And the Spring Comes versus Mona Lisa Smile
180122; 肖镁铌 Meini Xiao
In the past weekend, I saw two films called And the Spring Comes and Mona Lisa Smile. The former one was a Chinese film directed by Changwei Gu in 2008, while the later one was created by American director Michel Wale in 2004. Even the two films have totally different plots and cultural backgrounds, they both created excellent female roles.
While I was watching the movies, what occurred to me first is their determination to achieve their goals. Dating back to the 1980s, And the Spring Comes stated a story of Cailing Wang, who was born with a fantastic singing voice. Nevertheless, because of her ugly appearance, no one seemed to actually admire her singing ability. Leading a displeasing and unrecognized life, she still held her dream -- to perform in Paris Opera. In another period, Mona Lisa Smile told us a story about Catherine in 1950s. After graduation, she became an art teacher in a women’s university. She soon found that the girls there still held a firm belief that their duty was bound to take care of their husbands and children. In order to change their mind, Catherine was determined to do something, though she knew there were a lot hardships standing in her way.
The second impressive point was, of course, the difficulties and their efforts to realize their dreams. At the beginning of And the Spring Comes, when the radio was playing songs from Cailing Wang, most people were riding on their bikes with strained faces, caring nothing about her. In the scene here, I can see that people at that time(the initial stages for reforming opening) were not able to appreciate the true beauty of art and even looked down upon the artists. Even in Cailing Wang’s opinion, she considered her talent as “the sixth finger” and “the fish bone”. Similarly, in the period when Mona Lisa Smile referred to, the social status of women were still low. Although they were allowed to get education, they were receiving the concept that marriage and family should be the sole focus in their life. In both of films, the two roles were facing a period full of fatuity and conservation. Instead of becoming conformists, they chose to keep themselves. For Cailing Wang, she ignored the eyes of others and tried whatever she could to sing in Paris Opera. Such as gaining a Beijing account, saving money to watch an opera performance and trying to get jobs relating to her dream. For Catherine, she broke up the traditional teaching methods and led her students to chase freedom and independence.
The third and final point I want to claim was that the ending of Cailing Wang and Catherine may not be so satisfying, but they both change someone’s mind in their own power. I still remember the last scene in Mona Lisa Smile: when Catherine was about to leave, students were all chasing the car with tears. Undoubtedly, she had inspired some of them and gained their understand and respects... In terms of Cailing Wang, she had also inspired someone who was eager for success. For instance, the waiter in the bar who wanted to follow in her footsteps. However, in that certain period, they could only chose to compromise with their ideals in the end.
These two female roles, holding different goals, spending different efforts and owning different endings, however, had told me a same thing: one should always be independent and hold a firm belief of surpassing tradition and aspiring verity...
And the Spring Comes versus Mona Lisa Smile
Re: And the Spring Comes versus Mona Lisa Smile
Hi Meini,
Thank you for sharing your essay. I really enjoyed reading your analysis, and I have a few comments to help you improve in your next draft.
In your opening paragraph, you end your thesis statement by saying "they both created excellent female roles." I think you could add more to the sentence and briefly say how the films created excellent female roles. Traditionally, the last sentence of an introduction paragraph has a thesis, or statement of purpose that tells the reader how your argument will unfold. This is just a suggestion, but you could say something like "they both created excellent female roles because of their determination, overcoming challenges, and their independence." This way it lets the reader know the points you will be arguing in your paper.
In your second paragraph about determination, I enjoyed how you mentioned the problems the women faced were partially because of the time period they lived in. I think you could add specific examples from each movie to support why this is important. For instance, you could talk about certain characters that were mean to Cailing Wang because of her appearance and how that contributed to the importance of the movie. In Mona Lisa Smile you could talk about how Betty was one of the students who was most concerned about being a wife, and the certain things Katherine did to help her students overcome that belief. I think that more examples will help support your argument and also let the reader know why these movies are important to watch.
