Autobiography of Emperor K'ang-His Research Assignment (Essay Sample)

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6B Dis4
Introduction
Emperors rule Empires. An emperor is, therefore, a very influential person since he controls the affairs of several countries that fall within the empire. As expected, a good life comes with all these responsibilities. However, surprisingly, emperor’s faces several challenges in the course of their ruling, which at times lied to a life of misery contrary to what people think. Emperors enjoyed a fulfilling life as well. Anything they wished was granted to them. Those individuals who were very close to the Emperors were the only people who could give an accurate reflection of how good the Emperors lived their lives. Reading through an autobiography of an Emperor gives light to how they tackled issues in the course of their ruling as well as the enjoyment that came with this responsibility. However, not all is given out in such texts, as it was difficult to come out clean on one’s weakness. Consequently, having read Spence’s works of Emperor K’ang-His I have learned about his life, actions, worries as well as his practice of governing.
According to K’ang-His, the powers of the Emperor was to give life to people but then again kill the same people whenever necessary (Spence 29). Giving life to the people would mean several things. Among them being the provision of security, growing the economy of the Empire to uplift the leaving standards of the people and providing health services to the people. Taking away people’s lives entailed executing characters who did not conform to what the Emperor wanted. It is morally wrong to view lowly the life of another human being simply because you have the authority and can do as you please with him or her. Proper reasoning and respect for human life would have been the guiding factor in administering punishment to the wrongdoers in the Empire. The powers of the Emperor to are to sign pacts with other Empires and well-established kingdoms to enable the people to exchange goods and services without restrictions. It goes a long way in ensuring that the Empire relates well with its neighbors. The other power of the Emperor is to ensure the extension and advancement of the boundaries of the Empire though peaceful ways. The Emperor exercises this power only if he deems it fit and in line with the interests of the people. The Emperor must also exercise his powers in protecting the Empire against any invasion to ensure that the people live without fear of any attacks (Burbank, Jane and Frederick 57).
Autobiographies are important in the sense that they help us get to know the information about the life and times of a person. Quite often, we tend to have different information about a public figure. However, an autobiography serves to narrow down the different perspectives into specifics. Autobiographies are limited to some extent and as such, going though it cannot give a true revelation of who that person is. The things are inevitable in an autobiography include the struggles that the individual went through to get to where he/she is at present. The challenges that the person faced in the course of carrying out his duties and how he/she dealt with the challenges to still achieve his/her goals. Certain information remains hidden in an autobiography for reasons know to the author (Battershill 217). For example, a person will find it difficult to admit that he/she made a mistake in some instances in his/her life that led to consequence. Emperor K...