1. Fugui could feel the hair on his neck standing up as the men shouted for Long'er, the landowner of hisprevious house, to be executed, and when the shots rang out, he began shivering uncontrollably although it was a warm sunny day.
2. Fugui caught a final glimpse of his son under the white sheet, blood gushing from his face, arms and legs lying limp on the board.
3. They saw the Red Army thundering towards them like ants that had found a threat to their anthill, furocious and intimidating.
4. When joy spreads through a crowd, it brings laughter, it boasts itself in the joyous chorus of the people, and it shakes from them any fear and anger that they had held in their hearts.
5. There would occasionally be a cry--- the scream of the newborn baby; the yell of a mother in pain; the cry of anguish that a parent loses a daughter.
6. Fugui is a lanky man probably in his thirties and has large black eyes that often revealed his mood. Fugui enjoys gambling and is unable to restrain from this temptation because he believes he could win all his losses back and because he had learned from his father who also gambled. He is shocked when he asked to leave due to the fact that he had nothing left to gamble and he dejectedly exits the tea house. He meets his wife, Jiahzhen, outside and she says: "Fugui, I am leaving and I am taking your daughter with me." They two then leave Fugui, who stands stunned with his mouth agape and his eyes wide with disbelief.
Wednesday, October 29, 2008
Tuesday, October 28, 2008
To Live Questions
1. The name of the movie is To Live because the characters in the movie go through many obstacles and struggles but they still manage and all that really matters is that they still live.
2. Fugui represents life in China during this time because he, like many people, faced constant fear of being labeled as an enemy of the Red Guards and did everything he could to be on the 'good side'.
3. Jiazhen is very independent and manages to take care of the two kids when she leaves because of Fugui's gambling and she makes a living by delivering hot water to people for a living while Fugui was captured by the army and forced to fight in the war.
4. It was the best thing that ever happended to them because if they hadn't lost the house, then e would've been executed instead of Long'er as a landowner. He would never have been in the puppet troupe which was what saved him in numerous incidents, and he would never have been in the Liberal Army which had earned him respect had he not lost his fortune.
5. Mr. Niu was always a good man and tried to make sure that everyone was happy. He was a great supporter of Mao Zedong, and made sure that everyone in his town would stay out of trouble by making sure that they took action to show their support for Mao. He was probably called a capitalist roader by the crowds and taken into prison if not killed, despite his support for the communist leader.
6. The death of Youquing, the son, is indirectly caused by this political climate, which caused his father, despite Youquing's lack of sleep, to force him to go smelt steel to be seen working for the common good. If Youquing had not been forced to go, he would have slept at home instead of behind the wall that collapsed on and killed him. The death of Fengxia, the daughter, is also caused by this political situation, which had arrested and imprisoned all the doctors, which meant that there was no one with experience to help with stopping her bleeding.
7. There are community cafeterias where people are allowed to eat for free at, everyone does good things for the society, although not necessarily with a good intention, and people who were poor are now respected as well.
8. The final positive outcome is that Fugui, Jiazhen, their son-in-law, and their grandson are together, content, and alive.
9. The Chinese government probably objected to the parts with blood and gore as well as those parts that showed how cruel the government was at the time by using examples such as when: Long'er is killed for being a landowner, Mr. Niu who had always been supportive of Mao is suddenly accused of being reactionary, Fengxia dies because all the doctors had been arrested by the government, and when Fugui is forced to burn his beloved puppets. The government might also have objected to the point that in the movie, Fugui, who really supports Mao only to save his life, is successful and happy in the end, as it might transfer the idea that you do not really have to support Chairman Mao's ideas.
2. Fugui represents life in China during this time because he, like many people, faced constant fear of being labeled as an enemy of the Red Guards and did everything he could to be on the 'good side'.
3. Jiazhen is very independent and manages to take care of the two kids when she leaves because of Fugui's gambling and she makes a living by delivering hot water to people for a living while Fugui was captured by the army and forced to fight in the war.
4. It was the best thing that ever happended to them because if they hadn't lost the house, then e would've been executed instead of Long'er as a landowner. He would never have been in the puppet troupe which was what saved him in numerous incidents, and he would never have been in the Liberal Army which had earned him respect had he not lost his fortune.
5. Mr. Niu was always a good man and tried to make sure that everyone was happy. He was a great supporter of Mao Zedong, and made sure that everyone in his town would stay out of trouble by making sure that they took action to show their support for Mao. He was probably called a capitalist roader by the crowds and taken into prison if not killed, despite his support for the communist leader.
6. The death of Youquing, the son, is indirectly caused by this political climate, which caused his father, despite Youquing's lack of sleep, to force him to go smelt steel to be seen working for the common good. If Youquing had not been forced to go, he would have slept at home instead of behind the wall that collapsed on and killed him. The death of Fengxia, the daughter, is also caused by this political situation, which had arrested and imprisoned all the doctors, which meant that there was no one with experience to help with stopping her bleeding.
7. There are community cafeterias where people are allowed to eat for free at, everyone does good things for the society, although not necessarily with a good intention, and people who were poor are now respected as well.
8. The final positive outcome is that Fugui, Jiazhen, their son-in-law, and their grandson are together, content, and alive.
