Ji-li's Uncle Tian and her mother wrote a letter to the Municipal Party Committee. The letter is in their home, and they plan on sending it anonymously. They find out that their house is suddenly being searched because their father is proven to be a landlord. Ji-li hides the letter in her cat's litter box, but the searchers find it. Her mother is forced to register as a landlord's wife, her grandmother has to register at the Neighborhood Dictatorship, and Ji-li is told there is no longer any hope of her being an educable child. At the end, Ji-li wonders if life is still worth living.
I thought the letter sounded like a bad idea in the first place, but was still scared for them whenever the house was searched. The Red Guards, and government in general took such drastic unneccessary measures. It was pretty ridiculous. You would think that the Red Guards, or anyone involved really would stop and think about how the Cultural Revolution was making everyone miserable. I do not see how a leader could think having a nation full of hostile bitter people would be a good idea, or even how they would not stop and change some things to boost morale.
Ji-li watches her grandmother sweep the street. Her mother asked her to make sure her brother and sister are safe if anything happens to them. Ji-li realizes family is the most important thing, not what other people thought about her or her beliefs. She realizes it was ridiculous of her to ever hate her family for the things that were in the past and they could not change. She also realizes that her life should not be defined by goals, but by her responsibilities and her promise to take care of her family.
I was happy that she finally realized all of these things. Her life was miserable, and so was her familys. There is no way they could have made in through those times without eachother's help and support.
In the Epilogue, I thought it was interesting to read about how they all loved and believed in Mao Zedong, until he was dead. It is terrible that it took their country so long to realize that all of the things they were being told were actually brain washing them. It is depressing that it took until it was all over for them to understand how corrupt everything was. I felt really bad when I read about the Revolution causing her to lose her childhood, but it was apparent in the throughout the novel also. I was glad to read that her family was allowed to be together again. It made me angry that the people who persecuted innocent people went unpunished after making so many lives miserable. If I went through the Cultural Revolution, I don't know if I would come out of it all still loving the country as Ji-li did. She must be a pretty strong person to have the ability to make it as far as she has after going through all of that.
Saturday, May 16, 2009
The Class Education Exhibition and The Rice Harvest
Ji-li performs her section of the exhibition at a preview and is praised by Chairman Jin. She is thrilled by this approval, and hopes it will overshadow her class status. Ji-li is called out of class to find Chairman Jin, and a thin faced man from her father's work waiting. They ask her to testify against her father to prove that he is guilty. They tell her that this will break her away from her class status. Ji-li is very upset by this and the men tell her to think about it, and they will return. Ji-li goes to perform at the exhibit the next day, and is told by Chairman Jin that because of her hesitation to turn in her father and her class status, she would not be allowed to do the presentation.
It is terrible that they put a girl her age in a situation like that. She should not have had to choose between her fathers safety and her future. I would be furious if this happened to me, but once again there was really nothing she could do to revolt against it without terrible consequences for her and her family. I felt so bad for Ji-li because she worked so hard for so long on the project. Everybody knew that her presentation was the best, and it definitely was not fair to her that they let another girl get credit for what she did.
Chang Hong speaks to Ji-li about working in the country for the summer. She believed that this would improve Ji-li's status. Ji-li agrees to work in the fields to harvest and plant rice. The chapter mostly discusses how miserable it was to spend the whole day out in the heat working. Ji-li accidentally cuts herself with her sickle. She refuses to stop working and eventually Bai Shan offers to help her cut her rice because she is so far behind. Ji-li refuses the help and continues her work. The next day, Ji-li works too hard and passes out. When she awakens, Chang Hong tells her that she was sent by the Revolutionary Committee to tell her that the theater her father works at wants her to go to the study sessions, and she must leave the farm that night.
Poor Ji-li was very misled whenever she agreed to go work in the country. Her hopes were so high, I felt bad that she was crushed once again. It seemed like there was no hope to escape her status except selfishly betraying her family. It was sad that she worked so hard through the pain and suffering, and then ended up having to go home anyway. However much she hated it there, I could tell that she would much rather stay to work in the rice fields than to return home and be forced to attend the study sessions. That poor girl had far too many disappointments in her life at a young age.
It is terrible that they put a girl her age in a situation like that. She should not have had to choose between her fathers safety and her future. I would be furious if this happened to me, but once again there was really nothing she could do to revolt against it without terrible consequences for her and her family. I felt so bad for Ji-li because she worked so hard for so long on the project. Everybody knew that her presentation was the best, and it definitely was not fair to her that they let another girl get credit for what she did.
