Reading Response for The Analects of Confucius. Article Critique

Confucius’ Critical Analysis
Student’s Name:
Institutional Organization:
Date:
Confucius’ Critical Analysis
The Analects of Confucius is a collection of short passages presenting Confucius and his disciple’s words. The passages describe Confucius as an individual and some of the most important events of his life. The collection of books was developed by His followers after his death in 479 BCE. They were perceived to be incorrect by most scholars since they were quickly assembled and translated into English version which means Confucius’ brief sayings. Modern scholars view the texts having been assembled over more than three centuries and believe that only small portions of the text can be viewed or used as his views and words. In the same way Holy books recount the narratives and views of people, the Analects also present an evolving explanation and images of Confucius. It is imperative to critically analyze the Analects for better understanding of the Chinese Philosopher and Politician’s viewpoints and depictions of different scholars.
One of the indicators of the Analects’ flaws is their dates and structure. The recordings were done with ink and brush on thin bamboo strips. The bamboo strips were too small for collection of many analects since they could only collect two or three dozens of Chinese characters. The collection of Confucius’ ideas was therefore an uphill task and one that indicates that the ideas and images could have been distorted or destroyed before assembly into a single document. It was also difficult for the authors who collected the bamboo sticks over the years and therefore, the separation of the analects according to their contents could have given space for the collectors to change their meaning and the real images...