ink issue 4...astyages, king of medes, tried to kill him because he had a dream that cyrus would...

The Writers’INK

A celebration of IST secondary student

writing

2013 Issue 4

A celebration of IST student writing

A publication of The Writing Center at The International

School of Tianjin

email [email protected]

Issue 4 (May 2013)

Editorial Staff:

Eleanor Surridge & Joe Schaaf

Layout and Design:

Michael Conway

Editorial support:

Grant Macdonald

Copyright 2013

International School of Tianjin

Standard text font: Baskerville

Dear Reader,

We are delighted, once again, to bring you a Spring crop of fresh writing from secondary students at IST. Reading this issue you will travel back in time to battle knights, gain insight into the first Crusade, examine William Golding’s Lord of the Flies, better understand the need for seat belts, take a few poetic pauses and more. With offerings that are in turn scholarly, entertaining and lyrical, the writing contained in this issue is sure to make an impression and offer models of writing for a variety of purposes.

The Writers’ INK is a biannual publication open to all secondary students at IST. The writing con ta ined in th i s i s sue was recommended by teachers and selected by the editors. While the writing is entirely that of the students, some pieces underwent minor edits in order to conform with the requirements of this magazine.

Enjoy the journey.

The Editors

The Writers’INK

Cover art by Ju Ae Kwon

mailto:[email protected]:[email protected]

The Writers’ Ink Issue 4

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4Cyrus the GreatYu Yen Chiu

The Revolutionary and the RealistMizuho Yoshida

Book Review–Confucius: The Golden Rule Esther Nicol

《欲望号街车》

Ruolan Zhang

The FireMin Ji Kim

루쉰의 와 에 나타난 봉건제도의 폐해와 잔재Min Young An

Road Safety and its Impact on Developing CountriesRisa Yuminaga

The StarsTanay Sangani

The Sino-Japanese War and Communist Victory in ChinaSky Zhang

The RiverAsya Wu

Lord of the Flies: Analysis EssayKyoung Hwa Kim

Contents

Lord of the Flies: Diary EntryTony Yoon

Through TimeIsabella Bredwell

FearsYu Yen Chiu and Jung Bin Hong

Easter Sunday: A Family Get-togetherJi Sung Chun

The Crusades, the Catholic Church and ReligionJun Hwan Kim

소설 속 인물의 역할 와 ≪우리들의 일그러진 영웅≫의 중심인물 비교 분석So Hyang Kweon

English football: Is it culture or business?Jae Woong Park

The Way I Have Been, The Way I Should GoMin Ha Woo

Alien LanguageSi Eun Jung

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Yu Yen Chiu–Grade 7

Cyrus the Great was regarded as one of the world’s greatest conquerors and rulers of ancient times. He established the Persian Empire, which covered much of the Middle East during its peak of power. Although Cyrus was a great commander and had overpowering forces, his influential personal qualities were what made him powerful and allowed him to be remembered today. Although most of what we know about Cyrus the Great came from historians who lived after him, there are many reliable stories that reflect his beliefs in freedom and tolerance, and his use of strategy, which enabled him to make the world a better place.

There is a lot of uncertainty about Cyrus, such as when he was born and which religion he practiced. Historians believe that Cyrus was born between 590-580 B.C., but we don’t have the exact date. Cyrus’s father was King Cambyses of Persia, and his mother was Princess Madane of Medes. So Cyrus came from a true royal family.

Cyrus the Great


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Herodotus is one of our most reliable sources, being a Greek historian during the times of Xerxes, who ruled not long after Cyrus. He tells us that when Cyrus was born his grandfather Astyages, King of Medes, tried to kill him because he had a dream that Cyrus would rise to rule over him as a supreme ruler. Astyages handed the job of killing his grandson over to one of his generals who then passed it on to a local farmer and his wife. The old couple had always wanted a child, so they raised Cyrus instead. Cyrus started showing signs of leadership as he grew, and all of the kids

respected him. At age ten he was brought back to the royal palace of Medes by coincidence. Astyages immediately recognized his grandson and his abilities, so instead of trying to kill him again Astyages sent Cyrus back to Persia where his parents lived. Some people believe that this story is not exactly true, as Herodotus sometimes mixes fantasy with facts. For example, if Astyages really tried to kill Cyrus, he would probably be more careful and Cyrus wouldn’t have lived on. But some of the elements of this story may be true and Herodotus might have just added details of his own. For example, Cyrus likely started showing great leadership qualities as he grew.

Cyrus became the king of Persia when his father Cambyses died at 559 B.C. At that time Naonidus became the king of Babylon and Croesus became the king of Lydia, both of whom would encounter Cyrus throughout his life. Although Cyrus gradually built an overpowering army that led to his success, he was also a man of tactics and leadership. Cyrus was good at basing his strategies on common knowledge. This was shown when he fought against the Scythian nomads. Cyrus kept his

supply of wines with weak defense, and the nomads took control of them in no time. But just as Cyrus had expected, the nomads started drinking his wine, and when he returned with his main force they were all drunk and defenseless.

Cyrus’s most respectable and powerful personal quality was his tolerance and belief in freedom and human rights. This was shown through many aspects of his life. When Cyrus Conquered Medes, he spared King Astyages and made him an honored prisoner for the rest

of his life. This meant that Astyages had a lot of freedom and rights in the Persian Empire.

Cyrus not only created one of the biggest empires, he also created the first multi-cultural society. When Cyrus conquered Babylon, he ordered the creation of the Cyrus Cylinder, which was a baked-clay cylinder carved with the Akkadian language. This is one of the only primary sources found that contains Cyrus’s actual spoken words: “I am Cyrus, King of the globe, great king, mighty king, King of Babylon, king of……” (qtd. in Crompton 79). This indicated that Cyrus was already very proud of his own accomplishments. The Cyrus Cylinder focused on promoting racial and religious equality. It also stated that Cyrus freed all of the slaves captured by previous Babylonians: “As to the inhabitants of Babylon who against the will of the gods were enslaved…I freed all slaves” (qtd. in Crompton 80).

However, i n the end Cyru s became overconfident because he won almost all of the wars he fought and this eventually led to his downfall. After conquering Babylon, Cyrus returned to Parsagadae (Capital of Persia). Although he was only in his 50s, he was already

Cyrus not only created one of the biggest empires, he also created the first multi-cultural society.


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worrying about his death. Fifty years was considered a long life to ancient people, and years of campaigning had made him age rapidly. As Cyrus rested in Parsagadae, he heard that the eastern region was under attack by Scythian nomads. Cyrus could have just sent in one of his generals to deal with the problem, but he decided to head there himself instead. Cyrus spent most of his life exploring and conquering kingdoms, so he probably had the desire for more adventure and got restless living in his palace every day. At this point, Cyrus had no fear at all; being the “King of Kings” he believed that he could easily reconquer his land. When the war reached its final stages, Cyrus’s army and the Scythians clashed directly. Herodotus described this war as “the most ferocious and desperate of all the battles of that century” (qtd. in Crompton 85). But in the end, the Scythian nomads were victorious, and the head of Cyrus was served to Tomyris, the queen of the Scythians. This proves that even the most powerful leaders have to be careful not to be overwhelmed by confidence.

A l t h o u g h C y r u s d i e d b e c a u s e o f overconfidence he is still remembered as one of the greatest rulers. Professor Richard N. Frye, American scholar of Iranic and Middle Eastern studies, said, "In short, the figure of Cyrus has survived throughout history as more than a great man who founded an empire.” He became the epitome of the great qualities expected of a ruler in antiquity, and “his personality as seen by the Greeks influenced them and Alexander the Great, and, as the tradition was transmitted by the Romans, may be considered to influence our thinking even now.” Many historians agreed that Xenophon (Greek writer) wrote about Cyrus the Great because he wanted to influence the Greeks. The evidence supports the idea that Cyrus was one of the most influential characters in history. His idea towards human rights and freedom is still appreciated by the modern world and a replica of the Cyrus Cylinder is placed in the headquarters of the UN as well as in multiple museums. In conclusion, although Cyrus started wars and killed people, his powerful personal qualities allowed him to influence the world and make it a better place.

Bibliography“Cyrus the Great.” Answers. Answers Cooperation, Web. 25th Feb. 2013. “Cyrus the Great.” New World Encyclopedia, 3rd April 2013. Web. 25th Feb. 2013. Crompton, Samuel W. Cyrus the Great. New York: Chelsea House Publishers, 2008. Print.Frye, Richard N. “The legacy of Cyrus.” Iran History. Web. 25th Feb. 2013. Ghasemi, Shapour “The Cyrus the Great Cyliner.” Iran Chamber Society. 2001. Web. 25th Feb. 2013.


