Connection Captain Round 1 - Tobin

The book that I am currently reading is called Red Scarf Girl. This book, like many other books, selected a major event in the world, in this case, the Chinese Cultural Revolution. Like many events that happened in the world, this event starts with a poor decision, then gradually gets worse, and finally ends with a big accident, like assassination or some other major thing. Although I didn't think I will find any connections with other things, I actually found some.

The first connection I found was in this phrase, "...woman dressed in the People’s Liberation Army uniform. A Liberation Army soldier!" This was when the principal came into the class with a soldier from the army to recruit students for the Army Arts Academy. This reminded me of the old Korean schools in the 1960s and 1970s. In those times, Korea had a a coup d'etat from the army, and it succeeded, so the army was in control of the country. Because of this, the schools had soldiers coming in and out of the rooms monitoring the students. From this, I kind of thought about the possibility that the students might have, which is "restricted action." Usually, when a soldier from a soldier-dominant country comes into a classroom, the students becomes uneasy, and watches their actions because the slightest accident could prove fatal. This was my first connection.

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My second connection is with this statement, " “The problem isn’t with you yourself, Ji-li. What I mean is that the political background investigations at these academies are very severe.” " This scene is when her father explains why she is better off not auditioning. The shocking reason for this is because of her family's background from the past. The connection I made is with the "discrimination" of Koreans with Japanese people. Korea has a complicated and complex history with the Japan, and it is not about something good, but something horrifying. And nowadays, the affect of those incidents still lingers in the minds of the Koreans, and we tend to discriminate people with a Japanese background. I personally think that this incident is very similar with the case of Ji-li because their opportunities are limited because of their background. 

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From the first three chapters(including the prologue) I learned the unfairness and conflict in that time period in China. Even from the beginning, this book is making me read more and more. I am now, more curious about the next chapters.