Book Review Wild Swans - 3272 Words

Book Review Author: Jung Chang Title: Wild Swans: Three Daughters of China Publication: Simon and Schuster, London, 1991 1. Main Thesis In Wild Swans, Jung Chang describes the life of three generations of woman in her family. Beginning in the year 1909 and ending in present time, it gives an insight into almost eighty years of the cultural history of China. Jung Chang has said in a interview that her intention in writing Wild Swans was to show how the Chinese people, and in particular the women in her family, fought tenaciously and courageously against impossible odds. The book is a testimony to the strength and determination of her grandmother, her mother, and herself and their resourcefulness in recreating themselves during†¦show more content†¦De-hong sees communism becoming increasingly important to many people but has yet to make up her own mind about the situation. She continues to watch those in power, including those over the teaching school where she now resides. When she learns that a favorite teacher and then her best friend, Cousin Hu, had been Communists and had been either chased from the city or executed for their political beliefs, she makes up her mind that she, too, will become a Communist. Chapter 5: De-hong asks to be a part of the communist movement but she’s found too young. A short time later, she begins distributing Communist literature. The economic situation is so bad that the family has no savings and Dr. Xia, now nearly eighty, is worried about what will happen when he dies. Extortion is rampant, food is scarce, and the money that does exist has almost no value. De-hong becomes friendly with a Kuomintang general. Using his military freedom, they travel outside the walled city occasionally and De-hong leaves messages for her Communist counterparts.. The Communists then start regular bombardment of the city, including one dud shell that crashes into the home of De-hongs family. Chapter 6: De-Hong helps clean up the carnage cause by all the civil war. When the communists take over the town, they do not pillage, rape, or extort as all the other groups of people had done before them. Many are courteous and kind andShow MoreRelatedWild Swans : Three Daughters Of China By Jung Chang1633 Words   |  7 PagesMichael Accurso The book, Wild Swans: Three Daughters of China by Jung Chang, is a intimate memoir and a piece of history that shows life through generations. This book shows us the change and evolution of China through the lives of three women. Allow me to give a brief synopsis of who these women are so that it is easier to understand the story. The first woman that we live through is Yu Fang. Yu Fang’s father is looking for a way out of their miserable life so he arranges for her to be a concubineRead MoreWild Swans : Three Daughters Of China1153 Words   |  5 PagesWild Swans: Three Daughters of China by Jung Chang provides a thoughtful and beautifully painful chronology of three generations of women through some of China’s harshest periods in history. This book review will proceed in two parts. The first will address the significant themes present in Chang’s novel. The second will go beyond literary analysis and delve into identifying the author’s own bias, and comment on the structure and perspective of Chang herself. This review will overview the themesRead MoreThe Second Coming by William Butler Yeats751 Words   |  3 Pagesto have been born in Ireland (The World Book Encyclopedia World Book, Inc.) Although he lived in London for fourteen years of his childhood, Yeats maintained his cult ural roots. He was very confidential with himself as an artist. 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Among her most famous writing is the Anne series, consisting of eight books: Anne of Green Gables (1908), Anne of Avonlea (1909), Anne of the Island (1915), Anne’s House of Dreams (1917), Rainbow Valley (1919), Rilla of Ingleside (1920), Anne of Windy Poplars (1936) and Anne of Ingleside (1939).Other series written by Montgomery include the Emily and Pat books, which, while successful, did not reach the same level of public acceptance as the Anne volumes. She