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After the invasion of Japan and the devastation of the Chinese Civil War, Mao Zedong had to stabilize the country, restore production and establish a new socialist state and economy from the ground up. In contrast, Deng Xiaoping faced different issues to restore social stability and to promote further economic development after the Cultural Revolution. Thus, it is necessary to acknowledge the difficulty in comparing and contrasting their leadership as they both faced significantly different issues. Moreover, there is another challenge to tackling this question. The scope is too broad to discuss in a simple essay as it includes the entire late 20th century and various events occurring both domestically and in foreign relations. Thus, the scope has to be limited to focus on three aspects of the leadership of Mao and Deng: economic, social and political.

Both Mao and Deng improved the Chinese economy to increase production in agriculture and to develop industries. However, their methods were different. Under Mao, economic policies were similar to Soviet models as they followed the First Five-Year Plan in 1953, and focused on developing heavy industry. In contrast, Deng moved away from Soviet models as he shifted the industrial focus from heavy to light industry. Mao also promoted the Great Leap Forward (1958 – 1962), the creation of communes, collectivization of agriculture, and massive steel production campaigns. As a result,

the revolutionary and the realist

Mizuho Yoshida–Grade 12


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China transformed its economy completely from a capitalist market economy to a planned socialist economy. This improved aspects of the national economy, however, it also caused massive starvation and famine. More than 23 million Chinese citizens starved to death–with the hardest hit area being Tibet, which lost nearly 20% of its population. In contrast, Deng ended communes and collectivization of agriculture, reduced factors that contributed to famine and starvation and succeeded in raising people’s living standard. He promoted the Four Modernizations, which included improvements in agriculture, industry, national defense and science and technology. For example, within agriculture, cropping patterns were changed from traditional methods to more moder nized methods to boos t production of crops. These crops not only fed the population, but also were used in light industry to produce textiles. Deng’s leadership

was most significant in economic reforms. Unlike Mao, he knew the inefficiency of the command economy because of the potentials for excessive production, lack of market structure and shortage of natural resources. He acknowledged the necessity of economic competitions; thus, it could be argued that he was leaning towards a capitalist market. Another significant contribution he made in economic policy was to open up the country to foreigners for trade. He opened spec i a l e conomic zone s t o encourage foreign investment in China with special privileges such as lower taxes. As a result, Deng felt the necessity to enter into global competition although he may lose c o m m u n i s t a n d s o c i a l i s t characteristics in the economy. Despite the difference, his leadership

was successful, as an efficient economy has led people to increase their wages and has reduced massive starvation.

The leaderships of Mao and Deng affected society differently. Both were authoritarian dictators towards the Chinese population. They both kept extensive surveillance over the population. Mao directed the anti-rightest campaign after the failed Hundred Flowers while Deng closed the democracy wall. Both actions were done to oppress criticism against government policies and restrict freedom of speech. Wei Jingsheng, one of the intellectuals in the Mao and Deng era claimed that “the old political system so despised by the people remains unchanged and the democracy and freedom they longed for has not even been mentioned”(Sources of Chinese Tradition). However, there were some differences in style between the dictators. Mao wanted to have

Mao was a constant revolutionary.


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absolute power and promoted his own personality cult. Deng, on the other hand, did not promote the personality cult, but instead emphasized the absolute power of the Communist Party. Although they both promoted dictatorship, their policies towards society were different. Mao was always paranoid, and often ruled people through terror. Mass campaigns and propaganda occurred constantly, and the biggest social impact that Mao’s leadership had was the Cultural Revolution. He was a constant revolutionary, and always wanted social revolution in all classes. Thus, he stirred up the young generation against the elites and created constant class struggle. In contrast, Deng, as a victim of the Cultural Revolution, knew the necessity of stabilizing the country. Thus, he relieved victims of mass campaigns and removed class labels to end class struggle. In order to stabilize the country, he developed a major corpus of laws and regulations including criminal, civil, marriage and tax laws. Thus, the chaotic era Mao had created was restored under Deng who stabilized control over people through rules and regulations.

Another aspect of society is education. M a o a n d D e n g s h owe d d i f f e r e n t l e a d e r s h i p i n educat ion. Under Mao’s period (prior to t h e C u l t u r a l Revolution), they had a relatively stable loca l educat iona l system compared to

past years during the civil war, the invasion of Japan and the warlord period. A particular feature was the “up into the mountains, down into the countryside (上山下乡)” policy, where Mao forced young people to go to rural areas to work on agriculture. In contrast, when Deng took power, he released these young people to their homes. When the Cultural Revolution happened, most of the schools were closed and many intellectuals and teachers were tortured. Thus, at the beginning of Deng’s period, they restored the educational systems by allowing direct entry into colleges and opening up the schools. He also improved education by opening up more opportunities such as earning advanced degrees and allowing overseas studies. The concept of “red and expert” were also different, as Deng separated expert from red. In other words, he ensured that there would not be political interference with intellectuals

(but they were not allowed to criticize politics). This was different from the Maoist era as he v iewed e xp e r t s a s necessarily red. Mao’s educational system kept people ignorant, as he did not want in te l l ec tua l s who c o u l d c r i t i c i z e politics. On the other hand, Deng knew the n e c e s s i t y o f intellectuals in the development of a country. He respected their expertise as long a s t h e y d i d n o t c r i t i c i ze po l i t i c s . Lastly, as Chinese leaders, both had to deal with the issue of a large population. Mao believed that a

Deng separated expert from red.


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massive population would support the economy and thus, he encouraged big families. However, rapid expansion of the population forced Deng to realize the necessity of family planning and contributed to the establishment of the “one-child policy.” Thus, they had opposing views upon the burden of population size.

A significant political focus for both leaders was foreign diplomacy. After Khrushchev’s secret speech in 1956, Mao viewed differences between the leadership and ideologies of the PRC and the USSR. Mao criticized the USSR for taking the wrong path and misinterpreting Communism. This helped lead to the Sino-Soviet split. Similarly, Deng did not improve or restore China’s relationship with the USSR but instead focused on improving relations with the West. Towards the United States, Mao invited President Nixon and Kissinger to China, and opened Sino-American relations. Similarly, Deng also developed a relationship with the US by exchanging ambassadors, solving issues on Taiwan by advancing the “one China” thesis, and visiting the United States. He also contributed to restoring Hong Kong from Great Britain, although under a “two systems, one country” compromise. Although their purpose and target were different, they both acknowledged the fact that China would need international help. In the case of Mao prior to the Sino-Soviet split, he felt the necessity to get help from the USSR, while Deng opened up the country to the Western World for economic development. However, after the Sino-Soviet split Mao tried to run the country as an autarky without help from foreign countries. Another difference in foreign policy was that Mao helped communists around the world, including support for communist power in the Vietnam war, the Korean war, and funding and supporting communists in Africa. In contrast, Deng did not actively help foreign communist power as much as Mao because he knew that creating a strong China was a priority over helping communists overseas. Thus, he stopped most of the funding and support to communists in Africa.

In conclusion, both Mao and Deng had well established revolutionary credentials and were strong Chinese leaders. As mentioned in the introduction, because both faced different times and historical challenges, it is difficult to compare and contrast their leadership. Indeed, in their times, they both met crises of leadership, and both made significant contributions to overcome these crises and develop China. It can also be viewed that there were different stages in their leadership. Because Deng was after Mao, he was able to learn more from Mao’s period and construct different views and leadership strategies, however, if he was in the same period as Mao he might have had a similar leadership style. For example, when Zhou Enlai drafted the Four Modernizations economic development plan in 1965, he acknowledged that there are two stages in economic development. In Mao’s period the party promoted a self-sufficient industrial base as the first stage of China’s development, and in Deng’s period it worked to accelerate economic growth and open the country. Thus, in economic terms, they both showed their leadership in each stage. Without Mao, Deng’s leadership might not have been effective. Despite the difficulty to compare and contrast their leaderships, Mao was an ideologue, a philosopher and a true believer in communism. He was born in a poor and socially unequal China. Thus, he truly believed that if everyone became equal, their lives would improve. However, Deng was a more realistic economist. He knew that if everyone became equal, they would all be poor. Therefore, he recognized the necessity for competition in various fields such as economics and education. This different characteristic certainly changed the future of China.

The text for this essay was written in preparation for formal examinations and does not, therefore, follow standard research writing conventions.

Quotations from: Sources of Chinese Tradition: From 1600 Through the Twentieth Century, compiled by Wm. Theodore de Bary and Richard Lufrano, 2nd ed., vol. 2 (New York: Columbia University Press, 2000), 497-500.


