Communism In Daughter Of China

“Every Communist must grasp the truth, ‘Political power grows out of the barrel of a gun’” (Mao Tse-Tung). Communism, by definition, is a political theory advocating class war and leading to a society in which all property is publicly owned and each person works and is paid according to their abilities and needs. Karl Marx’s theory, originally intended to beneficially alter society, shaped modern day China, but some argue that it creates conflict when applied to a mass amount of people. Many believe that communism can decrease personal motivation to defy conformity and establish utter personal freedom to rise and fall among social rankings. Some of the major ideas that Daughter of China heavily addresses is the benefits and downfalls of life

The notion of liberty became progressively more stringent as society conformed to its new system. During the early 1900’s, Republican rebels planned to overthrow the Qing dynasty to award the people and nation “absolute freedom”, later called the Xinhai revolution. This revolution was successful in granting the nation further liberation from a dynasty, but the people’s freedom diminished slowly over time. “An individual should not have too much freedom. A nation should have absolute freedom” (Sun Yat-Set), one of the leaders of the rebellion, Sun Yat-Set, believed that a nation’s freedom supersedes that of an individual. In China, the People’s Republic define human rights differently than the majority of the countries of the world's, leading them to violate the typical laws regarding freedom of speech, movement, and religion of its citizens. These laws limited the distinction between each person and created a system in which it was easier to “get in line.” Free will is an important part of establishing individuality and making your own decisions throughout life, and political obstacles can impair that basic right. When Meihong is chosen to join a military organization she forfeits almost all of her personal freedom to the government, including her right to marry below her

The foundation of communism can diminish a person’s individuality as it compels everyone to serve and support the system as opposed to taking the path less traveled. The eradication of one’s personal freedom is partially a method of control used to manipulate the general public into submission. The comparing of capitalism and communism throughout the book worked both to illustrate the rigid walls of China during this time period and to reveal the struggles of constantly being “in