- Choose one or two passages from The Analects, The Mencius, or The Xunzi that you find interesting and/or confusing. Quote a brief sentence or two in your response and share what you think about it, or share some questions you have about the passage.
- Contrast the writing styles of The Analects, The Mencius, The Great Learning, or The Xunzi. What do these differing styles potentially tell us about the history of their compilation? Quote a brief sentence or two in your response.
- The early Confucians based their principled arguments on longstanding classical sources. Where do you see The Classic of Documents, The Classic of Odes, The Zuo Commentary, etc. in your readings this week? How do the Confucians (and/or their opponents) use those texts in their arguments? Quote a brief sentence or two in your response.
- How did astronomy relate to history in the period under study? Quote a brief sentence or two in your response.
- Select a poem from the Book of Odes and analyze its contents. Make sure you share the poem in your response.
**Remember to also write 1–2 sentences in response to one of your classmates!
