'The Laughing Sutra' By Thomas C. Foster

Many people have difficulty writing and the Pulitzer Prize-winning critic, author, and lecturer, Michael Dirda, can support that. Flaw-speckled writing is dealt with over and over again by everyone who aims to write, and in the article written for the Browsings column entitled, “Language Matters”, Michael Dirda explains just that. In Dirda’s article which aims to show what goes into a piece, how it all fits, and the large amount of work needed, he describes the struggles of the modern author when writing. Directed to the readers of The American Scholar, Dirda uses many examples of rhetorical strategies such as outstanding word choice and the audience’s self-interest.

Red Scarf Girl, by Ji-Li Jiang, is an autobiography about Jiang’s life during the time of the Chinese Cultural Revolution. She lived in Shanghai, China, with her family. The time period of the Chinese Cultural Revolution was a ten year span from 1966 to 1976. It was a political movement launched by the Chairman of the Communist Party in China, Mao Zedong. His goal was to protect the Communist ideology in China.

Xiong uses battles, executions, assassinations, and scandals to appeal to readers of any genre. Once a reader gets into the book they are hooked in the epic events of the book and the deep look into the ruling class. Unfortunately, Xiong’s novel might somewhat difficult to get into for many readers with no experience in Chinese history. Xiong also attempts to utilize dialogue that often comes off as underdeveloped or simplistic.

Through literature, the author introduces us to a new world of experiences. In some cases, literature not only portrait contemporary society and discover the historical event but also present the future trend and anticipate modern lifestyle. This inspires people other than the author

The author can interest any reader because her writing style is very easy and full of rich vocabulary. Ji-li Jiang is a girl in her teens that lives in an apartment with her Grandma, Mom, Dad and her two younger siblings,

Writing for a Select Crowd? In his essay, “Should Everybody Write?”, Dennis Baron explains the evolution of the history of writing from written text by select few as compared to more modern technology of today. He introduces many of the obstacles that writers faced in early history.

During the McCarthy era Chinese immigrant Tung Pok Chin’s persecution by the FBI caused him to hastened his Americanization. As a father, and a Chinese immigrant who had lived in the U.S for over 20 years, Chin had no choice but to assimilate. In the fall of 1949, the Chinese leader Mao Zedong, declared China as a communist nation which created hostile for Chinese Americans. Therefore, Chin was forced to precipitate a demonstration of his patriotism with the U.S. Chin differed from other Chinese immigrants because he had taught himself English, and had also served in the navy. Despite his act of patriotism prior to 1949, historical conflicts between China and the U.S made it inevitable for Chin to face prejudice.

The book Age of Ambition written by Evan Osnos, a staff writer of The New Yorker who covers politics and foreign affairs, reveals life in the new China to be a battleground between aspiration and authoritarianism, in which only one can prevail, and he also describes the greatest conflict taking place in China: the clash between the rise of the individual and the Communist Party’s struggle to retain control. Evan Osnos states his idea in the book, “An account of the collision of two forces: aspiration and authoritarianism, shows a China river by moral crisis and explosive frustration, whose citizens are desperate to achieve wealth, even as they are terrified of being left with nothing. It is also a riveting and troubling portrait of a people

“M. Butterfly” was a play written by David Henry Hwang in 1988. Besides based on the true story of the scandalous affair between French diplomat Bernard Boursicot and the Chinese spy Shi Pei Pu, “M. Butterfly” is also inspired by the Italian play writer Giacomo Puccini’s famous opera, “Madama Butterfly”. Although critics usually refer the work as a demonstration of dangers inherent in living a life satisfied with shallow stereotypes and misconceptions, the work can be understand in a deeper level with its historical context. As stated by Hwang, “the action of the play takes place in a Paris prison in the present, and, in recall, during the decade 1960-70 in Beijing, and from 1966 to the present in Paris. ”(6) In world history, the 1960s was the time where the Second World War (1937-1945) has ended.

The creator of a piece of literature is at hands to display an array of themes and allegories. Yet, many texts that have been renowned for excellence have also been censored and banned because of these themes and allegories. History has not been kind to the controversial words written by authors. So, should books only express hopeful and positive narratives? The evident answer is no.

American Born Chinese is a story about Jin, an American with Chinese roots, who struggles with his identity - self-conscious about how he looks, sounds, and acts. Jin divides into three different identities; Jin his overall identity, Danny his typical American side, and Chin-Kee his racist stereotype Chinese side. This book is split into three different stories that represent the three different identities, The Monkey King’s story, Jin’s story, and Danny and Chin-Kee’s story. In the graphic novel, American Born Chinese, Gene Luen Yang uses symbolism and literary elements to illustrate struggling with your identity can lead to a better understanding of who you are and where you came from. Jin is faced with racial discrimination, not fitting

Gene Luen Yang offers a humanistic perspective on western imperialism in China during the late nineteenth century to early twentieth century in his graphic novel Boxers, a tragic narrative about Chinese grassroots resistance against foreign occupation in which an armed revolution ultimately fails. The novel focuses on religious identity, and cultural connections in the face of invasion. Boxers highlights the negative effects of imperialism through clashes between different religions, ideologies and power structures. Therefore, the criticism of western imperialism presented in Boxers could support a world systems theory approach to international relations because it shows to exploitation through westernization and the squandering of cultural

Canadian author William E. Bell’s young adult novel Forbidden City: A Novel of Modern China (1990), is set against the backdrop of the infamous Tiananmen Square massacre in Beijing. Canadian teenager Alex Jackson’s journalist father takes him to the Chinese capital city, where, father and son are caught up in the student protests in Tiananmen Square. They’re separated, and Alex finds himself on the run while in possession of video footage that the Chinese government wants to destroy. His only hope is the student protesters. Exploring themes of coming-of-age, political repression, and the importance of journalists and truth-tellers, Forbidden City was banned in China for its unflinching depiction of the regime’s brutal approach towards protesters, while it was critically acclaimed in the rest of the world.

Atwood parallels the Cultural Revolution in China to the how the Gilead government gains power and control over the United States. The Chinese communist leader, Mao Zedong launched the Cultural Revolution to assert his control over the Chinese government. Zedong ordered the nation to cleanse themselves of “impure” aspects of Chinese society. This was done by shutting down schools and a massive youth mobilization. The students formed groups called the Red Guards, they attacked and harassed members of China’s elderly and

Published in 2007 in Toronto, Jen Sookfong Lee’s novel, The End of East, presents the multigenerational struggles of the Chan family in Vancouver. The novel intertwines the hardship of the first generation with the confusion and chaos of the third generation. The male dominance that is executed by Shew Lin in The End of East has a domino effect through the three female generations. The gender preference is introduced through the first generation by Shew Lin.