9. The Chinese government probably objected to the parts with blood and gore as well as those parts that showed how cruel the government was at the time by using examples such as when: Long'er is killed for being a landowner, Mr. Niu who had always been supportive of Mao is suddenly accused of being reactionary, Fengxia dies because all the doctors had been arrested by the government, and when Fugui is forced to burn his beloved puppets. The government might also have objected to the point that in the movie, Fugui, who really supports Mao only to save his life, is successful and happy in the end, as it might transfer the idea that you do not really have to support Chairman Mao's ideas.
pg.3-20
Vocabulary:
risible (adj.) - syn: comical, ant: austere
surreptitious (adj.) - syn: furtive, ant: open
sonata (n) - syn: song
audacity (adj.) - syn: bold, ant: prudent
reactionary (adj.) - syn: orthodox, ant: liberal
vertiginous (adj.) - syn: dizzy, ant: alert
insidious (adj.) - syn: crafty, ant: honest
1. The village headman assumes that the violin is a toy from the city, but Luo and the narrator manage to fool the village by explaining that it was a sonata called Mozart is Thinking of Chairman Mao which gave sense of respect for their leader Mao. This introduces the central conflict between them and villagers, which is the fact that the two teens are from the city and are labeled intellectuals.
2. Mao Zedong, the one who came up with the idea of reeducation, and his Red Army, who enforced his orders to destroy the Four Olds and punish those who do not cooperate with Mao, are the key players in China's Cultural Revolution. The intended purpose was to make all people equal and get rid of the old, and they result is a lack of educated people, intellectuals wasting their education by labouring in the fields, and actually being inferior due to being disrespected for their education.
3. It is ironic because they did not actually have education beyond the elementary level but their parents occupation which made them 'enemies of the people' turned Luo and the narrator into 'intellectuals'.
4. He was venting his frustration on the narrator.
5. Phoenix of the Sky is the name of the mountain due to it's dizzying height.
6. It's primary source of income is from mining copper, which tells us that the economy is good because they need the copper for minting coins.
7. They change the time on their clock to make their lives easier. This tells us that they are very witty, but not very honest.
8. It lasts usually for two years, but the narrator and Luo are especially despondent about this because their parents are class enemies and their chance of ending reeducation is three in a thousand.
9. Luo's gift is in story telling, which he uses in the village to escape two days of work. He is so good, that the headman then asks him to do this again and offers the same pay as if he worked. Maybe they will get into trouble in town when they go to view the movie.
risible (adj.) - syn: comical, ant: austere
surreptitious (adj.) - syn: furtive, ant: open
sonata (n) - syn: song
audacity (adj.) - syn: bold, ant: prudent
reactionary (adj.) - syn: orthodox, ant: liberal
vertiginous (adj.) - syn: dizzy, ant: alert
insidious (adj.) - syn: crafty, ant: honest
1. The village headman assumes that the violin is a toy from the city, but Luo and the narrator manage to fool the village by explaining that it was a sonata called Mozart is Thinking of Chairman Mao which gave sense of respect for their leader Mao. This introduces the central conflict between them and villagers, which is the fact that the two teens are from the city and are labeled intellectuals.
2. Mao Zedong, the one who came up with the idea of reeducation, and his Red Army, who enforced his orders to destroy the Four Olds and punish those who do not cooperate with Mao, are the key players in China's Cultural Revolution. The intended purpose was to make all people equal and get rid of the old, and they result is a lack of educated people, intellectuals wasting their education by labouring in the fields, and actually being inferior due to being disrespected for their education.
3. It is ironic because they did not actually have education beyond the elementary level but their parents occupation which made them 'enemies of the people' turned Luo and the narrator into 'intellectuals'.
4. He was venting his frustration on the narrator.
5. Phoenix of the Sky is the name of the mountain due to it's dizzying height.
6. It's primary source of income is from mining copper, which tells us that the economy is good because they need the copper for minting coins.
7. They change the time on their clock to make their lives easier. This tells us that they are very witty, but not very honest.
8. It lasts usually for two years, but the narrator and Luo are especially despondent about this because their parents are class enemies and their chance of ending reeducation is three in a thousand.
9. Luo's gift is in story telling, which he uses in the village to escape two days of work. He is so good, that the headman then asks him to do this again and offers the same pay as if he worked. Maybe they will get into trouble in town when they go to view the movie.
Thursday, October 23, 2008
Reeducation
I believe that reeducation should never be used as it is not fair for those who are intellectuals and discriminated against. The government should see these people not as class-enemies, but rather as educated people who can make better decisions than reeducating people as well as leading the nation wisely. Also, reeducation is a process that destroys a lot of our culture. The knowledge that we have accumulated must depend on books, which have been destroyed, and the people who hold the knowledge. If these are ruined, then there will be no more doctors to heal the people, no more scholars to advise the government, and no more teachers to pass all this knowledge on. Without any advantages, reeducation is simply a weapon destroying lives, knowledge, and culture.
Thursday, October 16, 2008
The Red Guards
My five most valuable items:
the Bible
my laptop
my cellphone
my passport
my digital watch
I wouldn't try to stand and negotiate, because these people, as shown in the excerpt, do not speak our language and only know violence, which I would prefer not to be involved in. I believe that if this situation ever did happen to me, then I would take these five things and as many other objects as I could with me and escape to the USA where such an incident couldn't possibly occur, being a democratic country. If I were prevented from escaping then I would attempt to talk to them about the benefits of saving these objects as the character in the excerpt did. I might also try to hide them, but perhaps that would not such a good idea, because if they find that I hadn't willingly given them to the soldiers, I might be killed. In this case, it would be better to bend than to break.
the Bible
my laptop
my cellphone
my passport
my digital watch
I wouldn't try to stand and negotiate, because these people, as shown in the excerpt, do not speak our language and only know violence, which I would prefer not to be involved in. I believe that if this situation ever did happen to me, then I would take these five things and as many other objects as I could with me and escape to the USA where such an incident couldn't possibly occur, being a democratic country. If I were prevented from escaping then I would attempt to talk to them about the benefits of saving these objects as the character in the excerpt did. I might also try to hide them, but perhaps that would not such a good idea, because if they find that I hadn't willingly given them to the soldiers, I might be killed. In this case, it would be better to bend than to break.
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