"To Live" (1994)

“To Live,” a film directed by Yimou Zhang, follows the life of a man and his family as they are forced to adapt constantly in order to survive the drastic transformations that China undergoes during a short period of thirty years. The powerful presentation style along with the sorrowful plot filled with countless sufferings and obstacles effectively captivate the audience through the truthful depiction of people’s living conditions at the time. Such a film deserves recognition because it successfully illustrates the adversity and injustice throughout history and exemplifies universal themes that trigger the deeply rooted emotions residing within the human heart.

Fugui began as a stubborn, spoiled, and privileged man, and solely from his own doing, he loses everything that had given his family the high status that he used to frequently exploit. Yet, it is because of this seemingly terrible loss in becoming ordinary citizens that allows him and his family to follow the strong and unpredictable currents produced by the rise of the revolution and that ultimately grants them survival thereafter.

Viewers follow intensely to witness exactly how much Fugui must endure and how far he must bend his character simply to live – to live under constant anxiety, fear, and pressure. The tension remains for the rest of the movie, and there is no lasting, dependable source of relief. However, life does not stop for the person, and people must move on with life nonetheless. The arguably sole source of comfort is in the person’s ability to survive and remain resilient. Such is the pain and the inescapable living conditions forced upon people due to the radical political changes.

The challenges in Fugui’s life demonstrate the many different yet common and significant values for people, such as the importance of family, the devastation and repercussions of loss, and the power of love. They draw upon deep emotions in order to build a substantial connection and relationship by making the characters’ lives relatable to the external party. There is a strong sense of empathy from the audience because of the great focus on family unity and individual as well as family survival. In spite of all the tragedies, people can remain strong and endure the hardships thrown at them, for we cannot give in so easily. Humans are adaptable creatures, and in time, we learn to live with the sorrow and pain that mold and shape us into who we are today.

“To Live” truly is a movie that not only touches, but digs deep into the issues of the heart. Its realistic representation of the significant political events and their effects on mere citizens speak volumes about people’s mentality and approach towards life.

“To Live” is a movie for those who want to experience and witness how people deal with the complicated emotions that come with unexpected turmoil that arise in life.

"Go Out With a Bang"?

I had the hardest time trying to come up what to write for this post. It’s exactly 2 weeks before Christmas – meaning Winter Break is here and no more school! Whoo Hoo! As much as I would love to relax and not think (finally) for three weeks, I am completely blank on what to do with this blog. “A Sparrow’s Escape” started initially as a simple project for English class, and now, I don’t want it to end! Perhaps that is why I find it so hard to “go out with a bang.” I don’t want it to “go out.” I want every post I write to be a “bang.” (That’s the perfectionist side of me speaking there. =D)

I am in love with this blog! Everything about it I love. I love the topics, ideas, and even pictures! I love the name I came up for it; it’s very meaningful to me at least. I know I sound conceited, but I am sure we all have a little Pygmalion inside of each us. All in all, I am quite satisfied with the outcome.

I achieved my goal of posting at least 2 entries a week. I have done my best to publicize this little site with emails to all my classmates in all 5 of my classes. It did generate some attention. I did not have high expectations for the number of comments I’d receive, but all the ones that appeared during the past 5 weeks bought smiles to my world. Thank you once again for your support!

When I did my project proposal, I envisioned the outcome to be a little different. I thought that I would simply use this as a space to repost my thoughts that I’ve already formulated for class, but instead I built off of the materials given to me. It was more fun this way. I ended up doing things in more interesting ways.

“Women and Literature” is a part of our daily life. The way we view literature, women writers, and the two sexes in general are affected by our history and experiences. There are many topics and so much that a person can do with this subject. Nearly the later entries, I found it easy to incoporate a piece of work from class with one of my seemingly non-"Women and Literature" topics. “The first problem for all of us, men and women, is not to learn, but to unlearn"(Gloria Steinem). I believe that is one of the many things that I’ve gained from this class – to further dissect my thoughts and understand discourse and revision. We need to unlearn in order to learn.

If I could do something different with this project, I would only have wished to start it earlier. There’s still so many stories, poems, and ideas that I have not shared my views on with the world! I even had a list, and I have not even post ½ of what I had planned. I wish that my entries were written more dramatically and more interesting. I know, because I’ve been told, that I have a stiff way of writing. I have no clue how to change that though. More writing perhaps?

Now, Fall Quarter of 2009 is over, and the holiday spirit is in the air! I want to keep this blog alive, but I know that without the class, I probably would not be so timely with updating. Not only that, I would definitely have a smaller audience. I am not sure who even comes here!

If I do keep this going, I will broaden the topics to news, literature, movies, and other pieces of work that trigger my attention. This definitely will not become a personal life Blog! I have another place of entries like that. I love this space and what I have done with it. “A Sparrow’s Escape” has truly allowed me to 'find faith and speak words I never thought I’d say.'

“Far away there in the sunshine are my highest aspirations. I may not reach them, but I can look up and see their beauty, believe in them, and try to follow where they lead.” ~ Louisa May Alcott

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"Time is what prevents everything from happening at once." ~ John Archibald Wheeler

Feel free to leave me some feedback as to what you think! Perhaps I will have another class in the Winter quarter that will allow me to do this again! I wish that I could have put another English course for next quarter~ But, we can only do so much!

Would you still want this to keep going? Would you continue to support me if I do?

Typical Assumptions

Warning: There is going to be a lot of generalizations in this post. They may not be, and probably aren’t, accurate. They are simply the thoughts that came across my mind. I mean no offense to anyone!
“Typical, typical, typical.” How many times have you heard this and understood what that person was referring to based solely on that phrase? It seems that this one word provides answers and explanations anyone would need without actually explaining anything.

