In the 6th century B.C.E., Kongfuzi (Confucius) taught that children should practice filial piety, or respect for one's parents and elders. Today many Asian societies practice filial piety. A son shows devotion to his parents while they are living, takes care of them in their old age, and performs necessary rituals for them after they have died and become his ancestors. His devotion might be expressed in excelling in school, or achieving accomplishments that bring honor to the family. A daughter will join her husband's family after she marries so her obedience is to her in-laws, particularly to her mother-in-law. Her biggest responsibility is to give birth to a son who can carry on the family traditions.

You will be assigned topics that reflect how individuals in Korea or Taiwan practice the idea of filial piety in their families. Assuming the point of view of a person from one of these two cultures, write a short biography of your grandparent, describing your own culture's perspective of what it means to be filial. You will need to research the human interactions and the obligations the culture places on an individual.

Look at the photograph below. Answer the following questions on a separate sheet of paper.

Korean mourners (women in white cotton, men in hemp cloth).

• What familial duty are these individuals performing?
• Why might men and women wear different clothing when in mourning?
• What might be a connection between elder respect and ancestor worship?

Use the World Cultures Today articles listed below to research the ways people of these cultures practice filial piety. Some issues to address in your biography are gender, education, whether you live in a city or a farming village, festivals, and family ceremonies. Remember that your letter will need to contain at least two specific details drawn from your readings for each of these issues.

Use the Concept Map to organize your information. Write Ways to be Filial in the center oval. In the surrounding ovals write the details of examples of people showing respect for their elders.

Write your biography. Remember that your writing should reflect the perspective of a person from this culture. The details you include should be illustrations of how you are honoring your grandparent and what they have done in their lifetime to be respectful of their parents and ancestors.

Your teacher will use these questions to assess your writing:

• Did you effectively convey the perspective of a young person from your selected culture by including specific facts and details?
• Did you make strong connections between the details you included and the culture’s perspective on filial piety?
• Did you examine your culture using clear and precise language?