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Summary: The Red Scarf Girl: A Girl With Determination
Review: Red Scarf Girl by Ji-li Jiang was a fascinating memoir about Ji-li's life during the Cultural Revolution. This book exceptionally demonstrates the qualities of a hero, presented by Ji-li's actions. Ji-li was a smart, determined leader and she always stood up for what she believed was right, all of which are qualities of a hero.
A person would not only be drawn to this book because it takes place during the Cultural Revolution, which was a horrible time period for many people living in China then, but because it is about a girl going into junior high school who is strong, inside and out, by standing up for what she believes is right, no matter what criticism and punishment she faces on her quest to make things right. In this book, Ji-li comes from a family of bad class status because her grandfather was a landlord. The Communist Party, which Ji-li belongs to, is run by Mao Ze-dong who is trying to reform China by getting rid of the Four Olds: Old ideas, old culture, old customs, and old habits. The Red Guard, a group of teenagers who live to serve Mao Ze-dong, search the homes of families with bad class status to confiscate any objects and possessions that might have fallen into the category of one of the Four Olds. Since Ji-li was born into a family of bad class status, she is told that she still has a chance to become an educable child. She would have to do whatever it took to prove herself loyal to Mao Ze-dong, even if it meant breaking from her family. One night, Ji-li's father is arrested by the citizens of Shanghai, the city where the story takes place, and Ji-li has to decide between two choices: whether to break off relations with him and her family to become an official supporter of Mao Ze-dong, or to support her father and family, which would cause her to sacrifice any future that she would have in the Communist Party.
An example of when Ji-li demonstrates her heroic nature was when she was able to stand up to her enemies, Du Hai and Yang Fan. Ji-li was being teased by them for saying things that were Four Olds. They were tormenting her so much that finally, she was able to come back with thing that they had done which were Four Olds also. This part of the book is significant to the idea of heroism because part of being a hero is standing up to your enemies and not letting anyone bring you down.
"Not me. I'll never be a quitter." This is a quote from a part in the book where Ji-li is given one more chance to prove her loyalty to Mao Ze-dong by working in a rice field as summer labor. This is a terribly difficult job, working for many days bending over rice plants in the scorching heat. One day as she was working, Ji-li faints from exhaustion. Her friend, Chang Hong who is a member of the Red Guards, says that she should stop working in the fields, but Ji-li doesn't want to give up. She loves her family and she also loves Mao Ze-dong and the Communist Party, so she feels that summer labor is the only way that she can have them both. This scene in the rice fields symbolizes how determined Ji-li is and how she will never give up on a task, no matter what the circumstances are; a true quality of a hero.
This story about Ji-li in the Cultural Revolution brings out the qualities that are put together to convey the theme of an exceptional hero. The heroic actions that Ji-li takes to stand up for what she believes in makes this story very enjoyable and uplifting even when her family is going through emotional struggles. This story is well-written and detailed and anyone who is interested in China and the Cultural Revolution should read it.
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Summary: A Real Panorama of the Cultural Revolution
Review: Red Scarf Girl is an excellent book wrote by author Ji-Li Jiang, who grew up in Communist China, facing all of the downfalls of the political party, and ending up being criticized by everyone just because of her family's political background. Ji-Li explains all that went on in great detail, having no problems with backing up her details with more and more details, giving you the feel of actually being there during the Cultural Revolution.The book explains how harsh Communism was during the Cultural Revolution, and how so many people did everything and believed in everything that Chairman Mao did. Being in a rich family, she and the rest of her family were constantly criticized because of this and her 'bad' political background. She explains the characters in the book very well (her family members, Chairman Mao himself, her friends, etc.) and really lets you get to know their personality. You're almost inside of the book, watching as the Red Guards are practically terrorizing Ji-Li, seeing her friends turn their backs on her, and listening to the hateful words that the government says about people's families such as Ji-Li's. This is an excellent book, whether you know a lot about the Cultural Revolution or not. Ji-Li Jiang is really skilled in explaining what she sees, and will allow you to know what really went on with the Communist Party and the Cultural Revolution from the 1950s to the 1970s.
