A Comparative Study of Chinese and Greek Classical Heroic Views on the Dimension of Cultural Values

Ge Zhen

【Abstract】Mainly under the framework of value dimensions， a comparative study of the heroic views in the ancient Greek myth epic “Odyssey” and Chinese supernatural novel of Ming Dynasty “Journey to the West” is conducted from five aspects individualism and collectivism， power distance， uncertainty avoidance， masculinity and femininity as well as the long-term and short-term orientation.

【Key words】heroic views； value dimensions； culture； similarities and differences

【作者簡介】葛震（2000.9.15- ），男，湖北省武昌实验中学高三（4）班学生。

1. Introduction

As two literary classics of the eastern and western ethics， the ancient Greek myth epic “Odyssey” and the Ming Dynasty novel “Journey to the West” left numerous stories to future generations. The relative theories and works on them are enormous. The rich ideological content and cultural connotations contained in the two famous works provide us with an encyclopedic guide for future generations to have a glimpse of the society， culture， and local customs of their times. （Tang 2013） Therefore， this paper tries to compare two typical heroes Odyssey and Sun Wukong in two works， to have a further exploration on the cultural differences behind.

2. The embodiment of different heroic views in value dimension

Hofstede （1991） proposed the use of the national cultural dimension model to explain the impact of different cultural backgrounds on employee values， namely individualism and collectivism， uncertainty avoidance， power distance， masculinity and femininity and long-term and short-term orientation. He （2001） points out that all cultural differences can be traced back to one or more of these basic dimensions. Therefore， this article tries to analyze the different origins of the heroic images formed in two works under the framework of Hofstedes theory.

2.1 Individualism and collectivism

In Hofstedes five-dimensional cultural theory， individualism and collectivism refers to how individuals perceive their relationship with others as well as the society， namely， it is more concerned about personal interests or collective interests. Andersen and his colleagues （2008） define the traits of individualism and collectivism continuum：collectivistic cultures emphasize community， collaboration， shared interest， harmony， tradition， the public good， and maintaining face. Individualistic cultures emphasize personal rights and responsibilities， privacy， voicing ones own opinion， freedom， innovation， and self-expression.

According to the “Odyssey”， we can see that the ancient Greeks pay great attention to the development of the individuals， the pursuit of personal honor and the realization of personal values. Everything is man-centered， man is the scale of all things. Ancient Greek hero with adventurous spirit pay attention to freedom and independence， which reflects the Western classical culture of individualism and humanistic cultural values. When Odysseus returned to Poseidon， who had just returned from Ethiopia on his way to return， Poseidon furiously tried to set Odysseus to death. Odysseus first thought obscure at sea Death is really a sad， “I should also be killed in the Trojan， so that Aokai Si people will be my funeral， pass down my name” （Homer 2012）. “Journey to the West”， Sun Wukong pursuit of Confucian ethical values “self-cultivation， family harmony， country management and world peace.” They have a strong sense of social responsibility and mission， to solve problems for other people as their own responsibility. They are justice and serve the country through the realization of the ideal of social groups to achieve personal value. Sun Wukong accused the princess， "treasure like you are ungrateful， cover father come with me； so filial piety， all good in this， but how will the body with the demon and do not miss their parents？“ After they extinguished the the king and ruler， Sun Wukong told the king， ” thanks， I hope you will combine three religions together and also nurture talent， I will protect you from the territory.” （ Wu 2009）

2.2 Uncertainty avoidance

Hofstede （2001） defines the extent to which people within a culture are made nervous by situations which they perceive as unstructured， unclear， or unpredictable， situations which they therefore try to avoid by maintaining strict codes of behavior and a belief in a absolute truths. High-uncertainty avoidance cultures try to avoid uncertainty and ambiguity by providing stability for their members through established， formal social protocols， intolerance of deviant ideas and behaviors， emphasizing consensus， and resistance to change. While low-uncertainty avoidance culture more easily accept the uncertainty inherent in life， tend to be tolerant of the unusual， and are not as threatened b different ideas and people.

Chinese traditional values belong to a culture of high uncertainty avoidance， while ancient Greece belongs to a culture with lower uncertainty avoidance. In the journey to the west， Sun Wukongs behavior is always constrained by his master， and his master provides Sun Wukong with a model of life. Sun Wukong knows what to do and what not. They show mercy to others all the way， never indiscriminately. In the Odyssey， Odysseuss adventure was controlled by himself， without other external constraints. He plays his own subjective initiative， resourceful coping with all kinds of setbacks and difficulties. But Odysseus and others on the way after Ismaros City， they shamelessly ransacked the city， looted and massacred the inhabitants， plundering the wealth as a legitimate means.

2.3 Power distance

Power distance classifies cultures on a continuum of high and low-power distance. Hofstede （2012） summarizes the concept of power distance in the following manner：power distance as a characteristic of a culture defines the extant to which the less powerful person in society accepts inequality in power and considers it as normal. The premise of the dimension deals with the extent to which a society prefers that power in relationships， institutions， and organizations be distributed equally or unequally.

China is a typical high power distance culture， while ancient Greece belongs to a low power distance culture. In"Journey to the West"， Sun Wukong is awed by both the master and Avalokiteshvara. Although he is mischievous， he will always follow the rules of his master. In the Odyssey， Odysseus did not fear much of the gods and enjoy showing his personal charm.

2.4 Masculinity and femininity

Hofstede （2012） uses the words masculinity and femininity to refer to the degree to which masculine or feminine traits are valued and revealed. His rationale， and one that is supported by most anthropologists， psychologists， and political scientists， is that many masculine and feminine behaviors are learned and mediated by cultural norms and traditions.

Both ancient Greece and China belong to masculinity culture. Whether it is “Journey to the West” or “Odyssey”， the emergence of women is just to highlight the heros personal image and charm. It seems women always associate with beautiful monsters and regarded as Helen of Troy. However， there are also some difference between them. In “Odyssey”， women seem to play a more significant role in society than in “Journey to the West.”

2.5 Long-term and short-term orientation

According to Hofstede（2012）， cultures that rank high on long-term orientation would likely have employees who reflect a strong work ethic and show great respect for statues differences. While those cultures that rank low on the long-term orientation index often do nor place a high priority on status， try to postpone old age， are concerned with short term results， and seek quick gratification of their requirements.

By comparison， China belongs to typical long-term oriented culture， while ancient Greece belongs to a culture of short-term orientation. “Journey to the west”， Sun Wukong et al go on a pilgrimage for the Buddhist Scriptures， serving for the benefit of future generations. For the long-term goal， they overcome tremendous difficulties， and ultimately get scriptures to realize their value. In the Odyssey， Odysseuss adventure is short-term， individualistic goal of returning home and reuniting with his wife. Through to reunite with their loved ones， he eventually achieve his value for the happiness of a family union.

3. Conclusion

In conclusion， Odysseus in the Odyssey provides people with the example and paradigm of ideal heroic behavior， the requirement for people to survive in a particular period. “Journey to the West” by establishing the image of the heroes of the Sun Wukong hopes to set an example for those who were disorientated， to improve materialistic world.

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