Character Analysis: Red Scarf Girl

The Memoir Spider Eaters by Rae Yang is her personal account of her life during the Maoist revolution. In addition, she reminisces about her trials and tribulations during her active participation in the culture revolution and the great North Wilderness. Her family also had various misfortunes due to these changing ideological beliefs spread by the revolution. This memoir illustrates in great detail what Yang experienced under communist rule. Spider Eaters opened up a door to a young girl and her families struggle to be good Samaritans under communist rule and their final disillusionment of the revolution they whole heartedly believed in. Yang and her family struggled with the vast ideological changes during the Maoist Revolution, in turn,

When Jan Wong first arrived in China, she was filled with the complete belief that China’s totalitarianism way of government was the best way of governing, and that no other way would do. While natives smiled behind false expressions, she failed to realize the true extent of the miserable lives under the Maoist regime until she herself experienced the injustices faced by the Chinese citizens. In Red China Blues, author Jan Wong writes of her experiences during her life in China and after, and how her whole journey led to the realization of the harsh reality that Maoism really was. As Wong learned more and more about the truth behind the totalitarian government, her own experiences helped her to transform

Red Scarf Girl, a non-fiction memoir by Ji-Li Jiang, is a novel about a girl named Jiang Ji-Li and her family suffering through the consequences of the Cultural Revolution in Shanghai, China. Throughout her journey, Jiang Ji-Li is faced with many conflicts and difficulties. One of the hardships Jiang Ji-Li has to deal with is her class status. Her family is classified as a “black” family, meaning they are against the communist party and held on to the old traditions known as “four olds.” Jiang Ji-Li struggles with deciding to follow the leader of China, Chairman Mao, and betray her loved ones, or continue to be persecuted but be true to her family. Moreover, she is prevented from joining special school actives, such as speaking at the Class

4. Ji-li describes her family as “lucky” and “special.” What evidence does she provide to support Her view of her family as privileged? Ji-Li family lived in a big room rather than go home and have her own bedroom.

Consider the passage in which Ji-li witnesses her cousin Shan-Shan as he walks right past his mother, who has fallen on the street (page 142)? Does Ji-li shun her own parents in any way because of their class status? How does she overcome her desire to break with her family? Are there any circumstances which justify putting the goal of your country before that of your family?

In the memoir “Red Scarf Girl: A Memoir of the Cultural Revolution” written by Ji-Li Jiang and forwarded by David Henry Hwang, it follows the experiences of Ji-Li Jiang during the onset of Chairman Mao Zedong’s Cultural Revolution of China while living in Shanghai, China, 1966. In the memoir, Ji-Li at only the age of 13 experiences first hand the many effects of the revolution which are shown in many ways. These effects include her peers attitudes, her family and classmates relations, as well as personal feelings of the overall event.

Ji-li, similar to the rest of the world, believed in the kindness of the Communist Party. She believed that it would summon everlasting peace in the world. In fact, Ji-li was one of many proud supporters. "'Heaven and earth are great, but greater still is the kindness of the Communist Party; father and mother are dear, but dearer still is Chairman Mao.'" (p4) When Ji-li says this, it conveys that she was in agreement with the Party and considered Chairman Mao to be more cherished than her parents. Because of this, it also hints that she is more likely to take Chairman's Mao side and not her own parents' side.

The Cultural Revolution was a time of much confusion in china. The memoir Red Scarf Girl by Ji-li Jiang illustrates the chaos of that time. Ji-li’s experiences during this time period led to her point of view changing. Ji-li starts the Cultural Revolution full of progressive thoughts, but this quickly turns to confusion, and leads to an important choice, something that impacts the rest of her life.

Ji-li had a great life, up until that point of course. That was when people began sharing what their class status which was not good for Ji-lis' family because of her Grandpa, who was a LANDLORD. People did not like landlords for some reason, but because of this Ji-li and her family were put through lots of bad stuff. The text stated "There is no doubt that your grandfather’s reactionary class standing had a bad influence on your father’s thoughts, and he naturally passed them on to you. And your grandmother is a landlord’s wife" (The Red Successors 83) This was not even Ji-lis' class status this was her father's status so the fact that she is being humiliated because of this is not even close to fair. People are being rude and outrageous, some of the kids even think that they had the right to talk to Ji-lis' relatives rudely because of their class status. I believe that this is unfair. But, because of Ji-li's grandpa, and the fact that he was a landlord Ji-lis' family was put down and humiliated in front of a lot of people. Just one little detail in Ji-lis' class status changed her life and it was not in a good

China’s “lost generation” was part of one of the largest and most difficult time periods in history, pertaining to social and cultural areas. While Mao Zedong’s persistent communist ideals resulted in the loss of a college education for some, or even a life for others, the impact of the Cultural Revolution is undeniable. Many youth during the time period of the Cultural Revolution were empowered to an extreme extent, making this decade chaotic and violent. Mao Zedong viewed many youth as the future, and the generation born to catapult China to the top, which resulted in the excessive empowerment of many children, giving them a false view of the world around them. For example, Mao delivered many speeches, and wrote a myriad of propaganda passages,

Book Review: Growing Up in the People’s Republic: Conversations Between Two Daughters of China’s Revolution. By- Ye Weili with Ma Xiaodong

Ji-li’s outlook on life changed because of her proficiency in school, her dad being accused of being a rightist, and her landlord grandfather.

Mao’s Cultural Revolution was an attempt to create a new culture for China. Through education reforms and readjustments, Mao hoped to create a new generation of Chinese people - a generation of mindless Communists. By eliminating intellectuals via the Down to the Countryside movement, Mao hoped to eliminate elements of traditional Chinese culture and create a new form Chinese culture. He knew that dumbing down the masses would give him more power so his regime would be more stable. This dramatic reform affected youth especially as they were targeted by Mao’s propaganda and influence. Drawing from his experiences as an Educated Youth who was sent down to the countryside Down to the Countryside movement, Ah Cheng wrote The King of

In 1966, Mao mobilized the Chinese youth to initiate the “Cultural Revolution”, a violent process eliminating old Chinese culture, customs, thoughts and habits, purging “counter-revolutionary” party members, and heightening Mao’s personality cult. I will summarize evidence collected from textbooks, official documents, biographies and eyewitness reports about the events between 1959 and 1966. I will describe the failure of the Great Leap Forward, Mao’s resignation as president, his power struggle with Liu Shoaqi and Deng Xiaoping and the propagating of his personality cult. Then I will identify how these events may have given Mao reasons for launching the Cultural Revolution, and whether his motives were of

In order for a revolution to occur, it is essential to have a leader the revolutionaries can unite under; a leader as persistent as Mao Zedong. Mao’s birth into the peasant class taught him about the rigid social structures of China at a young age, as he recognized the strife peasants endured on a daily basis. He knew how they thought and emphasized with their thirst for equity in China’s rigid social society (Calkins). As Mao grew older, his recognition of the oppressed class allowed him to develop an affinity towards the principles of Marxism-Leninism, which were utilized in “restoring China to its original greatness” (Zedong qtd in Lynch 4). Mao believed that the peasants’ fury and desperation was powerful enough to spark a communist revolution, leading to equality and justice in China (Lynch 3). The peasants who were mistreated for so long rose to the occasion of Mao’s advocating for their rights. His popularity and influence among the masses of China was increased. Mao rose to power by 1949 through increased peasantry support, giving him the authorization to change China into a communist country.