Chang Hong speaks to Ji-li about working in the country for the summer. She believed that this would improve Ji-li's status. Ji-li agrees to work in the fields to harvest and plant rice. The chapter mostly discusses how miserable it was to spend the whole day out in the heat working. Ji-li accidentally cuts herself with her sickle. She refuses to stop working and eventually Bai Shan offers to help her cut her rice because she is so far behind. Ji-li refuses the help and continues her work. The next day, Ji-li works too hard and passes out. When she awakens, Chang Hong tells her that she was sent by the Revolutionary Committee to tell her that the theater her father works at wants her to go to the study sessions, and she must leave the farm that night.
Poor Ji-li was very misled whenever she agreed to go work in the country. Her hopes were so high, I felt bad that she was crushed once again. It seemed like there was no hope to escape her status except selfishly betraying her family. It was sad that she worked so hard through the pain and suffering, and then ended up having to go home anyway. However much she hated it there, I could tell that she would much rather stay to work in the rice fields than to return home and be forced to attend the study sessions. That poor girl had far too many disappointments in her life at a young age.
Locked Up, An Educable Child, and Half-City Jiangs
Ji-li's Uncle Fan shows up late at night with bruises and blood all over himself. Eventually, Ji-li's father is detained on Chinese New Year, for listening to foreign radio, among other false accusations. The family initially believes that Uncle Fan betrayed them. Ji-li's mother becomes ill from her Meniere's disease. Ji-li goes to work with her mother because she is sick, and overhears a man and a woman discussing her father with her mother. Her mother's paycheck is cut because she confesses to nothing. Ji-li trys to visit her father and bring him clothes. A man lets her see him, despite the rules, then discusses with Ji-li how she differs from her family, and can break free from the black class if she wishes.
It would be crushing to have a family member taken away at anytime, let alone a nationally celebrated holiday. I thought it was nice how the family stuck together, and Ji-li accompanied her sick mother to work. Ji-li was really faced with a tough decision when she went to visit her father. Hopefully she does not abandon her family and does what is right.
Lin-lin comes to visit and gives Ji-li her missed assignments. Ji-li, surprisingly, tell her that her father was detained. Lin-lin says their house was searched also, which makes Ji-li feel a little better. Before she leaves, she informs Ji-li about a meeting that she is supposed to attend. Ji-li goes to the meeting to find it is about a Class Education Exhibition, put together by the Red Guards. She talks to teacher Zhang and tells him she does not deserve to be the classes representative. He tells her that she is the most qualified, and should not be penalized for a class status that she can not control. Ji-li works with the other students on a piece of artwork for the exhibition. The project took them all night. By the end of the night, Chang Hong, a Red Guard member, tells Ji-li she is envious of her for being good at school and so talented. Ji-li tells her that she is envious of her due to her families good political status. Chang Hong discusses her brother's epilepsy, and how she can not help take care of him due to her duty to the revolution.
I think it had to have been important to have a few close people you could trust during the Cultural Revolution. It had to have made Ji-li feel a bit better whenever Lin-lin came to her home and discussed things, even though it was brief. It iss really sad that they all seem so brainwashed by the revolution and think that the politics are all that mattered, but once again, I guess they didn't have much of a choice but to agree, or be punished. I think Chang Hong talking about her brother's illness made Ji-li realize that everyone was having unfortunate problems due to the revolution, not just black class families.
In Half-City Jiang, the family thinks that their father is returning home, because the accusations were proven to be lies. They are all extremely disappointed when he comes only to get clothes, accompanied by two Red Guards. An article is printed in the newspaper about the Jiangs being a landlord family, and Ji-li is humiliated. She screams that she hates their family and it's black past, and her mother becomes very upset. Ji-li goes to change her name, then realizes it would be a mistake to break away from her family and runs out when the man leaves the room. Their old maid, Song Po po, still trys to help them around the house, even though she does not have a job to support even her own family. At the end of the chapter, Ji-li speaks to her mother for the first time since the article incident.
The whole family had to have been so disappointed. They had worried about their father for such a long time, and thought they would finally be reunited. At least they got see him and know he was alright, I guess. I felt bad for the public humiliation their family received. I still do not think the families should have been punished for what happened in their past. I think Song Po po helping the family out made Ji-li realize that everyone needed to be supportive of each other if they were going to survive the situation, which sparked her to once again approach her mother.
