Red+Scarf+Girl

= Red Scarf Girl =

Caroline- The main character in __**Red Scarf Girl**__ is Ji-Li Jiang, who also wrote it. In 1966, she was 12 years old and faced many difficulties during the Cultural Revolution. Above is a photo of Ji-Li in her school, Xin Er Primary School. She lived in Shanghai, China with her grandmother, father, mother, brother and sister. She faced the difficulties of coming from a "black family" which means that they have a bourgeois history, or a bourgeois lifestyle. In Ji-Li's case, her grandfather on her father's side was a landlord who owned lots of land. In China, the poor were constantly exploited by the landlords, but we know almost nothing about her grandfather. The Cultural Revolution purpose was to rid Capitalism and most anything foreign from China, while bringing the proletariat power, and giving the working class more opportunities and a higher social standing.

Ji-Li was top of her class, and very intelligent. One day a soldier from the Liberation Army came to select children to audition to be accepted to the Central Liberation Army Arts Academy which is a dance-training class. She was chosen to try out but when she told her parents her dad said that there may be some political differences, and that she couldn't go. Then, her school decided hold elections for Red Successors. Red Successors are like the primary school version of Red Guards, they make sure that everything is in the spirit of the revolution, and that everyone honors Chairman Mao. She was one of the candidates, and the candidates had to state their class status to influence the vote. All of the other candidates said 'office worker', and when Ji-Li says the same, a boy yells out what her family wouldn't tell her-that her grandfather was a landlord, and her father was a suspected to be a counterrevolutionary. It was a downhill from there. People were told to destroy the four olds which were Old Customs, Old Culture, Old Habits, and Old Ideas. Four Olds were very frowned upon, but the confusing thing was if they are trying to destroy the past, why are they dwelling on the people's past? And the Red Successors called her out because of her poor class status. She loses many opportunities because of her poor class status too. Then, Chairman Mao encourages the children to rebel against teachers, authority and bourgeois. The children write da-zi-baos, which criticize people. Ji-Li has to go with a group to exploit her aunt. The Red Guards also ransack houses of the bourgeois, and get rid of all the foreign things and four olds. One of Ji-Li's neighbors wouldn't admit to the crime the Red Guards accused him of committing, and they made him kneel all day in the hot sun on a washboard. Ji-Li's grandmother was afraid that the Red Guards would make her do the same thing to her. So they hid out in the park for a while. Ji-Li's father and mother secretly burnt pictures of them in the past and of their ancestors that are considered four olds. Eventually the Red Guards search her house and take four olds. After that, her father is detained, and she is asked to follow Chairman Mao and fully support the Revolution by shunning her parents, or staying with them and being an enemy of China. Then she goes to work on a farm, working on the rice paddies. Then, her her mom gets a letter from a family friend complaining about the government. Then, the Red Guards ransack the house and find the letter. In the end, Ji-Li's family is declared a black family, and forced to work.



The Red Scarf Girl Sydney - In 1966 a huge change in China took place. The leader of the country Chairman Mao started something call the Cultural Revolution. The Cultural Revolution turned China upside down in my eyes. When I was reading my book I asked myself, Why would the chairman of China start a Cultural Revolution. It became clear in the book that the chairman destroyed China's history and brainwashed most of the people. He wanted to exploit the people who exploited others in the past. I thought this was kind of weird because if you're trying to destroy the past why bring up the past? During the Cultural Revolution many people were exploited and denounced including Ji-Li father, mother and grandmother. In the Red Scarf Girl Ji-Li family was torn apart and Ji-Li still managed to keep them glued together. The customs I learned were that Chairman Mao and the Communist Party were highly respected. Whatever Chairman Mao did was right and there was no question about. everything was to be done to honor Chairman Mao and bring in the "Four News" and exploit the people that were "Four Olds". * Pictures inserted by Sydney* Rebecca - SymbolThe symbol we chose for Red Scarf Girl... is a red scarf! There are different shades of red to represent how she would like and hate communism. There are rips in the scarf to symbolize how her life was very hard and it was never perfect. The wrinkles are like the four-olds and how they were not allowed in China at the time during the revolution. At the bottom of the scarf there is a letter in Chinese that means "bad" (坏)We put this there to symbolize how everyone would get criticize, mocked, and derisive comments would be thrown there way. Overall the scarf has been through a lot of trouble but it remains in one piece like how Ji-Li, despite all her troubles and sorrow stayed loyal to her family and to herself. Connections between Animal Farm and Red Scarf Girl Rebecca -


 * Chairman Mao Represents Napoleon,
 * The Propaganda is like Squealer,
 * Communism is like Animalism,
 * Destroying Fourolds are like the Commandments/ Things to get rid of,
 * Red Guards are symbolizing the Puppies,
 * The People are like Boxer and how he says "N. is always right"

Important Quotes - Rebecca - "Now, you have to choose between 2 roads. The man from the revolutionary committee looked straight into my eyes. You can break with your family and follow Chairman Mao,or you can follow your father and become the enemy of the people." I think this is a important quote because it really gives you a sense of how hard things were back then. You would have to choose between your family or your commitment to your leader. Also you can see how much pressure it is on her; could you make that choice at the age of 12? In the book this is a constant topic that reappears in every chapter and i admire Ji-Li for always making the right decision even though it might be hard too. Sydney - I thought an important quote in this book was quote, " Heaven and earth are great, but greater still is the kindness of the Communist Party; father and mother are dear, but dearer still is Chairman Mao." (p.1) I thought this was a very important because it tells you that in China Chairman Mao is first in the Chinese peoples lives and there parents are second. It opened my eyes to how different the Chinese culture is from ours., because even though Obama is our president he isn't dearer than my father and mother. Caroline -

Connections to Animal Farm- Sydney- In the Red Scarf Girl I made many connections. High officials and followers of Chairman Mao were addressed as Comrade. In Animal Farm Squealer Napoleon and the other animals that followed Napoleon were addressed as Comrade. Another connection I made was that the "Four Olds" were Jones way of doing things and the "Four News" were Napoleons way of doing things in the farm.