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Book Review

Confucius: The Golden Rule

Esther Nicol–Grade 6

Confucius: the Golden Rule is a book written by Russell Freedman and illustrated by Frederic Clement. The book is very informative about Confucius’s background, life and his teachings. Confucius’s influence on the world is quite remarkable because his ideas, such as The Golden Rule and the way people choose governments are still used now. In this book one of the chapters is called “Dangerous Ideas” because Confucius had important and dangerous ideas about the government. When Confucius lived China was splintered into states and each state was run by people who were born into the role of leader. These people were wealthy and they owned their own armies and would attack each other. The government lost control of the country until the Qin dynasty. Confucius described the ideal governor as “an intelligent person, somebody who was interested in being a leader and a true gentleman” (28). In Confucius’s time the word gentlemen would only be used to describe the governors, the governors’ families and the wealthy. It didn’t matter whether they behaved as a gentlemen should, they would still be called a gentlemen. Confucius thought that anybody had the right to be a gentleman as long as they acted like one. He thought of a gentleman as “someone who works hard to master the art of government and the rules of virtuous behavior” (28) and a good leader would treat everybody fairly and think about the people’s needs. For example, “Confucius himself singled out a woman known as Ji of Lu, praising her expert knowledge and sacred rites” (28). The book explains that this was a dangerous idea because he went against the tradition and if you did that the consequence could cost you your life. The title of this book is Confucius: The Golden Rule, which refers to a rule that Confucius described as, “Do not impose to others what you do not wish for yourself ” (30). Many other religions after the time of Confucius had their own teaching of the golden rule. An example is the Christian teaching, “In everything, do to others as you would have them do to you” (30). As you can see from this information the content of this book would be interesting to an audience of a variety of ages but would especially be useful for Middle school students.

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The book Confucius the Golden Rule is a useful book for middle school students if they are trying to find out about Confucius’s teachings and life. This book has an appropriate level of language for a middle school reader to understand everything and could easily inform somebody about Confucius. For example, the book describes Confucius’s appearance using descriptive words that make it easy to visualize him: “He has been described as a homely giant with warts on his nose, two long front teeth that protruded over his lower lip and a wispy beard” (6). The picture of Confucius is almost an exact match to the description of his appearance (4). This helps the students remember more about him. The illustrations were very helpful to visualize because even though they weren’t realistic they helped me to understand what Confucius did. The picture of the most famous Confucian temple in Qufu was helpful because by looking at it a student could clarify what was written in the text (39). The length and amount of information in the book was great for a middle school student; it was just the right amount of information to get a student interested about Confucius but didn’t take hours of their time to read. An example is the chapter called “The Spirit of Confucius.” The chapter was only 4 pages long and effectively completed a story about the Qin emperor, what happened after Confucius’s death and his influence after his death. Although the book was appropriate in the level of language, was a suitable length and provided educational information it did have flaws.

The book had some limitations that would make it difficult for a middle school student to follow. It could be very confusing for a middle school student because there is a mix of legends and facts. For example, “A strange animal was killed in Lu. Since no one knew what the creature was, it was placed in a wagon and taken to Confucius, who took one look and identified it as a unicorn” (33). This is a legend not a fact. But it is then followed by a fact that in 479 BC when he woke and said “I wish to speak no more” (33-34). The book doesn’t have any maps of where he lived or even a diagram. If Russell Freedman had included a variety of different visual information the book could have been more informative. Another confusion is that the order of the chapters is not chronological or organized by importance of the themes. For example the golden rule is not mentioned till about the middle of the story when really it is an important part of this book and should be recognized earlier. However, the value of this book overcame the limitations.

The book gives enough information for an introduction to Confucius and his ideas, his life and the work of his disciples. Although the book was not perfect it was still a very informative and interesting book. I enjoyed “The Golden Rule” chapter because it is about a life lesson that is relevant to any human being. I found it interesting that they used the Chinese characters because it shows that the author had respect for the Chinese language and culture. Unfortunately it was only used in “The Golden Rule” chapter. It used several different translations of The Analects of Confucius, which gave different perspectives on how Confucius lived his life. Freedman wrote about Confucius in a way that made him seem very intelligent and wise. In the Author’s Note (42-43) Freedman shows his respect for Confucius and how inquisitive he is about Confucius. For example,


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Lu, one of the vassal states of ancient China that originated during the Xi (Western) Zhou dynasty but came to prominence in the Warring States (Zhanguo) period (475–221 bc) of the Dong (Eastern) Zhou. One of the smaller of the warring states, Lu is known as the birthplace of Confucius (551–479 bc). The famous Chunqiu (“Spring and Autumn [Annals]”) is a chronological record of the major events that occurred at the court of the state of Lu between 722 and 481 bc. For almost 2,000 years this work has been revered as one of the great Chinese Classics, mainly because it has been claimed that Confucius edited the work. As a result of the conVnued interest in the Chunqiu, more is known about Lu than about most of the other states of the period.

"Lu." Encyclopædia Britannica. Encyclopædia Britannica Online. Encyclopædia Britannica Inc., 2013. Web. 24 Apr. 2013. .

during his visit to Qufu, which is Confucius’s hometown, Freedman experiences the Confucius celebration. He also visits the significant places or people that are related to Confucius. Reading this book made me more knowledgeable about Confucius and made me think of Confucius as a forward thinking man.

Works CitedFreedman, Russell. Confucius: The Golden Rule. Illus. Frédéric Clément. New York: Arthur A. Levine, 2002. Print.

http://global.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/114678/Zhou-dynastyhttp://global.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/114678/Zhou-dynastyhttp://global.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/636061/Warring-Stateshttp://global.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/636061/Warring-Stateshttp://global.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/132184/Confuciushttp://global.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/132184/Confuciushttp://global.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/116902/Chunqiuhttp://global.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/116902/Chunqiuhttp://global.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/132184/Confuciushttp://global.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/132184/Confuciushttp://global.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/116902/Chunqiuhttp://global.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/116902/Chunqiuhttp://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/350198/Luhttp://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/350198/Lu


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《欲望号街车》浅析音响效果的作用

Ruolan Zhang–Grade 12

《欲望号街车》是作者田纳西·威廉斯一部成功的舞台剧，作为一部经典不朽的舞台剧，其中的舞美，灯光，音响及布景都对剧情起到了不可忽视的辅助作用，而其中精心设计的音响更是有效地推动了情节的发展，刻画了人物的心理变化，渲染了跌宕起伏的氛围，是《欲望号街车》不可或缺的重要一环。

在剧中，作者设计了两种截然不同的音乐：蓝调钢琴和波尔卡舞曲，分别代表剧中矛盾的双方。其中蓝调钢琴脱胎于布鲁斯音乐，宣泄了底层人民内心的愤懑之情，斯坦利作为北方大工业生产中新生工人阶层代表和其粗犷的弦律不谋而合。而波尔卡舞曲则完全相反，奢华陈旧的音乐展现了南方上流社会的高雅精致和岌岌可危，而布朗歇则正契合波尔卡舞曲，高贵却不堪一击。作者运用对比鲜明的两种音乐和其所代表的人物凸显了南北差异间的冲突，更巧妙利用音乐的强弱变化，显示了情节走势和人物心理变化。


