinese culture that may have lead them to such choice due to the circumstances at hand. However, now Chinese Americans have lounged forward to retain Chinese culture in a country that is very hard to retain.. Where being American 'means more.' Essentially, he is showing the efforts made by people that felt that their traditional Chinese culture was valuable and essentially stopped the partitioning of China. Then Yanf tries to relate the Christians perspective and their fight for what they believed was right at the moment, much like the Boxers did. Boxers definitely shows only the perspectives of them and only as little of the Christian converts. Saints is thus going to delve more into the reasoning behind the converts and a sight as to how they saw the Boxers. The divide within China has been rocky since then until now.
Gene Yang’s Boxers represents a whimsical take on a historically significant event that occurred in China. Similar to Satrapi’s Persepolis, Boxers incorporates visual illustration in order to immerse the reader deeply within the text. I enjoyed the graphic novel because of the moral dilemma experienced by the main character Bao, in which he is constantly forced to choose between what is right (such as following his own edicts) or wrong (which includes obeying the spirit of the Emperor). The Boxer Rebels were ultimately justified in their battle against foreign influence. The rebels desired, much like most individuals, to have the freedom to defend their personal, cultural and/or religious beliefs. Although the uprising consisted of many gruesome battles, the rebels were fighting for a cause that they believed in; they were fighting to regain their country. In a sense, the rebellion represented an opportunity for the Chinese rebels to declare their independence from foreign control. Similar to how modern protests and rebellions demonstrate the need for change in society as well as for oppressed voices to be heard, the Boxer Uprising signified the strength and unity of the Chinese people when faced with a manipulative force. As Yang stated in his interview, his upbringing as an Asian-American greatly influenced his later works, including Boxers and Saints. Yang compares the struggles of the characters within the text to his own personal conflicts of identity. Yang particularly describes the cultural tension in which he experienced, of accommodating both Eastern and Western cultures while also not losing himself within the process. Boxers and Saints also focuses on the cultural tension between the Chinese rebels (traditionalists) and Chinese converts (Christians). In a sense, both sides are finding their own identity, whether it is retaining the traditional beliefs of China or accepting a foreign principle. Yang also experiences this struggle with holding on to his identity, in that he is ethnically Asian but practices a western faith. Since the first volume of Yang’s work, Boxers, comes from the perspective of the Chinese rebels, I believe that the second volume, Saints, focuses mainly on the perspective of the ‘other’ side, the Chinese converts. Yang ultimately aims to parallel both sides of the revolution to show the decisions as well as moral justifications in which the Boxer rebels and Chinese Christians made in order to prevail.
The Boxer Rebels were justified in trying to protect their country from foreign imperialism. The way that Europeans forced their way into China was unethical—Instead of trading gold for products, opium was used for compensation and often the Chinese who traded with Europeans became opium addicts. Since there is little written history about the individual boxers, lack of primary documents makes it hard to know how their motives changed over time. As portrayed in Yang’s “Boxers”, the boxers initially sought freedom from the influence of the foreigners and simply wanted fair and just treatment. Their morality seems to fade though, as they resorted to such violence as a means to achieve their cause. Due to their belief systems and the natural disasters, the boxers may have thought that the flood and drought were signs to expel the European foreigners. Ultimately, whether the boxers were justified in their fight depends greatly on how various factors are weighed. If their uprising directly prevented Europeans from partitioning China, and that the division of China is considered negatively, then people may say that they were doing their patriotic duty. It is very hard to justify such violence against people, regardless of religion. While the boxers’ cause may have been justifiable, their actions raise concerns about the way they tried to reach their goal.
Gene Yang grew up in California and was part of a Chinese-American Catholic Church. His family has Asian roots, but also has taken up a Western religion. His upbringing clearly is influenced by both the Eastern and Western traditions. As such, Yang probably has the best background to be able to write from both perspectives of the Boxer uprisings. As a person coming from seemingly opposing backgrounds, Yang is able to show the conflicts and nuances as two cultures collide. We’ve previously seen this concept in Sartrapi’s Persepoli when Marjane is alienated from both Western and Persian culture. Yang uses the Boxer uprising as a focal point in examining how Chinese culture and Christianity conflict, something he probably experienced while growing up. It’s interesting too how Yang shows that people out-casted from their native culture often explore other fringe cultures
I already read Saints, so I cannot really guess what it is about. Before reading it, I assumed it would be about the opposing perspective of the Boxer Rebellion. Without giving anything away, I found this side of the story to be quite interesting, since it adds even greater complexity to what we know from Bao’s story.
