Beauty and the Cultural Revolution - post is unfinished

Synopsis: Through a socratic discussion, students understand how the Cultural Revolution affected perceptions of beauty. Students apply their knowledge by creating a poster based on a magazine image of a woman.

Time Allotment: a 45-50 minute lesson

Supplies: pictures of women from fashion magazines

Questions for Socratic Discussion

Questions are numbered in the order they should be asked. Some questions have a follow-up question below them in case the main question does not produce the desired answer. These questions are labeled with a letter as well as a number. For example, if students can't give a good answer to question #3, try asking question 3a.

1. In America, what do we consider a beautiful woman?
2. If I ask different people, will I get different answers?
3. Why do you think we have so many different ideas about beauty in America?
3a. Do different cultures have different perceptions of beauty? How many cultures do we have in America?

*pause for explanation* During the Cultural Revolution, the government even made rules about what was

1. Which group of people were idolized during the Cultural Revolution?
1a. Which jobs did they have? What kind of work did they do?
ANSWER: Peasants, workers (mostly physical workers)

2. What kind of body did a peasant have?
ANSWERS: muscular, tough, thick

Cultural Revolution Simulation Game

Synopsis: Students will understand (1) the progressing chaos of the Cultural Revolution (2) how the Cultural Revolution changed every day social interactions in China. Students are assigned an identity as bourgeois or proletariat; proletariats try to form groups of only other proletariat while the bourgeois try to infiltrate proletariat groups.

This game can be used to introduce students to the Cultural Revolution, but I find it most effective if students have a bit of background already. At a minimum, students need to understand terms like "bourgeois" and "proletariat." You can also teach them the insults used during the Cultural Revolution, like "Capitalist Roadster," "Class Enemy," "Intellectual," and "Capitalist Running Dog."

Each round of the game grows progressively more chaotic and more dangerous for both proletariat and bourgeois. In the first two rounds, the bourgeois escape lightly, but in subsequent rounds, students are "jailed" for a variety of reasons: if they are accused at all, if they falsely accuse someone, or if they shelter (knowingly or not) a member of the bourgeois. Finally, students can band together to make accusations against anyone in the class, mirroring how the Cultural Revolution became a way for people to punish one another for private vendettas.

Time allotment: I used about 60 minutes for this game, but students would have been happy to continue playing.

Supplies: enough small squares of paper for each student, about 3/4 marked "P" and 1/4 marked "B"

Procedures

The Game

1. Tell students that they will each receive a small square of paper. The majority of papers are marked P for Proletariat. Students who receive this papers should attempt to make a group consisting only of other proletariats, however, they may not show anyone their paper or ask to see anyone else's. The other papers are marked B for Bourgeois. Students who receive these papers should attempt to infiltrate the Proletariat groups, again without showing their own paper or seeing anyone else's.
2. Play round 1: give students 5 minutes to create their groups. Listen for who they are accusing of being a bourgeois. When the 5 minutes are over, check the papers of the accused. If they are bourgeois, tell them they are under arrest and congratulate the proletariat who identified them. If they are in fact proletariat, tell their accusers that they are now under suspicion because they have accused loyal Communists. At the end, have any remaining bourgeois identify themselves. Criticize the class for not catching all of them. Then have the class return their pieces of paper and sit down so they can draw again.
3. Play round 2 with the same rules as before, but tell students they must make groups of at least 3. Anyone left out of a group will automatically be labeled bourgeois because spending time alone is a bourgeois habit.
4. In round 3, have students draw strips of paper again. Tell them that this time, accusations will be more formal: each group of 3 or more students may accuse 1 person of being bourgeios. Play the game as before, but when groups make their accusations, take the accused directly to jail without checking their paper. Tell them they must be guilty if their classmates have accused them. Anyone in jail must remain there for the next round.
5. In round 4, warn students that if they accept a bourgeois group member, they will be jailed for sheltering spies. While students play, tell those in jail to consider whether they have a grudge against anyone -- for example, the people who falsely accused them of being bourgeois.
6. In round 5, let everyone out of jail. Do not distribute papers. Tell students that any group of 3 students may accuse any person, and if a person is accused, they are automatically found guilty.

