Imagery in Red Scarf Girl by Ji-Li Jiang
A Study of Images and What They Evoke in a Reader
What is IMAGERY?
Imagery is descriptive language,
often in the form of a simile or a
metaphor, that evokes sensory
experience.
Simile or Metaphor?
A Simile is a comparison of two
things using “like” or “as.”
I am as red as a tomato.
It is as silent as the grave.
A Metaphor compares things
without using “like” or “as.”
His breath was on fire.
Her eyes were pools of beauty.
Sensory
Experience?
A “Sensory” Experience is one in
which you experience something
through one of your five senses.
What are your five senses?
Soap Bubbles
Red Scarf Girl, Page 18
Quote
• “I thought about my beautiful
dreams and wondered if they
would drift away just like those
lovely soap bubbles.”
Discussion
Questions
• What do you know about soap
bubbles?
• What does this comparison say
about Ji-Li’s dreams?
• What do you predict may
happen to her dreams, based
on their parallels to soap
bubbles?
Rain
Pages 54-55
Quotes
• “Friday afternoon a
thunderstorm struck. The
darkness gathered until I could
not see my book. The first flash
of lightning drew me to the
window as the downpour
began. ... The torrent
overflowed the gutters, and a
curtain of rainwater leaped off
the roof ...
• “I lay contentedly in her arms as
the rain washed away my
humiliation and shame.”
Discussion
Questions
• What does the sky look like
when it rains? What does this
king of sky symbolize?
• What does “the torrent” of rain
refer to in the story? What
event happens so quickly that
Ji-Li can hardly believe it?
• What does rain do to things that
are dirty? With that in mind,
what does rain mean for Ji-Li?
Flower
Pages 70-71
Quote
• “Alone in the corner of the
school yard I saw a little
wildflower. She had six delicate
petals, each as big as the nail
of my little finger. They were
white at the center and shaded
blue at the edges.
She was as lonely as I was.
I did not know her name.
Softly I stroked her petals,
thinking that I would take care
of her, as I wished someone
would take care of me.”
Discussion
Questions
• Who does the “delicate flower”
represent?
• What happens to delicate
flowers when the weather gets
hot?
• How does this reaction of
flower-to-weather relate to the
situation Ji-Li finds herself in?
Umbrella
Pages 89
Quote
• “But we no longer heard her
happy humming, and she no
longer bought us treats or met
us with umbrellas when it
rained.”
Discussion
Questions
• What does an umbrella do?
• How does this represent Ji-Li’s
nanny, Song Po-Poi?
Pearls
Page 99
Quote
• “The new decor lost all its
brightness. the pearls I had
been playing with lost their
luster, and I put them down.”
Discussion
Questions
• How is a pearl made?
• The Chinese Cultural
Revolution seemed like a bright
pearl to some, but how does JiLi feel about it now, according
to the imagery in this quote?
Home on Fire
Page 125
Quote
• “Picture after picture was
thrown into the fire. Each in
turn curled, melted and
disappeared. The ashes in the
washbowl grew deeper. Finally
there were no more pictures
left. Mom poured the ashes
into the toilet and flushed them
away.
That night I dreamed that the
house was on fire.”
Discussion
Questions
• How would you feel if your
house was on fire? What would
you do to save it and those
people and things inside that
meant the most to you?
• How does Ji-Li’s dream of her
house on fire represent her
fears of what is happening to
her and her family?
Broken Glass Bottle
Page 137
Quote
• “The bottle holding the glass
beads had smashed, and beads
were rolling all over the floor.
The trampled candy wrappers
looked like trash.
And the
stamp album was gone forever.”
Discussion
Questions
• Can broken glass be fixed?
• How difficult is it to clean up
after a glass has been broken?
• From her description of the
broken bottle of glass beads,
how does the “visit” from the
Red Guards make Ji-Li feel?
Tears
Page 211
Quote
• “I hate landlords. I hate this
landlord family.” I burst out.
They were the first words I had
spoken since I got home.
As I turned to leave, I saw tears
welling out of my Mom’s eyes.”
Discussion
Questions
• There can be tears of joy and
tears of happiness. Which
tears are these? How do you
know?
• What is the function of tears?
Can you find imagery that
applies to Ji-Li’s mother in this
particular function?
Sunset
Pages 198-199
Quote
• “The sun was setting, and the
western sky was a sheet of gold
and rose. I stopped, my heart
full of awe at the immensity of
the world ...
Whatever
my family background was, I
would overcome all difficulties.
My future would be bright.”
Discussion
Questions
• What time of day is it when the
sun sets?
• What comes after the sun sets
and night is over?
• How does this relate to Ji-Li’s
feelings about the Chinese
Cultural Revolution?
Think About It ...
Now that you’ve read “Red Scarf
Girl,” what image would best
describe her experiences during
the Chinese Cultural Revolution?
Sources
• www.helenkosings.wordpress.com
• www.pearl-guide.com
• www.rocbike.com
• http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_wKQ5fbyRzUY/SIuLf5WT_JI
• www.writechoice.wordpress.com
• http://www.myspace.com/georgescheller
• www.recyclethis.co.uk
• www.gardenmuse.wordpress.com