When comparing Chinese and English literature, there are several key points to keep in mind. These are made evident in Fan Shen's essay, "The classroom and Wider Culture: Identity as a Key to Learning English Composition. This essay works as an analysis of the relationship between culture and composition. To fully understand the essay, you must first learn some things about the author. Fan Shen was born in the people's republic of China, a communist society which condemns individualism. When he moved to the United States in the 1980's, he had to reach out and find his writing ability in an idealistic culture that not only respects individuality, but praises and encourages it. Shen describes his life in China, and contrasts it with the way he was expected to write in America. He begins his essay with a scene from his job as an electrician at an aircraft factory. The factory had begun a campaign called "Against Individualism" where supervisors gallivanted around shouting slogans like "down with the word "I" and "trust in masses and the party!" He then jumps to ten years later when he moved to the U.S. and got back his first English composition paper. The professor asked why he always used the word "we' instead of "I" when referring to himself. The Chinese culture had become imbedded in his writing, and in his essay he describes how he found his American identity in writing.
             After writing his first paper, Shen quickly realized that English composition is not an isolated classroom activity, but instead required a broad understanding of the American social and cultural experience. So, in effect, learning English composition is learning the values of Anglo-American society. Shen had to reprogram his mind and forget the ideals that had been pounded into his mind by Chinese propaganda. The number one rule in English composition how he describes it i...