Straw dog
Straw dogs (simplified Chinese: 刍狗; traditional Chinese: 芻狗; pinyin: chú gǒu) 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 Zhe's commentary on this verse explains: "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."[1]
Popular culture
- The 1971 film Straw Dogs draws its title from the Tao Te Ching. In the 2011 film of the same name, the protagonist likens the town's men to straw dogs and explains the analogy to the Chinese ceremonial objects.
- The band Something Corporate has a song titled "Straw Dog" on their 2002 album Leaving Through the Window. It includes the line "Hey, now, the straw dog's out in the street."
- 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 1-86207-512-3)
- Guided by Voices song "Strawdogs"
References
- ^ Pine, Red (1996). Lao-tzu's Taoteching. San Francisco: Mercury House. ISBN 1-56279-085-4.
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