Outside Reading - Week 5 Post B

Dear Evelina Chao,

It's me again! I just finished reading your novel, Yeh Yeh's House, and all I can say is wow! Your novel was extremely entertaining and hard to put down.

Your trip to China sounded amazing! I think it would be awesome to go there and see all sights that you did. (Like the Great Wall of China, and taking a boat ride down the Yangtze River) However, I think I'll pass on eating the special cooked turtle dish!

I was really happy to see that you finally made it to your Yeh Yeh's house. For awhile I was doubting that you would ever make it to Beijing. I was also really excited that you and your mother finally worked out your differences. Like you said before, sometimes it takes great lengths like going to the other side of the world, to bring two people together. Have you still stayed close since the trip? 

I'm sorry to hear about your Yeh Yeh's house being torn down, but at least you were able to stay it before it happened. I'm sure he would have wanted you to see it. Also, I think that it's very cute that you planted the same flowers you Yeh Yeh at home, to remind you of China.

I have several questions for you after finishing your novel:

1. Have you ever returned to China?
2. Have you stayed in contact with the relatives you met there?
3. Did you ever choose a scroll from Yeh Yeh's house?

Again your novel was amazing!!

Sincerely, 

Paige

Outside Reading - Week 5 Post A

Vocab:

imperceptible (214) - very slightly, gradually, or subtle

anarchists (222) - a doctrine urging the abolition of government or governmental restraint

Appeals:

1. "...We were traveling due south, directly away from Beijing." (208) This is a logical appeal. After studying a map of China, Evelina discovers that yet again, they are moving further away from her Yeh Yeh's house in Beijing. Evelina is beginning to fear that her and her mother may never reach their destination to see her grandfather's house. 
2. "'I think I'm in trouble!'" (202) This is an emotional appeal. Evelina becomes worried after a Chinese official questions her plans in China. She conveys her problems to the reader and makes them feel panicked as well.
3. "Tears welled up in my eyes from confusion and shame. She had come so far to see me, and already I had forgotten her name." (212) This is also an emotional appeal. Evelina's cousin travels hundreds of miles to come see her, but is only able to stay for an hour. Evelina is touched by how much her cousin cares but then becomes mad at herself for not getting to know her more. 

Quote:

"Perhaps what I was searching for might not be in Beijing, among the ghosts or living relatives there, but much closer at hand. Lying right in front of me."(172) I think that this is a very strong and important quote. Evelina originally came to China to find herself. She thought that her life would be more complete if she knew where her roots came from. However, this passage indicates that since the beginning of her trip, it wasn't China or relatives that she needed to learn about, it was her own mother. Their trip has brought them closer then they have ever been. 

Themes:

There are three main themes that I found in this novel. They are: cultural differences, finding yourself, and acceptance of family. Evelina experiences cultural differences throughout her entire trip of China. Examples of this are how Americans and Chinese differ in clothing, food, and what they think is polite. Evelina begins to understand herself more after coming in touch with her roots and distant family. Finally, Evelina and her mother use their trip to patch up their shaky relationship and gain understanding for one another. 

Outside Reading - Week 4 Post B

In chapter 12 of Yeh Yeh's House, Evelina visits her aunt's apartment in Shanghai, China:

'"How many people share this kitchen?" I said. "Fourteen. Four families. Most Shanghai like this. That's why we apply for new apartment. Everyone want to leave."'(130) 

The novel goes on to further describe the status of the cramped apartment. For instance, the kitchen and the bathroom are together in one room, and how there is only one refrigerator for fourteen people. After reading this section I realized how incredibly lucky I am to live in the house and city that I do. My house has three bathrooms for only five people, where as in Evelina's aunt's apartment, they only have two for fourteen people. In my family we also all have our own bedrooms while in Shanghai they have to make do with only two beds for five people. I think that sometimes I take my life for granted and don't really realize how good I have it. This chapter helped me open my eyes to see how thankful I should be. 

I think that this experience also shocked Evelina. She came to China expecting life to be similar to America and found a completely different culture. She was at first stunned to witness the living conditions of her aunt and began to question her own life. She began to wonder if she could live without all of her possessions that she before would consider a necesasity, such as a microwave or a coffee maker.

