Dream of the Red Chamber is one of the classics of Chinese literature and is considered by some to be eminent example of classic Chinese writing. Written in the middle of the eighteenth century, is serves as one of the last great tableaus of China prior to influence from the West. Its central story is that of boy, Jia Baoyu, growing up in feudal China. He lives a privileged life — the Jia family is by no means impoverished — and is attended on by maids as he spends his days with his cousins and friends. Throughout the novel, however, there exists a thread of rebellion on Baoyu’s part. He spurns many of the societal norms of his culture and parents through his acceptance of taboo subjects and rejection of what’s expected of him. Baoyu even attempts to fight his fate throughout the narrative; to put off the inevitable and live a life not predestined for him. Yet all his rebellions ultimately prove futile; Baoyu is eventually forced to play out his assigned role and live with the tragedy it brings.
Baoyu is introduced to both the readers and Black Jade — one of Baoyu’s cousins — through Madame Wang. She describes him as “a good deal with the girls and maids. He behaves tolerably well if left alone but, if any of the girls encourage him in the least, he becomes quite impossible and may say all sorts of wild things” (Cao 32). Already Baoyu’s rejection of norms can be seen. He doesn’t participate in the homosociality usually expected of him, instead spending a lot of time with members of the opposite sex: girls and maids. Furthermore her assessment that he says ‘all sorts of wild things’ implies that he is unorthodox in his behavior and opinions. He doesn’t abide by the norms of the culture and wants to have his own voice in the socie...
... middle of paper ...
...te’s way; Lotus died in childbirth within a year of her marriage. (329)
Characters like Baoyu may attempt to fight fate, but destiny cannot be defeated. Tragedy befalls those who would stand in its way. After all, “for what follows the way of Heaven prospers, and what goes against it perishes” (290).
Works Cited
Cao Xueqin. Dream of the Red Chamber. Trans. Chi-Chen Wang. New York: Twayne, 1958. Print.
Wakeman, Frederic, Jr. "The Genius of the Red Chamber by Frederic Wakeman Jr." The Genius of the Red Chamber by Frederic Wakeman Jr. The New York Book Review, 12 June 1980. Web. 11 May 2014. .
HB Staff. "The Twelve Beauties of Jinling – Xue Baochai." CultureInCart. 25 Oct. 2013. Web. 11 May 2014. .
“The Death of Woman Wang”, written by Chinese historian Jonathan Spence, is a book recounting the harsh realities facing citizens of Tancheng country, Shandong Province, Qing controlled China in the late 17th century. Using various primary sources, Spence describes some of the hardships and sorrow that the people of Tancheng faced. From natural disasters, poor leadership, banditry, and invasions, the citizens of Tancheng struggled to survive in a devastated and changing world around them. On its own, “Woman Wang” is an insightful snapshot of one of the worst-off counties in imperial Qing China, however when taking a step back and weaving in an understanding of long held Chinese traditions, there is a greater understanding what happened in
In comparison The Red Room was written only thirty years later in 1894 by HG Wells although it feels more timeless. At that time technology had improved intensely, nevertheless Wells still imitated the old fashion gothic literature style writing, which is ironic, due to the time. Both stories have managed to engage its audience by creating suspense and tension. Besides that both stories have been written in first person, this in sequence makes it sinister, in a way because we get to know the narrator’s impressions and feelings. The authors of both stories have selected discomforting places in which to set their story, they are made more eerie because that in the 19th century time many people believed in ghosts and the supernatural.
The Cultural Revolution in China was led by Mao Zedong, due to this Liang and many others faced overwhelming obstacles in many aspects of their life such as work, family and everyday encounters, if affected everyone’s families life and education, Liang lets us experience his everyday struggles during this era, where the government determined almost every aspect of life. The beginning of the book starts out with Liang’s typical life, which seems normal, he has a family which consists of three children, two older sisters and him the youngest, his two sister’s reside in Changsha 1. his father has an everyday occupation working as a journalist at a local newspaper. Things start to take a turn early in life for Liang Heng, his family politics were always questioned, the mistake made by one of his family members would impact his entire family and it would be something they would have to suffer through, it was impossible for them to live down such a sin.... ...
The idea that resulted in the Little Seamstress leaving the mountain maybe viewed as ironic by the reader. The ideas of being different and individual, that Lou held and put to practice were what communist Leader Chair man Mao Zedong originally feared. This was why the texts were originally banned in the first place, and viewed as revolutionary trash. As it was thought that they may result in an u...