It would be crushing to have a family member taken away at anytime, let alone a nationally celebrated holiday. I thought it was nice how the family stuck together, and Ji-li accompanied her sick mother to work. Ji-li was really faced with a tough decision when she went to visit her father. Hopefully she does not abandon her family and does what is right.
Lin-lin comes to visit and gives Ji-li her missed assignments. Ji-li, surprisingly, tell her that her father was detained. Lin-lin says their house was searched also, which makes Ji-li feel a little better. Before she leaves, she informs Ji-li about a meeting that she is supposed to attend. Ji-li goes to the meeting to find it is about a Class Education Exhibition, put together by the Red Guards. She talks to teacher Zhang and tells him she does not deserve to be the classes representative. He tells her that she is the most qualified, and should not be penalized for a class status that she can not control. Ji-li works with the other students on a piece of artwork for the exhibition. The project took them all night. By the end of the night, Chang Hong, a Red Guard member, tells Ji-li she is envious of her for being good at school and so talented. Ji-li tells her that she is envious of her due to her families good political status. Chang Hong discusses her brother's epilepsy, and how she can not help take care of him due to her duty to the revolution.
I think it had to have been important to have a few close people you could trust during the Cultural Revolution. It had to have made Ji-li feel a bit better whenever Lin-lin came to her home and discussed things, even though it was brief. It iss really sad that they all seem so brainwashed by the revolution and think that the politics are all that mattered, but once again, I guess they didn't have much of a choice but to agree, or be punished. I think Chang Hong talking about her brother's illness made Ji-li realize that everyone was having unfortunate problems due to the revolution, not just black class families.
In Half-City Jiang, the family thinks that their father is returning home, because the accusations were proven to be lies. They are all extremely disappointed when he comes only to get clothes, accompanied by two Red Guards. An article is printed in the newspaper about the Jiangs being a landlord family, and Ji-li is humiliated. She screams that she hates their family and it's black past, and her mother becomes very upset. Ji-li goes to change her name, then realizes it would be a mistake to break away from her family and runs out when the man leaves the room. Their old maid, Song Po po, still trys to help them around the house, even though she does not have a job to support even her own family. At the end of the chapter, Ji-li speaks to her mother for the first time since the article incident.
The whole family had to have been so disappointed. They had worried about their father for such a long time, and thought they would finally be reunited. At least they got see him and know he was alright, I guess. I felt bad for the public humiliation their family received. I still do not think the families should have been punished for what happened in their past. I think Song Po po helping the family out made Ji-li realize that everyone needed to be supportive of each other if they were going to survive the situation, which sparked her to once again approach her mother.
Thursday, May 14, 2009
A Search In Passing, Fate, andJunior High School At Last
Ji-li, her grandmother, and her siblings spend the day in the park. The family is worried that they will be searched by the Red Guards, so to avoid the grandmother being involved in the conflict, if one would occur, they use a mop on the balcony of their home as a sign as to whether or not it is safe inside. Ji-li's family destroys old family pictures that are considered fourolds. At the end of the chapter, the family's home is searched, along with the Fourth Aunt's home. Ji-li's prized stamp collection is destroyed by the Red Guards, along with many other things. This sparks Ji-li to question why this is happening to her, but when An Yi arrives to help her clean up, she realizes that no one has control over what is happening.
I felt bad again because the family had to destroy their old memories. It had to have been terrible for the old woman to go through all of the stress of the searches. If my house was searched and one of my most prized possessions that was as harmless as a stamp collection was seized, I would be very upset and angry. Everyone had to have thought all of the demands were ridiculous, but there was really nothing they could do about it.
Ji-li questions their bad fortune more and more throughout the next chapter. Her sister returns from school in tears because children made fun of her "black" status and threw her schoolbag out the window. Ji-li trys to make her feel better by giving her the pencil box and schoolbag that she bought for school, because children her age still have not returned. Ji-li's brother, Ji-yong, is friends with two boys in the neighborhood. One's father hangs himself while at work, the other is publicly humiliated and labled a criminal by wearing a red dunce cap. The boy whose father was humiliated makes comments that seem as though he is indifferent and thinks his father deserves it. Ji-li wonders how the boy could feel that way about his own father. An Yi's mother is beaten daily and forced to climb a chimney by the Red Guards. At the end of the chapter, the two girls discuss fate and wonder how long the bad luck will continue.