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Summary: The Cultural Revolution -- a review by Charlie, age 10
Review: Red Scarf Girl is about a memory of the Cultural Revolution. Ji-li Jiang is the main character. She also has a brother called Ji-yong Jiang and a little sister called Ji-yuong Jiang. She has a friend, An-Yi, who often helps her when she has a problem. Ji-li Jiang had a rich family. Being rich in China at that time could cause families to be separated. It could cause families who were rich five months ago to have to live in a cottage working on a farm, getting whipped by the farmers who owe the land they're working in. It could even cause them to be killed! Ji-li is aware of all of this, and is trying to keep her family safe. This is not a fiction book -- it is a memory about what Ji-li Jiang thought about the Cultural Revolution. You might think that this book is a girl book; but it's really about how people lived in the Cultural Revolution. If you like humor, this is not the book you're looking for -- it has a little humor in it, but it really is a sad story. Nothing goes well in the story. All the cliffhangers keep the reader in the story to see what happens next. Not all chapters end with cliffhangers, but sometimes there is a cliffhanger in the middle of a page which make the reader read a lot faster to see what happens to the person or what happens next. This book is a really detailed story about how people lived during the Cultural Revolution.
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Summary: Simple language tells a striking story.
Review: While it's true that this is a book I probably would not have read if I didn't do it for school, I am very glad to have read it. The book is written with very simple language, thus is easy to read, although the themes and story inside the language are much more adult, much deeper. Ji-Li relates to us only a snippet of her childhood, from age 12 to 14. We see how her school life, family life, and personal life are all torn apart by the Cultural Revolution, all the while witnessing the great respect and reverence given to Mao Ze Dong, even while wrongdoings are done in his name. This book chronicles a struggle of identity and loyalty in a world where speaking your mind openly is not tolerated and the occupation of your grandfather affects your entire future. This book is a nice read, and provides insight into a little-known area of history, at least here in the West.
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Summary: A Chinese Heroine
Review: Ji-li Jiang, the writer and main character of the Red Scarf Girl, was a girl who grew up in China. The Cultural Revolution, started by Mao Ze-dong, began the year Ji-li turned 12 years old, in 1966. Her early life was joyful. Ji-li was respected because she was intelligent and she was trusted. However, soon she learns she is from a landlord family, which is one of China's Five Black Categories. Chairman Mao wanted all of China's Five Black Categories to be punished. This would include Ji-li Jiang. She then realized that some of her opportunities would have to be given up, like her not becoming a Red Successor or Red Guard because of her background. The Red Scarf Girl is a worthwhile read because it shows how Ji-li Jiang is a model hero. She is intelligent, mentally strong, and brave.
Ji-li was intelligent and was at the top of her classes. Throughout the book, Ji-li was the smartest student, had perfect test scores, and she was given the biggest opportunities because of her academics. Ji-li helped other students in math because she was the best in the math class. This was one of the honors given to her because she was intelligent. In addition, her perfect tests reflected how she was so dedicated to her studies. Early in the book, Ji-li was given the opportunity to be a Liberation Army soldier because she was intelligent, physically strong, and flexible. However, Ji-li could not be a Liberation Army soldier because of her family background. Ji-li was given many chances to succeed because she was intelligent and she used her gifts to go beyond what her family history limited her to. When she could not be a Liberation Army soldier, Ji-li kept on studying hard because later in her life, she might be given that chance once more.
Ji-li Jiang, in addition to being intelligent, was mentally strong throughout the Cultural Revolution. She went through many tough times, like when she went through reading a da-zi-bao about her and her teacher, Ke Cheng-li. During the Cultural Revolution, a da-zi-bao was a posted note that humiliated people by telling others what the accused person was charged with. The da-zi-bao was about how Ji-li Jiang was Ke Cheng-li's favorite student. During this time, Ji-li used her mental strength to get through her troubles. She did not take revenge upon the people who wrote this about her although she was the one who helped them through their questions and troubles in the classroom.
During the Cultural Revolution, Ji-li Jiang remained brave, in addition to being intelligent and mentally strong. Later in the book, Ji-li Jiang, along with other classmates, went to work on the rice farms as summer labor. Everyone had to work either in the factories or on the rice farms. At first, Ji-li choose to work in the factories so she could look after her family. Her father was forced to work in labor because he had performed a counterrevolutionary crime, which he refused to confess. A counterrevolutionary crime is a crime that is done against the Communist party. Ji-li's family did not see him for more than three months. Without her father, Ji-li had to go work. Her grandmother was too old to work in labor, and her mother had Ménière's disease. Ménière's disease causes one to be dizzy, weak, and nauseous. Ji-li's mother could not work under these conditions. Lastly, her younger sister, Ji-yun, and her younger brother, Ji-yong, were too young to be able to work in labor. However, a friend, Chang Hong, told Ji-li if she worked on the rice farms, she could work hard so the officials would overlook her family background throughout the summer. It was then Ji-li became brave and left her family to work in the rice-fields.
