I see that in the last line of your paragraph, you make a connection to the "coming of age" topic, depicting the two protagonists as "motivated men" after they had grown from "reliant and weak boys"; which is a good inference and connection. I noticed you also mentioned the "amount of control" the clock gave the boys, briefly in your summary. How can the addictive drug of control play out more into the determination to preserve the alarm clock? The "manipulation" of the clock gives the boys a sense of control in their usually unpredictable world, how can this help the boys mentally in their whole reeducation process?
Does the alarm clock merely signal a coming of age or does it cause it?
As well as a connection to coming of age, I see a connection to hope, as the alarm clock offers the main characters at least some relief the from backbreaking labor of re-education.
I like how you relate the alarm clock to the two boys being able to have control over their lives, but don't you think that they started to lose that near the end of the book? Especially when they stop manipulating the time to get the headman to not wake them up, it seems as if they stopped having any hope that things would get better and accepted their fate.
In your paragraph you talk a lot about how the clock symbolizes their coming of age in that they are finally taking control of their own path, which is certainly a feasible argument. At the same time, however, you say "This shows how they were willing to do things that might be unfair to others for their own personal benefit and desires." In my opinion, putting your own needs above the needs of others is much more a sign of their immaturity than anything else. Was this meant to symbolize how far they have yet to come, or do you disagree on what constitutes maturity?
I agree with how the alarm clock symbolizes the boys' coming of age and freedom. What else do you think the alarm clock symbolizes in terms of the villagers' fascination with it?
As I said before, I see how this symbol connects to the boys' coming of age as they are learning how to control their own fate while under Mao's rule.
I like the elaboration on the meaning of the alarm clock. Being given a minimal amount of control in an environment where you have none is a very interesting dichotomy
Yes, this is true. Luo and the narrator have absolutely no control over their lives. Everything they do is controlled by someone else. However, even changing the alarm clock makes them feel a slight bit independent.
Why do you think the village headman is so obsessed with the alarm clock? Does his obsession have any significance in relation to the main themes of the novel?
Besides coming of age, the alarm clock can also represent the theme of hope. The increase in control over their own lives not only helps the boys become more mature, but allows them to be more hopeful for their future. Taking control over their own lives and making their own decisions gives them the ability to have hope, even through the hardships of re-education.
While I agree that the alarm clock is a symbol of control, I think the author uses the alarm clock to show power's elusive, but detrimental effects. For example the headman uses it as a way to gain control over his village, and does fights for his control by any means possible- including sending the boys to watch a movie. The boys were also given the chance to control the people by changing the time, but they eventually lost control of this power. I also agree that the clock represents coming of age of the boys because they learned about the power of manipulating others.
How does Luo and the narrators' determination to get the songs for Four-Eyes connect back to the alarm clock?
I also think that when Luo and the narrator made the deal with Four-Eyes, they lost themselves in a realm of hope. With their desire for a book so strong, they thought that the task would be easier, when in reality, it was harder than they thought.
Should this control be viewed as something of learning and growth or a sign of manipulation and misuse of their power?
I do agree that the boys use this manipulation of the clock to rebel against the stringent boundaries placed by the headman. They are able to adapt to their surroundings and learn from their environment.
Should justifying and wanting more control over less bright/educated characters like the village headman and the old man from the mill be interpreted as showing coming of age? Progressing and learning to reach your goals could be a sign of coming of age, but I think success at the expense of others shows exactly the opposite. The alarm clock and lying to the miller to gain books also demonstrates the harsh rules of China's communist society, its either kill or be killed, trample others or be trampled yourself. The inability of the boys to see this aspect of their culture, and furthermore implement it themselves in spite of having more information on how the outside world works without this principle, shows that they are still just kids and are unable to assess the situation.