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在全剧开篇，蓝调钢琴作为背景音

乐首先进入读者的视听，“空气中同时

还流动着街角酒吧间里黑人演员的乐

声⋯⋯.这种‘蓝调钢琴’表达了这里生

活的精髓。”2，紧接着，一身工装的斯

坦利出场。两者恰当的契合烘托出新奥

尔良艳俗的生活更反衬一身白衣的布朗

歇的格格不入。全局开篇便点出两人巨

大的差异。随着两人矛盾的加剧，对斯

泰拉的争夺也逐步凸显，布朗歇竭力教

导斯泰拉离开斯坦利，她的这种教导却

不合时宜地被背景中的 “火车声音”3掩

盖，而斯泰拉更是热烈地拥抱刚进门的

斯坦利，此时“可听见‘蓝调钢琴’，

喇叭和鼓的声音”4，体现出布朗歇的无

力和斯坦利的强大。随着剧情的深入，

斯坦利查到布朗歇不堪的过去并决定反

击，这令布朗歇如临大敌，身陷困

境，“四比四传来的音乐缓慢而忧伤”5

刻画了布朗歇的无助惊恐。最后布朗歇

失去了一切，崩溃疯狂之时，“‘蓝调

钢琴’轻柔地响着⋯⋯丛林里的野蛮声

音响起”6展现了她的绝望，暗示了斯坦

利的到来。当布朗歇最终被玷污时“响

亮，激越的号声和鼓声从四比四传

来”7，无不点明斯坦利的胜利。在剧

终，作者虽未直接说明布朗歇的结局但

是“不断增强的‘蓝调钢琴’”8 已揭示

布朗歇的毁灭。蓝调钢琴和波尔卡舞曲

的强弱变化巧妙刻画两人对抗关系的变

化：渐强的蓝调钢琴则代表斯坦利的胜

利，减弱的波尔卡舞曲展现了布朗歇追

求新生活却被摧毁的过程。


16

音响效果的巧妙运用也

形象的塑造了人物形象。随

着斯坦利的调查，“天上隐

隐传来雷声” 9预示了布朗

歇不堪过去的揭露，一语双

关，既渲染了压抑的氛围又

预兆大祸临头。当米奇因为

布朗歇过去而抛弃她

后，“远处的钢琴声缓慢而

忧伤”10 展现了布朗歇绝望

崩溃的状态，预示了她最终

毁灭的结局。与此形成鲜明

对比的则是斯坦利的心理变

化，斯坦利虽未直言对布朗

歇的不满，但在打牌时，混

乱嘈杂的背景音乐“两个男

人开始激烈地争吵”11，从

侧面展现了他内心的焦躁不

满。但随着他了解布朗歇不堪的过去并交给她离开的车票，“华

沙舞曲⋯⋯逐渐变得清晰”12，悲戚的音乐反衬出斯坦利内心的愉

悦，预示了局势的转变。可见，作者巧妙运用音效的逐步变化体

现了斯坦利和布朗歇心理的变化，将不可知的人物情感外化。

在《欲望号街车》全剧中，音响效果的恰当运用不仅推动情

节发展更加强了人物情感表现的张力，展现了全剧的悲剧性主

题，突出南方神话的破灭和北方文化的兴起。由此可见，音响效

果是《欲望号街车》不可缺失的一部分，它使《欲望号街车》变

成一场真正的视听盛宴。

参考书目：

1. 《外国戏剧百年精华 -“欲望号”街车》田纳西·威廉斯著马爱农译人民文学出

版社

1 第227页2 第269页3 第271页

4 第277页5 第314页6 第314页

7 第324页8 第274页9 第307页

10 第255页11第299页


17

The FireMin Ji Kim–Grade 10

The fire is a giant lion

Fierce and brown

He blazes up in the brazier all dayWith his brown, golden fur.

And when the brazier is full of fur,

And when he’s starving to death,

He becomes larger, larger, larger, larger!He becomes a gigantic monster,

“BANG!” “BOOM!”He stomps outside,

And he gobbles up everything-

Everything that is in his sight.

When people see the hungry lionComing right towards them,

They jump into the air and scream like a rooster in the morning.

When dogs see the hungry lion,They don’t jump or scream like a rooster.

They yip and run.

And when the blue liquid comes,

Or when he’s full,The hungry lion gets smaller, smaller, smaller, smaller.

As fast as electricityHe runs back to the brazier.

So calm, so calm, he becomes quiet.


17


18

루쉰의 와 에 나타난 봉건

제도의 폐해와 잔재안민영Min Young An –Grade 12

중국 현대 문학과 사상의 비조(鼻祖)로 꼽

히는 루쉰은 1918년 5월 신청년이라는 잡지에

자신의 첫 소설 작품인 를 발표하며 본

격적인 문학 활동을 시작하였다. 그가 작품의 배경

으로 설정한 1911년은 신해혁명 이후 중국의 국

가체제가 바뀐 시기이다. 당시 중국은 신해혁명이

라는 민주주의 혁명을 일으켜 청나라를 멸망시키

고 중화민국을 세우며 새로운 근대 국가체제를 도

입하였다. 하지만 새로운 국가체제를 도입했음에

도 불구하고 중국 사람들은 근대국가의 국민으로

서 자신의 주체성을 찾지 못하고 과거 봉건시대의

우매한 정신상태 그대로 남아 있었다. 하지만 그들이 가지고 있던 가장 근본적인 문제는

변화를 추구하려는 의지가 없었다는 것이다. 이러한 문제점을 해결하려는 목적으로 루쉰

은 여러 편의 작품을 통해 현실에 안주하며 변화를 두려워하는 당시 중국인들의 모습을 신

랄하게 비판하며 그들의 무지함을 고발하였다. 그의 초기 대표작으로 손꼽히는 와 에서도 저자의 이러한 면모를 찾아 볼 수 있다. 저자의 첫 번째 소설 작품이기도

한 에서 저자는 식인 풍습이라는 소재를 이용해 봉건 시대 유교의 폐단을 극단

적으로 표현하여 당시 남아있던 봉건 제도의 폐해를 적나라하게 표현했고 그의 또 다른 작

품인 에서도 현실 인식이 전혀 없는 민중들의 모습을 보여주며 중국에 남아있던 봉건

제도의 폐해를 보여주고 있다. 이 글에서는 와 두 작품에 나타난 중국 봉

건제도의 폐해와 잔재에 대해 살펴 보도록 하겠다.

먼저 라는 작품에서 저자는 당시 소수의 지식인, 즉 계몽된 사람을 ‘광

인’에 비유하고 있다. 수 천년 간 지속되어 온 봉건체제를 무너뜨린 신해혁명 이후에도 중

국인들은 변화라는 것을 극도로 꺼리고 두려워했다. 그들은 기존의 것인 봉건 사회를 바꾸

면 위험하다고 생각하여 봉건체제를 유지하려고 했었고, 그들의 이러한 안일한 사고방식


19

은 중국의 근대화를 늦추는 결정적 요인이 되었다. 그래서 저자는 당시 지식인들을 대변하

는 인물을 비정상적인 광인으로 설정하여 근대화에 대한 사람들의 방어적인 태도와 자신

들과는 다른, 근대적인 시각을 가졌다는 이유로 혁명가와 지식인을 죄인 취급했던 중국인

들의 모습을 보여주었다. 이러한 우매하고 반봉적 의식을 가진 사람들이 가졌던 지식인에

대한 가학적이고 폭력적인 태도는 종종 광인을 향한 사람들의 ‘공격적인 시선’으로 묘사된

다. 소설 초반부, 광인은 30년만에 달빛을 보게 된다. 달빛은 어두컴컴한 밤을 비춰주는 빛

이라는 뜻을 가지고 있기 때문에 봉건 사

회를 암흑의 시기로 본다면 달빛은 ‘계몽’,

즉 어둠 속에 있다는 것을 ‘자각하고 깨어

나게 해 준 소재’라고 볼 수 있다. 그러므

로 주인공이 달빛을 본 그 날 이후, 즉 계

몽의식을 가지게 된 이후, 그는 자신을 향

한 사람들의 눈빛이 변했다는 것을 인식하

게 된다. 어느 순간부터 사람들은 그를 미

친 사람 취급을 하며 모두 ‘이죽이죽 웃으

며 이상한 눈빛으로’(p.23) 그를 바라보았

기 때문이다.

아침에 조심스럽게 문을 나설 때도 자오꾸이

영감의 눈빛이 이상했다. 나를 두려워하는 것

같기도 하고 나를 해치려는 것 같기도 했다.2

위 구절을 통해 변해버린 사람들의 시선과 광인을 향한 방어적인 또는 공격적인 태

도를 엿볼 수 있다. 사람들은 모두 저마다 광인에 대해 쑥덕거리고 그를 두려워하거나 해치

려는 공격적인 태도를 보였다. 하지만 이러한 눈빛은 비단 광인의 마을 어른들한테서만 발

견되는 것이 아니었다. 다른 마을 어른들과 마찬가지로 아이들 또한 그를 두려워하고 경계

하는 눈빛으로 바라보았다. 그리고 이런 아이들의 태도로 미루어 보아 미래를 책임져야 하

는 미래세대들 역시 ‘봉건의식’에 사로잡혀 봉건 제도가 후세대에까지 무비판적으로 전수

되고 있다는 것을 보여준다. 이 글의 공간적인 배경은 작고 폐쇄된 마을이다. 그러므로 이


20

아이들은 어렸을 때부터 이런 폐쇄된 공간에서 봉건의식에 사로잡힌 부모 밑에서 그것이

당연하다고 배우며 자라왔다.

이제 알 것 같다. 이게 다 저 아이들의 어미 어비가 가르친 것이다!3

그래서 아이들은 봉건 의식을 부모로부터 전수받고 이러한 봉건 의식의 세습은 아

주 자연스럽게 이루어졌다. 이 부분을 통해 저자는 너무나도 자연스럽게 이루어지는 봉건

의식의 세습을 보여 줌과 동시에 미래를 책임지는 미래 세대들의 정신 세계에까지 침투한

봉건의식을 신랄하게 비판하였다.

또한, 저자는 ‘식인 풍습’이라는 자극적인 소재를 이용해 봉건 시대 유교의 폐단을

극단적으로 표현하여 그 당시 많은 사람들이 사로잡혀 있던 전근대적 사상을 비판하였다.

신해혁명이라는 커다란 역사적 사건을 겪으면서도 대다수의 중국 사람들은 과거 봉건 사

회의 유교적 전통에서 벗어나지 못했다. 그리고 유교에서 가장 중요하게 생각하는 덕목 중

하나인 효를 지나치게 강조하고 집착하여 이것이 결국은 교조주의로 변질되었다. 그러므로

저자는 이 작품 속 ‘식인 풍습’을 통해 역설적으로 가장 가까운 가족마저 해하는 것이 유교

라는 메시지를 남기며, 기존 봉건사회체제 유지의 기틀을 이루던 핵심 철학과 가치관을 비

판한다. 소설의 후반부에서 광인은 자신의 누이 동생이 가족들에게 잡아 먹혔다고 말한다.