You do an excellent job of providing examples from the movies in your paragraph about the difficulties the women faced in their efforts to realize their dreams. Grammatically, I think this paragraph might flow better if you took out the part in parenthesis that says (the initial stages for reforming opening). I'm not quite sure what you mean by it and I think the sentence functions well without it. Also, in the part that says "Although they were allowed to get education," I would change "get" to "receive an" so that it reads "Although they were allowed to receive an education". This is a very minor detail and does not detract from the effectiveness of you paragraph, but it would just help with the flow of the sentence.
Your last two paragraphs I think could be combined into one because they talk about the same topic. I would also change the part of the sentence that says "I want to claim was that the ending of Cailing Wang and Catherine may not be so satisfying" to "I want to claim was that the ending of the movies may not be so satisfying" because you are talking about how the ending of the movie is not entirely satisfying, not that the characters themselves are not satisfying people. Also, the two places where you use "..." can be changed just a period "." that ends the sentence. I think you do such a nice job with the ending of your paper, and I especially like how you talk about independence for the women. If you wanted, you could add 1-2 sentences talking about how Cailing adopted Little Fan which made her happy and how Katherine decided to go to Europe and pursue her love of art.
Very nice job Meini! Let me know if you have any questions.
Thank you for sharing your essay. I really enjoyed reading your analysis, and I have a few comments to help you improve in your next draft.
In your opening paragraph, you end your thesis statement by saying "they both created excellent female roles." I think you could add more to the sentence and briefly say how the films created excellent female roles. Traditionally, the last sentence of an introduction paragraph has a thesis, or statement of purpose that tells the reader how your argument will unfold. This is just a suggestion, but you could say something like "they both created excellent female roles because of their determination, overcoming challenges, and their independence." This way it lets the reader know the points you will be arguing in your paper.
In your second paragraph about determination, I enjoyed how you mentioned the problems the women faced were partially because of the time period they lived in. I think you could add specific examples from each movie to support why this is important. For instance, you could talk about certain characters that were mean to Cailing Wang because of her appearance and how that contributed to the importance of the movie. In Mona Lisa Smile you could talk about how Betty was one of the students who was most concerned about being a wife, and the certain things Katherine did to help her students overcome that belief. I think that more examples will help support your argument and also let the reader know why these movies are important to watch.
You do an excellent job of providing examples from the movies in your paragraph about the difficulties the women faced in their efforts to realize their dreams. Grammatically, I think this paragraph might flow better if you took out the part in parenthesis that says (the initial stages for reforming opening). I'm not quite sure what you mean by it and I think the sentence functions well without it. Also, in the part that says "Although they were allowed to get education," I would change "get" to "receive an" so that it reads "Although they were allowed to receive an education". This is a very minor detail and does not detract from the effectiveness of you paragraph, but it would just help with the flow of the sentence.
Your last two paragraphs I think could be combined into one because they talk about the same topic. I would also change the part of the sentence that says "I want to claim was that the ending of Cailing Wang and Catherine may not be so satisfying" to "I want to claim was that the ending of the movies may not be so satisfying" because you are talking about how the ending of the movie is not entirely satisfying, not that the characters themselves are not satisfying people. Also, the two places where you use "..." can be changed just a period "." that ends the sentence. I think you do such a nice job with the ending of your paper, and I especially like how you talk about independence for the women. If you wanted, you could add 1-2 sentences talking about how Cailing adopted Little Fan which made her happy and how Katherine decided to go to Europe and pursue her love of art.
Very nice job Meini! Let me know if you have any questions.
Re: And the Spring Comes versus Mona Lisa Smile
Hi Meini,
I enjoyed reading your paper and wanted to give you a little feedback that I think would make it even better.
In your first paragraph, I think that it would be nice if you were to mention your three points that your paper is based on here in the introduction. This is just to give the reader an idea of where you paper is headed in terms of it's flow.
For paragraph 2 and 3, it seems like the two points that you mention here, determination of the protagonists and the difficulties that they face go hand in hand. Because of this it may be worthwhile for you to to consider combining these two points into one. Both of these paragraphs have a lot of evidence from the film regarding the determination and hardships of the protagonists and I feel that they could support each other in one overarching point. Also I think that it would be beneficial to mention how their determination and the obstacles they face help make up the excellent female roles of the two films.