Gene Luen Yang’s Boxers is a historical fiction graphic novel that depicts events of the Boxer Rebellion in China during the 1800s. China during the time was being invaded by foreigners around the world like Germany, the United States, Japan and more. This invasion creates much conflict within the country between the natives and outsiders. I feel like the Boxer Rebels were justified in their fight against foreigners and foreign missionaries, even though they inflicted mass violence on the innocent. The foreigners invaded the homes of the rebels and forced a new religion onto the native Chinese. The Chinese deserve to be at peace in their home territory and should not be subject to imposition of foreign ideas and powers trying to gain power in China. Yang finds his interest in the Boxer Rebellion through his Asian-American upbringing. It was a big deal for Yang and his community when the Chinese Saints were canonized by Pope John Paul II in 2000 as it was the first time that ethnic Chinese were recognized by the church. Yang researches further into the saints and finds that they were actually seen as traitors to China because they had westernized their culture through practicing Christian/Catholic religion. This idea of the westernized Chinese saints paralleled Yang’s upbringing as an Asian-American - practicing both Eastern and Western traditions. From personal experience, Yang relates the Boxers to people who find peace in pop culture and the Saints to be people who are outcasted by society and find peace through foreign films and books like Japanese anime and manga. Through reading Yang’s interview, I predict that Saints will depict the other side of the Boxer Rebellion. Saints will show how the Western missionaries came into China to convert the Chinese to Catholics/Christians. It will also explore how the Chinese converts personally viewed the violent Boxers throughout the war. From the front cover of the book, I expect Saints to follow the life of Vibana, the girl with the opera mask face that Little Bao sees in the beginning of Boxers. Vibana’s upbringing in Saints will most likely parallel Bao’s life in Boxers, up until the point where they meet for the second time.
Gene Luen Yang tells the story of another failed revolution in Boxers. The rebellion has reflections of what Zoe Valdes described in Yocandra and the Paradise of Nada. In the beginning there were amazing speeches promising justice and righteousness. Like those rallies Yocandra’s parents went to where Che Guevera promised to restore peace and autonomy to the Cuban people, in Boxers, Bao promises “righteousness and harmony to the black-headed people (Yang 143).” Similarly, The Big Sword Society set out for justice and with good reason, but we see Bao’s battle with morality and how he slowly crosses the fine line between fighting for glory, “for China (Yang 312),” and for justice.
ReplyDeleteIt seems to me that the Boxer Rebels were justified up to a point. In the book, when the “brother disciples” of the Big Sword Society first start roaming the country, they rebel against injustice, such as when they saved Mei-Wen and her little sister from the soldiers. I believe they were justified when they started training the villagers to defend themselves. But at some point along the way, Bao sacrificed each edict of the Big Sword Society one by one. It’s hard to say when exactly this happened, but I think a clear sign that the cause was no longer just is when Bao kills the woman on page 229. From the 3 minute video, it sounds like the Boxer Rebels also got caught up in an “us against them,” mentality, where the original values they began fighting for get lost in only fighting anybody who represented the foreigners and their religion. At some point they lose the idea that some foreigners and Chinese-Christians might not want to cause the harm and injustice they’ve been experiencing.
Gene Luen Yang connects the dilemma of the “Chinese-Christians” to his “Asian-American” upbringing because they were seen as traitors by their own countrymen, yet still looked down on by the Westerners who taught them the religion. Gene says that he grew up with Eastern and Western traditions, and that there was a tension between the two. I think that this is what the second book, Saints is going to focus on. In Boxers, we see how the rebels fight against losing their culture, and in Saints I think Yang will emphasize the predicament of the Chinese who adopted Western Culture and Religion.
Gene Leun Yang tells the story of the revolution of the Boxers, people who are opposed to any religion that is not of ancient decent, like Buddhism and Confucianism. These people saw the others as outsiders and people who are embracing a foreign religion. I understand where they were coming from because, up until this point in time, their ancient religions were all the knew, and shaped their culture and customs at the time. When Christianity was adopted, they saw it as betrayal and initially had wanted to protect their ancient religions and fight for justice. They have the right to do that, so that is understandable and justified. However, just as Kayla said above, there was a turning point where the Big Sword Society lost sight of what they were fighting for and began breaking the edicts that they stood for. Some of the Chinese people who converted to Christianity were simply trying to fit in in a place and time where they were outcasts and didn't know where they belonged. They didn't seek violence, but the Boxers mistook them for people who turned their back on their own people to embrace the Western face, so it is understandable why they wanted to fight against them.
