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Essay On Ji-Li Jiang's 'Red Scarf Girl'

1081 Words5 Pages

“Her actions remind me that, even under unbearable circumstances, one can still believe in justice,” in David Henry Hwang’s foreword, in Ji-Li Jiang’s memoir Red Scarf Girl, commemorated even during the Great Proletarian Cultural Revolution anyone can overcome adversity (9). Ji-Li Jiang was a young teenager at the beginning of the Cultural Revolution, and living through a very political time in China’s history made Ji-Li into the person she is today. Ji-Li’s intelligence, her choices, and family devotion made her into the headstrong and successful person she is today. Even when Ji-li thought she was unintelligent, others saw she was wise. There were many moments when Ji-Li was reminded she was very smart. One day when the Liberation Army Dancer visited, Ji-Li told her dad that evening, “I [am] an Outstanding Student, an Excellent Young Pioneer, and even the da-dui-zhang, the student chairman of the whole school” (20). Explaining she was knowledgeable, through examples of her success, meant she knew that her political background would not get in her way of participating in the Cultural Revolution. A few years later, during the Cultural Revolution, Ji- Li was in junior high, …show more content…

Many of her experiences during the Cultural Revolution changed how she thought, and it helped her to realize who she was. Her intelligence, conflict between pursuing politics and staying loyal to her family, and her devotion to her family have made Ji-Li into the experienced and successful person that she is today. Her experience and success is shown through her novel’s success and her care for her family when she moved to the United States. The Cultural Revolution changed Ji-Li in many different ways, and those changes improved her morale, there are many times that are very formative throughout our daily

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Ji-li even acted as a red guard as well, naming stores or places that had four olds. However throughout the book, Ji-li’s point of view of the cultural revolution changes. Her father is detained, her house gets searched, she is excluded from activities, and she had to choose between her family or Mao. In Ji-li’s memoir she explains about the cultural revolution and about Mao.

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The theme of “survival” could be related to any book. In the book, The Red-Scarf Girl: A Memoir Of The Cultural Revolution, Ji-li had to overcome all the challenges such getting called a black whelp, getting humiliated and other things that some people can’t bear that pain. The theme of “survival” does relate to this book because Ji-li had to bear public humiliation and other things in order to survive. Furthermore, the theme of “survival” relates to this book, The Red-Scarf Girl: A Memoir of the Cultural Revolution. Ji-li’s family survived in challenging environments by not speaking up and bears the pain.

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