Revise essay. east asia and gender essay

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 E X C E R P T S 
 F R O M 
 I N S T R U C T I O N S 
 T O 
 M Y 
 D A U G H T E R 


By
Song
Siyŏl
 
 
 
 Introduction
 
 Song
Siyŏl
(1607‐1689)
was
a
prominent
scholar
and
official.
This
piece
was
written
for
his
oldest
daughter
on
the
 occasion
of
her
marriage
and
subsequently
became
an
important
tutelary
text
that
circulated
among
elite
families.
 By
the
time
this
text
was
written,
the
patterns
of
patrilocal
residence
and
patrilineal
descent
advocated
by
Neo‐ Confucian
reformers
early
in
the
Chosŏn
dynasty
had
become
well
established.
 
 
 
 Document
Excerpt
with
Questions
(Longer
selection
follows
this
section)
 From
 Sources
 of
 Korean
 Tradition,
 edited
 by
 Yŏng‐ho
 Ch’oe,
 Peter
 H.
 Lee,
 and
 Wm.
 Theodore
 de
 Bary,
 vol.
 2
 (New
 York:
 Columbia
University
Press,
2000),
49‐52.
©
2000
Columbia
University
Press.
Reproduced
with
the
permission
of
the
publisher.
 All
rights
reserved.



 


Excerpts
from
Instructions
to
My
Daughter
 By
Song
Siyŏl



 How
to
Serve
Your
Husband


A
woman’s
hundred‑year
hopes
and
aspirations
rest
with
her
husband.
Serving
your
 husband
lies
in
not
going
against
his
wishes.
Respect
and
support
his
wishes
completely,
not
 going
against
even
one
word
or
decision
except
on
those
occasions
when
he
is
about
to
make
a
 completely
unacceptable
mistake.
…



 [Translated
by
JaHyun
Kim
Haboush]



 


Question:

 


1. For
 the
 daughter
 and
 for
 Song
 himself,
 what
 might
 be
 at
 stake
 in
 her
 successful
adherence
to
these
precepts?


Primary
Source
Document
with
Questions
(DBQs)
on
 EXCERPTS
FROM
INSTRUCTIONS
TO
MY
DAUGHTER,
BY
SONG
SIYŎL



 
 


Asia
for
Educators
l
Columbia
University
l
http://afe.easia.columbia.edu
 Page
2
of
4


Longer
Selection
 From
 Sources
 of
 Korean
 Tradition,
 edited
 by
 Yŏng‐ho
 Ch’oe,
 Peter
 H.
 Lee,
 and
 Wm.
 Theodore
 de
 Bary,
 vol.
 2
 (New
 York:
 Columbia
University
Press,
2000),
49‐52.
©
2000
Columbia
University
Press.
Reproduced
with
the
permission
of
the
publisher.
 All
rights
reserved.



 


Excerpts
from
Instructions
to
My
Daughter
 By
Song
Siyŏl



 How
to
Serve
Your
Husband


A
woman’s
hundred‑year
hopes
and
aspirations
rest
with
her
husband.
Serving
your
 husband
lies
in
not
going
against
his
wishes.
Respect
and
support
his
wishes
completely,
not
 going
against
even
one
word
or
decision
except
on
those
occasions
when
he
is
about
to
make
a
 completely
unacceptable
mistake.
Not
being
jealous
is
the
first
thing
in
serving
one’s
husband.
 Even
if
he
acquires
a
hundred
concubines,
accept
them
with
equanimity.
No
matter
how
much
 he
loves
a
concubine,
do
not
get
angry
with
him;
instead
show
him
more
respect.
Your
husband
 is
a
serious
scholar
and
will
not
indulge
in
women.
Nor
are
you
the
type
of
woman
who
will
be
 jealous.
 However,
 I
 am
 still
 warning
 you
 of
 the
 danger.
 Not
 only
 should
 you
 pay
 heed
 but
 when
you
have
daughters,
instruct
them
also
on
this
matter.
Many
families
have
been
ruined
by
 women’s
jealousy.
Jealousy
nullifies
all
other
beautiful
conduct.
Despite
intimacy,
husband
and
 wife
should
always
be
respectful
of
each
other.
Speaking
of
all
other
matters
of
daily
life,
you
 should
not
be
too
loose,
and
you
should
treat
him
as
a
respected
guest.
Then
your
husband
will
 treat
you
with
respect
in
return.
Please
pay
heed
to
this.





