Red Scarf Girl
6. The Sound of
Drums and Gongs
• “There was a tension in the air that even
we children felt. The newspapers and
radio were full of the campaign to
“Destroy the Four Olds.” The campaign
had been expanded to eliminate personal
possessions” (80).
Continued
• A Red Guard team searches and
confiscates possessions in “black family”
homes.
• “I had never seen a search, except in the
movies. I knew that they were the only
way we were going to get rid of the Four
Olds, once and for all. Still, there was
something about the idea that made me
nervous” (82)
Continued
“The gate opened with a loud clang and I jumped. Eight
men struggled out with a huge mahogany four-poster
bed. It was just like Mom and Dad’s bed, with a mirror
in the headboard surrounded by carved dragons. Most
of the crowd murmured in admiration, but I also heard
and indignant snort.
“Typical capitalist,” said a ragged-looking old woman.
I blushed. Our family had a capitalist bed, too. I turned
and made my way out of the crowd.” (85)
Continued
“In other years summer vacation had been a
happy time. In the daytime we went to the pool
or to the movies or to the park to turn
somersaults and roll on the grass. Evenings we
sat in the alley with the neighbors and listened to
stories. We would watch the moon and sing and
giggle until very late.
Now things were different…There seemed to be
no laughter in the alley—just a growing, choking
tension” (87).
Exploiting Labour
Exploit: To use a person in an unfair or
selfish way.
Ji-li says that they fired their housekeeper
because they were scared they would be
seen as exploiting her. But she was sad to
leave. Why?
Chapters 7-8
• A woman tells about how she saw Mao once.
• “Black Categories” must repent in front of a wall.
• More raids on homes become more and more violent
and common—having old pictures, clothes or furniture
was bad.
• They burn old photos and make old dresses into quilts,
so the Red Guard won’t come after them.
Chapter 9: Fate
“No matter what I did and where I went, the Cultural
Revolution followed me” (141).
• Convicted black-listers have to sweep the streets.
• Her aunt trips while cleaning and her own son won’t
help her up.
“Now I remembered that Shan-shan had written a da-zibao after their house had been searched, formally breaking
relations with his mother. I had admired him for his
courage and firmness then.
It was not easy to break with your mother. I could not
imagine actually doing it.” (143)
Chapter 9 Cont’d
• Their house is searched!