ReplyDeleteGene Luen Yang grew up in the Bay Area in a Chinese-American Catholic church. Although he did not grow up in China during the time of this revolution, there is always a struggle between maintaing and holding true to one's culture and heritage even though one is in a place that has a different culture and heritage. This is a theme that we also saw in Persepolis, especially when Marji travels to Austria, and back to Iran again. He can relate because he knows what it is like to try and hold on to his origins, even though he is in a place that is different. He does mention that in the church he grew up in, Catholic and Chinese intermingled and that often times the church was the place Chinese was spoken the most and the place the held all the Chinese events and celebrations, so it was a preservation of his culture.
Saints is going to be more similar to Persepolis, I think, in the fact that it will portray the struggles of an individual to fit in. It will follow the story of Chinese people who feel like outcasts and only want to embrace something they fit in to. Yang mentions he wanted to book to have a more humble and intimate feel as well, so violence and fighting may not be as prevalent, since it is seen a lot in Boxers.
Gene Luen Yang writes the story of the Boxer Rebellion that occurred in China from 1899 to 1901. In his story, he focuses on describing how normal townspeople are greatly incited by foreign powers, and how the Boxer Rebellion is progressed. However, in my opinion, the Boxer Rebellion cannot be judged as justified or unjustified action since, in the background of the rebellion, the both sides, foreigners and Chinese townspeople, have their own reason to fight against each other. First of all, Chinese townspeople's resistance against foreigners is understandable as foreigners were unreasonably despotic, oppressing and harassing without any logical reason. Therefore, those Chinese people saw those foreign powers as intruders, who must be defeated and deported from their motherland. However, on the other side, the rebellion somehow seems unjustified from the view of foreign missionaries. Because Chinese people have strong belief on their ancient religions and cultures, there might be some outcasts who desire to get away from the strict oriental beliefs. These people are the reason why missionaries came into China, but Boxers recognized them as traitors and intruders as they turned away from the ancient beliefs.Without any respect to each beliefs and differences between individuals, the rebellion seemed quite offensive.
ReplyDeleteYang connects his Asian-American upbringing with this graphic novel through the background when he was young. According to his interview, he revealed that he grew up in a Chinese-American Catholic Church in Bay Area, and witnessed the canonization of many Chinese saints. His distinct background related to Chinese-Christians and Chinese-American society is interpenetrated deep into his graphic novel, making him to begin writing The Boxer and Saints. Like the other main characters from previous books that we read during the class, Yang tried to express the struggle between two distinctively different and retaining cultures that he went through. So, based on his interview, in my opinion, the second volume of Yang's book, Saints, will be about the struggle of an ordinary Chinese while adopting Christianity through foreign missionaries.
In the graphic novel Boxers Gene Luen Yang talks about the Boxer Rebellion. Some people may argue that the war was not justified and others might say it is justified. I think that it depends on what your beliefs are and what position the people were at the time of the war. Even though the Chinese people belong to one nation and should identify themselves with one way of thinking, one religion or culture it all comes down to the situation they were in when the christians went in to convert people. Some people had strong beliefs about their culture and therefor stood up and felt the need to fight for what they believed in. On the other hand, there might of been people that did not feel strongly about their religion or thought it was easier and better to convert to Christians.
ReplyDeleteThe way that Gene feels about the novels and his own upbringing is that both sides of the story are right. There is no right or wrong. He is particularly a Christian Chinese but he understand and respects the Boxer Rebellion and that is why we are reading the book today. I feel that Gene tries to put himself in that position and realizes that back then he wouldn't know what to do or know what was the "right" thing to do.
In the Second novel Saints i think we are going to see the side of the story of the Christian converts and what they went through during this time. We will see the circumstances that took them to convert into christians and we will see that in their point of view what they did was the "right" thing to do.
