. Compare and contrast how the protagonists of RAISE THE RED LANTERN and BLIND SHAFT struggle against a hostile and oppresive social structure. What are the moral costs of this struggle? In particular, how does it affect how the protagonist or protagonists treat other people?
Both films, Raise The Red Lantern directed by Zhang Yimou and Blind Shaft directed by Li Yang, depict within their plots a hostile and oppressive social structure. The environment that the protagonists reside in has a strong influence and effect on their character. It ultimately influences the very principles and beliefs the protagonists have grown accustom to. The environment also plays a significant role in how these protagonists interact with others.
Raise The Red Lantern is a film set in China during the warlord era in the 1920’s. The story of the film depicts a young nineteen year old woman named Songlian. The father of Songlian had just died, leaving the family in a financial bind. Because of this, the young woman’s stepmother insists that she no longer attend college and should accept an arranged marriage. Of course at the time, it was not commonplace for a young woman to attend college. This is important because it displays not only her intelligence, but maturity at such a young age. Songlian’s maturity comes hand in hand with strong moral standards which ultimately plays an important part as the movie progresses. Despite her dismay, she succumbs to her stepmother’s wishes and marries a rich man. When she realizes that in marrying a wealthy man she would only be a concubine, she replies “isn’t that a woman’s fate?”. She begins life as a member of the Chen family.
Songlian moves into the compound of the Chen family and serves as the fourth mistres...
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...n who are in the struggle during the midst of a society that is undergoing the transformation from a traditional to post colonial culture.
The only space for the viewer to be critical of Sarret is his failure to understand the manner of business. Sarret fails to understand that he must come up with a contract with his passengers before he agrees to give them his services. Because he fails to do this, he is always disappointed, and perhaps more importantly, poor. Because of the modern society his city is transforming to, Sarret must understand the commercial aspect of business. He must make his demands for service known and negotiable. He fails to understand this concept and never asks for payment. He behaves as a “traditional” man who continues to assume that payment will be forthcoming. However, in the changing society he resides in, this is no longer the case.
The issue of identity also emerged in her commentary on how many Native American women are forced to prove their ethnicity for equality in health care and school: “For urban Indian women, who are not registered in federal government records, social services and benefits are difficult or almost impossible to obtain” (page 222). This governmental requirement for people to prove themselves as being “indian enough” can be damaging to one’s sense of self, and is proof of ongoing colonialism because the oppressors are determining whether one’s identity is legitimate.
The key points of the readings was to address the hardships of the immigrants, immigration trends. In Harvest of Empire the author talked about the difficult times and why his family had left Puerto Rico in the first place. The author also divided the struggles amongst generations the first generation had difficulty because of their rapid expansion. The second generation had trouble because of the remaining prejudices from the previous generation. Another key point that was brought up in Harvest of Empire was the immigration waves and the varying difficulties that each wave faced. For example the immigration trends with Cubans. The first immigration group of Cubans moving into Miami was widely successful helping to build up some of the major profitable companies in the Miami area. This group had little difficulty assimilating into the United States mainly because of their lighter complexion. In addition the second generation had darker complexions making it more difficult to assimilate. The major difficulty for both groups was trying to gain access to America. The second wave had greater difficul...
During the course of this work, many ideas and themes are portrayed and readers are able to view subjects that surround the main topic of racial injustice and intolerance. With the three main narrators, Minny Jackson, Aibileen Clark, and Skeeter Phelan, the audience quickly gains an insight on how racial inequalities affected everyone. These thoughts help to form a plot that can easily keep readers entertained throughout the novel. During the course of the novel, there are many points in the plot that decide the actions and events other cha...
As “The Blue Hotel,” “The Displaced Person,” “Bernice Bobs her Hair,” and In Dubious Battle demonstrate, the outsiders in each story, though instilling an initial fear in the eyes of society, experience a sudden and considerable downfall in the end. Each of these defeats, some more extreme than others, result from a clash of society’s fixed guidelines with an outsider’s challenge of these rules. Whether this rebellion against society constitutes a conscious or unconscious effort, and whether the punishment results in justifiable or unjustifiable consequences, one pattern emerges. The outsider instills fear in the mind of the community, and as a defense mechanism, society takes it upon itself to conquer the stranger, leading to his or her ultimate downfall.
The main problem raised by the movement is “disparity”, whether it is economical one, social one or ethnical one.
Discuss the importance of the themes to the story, especially dualism and reputation, but also some others.