그는 4천 년 동안 식인 풍습이 이어져 왔다는 것을 깨닫고 결국엔 자신의 가족들이 누이동

생의 죽음을 초래했다고 말하며 자신의 큰형님, 어머니, 그리고 심지어 자신까지 누이 동생

을 죽인 가해자라고 생각한다.

나도 나 자신도 모르게 누이동생의 살을 몇 점 먹었을지 모른다.4

그 가해자 중 광인 자신도 예외가 아니었음을 깨닫게 되는 모습을 통해 봉건의식에

서 완전히 빠져 나오지 못한 지식인들까지 비판하며 봉건제도의 폐해를 직접적으로 보여

주었다.

그리고 루쉰의 또 다른 단편 소설인 에서 저자는 때보다 더 절박

한 심정으로 자신의 의견을 더욱 분명하게 제시하고 봉건시대의 폐해를 적나라하게 비판

하였다. 우선 은 청나라 말기 사람들의 봉건 의식을 보여주며 피묻은 만두라는 소재를

이용해 전통 의학의 비과학성과 당시 사람들의 전근대적인 사상을 비판하였다. 이 글의 주

인공인 라오솬은 자신의 아들인 샤오솬의 폐병을 고치기 위해 처형된 혁명가의 피가 묻은

만두를 샀다. 그는 과학적으로 결코 입증할 수 없는 사람의 피 묻은 만두가 아들의 폐병을


21

고칠 수 있을 것이라고 굳게 믿고 아들에게 그것을 먹인다. 그리고 그의 이러한 잘못된 행

동은 결과적으로 샤오솬에게 악영향을 미쳐 그를 죽음으로 몰아간다. 이 부분을 통해 당시

사람들의 전근대적인 사상과 비과학성을 엿볼 수 있고, 나아가 미래세대에게 봉건 의식을

주입시키는 구세대들의 모습도 찾아 볼 수 있다.

얼마 지나지 않아 만터우는 전부 배 속으로 들어갔지만 어떤 맛이었는지는 전혀 생각나지

않았다. 눈앞에는 빈 접시만 하나 남아 있을 뿐이었다.5

이 부분을 통해 저자는 미래세대인 아들에게 봉건의식을 주입하는 라오솬 즉 구세

대의 모습을 보여주며 봉건의식이 후세대에까지 전수된다는 것을 알려주었다. 그러한 봉건

의식에서 벗어나지 못한다면 피 묻은 마ㄴ두를 먹었으나 결국 죽고 마는 샤오솬처럼 결국

패망에 이를 뿐이라는 것을 아들인 샤오솬의 죽음을 통해 보여주고 있다.

또한 저자는 당시 봉건의식에서 벗어나지 못하고 있는 사람들의 모습을 작품 속 마

을 사람들의 모습을 통해서 보여주었다. 작품 속 마을 사람들의 모습을 살펴보면 현실 인식

이 전혀 없다는 것을 알 수 있다. 봉건사회 속에서 노예와 같은 삶을 살아온 그들은 자신들

의 일상생활 속에서 삶의 재미 혹은 낙을 전혀 느끼지 못하고 현실의 고통을 잠시 잊게 해

줄 선정적인 구경거리를 찾아 다닌다. 그리고 이러한 그들의 모습은 이른 새벽에 굳이 혁명

가가 처형당하는 장면을 보겠다고 거리를 나서는 사람들의 모습을 통해 볼 수 있다.

한바탕 발소리가 요란하게 울리면서 순식간에 사람들 한 무리가 서로 밀치며 지나갔다. 두

세 명씩 서성대던 사람들도 갑자기 한데 모이더니 밀물처럼 앞으로 몰려갔다. 그러다가 삼

거리에 이르자 갑자기 멈춰 서면서 반원 모양의 대형을 만들었다.6


22

위 구절을 통해 눈에 불을 켜고 스펙타클한 장면을 찾아다니고 혁명가들이 처형당

하는 장면이 유일한 삶의 낙이라고 여기는 봉건체제 속 사람들의 모습을 볼 수 있다.

그리고 마을 사람들의 이러한 모습 이외에 저자는 그들의 이기적이고 추악한 모습

을 통해 이득을 취하는 봉건의식에 젖어있던 당시 민중들의 모습을 반영했다. 혁명가가 처

형을 당한 뒤, 마을 사람들 중 어느 누구도 그를 애도하지 않았다. 그들은 사람이 죽었음에

도 불구하고 자신들의 이익을 챙기기 바빴다. 그리고 사람들의 이기심은 자신의 친척이 혁

명가로 활동하다가 자신의 밀고로 처형당했음에도 불구하고 자신의 이득을 취하기 바쁜

이기적인 샤 씨 댁 셋째 어른의 모습을 통해 드러난다.

가장 운이 좋은 사람은 우리 라오솬 아저씨고 그 다음은 스물다섯 냥이나 되는 눈처럼 흰 은

화를 보상으로 받은 샤 씨 댁 셋째 어른이지.7

이상으로 루쉰의 두 작품 와 을 통해, 신해혁명의 성공 이후에도

중국에 남아있던 봉건제도의 폐해와 잔재에 대해 알아보았다. 다시 정리하자면 저자 루쉰

은 라는 작품에서 계몽주의자 지식인을 광인이라는 인물로 설정하여 근대화에

대한 당시 민중들의 방어적인 태도와 안일함, 유교로 대표되는 과거 봉건제도의 폐해와 잔

재를 보여주었고, 이라는 작품에서는 혁명가의 피가 묻은, 인혈 만두라는 소재를 통해

봉건사회의 비과학성과 전근대적 사상, 그리고 민중의 무비판적 보수주의와 무지몽매함이

혁명 정신을 어떻게 배반하고 짓밟았는가를 보여 주었다. 신해혁명의 실질적인 실패와 혁

명 정신의 배반으로 인해 저자 루쉰은 깊이 절망하였고 ‘적막’8을 느꼈으나, 희망의 끈을 결

코 놓지는 않았다. 그는 과거 봉건제도에 대한 날카로운 비판과 함께 자신을 포함한 지식인

집단의 과오와 한계에 대한 철저한 반성을 통해, 자신이 죽어가고 있는 줄도 모른 채 잠자

고 있는 중국 민족을 향해 큰소리로 깨어나라고 외친 것이다. 이런 까닭에 루쉰은 , 등의 중단편소설이 실린 그의 첫 번째 소설집 제목을 ‘여러 사람이 함께 큰소리

를 지른다’는 뜻의 ‘吶喊(납함)’으로 붙인 것이다.

1루쉰, , , 김성태 옮김, 열린책들, 2011, p.19.2루쉰, , p.20.3루쉰, , p.35.4 루쉰, , pp.52-53.5 루쉰, , p.49.6 루쉰, , p.55.7 루쉰, , p.12.

루쉰, , 김성태 옮김, 열린책들, 2011.


23

Road Safety and its Impact on Developing Countries

Risa Yuminaga–Grade 10

The development of technology in the modern world has made road vehicles available at a lower price, and therefore in wider distribution. Cars are equipped with seatbelts, airbags, and crumble zones that are developed from Newton’s laws of motion, but still the increase in the number of cars on the road has led to a larger number of road accidents. This is often the consequence of underestimating the danger of not wearing seatbelts and not following the traffic speed limitations, and c a u s e s h u g e s o c i a l , e c o n o m i c , a n d environmental damage, especia l ly in developing countries.

Most cars running presently on the roads are equipped with safety features that come from an understating of Newton’s laws of motion. Some of the most common examples are seatbelts, airbags, and crumple zones. Seatbelts prevent passengers from colliding violently into objects in front of them and reduce the amount of force acting on their bodies during a sudden stop, and can be explained with Newton’s second law of motion and the acceleration equation. When a car comes to a sudden stop, the passengers’ bodies sitting inside the car follow Newton’s first law of motion, which is the law of inertia, and continue moving forwards. If not stopped by seatbelts, they will be injured by the objects in front of them. Furthermore, most seatbelts are designed to stretch a little, which reduces the amount of force acting on the passengers’ bodies by allowing more time before they completely stop. Looking at the acceleration equation a=∆v/∆t and Newton’s second law of

motion f=ma, the acceleration will be smaller when the time taken to stop (∆t) is longer, and hence the net force is smaller too. Airbags and crumple zones function under the same principle: they become cushions that increase the time taken to come to a complete stop, which decreases the acceleration and the net force (Armstrong).

Figure 1 - numbers from:"Car Crash Fatality Statistics." Statistic Brain. Ed. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. N.p., 27 Nov. 2012. Web. 23 Apr. 2013.