I really like your 3rd paragraph and how it pulls details from the movie that show Catherine and Wang Cailing's effects on others. For your conclusion, if you recap the points that you mentioned earlier, I believe that it would bring your paper to a closing that would not only show how amazing these two protagonists are, but also reaffirm why their roles are as excellent as you claim.
Great job! Feel free to let me know if you have any questions about my feedback.
I enjoyed reading your paper and wanted to give you a little feedback that I think would make it even better.
In your first paragraph, I think that it would be nice if you were to mention your three points that your paper is based on here in the introduction. This is just to give the reader an idea of where you paper is headed in terms of it's flow.
For paragraph 2 and 3, it seems like the two points that you mention here, determination of the protagonists and the difficulties that they face go hand in hand. Because of this it may be worthwhile for you to to consider combining these two points into one. Both of these paragraphs have a lot of evidence from the film regarding the determination and hardships of the protagonists and I feel that they could support each other in one overarching point. Also I think that it would be beneficial to mention how their determination and the obstacles they face help make up the excellent female roles of the two films.
I really like your 3rd paragraph and how it pulls details from the movie that show Catherine and Wang Cailing's effects on others. For your conclusion, if you recap the points that you mentioned earlier, I believe that it would bring your paper to a closing that would not only show how amazing these two protagonists are, but also reaffirm why their roles are as excellent as you claim.
Great job! Feel free to let me know if you have any questions about my feedback.
Re: And the Spring Comes versus Mona Lisa Smile
Hi Paige!
Thanks for your feedback and sorry for responding it late.
I think your comments are very helpful for me and I will use them to improve my next draft. And after receiving your feedback, I would like to share some of my ideas with you.
For the last sentence in my first paragraph, you advise me to add more information to it so the reader will know what I am going to focus on.I think that's a really good advice. Your suggestion reminds me that I should clearly show my idea at the beginning of the essay and make it more attractive,which I will also apply to in my other writing tasks.
In my other paragraphs,you point out some of my grammar mistakes and offer me some better collocation. Sometimes affected by Chinese mode of thinking, I will make some grammar mistakes in my writing. And you remind me that if I am more carefully in these minor problems, I will be able to do better in it.
Also,you mentioned that I can take out the phrase"the initial stages for reforming opening" in one sentence of my second paragraph. Actually,"the initial stages for reforming opening" is a stage referring to 1970s. In order to develop the economy and strengthen foreign cooperation, Chinese government started a reform in some coastal cities at 1978. Cailing Wang is living in the initial stage of reforming opening. That is to say, people in China at that time were still very conservative and exclusive, so they were not interested in the performance of Cailing Wang. I think this specific time can help readers to better understand the situation at that time. So I want you to give me some advice that if some explanations is added to the phrase, will the essay be much better?
Thank you again for your feedback. It's very nice of you to give me so many suggestions.
I'm looking forward to your reply.
Thanks for your feedback and sorry for responding it late.
I think your comments are very helpful for me and I will use them to improve my next draft. And after receiving your feedback, I would like to share some of my ideas with you.
For the last sentence in my first paragraph, you advise me to add more information to it so the reader will know what I am going to focus on.I think that's a really good advice. Your suggestion reminds me that I should clearly show my idea at the beginning of the essay and make it more attractive,which I will also apply to in my other writing tasks.
In my other paragraphs,you point out some of my grammar mistakes and offer me some better collocation. Sometimes affected by Chinese mode of thinking, I will make some grammar mistakes in my writing. And you remind me that if I am more carefully in these minor problems, I will be able to do better in it.
Also,you mentioned that I can take out the phrase"the initial stages for reforming opening" in one sentence of my second paragraph. Actually,"the initial stages for reforming opening" is a stage referring to 1970s. In order to develop the economy and strengthen foreign cooperation, Chinese government started a reform in some coastal cities at 1978. Cailing Wang is living in the initial stage of reforming opening. That is to say, people in China at that time were still very conservative and exclusive, so they were not interested in the performance of Cailing Wang. I think this specific time can help readers to better understand the situation at that time. So I want you to give me some advice that if some explanations is added to the phrase, will the essay be much better?