Ji-li was intelligent, mentally strong, and brave. She always tried to succeed, even when she was held back by her family history. Ji-li was mentally strong, even when she was humiliated among friends and neighbors. Lastly, Ji-li was brave, as when she left her family to work on the rice farms by herself. The Red Scarf Girl is well written. Ji-li Jiang's troubles allow us to know how hard it was to grow up in a politically oppressed family during the Cultural Revolution. She was a real life hero.
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Summary: Mao's Reign Exposed Through a Child's Eyes
Review: Ji-li opens up to the world what her suffering meant to her in her childhood. Her bravery held her up through the beginning of communism in her country. Red Guards (supporters of the Cultural Revolution) roamed the streets, ransacked homes, beat teachers, and took Ji-li's father to "detention". The pain of Ji-li flows through the book. The before admiration of her peers went to hate. The bright future as a Red Guard becomes dark. Ji-li's hopes and dreams fall from automatic judgment and ancestry. Ji-li's story is devastating but her determination in Mao's dark world is inspiring.
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Summary: Mao Through A Young Girl's Eyes
Review: Red Scarf Girl is an excellent, easy read for anyone who wishes to learn about true life experiences during China's cultural revolution. Ji-li Jiang's shares some of her most poignant memories with the reader: yearning to be a Red Guard, watching her country change, and the struggle to deal with her "black" family background. Her strength as a young individual during a difficult and confusing time is beautiful and inspiring. I highly recommend this book to people of all ages.
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Summary: The Most Compelling Memoir in The World!
Review: First of all, I must say this book deserves ten stars, not five. Ji-Li Jiang tells the story of her life being completely torn apart by the Cultural Revolution and her own thoughts and beliefs on Chinese Communism. Ji-Li, a distinguished student, is condescended at school because of her family's past. She watches in terror as her favorite teachers are being harrassed at school, people's homes being ransacked, and her father being put in detention at his work building. Red Gaurds (enforcers of the Cultural Revolution) are everywhere, and they make sure that every well-to-do man, woman, child, is punished for being who they are. Insulting posters of propaganda turn up all over the city and Ji-Li's school. During all of the turmoil, Ji-Li is forced to choose between her family and the prestige and honor she has worked so hard for. Because of her family's political background, she loses the chance of getting into one of the best jounior high schools in China. Ji-Li begins to hate her ancestors for being who they were and she even begins to hate herself. She wishes that she were poor, so that she would not be ostracized for her way of living. However, despite all of her struggles, Ji-Li is determined to rise above those who stopped her from being who she wants to be. This is a wonderful book that I could not put down. Read this, and enjoy.
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Summary: Interesting
Review: This is a wonderful book that drew me in. I really felt for Ji-Li Jiang, the main character. I read it when I was in elementary school and didn't know anything about the Cultural Revolution. It educated me and I also liked how realistic it was (that's because it is a true story) and how Ji-Li agreed with communism, and it took a long time for her to realize how wrong it was even though she herself suffered a lot. It's not five stars though. It's a good book and I can't find anything wrong with it, but I've read better and it's not one of my favorite books. But I still highly recommend it.
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Summary: A Must Read!
Review: Having spent several years of my childhood in Hong Kong, I've had an ongoing interest in Chinese culture and history. When I read this book, I felt that this was a book I wanted to share with everyone. Red Scarf Girl gives us a window into the life of a girl growing up during the Cultural Revolution - a time of great upheaval in China. Having read "Life and Death in Shanghai," by Nien Ching, several years earlier, I had already been given an excellent perspective of what it must have been like to live through this period as an adult. Now, I was fascinated to see the years of the revolution detailed through the eyes of a young girl who was trying not just to survive, but to rationalise, accept, and believe in what she saw happening around her. This is a very moving account and I believe that anyone could benefit from reading it unless they are determined not to let that happen.
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