Wrap-up Questions

1. How did people decide whom to accuse in the beginning of the game? What factors made people suspicious?
2. If you were bourgeois in the first round, how difficult was it for you to find a group who trusted you in the second round?
3. Who was accused in later rounds, particularly the last one? Was it because they did something suspicious or because of their behavior before? How could the Cultural Revolution become a tool for people to get revenge on one another?
4. Do you think the government created an official list of prohibited bourgeois behaviors or did people have to figure it out for themselves? What problems did this pose for innocent people? Why would Chairman Mao want to keep things vague?
5. How would living in this atmosphere change the way you interacted with people? List some social behaviors that are safe and normal now that would have been very dangerous during the Cultural Revolution.

Confucius & Crouching Tiger

Synopsis: Students develop an understanding of Confucius' 5 basic relationships by analyzing how characters in the film "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon" break or fulfill the roles established by Confucius in The Analects. This lesson plan has basic information about the 5 basic relationships.

Time Allotment: We used about 130 minutes of class time to view the film with breaks for discussion, plus 1 lesson to write questions and 1 lesson for a final wrap-up discussion.

Teacher notes: Although the film is rated PG-13, the one sexual scene seemed a bit racy for that rating. Consider fast forwarding. The plot of this film is complex, so it's important to break in between chapters to review the action and discuss how the Confucian relationships are playing out. Without these breaks, I found that students got lost and then tuned out.

Procedures:

1. Show film with breaks for discussion as described above. Highlight areas where Confucian relationships come into conflict with one another or when characters break their Confucian obligations.
2. After the film is over, tell students they will have a student-led discussion for which they will write the questions. Divide students into groups of 3-4 and instruct each group to write 3 questions: one about the Confucian relationships in the film, one about the themes of the film and one free choice. Remind them that good discussion questions often start with "how" or "why."
3. Divide the board into 3 columns, one for each category listed above. Ask each group to write their questions on the board under the appropriate category. Add 3 of your own if you'd like.
4. Give groups time to read the questions. Tell each group to place a star by the 3 questions they would most like to discuss. The questions with the most stars will be used in your final discussion tomorrow.
5. Rank the questions in order of difficulty and put them on a powerpoint to keep students on track.
6. On the day of discussion, give each student 2 pennies. Each time they speak, they must surrender 1 penny. When all their pennies are gone, they may not speak again until each person has used up all their pennies. This ensures that everyone participates and no one dominates the discussion.

Extension Option: Director Ang Lee said "Crouching Tiger" is based on Jane Austen's Sense and Sensibility. Have students compare the two.

Discussion questions:

These are the questions my students generated. Although I was skeptical of a few of them, we had a fabulous discussion. I think students appreciated writing and selecting their own questions.

• How does Li Mu Bai and Shu Lien’s friend-friend relationship change throughout the movie?
• Given that it was normal to marry your brother’s fiance if he died, why didn’t Li Mu Bai and Shu Lien immediately marry?
• How does Shu Lien escape from Confucius’ expectations for women? What are the consequences?
• Would Confucius approve of any of the characters’ relationships?
• Was it okay for Jin to go against her parents’ wishes by running away? How would her decision affect her parents?
• Why didn’t Shu Lien kill Jin when she had the chance? How could Confucian responsibilities to students and younger siblings shape her decision?
• Was Jin true to any of those superior to her?
• Which characters best fit the theme?
• How would the film have differed if these rigid social molds didn’t exist?
• Do you think the ending was happy or sad? Why? Did it provide enough closure?
• What did the Green Destiny symbolize to each of the characters? How did it bring them together?
• Is it better to have too many rules or none at all?

Lesson Plan: Understanding Confucian Relationships

Synopsis: Students learn about Confucius' 5 Basic Relationships and compare them to relationshiops in American society. I use this as the beginning of a unit on Chinese literature, but this lesson plan could also be used in a history or social studies class. This lesson plan is adapted from Kirsten Larson's first lesson plan at http://www.globaled.org/chinaproject/confucian.html. Background information about Confucius and his 5 relationships are available by following the link.