Thank you again for your feedback. It's very nice of you to give me so many suggestions.
I'm looking forward to your reply.
Re: And the Spring Comes versus Mona Lisa Smile
Hi Zion!
I am very delighted to receive your feedback and I want to share some of my ideas with you.
You mentioned that if I clearly show the points that I am going to focus on in my first paragraph and recap them in my closing point, I will make readers more impressed in my essay. Well that's really a good suggestion and I will pay attention to it in my next draft.
Also, you gave me another suggestion that I could combine my 2 and 3 paragraph together. But actually I am not quite sure what you mean. Did you mean that these two paragraph can be joined together to show the two roles' excellence? If so, should I add some linking sentence to explain their relation or just put them into the same paragraph? I wonder if you could give me some further suggestions.
It's very nice of you to give me the feedback. I'm looking forward to your reply!
I am very delighted to receive your feedback and I want to share some of my ideas with you.
You mentioned that if I clearly show the points that I am going to focus on in my first paragraph and recap them in my closing point, I will make readers more impressed in my essay. Well that's really a good suggestion and I will pay attention to it in my next draft.
Also, you gave me another suggestion that I could combine my 2 and 3 paragraph together. But actually I am not quite sure what you mean. Did you mean that these two paragraph can be joined together to show the two roles' excellence? If so, should I add some linking sentence to explain their relation or just put them into the same paragraph? I wonder if you could give me some further suggestions.
It's very nice of you to give me the feedback. I'm looking forward to your reply!
Re: And the Spring Comes versus Mona Lisa Smile
Hi Meini,
Thank you for explaining the background of Chinese reform in the 1970's. After your explanation, I see that it is important to your paper. I think you should keep the phrase in your paper and explain it like you just did to me in the comments. It was a great explanation and very helpful in understanding why it is important. I can't wait to read the next draft!
Thank you for explaining the background of Chinese reform in the 1970's. After your explanation, I see that it is important to your paper. I think you should keep the phrase in your paper and explain it like you just did to me in the comments. It was a great explanation and very helpful in understanding why it is important. I can't wait to read the next draft!
Re: And the Spring Comes versus Mona Lisa Smile
Hi Paige!
Thank you for the reply. It's very nice to communicate with you.
Keep in touch!
Thank you for the reply. It's very nice to communicate with you.
Keep in touch!
Re: And the Spring Comes versus Mona Lisa Smile
And the Spring Comes versus Mona Lisa Smile
180122; 肖镁铌
In the past weekend, I saw two films called And the Spring Comes and Mona Lisa Smile. The former one was a Chinese film directed by Changwei Gu in 2008, while the later one was created by American director Michel Wale in 2004. Even the two films have totally different plots and cultural backgrounds, they both created excellent female roles because of their determination, overcoming challenges, and their independence.
While I was watching the movies, what occurred to me first is their determination to achieve their goals. Dating back to the 1980s, And the Spring Comes stated a story of Cailing Wang, who was born with a fantastic singing voice. Nevertheless, because of her ugly appearance, no one seemed to actually admire her singing ability. Even the man Sibao Huang whom she loved so much forsook her in the end. Leading a displeasing and unrecognized life, she still held her dream -- to perform in Paris Opera. In another period, Mona Lisa Smile told us a story about Catherine in 1950s. After graduation, she became an art teacher in a women’s university. She soon found that the girls there still held a firm belief that their duty was bound to take care of their husbands and children. For instance, one of the students Betty, was determined to be a wife because of the educational idea she had received. In order to change their mind, Catherine was determined to do something, though she knew there were a lot hardships standing in her way.