Quoting from Professor Lant’s Week 2 lecture, “the use of the word ‘typical’ is interesting, because it really does bring to the surface the shape of our discourse on that subject along with all our assumptions and thoughts.” This simple word contains the concepts and generalizations shared by a familiar culture, experiences, and perceptions.

How much does this word actually contain?
WKUK – Saturday
What pops through your mind as you watched the above clip? How would you describe the man, David, in the video?

My first reaction was to chuckle. But, the first sentence I actually said was, “Such a typical man.” Why is David typical? He is childish. They do say that a man never truly grows up, and that he will always have a child inside of him. And, in general, a man matures later than a woman. David certainly exercises that to the fullest extent. He is reckless. He does whatever he wants without thinking about the consequences. He comes back with his knee bruised expecting to be taken care of by his wife.

David wishes for freedom. He does not want to be bounded by a home, much less a woman figure who reminds him of his mother. He is defiant against orders and constraints placed on him. He wants to play. He wants to be free.
How many times have you heard that message about a man, rather in the media or in real life?

Now, generally, when I think of a “typical” man, I think of Mike from Men Anonymous.Men Anonymous - Step One

Mike cannot and does not clean. His whole house is a mess. Garbage is everywhere. He drinks straight out of the milk carton. He can’t cook or even cut an apple. He is lost. The thing that makes Mike untypical is the fact that he admits and feels desperate, because he is so lost. Hence, he is taking the 1st step - “admitting that you’re powerless.” Mike says one line in this video, and it says it all. “For the last 32 years, I’ve been a man.” He is admitting that he is incompetent and powerless because his lifestyle as a typical man.

Mike and David are so different, yet I still used the word “typical” to describe the two of them. There are actually many more qualities I can come up with when I think of a "typical" man. The simple word contains so much meaning. It is unlimited, yet so limiting at the same time. Because of this word, we stereotype strangers and immediately categorize others. We make automatic assumptions and form false impressions of people the moment this word enters our minds.

“Typical” is a dangerous word.

Let’s play the “typical” test. If I told you that he was a typical man, what would you think of? What about a typical woman?

The Calling of "Chocolat"

Chocolat is the perfect movie for the holiday season. It’s warm; it’s joyous; and it’s “sinfully delicious.” Through a “re-vision” of this amazing film, it is as much of a heart-warming movie as it is a feminist movie.



Chocolat features a young, independent mother, Vianne, who enters a small, conservative, and religious French town with her daughter, and she opens a chocolate store during Lent. The town mayor, Comte de Reynaud, is enraged by her actions and even fears her influence, because Vianne threatens to break his traditions. He is a strict man and wishes to rule the town with an iron fist. He has been successful until the presence of Vianne and her chocolate.

Vianne is a foreigner. She travels in a bright red cape in which her daughter also has. She follows to North Wind, and allows it to take her wherever it calls her to. She is not religious, because she does not believe in such restrictive rules. She is not married, and she has a daughter. Vianne stands for everything that the town is not.

This story reminds me of another tale - "The Women Men Don’t See” by Alice B. Sheldon (actual story provided.) Sheldon depicts a woman, Ruth Parson, who is traveling alone with her daughter, and the story tells that they have already been to a couple of places. Parson’s family does not involve men. Ruth’s mother raised her alone, and Ruth raised her daughter alone. Furthermore, Ruth and her daughter leave Earth together; if her daughter is with child, then her daughter will also raise that child alone.

For some unknown reason, all the women in the Parson family remain single, and the men’s only role is to provide the seed for the next generation. It is as if independence runs through the women’s veins. It is in their blood. Vianne comes from a similar culture where the women roam free to travel, to explore, to help, and to fight. Men are not involved. They follow the call of the North Wind.

Another interesting similarity is the influence of “Maya” culture. Ruth and her daughter traveled to many Maya sites and were supposed to be going to another, and her daughter is later involved briefly with the Mayan pilot. If you notice Vianne’s sign, it says “Chocolaterie Maya.” Her chocolates are based on the Mayan recipe.


However, unlike Ruth, Vianne is definitely “memorable.” The sidestories involve how Vianne helps different villagers. Most of them star a female character, rather than male character - an eldery woman with an equally strong spirit, a wife with an unpassionate spouse, a woman trapped with an abusive husband, and more.

Vianne and her chocolates are exotic with the power to "awaken the passion," and that is exactly why she is not to be accepted. The town’s people call her “some kind of a radical.” A child calls her “an atheist.” Although he does not know what that word means, the way he says it implies a strong, negative connotation as if Vianne is associated with the devil.

Needless to say, Vianne infuriates Comte de Reynaud. He calls her a “brazen” woman and fakes sympathy for her “illegitimate child.” He is threatened by her, because she “laughs” at the town’s, namely his, traditions. She wears vivid colors and has a signature red cape while the main colors of the town are grey, black, and white. Chocolate is sensual; not only that, Vianne’s chocolates are exotic. She is the embodiment of life and its sins.

This single woman represents a foreign power that this one man is afraid of. His world is changed, and not in the way that he wants. She is independent and will bow down to no man. He is terrified of her potential, yet he can do nothing to suppress her. He then tries to prevent the town’s people from further succumbing to her influence by calling her “satanic.” She is also immoral, for she associates herself with the gypsies who are boycotted for immorality. She is a black-hole to his universe.

Chocolat is a story of a woman’s mission to bring joy to a village that has long forgotten the meaning of happiness and the true meaning of life. Life is not all about strictly following rules and traditions. Life does not mean for one to be serious and solemn all the time. Life is about letting oneself go and remembering what little things make the heart beat and make the heart melt. Life is knowing how to give and accept kindness and care. Life is about the unrestrained expression of love.

Life is living with passion.