“I will refuse to mourn, because I was dying to live” (Ting 168). This quote from Gifts by Shu Ting identifies the theme of life that many writers of his time felt. He is expressing, through a metaphorical poem, how important it is to accept the pain and sadness that this world may contain, without heartbreak, so that we may fulfill our dreams in life. Especially after the effects of the Cultural Revolution, he wanted his people to stop being afraid. Shu Ting was born in China and was one of the country’s most highly regarded poets. She also lived to experience the Cultural Revolution that lasted from 1966 to 1976. After the revolution, many people were seeking a way to express themselves. Writing was not only a way for people to express themselves but also to spread hope. Authors wanted to help their people believe that this world and their country had more …show more content…
However, some authors aimed to connect with their audiences. Bei Dao, author of Perpetual Stranger, illustrated how he could not understand this world and the world could never hope to understand him, “I don’t understand its language, my silence it can’t comprehend” (Dao 147). “The world” is symbolism for his country, this being the only place he knows. In China, many motifs became prevalent with authors such as Feng Jicai. Throughout his story, Mao Button, he depicts the nationalism that the wearers of these buttons felt they needed to show. Soon, however, the real meaning of the prideful colorful badges including the Mao Zedong’s campaign, were lost as the civilians began competing among themselves out of envy, “They were looking at his button with amazement and envy...” (Jicai 155) and were constantly afraid of defacing the prized buttons in any way. By writing this story, Feng Jicai depicted the fear of the