Red Scarf Girl- Characterization
The characterization of Ji-li is mainly based on how the Cultural Revolution affected her family. The author shows how she acted, during the Cultural Revolution. Basically speaking they were like zombies whatever the leader told them, was true or they had to do it; without complaint. Ji-li Jiang uses the characteristics of the Cultural Revolution to make people act a certain way. For example, young people think Chairman Mao is like a god. Ji-li like them, she thought Mao Zedong as god. Also, young people took action to help the Cultural Revolution. This act told young people that parents are less important then Chairman Mao because he said so. Also, since Ji-li's status is not very good, that affects Ji-li's family and herself as well.
In the beginning, Ji-li is very active towards Cultural actions, is smart, and is not afraid to exceed but after the Cultural revolution starts, she becomes afraid to exceed, scared, and frightened. Her dream, before the Cultural Revolution, was to become a Red Guard, but after the Cultural Revolution, her dream is crushed for now and she fulfills her mother's last wish; to look after her younger siblings.
Red Scarf Girl- Theme
In Red Scarf Girl, I think the theme is, always have the courage so you can show your real thoughts and feelings. Ji-li for most of the book is a coward because she did not want other people to make fun of her even more. However, she at least had the courage to push aside her dream for her broken family. At this part, she shows a more courageous self more than others combined. Other people showed courage by protecting other people or fighting against the Red Guards. By showing these courageous people to Ji-li, her thoughts changed slowly and slowly but she changed in the end. Thus making her more courageous by letting Ji-li chose her family over herself. At the end, her perfect life is less important, the promise she made to her mother and her grandmother is now more important.
"Red Scarf Girl"- Plot
The plot of Red Scarf Girl is about a girl, Ji-li, and her family during the Cultural Revolution in China. In the expostition, Ji-li has everything, she is smart, admired, loved, and respected. However, when the Cultural Revolution starts Ji-li finds out that her grandfather was a landlord making her a 'black family', meaning her family is against the communist party. Ji-li and her family is humiliated at school and at there jobs. The Cultural Revolution slowly ruins their lives making them miserable but Ji-li still believes that the Cultural Revolution is good and Chairman Mao is making China a newer and better place. I think that they are like zombies brainwashed so they don't have their own thoughts. Also, it's wrong for Chairman Mao to want power so he makes everyone poor. Since he controls the media and everything else, it is easy for the communist government to make is seen as if they are doing something good to the country. I think that the whole idea of the Cultural Revolution in China was a wrong idea.
The Red Scarf Girl-Setting
The Red Scarf Girl is about a girl, Ji-li Jiang and her family and friends during the Cultural Revolution in China. This takes place at first in 1966, the beginning of the Cultural Revolution is China. The Cultural Revolution was when Mao Ze-dong said people should destroy the four olds: old ideas, old culture, old customs, and old habits, because it was in the way of creating a more communist China. Ji-li's family is humiliated because of their class statues which is a 'black', meaning they opposed to the Communist. They were considered to live a bourgeois life or a capitalistic lifestyle. Ji-li and her siblings always think what ever Chairman Mao said was right and you cannot go against him.
I think that Ji-li should have her own thoughts because she is smart and is quick. Also, this book is interesting because it is a memoir of the author, Ji-i Jiang, showing the child's point of view in a Communist China, and using her own experience and thoughts to show how children would think of Chairman Mao and his actions.
Secret
I really don't have a secret or I have very bad memory. I think it's the memory that's bad. When I remember a secret I kept, I'll post it up.
Courage
A moment in my life when I was courageous was when I was in Kindergarten we went to a retreat in summer. This is actually two moments, but anyways, one I had to jump into a cold swimming pool and the other I went swam over a gap over a waterfall. Since the swimming pool incident happened first, I'll tell that first. It was summer and we went to a swimming pool at the retreat. The water was really cold, even though it was summer. Most people, Kindergarteners just graduated, were too afraid so they all stayed outside, but I jumped into the water just like it wasn't cold. However, the water felt like minus 10 degrees celcsius. I thought I was going to freeze to death. I think that this shows that I'm either crazy to do these kinds of things or I have enough courage in myself to do this. Another moment was at the same retreat and we got to play near a small water fall. We got to play either at the top or the bottom of the waterfall. I decided to go to the top, but when we were trying to get across a gap, the line was too long so I decided to swim to there. I did and I got in trouble because the teachers got so scared that I would fall off of the waterfall. I think that also, this shows I must be crazy or really courageous.
