“The cause of the war is the kowtow—the arrogant and insupportable pretensions of China that she will hold commercial intercourse with the rest of mankind not upon terms of equal reciprocity, but upon the insulting and degrading forms of the relations between lord and vassal.”
—John Quincy Adams
The sixth American President John Quincy Adams thus characterized the source of the Sino-British conflict that led to the First Opium War. When asked what to make of Adams’ conclusion, the smart ChatGPT responds, “John Quincy Adams’ assertion that the cause of the Opium War was China’s insistence on the kowtow and unequal terms in commercial intercourse reflects a perspective prevalent among Western powers at the time. However, this perspective has been criticized for oversimplifying and misunderstanding the root causes of the conflict. Adams’ reference to the kowtow reflects a cultural misunderstanding. The kowtow was a traditional Chinese ritual of bowing deeply as a sign of respect. While it had diplomatic and symbolic significance, attributing the war solely to the kowtow oversimplifies the complex economic and political dynamics at play.”
Reading responses from the well-spoken AI, one cannot help but wonder: Is the AI’s reservation about the former American President’s dramatic appraisal of the Opium War correct? Was there really a cultural misunderstanding? What was the root causes of the conflict? Did Adams oversimply them? What are the other causes of the conflict and how do they relate to Adams’ famous provocation? Your midterm essay is an exercise to write with and against the AI. To do so, you are invited to follow two steps: 1) Form your own position in regard to John Quincy Adams’ conclusion as well as the AI’s appraisal of Adams’ characterization: do you agree, disagree, both agree and disagree, or neither agree nor disagree? 2) Utilize your course materials—textbooks, lectures and tutorial discussions—to analyze the complex factors that led to the First Opium War, reflect on the diverging positions and narratives of the war and its significance. Your essay should be between 3-4 single-spaced pages with proper citation according to the Chicago Manual of Style. When quoting the AI’s response, parenthetical citation (ChatGPT) will do.
hint： have a thesis against AI and Adams’ arguments. Don’t attempt a comprehensive gloss of the Opium War by repeating textbook information. You should decide on one or two aspects of the war to focus on, and this focus should be closely connected to or developed from the AI or Adams quotation. Secondly, your citation is problematic. You used indirect citations throughout the paper and I’m not sure they all make sense. Incorporate direct quotations so that you can engage with them in depth. Also, cut the repetition and vague generalizations in the paper. The entire paper doesn’t need to exceed 3 pages.
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