The True Story of Ah Q

A detailed Summary of The True Story of Ah Q

Ah Q, a poor peasant in a rural Chinese village, is a peculiar character. He is poor, homeless, and illiterate. Fellow villagers sneer at Ah Q; they tease him about everything from his lack of familial roots to the ringworm scars on his forehead. Confrontations with Ah Q usually lead to his head continually being knocked against something or another. Yet, throughout his countless humiliations Ah Q convinces himself that these failures are actually successes and even gloats to himself about it. In all of the miseries of life as a peasant in 1911 China the strength to endure comes from inside Ah Q. He has an ability to skirt the reality of a situation by making up excuses, thus the facts of an event are blurred and in a round-about way he feels a victory that is totally separate from the actual incident. For instance, while being beaten by a villager Ah Q loudly declares himself an insect. This proclamation makes Ah Q extremely satisfied and leaves him feeling victorious, not with his skill in fighting but in his ability to demean himself. He states that he must indeed be the "foremost self-belittler" and that being "foremost" in anything must be commendable.

They can make me work, or they can cut my hair;

I have ten thousand anxieties but no one to confide them to.

They can eat my flesh, and they can drink my blood.

Some common words found in the essay are:
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Approximate Word count = 1187
Approximate Pages = 5 (250 words per page double spaced)

Category: English

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