Confucius: The Essential Analects, Books 1-3

These Books are basically just little codes of conduct, written and devised by Confucius.

In the first Book, he really emphasizes filial conduct, which is basically respect for your elders,and being a good younger brother (I assume that it can also be meant as being a good younger sister). It also means being courteous, refined, respectful, restrained, and deferential (1.10) to everyone around you.

I think this is really good advice. Nowadays people (or at least teenagers, which is worse since that's not "respect for your elders") tend to be loud, insolent, exuberant, and very selfish/self-centered. I'm not saying that in a self-righteous way. I've noticed these things in myself too; everyone behaves like that. Yet the world would probably an much more pleasant and respectful place if everyone behaved like that (although hearing, "after you," "no, after you," "I insist, after you," "no, please, after you," might get old pretty quickly).Especially considering that this example was used when an official visited another state, which could prevent a lot of silly fights by not offending anyone (if you would like an example I suggest you read about President Evo Morales of Bolivia's relationships with the American ambassador of Bolivia).

Book Two also speaks about how behaving in a good manner can improve relationships between countries. At one point it talks about how people were asking why Confucius wasn't a government official, and he replied that being filial exerted an influence over others who worked for the government, so what need was there for him to join?

The Book Three talks about how it's useless to have rituals if you do them just for show, and it doesn't matter how elaborate they are, in fact, the simpler, the better (I'm assuming he's talking about religious rituals).

I also agree with this. There are many people who do things not because they mean them, but because they want people to think well of them for doing them, such as donating a large sum of money to a charity you couldn't care less about just to have it say on the news the next day "Senator X gave three billion dollars to the charity Vote For Me! yesterday. Isn't he kind? By the way, he's running for President." Or also movie stars' publicity stunts, such as adopting orphans from third world countries, so that they can look so kind and generous. These actions don't have any meaning behind them. Senator X isn't a better person because of what he did. His motivations were selfish (which refers to Book One). It is much better for Average Joe to give away a hundred hard-earned dollars to a charity because he genuinely feels that that charity is a worthy cause, than for Ronald Mump to givea million dollars of his five billion dollar inheritance to that very same charity because he wants people to like him. I believe that is what Confucius means.

Also, I wonder what the Odes are. Confucius says that "The Odes number several hundred, and yet can be judged with a single phrase, "Oh, they will not lead you astray." (2.2)

Who wrote them? What are they about?