The Red Scarf Girl Questions & Answers 1. How does Ji-li’s opinion about the Communist Party and its beloved leader, Mao Ze-dong, change over the course of her story? Name some of the most crucial events in the autobiography and explain how they change Ji-li's feelings about the party.
Ji-li never stopped believing in Mao because everyone was brainwashed into thinking he was good, like she says on the first page; “Heaven and earth are great, but greater still is the kindness of the Communist Party; father and mother are dear, but dearer still Chairman Mao”(Pg. 1). He was thought of as a god and never blamed for the bad that was happening in the country. Though Ji-li always believed in Mao, her thoughts on the party changed
One thing that affected the families of China was prioritizing the country’s needs before the needs of one’s family which was morally wrong. There are not many circumstances that this would be correct because usually family should always come first. A hypothetical example of when your country should come first is if Hitler had a child, obviously the protection of millions is more important than one person. Hitler’s child should stop Hitler before he wiped out an entire religion. 4. Ji-li’s relationships with her classmates and teachers often become strained as they learn about her class status and her family is increasingly persecuted by the Red Guards. Compare and contrast Ji-li’s relationships with the following characters: An Yi, Du Hai, Chang Hong, Teacher Gu, Song Po-po, and Bai Shan.
An Yi was Ji-Li’s best friend, they loved each other and even after the change of Ji-Li’s status, she was still her best friend. Just like Ji-li’s relationship with An Yi, her relationship with Du Hai stayed the same throughout the novel but this relationship was based on dislike instead of love. Du Hai was the bad student in the class and Ji-Li was the good student. His mother was the party secretary which gave him an advantage in the new society. Du Hai led the group to humiliate Ji-li’s aunt. Chang Hong only knew Ji-li after the change of her family’s status happened. Chang Hong was a Red Guard