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Be Brave to be a Fishbone

180215；李诗蕾 Shilei Li

Last week, I saw two films, Mona Lisa Smile and And the Spring Comes.

Set in 1953, the movie Mona Lisa Smile tells the story of Katherine Watson, a new young art history professor at Wellesley College. Unfortunately for free-minded Berkeley grad Watson, her East Coast teaching stint comes during a less-progressive time that finds most of her students -- among them Betty, Joan, and Giselle Levy -- more interested in nabbing a good husband than achieving scholastic and intellectual growth. Watson challenges her students and the Wellesley faculty to think outside of the current mores of the community and redefine what it means to be a success; meanwhile, she tries to come to terms with her own heart's desires.

The second film And the Spring Comes is a 2007 film directed by Gu Changwei, written by Li Qiang. Set in a small town, the main character Wang Cailing is a vocal teacher who has a magnificent voice and a big dream—to be an opera singer at the National Opera House. She is not dreaming alone: There's a young man who wants to be China's Vincent van Gogh. And she also meets a homosexual ballet dancer. She falls in with a few other artists. All of them struggle not only to realize their dreams, but more pressingly, to get accepted and understood by the society.

Although they have different narrative features and. There are also plenty of common points on them. And for me, what I want to say is to be brave to be a “fishbone”.

In And the Spring Comes, the main character Wang Cailing and Mr. Hu, who is obsessed with ballet, become soul mates. In a plot of their meeting in the restaurant, after hearing the compliments from Wang Cailing, Mr. Hu says—— “I had always sort of thought that after a while people would get used to me being the way I am. But I find, I am just like a fishbone caught in their throats.” What he said really has a strong affect on me. It is not tolerable for the society for his appetite for ballet and his sexual orientation. And the insult from different people is stick with him, and hurts him. That’s why he feels himself as a “fishbone”. Not only Mr. Hu, but also Wang Cailing is like a “fishbone” to their surroundings. In other words, they are like a round peg in a square hole.

And in Mona Lisa Smile, Katherine is also like a “fishbone” to the Wellesley College. Her teaching methods and principle are unable to be completely accepted by the Council. And the students challenge her in the class, and are more interested in nabbing a good husband than achieving scholastic and intellectual growth. But she believes that the college is a place for tomorrow’s leaders, not their wives. So she tries her best to make the faculty and her students to think outside of the current mores of the community. During the later class, she tells the girls that the choice’s theirs, and they can conform to what other people expect or they can be themselves.

Whether Wang Cailing, Mr. Hu or Katherine, all of them are the “fishbone” to their surroundings. Facing the unreasonable demands of the Council, Katherine still chooses to hold on to herself and leave for Europe to chase her dream of art. Unlike Katherine, both of Wang Cailing and Mr. Hu have a different choice to change themselves in a degree. Just like what Mr.Hu finally says in prison, “ I feel like I have finally gotten out of people’s throats, where I was stuck like a fishbone.” In the past, Wang Cailing claims that she just won’t to be so commonplace. However, in the end of the movie, she gives up chasing the fame, which is brought by chasing her singing dream, and finally become one of the crowd.

Of course, we can’t ignore the great public opinion pressure that they face in And the Spring Comes and the different cultural tradition and education background between the two films. But for the contemporary, I believe that everyone should be more courageous to be a “fishbone”. It doesn’t mean that we must to be at odds with ordinary people. We just need to hold on to ourselves, be the one that you want to be and try to live or even be successful in our own way. We can freely choose to be a wife or a leader, choose whether to be single or not, choose our own sexual orientation and so on. In a word, like Katherine says, we can conform to what other people expect or we can be ourselves.

William Somerset Maugham has an explanation for what it means to be a success in his famous novel The Moon and Sixpence. “Is to do what you most want, to live under the conditions that please you, in peace with yourself, to make a hash of life; and is it success to be an eminent surgeon with ten thousand a year and a beautiful wife? I suppose it depends on what meaning you attach to life, the claim which you acknowledge to society, and the claim of the individual.” And I believe that—— “There is only one way to succeed, which is to live your life the way you like it.”

