Discussion and Writing Questions for “A Chinese Life”
By Robin Krause
DuPont Manual High School
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Chapter 1
What were the goals of the great leap forward? What were the costs? Did party members always seem happy about the outcomes? How can you tell? What qualities were emphasized by Lei Feng?
Writing task: Evaluate the extent to which the high costs/negative outcomes of the Great Leap Forward outweighed the potential benefits and growth it attained.�
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Chapter 2
On page 129: Why does the author say, “What a pleasure it is to be swept away by madness?” Aren’t pleasure and madness opposites? What is ‘groupthink’? Have you ever seen or read about such instances where a crowd or mob seems to take on a life of it’s own? What is the historical context in which this mob takes action, according to the graphic novel?
Writing task: Compare and contrast the destructive action of the mob described on page 129 with one of the following events
The November Pogrom (Kristalnacht)
The Reign of Terror
The Khmer Rouge and the killing fields of Cambodia
Rwandan Genocide
Any events from recent history???
The burning of the Greenwood district in Tulsa, OK.
The Zoot Suit riots
1871 N***** Alley mob violence and murder of Chinese in LA/ 1992 LA (Rodney King) Riots
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Chapter 6
On page 419, Filial Piety is discussed. What is this, and what tradition does it emerge from? How does it come into conflict with revolutionary ideals in China? How does the author seek to understand how filial piety was rolled up with class reconciliation in China?
Writing task: Evaluate the extent to which Filial piety and other Confucian values represent a continuity in Chinese history and through the 20th century.
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Chapter 7
On page 489: What is the 6/4 question? How is it described in the book? Why is writing about it so difficult for the author? Why do you think this event turned so many young Chinese off to involvement in politics? Why would being “neutral’ on this event be important? Why would neutrality also be problematic, in this context?
Writing task: Research the Arab spring in Egypt, Saudi Arabia and Syria. Select one of these instances and compare/contrast with the events of 6/4 Tiananmen Square.