I thought it was nice of Ji-li to give her little sister her school items to make her feel better. She really did a good job of supporting her younger sister who was probably even more confused by everything than she was. I was surprised by the boy acting as though his father deserved being punished for practically nothing. I agreed with Ji-li when she thought he might just be pretending to keep attention away from himself. I thought An Yi's mother being forced to climb the chimney was pretty ridiculous. The poor girls had to have been so confused, I do not even know what I would do if I were put in a situation anywhere similar to this.
Ji-li finally starts junior high school. She is thrilled when she realizes that she has been placed in a classroom with no one that knows of her black background. She feels that she can start anew. Ji-li's father is forced to attend a political study class, which make Ji-li wonder about his past and what he has done wrong. Ji-li receives a perfect grade on a math course, and is praised by her teacher and admired by the class for doing such a good job. The teacher tells Ji-li to stay after class. Everyone is frightened, until the teacher tells them it is for the newspaper. After basking in her classmates' praise, Ji-li worries about getting good grades because that is what made people discover her background and dislike her at her old school. She leaves the classroom to avoid going through the same thing again.
I was happy for Ji-li and An Yi when they did not have to be in classes with the kids that were mean to them. I was also glad that Ji-li got to have a somewhat fresh start in the new class. It had to have been discouragin for Ji-li whenever the students wrote the da-zi-baos about her, but I was still upset that she let this keep her from excelling and taking part in the newspaper. I'm not sure if her reasoning was smart or not. I thought it was a legitamate fear, but I still think she should have tried it. Even though I say this, I would probably do the same thing if I were put in her situation.
I felt bad again because the family had to destroy their old memories. It had to have been terrible for the old woman to go through all of the stress of the searches. If my house was searched and one of my most prized possessions that was as harmless as a stamp collection was seized, I would be very upset and angry. Everyone had to have thought all of the demands were ridiculous, but there was really nothing they could do about it.
Ji-li questions their bad fortune more and more throughout the next chapter. Her sister returns from school in tears because children made fun of her "black" status and threw her schoolbag out the window. Ji-li trys to make her feel better by giving her the pencil box and schoolbag that she bought for school, because children her age still have not returned. Ji-li's brother, Ji-yong, is friends with two boys in the neighborhood. One's father hangs himself while at work, the other is publicly humiliated and labled a criminal by wearing a red dunce cap. The boy whose father was humiliated makes comments that seem as though he is indifferent and thinks his father deserves it. Ji-li wonders how the boy could feel that way about his own father. An Yi's mother is beaten daily and forced to climb a chimney by the Red Guards. At the end of the chapter, the two girls discuss fate and wonder how long the bad luck will continue.
I thought it was nice of Ji-li to give her little sister her school items to make her feel better. She really did a good job of supporting her younger sister who was probably even more confused by everything than she was. I was surprised by the boy acting as though his father deserved being punished for practically nothing. I agreed with Ji-li when she thought he might just be pretending to keep attention away from himself. I thought An Yi's mother being forced to climb the chimney was pretty ridiculous. The poor girls had to have been so confused, I do not even know what I would do if I were put in a situation anywhere similar to this.
Ji-li finally starts junior high school. She is thrilled when she realizes that she has been placed in a classroom with no one that knows of her black background. She feels that she can start anew. Ji-li's father is forced to attend a political study class, which make Ji-li wonder about his past and what he has done wrong. Ji-li receives a perfect grade on a math course, and is praised by her teacher and admired by the class for doing such a good job. The teacher tells Ji-li to stay after class. Everyone is frightened, until the teacher tells them it is for the newspaper. After basking in her classmates' praise, Ji-li worries about getting good grades because that is what made people discover her background and dislike her at her old school. She leaves the classroom to avoid going through the same thing again.
I was happy for Ji-li and An Yi when they did not have to be in classes with the kids that were mean to them. I was also glad that Ji-li got to have a somewhat fresh start in the new class. It had to have been discouragin for Ji-li whenever the students wrote the da-zi-baos about her, but I was still upset that she let this keep her from excelling and taking part in the newspaper. I'm not sure if her reasoning was smart or not. I thought it was a legitamate fear, but I still think she should have tried it. Even though I say this, I would probably do the same thing if I were put in her situation.