So, why not to be brave to be a “fishbone”?

Hello, Shilei Li!

You’re right - films are about the main characters being “fishbones” in their surroundings, trying to find acceptance in their societies. Your article is very well-organized and gets its main point across clearly and effectively.

I would personally like to see you write more about each film’s ending and the cultural context of each. While Kathryn and Wang are like fishbones in their societies, Katheryn succeeds in winning her students, but Wang does not succeed in becoming an opera singer. Wang nevertheless succeeds in living a happy life after adopting a young girl. Do you think this is significant? How do you think “Mona Lisa Smile” would have been received if, by the end of the movie, Kathryn’s students hated her and she just gave up trying to guide them towards professional paths? You briefly mention cultural and educational backgrounds towards the end of your article, but don’t talk much about the topic. I’d like to read more about what you have to say on it.
You can talk more about culture differences and do away with the movie summaries at the beginning of the article – we all watched the movies, so we don’t really need the summaries here.

Other than that, there are a few grammatical errors you should note during your revision: “Although they have different narrative features and. There are also plenty of common points on them” should be changed to “Although they have different narrative features, there are also plenty of common points between them.” “Wang Cailing claims that she just won’t to be so commonplace.”: remove the “to” here.

Great work so far!

-Aaron

Hello, Aaron!
Thank you for your response! Your comments have really inspired me.
I do believe that the we don’t need the movie summaries. That's actually what's deficient in my composition, because I just rigidly follow the writing steps mentioned by the teacher. But It's actually very cumbersome.
How do we judge whether others are successful?
Katheryn succeeds in winning her students. And I believe that her enthusiasm and courage can help her further her studies in Europe. She succeeds in her career and dream. In the opinions of the vast majority of people, of course, she was successful.
Unlike her, Wang does not succeed in becoming an opera singer. But in the end of the movie, she can also have a happy life with her daughter. Actually, in my opinion, her quest for art has nothing to do with art itself, but into a utilitarian act. She lies to people more than once that she is going to work in Beijing. She emphasizes her own differences and public, with a dream woven by lies. It’s almost impossible for her to be happy until she really finds the path of life, which she is supposed to take. But just like what you said, finally she succeeds in living a happy life with her daughter. It’s enough.
Not all people can finally be who they wanted to be at first, but finding their own path of life is also a success for them. If by the end of “Mona Lisa Smile” , Kathryn’s students hated her and she gave up trying to guide them towards professional paths, of course I will be very sorry and disappointed. But personal thoughts should also be respected. Just like Joan, she finally gives up the Yale and get married. Kathryn tells her that she can do anything she wants, and she does. What I mean to be a “fishbone” is to be the one that you want to be and try to live or even be successful in our own way. We can freely choose to be a wife or a leader, choose whether to be single or not, choose our own sexual orientation and so on. All in all, we can conform to what other people expect or we can be ourselves.
Thank you for your response again!
-Shilei L

I actually never thought about that before. You bring up a good point with Joan - the theme of "Mona Lisa Smile" is to think independently, which Joan does, even if her actions weren't in line with what Kathryn wanted for her.

I think I get what you mean about Wang's dream being "woven by lies." Her artistic pursuits weren't about art for art's sake, but about fitting into society's definition of "success," even if that wasn't the best course of action for her.

Like you said, being brave to be a fishbone means finding what's best for you regardless of anyone's expectations. Your thoughts have really opened my eyes on the topic.

Summary：

During this experience of cross-ocean interaction, not only did I have a different understanding of the two films, but I also had a better understanding of the differences in the thinking perspective of Chinese and American students.