However, the number of road accidents and fatalities are still shockingly high despite the safety features loaded on the cars. This is often the outcome of not wearing seatbelts and driving over the speed limitation. When

10%11%

16%

31%

32%

Drunk Driving SpeedingDistraction Bad WeatherOther


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passengers do not wear seatbelts, nothing stops them from a violent collision with the objects in front of them, which can be the windscreen, stirring wheel, dashboard, etc. If a person’s head hits the windscreen at the speed of 60km/h, his skull is likely to collapse inwards 3.5cm; this increases to 6.0cm if at the speed of 75km/h (Armstrong). This is also the consequence of driving over the speed limit, because driving too fast causes a larger force on the passengers, hence a deeper inward collapse of the brain. This is explained also by the acceleration equation a=∆v/∆t and Newton’s second law of motion f=ma: a higher velocity (speed) over a certain time means a faster acceleration, which leads to a larger net force. Moreover, statistics from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration show that speeding is the second most common reason for road accident fatalities with 31% (figure 1), and the probability of death and other serious injuries increases with higher speed at the moment of impact. This is because driving too fast makes it more difficult to steer the car, shorten the reaction time available for the driver before impact, and increases the crash severity (Think Fast…).

Figure 2 – screenshot from: Global Burden of Disease. N.p.: Harvard University Press., n.d. PDF.

Road accidents are presently a huge concern for developing countries with respect to economy, society, and environment. The Global Burden of Disease research conducted by the World Health Organization, World Bank, and Harvard University showed that road accidents were the world’s 9th most burdening health problem in 1990, and it is predicted to rise to 3rd by 2020 (figure 2). Approximately 70% of the 1.17 million annual fatalities caused by road accidents occur in developing countries, and it is estimated that there will be at least 6 million more deaths and 60 million more injuries in the next 10 years if no immediate action is taken (“Roads”).

This is a serious threat to the economics of developing countries and the lost resources and productivity becomes a burden to the country’s economic development. At this moment those road accidents cost around 1~3% of the countries’ Gross National Product, which is approximately $100 billion every year. This is almost double the total amount of financial aid developing countries receive around the world (“Roads”) and it will continue increasing if the estimation of 10 years from now becomes reality. Finance is not the only thing a country loses from road accidents; a productive workforce is also lost due to the deaths and injuries.

Furthermore, the injuries caused by road accidents become a social weight for the patients and makes it difficult for them to have a decent life in society. As mentioned before, one of the injuries the passengers suffer from the accident is the inward collapse of the skull. This is likely to damage the frontal lobe of the brain, which controls emotion and behavior. If this damage remains permanently, the person is likely to have extreme mood swings, short-term memory loss, and he becomes less open to the other people around him. These symptoms make the person incapable of doing

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his job, and he will have trouble maintaining a good social relationship with others (Armstrong).

Finally, both the increased number of road vehicles and accident have a negative impact on the environment of developing countries. The large number of cars on the road is the major consumer of oil, and this is worsened if the car is driving quickly. This also becomes the largest contributor to air pollution, and natural systems are usually destroyed to pave new roads. Since accidents tend to happen more in the rural region where drivers drive over the speed limit where there is no one overseeing (Think Fast…), the land can be damaged due to explosions and fire or oil leakages after a severe accident.

Figure 3 – screenshot from:Think Fast... N.p.: n.p., n.d. Aggressive Driving. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. Web. 24 Apr. 2013.

Since Newton’s laws of motion cannot control people’s behavior, the only solution to these problems is to be aware of the danger of not wearing seatbelts and of driving too fast. Campaigns such as “Speed Shatters Life” (figure 3) could be used to spread awareness and knowledge on positive consequences of following the rule, such as the fact that seatbelts reduce the death risk in an accident by 61% when used correctly and for every 1km/h reduction in

average speed the number of accidents lessen by 2% (“10 facts”). To reduce the number of road accidents and fatalities, it is the community’s responsibility to provide people with the correct knowledge and ensure that they follow the rules.

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GlossaryAccelerationThe change in velocity (speed) over a certain time, measured in m/s2.

Acceleration equationThe equation used to calculate average acceleration, which is a=∆v/∆t.

ForceA strength or energy that causes physical action or movement of an object.

InertiaThe property of matter where it resists to any attempts to change its state of motion.

MotionA change in position of matter.

Net forceThe resulting direction and strength of force when more than one force works upon an object.

Newton’s first law of motionThe law that an object stays in its state of motion unless worked upon by an outer force. In other words, objects that are moving keep moving and objects that are stationary keep stationary unless an outer force is added. Also known as the law of inertia.

Newton’s second law of motionThe law that acceleration is directly proportional to net force and inversely proportional to the object’s mass, presented by the equation f=ma or a=f/m..

Works Cited"10 Facts about Road Safety." 10 Facts about Road Safety. World Health Organization, 2005. Web. 24 Apr. 2013. . Armstrong, Rick. "Car Safety Features." Physics 4/5 for the International Student. South Melbourne, Vic.: Cengage Learning, 2010. 99-101. Print. "Car Crash Fatality Statistics." Statistic Brain. Ed. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. N.p., 27 Nov. 2012. Web. 23 Apr. 2013. . Global Burden of Disease. N.p.: Harvard University Press., n.d. PDF. "Roads & Highways: Road Safety." Roads & Highways: Road Safety. The World Bank Group, 2002. Web. 24 Apr. 2013. . Think Fast... N.p.: n.p., n.d. Aggressive Driving. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. Web. 24 Apr. 2013.

http://www.who.int/features/factfiles/roadsafety/01_en.htmlhttp://www.who.int/features/factfiles/roadsafety/01_en.htmlhttp://www.who.int/features/factfiles/roadsafety/01_en.htmlhttp://www.who.int/features/factfiles/roadsafety/01_en.htmlhttp://www.statisticbrain.com/car-crash-fatality-statistics-2/http://www.statisticbrain.com/car-crash-fatality-statistics-2/http://www.worldbank.org/transport/roads/safety.htmhttp://www.worldbank.org/transport/roads/safety.htm


27

The StarsTanay Sangani–Grade 7

The stars are white ants upon a black canvas

Numerous, bountiful, countless, and plentiful

They encase the crepuscular skies

Shining through the darkness that surrounds them

Rays of light penetrating through the black gloom

Silently and soundlessly

Completely insignificant to the colossal cosmos

Miniscule to the massive universe

A flamboyant display of beauty, amazement, and astonishment

The white ants upon a black canvas

Are the stars in the night sky


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28

The Sino-Japanese War and Communist Victory in China

Sky Zhang–Grade 11

In 1937, ChiangKai Shek, leader of the KMT, almost reached his decade-long goal of extinguishing the CCP. By 1932, Chiang had won over control of major cities from Mao (LaFleur). In 1935, only 10 percent of members of the Long March that had left that Jiangxi base one year earlier to escape Chiang’s extermination campaigns survived to arrive in Shaaxi (Lowe). In the words of Mao himself in 1936, “Except for the Shaaxi-Gansu border area, all revolutionary bases were lost, the Red Army was reduced from 300,000 to a few tens of thousands” (Schoppa). Given the harsh living conditions of the impoverished Shaanxi, it was not difficult to see the end for the CCP. However, the formal outbreak of the Sino-Japanese War in 1937 proved to be a turning point for the fate of the Communists who, with containment now relaxed, thrived and re-expanded.

There are three main ways that Japanese invasion directly or indirectly aided in the CCP’s regaining of power. Firstly, the adoption of the united front policy halted Chiang’s

attack on Mao’s forces and this provided them the invaluable opportunity for recovery. Despite Chiang’s claim that “the Japanese are a disease of the skin; communism is a disease

of the heart,” the policy of appeasement toward the Japanese was widely unpopular and in Xi’an 1937, Zhang XueLiang and his officers finally held Chiang hostage and demanded agreement to cooperate with the Communists and retaliate against the Japanese. At this time, the total land area held by the Communists was 70 square kilometers in Northern Shaanxi (Schoppa). Chiang could have easily annihilated the remaining CCP forces, but the decision to join forces against the Japanese loosened containment of the Communists and gave them breathing time to recover and reestablish contacts (Repercussions of Xi’An Incident).

Secondly, by significantly abating the KuoMinTang force, Japanese troops weakened the CCP’s opponent for them; the KMT had been the main target for Japanese aggression because they were the accredited government of China at that time (Ma). During the struggle for Shanghai in the first year of the war alone, Chiang lost 60 percent of the modernized core of his army (Schoppa). Japanese troops


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continuously undermined Chiang’s government in ChongQing through bomb attacks, blockades such as on the Canton-Hankou Railroad and most significantly through the Ichigo offensive in which ChongQing, Chiang’s government base, was almost destroyed (Schoppa). Moreover, the Nanjing Massacre destroyed many of the city’s roads and bridges that had all been Chiang’s accomplished developments for his capital (Schoppa). Japanese attacks had almost reduced the KMT to destruction. The Communists also contributed to the war effort, losing tens of thousands of men against the Japanese. Despite this, they adopted hit-and-run tactics and managed to avoid large-scale confrontations since 1940 (Gordon) and were in fact gaining strength: the 8th Route Army had risen to 600,000 men in 1945 from the 30,000 to 40,000 men at the start of war (Eighth Route Army).

