Straw dog
Encyclopedia
Straw dogs were used as ceremonial objects in ancient China. Chapter 5 of the Tao Te Ching
begins with the lines "Heaven and Earth are heartless / treating creatures like straw dogs". Su Ch'e comments "Heaven and Earth are not partial. They do not kill living things out of cruelty or give them birth out of kindness. We do the same when we make straw dogs to use in sacrifices. We dress them up and put them on the altar, but not because we love them. And when the ceremony is over, we throw them into the street, but not because we hate them."
Tao Te Ching
The Tao Te Ching, Dao De Jing, or Daodejing , also simply referred to as the Laozi, whose authorship has been attributed to Laozi, is a Chinese classic text...
begins with the lines "Heaven and Earth are heartless / treating creatures like straw dogs". Su Ch'e comments "Heaven and Earth are not partial. They do not kill living things out of cruelty or give them birth out of kindness. We do the same when we make straw dogs to use in sacrifices. We dress them up and put them on the altar, but not because we love them. And when the ceremony is over, we throw them into the street, but not because we hate them."
Popular culture
- The 1971 film Straw Dogs draws its title from the Tao Te Ching. In the 2011 film of the same nameStraw Dogs (2011 film)Straw Dogs is a 2011 American thriller film directed, produced, and written by Rod Lurie. It is a remake of Sam Peckinpah's 1971 film of the same name, itself based on the Gordon Williams novel The Siege of Trencher's Farm.-Plot:...
, the protagonist likens the town's men to straw dogs and explains analogy to the Chinese ceremonial objects. - The band Something CorporateSomething CorporateSomething Corporate is an American rock band from Orange County, California, formed in 1998. Their current line-up includes pianist and vocalist Andrew McMahon, guitarist Josh Partington, bassist Kevin Page and drummer Brian Ireland....
has a song titled "Straw Dog" on their 2002 album Leaving Through the WindowLeaving Through the WindowLeaving Through the Window is the major label debut album by rock band Something Corporate, released on May 7, 2002 by Drive-Thru Records and MCA. The album includes three songs from the band's 2001 EP Audioboxer , as well as re-recordings of three songs from their 2000 self-released album Ready.....
. - Professor John N. Gray's book of trenchant essays is titled Straw Dogs (John Gray, Straw Dogs: Thoughts on Humans and Other Animals, Granta Books 2002, ISBN 1862075123)Guided by Voices song 'strawdogs'