First of all, in terms of writing, it’s surprised for me to find the huge differences between our compositions and the American students’ compositions. Of the four compositions, the three have the familiar theme. But they have a different angle of writing. It is clear that Aron's article is more in-depth and speculative. He focuses on the cultural background and philosophical ideas embodied in these two films. And he mentions the Western idea of free will, the Daoist idea of “free will” and the Aristotelian idea of rhetoric in his article. But these things are not mentioned in my article, more just the shallow analysis of the content of the film. So you can see his comment of my article. And he also raised a new question in his comment.

And because I’m really interested in what he had mentioned in his composition，I ask him if he can tell me more about it and how the film “Mona Lisa Smile” embodies it. But I'm sorry he didn't explain it to me. So I ask him about how he understands the Daoist idea of “free will”? Here is his response. In my opinion, his understanding is very similar to the Daoist thought of "无为而治".

(“无为而治” ，出自《道德经》，是道家的治国理念。老子在《道德经》中提出：“我无为，而民自化；我好静，而民自正；我无事，而民自富；我无欲，而民自朴”，并且一再强调无为才能无不为。所以“无为而治”并不是消极的放纵，而是不过多的干预、顺其自然、给予人们更多的权力，充分发挥人民的主观能动性，以达到自我实现。)

The last composition came from Michael Henning, another American student. The topic is the Non-Verbal Strategies: “Mona Lisa Smile” and “And the Spring Comes”. He analyses the actors chosen for the movie and the types of camera shots and angles. He really brings us a new aspect to see the two films.

That’s all from me. It’s lucky for me to participate this activity.Thanks to all the participants.

Final draft:
Be brave to be a fishbone

180215；李诗蕾

Last week, I saw two films, Mona Lisa Smile and And the Spring Comes. Although they have different narrative features, there are also plenty of common points between them. And for me, what I want to say is to be brave to be a “fishbone”.

In And the Spring Comes, the main character Wang Cailing and Mr. Hu, who is obsessed with ballet, become soul mates. In a plot of their meeting in the restaurant, after hearing the compliments from Wang Cailing, Mr. Hu says—— “I had always sort of thought that after a while people would get used to me being the way I am. But I find, I am just like a fishbone caught in their throats.” What he said really has a strong affect on me. It is not tolerable for the society for his appetite for ballet and his sexual orientation. And the insult from different people is stick with him, and hurts him. That’s why he feels himself as a “fishbone”. Not only Mr. Hu, but also Wang Cailing is like a “fishbone” to their surroundings. In other words, they are like a round peg in a square hole.

And in Mona Lisa Smile, Katherine is also like a “fishbone” to the Wellesley College. Her teaching methods and principle are unable to be completely accepted by the Council. And the students challenge her in the class, and are more interested in nabbing a good husband than achieving scholastic and intellectual growth. But she believes that the college is a place for tomorrow’s leaders, not their wives. So she tries her best to make the faculty and her students to think outside of the current mores of the community. During the later class, she tells the girls that the choice’s theirs, and they can conform to what other people expect or they can be themselves.

Whether Wang Cailing, Mr. Hu or Katherine, all of them are the “fishbone” to their surroundings. Facing the unreasonable demands of the Council, Katherine still chooses to hold on to herself and leave for Europe to chase her dream of art. Unlike Katherine, both of Wang Cailing and Mr. Hu have a different choice to change themselves in a degree. Just like what Mr.Hu finally says in prison, “ I feel like I have finally gotten out of people’s throats, where I was stuck like a fishbone.” In the past, Wang Cailing claims that she just won’t be so commonplace. However, in the end of the movie, she gives up chasing the fame, which is brought by chasing her singing dream, and finally become one of the crowd.

How do we judge whether others are successful?

Katheryn succeeds in winning her students. And I believe that her enthusiasm and courage can help her further her studies in Europe. She succeeds in her career and dream. In the opinions of the vast majority of people, of course, she was successful.