Lluvia Macias
In his graphic novel Boxers, Gene Luen Yang tells the story of the rise and ultimate downfall of the Boxer rebels in the first of his two part series about the Boxer Rebellion. The situation surrounding the Boxers and their rebellion is not black and white, and it is too simplistic to conclude that they were either entirely justified or entirely unjustified in revolting against the foreigners. When Bao and his followers were traveling the countryside protecting the Chinese being persecuted and teaching them how to defend themselves, their actions are easily justifiable; Bao and his brothers are not the aggressors and are instead "heros" rushing in to save the common people. Their actions become more difficult to justify, however, when they begin to initiate attacks against the foreigners. Whereas before their violence could be classified as self defense, killing and entire city full of women and children certainly does not fall under that category. In their zeal to protect China, Bao and his brothers lose sight of the ethics that once made them "heros."
ReplyDeleteFrom Yang's interview, it is clear he feels a personal connection toward the "secondary devils," the Chinese Christians. The Chinese Christians were caught between two worlds, that of their Chinese traditional upbringing and their newfound western religion. As a Chinese-American, Yang also had the experience of growing up as a part of two conflicting cultures, in this case his Chinese heritage and American home. As we move on to Saints, which I think will be about the Chinese Christian converts side of the story, the text may feel more personal because of Yang's empathy toward the Christians' situation.
My initial thoughts on Gene Luen Yang’s graphic novel, Boxers was that it was a fun, entertaining read. This particular graphic novel is much more colorful and expressive with the images, unlike the previous graphic novel, Percepolis. But just because it is a vibrant, entertaining graphic novel doesn’t dimension the fact that the historical acts it illiterates is extremely hard to justify whether they demies right or wrong. When it comes down to justifying the Boxer Rebelling against the foreigners, and the foreign missionaries, I don’t want to cop out and say it depends which side you’re on but in a way it does, and I think Yang agrees, and that is why he didn’t want to combined the Boxers and Saints stories. In the interview Newsarama states that in regards to the point of view for the two books, and which one you decide to root for, “It’s really a no-win situation.” Yang then replies in saying that, that is why the two volumes are such different lengths, because it is not a “perfect match up.” I believe that both the Boxers and the Saints were standing up for what they believed was right. They both were fighting for a just cause of preserving their notion of what they thought was “right,” so in that case, again, it depends on what side you are on, and whether you decide to define the Boxers rebellion justified, and vice versa , in whether you find justification in the Saints fighting against the Boxers.
ReplyDeleteYang also finds it difficult to justify one or the other because of the Asian-American upbringing he experienced. Eastern and Western culture for him was combined, he grew up in a Chinese Catholic Church and religion and Christ was always talked about in Chinese. Yang’s Chinese pride and culture, being a Boxer was also mixed in with his faith in Christ, and standing up for the Lord, was him also being a Saint. Yang is very much like the box in which the two books come in, he is both, Boxer and Saint. Some predictions or questions that I had about the second book, Saints, before class today, because we discussed the second volume a little, was who was going to be the main character, the leader, the hero or the saint? A prediction that I had about the second graphic novel was that the Saints too are going to deem themselves righteous of their bloody acts, and find themselves in the right and the Boxers in the wrong.
I believe that the Boxer Rebels were justified in their fight against foreigners and foreign missionaries. Though it is extremely difficult to justify violence of any sort and especially violence of such degree wrought by the Boxer Rebels, I believe that priorities exist within one's moral's and values. The Boxer Rebels obviously felt as though they were granted the right and privilege of fighting for autonomy within their homeland, and it is difficult to argue against their beliefs. I believe that people are entitled to their respective opinions, as their values and morals may be completely different in culture and thought from one another.
ReplyDeleteYang connects his Asian-American upbringing with these graphic novels through his upbringing - both as a Chinese American and a Chinese Christian. These binaries are made distinct and set apart in both Boxers and Saints, yet Yang is the embodiment of both for both aspects. As such, Yang obviously faces difficulty in taking sides with either the Western world or the Chinese world, or the Christian world or the secular world.
I think Saints will obviously be a story told from the perspective of a Chinese Christian, and their explanation for their stances on life. Yang will present both sides of the war/argument presented here, and leave it up to the reader to identify with the side(s) they agree most with.
“Boxers” by Gene Yang provides readers with a visual, fictional account of the Boxer Rebellion. Although the storyline and characters are fictional, I think that his portrayal makes the rebellion a lot more relatable and easier to understand. The fact that the book follows the story of a young, teenage boy while depicting his actions and emotions provides readers with a better idea of what it was like to live in China during the time of the uprising. It also allows readers to sympathize with Bao and better understand his motives. Because of this, it is easier to understand the motives of the Boxers as a whole. I think that the Boxers were justified in their fight against foreigners and foreign missionaries because as the book depicts, they were doing everything for what they thought was the greater good of China. Their nationalistic views and the threat that the missionaries imposed on them and their families are what drove them to rid China of foreign influence. All of their interior motives stemmed from external threat and led to their desire to protect their country.
