Question

In at least 150 words, describe how the relationship between the narrator and Zhu Wenli changes over the course of the story.

Answer 1

The relationship between the narrator and Zhu Wenli changes over the course of the story. The narrator is remembering the small town where she went to elementary school in the 1960s. She decides to go visit it after a decade, and finds a small a dull country life. She would sit in her room at night just writing to her boyfriend and reading magazines and books. After finding a narrative poem in an issue, she remembers then her teacher who taught at the school eleven years before, Zhu Wenli, her elementary school teacher. Aina tries to explain her teacher that she never meant to hurt her on purpose but she still feels guilty. She feels bad for mocking her and for making fun of her soft voice. This proves that Aina has become a grown woman and that she has changed. But what Aina wasn't expecting was the change that Zhu Wenli went through. As her teacher she had a soft voice, but has changed now and is "full of scratchy metal." We can also see in the following phrase that she has into an aggressive and threatening woman,"If you dare to touch me, I'll break your skull with this," the stalwart woman said, sucking her teeth, and raised the rolling-pin. She spat to the ground." We can see that she not the sweet teacher anymore but what changed her was the experiences and what she suffered during the Cultural Revolution. Some people change for better or for worse. We can see that she Aina became a more responsible and grown woman. While Zhu Wenli became an aggressive and mean woman.

Answer 2

In the story, the author reminisces about Dismount Fort, the small town where she attended elementary school in the 1960s. After a decade, she returns for a visit but finds country life dull. At night, she passes her time by reading books and magazines and writing her boyfriend. It is while reading a narrative poem in an issue of Youth magazine that she remembers her elementary school teacher, Zhu Wenli, a young female teacher who taught at the school eleven years before.

The narrator remembers that Zhu Wenli was a pretty and delicate recent college graduate when she first taught at the school. Her features were exquisite, 'lacking the stern looks of a woman soldier,' and 'her voice was much too soft and too weak for those revolutionary songs' the children had to learn how to sing. Chairman Mao's words were gospel at that time, and the narrator learned to scoff at her teacher's fragile sweetness. After all, the children were being taught that 'sweet flowers are poisonous.'