Friday, November 30, 2007
Growing Up Red
What does Balzac and the Little Chinese Seamstress reveal about the nature and purpose of China's Cultural Revolution and the suffering it caused? In what ways does the novel offer a more intimate portrait of what life was like under Chairman Mao than a strictly historical account could?
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Well in Balzac and the Chinese Seamstress we get an inside look on how the individuals felt during the re-education. In a history book we would get "they did much physical labor for no wage," but in Balzac we get much more in depth on how the characters feel, the resentment, the danger of working in the coal mines, the fear of never returning home...so much that a history book could never give us.
I would definitely like to point out one major thing is that, to our age group something like this hits a lot closer to home because it shows the struggles of teenagers in this Chinese communistic era. It really does well to personalize this topic.
we get an inside look on how the individuals felt during the re-education, and the danger of working in the coal mines, the fear of never returning home. unless you bribe the head master?
Balzac and the Little Chinese Seamstress reveals that, during the Culutral Revolution in China, people were forced to be re-educated, and it shows how they felt about it. Luo and the Narrator felt that it was stupid to be forced to become like peasants, and they rebeled against it by reading books in their house on stilts, and by sneaking off to dfferent villages to see the Little Seamstress and their friend Four Eyes. The novel offers us a more intimate portrait of what life was like under Chairman Mao than a strictly historical account, because it lets of view the story of two boys who were a part of the Revolution. It makes the history of the event more personal, because you can relate to the stories that the Narrator tells of him and his friend.
You kinda get the feel of how the people felt about re-education, and their hopes of returning home...which is kinda sad. But the two boys have more of a chance than anyone else, because the do things for the people....and in return they get time off of working in the fields.
this book shows us that the world is a harsh place and we should consider ourselves, as Americans lucky because this stuff really happens and these kids in China are no different than us except that they were born in communist China.
The purpose was to illistrate one of the many things we might take for grated, like lititure some thing that right now we might see as a anoyence because of school. so in order to make us apreciate the little liberties we have die presents us wiht a senerio in that wherer if you even talk about it you could be imprisoned. The novel offers an intimate feeling for one because the author does not name the narrirator, intern almost making you the reder the narrirator who is intimately intangled wiht the plot.
In this novel we learn what the culture was like back when Mao was in charge. This novel shows us that Mao didn't want kids to get smart, we know this because teenagers who were in school were sent to the mountains for re-education. Re-education is not what it sounds like because they are sent to the mountains to work hard labor in the farms and re-educated on life as a farmer.
In the book, Balzac and the Little Chinese Seamstress, not only does it educate you about China's Cultural Revolution it allows you to experiernce how the narrorator felt and his thoughts. If you were to read about it in a history book it couldn't give you such details about how the people being re-educated felt and delt with there misfortune.
This book enables you to take a deeper look into the Cultural Revolution, not just what the people did and there daily lifes, but as well as their emotions.
The novel is superior to any textbook about chinas cultural revolution because it gives the reader an inside look at how it affected the kids being re-educated. In the case of the narrator and luo they are not being re-educated but are really being forced to work long hours for little money. The novel also shows us how they live day to day with little hope of ever leading a different life.
I think the most valueable information we can get from the book is a first person view of China's cultural revolution. This book really shows what re-education is all about. It shows how much the people had to go through just to not be smart and so they would not succeed in life.
BALZAC and the Little Chinese Seamstress reveals that, during the Culutral Revolution in China, people were forced to be re-educated, and it shows how they felt about it.
Re-education was really a way to keep Mao in absoulute power. With all of the people being illiterate they would follow Mao blindly because they didn't know how to question him. Telling the story form someone elses experience instead of a historical point of view really gives us a view of what life was like for the average civilian wich helps us relate more strongly to the struggles that were going on during that time.
i think that because we are reading the book we are getting more of an inside look on how people really felt. if we were to study it i think that we would get more of what happened like how they work for no money and how they slave and things like that, but because we are reading a book about it we get feeling and i think more of a grasp on how life really was during the time Chairman Mao was ruling.
In Balzac the reader gets to experience what it is like in the communist era of China. Without this inside look basically all a reader would know is that teens went to secluded villages and got re-educated by vigorous labor. But it was much more than that and we see this by knowing the thoughts of Luo and the Narrator. We see how books affected three people and how the marriage laws affect people and the stresses that Mao's laws cause.
From reading Balzac and from the little seamstress we have learned all about re-education. And how hard it was for people to live. But if we were just reading out of the text books we wouldnt of learned as much and as much details.
