January 16,2014
I Pledge
H Block
Mongol Empire Journal Project
Journal Entry Number 1:
Dear journal,
My name is Marco Polo. I am an explorer from Venice, Italy hoping to find new land. The next expedition I will be going on is to the China. I hear China is beautiful country filled with so much culture to absorb. To learn more about the country I thought that it would me a marvelous idea to learn more about it before I embark on my Journey. The first person I talked to was my colleague Paolo, another Italian explorer from Venice who has just come back from China. Paolo's friend Han is a mongol. Their leader is Genghis Khan. Paolo says that meeting Genghis was a horrid and disturbing experience. Paolo says that he is a man who shows no mercy for any cause. Paolo says that Genghis' exact words were “Man’s greatest joy is in victory: to conquer one’s enemies, to pursue them, to deprive them of their possessions, to make their beloved weep, to ride on their horses, and to embrace their wives and daughters… ". When I heard this, it made me want to change my mind about exploring China.His words disgusted me. How can a man so evil be worshiped and be given the power to lead any group of people?
Talking to a few other explores from Venice made me dislike the Mongols even more. They all said that the mongols were bloodthirsty people who showed no mercy. The Mongols were a group of nomads who traveled by feet and by horse. They depended on their surroundings for food, clothes, and housing. When they ran out of supplies, they would go to a nearby settlement and demand supplies. If the people of that settlement did not give them what they wanted, they would them and kill every single person. After hearing all of this, all I could say was that the Mongols are murderers that strip people of their pride and force them into doing what they want. But after thinking about it for a while longer, I remembered how I believe that there is a little good in everyone, even in the most evil of people there is good inside them. This made me very curious so I decided to take off and go to China to see what the mongols are really like for myself.
- Marco Polo
Journal Entry Number 2:
Dear Journal,
I have just come back from my journey to China. I learned many things about China's people and their culture. I also learned a lot about the Mongols too. It turns out that the Mongols are not all bad. Though they are very brutal people, they have done many things to help China grow in many ways. One good thing that the mongols did was that the Mongols created the largest unified land empire in history. The Mongols also made trade between Europe and Asia more active than ever. Not only did they trade goods, but they traded ideas and were effected y the culture around them. Gunpowder began to become more accessible and rice production was increased. The Mongols also opened more foreign contacts to Asia. A few more things that the Mongols got from trading was the compass, paper currency, playing cards, and the invention of printing. This is great for China because they are becoming a more developed country. Rare items like silk and porcelain were also traded.
Seeing what all the mongols did made me want to join them, so I did. I served along side the Great Khan for 17 years and was inspired every moment by the experience. At first I thought that the Mongols were horrid people with no soul, but after being a part of them, I realized that sure, they like to be in control, but they have discovered so many new things to improve their own lives.
- Marco Polo
Journal Entry Number 3:
Dear Journal,
My name is Alexa. I am a historian who has been researching fact about the Mongols for many years. The Mongols is a difficult subject to study because of the different views on them. Some may say that they are evil, others might say that they were promoters of trade and culture. So why are there so many different views? Personally, I think that it is because that the Mongols were not just out for blood, but that they cared about expanding their knowledge of the land around them and developing a more advanced civilization. It could go both ways really. I would consider this a similar question that I might ask during a Sparta and Athens debate. The Spartans were bloodthirsty and only cared about war, but they gave their women more rights. However, Athens focused more on education and believed that it was not all about war, while giving their women barely any rights at all. It really just depends on what you think is more important: war or women's rights? Killing innocent people or being a promoter of trade and culture? It is just your opinion on what you find is the most important characteristic between the two groups or the Mongols.
- Alexa
Works Cited/ Bibliography:
- "Holt McDougal Online." Holt McDougal Online. N.p., n.d. Web. 14 Jan. 2014.
- "The Mongols in World History | Asia Topics in World History." The Mongols in World History | Asia Topics in World History. N.p., n.d. Web. 14 Jan. 2014.
- "Marco Polo in China (1271-1295)." Marco Polo in China (1271-1295). N.p., n.d. Web. 15 Jan. 2014.
- May, T.. N.p.. Web. 17 Jan 2014. <http://worldhistoryconnected.press.illinois.edu/5.2/may.html>.
Seeing what all the mongols did made me want to join them, so I did. I served along side the Great Khan for 17 years and was inspired every moment by the experience. At first I thought that the Mongols were horrid people with no soul, but after being a part of them, I realized that sure, they like to be in control, but they have discovered so many new things to improve their own lives.
- Marco Polo
Journal Entry Number 3:
Dear Journal,
My name is Alexa. I am a historian who has been researching fact about the Mongols for many years. The Mongols is a difficult subject to study because of the different views on them. Some may say that they are evil, others might say that they were promoters of trade and culture. So why are there so many different views? Personally, I think that it is because that the Mongols were not just out for blood, but that they cared about expanding their knowledge of the land around them and developing a more advanced civilization. It could go both ways really. I would consider this a similar question that I might ask during a Sparta and Athens debate. The Spartans were bloodthirsty and only cared about war, but they gave their women more rights. However, Athens focused more on education and believed that it was not all about war, while giving their women barely any rights at all. It really just depends on what you think is more important: war or women's rights? Killing innocent people or being a promoter of trade and culture? It is just your opinion on what you find is the most important characteristic between the two groups or the Mongols.
- Alexa
Works Cited/ Bibliography:
- "Holt McDougal Online." Holt McDougal Online. N.p., n.d. Web. 14 Jan. 2014.
- "The Mongols in World History | Asia Topics in World History." The Mongols in World History | Asia Topics in World History. N.p., n.d. Web. 14 Jan. 2014.
- "Marco Polo in China (1271-1295)." Marco Polo in China (1271-1295). N.p., n.d. Web. 15 Jan. 2014.
- May, T.. N.p.. Web. 17 Jan 2014. <http://worldhistoryconnected.press.illinois.edu/5.2/may.html>.
No comments:
Post a Comment