Time Allotment: a 45-50 minute class period

Supplies: none

Procedures:

• Briefly explain who Confucius was. Write his 5 relationships on the board in this order: ruler-subject, father-son, elder brother-younger brother, husband-wife, friend-friend.
• Point out that the only available role for women was wife.
• Explain that the relationships are listed in order of their importance. Ruler-Subject and Father-Son are nearly equal and modeled after each other. If two relationships came into conflict, the first relationship on the list is most important. (For example, if your older brother asked you to do something your father disapproved of, your father's opinion would be most important.)
• Ask the students to rank the relationships in order of importance to them. In small groups or a class, students discuss the reasons for their responses. (This made a fabulous class discussion which provoked an interesting argument about whether spouses or parents should be the most important relationship in our society.)
• Next, read students some excerpts from Confucius' writings about each relationship (You can find this by clicking on Lesson 1 at the link above.) Students discuss what the quote reveals about each relationship during Confucius' time.
• Finally, divide the class into groups of 3-4. Each group should be assigned 1 relationship. They must write their own version of The Analects, writing 5 "commandments" for how modern-day American people should behave in their assigned relationship. (Sample response: Husbands must respect that their wives are their emotional and intellectual equals and should ask their advice in making decisions.) Students share and discuss their commandments.

Lesson Plan: The Story Tree

Synopsis: Students use the metaphor of a tree to diagram key literary and plot devices for a novel or short story. This makes an excellent review activity before a test, or a good break in the middle of a long novel.

Supplies: White paper; crayons, colored pencils, or markers

Time Allotment: 90-100 minutes if you want the students to complete in class, half that if you want them to finish as homework.

Procedures:

• Write the following quotation on the board: “Telling a story…is like seeing a great uprooted tree: the nobility of its trunk, the grandeur of its branches, the strength of its naked roots.” (Dai Sijie, Balzac & The Little Chinese Seamstress)
• Make a list of parts of a tree: roots, trunk, branches, leaves, fruits
• Ask students to match the following literary elements to a part of the tree: cultural/historical inspirations (roots); key plot events (trunk), characters & their characteristics (branches); figurative language, symbolism, word choice (leaves); overall meaning (fruits)
• Focus students on a novel or short story you have read in class. Ask them to draw a tree for that story, labeling each part of the tree with appropriate language or quotations from the story.
• A Powerpoint explaining the project, including a completed example, can be downloaded from http://tulsagrad.ou.edu/japanresources/new%20curriculum.htm (Scroll down to "high school" section and select the last link on the list, "The Strory Tree: Using Metaphor to Understand Literature.")

Lesson Plan: Modern-day noh drama

Synopsis: Students draw on knowledge of traditional Japanese noh drama to create a story board for an updated noh based on a work of literature previously read in class. Students identify characters to cast in the play, actors to play them, a setting with symbolic value and a title song for the soundtrack. They will also write and perform a monologue from the perspective of the lead character. Students will require previous instruction about noh to satisfactorally complete the project. Introductory information and references have been supplied below.

Background

• Noh is the oldest surviving form of Japanese drama
• It is famously minimalist, with a small cast, few props and simple music
• The main character is a masked ghost who cannot "graduate" to the after life because he or she is still in the grips of a strong emotion or worldly memory. The ghost always wears a mask.
• The secondary character is a wandering priest whose function is to hear the ghost's story so that it can rest. A small chorus is also present on stage.
• The Japanese drama page at Asia for Educators has more information and a video.

The project

After watching a video of the noh, my students and I discussed what changes would be necessary to make it palatable for a modern audience. This included modern music, contemporary actors and no masks. We also decided the story would be more interesting if the ghost encountered a real person from modern society rather than a priest. I then assigned the project using the prompt below.

Imagine you are a Hollywood producer. You want your movie studio to produce a modern-day version of a noh drama, but you must first convince your partners. To this end, you must create a Powerpoint presentation explaining and justifying your idea.The presentation must include the following:

• A spirit or ghost: a character from any literary work we have previously read this semester. You may select any character, regardless of whether he or she died in the story, so long as s/he would have a story of suffering, injustice or a strong emotion to share. Write one paragraph explaining why you have selected this character.
  
• A listener: A person from contemporary society who needs to hear this ghost's story. You may identify a specific public figure (for example, Barack Obama) or a general type of person (for example, a business leader sacrificing his or her morals in favor of profit). The ghost's story must be relevant to this person's life. Write a paragraph explaining why the ghost would want to communicate with this person.
  