ReplyDeleteYang recounts the story of the rebellion from the perspectives of both the Boxers, the ones fighting to preserve Chinese tradition, and the Saints, those influenced by Western Catholicism. He is connecting his Asian-American upbringing with the novels by being impartial to both sides, showing that Chinese and Western beliefs can coexist. Yang wanted to trace back to the origin of his upbringing and show readers what the Chinese went through in order to reach this point. “Saints” will illustrate the perspective of the Chinese converts and show that their conversion was not a deliberate attempt to oppose tradition, but seen as a chance to better themselves when they felt as if they have reached a dead end with Chinese religion. Reading both volumes will give audiences an objective view point to both sides, a better understanding of what it was like to live in China during this time and a greater appreciation of what it is currently like to live as a Chinese American.
To every story there are three sides, one of which is the truth and the others which are based on each cause. Definitely that is the case with Boxers & Saints. Gene Yang attempts to do both justice by including both sides as he can recollect from records available and the research he was able to attain.
ReplyDeleteBoxers are definitely justified through their eyes and for their cause... Sometimes even accepting extremism as a form of advancing the efforts of the uprising and ensuring its success. In my opinion, there is this transitional period where justification seizes to exist. This line is crossed when there is an ironic flip in the actions Bao takes that parallels those of which he was first against. In example, one of the events that marks this transition are the idols he breaks of the Christian missionaries despite being angered by when they did that to him (an event that fueled his drive to become a Boxer).
Despite their organization being a non-peaceful one there is the internal conflicts present within Bao as a leader between his edicts and his obligations. When he burns the church with all the converts as well as the missionaries he abandons all his edicts and morality and relies rather on lies (that of which he know) to be able to commit such an act. The fact that he must rely on lies inplies that his obligations predisposed as a designated leader must mean doing what is best regardless of your own beliefs. He is a sense looking at a bigger picture to lead a successful uprising.
Yang then does essentially attempt to showcase that his upbringing as a Chinese American in his graphic novel. He is part of a group of converts (Christian raised) and this idea to abandon the Chinese culture that may have lead them to such choice due to the circumstances at hand. However, now Chinese Americans have lounged forward to retain Chinese culture in a country that is very hard to retain.. Where being American 'means more.' Essentially, he is showing the efforts made by people that felt that their traditional Chinese culture was valuable and essentially stopped the partitioning of China. Then Yanf tries to relate the Christians perspective and their fight for what they believed was right at the moment, much like the Boxers did.
Boxers definitely shows only the perspectives of them and only as little of the Christian converts. Saints is thus going to delve more into the reasoning behind the converts and a sight as to how they saw the Boxers.
The divide within China has been rocky since then until now.
Gene Yang’s Boxers represents a whimsical take on a historically significant event that occurred in China. Similar to Satrapi’s Persepolis, Boxers incorporates visual illustration in order to immerse the reader deeply within the text. I enjoyed the graphic novel because of the moral dilemma experienced by the main character Bao, in which he is constantly forced to choose between what is right (such as following his own edicts) or wrong (which includes obeying the spirit of the Emperor). The Boxer Rebels were ultimately justified in their battle against foreign influence. The rebels desired, much like most individuals, to have the freedom to defend their personal, cultural and/or religious beliefs. Although the uprising consisted of many gruesome battles, the rebels were fighting for a cause that they believed in; they were fighting to regain their country. In a sense, the rebellion represented an opportunity for the Chinese rebels to declare their independence from foreign control. Similar to how modern protests and rebellions demonstrate the need for change in society as well as for oppressed voices to be heard, the Boxer Uprising signified the strength and unity of the Chinese people when faced with a manipulative force.
ReplyDeleteAs Yang stated in his interview, his upbringing as an Asian-American greatly influenced his later works, including Boxers and Saints. Yang compares the struggles of the characters within the text to his own personal conflicts of identity. Yang particularly describes the cultural tension in which he experienced, of accommodating both Eastern and Western cultures while also not losing himself within the process. Boxers and Saints also focuses on the cultural tension between the Chinese rebels (traditionalists) and Chinese converts (Christians). In a sense, both sides are finding their own identity, whether it is retaining the traditional beliefs of China or accepting a foreign principle. Yang also experiences this struggle with holding on to his identity, in that he is ethnically Asian but practices a western faith.
