The Power of the Voice Group 4: Red Scarf Girl, a memoir of the cultural revolution: Red Scarf Girl. Bethany G.

Why was this book controversial? Which themes or ideas were challenging to society?

During the third quarter, I read the book Red Scarf Girl written by Ji-li Jiang about her experiences during the Cultural Revolution of China. To me, I think this book is controversial in many areas. One example would be da-zi-bao, which is criticizing the education system and teachers.The da-zi-bao is something the whole town and the country do and write bad things about the people and things that they don't like in their school. Ji-Li found out that they are posting the da-zi-bao on houses of teachers and 'enemies'. This Da-Zi-Bao said mean things about these people. Ji-Li did not enjoy this act, but there was nothing she could do to stop this revolutionary act. Other than that, her family overall was a black family. China probably did not approve of this book because of how everything in this book is probably true. How people with a black family could not become red successor, and her grandfather a landlord. Other than that, I think this book could be controversial in China, since it realized many details about the cultural Revolution, a time that China wants to forget. In the days of the Cultural Revolution, landlords were considered bad. That was the start of when the Cultural Revolution affected Jiang Ji Li.
To me, I couldn't really think of an overall theme, historical, survival, informative etc. In this novel for me, it was a complicated to read this book thinking of one theme. Some of the themes I thought of where, family, courage, and loyalty. Family was one of the first themes that came to mind beacause in this book, their family proves that they are always together. They always stuck together and helped each other to get through all the hard times. Ji-li is very protective of her family and cares that they will not be tortured. Also, Ji-li decides not to be an educable child. She chose instead to stay with her family and support them. For example, her mother says, “If anything happens to your Grandma and me, remember, you’re the oldest. Make sure you take good care of your brother and sister.” Ji-li answered by saying, “I will take care of both of them. I promise.” This shows she really cares about her brother and sister. Secondly, courage is a huge part of this book. For example, Ji-li wants to take the final test at the end of the year so she can move forard. Another time Ji-li shows courage is when she is picked on by her classmates,Du Hai. She is so miserable that she thinks she should change her name and break away from her family, but she acts courageous and does not. Loyalty appears in more than one chapter. In Writing da-zi-bao, Ji-li is instructed to compose large banners criticizing her teachers. Ji-li decides not to because she is loyal to her teachers. She now she can't write bad things about her teachers because she always thought what they taught was right

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This is an example of a da-zi-bao. Where people

criticize the education system and teachers.

Describe a choice made by a character in the novel. Why did the character make this choice? Was his or her action justified?

In the end of the book, Ji-li makes the decision to go to United States and create a company trying to bring the western and Chinese cultures together. This only happens after she is forced to go to a school in her region, loses her maid, her house is trashed, items thought of as " four old" all taken from her house, and her family's dark stage. Through all of this, they still believed and fought through it. Ji-li makes the decision to go to the United States for a better life and try to improve the lives of everyone else in China. Her action was very justified since she had a rough child hood, and she doesn't want others to go through the same thing. She wants to make sure that everyone gets the life they deserve and the opportunities they worked for. This book is about Ji-li Jiang and her experiences during the Cultural Revolution of China. Her decision to move to the united states justified in many ways, one reason as mentioned before, was because she had a rough childhood and wants to change the future for many. Although, there is more reasons, such as to create a new life of her own, create more opportunities, and finally, do things that she would never be able to or allowed to in China. Moving to the United states gave Ji-li a new life, a new chance to prove who she really was.