The second impressive point was, of course, the difficulties and their efforts to realize their dreams. The story of And the Spring Comes happened in 1970s. At at time,In order to develop the economy and strengthen foreign cooperation, Chinese government started a reform in some coastal cities at 1978. Cailing Wang was living in that specific period. That is to say, people in China at that time were still very conservative and exclusive. So at the beginning of the movie, when the radio was playing songs from Cailing Wang, most people were riding on their bikes with strained faces, caring nothing about her. In the scene here, I can see that people were not able to appreciate the true beauty of art and even looked down upon the artists. Even in Cailing Wang’s opinion, she considered her talent as “the sixth finger” and “the fish bone”. Similarly, in the period when Mona Lisa Smile referred to, the social status of women were still low. Although they were allowed to get education, they were receiving the concept that marriage and family should be the sole focus in their life. In both of films, the two roles were facing a period full of fatuity and conservation. Instead of becoming conformists, they chose to keep themselves. For Cailing Wang, she ignored the eyes of others and tried whatever she could to sing in Paris Opera. Such as gaining a Beijing account, saving money to watch an opera performance and trying to get jobs relating to her dream. For Catherine, she broke up the traditional teaching methods and led her students to chase freedom and independence.
The third and final point I want to claim was that the ending of the movies may not be so satisfying, but the two females both change someone’s mind in their own power. I still remember the last scene in Mona Lisa Smile: when Catherine was about to leave, students were all chasing the car with tears. Undoubtedly, she had inspired some of them and gained their understand and respects. In terms of Cailing Wang, she had also inspired someone who was eager for success. For instance, the waiter in the bar who wanted to follow in her footsteps. However, in that certain period, they could only chose to compromise with their ideals in the end.These two female roles, holding different goals, spending different efforts and owning different endings, however, had told me a same thing: one should always be independent and hold a firm belief of surpassing tradition and aspiring verity.
180122; 肖镁铌
In the past weekend, I saw two films called And the Spring Comes and Mona Lisa Smile. The former one was a Chinese film directed by Changwei Gu in 2008, while the later one was created by American director Michel Wale in 2004. Even the two films have totally different plots and cultural backgrounds, they both created excellent female roles because of their determination, overcoming challenges, and their independence.
While I was watching the movies, what occurred to me first is their determination to achieve their goals. Dating back to the 1980s, And the Spring Comes stated a story of Cailing Wang, who was born with a fantastic singing voice. Nevertheless, because of her ugly appearance, no one seemed to actually admire her singing ability. Even the man Sibao Huang whom she loved so much forsook her in the end. Leading a displeasing and unrecognized life, she still held her dream -- to perform in Paris Opera. In another period, Mona Lisa Smile told us a story about Catherine in 1950s. After graduation, she became an art teacher in a women’s university. She soon found that the girls there still held a firm belief that their duty was bound to take care of their husbands and children. For instance, one of the students Betty, was determined to be a wife because of the educational idea she had received. In order to change their mind, Catherine was determined to do something, though she knew there were a lot hardships standing in her way.
The second impressive point was, of course, the difficulties and their efforts to realize their dreams. The story of And the Spring Comes happened in 1970s. At at time,In order to develop the economy and strengthen foreign cooperation, Chinese government started a reform in some coastal cities at 1978. Cailing Wang was living in that specific period. That is to say, people in China at that time were still very conservative and exclusive. So at the beginning of the movie, when the radio was playing songs from Cailing Wang, most people were riding on their bikes with strained faces, caring nothing about her. In the scene here, I can see that people were not able to appreciate the true beauty of art and even looked down upon the artists. Even in Cailing Wang’s opinion, she considered her talent as “the sixth finger” and “the fish bone”. Similarly, in the period when Mona Lisa Smile referred to, the social status of women were still low. Although they were allowed to get education, they were receiving the concept that marriage and family should be the sole focus in their life. In both of films, the two roles were facing a period full of fatuity and conservation. Instead of becoming conformists, they chose to keep themselves. For Cailing Wang, she ignored the eyes of others and tried whatever she could to sing in Paris Opera. Such as gaining a Beijing account, saving money to watch an opera performance and trying to get jobs relating to her dream. For Catherine, she broke up the traditional teaching methods and led her students to chase freedom and independence.
The third and final point I want to claim was that the ending of the movies may not be so satisfying, but the two females both change someone’s mind in their own power. I still remember the last scene in Mona Lisa Smile: when Catherine was about to leave, students were all chasing the car with tears. Undoubtedly, she had inspired some of them and gained their understand and respects. In terms of Cailing Wang, she had also inspired someone who was eager for success. For instance, the waiter in the bar who wanted to follow in her footsteps. However, in that certain period, they could only chose to compromise with their ideals in the end.These two female roles, holding different goals, spending different efforts and owning different endings, however, had told me a same thing: one should always be independent and hold a firm belief of surpassing tradition and aspiring verity.
