Little Phoenix
Sijie uses the symbols of the rooster alarm clock to explain the illusion of control that the clock brings to the mountain.
“[The alarm clock] became an object of veneration, almost. Everyone came to consult the clock, as though our house on stilts were a temple” (14).
“I was convinced that the real reason behind his liberal attitude was the irresistible attraction of our alarm clock… during the four days it took us to get there, see the film and return to our village, he would be lord and master of the clock” (80).
Buffalo
The buffalo symbolizes hope; hope for joining one of the three in a thousand.
“Its fall had been broken by a huge jutting rock, from which the mangled body slid only to to land with a dull thud on another rock a dozen metres farther down. The buffalo was still alive. I will never forget how affected i was by its long draw- out, plaintive bellows” (93).
I really like how your title adds to your entire overall thesis. It makes your argument for it symbolizes a lot stronger.
ReplyDelete-Duncan Drewry
The example of the clock really shows how the lack of control in Luo and the narrator's life makes them grasp on to anything that they truly can exert power over, such as the choice to read books, even though they are forbidden.
ReplyDeleteI like how the buffalo symbolizes hope; I never thought to look at it in that way and it makes me see the story in a new way. I think I can read between the lines of the story better now that I see how hope and certain routine things in the life of Luo and the narrator can go as far as driving the story.
ReplyDeleteI loved the phrase about the illusion of control that you used to describe the clock. Your illustrations also went really well with you symbols and analysis.
ReplyDelete