Balzac and the Little Chinese Seamstress Reading Questions(1)

Vocabulary-Synonym-Antonym
risible-ridiculous-foolish
surreptitious-secret, clandestine-open
sonata-composition-cannot be found
audacity-daring-cowardice
reactionary-conservative-radical
vertiginous-dizzy-stable
insidious-stealthy-straight forward

1. The opening section deals with Luo and the narrator’s arrival on the mountain where they are to be reeducated. What does the village headman assume about the violin? How do Luo and the narrator fool village? How does this establish the central conflict between the villagers and the boys who are to be reeducated?
The village headman assumes that the violin is a toy because he has never seen a violin before. Luo and the narrator fool the villagers by saying that the song the narrator was playing on his violin was called “Mozart is thinking of Chairman Mao.” They fool them because during that time, all western composers including Mozart was banned by the communists so if Luo and the narrator had told the villagers that what the narrator was going to play was Mozart’s music, they would have been persecuted. The central conflict between the villagers and boys was the violin and the music so the boys had to lie to hide the fact.

2. Summarize the events and key players in China’s revolution. How did the society change and what was the intended purpose?
Chairman Mao launched China’s Cultural Revolution with other communists in 1968. All universities were closed and all books were banned except Mao’s book. Moreover, students only learned the basics of industry and agriculture. Many people who were deemed intellectuals were sent to the countryside to be reeducated. People cannot be educated and were forced to follow communism otherwise they were subject to persecution.

3. Why is it ironic that Luo and the narrator are sent to be reeducated? Ho do their families’ occupations ad actions effect the boys?
It’s ironic that they were sent to be reeducated , even though the government labeled them “intellectuals”, they had only graduated from middle school. They were also “young intellectuals” because both of their parents were doctors. Moreover, Luo’s father was publically humiliated because he was accused of having an affair with a nurse. Therefore, these reasons caused the boys to be sent away.

4. Why does Luo punch the narrator after seeing his father under public, physical attack?
Luo was angry when he saw his father humiliated and seeing his best friend crying made him even angrier so he punched him.

5. What is the name of the mountain that the boys are banished to and why does the narrator suggest it is called by that name?
The name of the mountain was “Phoenix of the Sky.” The narrator suggests that it is called by this name because of the mountain’s great altitude where only mighty mythical creatures such as the phoenix could ever fly high enough to its’ peak.

6. In father Michel’s account of Phoenix of the Sky, he descries the mountain and its primary sources of income. What are they and what does it say about the economy?
The mountain’s primary sources of income are copper and opium which reflects their economic dependence on agriculture.

7. How do the boys use the technology from the city world to ease their burdens on the mountain? What does this tell us about their characters?
They sneaked in an alarm clock where all the villagers depended on to know the time. Luo, not wanting to wake up and do hard labor would readjust the time which eased the boys physically and mentally. This action reflects their intelligence and resourcefulness.

8. How long does reeducation typically last? Why are Luo and the narrator especially despondent about their reeducation?
Reeducation typically lasts two years. Even though the official time was two years, for the sons and daughters of families classed as enemies of the people such as Luo and the narrator, the chances to return to hone was three in a thousand.

9. What is Luo’s gift? How does he put it to use in the village? Predict why the narrator says this gift will lead to complications.
Luo’s gift was telling stories, and Luo entertained the village with his stories which stemmed from films he had seen in the cinema. The villagers were so entertained by his stories that the headman would send them to watch films so they re tell the story to villagers after watching the film. The narrator thought that this might cause complications because they would experience something that influences their lives greatly.