• Pictures of actors whom you will cast as the ghost and the listener. Write one paragraph justifying your casting choices.
• A picture of the setting where your ghost and the listener will meet. Your setting selection must be related to some aspect of the listener's life or the ghost's story. Write one paragraph to justify this decision.
• A song for the soundtrack. This song should be embedded in your Powerpoint so that it can play during your presentation. You must also include excerpts of the lyrics with a 1/2 page explanation of why this song is fitting for the story you are creating. The explanation must refer to specific lyrics of the song as well as specific language or plot points from the literary work you have selected.
• A monologue. This is the story of suffering, injustice or emotion that the ghost will deliver to the listener. It must relate the factual details of the character's experience, and most importantly, what the character would like the listener to learn from it. It must include specific plot points and quotations from the literary work you have selected. Furthermore, this monologue will be performed, not simply read to the class. You may choose to perform it from a script during your presentation, pre-record yourself or even pre-record a friend or family member with good acting skills.
  

Teacher's Notes

• You can devote as much or little class time to this project as you choose. On the day the project was introduced, we used a single short story as a model, discussing what characters might make a viable ghost, who might need to hear their story and what actors might play them. I also showed them an example of a completed project.
• Some of the questions from this project proved to be excellent literary analysis tools. "Who would play this character in a movie and why?" was a much more interesting question for students than "describe this character," even though both questions led to the same kind of analysis. Likewise, "who in our society would these need to talk to? what message would they deliver? would they all say the same things?" was a more accessable and engaging question than "what are the main themes of this literary work?"
• I initially gave the students the option of making posters or Powerpoints, but I preferred the Powerpoint presentations by far. They were more engaging for other students to watch, looked neater, and saved me from having to store 50-odd posters in my classroom for grading!
• I was amazed by how much more engaging the presentations were -- for me and for students -- with music playing in the background.
  

Lesson Plan: Song Collage

Synopsis: This lesson compliments the previously posted Chinese poetry scrolls lesson. I use it as an introductory activity and a bridge between my "song as poetry" unit and my actual poetry unit. In this lesson, students analyze the lyrics of Bob Marley's "Redemption Song" and work in groups to create a collage for each verse.

Supplies: Copy of "Redemption Song" lyrics, "Redemption Song" mp3, chart paper, scissors, glue sticks, magazines for students to cut up.

Time allotment: 1-3 class periods, depending on depth and length of discussion and what is assigned as homework.

Procedures

1. Pass out copies of "Redemption Song" lyrics. Ask students what they know about Bob Marley. (Biography here)
2. Play song for students. As they listen, ask them to highlight words, phrases or images that stand out to them. (You may need to clarify vocabulary like "redemption" and "emancipate.")
3. Questions for whole class or small group discussion:

• How can a song redeem people? What are the limits of this redemption?
• Who are the pirates? What are the merchant ships? (answers: white slave traders - students may need some prompting about Marley's race and African history)
• What is the bottomless pit?
• During Marley's lifetime, what types of "mental slavery" might have existed? What mental slavery exists now?
• Who are the prophets? What specific historical figures might they represent? Who in modern times might be considered a prophet? What are the benefits and dangers of viewing contemporary or historical figures as prophets?
  
• What "book" does Marley refer to? What actions would people take to fulfill the book?

Creating the collages

1. Divide students into groups of 3-4. Assign each group one verse of the song and distribute chart paper, magazines, glue sticks and scissors.
2. Tell each group they must find (or create) images to illustrate their assigned verse. They should write the verse in the center of the chart paper and surround it with images. Next to the images, or on a separate sheet of paper, students must explain how their images relate to specific words or lines from the song.
3. Hang finished collages around classroom.

Extension Activities

1. Listen to Johnny Cash's cover of "Redemption Song." Discuss: how does each singer present the song differently? Do their choices alter the meaning or impact of the song? What is the effect of hearing Cash sing in a Caribbean dialect ("old pirates rob I")? Should he have changed the lyrics to better suit his American speech patterns? What audience would each singer reach the best?
2. M.I.A's "Paper Planes" is a more challenging song and could be used to introduce satire. Students discuss how the lyrics satirize typical gangster rap as well as Western attitudes toward immigrants and terrorism.