Choices And Perseverance In Mao's Last Dancer

It is a concept that has been shown to me by my parents’ struggles throughout their lives. My dad persevered to get where he is today. He grew up fairly poor and was determined to make a better life for himself, so he didn’t let anything get in the way. Even when he was eighteen living in a dilapidated nine dollar hotel and hanging power lines in the bitter Iowan winter, he didn’t give up. He said that even though he felt hopeless, he knew he had to preserve. Perseverance is not giving up when facing struggles and my dad is the embodiment of that concept. By my dad persevering through his struggles, he showed me that I cannot let obstacles be my demise. Another person who has displayed perseverance in my life is my mom. When I was about four, my loving, caring grandma died. This greatly affected my mom, but even though she was in pain she put on a brave face for me and my brother, and I think that this is a great example of perseverance. This also makes me want to be brave and have perseverance when I face challenges in my own life because if she got through hard times in her life then I can too. The people around me have shaped my idea of perseverance by the way that they have displayed it in their

Good morning ladies and gentlemen, today we will celebrate the life of an individual who achieved the impossible through perseverance and mental strength. Also, I will convince you why the film Mao’s Last Dancer MUST be screened at this year’s film festival. Franklin D. Roosevelt once said, “In the truest sense, freedom cannot be bestowed; it must be achieved.” This insightful quote ultimately embodies the notion of working hard for your freedom instead of waiting for it. So, precisely, one will only have the strength to gain freedom by persevering throughout life’s obstacles and hardships. Li Cunxin did not expect freedom to arrive at his doorstep; he was acutely aware that freedom and success are born from hard work; he suffered through blood, sweat and tears throughout his whole journey to earn his freedom.

Throughout Li Cunxin’s memoir, Mao’s Last Dancer, Li immerses the readers into the complex, restrictive and challenging lifestyle he lived through various prose techniques, which engage the audience into the cultural values of his life. Some examples of this is when he was living in communist China, in a commune, going to a Beijing dance Academy, going to Houston and finally moving to Australia. Through these experiences, culture is portrayed as being both limiting and liberating. Culture could be limiting because it is was so restrictive because of Mao’s rules but it was also liberating because Chinese people are meant to be loyal to their country and since their country is communist, they believed that it was the most free nation in the world. This is shown in the story of the blind rabbit, where Li is taught that nothing comes easily, allegiance to country surpasses that to family and to keep pride in the family name.

“As one of the Red Guards in the middle school, I was given power through Mao to torture and humiliate our teachers, headmaster or anyone we didn’t like. I didn’t know it was wrong. I thought I was doing the right thing to continue the revolution, to fight and win the class struggle”- Zhao, Lin Qing. As a teenager Zhao was a Red Guard in Guangzhou during the Cultural Revolution. When asked what her impression was a member of the Red Guards, Zhao answered with two words: “naïve and senseless”. She refused answering anything more about her experience. She said, “The memories are still too painful to recall.”

The method applied by Zedong focused on uniting China under one belief in order to implement communist ideas in the country, widely changing the country’s structure. (Doc 7). At his defense trial, Cuban revolution leader Fidel Castro appealed to those struggling in his country. He spoke to those who hoped for a brighter future and who have been betrayed by their country. By addressing their battle, Castro urged them to fight for a better Cuba. His relentless and undying commitment ultimately granted Castro his wish for a revolution. (Doc 8). An additional document consisting of a diary entry from a Chinese citizen during the communist revolution would create a clearer vision as to how convincing Mao Zedong truly was.

I was always hopeful for Li, and felt lucky that my son, out of all other promising students in Qindao, had been chosen to dance for Chairman Mao. Although the luck of the Cunxin family had changed, it was difficult to adjust to life in the commune without Li’s presence as a guiding light, or a helping hand. Having 7 sons while living our

Today, throughout most of China, the Great Proletarian Cultural Revolution is realized as one of the most chaotic and deadly times in chinese history; often referred to as the “ten lost years.” However, during the revolution, many hopeful individuals sought after change and looked toward Mao as

China during the Cultural Revolution was a place where you were told what to do, and what to say. Today I will be speaking to you about Mao’s Last Dancer, the film adaption of the autobiography of Li Cunxin. To begin with, I will speak about the Cultural Revolution in China, where the story is set.

