Red Scarf Girl Essay Questions & Answers
The Red Scarf Girl Questions & Answers 1. How does Ji-li’s opinion about the Communist Party and its beloved leader, Mao Ze-dong, change over the course of her story? Name some of the most crucial events in the autobiography and explain how they change Ji-li's feelings about the party.
Ji-li never stopped believing in Mao because everyone was brainwashed into thinking he was good, like she says on the first page; “Heaven and earth are great, but greater still is the kindness of the Communist Party; father and mother are dear, but dearer still Chairman Mao”(Pg. 1). He was thought of as a god and never blamed for the bad that was happening in the country. Though Ji-li always believed in Mao, her thoughts on the party changed throughout the novel because she blamed the people in the communist system rather than the leader. At the beginning of the story, she thought that the country was in a great state with communism and how everyone was treated, but she later realized that it was wrong when her family was cast into the Black Category and shunned. Many things happened to Ji-Li during the revolution that she didn’t understand like when they closed her favorite place to read books or when her classmates accused her of having a relationship with her teacher. There were worse things that made her despise the party. First, she didn’t get to take the exam to go to the best middle school because they changed the way of education and since everyone was to be treated the same there was no such thing as a good middle school or a bad middle school. When they changed the system, it infuriated Ji-li because one thing she cared about was her education since it would help her be successful. Next, Ji-li’s parents had to fire their housekeeper, Song Po-po, because having a maid was to be living in luxury and it would cast them into the black category. To avoid being shunned, they fired Song Po-po which made Ji-li angry because she loved her like family. The worst example was
Ji-li never stopped believing in Mao because everyone was brainwashed into thinking he was good, like she says on the first page; “Heaven and earth are great, but greater still is the kindness of the Communist Party; father and mother are dear, but dearer still Chairman Mao”(Pg. 1). He was thought of as a god and never blamed for the bad that was happening in the country. Though Ji-li always believed in Mao, her thoughts on the party changed throughout the novel because she blamed the people in the communist system rather than the leader. At the beginning of the story, she thought that the country was in a great state with communism and how everyone was treated, but she later realized that it was wrong when her family was cast into the Black Category and shunned. Many things happened to Ji-Li during the revolution that she didn’t understand like when they closed her favorite place to read books or when her classmates accused her of having a relationship with her teacher. There were worse things that made her despise the party. First, she didn’t get to take the exam to go to the best middle school because they changed the way of education and since everyone was to be treated the same there was no such thing as a good middle school or a bad middle school. When they changed the system, it infuriated Ji-li because one thing she cared about was her education since it would help her be successful. Next, Ji-li’s parents had to fire their housekeeper, Song Po-po, because having a maid was to be living in luxury and it would cast them into the black category. To avoid being shunned, they fired Song Po-po which made Ji-li angry because she loved her like family. The worst example was