In the book the Red Scarf Girl by Ji-Li Jiang, Ji-Li is always faced with challenges and choices, for example in the very beginning of the book, Ji-Li was scouted for a dance competition, but wasn’t able to attend because of her family’s political standing. This happened again when she was nominated to be class representative, “Hey, listen everybody! Jiang Ji-Li just said that she had nothing to do with her landlord grandfather and she doesn’t need to remold herself! She’s denying the existence of class struggle!” This brings up the question of how what people tell you shapes you, Ji-Li is constantly told by propaganda in the streets, her classmates and friends, neighbors and many more, that Mao Zedong is the most amazing person in the world and that you should listen to whatever he says. But she is confused because she doesn’t think that she should be punished for being more privileged than the rest of her classmates, because she didn’t choses which family she was born into and how privileged her family is. This brings up the idea of humanity, it’s human to like to be part of a group, and to feel included, but she isn’t usually included in this group because of her family background but she still tries her hardest to fit in even though people always criticize, bully, and belittle her. I think this really shows a lot about human character, and how strongly people try to fit in, for example it’s a common theme school movies about high school, such as Mean Girls directed by Mark Waters, that girls constantly try to fit in even though the other girls constantly torment each other and make each other feel bad about who they are. I think that this desire roots from the time of the cavemen, because that safety in groups mentality kept people alive in dangerous situations, but when this mentality and desperation to fit in is applied to modern days it changes and turns into a need to not only be part of the group but be the leader.

“ This is for her own good. Her classmates and teachers will be surprised if she says her father won’t let her go. But what if she passes the audition and can’t pass the political background investigation? Then everybody will know that the family has a political problem.” 

This quote sticks out to me because it foreshadows what’s about to happen to Ji-Li, all the opportunities that she worked hard for such as going to the school of her dreams and becoming class leader are impossible because of her family background and her  family’s politics. I also enjoy this quote because I think that her not being able to enter into the dance competition because of her personal politics, symbolizes opportunities that she’s worked hard to have, but isn’t able to pursue because of her family background and political status. This quote also stood out to me because I can understand how devastated she must feel to have been awarded the chance to win a dance competition to be so excited and feel so special but then tap that ripped away from her because your grandpa who she has never met was a landlord, and according to the new rules, that was a felony. Not only was the dance competition a problem for her, when Ji-Li is nominated for leader of her class she gets humiliated in front of all of her classmates and gets interrogated by then because of her family background in her ancestors,  even though she’s never met her grandfather they still accountable for his job as landlord, they also accused her grandfather of exploiting people. I think that this quote connects two larger thematic issues because it shows all of the times where Ji-Li was punished for her family background and politics, even her family knows that because of their background and politics she will not be treated equally like the other students even though her family politics and her grandfather’s job is out of her control. I think that this quote really helps you understand what’s going on and why she can’t pursue her dreams. 

In the Red Scarf Girl by Ji-Li Jiang, the main character Ji-Li has a very strong personality, she’s hardworking and a good student who teachers adore. Ji-Li Is a significant character because she is a very hardworking girl who had plans and dreams, but because of the cultural revolution her whole life is affected. For example, when the cultural revolution starts many of her friends and classmates blame her for violating the new rules. Out of jealousy, they accuse her off having a relationship with her teacher because he often chooses her as assistant for math class, because she’s a hard worker and as a result gets good grades and wins math contests, but the kids say that the teacher favors her because she’s rich, and not because of all the effort she has put in. In the beginning of the book Ji-Li was liked by most of her classmates, all of her teachers like her because of her smarts, and also because of how hard she worked, but after all these new rules were established, she’s confused, people accuse her teachers, the teachers that cared for her and taught her so much, of brainwashing their students and they accuse her family of having a lavish lifestyle, even going so far as to blame her for her grampa’s job as a landlord. She knows it isn’t right that her and her teachers, and family are being blamed for all these things, when they are lies, and aren’t true. She becomes lonely because all her classmates turn against her, but she still tries to be positive even though it’s hard, she has to take on more jobs and responsibilities because her housekeeper who is like a grandma to her has left because if people found out that she still had a housekeeper they would say that she is breaking the rules even though now the housekeeper is unemployed, and although it’s a little bit of a challenge for her she is still insistent that she helps.

In the Red Scarf Girl by Ji-Li Jiang, the main character Ji-li Jiang is told by the government that old ideas, old customs, old cultures, and old habits must be destroyed to succeed in making a socialist country. Ji-Li Jiang is a young girl who is very passionate and loves her country and like many of the other citizens of China, she will do anything her great leader Mao Ze-dong tells her to do. Under these ideas, people destroy everything that they consider as the four olds, old ideas, old customs, old cultures, and old habits. Ji-Li Jiang participates as well going around town and pointing out everything that should be changed, they make da-zi-bao which are posters that they would put around the school and the town on and on people’s houses pointing out how they are four olds, not four news and considered to be committing a crime. Ji-Li Jiang participates in all of this until one is made about her, claiming that her teacher favors her because she is rich, “Ke Cheng-Li doesn’t like working-class kids. He only likes rich kids. He made Ji-li Jiang the teacher’s assistant for math and gave her higher grades, and he also let her win all the math contests and awarded her a lot of notebooks. We have to ask the question, what is the relationship between them after all?” pg 50, after she hears this she is heartbroken and says that it isn’t true and that she works hard to receive the grades that she gets. I think that Ji-Li Jiang’s situation makes me think about myself, and what I would do if I was in her situation. Her behavior reminds me of the mentality that if you’re with a group then you are safe from trouble when in reality you’re just as vulnerable. Ji-Li Jiang follows Mao Ze-dong rules and everyone else does, because not only do they think it’s right but also because everybody else is doing it. I think that many people have experienced a moment when you’re in a group and everybody is doing something then, of course, you want to be part of it. Even if you know it’s wrong if a bunch of people is doing something and say that it’s good and it’s supposed to be done then you don’t question it, until you’re affected by it. I think that this is a huge problem these days many kids in school are affected by other students and what is considered cool and like in the Red Scarf Girl it can translate into very serious things such as politics and religion. Even if you know that you should not follow the influence of a group sometimes people do it unknowingly, which can be dangerous.