How
to
Instruct
Children


It
is
said
that
mothers
instruct
daughters
and
fathers
sons,
but
sons
are
also
taught
by
 mothers
before
they
learn
to
read.
Teach
them
not
to
lie;
do
not
urge
them
to
study
too
often,
 but
only
three
times
a
day.
Forbid
them
to
engage
in
silly
games
and
do
not
let
them
lie
down
in
 view
of
other
people.
Have
them
wash
early
in
the
morning,
and
if
they
say
that
they
promised
 something
to
their
friends,
make
certain
that
they
carry
out
promises
so
that
they
will
not
betray
 the
trust
of
others.
Prevent
them
from
associating
with
unseemly
groups
and
make
them
attend
 the
 family
 ancestral
 rites.
 In
 his
 conduct,
 a
 son
 should
 model
 himself
 after
 the
 worthies
 of
 previous
generations.
After
his
fifteenth
year,
let
your
husband
take
over
his
instruction.
If
you
 take
care,
he
will
naturally
grow
up
to
be
a
proper
and
good‑hearted
scholar.



 If
you
do
not
teach
him
when
he
is
young
and
you
begin
late,
it
will
be
impossible
to
 teach
him.
Early
instruction
will
lead
to
the
preservation
of
the
family
and
will
spare
dishonor
 to
oneself.
This
is
really
up
to
the
mother,
so
do
not
blame
the
father.
In
pregnancy,
you
should
 not
eat
unclean
food
or
lie
down
on
crooked
bedding.
If
you
always
maintain
proper
conduct,
 the
child
will
naturally
be
well
behaved.
Children
take
after
their
mother
in
many
ways:
they
 are
in
the
mother’s
womb
for
ten
months,
and
before
thirteen
years
of
age,
they
are
taught
by


Primary
Source
Document
with
Questions
(DBQs)
on
 EXCERPTS
FROM
INSTRUCTIONS
TO
MY
DAUGHTER,
BY
SONG
SIYŎL



 
 


Asia
for
Educators
l
Columbia
University
l
http://afe.easia.columbia.edu
 Page
3
of
4


their
mother.
If
you
do
not
instruct
them,
children
will
not
become
good.
It
is
the
same
with
 teaching
daughters.
Making
it
too
easy
for
your
sons
and
daughters
for
fear
that
might
get
ill,
or
 being
concerned
only
with
their
comfort,
amounts
to
nothing
less
than
cheating
them.
Instruct
 them
well.





How
to
Be
Careful
in
Your
Words


There
is
a
saying
that
a
bride
spends
three
years
as
if
blind,
three
years
as
if
deaf,
and
 three
years
as
if
dumb.
What
this
means
is
that
you
do
not
speak
when
you
see
things
or
hear
 things
and
speak
only
when
it
is
absolutely
necessary.
It
is
best
to
be
careful
in
your
words.
If
 you
are
not
careful,
disputes
and
fights
will
ensue
even
when
you
are
right,
not
to
mention
 when
you
are
wrong.
If
you
speak
of
the
faults
of
other
people,
it
will
cause
resentment,
and
 fights
and
curses
will
follow.
Your
parents‑in‑law
and
other
relatives
will
regard
you
as
a
beast;
 slaves
and
neighbors
will
look
at
you
with
disdain.
With
my
own
tongue
I
am
harming
my
own
 body.
 There
 is
 nothing
 more
 pitiable
 and
 pathetic.
 In
 all
 hundred
 matters
 of
 conduct,
 being
 careful
with
words
comes
first.
Please
pay
heed
so
that
you
will
have
nothing
to
regret
on
this
 score.