The 400 Blows

Paige 
Mrs. Burgess
Enr. English 10
10/16/07
The 400 Blows

The 400 Blows does anything but! The film was certainly an interesting and unique one. Although it’s not normally my kind of movie, I did enjoy it quite a bit! I loved the stereotypical characters such as the gaudy mom, the strict schoolteacher, and the mischievous best friend. I also enjoyed the plot. In some parts I wanted to laugh at the hilarious positions that Antoine gets himself into, and in others I wanted to cry. Because of this I do think that the film is effective. Overall, I think that The 400 Blows is a film worth seeing.
The 400 Blows has a simple plot that unfolds very smoothly. The protagonist, Antoine Doinel, is a troubled adolescent growing up in the city of Paris. His problems start at home with his young, tawdry, mother, who has been divorced, but is now remarried. Her and husband fight constantly and treat Antoine as if he were burden. Antoine’s problems are also transferred into his school life where he receives poor grades and often plays hooky with his best friend René. One day he and René devise a plan to pawn off one of his stepfather’s typewriters that they stole. Unfortunately, their plan fails and Antoine gets caught while trying to return it. His parents chose to send him away to a labor camp. In the end, he escapes through a hole in the fence. The film leaves Antoine finally reaching the ocean. The film is mostly from Antoine’s point of view, letting the viewer see into his life. However, even though this film is intended to be a memoir, it does not thoroughly illustrate any of Antoine’s emotions or feelings. The setting helped to further describe Truffaut’s characters. The Doinel’s small, cramped, apartment helped to show the family’s social status, as well as get a feel for the time period in which they were living in. Literary aspects like plot, point of view, characters, and setting, make the film both solid and creative.
Dramatic aspects also played an important role in the film. Take the actors for instance. Actors can make or break a film, and in this case they surely succeeded. Claire Maurier, who played the mother, did an excellent job being vain and ignorant. Guy Decomble also preformed well as the schoolteacher. He did a good job being strict and looking the part. However, I imagined Julian Doinel a little different. I pictured him to be manlier and butch rather than the almost dorky dad he played. Other dramatic aspects that the film incorporated were the lighting, which helped to set the mood and tone, and the set design, which helped to further describe the life of the Doinel’s.
Many cinematic aspects appeared in The 400 Blows. The camera movement was really cool because I never knew there were so many different angles! The film incorporated a lot variety of shots but was mostly made up of close-ups and voice-overs. An example of this would be when the camera is on Antoine’s face, but we hear his parents arguing in the background. The editing of these shots was usually choppy and consisted of many blackouts. The music was also important to the film. Music in the major key would play when the scene was happy, and would switch to minor when sad. Camera movement, editing, and sound are just a few examples of the cinematic aspects found throughout the film.
Richard Wright’s Black Boy and The 400 Blows share a few similarities and differences. One similarity that they have is that both boys, Richard and Antoine, are looked down upon in their societies. Richard is an African-American boy growing up in a world where blacks are thought to be inferior to whites. Likewise, Antoine is also looked down upon. He is rejected for stealing, not listening to his parents, and not attending school. However, the boys differ in how they fix their problems. Richard fixes his by earning enough money to escape the South and move up North where he can be treated as more of an equal. Antoine, on the other hand, simply runs away from his problems by running away from his home. Richard and Antoine are very much alike, despite a few character aspects.
I would defiantly recommend The 400 Blows. It’s a great one to analyze and point out all the different aspects of film. I also found it very interesting and fun to watch! The 400 Blows is defiantly a work of art.

Outside Reading - Week 4 Post A

Vocab:

antiquity (123) - the quality of being ancient 

malaise (122) - a condition of general bodily weakness or discomfort, often marking the onset of a disease

Appeals:

1. "My mother coughed into her hanker chief, and I began to feel a strange sensation in my chest, as though tiny crabs pinched my lungs." (121) This is a logical appeal. Evelina describes how her mother and her feel after their plane ride to China. Could this be foreshadowing an illness??
2. "Famished, I bit into the chewy dumpling dough, felt the squirt of pork juice and crunch of bamboo shoots and green onion in my mouth." (120) This is an emotional appeal. Evelina was starving after not eating for several hours. She describes how good the first bit of food was, in hopes that you can relate.
3.  "The kitchen, a narrow, dark room with a single grimy window, was on the first floor." (129) This is a logical appeal. Evelina describes the many different rooms in her aunt's apartment. 

