What is a tyrant?

Tyrants tend to burn things, bury people, imprison whole populations...
Tyrants tend to burn things, bury people, imprison whole populations…

QinshihuangBW

 

 

Words for Describing Tyranny    
Nouns

despot

dictator

tyrant

despotism

dictatorship

torture

conquest

injustice

inequality

takeover

coup d’état

Adjectives

dictatorial

despotic

oppressive

cruel

harsh

vicious

merciless

exploitative

abusive

inhumane

Verbs

to dictate

to oppress

to suppress

to exploit

to conquer

to punish

to torture

to rule harshly 

to persecute

to crush

to intimidate

to seize

to mistreat

 

Phrases

ruling with an iron fist

iron rule

no rule of law

 

Sometimes I think that history is largely the story of tyrants and the ordinary people who try to overcome them or live in spite of them.

It seems that in every age and every place, at least since we’ve been living in so-called civilizations and not roaming as hunter-gatherers, some people have developed a desire for power that makes them forget their humanity. Their drive to seize absolute control of others’ lives leads them to commit horrific and heartless acts of cruelty. They oppress their own people and usually the peoples that they conquer. The pain these tyrants inflict is never forgotten. 

The famous historian, Sima Qian, said of Qin Shi Huang, the tyrant who united China and in the process terrorized its people:

Qin is a man of scant mercy who has the heart of a wolf.

If the Qin should ever get his way with the world, then the whole world will end up his prisoner.

Your task today is to find out about the life and actions of Qin Shi Huang. Which actions of his would you characterise as tyrannical? In other words, which actions were inhumane, oppressive, cruel and merciless? Use the links below or others.

♥ Write your notes on a new page in your workbook.

♣ Do not stop until your page is filled or you shall feel the pain of my displeasure.

◊ Gosh, I’m beginning to sound like a tyrant myself!

Kind regards from Ms Green

http://asianhistory.about.com/od/profilesofasianleaders/p/qinshihungbio.htm

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-19922863

http://www.time.com/time/specials/packages/article/0,28804,2046285_2045996_2046111,00.html

http://www.socialstudiesforkids.com/articles/worldhistory/chinafirstemperor.htm

Danny’s description of a tyrant (2014):

A tyrant is a ruler who takes control of the land and uses it for his own advantage and benefit. Tyrants are also very cruel to others and punish people harshly. They do not obey the rule of law and they do whatever they desire. People think of tyrants as cruel, merciless, ruthless and abusive.

Three Philosophies of Life

The people of ancient China were inventive both physically and mentally. Today you will be learning about their ideas.

Divide a double page of your workbook into three columns. Write “Taoism”, “Buddhism” and “Confucianism” at the top of your columns. Then answer the questions under each topic, using dot points, sentences, symbols and pictures.

Set out your page like this:Three Philosophies of Life
Taoism Buddhism Confucianism

 

 

 

Roslyn digital from creekEventually I will ask you to express your own opinions about each philosophy. That’s why, as you read about each one, I would like you to ask yourself:

“Is this what I think?”

or

“To what extent do I agree with this?”

You might even react like this:

“I’ve never thought about that before, but now that I’ve read about it, it makes sense.”

Ultimately you will be thinking about your own philosophy of life, which might well borrow elements from all three of the philosophies below.

Yin and YangT a o i s m

http://www.historyforkids.org/learn/china/philosophy/taoism.htm
http://www.uri.org/kids/other_taoi.htm

  • What does the word “Tao” mean?
  • Who is thought to be the founder of this philosophy?
  • What do Taoists believe?
  • Draw a picture of Taoism’s famous symbol. What Taoist ideas does it express and represent?
buddha-in-the-sky-123201297733053DXD
Buddha In The Sky by Maita Ru

B u d d h i s m 

http://www.uri.org/kids/world_budd_basi.htm

♦ https://blog.oup.com/2015/09/10-facts-about-buddhism/

  • Use symbols and pictures to tell the story of Siddhartha Gautama and his path to enlightenment.
  • Then present the three universal truths and the four noble truths that he identified during his deep meditation period. Use a symbol or picture to illustrate or represent each one.

 

C  o  n  f  u  c  i  a  n  i  s  m

http://www.philosophyslam.org/confucius.html

http://www.china-family-adventure.com/who-was-confucius.html

  • Select 2 quotations from this site, write them down and then explain them in your own words. Give an example of how they might apply either to you or to the modern world.
  • List and explain the main ideas in the moral code of Confucius. Use a symbol or picture for each one.