Final Paper on Records of the Grand Historian

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December14, 2020
Records of the Grand Historian
Xiang Yu presents a clear example of a tragic hero narrative. Through the story, we see how he rose from the chaoses that were present in the Qin dynasty, joining hands with Liu Bang, the founder of the Han dynasty. Through their collaboration, they brought down the Qin dynasty. As Sima Qian narrates, after the fall of the Qin dynasty, there was a turn of events such as the feast at Hong Kong gate and the suicide of Xiang Yu.
The happenings or events unravel when Liu Bang entered the fallen Qin dynasty's capital and seized it. After conquering the dynasty, he ordered his men not to hurt anybody or plunder anything in the capital. Instead, he sealed up all the stores containing treasures and also abolished the harsh laws that were imposed by the leaders. While Liu Bang advocated for a peaceful means to occupy the dynasty, Xiang Yu, on the other hand, led his army westward and killed Ziying, the king of Qin. In his endeavors, he massacred people and set up fires across the west. Xiang Yu also took all the treasures present.
Through the text narrates, we can see how Xiang Yu rose to power, his cunning traits, and merciless executions against those who opposed his rule. He executed the general of the Chu army, which led to many challenges. Xiang Yu also sent a message to the king of Han, stating that the world was in strife and confusion for several years, and it was solely because of the two. In the message, he invited the king of Han to personal combat to decide who is better than the other. As he continued, he suggested that there was no need for more suffering to the fathers and sons of other parts of the world (Qian 65.) The king of Han resorted to fighting a psychological war with Xiang Yu because he could not match him in strength.
After the successful invasion, Xiang Yu made individual choices that led to his downfall. First, he failed to compensate his military personnel. This caused many soldiers to leave him and join other armies. Xiang Yu realized that he was deserted when he realized that he was surrounded and heard Chu songs' chants. He was attacked and wounded, which led to his capture. Before his death, he spoke to Wang Yi and told him that he heard that the Han had offered a reward of 1000 catties of gold and a fief of 10000 households for his head. He added that he would do Wang Yi a favor by drawing his sword. True to his word, he drew his sword and slew his own throat and died, rendering the Chu army surrender to the Han and the fall of his reign (Qian 73).
Sima Qian describes the annals and depicts Xiang Yu as a greedy person for power despite the cost (Qian 74). Liu Band was advocating for a united kingdom that would bring equality. Xiang Yu's pride and greed for power led to his downfall and eventual suicide since most people did not trust him. In order to help recreate the history of this specific historical point, the author points out the rise of Xiang Yu through the conquering of the Qin dynasty. Siam shows us the arrogance that crowded Xiang Yu, leading to breaking the alliance that he had with other armies and people such as Liu Bang. In this way, his power and military ability grew weak each day. Xiang Yu's sol...