In balzac and the chinese seamsterss it shows that people there were sent to be re-educated,from luo and the narrators piont it showed how they thought of it.It showed how that thought it was pointless and what they did during the time,they spent there time reading the forbidden books.and luo spent time with his girl,you get the feel of how it was for the 2 guys,what they thought about it and how the handled it.you learn more from then then a text book.,
Balzac gives an inside look at what people thought of Mao's law as individuals and small groups. Many Chinese residents did agree with Mao's views but for the most part, Chinese citizens rebelled secretly. Balzac brings us into the minds of three teenagers and how they view and deal with the harsh realties that Mao's law possesses.
We get the point of view from children who were accually involved in the time period. This sheds better light on the seriousness and cruelty of the re-education process.
This part about re-education is sad because its like they have no say in what they do with there life and its like a turning point in there lives. I believe this book has giving me a better perspective on things and about the chinese revolution that i knew nothing about..
In a text book the only thing we get are facts and talk more about the events that happen where as in the book we know how the people feel about the things that are happening and also how they feel about the re-education. In the book we get to know the people.
The purpose of the chinese cultural revolution was to gain control over the chinese people. Chairman Mao did not want people rebelling against his dictatorship, so he began the idea of re-education. The idea was to turn all the "city people" into simple pheasants. They were not allowed to read books unless they were written by the government. To even be able to read was discouraged. This way, people were ignorant and would not be likely to rebel against the governments' propaganda. Balzac and the Little Chinese seamstress reveals the suffering that this so called "revolution" caused. Children were sent to live on farms and were overwoked and underfed. Some of them had no hope of returning, like the characters in the book. They were forced to produce rice, most of which was sent to the government. They also worked in the mines, which were dangerous. By reading this novel instead of a history book, the reader can relate to what the characters are going through. The book shows how idividual lives were affected and gives detailed accounts. By reading what a character went through the reader gets a better idea of how the chinese people were affected than from a historical text.
In the book the author is trying to get us to feel how the re-education in china went on. Well in text books they are going to try and make it seem alot worst than it might of been. But in Balzac we are getting everything from their daily life to history.
This book reveals a lot more than a normal history book would. Take for example, the Holocaust. History books tell you how problems arised and why, but not so much in depth what it was like. For example, the book Anne Frank is a personal story that a girl wrote about her struggles during that time. That is the same case for learning about Re-Education in China. Sure, history books will teach you about Re-Education and why it happened, but not so much what it was like. Balzac and the Little Chinese Seamstress provide us with that information. More in depth information of what it was like on a personal basis for kids that were being re-educated. We learned about the struggles they went through and how they felt about the whole idea, which of course they didn't like it at all.
Balzac gives us the up close look on re-education. It also shows how intense the cultural revolution. it was mao's way or the high way basically.actuall it was that way. if you went against his ruling or questioned it you would get punshed.
During the novel Balzac and the little chinese seamstress we are offered a inside look at how re-educating the young adults makes them feel and the effects on the person. We also get to see how Mao strictly controled China and everything that was happening in China during this time period. This book educates you on the Revolution in China to not confine in Mao's ways and laws. They believed in something and didn't just give up and become another lost re-educated peasant.
I real like the book, because it’s interesting to see what was going on in other countries during WW2 compared to the USA. I think that under Chairman Mao the people that knew anything were sent away to tar able living conditions and made to work with no pay all because they worked hard to lean things in life.
it reveals just how desperate mao was to have absolute control over every one and every thing in china. and as for the second half of thie question, it offers an insiders view of what happened during this time period,but,at the same time, the book is far from how people really acted and what they really did while in "re-education".Because, seriously, whats the chances of a boy sneeking past tones of guards, just to visit one girl, it would never have happened that way, and never did.
the book is giving the two boy's (narrator and luo) point of views on their new lifestyle on re-education. it gives you a better perspective on the harsh ways that they lived at such young ages,
and more of a in look on their situations.
the chinese cultural plan to start out new was to have power over the town people.They thought of the idea of reeducation.and because of that little seamstress couldnt really count on being with balzac The idea was to turn all the town people into workers and less then them peasants. They were not allowed to read books.so the people were rude and wouldnt turn on them. peasants workd in mines which they could die.taking risks.unlike a history book, this book gives you a chance to actually be in the book,using the word "i" instead of revealing the name.we no alot more thats going on about what trouble they go through what there surroundings look like,how they were treated..
In Balzac and the Chinese Seamstress we get a different look on how people felt while going through the re-education thing. The book lets you take a better look at the Cultural Revolution. It was basicly Mao's way or you would get punished.
In Balzac and the Chinese Seamstress you get to see how each person felt. Not just the people as whole, Like a historical account would. You identify with a character, and really start to understand the thing these people went through to survive. Whether it be re-education, or just everyday life.