Tuesday, May 12, 2009
Graduation, The Sound of Drums and Gongs, and The Propaganda Wall
In the next chapter, Ji-Li's class was told that they no longer had to take an entrance exam to go on with their schooling. Ji-li realized that this would eliminate the chance of her getting into an elite school and she became very upset. Not long after this, teacher Gu informed Ji-li that she and her best friend would get to attend the school she wanted, because the teachers were assigning the students themselves. The students ended up graduating, but no ceremony was held for them. In the summer time, Ji-li and An Yi were thrilled about getting to attend the school of their dreams, until they found on that the policy had changed and they would be attending schools by district. At the end of the chapter when Ji-li mentioned her favorite books being destroyed, it seemed like her thoughts on the revolution were beginning to get more and more negative.
I can imagine how excited they all initially would be about no entrance exams, but I felt bad for Ji-li when she realized it would cripple her chance of getting into an elite school. I also felt bad for Ji-li because she had to constantly worry about who she was seen with to try and make up for her family's background. None of the accusations the other children were making about her, or about teacher Gu being a corrupter of young, were true. When Teacher Gu told Ji-li that the teachers had assigned her to the school she wanted to attend, I was excited that there was a little bright spot in the so far unlucky story of Ji-li. I felt terrible for her when the teacher assignments were canceled. It's sad that a little kid had to go through so many disappointments so early in their life.
In The Sound of Drums and Gongs, searches begin taking place in Ji-li's neighborhood. Instead of just destroying public items, the government began seizing and destroying any personal items that related the any of the four olds. Ji-li's family seems very nervous about this, and end up letting the housekeeper Song Po-po go so they are not accused of exploitating her. Ji-li begins taking up a lot of her grandmother's responsibilities, like cooking and buying groceries. The family comes up with ways to keep the items they have that are considered fourolds, and Ji-li's grandmother trys to hide how upset she is.
The idea of people searching my house and thinking my political views mirror my belongings is pretty terrifying. I would have been even more paranoid that Ji-li's family about it. The poor families had to have been really scared when this began, especially the children. It made me sad to think about how the families had to give up so many sentimental items, like the silks and chests that belonged to Ji-li's grandmother. It was probably very hard for the elderly people to go along with all of Mao Zedong's harsh new ideas.
The Propaganda Wall, began with Ji-li explaining the previous artwork on the wall. Then new mural was a painting of Chairman Mao, that Ji-li said inspired her. Ji-li and her brother go watch Jia Hong-yu speak about how wonderful seeing Mao Zedong was. The end of the chapter gets more eerie, and talks about the red guards punishing her neighbor for not letting them borrow his bicycle. The man is forced to sit in the sun with a washboard on his back for hours until he passes out from the heat. An Yi's grandmother commits suicide by jumping out of a window of their home. While at the short funeral, a man warns those at the funeral about "allying themselves with a bad class."
I was surprised by how eager Ji-li still seemed to be about the revolution, even after what she had to go through. I thought that maybe after being accused of so many untrue things, she would begin to go against the revolution. I was even more surprised by this after the old man was tortured, and after the death of An Yi's grandmother. It would be very upsetting to have to witness so many terrible things. It's very strange how Ji-li thinks everything Mao Zedong says is right, even if it's morally wrong. I guess that's what they had to do to survive though.
I can imagine how excited they all initially would be about no entrance exams, but I felt bad for Ji-li when she realized it would cripple her chance of getting into an elite school. I also felt bad for Ji-li because she had to constantly worry about who she was seen with to try and make up for her family's background. None of the accusations the other children were making about her, or about teacher Gu being a corrupter of young, were true. When Teacher Gu told Ji-li that the teachers had assigned her to the school she wanted to attend, I was excited that there was a little bright spot in the so far unlucky story of Ji-li. I felt terrible for her when the teacher assignments were canceled. It's sad that a little kid had to go through so many disappointments so early in their life.
In The Sound of Drums and Gongs, searches begin taking place in Ji-li's neighborhood. Instead of just destroying public items, the government began seizing and destroying any personal items that related the any of the four olds. Ji-li's family seems very nervous about this, and end up letting the housekeeper Song Po-po go so they are not accused of exploitating her. Ji-li begins taking up a lot of her grandmother's responsibilities, like cooking and buying groceries. The family comes up with ways to keep the items they have that are considered fourolds, and Ji-li's grandmother trys to hide how upset she is.
