I chose this image because I think it represents a choice that Ji-li had to make in the book. She wanted to change her name so people wouldn't think she was the descendent of a landlord anymore, but when she found out you were completely cut out from your family once you did that she had to chose between what Chairman Mao had said about thinking about your future or keeping the name Jiang and staying with her familiars. I think it was a tough choice to make because Ji-li really likes the idea of the revolution and tries to go with what Chairman Mao says, but she also wanted to remain with her family. I think that if I were Ji-li I would also have ran away because even if my family lived in China during the revolution and we had a familiar that was a landlord I would rather stay with my roots than abandoning my family and having them go through the disgrace of having your child to abandon you.
Chloe, I think your post is good, however I also think you could've made it a little longer... Either way, I think your illustration accurately represents what you stated in your passage and I agree with it too. Personally, I think Ji-li made the right decision because like Jim Butcher once said, “When everything goes to hell, the people who stand by you without flinching -- they are your family".
ReplyDeleteI think we can all agree on the fact that the Cultural Revolution was a though time for those of with a high economic status and Ji-li, being one of the more fortunate residents of China, suffered from it, all because of someone else's opinion and views of the world. What makes that person's (Chairman Mao) opinions more important than anyone else's? Because, where I grew up, the majority was who decided.
Chloé,
ReplyDeleteGood reflection. Your post really encouraged me to think further. Something that I want to focus on is the dilemma between Chairman Mao and Ji-li. I agree with you because choosing between your reputation versus family is pretty hard to decide. If I were Ji-li, I would choose to stay with my family's believe and status. In my opinion, family is one of the most important people that should always stay with you. The reason I chose family over reputation is because they would most likely do the same for me if they were in my position. For most people, family are the people that understand what you choose in life and learn to love what you love. To me, one will always owe something to their families because there is so much that one couldn't have done without them. It's the most loved people because they orientated you to be the person you are right now.