In the early 1960's Mao launched the Socialist Education Movement; the movements purpose was providing mass education less expensively and of re-educating people to accept the need for their own participation in manual labor. This novel has great details of how the children had to go through re-education; work in the coal mines and in the fields. Text books give you the watered down version of what really occurs in Chinese culture; the text books don't show the suffering that children had to live with. This novel offers everything the text book doesn't.
In Balzac and the Chinese Seamstress you get to see how each person felt. Not just the people as a whole, Like a historical account would. You identify with a character, and really start to understand the thing these people went through to survive. Whether it was re-education, or just everyday life.
This part about re-education is sad because its like they have no say in what they do with there life and its like a turning point in there lives. When they take people out of there home town and people who graduated from high school it doesn't really make the country better at least thats what i think. And they should let the people who didnt graduate work there because it would make more sense.
im glad i read this book or else i wouldnt of known about what is going on. Balzac and the little chinese seamstess reveals the civilians point of view through two young boys that where draged out of their homes to get reeducated. I think i understood the situation more through the book, it made it easy to understand.
In Balzac and the Chinese Seamstress we can see how that they are forced to be re-educated and the narrator and Luo show for us.They have many fears about if someday they could back home, they have fear about working on the coal mines,the only possibility to back home is if they bride the headmaster.
In the Book Balzac we can see that the Revolution was going on in china and we can see how people were forced to do things and to become smarter. But we know it's more than that because of the thoughts of Luo and the Narrator. Also how Mao's laws are so forcefull among the Chinese culture, but here we see how 3 teenagers can deal with those harsh laws.
Reading the book we get into more presonal and life thought the Re-education school. Vs a text book we get more facts and dates when stuff happened.
In Balzac And The Chinese Seamstress it shows how the Chinese people struggled and felt about being re-educated. They felt it was pointless and unfair to get sent away for being "an enemy of the people"(being smarter than mou)
well it shows a little bit on how the chinese culture was it show how the emeperer was forcing youngersters to be re-educated to be forced to be taught by the pheasents
Well obviously this is an inside look at the re-education in a frist person view basically. They are forced to move to this place in order to change and kind of be sheltered. They are to be closed off from the outside world and not read books so that they dont lesarn to much about stuff outside their culture.
Balzac and the Little Chinese Seamstress reveals the opinion of those sent to re-education in China. It reveals that some of those did not agree that the re-organization was a good idea. The two main characters, Luo and Ma, didn't find it to be useful. Intsead of hard labor at Pheonix Mountain they focus their energy on stealing and reading the forbidden books. The book really shows what the kids thought of their lives under the rule of Chairman Mao and it's more intimate because they are close to our ages, so we can relate to most of their feelings in that sense.
Balzac makes the reader realize how the Revolution really was aimed at dumbing down the people. It was a struggle for the Chinese just to get a education and find the truth about history. History books will talk about the laws Chairman Mao laid out, but it can not portray the personal stories of young men and women whose lives were completely transformed.
the whole Re-education prosses might of really been a way to keep Mao in absoulute power. With all of the people being illiterate they would follow Mao blindly because they didn't know how to question him. Also by telling the story form someone elses experience instead of a historical point of view, really gives us a view of what it might of been like beeing a literate "Enemy of the people" wich Lou and the narrator's perents were.
What Balzac and the Chinese Seamstress reveals is that Chinas cultural revolutuion was just to dumb people down so Mao could do whatever he wanted; splitting families apart and sending kids off to the mountains with no prospect of ever returning.
In Balzac and the Chinese Seamstress you get to see how each person felt. Not just the people as a whole, Like a textbook account would. You identify with a character, and really start to understand the things these people went through to survive. Whether it was re-education, or just everyday life.
In the book it showed how people in China were sent to be re-educated, in the book you see the reaction of the narrator and Luos point of view, and there reaction towards things that are were going on. Like for example in the book Luo kept reading books this showed how Luo didn’t take the re-education seriously.
Balzack and the Little Chinese Seamstress reveals how Chairman Mao forced the educated youth to leave their homes and give up their education to go work up in the mountains. It made the kids lives misserable. The book shows us in more detail of what exactly happened to the kids who were sent to work in the mountains. It does that because it talks about the daily life of living out there. And something written in a historical account like a history book would just menchion that the educated kids were sent in the hills to be taught by other people, and it would say the reason for it, but thats it.
The Book reveals how the chinese felt about re-education and how they felt about it. In the book the auther teaches us thins about china, such as they like to tell stories and they are forced to be re-educated.
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