Quote:

"'How many people share this kitchen?' I said. 'Fourteen. Four families. Most Shanghai like this. That's why we apply for new apartment. Everyone want to leave.'"(130) Evelina starts to see the living conditions in China. While visiting her aunt, Evelina learns the how crowded the city truly is. She begins to feel guilty for all the luxuries she has at home and starts to gain a better understanding of where her family has come from. 

Theme:

The same three themes are still developing: finding yourself, cultural differences, acceptance of family. 

Outside Reading - Week 3 Post B

Throughout the entire first half of the novel, Evelina and her mother never get along. Her mother always expects more of her and seems to favor her brother over her. Now five years after Evelina's first promise to go visit her family in China, she is finally going through with it. Her mother is thrilled! However, this not only means being away from her job as a member of the Minnesota orchestra and boyfriend for five weeks, but also being stuck with her mother for the longest period of time they have spent together since she was a child. I'm extremely anxious to find out what happens to their relationship throughout their journey of exploring China. Will their relationship be strengthened by the amount of time spent together? Or will it be strained and pushed to the limits? Although Evelina is dreading the experience, I think that it will be good for her and her mother to experience China together. Also, her Da Mama, Da Bobo, and her Aunt Lucy have been looking forward to seeing her and giving her the scroll that her Yeh Yeh has left behind for her. I hope that Evelina and her mother will be able to work out any problems that they have between each other. I also hope that she is finally able to gain closure and understanding by seeing her roots and finding out who she really is. My prediction is that Evelina will value her time spent in China and wonder why she was ever worried about going. 

Outside Reading - Week 3 Post A

Vocab:

cajoling (95) - to persuade by flattery or promises

contortionist (93) - a person who performs gymnastic feats involving contorted postures

Appeals:

1. "But I saw from the way she looked at me that I had balked too long; she had given up on me." (95) This is a logical appeal. Evelina knows that her Chinese tutor has lost her patience with her and that's why she suddenly becomes 'unable to teach' her anymore.
2. "The air was hot, muggy, and filled with the sound of feverish nocturnal insects. The smell was fecund, primeval, and bacterial. I felt as if we had flown not only  halfway around the world, but back several centuries in time as well." (105) This is an emotional appeal. Evelina thoroughly describes the feel and smell of China. She describes it so well that you almost feel like you're there. 
3. "At eleven o'clock in the night, after crossing the Pacific Ocean... Our plane arrived in Shanghai." (105) This is a logical appeal. This is just a fact that is being said. No emotion is trying to be sparked. 

Quote:

"We went along with the other passengers to the customs area, which was divided into three line, one for American tourists, another for returning Chinese citizens, a third for overseas Chinese. I hesitated, confused, scanning for the line that described me, who was none of these. A little evil chime, imposter, began to clang in my head." (106) Evelina feels lost as soon as she arrives in China. She doesn't know what to make of herself. Is she to say that she is from China, although she's this is her first visit? Or just a tourist? Evelina begins to search both her country and her roots to find out who she really is.

Theme:

A third theme that has emerged is the theme of finding yourself out; who you really are.

Outside Reading - Week 2 Post B

Throughout the beginning of the novel, Evelina makes many references to her Aunt Lucy and the Cultural Revolution that took place in China. Aunt Lucy explains that the Chinese government had to pay her back for those years she missed. She says: "After the Cultural Revolution, the government tried to make up for what they did to me by returning all I would have earned during those years. So I am rich, you see!"(34) I didn't really understand what she was talking about because I didn't know much about the events that took place in China, so I decided to research it. This is what I found:

The Cultural Revolution started in 1966, and ended in 1976. China had been helped by Soviet Russia and had planed to construct its country following the same way of Soviet Russia's. However, after the death of Stalin, the relations between the countries deteriorated. Mao Zedong (a Chinese military and political leader and the leader of the Communist Party of China) proceeded excessive policy for socialism, reacting against Soviet and lead China to the Cultural Revolution. After the revolution ended, the Chinese government attempted to pay back it's working citizens with an estimate of what the could have made during those ten years.

source: http://library.thinkquest.org/26469/cultural-revolution/