Unlike her, Wang does not succeed in becoming an opera singer. But in the end of the movie, she can also have a happy life with her daughter. Actually, in my opinion, her quest for art has nothing to do with art itself, but into a utilitarian act. She lies to people more than once that she is going to work in Beijing. She emphasizes her own differences and public, with a dream woven by lies. It’s almost impossible for her to be happy until she really finds the path of life, which she is supposed to take. But finally she succeeds in living a happy life with her daughter. It’s enough.
Of course, we can’t ignore the great public opinion pressure that they face in And the Spring comes and the different cultural tradition and education background between the two films. But for the contemporary, I believe that everyone should be more courageous to be a “fishbone”. It doesn’t mean that we must to be at odds with ordinary people. We just need to hold on to ourselves, be the one that you want to be and try to live or even be successful in our own way. We can freely choose to be a wife or a leader, choose whether to be single or not, choose our own sexual orientation and so on. In a word, like Katherine says, we can conform to what other people expect or we can be ourselves.

William Somerset Maugham has an explanation for what it means to be a success in his famous novel The Moon and Sixpence. “Is to do what you most want, to live under the conditions that please you, in peace with yourself, to make a hash of life; and is it success to be an eminent surgeon with ten thousand a year and a beautiful wife? I suppose it depends on what meaning you attach to life, the claim which you acknowledge to society, and the claim of the individual.” And I believe that—— “There is only one way to succeed, which is to live your life the way you like it.”

So, why not to be brave to be a “fishbone”?

Reflection:
1) What were your expectations for the border-crossing activity? Are your expectations met? Why or why not?

Before this event began, I was looking forward to seeing how Chinese and American students would have different views on the same film, different perspectives and different ways of analysing it. And fortunately, my expectations are met. I really find many differences between our compositions and the American students’ compositions. They bring me a new aspect to see the two films. Aron analyses the philosophical meaning of success in the two films. And Michael analyses the actor chosen for the films and the types of camera shot and angles. I actually never thought about that before.

2) Please name three things that struck you most when you interacted with the American peers, and explain why. (You may comment on the differences and/or similarities in lexical choice, writing style, idea presentation, rhetorical preference, cultural convention etc.)

The first thing that struck me most is the idea presentation. For example, Aron mentions the Western idea of free will, the Daoist idea of “free will” and the Aristotelian idea of rhetoric in his article to help him analyse the films. I think they make his article more speculative.
The second thing that struck me most is the writing style. Both of the American students’ compositions have shown very detailed analysis and their personal thoughts. And the analysis of Chinese students may still be relatively shallow analysis.
The third thing that struck me most is their understanding of Chinese culture. In my comment, I ask Aron about how he understands the Taoist idea of “free will”? Here is his response——“To my understanding, the Taoist idea of "free will" is this: Since we are constantly influenced by outside factors, and interact with other things while making decisions, true autonomy or "free will" is impossible; and, knowing this, it's better to let things happen as they will, and do things non-corrosively.” In my opinion, his understanding is very similar to the Daoist thought of "无为而治".
（“无为而治” ，出自《道德经》，是道家的治国理念。“无为而治”并不是消极的放纵，而是不过多的干预、顺其自然、给予人们更多的权力，充分发挥人民的主观能动性，以达到自我实现。）

3) Did you incorporate what had been discussed into the revised draft? If so, please elaborate on how the discussion had led to the revisions you made. If not, please explain why.

Yes. Based on their comments, I deleted the jumbled content from my composition, and then put forward more my personal thoughts on the content of the films.

4) Do you think the activity is beneficial to you in terms of knowledge gains or skill enhancement? If so, please elaborate. If not, please explain why.

Yes! Just like what I said before, their lexical choice, writing style, idea presentation and so on are all worth learning from. And during this experience of this activity, not only did I have a different understanding of the two films, but I also had a better understanding of the differences in the thinking perspective of Chinese and American students.