In addition to these military factors for Communist growth, popular support for the CCP also expanded as an indirect result of the Sino-Japanese war. This was because the KuoMinTang was seen in an increasing negative light for their political and strategic failures in dealing with the Japanese. In 1938, in an attempt to

slow down Japanese advance, the KTM blasted open the Yellow River dikes which succeeded in devastating its surrounding villages with flooding. The Japanese however, were slowed only by three hours yet it is estimated that 2,300,000 Chinese were left homeless or drowned (Schoppa). Pointlessly destructive actions such as this antagonized the Chinese people. Moreover, before 1937, Chiang was already widely criticized for his policy of appeasement with Japan. Then as the war began, Chiang’s frequent infractions against the united front, especially the Yangzi incident of 1940, were denounced as perfidious (Schoppa). People that moved away from the Nationalists gravitated towards the Communists. As David Gordon says, “When…Chiang’s troops did most of the fighting against the Japanese, they were blamed for defeat. When Communist guerillas engaged the enemy with far less effect, they were lauded by public opinion as heroes.” The Communists did not waste opportunities to try and win as many converts as possible through policies such as tax reduction and “rectification” to inculcate Communist ideologies deep into the minds of Chinese people.


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Evaluating the above points, the connection can be made that had Chiang not been pressured to fight the Japanese, Communist forces would not have had the chance to survive and re-establish themselves, the KuoMinTang’s forces would not have been so depleted by the war effort against Japan, and Chiang would not have alienated his supporters through scorched-earth policies and violations against the united front. However, it would be overly simplistic to conclude that the Sino-Japanese war was the decisive factor in Mao’s success. After 1945 Communist victory was far from inevitable: the U.S provided invaluable aid to Chiang to oppose the Communist Mao, making them superior in equipment and supported by air force (Schoppa), which effectively cancelled out damage done in engaging the Japanese. Moreover, the KMT’s inefficiency and corruption, especially seen in its failure to respond effectively to the Henan famine in 1943 and the hyperinflation from 1935 (Habegger) had already lost him major support. Nevertheless, the establishment of the united front as a result of Japanese invasion was still crucial to Communist recovery; had they been

eliminated after the Long March no further struggle would have been possible.

Works Cited

"Eighth Route Army - One of the Two Major Chinese Communist Forces." Cultural China. N.p., n.d. Web."Repercussions of Xi'An Incident." Cultural China. N.p., n.d. Web.Gordon, David. "The China-Japan War, 1931-1945." The Journal of Military History(2006): n. pag. JSTOR. Web.Habegger, Jay. "Origins of the Chinese Hyperinflation." The Freeman. N.p., n.d. Web.LaFleur, Robert Andre. "China's Geography and History." China. N.p.: ABC-CLIO, 2003. N. pag. Print. A Global Studies Handbook.Lowe, Norman. Modern World History. 4th ed. N.p.: Palgrave MacMillan, 2005. Print. Palgrave Master Ser.Ma, Charlie. "To What Extent Did The Japanese Invasion and World War II Hinder Or Facilitate the Communist Revolution of China?" Tripod, n.d. Web.Schoppa, R. Keith. Revolution and Its Past: Identities and Change in Modern Chinese History. 2nd ed. N.p.: Pearson, 2006. Print.


31

!e River

Asya Wu–Grade 7

The river is a sneaky slippery snakeIt twists and twirls around mountains and hillHour upon hour, minute upon minute,Rushing downhill with its restless tail.

Within seconds its powerful jaws reach for your legs.Its dangerous mouth drags you down below.Its current crashing against rocks breaking them down to only chalk.

But when all is dark and all is hushed, You might just hear the river’s whispers, Its quiet whispers.Swish, Swosh, Swish, Swosh.Beautiful and mesmerizingPeaceful and gracefulSlithering its long shiny body.


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P

H

Lord of the

FliesLiterary Analysis Essay

Kyoung Hwa Kim–Grade 10

In Lord of the Flies, William Golding writes about British school boys who are stranded on an is land without any adult supervis ion. Throughout the novel, Golding reveals the clash between savagery and civilization and shows how the boys gradually slip into savagery. Golding shows how each character is affected by savagery on different levels, with most of the boys slipping into savagery and some struggling to remain civilized. Golding uses several literary devices to show this. One device in particular that helps illustrate this is characterization. Golding uses characterization of Piggy, Ralph and Jack's physical appearance, speech and thought, and actions to illustrate how each either remains civilized or struggles to remain civilized or slips into savagery.

One of the main characters Golding shows apparent uses of characterization is Piggy. Golding uses characterization to show how Piggy not only remains civilized, but also how he is even willing to fight against savagery. Piggy’s civilized aspect is shown through Golding ' s character izat ion of Piggy ' s appearance, his disdaining speech towards savage-like behaviors, and his act of reminding about the smoke and his willingness to fight against savagery. Golding first shows how Piggy remains civilized through his unchanging physical appearance. This is most apparent when his hair doesn’t grow like other boys: “He was the only boy on the island whose hair never seemed to grow” (54). The hair growing and change of appearance show how other boys are

physically becoming savages. By characterizing the appearance through his hair not growing, Golding illustrates Piggy’s unchanging civility. In addition to his appearance, Golding shows Piggy's civilized aspect through his speech. When other boys start to slip into savagery and act without thinking, Piggy expresses his disdain: “‘Like kids!’ he said scornfully. ‘Acting like a crowd of kids!’” (30) This not only shows Piggy as a civilized character who disdains the act of savagery, but also shows that he is unaffected by savagery while others start to act like savages. Unlike other savage-like boys, Piggy’s unaffected civility is clearly shown through his act of reminding the others of the purpose of the smoke. This civilized action is shown particularly towards the end of the story when Ralph starts to forget the purpose of the smoke. When Ralph couldn’t say anything more about the smoke, Piggy adds, “‘Course we have. ’Cos the smoke’s a signal and we can’t be rescued if we don’t have smoke’” (156). Through this Golding shows that Piggy remains civilized, as he hasn’t forgotten the

I


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purpose of the smoke and their desire to go back to civilization. Furthermore, Golding not only shows Piggy’s unaffected civility, but also his willingness to fight against savagery. When savage boys take Piggy’s glasses, Piggy decides to stand up for himself and against Jack and his tribe. Then Ralph warns him saying, “You’ll get hurt,” (154) however, Piggy doesn't change his mind and shows his determination saying, “What can he do more than he has? I’ll tell him what’s what” (154). Through this Golding has clearly shown that Piggy is unyielding to savagery and even willing to fight against it.

Another character that Golding shows clear use of characterization is Ralph. Golding characterizes Ralph’s actions and thoughts to show how Ralph struggles to remain civilized throughout the story. Golding first characterizes and presents Ralph as a civilized leader and later shows his struggles through his changes in thought and action. The civilized aspect of Ralph is well-shown through Ralph’s action of stressing the importance of the rules and fire. The rules are one of the most important parts of civilized society and Ralph stresses the importance of fire in a civil manner, by calling an assembly. Golding also characterizes Ralph as someone who knows the importance of the fire, which creates smoke and is used as their signal for rescue. The importance of the fire is often stressed by Ralph and it reveals Ralph’s desire to return to civilization. After the hunters let the fire out Ralph says, “The fire is the most important thing on the island. How can we ever be rescued except by luck, if we don’t keep a fire going?” (69). Through this, Golding shows how Ralph stresses the importance and how much he cares about the fire. Later in the story, Golding starts to show how Ralph struggles against savagery through Ralph’s

changes in thoughts and actions towards hunting, mock-hunting and the smoke. In the beginning, Golding shows how Ralph is frustrated by hunters only caring about hunting. However, Ralph’s thoughts towards hunting change as he later “… sunned himself in their new respect and felt that hunting was good after all” (162). Here Golding shows that Ralph thinks more positively about hunting and thinks it's “good after all.” Similar to how Ralph's thought on hunting changes, Ralph's action towards mock-hunting also changes. When the hunters start to mock-hunt after their first hunt, “Ralph watched them, envious and resentful.” However later on, Ralph joins the mock-hunting without even noticing. In this moment, Ralph’s desire to hunt becomes “over mastering” (101). Golding contrasts this moment when Ralph slips into savagery with


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Jthe moment in the beginning when he used to just watch the mock hunt ‘resentfully.’ Furthermore, as Ralph struggles against savagery, he starts to lose the train of his thoughts and later has difficulties explaining the purpose of making smoke. This is evident in his violent reaction to Piggy as Piggy explains the purpose of the smoke when Ralph struggles to do so. Through Ralph’s violent reaction Golding implies that Ralph has forgotten the purpose and importance of the smoke: “‘I knew that!’ shouted Ralph. He pulled his arm away from Piggy. ‘Are you suggesting [that I forgot]?’” (156).

