Red Scarf Girl Analysis

Year 9 Red Scarf Girl Paragraphs

Gigi Wong

Role of Women The roles of women have been displayed through the book ‘Red Scarf Girl’. Firstly, women take part in the role of the housework. Women would clean the house, being the cooker for the family, sew for their family and take care of the children. “When I was little, the wall had been covered with a picture of a woman dressed in a cook’s white uniform and white hat, and holding a large tray of food.” Page 100. The food on a tray hold by a woman symbolizes being a cooker for the family as part of their job, serving for the family. Also, as part of women’s job, they will work outside of the family to help with the family situation which if they are poor. “That was when the government was encouraging families to eat at neighborhood canteens to reduce housework and allow women to work outside the family.” This shows us the government were making male and female equal and that trying to reduce the amount of housework the women does and encouraging them to work outside of the family to help China and also to gain money for family. Women work as a housewife but also allowed to work jobs outside. The Social Classes in Chinese Culture The social classes in Chinese culture have a big effect to the opportunities and things that are allowed to do. Firstly, Ji Li have been wanted to become a red successor and had been nominated. Grandma already told her she would be disappointed as they would take the class status of the candidates which this is the only thing Ji Li is lack of. ‘Right! Those who don’t have good class backgrounds shouldn’t be elected.’ Page 57. As other students and teachers take the class status as a very important issue, it shows us that Ji Li could never had a opportunity to be part of the red successor due to the class status her family has before. Secondly, not only Ji Li are lack of the opportunities to being a red successor but also being part of the Central Liberation Army Arts Academy. ‘”There are more important requirements, political considerations…”’ Ji Li could not be part of many things due to the political background her family has. As she had a landlord grandpa, she does not have the opportunity since that have lowered her family’s social class. The social class can have a big effect on other opportunities.

Year 9 Red Scarf Girl Paragraphs

Gigi Wong

Patriarchy System The patriarchy system has always existed in the Chinese culture. Firstly, men always make the decisions in the family and even the country. In this book ‘Red scarf girl’, it showed the leader Mao ZeDong making the country better by making important decisions and commands to everyone in China. ‘Chairman Mao told us we would never succeed at building a strong socialist country until we destroyed the “Four olds”…’ That the leader always has the power to do all the things and the leaders are always men because of the patriarchy system that the Chinese citizens believe. Secondly, when Ji Li was very content about being part of the Arts Academy, her dad have told her ‘Don’t do the Audition, Ji Li.’ (Page 8). Ji Li’s father is the men who have the supreme authority in the family which he has all the power to tell his family members to do or not to do certain things.