How
to
Look
After
Property


While
property
is
limited,
spending
can
be
limitless.
If
you
spend
with
no
regard
[to
the
 consequences],
 you
 will
 have
 no
 money
 to
 marry
 children
 off,
 and
 they
 will
 become
 commoners.
Is
this
not
a
fearful
thing?
Even
the
emperor
will
bring
ruin
to
his
country
if
he
 does
not
regulate
his
spending.
If
an
ordinary
family
does
not
economize,
where
will
the
money
 come
 from?
 In
 times
 of
 good
 or
 bad
 harvest,
 one
 must
 estimate
 the
 total
 yields
 against
 the
 number
of
ancestral
sacrifices
and
the
number
of
family
members.
Though
one
should
perform
 the
sacrifices
with
sincerity,
do
not
prepare
excessively
or
waste
things.
Do
not
spend
too
much
 on
luxurious
clothes
or
food.
On
those
occasions
when
you
must
spend,
do
not
be
abstemious
 but
 spend
 nothing
 on
 unnecessary
 things.
 If
 you
 adjust
 expenses
 on
 food
 and
 clothing
 according
 to
 your
 financial
 situation,
 and
 if
 you
 incur
 no
 foolish
 expenses,
 you
 will
 have
 enough.
If
there
is
any
left
over,
then
you
can
use
it
for
medicine
when
someone
gets
ill
or
to
 pay
for
other
emergencies.
If
there
is
no
need
for
that,
then

uy
rice
fields
and
vegetable
fields
to
 leave
to
your
children.
In
managing
a
household,
there
is
no
better
way
than
frugal
spending.





Other
Essential
Advice


When
you
are
deciding
on
your
child’s
marriage,
be
sure
to
look
into
the
moral
behavior
of
his
 or
 her
 prospective
 in‑laws,
 but
 not
 their
 wealth.
 This
 is
 an
 important
 affair
 in
 life,
 and
 everything
concerning
the
bride
or
groom
should
be
investigated.
But
you
should
leave
things
 to
your
husband,
and
if
you
are
not
informed
of
certain
matters,
do
not
pretend
that
you
are,
 making
decisions
on
the
basis
of
superficial
knowledge.
If
you
get
a
daughter‑in‑law
from
a


Primary
Source
Document
with
Questions
(DBQs)
on
 EXCERPTS
FROM
INSTRUCTIONS
TO
MY
DAUGHTER,
BY
SONG
SIYŎL



 
 


Asia
for
Educators
l
Columbia
University
l
http://afe.easia.columbia.edu
 Page
4
of
4


family
a
little
less
well
off
than
you,
then
she
will
be
careful.
If
you
send
your
daughter
to
a
 family
a
little
better
off
than
you,
then
she
will
be
careful.



 There
are
no
virtues
greater
than
loyalty,
generosity,
and
kindness.
 If
you
happen
to
 become
involved
in
matters
of
great
consequence,
be
as
firm
and
precise
as
a
sharp
knife
in
 executing
your
decision.
Do
not
listen
to
others
but
rely
on
your
own
judgment.



 It
is
best
not
to
demean
yourself.
The
ancients
did
not
demean
themselves
when
they
 met
 great
 predicaments.
 Why
 should
 one
 demean
 oneself
 over
 small
 matters?
 Seeking
 something
from
others
when
there
is
no
need,
accepting
food
under
undesirable
circumstances,
 or,
 urged
 by
 someone
 else,
 doing
 something
 against
 your
 will
 —
 all
 can
 be
 constituted
 as
 demeaning.
Please
take
it
to
your
heart
to
live
courageously
and
with
principle.



 [Translated
by
JaHyun
Kim
Haboush]



 


Questions:

 


1. For
 the
 daughter
 and
 for
 Song
 himself,
 what
 might
 be
 at
 stake
 in
 her
 successful
adherence
to
these
precepts?


2. What
 sorts
 of
 behaviors
 in
 marriage
 does
 Song
 recommend
 to
 his
 daughter?
What
does
he
admonish
her
against?
What
is
the
portrait
of
an
 ideal
wife
that
emerges?


3. Song’s
 advice
 is
 also
 littered
 with
 “exceptions.”
 Under
 what
 sorts
 of
 circumstances
do
these
appear,
and
what
significance
to
they
lend
to
the
 overall
portrait
of
ideal
female
conduct
that
emerges?