The idea of people searching my house and thinking my political views mirror my belongings is pretty terrifying. I would have been even more paranoid that Ji-li's family about it. The poor families had to have been really scared when this began, especially the children. It made me sad to think about how the families had to give up so many sentimental items, like the silks and chests that belonged to Ji-li's grandmother. It was probably very hard for the elderly people to go along with all of Mao Zedong's harsh new ideas.
The Propaganda Wall, began with Ji-li explaining the previous artwork on the wall. Then new mural was a painting of Chairman Mao, that Ji-li said inspired her. Ji-li and her brother go watch Jia Hong-yu speak about how wonderful seeing Mao Zedong was. The end of the chapter gets more eerie, and talks about the red guards punishing her neighbor for not letting them borrow his bicycle. The man is forced to sit in the sun with a washboard on his back for hours until he passes out from the heat. An Yi's grandmother commits suicide by jumping out of a window of their home. While at the short funeral, a man warns those at the funeral about "allying themselves with a bad class."
I was surprised by how eager Ji-li still seemed to be about the revolution, even after what she had to go through. I thought that maybe after being accused of so many untrue things, she would begin to go against the revolution. I was even more surprised by this after the old man was tortured, and after the death of An Yi's grandmother. It would be very upsetting to have to witness so many terrible things. It's very strange how Ji-li thinks everything Mao Zedong says is right, even if it's morally wrong. I guess that's what they had to do to survive though.
Monday, May 11, 2009
Writing Da-Zi-Bao, The Red Successors
Writing Da-Zi-Bao was pretty much about the education system coming to an end. The student's are told to write Da-Zi-Bao, which are pretty much just critques of every uncommunist thing a person does, about all of their school teachers. The children posted their Da-Zi-Bao's all over the school on large papers with red ink. Some of the students who couldn't come up with their own criticism of teachers even copied newspapers, which to me showed how influenced by the government the media was and how it carried through to the kids. Ji-Li had trouble coming up with mean things to say about her teacher which, morally, I thought was good, but otherwise seemed like it could get her into trouble. I felt really bad for Ji-Li when she had to go with the group to give her Aunt Xi-wen a Da-Zi-Bao. I also felt really bad for Ji-Li whenever she found the Da-Zi-Boa written about her. It sounded pretty ridiculous, and showed that the kids who wrote it really weren't the most intelligent students, which is why communism seemed to appeal to them.
I thought Da-Zi-Bao sounded pretty harsh, and felt bad for all of the innocent people who were victims of them. Mao Zedong was incredibly paranoid, and I'm pretty sure the main character Ji-Li seemed to be slowly catching on to that, even though she did go along with everything. So far from this book, I've learned that going against anything in Communist China led to intense public humiliation. They really knew how to use the peer pressure tactic to get people to do what they wanted.
I was glad when Ji-li's parents let her stay home from school. I thought it was weird that the kids were even going to school when they didn't have classes anymore, but a lot of them probably wanted to be involved with what was going on. After I read on a little bit more, I realized I was right when the book mentioned the students wanting to be Red Guards. Since the children were younger they became Red Successors. I was happy for Ji-li whenever the rain washed away all of the da-zi-bao's. I thought it was very strange that even after the incidents with the da-zi-bao's Ji-li still was excited by the revolution. Ji-li wasn't elected to become a Red Successor because her grandfather was a landlord. I thought it was interesting that they took backgrounds so seriously, when it wasn't any of the child's faults and clearly Ji-li agreed with the new ideas.
I'm starting to become more and more alarmed by the strong political views of the children. A lot of teenagers now don't even know what's going on with politics or the government, let alone grade school students.
I thought Da-Zi-Bao sounded pretty harsh, and felt bad for all of the innocent people who were victims of them. Mao Zedong was incredibly paranoid, and I'm pretty sure the main character Ji-Li seemed to be slowly catching on to that, even though she did go along with everything. So far from this book, I've learned that going against anything in Communist China led to intense public humiliation. They really knew how to use the peer pressure tactic to get people to do what they wanted.
I was glad when Ji-li's parents let her stay home from school. I thought it was weird that the kids were even going to school when they didn't have classes anymore, but a lot of them probably wanted to be involved with what was going on. After I read on a little bit more, I realized I was right when the book mentioned the students wanting to be Red Guards. Since the children were younger they became Red Successors. I was happy for Ji-li whenever the rain washed away all of the da-zi-bao's. I thought it was very strange that even after the incidents with the da-zi-bao's Ji-li still was excited by the revolution. Ji-li wasn't elected to become a Red Successor because her grandfather was a landlord. I thought it was interesting that they took backgrounds so seriously, when it wasn't any of the child's faults and clearly Ji-li agreed with the new ideas.
