Red Scarf Girl Questions

Answer Questions in complete sentences and in depth on another sheet of paper and include PAGE NUMBERS.

1. Who are the members of Ji-Li’s family? Describe her family home. What class status does her family belong to? What is the occupation of her father? Mother?
Answer:
Ji-Li's family members: Ji-Li's father, Song-Po-Po(nanny/housekeeper:Pg.14), Ji-Li's mother, Ji-Yong(younger brother), Ji-yun (younger sister), Ji-Li's grandmother (went to modern university, teacher, help found Ji-Li's primary school:Pg.14), Little white(cat)
Ji-Li's home: bright and warm and welcoming, apartment in Shanghai, had a french window, mahogany table, high ceilings, burgundy curtains, pots on steps.(Pg.7) 10 times bigger room than classmates, 100 times brighter, full-sized bathroom.(Pg.15~16)
Family status/class: Middle class who are doing well. Not super-rich, but well-off.
Family occupation: Both parents are an actor/actress. But the now the mother retired and works in a sports equipment store. (Pg.13)

2. What is Ji-Li’s life at school like? What special honor is Ji-Li picked for at school? Describe Ji-Li’s parents’ reaction. What does Ji-Li do instead of entering the audition?
Answer:
Ji-Li's school life: She's the student chairman of the whole school and also was an outstanding student (Pg. 9). She was happy and was always respected, loved, able to excel and expected to succeed (Pg.1). Ji-Li math test was display as exemplary work (Pg.3). She was known for being good at martial arts since 2nd grade (Pg.5). She had a da-dui-zhang badge for student chairman of the whole school (Pg.9). She was correcting her little sister about her piano practice (Pg.29).
Special honor: She was picked to do an audition for the Central Liberation Army Arts Academy (Pg.6)
Parents' reaction: Her dad told her not to do the audition and he was serious about it (Pg.8). She also saw a pain in her dad's eyes that she had never seen before (Pg.9). Her dad was worried about the political background investigation (Pg.9). They send a note principal Long (Pg.10)
Instead of entering the audition: Ji-Li tried hard not to cry about not going to the audition after talking to teacher Gu and An Yi, she dogged behind a tree so Principal Long and the 2 boys wouldn’t see her because she didn’t want to talk to anyone right then (Pg.12)

 

3. What are the "Four Olds"? Provide some examples of each and why they need to be destroyed. What does "prosperity" mean? Why is this considered a thought?

The Four Olds:  Old ideas, Old culture, Old customs, Old habits (pg.21)

Examples: Old habits- being named after something (pg.1). Old ideas- that umbrella is Yang-san (pg.34/35). Old culture- destroying old signs because they are old (pg.22-25). Old customs- wearing pants with a narrow bottom (pg.32). 

Prosperity means a successful, flourishing, or thriving condition. Prosperity is considered an old thought because Mao says only rightist make fortunes.

 

4. What is a xenophile? Why was it bad to be a xenophile in the Revolutionary China?

Xenophile-A xenophile is a person who loves anything foreign (pg.285 Glossary)

Why it was bad- It was bad to be a xenophile during the revolutionary China because Chairman Mao wanted nothing to be foreign.

 

5. What are da-zi-bao? What are being done with them? Who is Jiang Xi-wen? Why does Ji-Li hang a da-zi-bao on her house? 

 

Da-zi-bao - Da-zi-bao is a form of a propaganda in the shape of a large handwritten poster presenting an important issue.(Glossary-pg.276) Da-zi-baos are getting used to attack and humiliate people. Jiang Xi-wen is Ji-Li's aunt. 

 

6. Why does Ji-Li stop going to school for a while? (She has been accused of what?)

Someone writes a da-zi-bao about her and Ji-Li gets a fever. (pg. 49/52)

 

7. What is a rightist? Use your own words to briefly explain of remolding ones ideology.

A Rightist: A member of the conservative party who disagrees with or apposes the communist party. (pg. 283 glossary)

Remolding ideology: This means to vary your idea because of a political mistake. (pg. 282 glossary) When the boy was finding out if a man had pointed shoes and tight pants and the man did, the boy said to remold ideology. (pg. 30-33)

 

8. What did Ji-Li's grandfather do for a living? How does this affect Ji-Li's life?
Ji-Li's Grandfather: Ji-Li's grandfather was a landlord. (pg. 62)

How is Ji-Li's life affected: Ji-Li could not be a red successor because grandfather was a landlord. (pg. 58) Maybe this was why her dad didn’t want Ji-Li to be a Liberation Army dancer. (pg.9)