Set in the 1920s and '30s in northern China, Red Sorghum's narrative centres on the fate of a young woman who is forced to marry a rich old leper but who eventually falls in love with a younger man. The motif of female oppression in feudal China is repeated in Zhang's next two films, Ju Dou (1990) and Raise the Red Lantern (1991). The films form a loose triptych, linked not only by similar thematic concerns but also stylistic elements. The latter include the luscious use of colour, lighting and bold composition to create the sensuous images and metaphors which have distinguished Zhang as an original auteur. Equally prominent are the silences and spare dialogue; music and sound are used with precision -- nothing extraneous is added.
Both authors try to give us a view of some of the injustice in societies, both modern and old fashioned. The only difference is that people can practice their injustices with more advanced technology and a wider knowledge which could at one point lead to our extinction.
As Scout and Jem Finch grow up they are exposed to a distressing controversy about her fathers lawsuit that he is defending. Scout's father Atticus Finch is defending Tom Robinson a southern black man who is accused of assault. The entire community are against Tom because he is a black man and agrees he should spend time in a solitary confinement even though he is innocent. While the case is going on Scout get's teased in class from other students because her father is helping a black man. Scout was raised to respect everyone regardless of their colour and that everyone is equal and has the rights o...
... constant struggle of oppression that human beings have faced throughout history and continue to face. These books are a testimony to the strength of those caught in the struggle and how good change and growth can evolve out of the bad. Struggle is a part of life and through it people can become stronger and learn more about themselves and the world. Power struggles offer opportunity for the oppressors to escape societies hold on them and to become truly aware of the suffering of those who they oppress, it offers the oppressed the opportunity to rise up and it offers society a chance to reform itself and its people. Events of oppression and the inevitable uprising of the underdog offer the perfect opportunity for important change to occur for the greater good of all.
Pao-yu hears of Chen Pao-yu who has the same birthday of the same year and looks exactly like him. They represent the real and unreal. Although they appear alike they have very different personalities. Chen Pao-yu is very studious while Pao-yu who has recently lost his jade has no interest in his examinations and seemed to be getting sicker. Then a monk came and gave Pao-yu his jade. Pao-yu decided to study and take his examinations. After taking the exams Pao-yu disappears but surprises everyone by finishing in seventh place. Honor is restored to the family and Pao-yu disappears with the monk and the priest because his “worldly obligations have been fulfilled.”(pg. 327)
Much like the quote stated, Raise the Red Lantern is set in Northern China in the 1920’s. For thousands of years the people of China have formed family life around patrilineal decent. The assessment of traditional China life was patriarchal. A basis of this set up would be from Confucius.
Determine all of the story's conflicts. Determine the major conflict and state this in terms of protagonist versus antagonist.
...ngs provide a paradox of education and neocolonialism: the same education and tools that is used to keep the dominant culture in power can be used by the dominated to liberate and mobilize them into power. Yet, we see in the past and present, that many minorities have used their education to write critically about the biases, racism, and inherent privileges that is possessed within education, legislative processes, economic institutions. The readings assigned to us in class have authors who have also seen struggle and hardships dealing with prejudice and pressure to get rid of their identity, but all have utilized it to speak up against these injustices. They may be writing it using the education that was meant to suppress them, but have turned it as a weapon against them to empower rather than disposses, fighting for a society that is more open to multiculturalism.
Every human being, in addition to having their own personal identity, has a sense of who they are in relation to the larger community--the nation. Postcolonial studies is the attempt to strip away conventional perspective and examine what that national identity might be for a postcolonial subject. To read literature from the perspective of postcolonial studies is to seek out--to listen for, that indigenous, representative voice which can inform the world of the essence of existence as a colonial subject, or as a postcolonial citizen. Postcolonial authors use their literature and poetry to solidify, through criticism and celebration, an emerging national identity, which they have taken on the responsibility of representing. Surely, the reevaluation of national identity is an eventual and essential result of a country gaining independence from a colonial power, or a country emerging from a fledgling settler colony. However, to claim to be representative of that entire identity is a huge undertaking for an author trying to convey a postcolonial message. Each nation, province, island, state, neighborhood and individual is its own unique amalgamation of history, culture, language and tradition. Only by understanding and embracing the idea of cultural hybridity when attempting to explore the concept of national identity can any one individual, or nation, truly hope to understand or communicate the lasting effects of the colonial process.