Red Azalea

The purpose of this paper is to introduce, discuss, and analyze the book "Red Azalea: Life and Love in China," by Anchee Min. Specifically, it will describe life in Communist China during the Cultural Revolution (late 1960s) for a young woman, and comment on the degree of independence-choice enjoyed by women in the book. The women living in China during the Cultural Revolution did not enjoy independence or choice – they lived in fear and under constant scrutiny of the Communist Party.

Anchee Min's book "Red Azalea" is a touching story of a young girl growing up under Communist rule in China. She had a difficult life, and although women took part in the Cultural Revolution and were an important part of it, women – and all Chinese were not independent or free during this time, they lived under the watchful eye of the Communist Party. Most of what they did was not of their own free will, but chosen for them by the Party. Min says she was a grownup by the age of five, and she certainly had no choice about it – it was expected of all the children, as she writes here: "I was an adult since the age of five. That was nothing unusual" (Min 4). She has to act as an adult because her parents, a

. . .

View the whole essay, without interruption

'I don't think I ever had you as my student' (Azalea 38). Finally I gathered all my strength and yelled hysterically at Autumn Leaves with tears in my throat: Yes, yes, yes, I do believe that you poisoned me; and I do believe that you are a true enemy! If you dare to try them on me again, I'll shut you up! I'll use a needle to stitch your lips together!" (Min 37-38). It is clear these women did not have independence, freedom, or choice; they only had fear and oppression. She scrambled back and forth for her clothes, trying to cover her buttocks with her hands.

In conclusion, women who lived in China during the Cultural Revolution lived in fear and under constant scrutiny from the government. Therefore, Min gave up more than just her independence by denouncing her teacher; she gave up her self-esteem. […] Little Green was trembling and weeping. "Agency via Guilt in Anchee Min's 'Red Azalea'.

This clearly shows not only how strong the Party was, and how frightened people were of them, but it also shows just how little freedom women had in China, because the only people who really had freedom and independence were the people high up in the Party who made the rules. She saw her teacher many years later, but her teacher would not forgive her, as this reviewer wrote.

Approximate Word count = 911
Approximate Pages = 4 (250 words per page double spaced)

Simply subscribe to view this paper, and 100,000 others.