In his poem, “Notes from the City of the Sun”, Bei Dao utilizes obscure imagery consistent with the Misty Poets and veiled political references to illustrate the struggles in Chinese society during the Cultural Revolution. The poem is sectioned into fourteen short stanzas containing imagery that are symbolic of the cultural hegemony in China under the rule of Mao Zedong. Bei Dao, born Zhao Zhen-kai, is an anti-revolutionary poet and one of the founders of a group known as the Misty Poets. The Misty Poets wrote poems that protested the Cultural Revolution led by Mao Zedong. Therefore, a lot of Bei Dao’s poems speak out against the Cultural Revolution and the restrictions that it placed on any form of art. Bei Dao’s poetry is categorized as “misty” because of the ambiguity in its references to Mao Zedong and the Cultural Revolution. An obscure imagery that occurs twice in “Notes” is the sun imagery. Another imagery that depicts the injustice of the Cultural Revolution is the description of freedom as scraps of paper. In the poem, Bei Dao also equates faith to sheep falling into a ditch; this is a depiction blind faith during the Cultural Revolution. The purpose of this essay is to analyze how Bei Dao’s use of the Misty Poet’s ambiguous imagery and implicit political context in the poem “Notes from the City of the Sun” to illustrate the cultural hegemony in China under Mao.
Revolution Is Not a Dinner Party, a historical fiction book written by Ying Chang Compestine, exceptionally portrays the horrors and torture the Chinese people endured during the "revolution," or the Communist control and building of a new China.
The setting of a story has a ponderous influence on the reader’s perception as it often justifies a character’s behavior. In Saboteur, the story takes place in communist China as witnessed by the concrete statue of Chairman Mao in the middle of the square. During this period, the communist leader Mao Zedong was ruling with authority and transforming the society based on a Marxist model. The author states that “the Cultural Revolution was over already and recently the party had been propagating the idea that all citizens are equal”(26). The statue is located in the middle of a square before Muji train station. Muji seems to be a middle sized province town. The place is very busy as suggested by the “food and fruit vendors crying for customers in lazy voices” (3). The place “smells of rotten melon and a few flies kept buzzing above the couple’s lunch”(3) foreshadowing a unpleasant event. The season in which the plot takes place is summer since Mr. Chiu and his bride are both wearing sandals. Additionally later during the story Mr. Chiu is offered to sign his self criticism carrying a date that is July the 13th.
Many believe that our choices in life are already made for us and we have no control to what happens to us, although others believe that this life is like an epic journey and we can change our fate at any moment. It´s hard to choose which side you believe in my honest opinion I believe that our lives do not ¨lie in the fate of God¨ as stated by in the Iraq War Post by Faiza Al-Araji however I believe instead that our life is an odyssey, that we must travel through and make important choices by ourselves not by fate. But with many edvidence and claims in both story the question ¨How much in our lives do we actually controls?¨ wanders through our mind.
Qian, Sima. Records of the Grand Historian, Volume 55, House of the Marquis of Liu.
A person’s morals can have a large impact on who they are. Their morals may contrast with those of others in society, making them redefine what it means to be a certain gender in that time period. In Ang Lee’s Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon it is revealed that one’s moral codes influence their contrasting roles in traditional society.
About 60 years ago, our society here in the United States was different then it is now. African Americans suffered from injustices by law after the abolishment of slavery. Great leaders stood up to these injustices as their lives took precise paths that lead to a revolution they had a vision in. In the first two volumes of the March trilogy by John Lewis and Andrew Aydin, we see their fate's play out in peculiar ways and their dreams of justice eventually fulfilled. Fate and Dreams play key roles in several events in the text that has resulted in society as we know of today. The concept of being “woke” is emphasized throughout the text, Lewis’ destiny had the opportunity to go awry at critical points in the text, and John Lewis and Dr. Martin
... people to stop treating homosexuality as a disease, and to start to better understand and or accept homosexuals. This story also helps highlight the struggles a homosexual goes through. Ha Jin allows the audience to look closely into the lives of both Baowen and Old Cheng.
Heaslet, Juliana Pennington. "The Red Guards: Instruments of Destruction in the Cultural Revolution." Asian Survey 12, no. 12 (December 1972): 1032-47. Accessed April 2, 2014. doi:10.2307/2643022.
The sound of the foot massages in Raise the Red Lantern echoes very well the rhythm of tension, obsession, and desire in the daily life of Chen¡¦s household. It seems to be the only promising and stimulating sound for the wives in that deadly quiet mansion. Moreover, this sound is often parallel to, or mixed with that of the footsteps of the master when he approaches the selected wife¡¦s room. This sound, then, creates a temporary illusion for the woman, who thinks she is going to win the man.
Lin Jiayou, Xin Hai Ge Ming Yu Zhong Hua Min Zu De Jue Xing (Guangzhou, Guangdong _____Ren Min Chu Ban She, 2011), pp. 498-515