I see that in the last line of your paragraph, you make a connection to the "coming of age" topic, depicting the two protagonists as "motivated men" after they had grown from "reliant and weak boys"; which is a good inference and connection. I noticed you also mentioned the "amount of control" the clock gave the boys, briefly in your summary. How can the addictive drug of control play out more into the determination to preserve the alarm clock? The "manipulation" of the clock gives the boys a sense of control in their usually unpredictable world, how can this help the boys mentally in their whole reeducation process?
ReplyDeleteDoes the alarm clock merely signal a coming of age or does it cause it?
ReplyDeleteAs well as a connection to coming of age, I see a connection to hope, as the alarm clock offers the main characters at least some relief the from backbreaking labor of re-education.
I like how you relate the alarm clock to the two boys being able to have control over their lives, but don't you think that they started to lose that near the end of the book? Especially when they stop manipulating the time to get the headman to not wake them up, it seems as if they stopped having any hope that things would get better and accepted their fate.
ReplyDeleteWhy do you think that as they grow older, Luo and the narrator become more manipulative instead of less manipulative?
ReplyDeleteI see a good connection to the coming of age, which I did not think about before.
In your paragraph you talk a lot about how the clock symbolizes their coming of age in that they are finally taking control of their own path, which is certainly a feasible argument. At the same time, however, you say "This shows how they were willing to do things that might be unfair to others for their own personal benefit and desires." In my opinion, putting your own needs above the needs of others is much more a sign of their immaturity than anything else. Was this meant to symbolize how far they have yet to come, or do you disagree on what constitutes maturity?
ReplyDeleteI agree with how the alarm clock symbolizes the boys' coming of age and freedom. What else do you think the alarm clock symbolizes in terms of the villagers' fascination with it?
ReplyDeleteAs I said before, I see how this symbol connects to the boys' coming of age as they are learning how to control their own fate while under Mao's rule.
I like the elaboration on the meaning of the alarm clock. Being given a minimal amount of control in an environment where you have none is a very interesting dichotomy
ReplyDeleteYes, this is true. Luo and the narrator have absolutely no control over their lives. Everything they do is controlled by someone else. However, even changing the alarm clock makes them feel a slight bit independent.
ReplyDeleteWhy do you think the village headman is so obsessed with the alarm clock? Does his obsession have any significance in relation to the main themes of the novel?
ReplyDeleteBesides coming of age, the alarm clock can also represent the theme of hope. The increase in control over their own lives not only helps the boys become more mature, but allows them to be more hopeful for their future. Taking control over their own lives and making their own decisions gives them the ability to have hope, even through the hardships of re-education.
While I agree that the alarm clock is a symbol of control, I think the author uses the alarm clock to show power's elusive, but detrimental effects. For example the headman uses it as a way to gain control over his village, and does fights for his control by any means possible- including sending the boys to watch a movie. The boys were also given the chance to control the people by changing the time, but they eventually lost control of this power.
ReplyDeleteI also agree that the clock represents coming of age of the boys because they learned about the power of manipulating others.
Is manipulating others a good thing?
How does Luo and the narrators' determination to get the songs for Four-Eyes connect back to the alarm clock?
ReplyDeleteI also think that when Luo and the narrator made the deal with Four-Eyes, they lost themselves in a realm of hope. With their desire for a book so strong, they thought that the task would be easier, when in reality, it was harder than they thought.
Should this control be viewed as something of learning and growth or a sign of manipulation and misuse of their power?
ReplyDeleteI do agree that the boys use this manipulation of the clock to rebel against the stringent boundaries placed by the headman. They are able to adapt to their surroundings and learn from their environment.
Should justifying and wanting more control over less bright/educated characters like the village headman and the old man from the mill be interpreted as showing coming of age? Progressing and learning to reach your goals could be a sign of coming of age, but I think success at the expense of others shows exactly the opposite. The alarm clock and lying to the miller to gain books also demonstrates the harsh rules of China's communist society, its either kill or be killed, trample others or be trampled yourself. The inability of the boys to see this aspect of their culture, and furthermore implement it themselves in spite of having more information on how the outside world works without this principle, shows that they are still just kids and are unable to assess the situation.
ReplyDelete