Since the first volume of Yang’s work, Boxers, comes from the perspective of the Chinese rebels, I believe that the second volume, Saints, focuses mainly on the perspective of the ‘other’ side, the Chinese converts. Yang ultimately aims to parallel both sides of the revolution to show the decisions as well as moral justifications in which the Boxer rebels and Chinese Christians made in order to prevail.
The Boxer Rebels were justified in trying to protect their country from foreign imperialism. The way that Europeans forced their way into China was unethical—Instead of trading gold for products, opium was used for compensation and often the Chinese who traded with Europeans became opium addicts. Since there is little written history about the individual boxers, lack of primary documents makes it hard to know how their motives changed over time. As portrayed in Yang’s “Boxers”, the boxers initially sought freedom from the influence of the foreigners and simply wanted fair and just treatment. Their morality seems to fade though, as they resorted to such violence as a means to achieve their cause. Due to their belief systems and the natural disasters, the boxers may have thought that the flood and drought were signs to expel the European foreigners. Ultimately, whether the boxers were justified in their fight depends greatly on how various factors are weighed. If their uprising directly prevented Europeans from partitioning China, and that the division of China is considered negatively, then people may say that they were doing their patriotic duty. It is very hard to justify such violence against people, regardless of religion. While the boxers’ cause may have been justifiable, their actions raise concerns about the way they tried to reach their goal.
ReplyDeleteGene Yang grew up in California and was part of a Chinese-American Catholic Church. His family has Asian roots, but also has taken up a Western religion. His upbringing clearly is influenced by both the Eastern and Western traditions. As such, Yang probably has the best background to be able to write from both perspectives of the Boxer uprisings. As a person coming from seemingly opposing backgrounds, Yang is able to show the conflicts and nuances as two cultures collide. We’ve previously seen this concept in Sartrapi’s Persepoli when Marjane is alienated from both Western and Persian culture. Yang uses the Boxer uprising as a focal point in examining how Chinese culture and Christianity conflict, something he probably experienced while growing up. It’s interesting too how Yang shows that people out-casted from their native culture often explore other fringe cultures
I already read Saints, so I cannot really guess what it is about. Before reading it, I assumed it would be about the opposing perspective of the Boxer Rebellion. Without giving anything away, I found this side of the story to be quite interesting, since it adds even greater complexity to what we know from Bao’s story.
Julia Petersen
Gene Luen Yang’s Boxers is a historical fiction graphic novel that depicts events of the Boxer Rebellion in China during the 1800s. China during the time was being invaded by foreigners around the world like Germany, the United States, Japan and more. This invasion creates much conflict within the country between the natives and outsiders. I feel like the Boxer Rebels were justified in their fight against foreigners and foreign missionaries, even though they inflicted mass violence on the innocent. The foreigners invaded the homes of the rebels and forced a new religion onto the native Chinese. The Chinese deserve to be at peace in their home territory and should not be subject to imposition of foreign ideas and powers trying to gain power in China.
ReplyDeleteYang finds his interest in the Boxer Rebellion through his Asian-American upbringing. It was a big deal for Yang and his community when the Chinese Saints were canonized by Pope John Paul II in 2000 as it was the first time that ethnic Chinese were recognized by the church. Yang researches further into the saints and finds that they were actually seen as traitors to China because they had westernized their culture through practicing Christian/Catholic religion. This idea of the westernized Chinese saints paralleled Yang’s upbringing as an Asian-American - practicing both Eastern and Western traditions. From personal experience, Yang relates the Boxers to people who find peace in pop culture and the Saints to be people who are outcasted by society and find peace through foreign films and books like Japanese anime and manga.
Through reading Yang’s interview, I predict that Saints will depict the other side of the Boxer Rebellion. Saints will show how the Western missionaries came into China to convert the Chinese to Catholics/Christians. It will also explore how the Chinese converts personally viewed the violent Boxers throughout the war. From the front cover of the book, I expect Saints to follow the life of Vibana, the girl with the opera mask face that Little Bao sees in the beginning of Boxers. Vibana’s upbringing in Saints will most likely parallel Bao’s life in Boxers, up until the point where they meet for the second time.
Emily Dinh