Li Cunxin’s determination mostly came from Teacher Xiao’s words of encouragement during his childhood and youth years at the academy. Determination is what shaped Cunxin into a better dancer and a better person. Teacher Xiao once said, “Seize the opportunities life has to offer you. Embrace the changes, and have the courage to travel on roads less travelled, even though what is in front of you could be tough, make it successful. Have determination and courage to kick down the brick walls in front of you, and to go on and achieve bigger success than you ever thought possible”. Li’s determination for greatness helped him reach his full potential and his goal. Cunxin’s journeys mainly revolved around him having determination to cope with hardship and other situations from the beginning till the end, thus giving significance towards his journey. 163

Autobiographies, as a narrative non-fiction text, generally rely on the conventions of factual historical evidence while presenting a personal point of view. Non-fiction texts therefore, rely on objective detail and a subjective perspective. Throughout the autobiography Mao’s Last Dancer the composer Li Cunxin offers a personal evaluation of actions and speculates on the significance of certain actions and events. To engage and entertain the responder the composer uses opinionative language and

Perseverance changes everyone's lives no matter how big, or how small the change is. Steven King has persevered through his rough times writing his first novel. So has Buck, the main dog in Call of the Wild. He has never given up on what he’s strived for. There are a ton more perseverance examples in life, and books on how someone had a rough time, got through it, and succeed.

Under Mao Zedong, China experienced profound social and economic changes. Industry increased, prostitution and opium use was reduced, and many experienced an increase in social standing as land was redistributed to the peasants, prior to collectivization. But many of the policies that were enacted had negative, even disastrous consequences, which were never properly apologized for or rectified. In 1981, 5 years after Mao’s death, the Chinese Communist Party stated that Mao was essentially 70% good and 30% bad. But Mao’s disconnect from the actualities of his policies, paranoia towards his status in the Party and his public image, and lack of foresight in regards to the consequences of his decisions had extreme ramifications on China that not only led to the death of millions, but fundamentally undermined legitimacy of the government. Through the specific policies of the Hundred Flowers campaign, the Great Leap Forward, and the Cultural Revolution, Mao’s lack of understanding of his actions, and his poor treatment of those who criticized him are very apparent. And while not all of Mao’s policies and actions were disastrous, his errors outweighed his merits. In actuality, Mao’s actions were more likely 80% bad and 20% good.

In recent years, China has become a worldwide superpower-seemingly out of nowhere. War-torn and sick of being trampled on by western powers, the Communist Party of China has given the almost 4,000 year old country a new lease on life. But all this newfound power and “prosperity” came at a price paid in sweat and blood. In the memoir Red Scarf Girl, Jiang Ji-Li recalls her experiences growing up during Chairman Mao’s “Great Proletarian Cultural Revolution”, during a time where hundreds of thousands were unfairly persecuted and even tortured by their brainwashed friends and family. Although it is clear that my experiences and Jiang Ji-Li’s are very different, there are also some similarities.

When people hear the name “Mao Zedong”, they immediately think of a stubby communist dictator responsible for the death of millions. Although many of his reforms failed and millions died, many argue that he his “good” outweigh his “bad”. He saved the ailing nation of China, molding it to the nation it is today.

In the graphic novel American Born Chinese (2006) by Gene Luen Yang and the full-length autobiography Mao’s Last Dancer (2003) by Li Cunxin, both writers use a range of stylistic features and generic conventions to create a memorable text. A memorable text consists of elements or issues present in a text, which the reader finds notable or striking. This can be due to a number of factors, particularly features of the text that the author has altered intentionally to evoke certain audience emotions. The dominant idea of metamorphosis or transformation presented in ABC are very much memorable as it coincides with concepts of ‘fitting-in’ and shape-shifting into various social/cultural norms that are deemed in mainstream society as acceptable.