Re: And the Spring Comes versus Mona Lisa Smile
Border-Crossing Activity Reflection
180122 肖镁铌
It’s a golden opportunity to take part in this Border-Crossing Activity. From this activity, I have learned a lot and had some thoughts to share with you .
First, I have revised my draft according to some of the suggestions by American students. My American partners Paige and Zion gave me several advice in both essay structure and language using, which is quite useful. First of all, Paige suggested that in my opening paragraph, I should directly show out what I am going to focus on in my essay so my readers will have a better understanding. So, in my revised draft, I added the sentence〝they both created excellent female roles because of their determination, overcoming challenges, and their independence.〞to show my ideas. Also, she said that she was not sure what I mean when I referred to the phrase 〝reform and open〞 and she advised me to take out of it. But I think the specific period will help readers to understand the movie so I explained it for her and asked her comments. She soon agreed with me and suggested that I should explain some proper nouns in order not to cause confusion. Moreover, Paige and Zion also pointed out some minor mistakes in me essay to help me improve it. I was really,really appreciate it.
Second, I want to talk about my personal thoughts before and after the activity. Honestly speaking, I regarded it as another common task before the activity actually started. I only hoped that I can revise my essay to a better one and at most learned something from American students’ essay. However, I found that I have benefited a lot from it. My partners were so patient and careful that they gave me lots of suggestions as above. Also, I gave my personal advice to their essay and had deeper communications with them, which not only focused on the essay, but also covered learning methods and cultural differences. As far as I am concerned, the activity has been fully beyond my expectation and I appreciate it so much.
Finally, I want to give my suggestion concerning the later Border-Crossing activity. It seemed to me that the duration of the activity was a bit short and we had to give a new post within 3 days. Sometimes I felt nervous and haven’t enough time to prepare what I really want to say. Therefore, I suggest the activity time be longer and give us more time to communicate.
In a word, the activity was really beneficial and I have learned a lot from it. I hope that there will be more chances to communicate with foreign students and share our ideas.
180122 肖镁铌
It’s a golden opportunity to take part in this Border-Crossing Activity. From this activity, I have learned a lot and had some thoughts to share with you .
First, I have revised my draft according to some of the suggestions by American students. My American partners Paige and Zion gave me several advice in both essay structure and language using, which is quite useful. First of all, Paige suggested that in my opening paragraph, I should directly show out what I am going to focus on in my essay so my readers will have a better understanding. So, in my revised draft, I added the sentence〝they both created excellent female roles because of their determination, overcoming challenges, and their independence.〞to show my ideas. Also, she said that she was not sure what I mean when I referred to the phrase 〝reform and open〞 and she advised me to take out of it. But I think the specific period will help readers to understand the movie so I explained it for her and asked her comments. She soon agreed with me and suggested that I should explain some proper nouns in order not to cause confusion. Moreover, Paige and Zion also pointed out some minor mistakes in me essay to help me improve it. I was really,really appreciate it.
Second, I want to talk about my personal thoughts before and after the activity. Honestly speaking, I regarded it as another common task before the activity actually started. I only hoped that I can revise my essay to a better one and at most learned something from American students’ essay. However, I found that I have benefited a lot from it. My partners were so patient and careful that they gave me lots of suggestions as above. Also, I gave my personal advice to their essay and had deeper communications with them, which not only focused on the essay, but also covered learning methods and cultural differences. As far as I am concerned, the activity has been fully beyond my expectation and I appreciate it so much.
Finally, I want to give my suggestion concerning the later Border-Crossing activity. It seemed to me that the duration of the activity was a bit short and we had to give a new post within 3 days. Sometimes I felt nervous and haven’t enough time to prepare what I really want to say. Therefore, I suggest the activity time be longer and give us more time to communicate.
In a word, the activity was really beneficial and I have learned a lot from it. I hope that there will be more chances to communicate with foreign students and share our ideas.