Yellow Earth
Yellow Earth is a tragic movie. The main character, Young Cuiqiao, was destined by "fate" to be married to a man she has never met. Also, the vast landscape of her village seems to entrap her. The hills are like dry walls that plaster has been peeling off of for centuries. The only thing that seems to have some life source in it is the river that Cuiqiao sings her folk songs in when she collects water from it everyday. The movie begins with a wedding. There, the director introduces us with different shots of the aspects of society at that time. It was very interesting to see how the whole village gathered together for the wedding celebration. There were also close-up shots of the different foods that were served. The beginning of the movie was a very good introduction to the Chinese culture. Later on in the movie, there is a discussion between Cuiqiao's father and Brother Gu, a soldier from the communist army, about the wedding. It is revealed that the girl that married was almost fourteen years old and the ninth daughter to be married off in that family. This was extremely shocking to me mainly because I l
ive in a modern western society. First of all, the very thought of being married at such a young age is completely absurd to me. This child is forced to take the role of an adult at such an early age. Moreover, she must have been married to a man that is no younger than thirty years of age. Brother Gu makes a statement saying that the girl was too young to be married and that girls should choose their own match. Cuiqiao's father, rather surprised, replies that she was not young at all. In fact, in disbelief he says, "No matchmaker? A woman is worthless to just leave with a man." The soldier then says, "Girls are not for sale and the south has changed." But Cuiqiao's father replies that the farmers haven't changed and they have their own rules. This exchange shows the viewer the clash of the cultural traditions of northern China with the newly formed communist government. This scene in the movie also nicely foreshadows Cuiqiao's fate. Going back to Brother Gu, we are first introduced to him at the wedding. He is a soldier from Yan'an that comes to the Shaanxi province to collect folk songs. He stays with Cuiqiao's family for the time he is there. He opens Cuiqiao's eyes to the changes in the south. He tells her of the women who work in the fields, who cut their hair short and fight the Japanese alongside the men. This stirs up her interest but
Some common words found in the essay are:
Yellow Earth, Finally Gu, Dragon King, Cuiqiao Gu, cuiqiao's father, yellow earth, cuiqiao's eyes, chinese culture, folk songs, experience disbelief, girl married,
Approximate Word count = 929
Approximate Pages = 4 (250 words per page double spaced)
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