I'm starting to become more and more alarmed by the strong political views of the children. A lot of teenagers now don't even know what's going on with politics or the government, let alone grade school students.
Sunday, May 10, 2009
Red Scarf Girl: Prologue, Chaper 1-The Liberation Army Dancer, and Chapter 2- Destroy the Four Olds!
In the Prologue, the author and narrator, Ji-li Jiang, discusses what a proud, trusting child she was before the Cultural Revolution began when she was in sixth grade. This pretty much signaled that the Revolution may have destroyed her confidence and trust in her country.
The novel begins in Ji-li Jiang's school during her music class. A woman from the liberation army visits and all of the children are fascinated by the woman and her long braids. The woman picks several children out of the classroom to audition for the Central Liberation Army Arts Academy. Ji-li Jiang returns home to explain the exciting news to her family who are far from excited. Because of their family's political past, Ji-li's father will not let her audition. I felt bad for Ji-li at first, but clearly her father was very correct on his reasoning. If their family's past political ideas were considered "corrupt" by the current government, Ji-li would have surely not been admitted into the academy, I'm kind of curious as to if anything else would have happened to their family though? At the end of the chapter, Ji-li still sees no reason as to why she can't audition, which seems typical for any child her age because she feels left out.
The next chapter gets a little bit deeper into how ridiculous some of Mao Zedong's ideas were. While at their favorite Sunday hangout, Grandpa Hong's bookstall, Ji-li and her sibling's afternoon of reading picture books is interrupted by a campaign to "Destroy the Four Olds." The fourolds included old ideas, culture, customs, and habits. The children watched as the Great Prosperity Market's sign was destroyed, and even took part excitedly in stomping on the sign with the large crowd. I was surprised at how eager everyone seemed to be to destroy the sign. The Great Prosperity market sounded like a pretty harmless name to me, but was destroyed because of the word "prosperity." It all seemed kind of eerily extremist, but was really interesting to read about how strongly people felt about Mao's ideas. Because she is so young, Ji-li Jiang completely buys into all of the new ideas of "Chairman Mao," and it becomes clearer and clearer that her parents are not supporters, although they subtly try to hide it from her.
So far, the novel has proven as a very good tool to understand Communist China as a citizen of China did at that time. It's been very interesting to see a child's view on it all, and I'm honestly looking forward to further exploring how the plot develops along with the idea's of the characters.
The novel begins in Ji-li Jiang's school during her music class. A woman from the liberation army visits and all of the children are fascinated by the woman and her long braids. The woman picks several children out of the classroom to audition for the Central Liberation Army Arts Academy. Ji-li Jiang returns home to explain the exciting news to her family who are far from excited. Because of their family's political past, Ji-li's father will not let her audition. I felt bad for Ji-li at first, but clearly her father was very correct on his reasoning. If their family's past political ideas were considered "corrupt" by the current government, Ji-li would have surely not been admitted into the academy, I'm kind of curious as to if anything else would have happened to their family though? At the end of the chapter, Ji-li still sees no reason as to why she can't audition, which seems typical for any child her age because she feels left out.
The next chapter gets a little bit deeper into how ridiculous some of Mao Zedong's ideas were. While at their favorite Sunday hangout, Grandpa Hong's bookstall, Ji-li and her sibling's afternoon of reading picture books is interrupted by a campaign to "Destroy the Four Olds." The fourolds included old ideas, culture, customs, and habits. The children watched as the Great Prosperity Market's sign was destroyed, and even took part excitedly in stomping on the sign with the large crowd. I was surprised at how eager everyone seemed to be to destroy the sign. The Great Prosperity market sounded like a pretty harmless name to me, but was destroyed because of the word "prosperity." It all seemed kind of eerily extremist, but was really interesting to read about how strongly people felt about Mao's ideas. Because she is so young, Ji-li Jiang completely buys into all of the new ideas of "Chairman Mao," and it becomes clearer and clearer that her parents are not supporters, although they subtly try to hide it from her.
So far, the novel has proven as a very good tool to understand Communist China as a citizen of China did at that time. It's been very interesting to see a child's view on it all, and I'm honestly looking forward to further exploring how the plot develops along with the idea's of the characters.
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