As Golding shows Ralph’s struggle to remain civilized, Golding also shows how Jack quickly gives into savagery. Golding shows this by characterizing Jack’s act of wearing war paint and hunting. In the beginning, Jack wears war-paint only to succeed at hunting; however, later when Jack has formed his own tribe, he starts to wear war paint all the time like a savage. Moreover, Jack wears war-paint every time he does anything savage like hunting or stealing Piggy’s glasses. This is because the war-paint helps Jack to be “liberated from shame and self-consciousness” (52). Here Golding shows that war-paint has freed Jack from shame and self-consciousness of civilization over savagery. As the painting frees Jack from restraints that were hindering the progression of savagery, he further slips into savagery. Another aspect that shows Jack’s progression towards savagery is hunting. At first, Golding shows how Jack hesitates to throw his spear and to kill the pig. However, as he slips into savagery, hunting becomes his top priority.This is apparent when he even lets the signal fire out and makes his own tribe for hunting. At last, Golding shows how Jack fully gives into savagery through Jack hunting Ralph without any clear reason. Prior to the hunt, Jack tells his tribe that “we’ve got to be careful and throw our spears like at a pig” (170). Through this Golding reveals that, for Jack, hunting Ralph is not different from

hunting a pig. Hunting a man like a pig is an unacceptable action for any civilized man, showing how Jack gave up acting like a civilized man, but and began acting like a savage.

Wi l l i am Gold ing succe s s fu l employs characterization to illustrate the struggles of Piggy, Ralph and Jack to remain civilized. Golding especial ly characterizes each character’s appearance, speech, thought and actions to show how Piggy remains civilized whereas Ralph and Jack struggle and slip into savagery. Through characterization, Golding shows that savagery is part of human nature and how even innocent, young boys can change into cruel savages. This also implies that savagery can arise from anyone’s inner heart and ruin long-lasting civility. As long as savagery is part of human nature, the clash between savagery and c iv i l izat ion i s unavoidable and people have to fight against their inner savagery for civilization.


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Lord of the FliesDiary Entry – Ralph, Chapter 8

Tony Yoon–Grade 10

He’s left. You know – the one leading the hunters. Most of his hunters followed him into the other place – the forest. Now there’s only a bunch of biguns and the littluns left on this side of the island. Why does he hate me so much? Is it because he isn’t the leader? He still shouldn’t have left like that. I had the conch – I was voted chief. And he wasn’t thinking about the important things. All he cared about was pig, pig, pig! Why can’t his lot see that we need the fire and the smoke! The smoke is the important thing. The smoke signals other ships so we can be… you know, rescued. And he never cared much about the conch. The conch is what keeps us… keeps us acting like grown-ups. We had rules – we needed them to look after ourselves, and the rules were the only things we had left from… home. We needed assemblies so we can decide on things and get things done. But his lot was obsessed with hunting. Sucks to their pigs, sucks to their hunts. Piggy’s sure we can do without ’em – I hope so too. I mean… he always just went and made trouble. He’s the one who made fights during assemblies. He never followed the rules. He always argued with me, when I’m the leader. Everyone’s happier now he’s left, right? I mean, Piggy is happier now that he’s not here. He even helped me and the biguns fetch wood, even when he had ass-mar. We should be fine on our own. We have the fire, the conch, the rules – they have nothing. They can hunt and catch pig as much as they want – my lot is going to be rescued. We don’t need him and his group of boys armed with sticks to protect us. They can’t beat the beast with sticks. We can keep the fire going. All their lot did was put it out and miss the ship. Most of all, we don’t need the meat. The meat makes everyone go crackers. We have plenty of fruits.

Anyways, we are going to stay on this side of the island, away from the… other place. The littluns are scared of the beast, and now that we have him and his lot in there as well… There’s no way we can fight the beast. It was huge, black eyes, large teeth. It was sitting next to our fireplace. If Piggy weren’t here, we still would have no fire. We would have been stuck in this island. Thanks to Piggy, we have the fire on the beach now, so we have our smoke as well. The littluns like the fire – they get excited when it’s burning. Better keep it alive to keep them happy. Then they’ll forget about the beast and the other group.

Talking about Piggy… He’s clever, and he can think. These days my head goes numb. Sometimes I forget why we need the smoke and the conch and the rescue. I don’t even know what we should do, actually. But every time I go numb, Piggy helps me. His head is full of ideas like his body’s full of fat. Maybe


36

he should be chief – even the littluns seem to think I’m not good anymore. Piggy knows sundials and mirages – I don’t. Still, Piggy says that I’m a better leader than… than the other one who left. He’s right. If I give up, the rest of us will be nothing but animals. We’re not looking exactly… normal. Our hair is long. Really long. Our clothes are brown and filthy. We just do our business anywhere on the beach. We have to stop th ink ing tha t th i s i s normal. We need to focus. We need to have a place where we do our business. We can think of ways to cut our hair. We can try wash ing our c lo the s .

That’d make us much more ‘human’. I’m worried we’ll just stay like this forever. Am I becoming… more like him and his savages? Yesterday, I hunted with them. I hit the pig with my spear – no one else did, not even him. It felt so good! And everyone was looking up to me. But then I felt, for that one moment, that hunting was more important and fun than the fire. And then there was the pig game. After the hunt, Robert acted the pig and we pretended to hunt, but they… alright, we… got carried away and ended up hurting him. But I ‘felt’ good hurting Robert! What is getting into me? Better stay focused… just proves hunting in the forest can make you lose it.

The grownups would have been fine on this island. They would have fires. They would have meetings. They would build boats. They would get food. They would decide on things and get them done. If only… if only they could send a message. If only they could show us what we have to do! If only daddy… Oh, what’s the use? Where did things start to go wrong? Everything was fine at the beginning. We had the fire, we had the rules, the smoke, the fruits… everyone was happy. Now we’ve gone split ourselves. I hope we can get rescued before this turns any worse. I miss the school, my parents, the cornflakes I used to eat, the books… Everything back home is perfect and happy. Every night when I hear the littluns moan about home and the beast, I wish I could go back.


37

Through TimeIsabella Bredwell–Grade 6

Alex took an involuntary step back. The passage was pitch black. He felt himself drawn to the passage, and he could not control his desire to see what it led to. His parents would definitely ground him when he came home. He quickly ran through the passage, until he slammed into a wall. He blinked, trying to clear his head of the dizziness, and realized he had come to the end. Just old, weathered stone as grey as dust here. He quickly ran back the way he’d come, only to slam into a solid iron door. He was trapped. He might never see the light of day again.

Alex stood up. He’d been sitting, sobbing, for around a half an hour, with his back against the door. His dark brown hair was soaked from where the wall was dripping. He understood that crying about it would do no good. His mother had hardwired this into his brain since he was seven. However, he couldn’t help it. Then, he suddenly realized that he could see his hand. If he could see his hand, that meant there was light, and light meant a way out. Strangely, the light seemed to be peeping under the door at the other end. Wait, he thought. Door? Alex quickly ran to the other side, and sure enough, there was a door. He pulled open the massive, oak door that he was sure had not been there earlier. He stepped tentatively outside, and a dragon groped for him, talons reaching out…

Alex screamed. He tried to retreat into the door, but nothing was there! There was only a lush, green landscape, with mountains in the distance. It had been so sudden! Weirdly enough, there seemed to be a castle in front of him! Well, behind the dragon. The dragon swooped at him for a second pass. Alex snapped out of his daydream and rolled

through the great red dragon’s legs. The dragon turned around and looked at him, and Alex looked into those eyes as fiery as the sun. He was hypnotized. The dragon stalked Alex, probably thinking on how to finish him off, when suddenly, a jet-black horse ran in front of the dragon and reared. The knight on his back


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plunged the spear he carried into the dragon’s paw. The dragon screeched in pain and fury, quickly unfurled his wings, and took flight.

“Lad, what do ye think ye doing?” asked the knight. He was wearing leather armor and had flecks of grey in his sandy hair. Alex reckoned he was probably in his 40s or 50s.

“Where am I? Who are you? Am I going crazy?” a flurry of questions came from Alex’s mouth. The knight held up a hand.

“As to where ye are, lad, ye are in the Darren Kingdom. Finest kingdom in the land, I tell ye. As to who I am, I am Sir Karl of Castle Darren. And I certainly think ye crazy, lad, for charging a dragon head

ink issue 4...astyages, king of medes, tried to kill him because he had a dream that cyrus would...

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