Cultural Essay

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Hello Shuyou Xiao,
Thank you for your response. I now understand what you mean when you mention how the clothing also impacts the movie. I did find that because the movie took place in the winter, the snow gave the movie a more glum feeling. But the clothing worn in the winter and the colors of them also did play a role. I noticed that during that in And the Spring Comes, as Mr. Hu left Cailing's home after she rejected his marriage proposal, the producers used the snow fall for dramatic effect. It is very fascinating to see all of the subtle effects that are used throughout the story in order to produce a certain feeling in the viewer.
Let me know if you have any other questions or comments for me.

Thanks,
Sarah Wu

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Dear Zhou Hanying,
Thank you to responding to my message.
It is very unfortunate that women had to be viewed this way during the time. Your description on the differences in how Americans and the Chinese viewed women was helpful. Although I noticed how physical beauty was emphasized in And the Spring Comes, I was unable to connect that with how women were valued. It is interesting to see how women had actual classes that taught them things like etiquette in order to prepare them as housewives. Do you know if China held similar classes like that in universities at the time or if it was just western culture? I am curious to know how women prepared for being housewives in China compared to in America at universities. If is also fine if you do not know.
Feel free to reach out if you have any other questions or comments for me.

From,
Sarah Wu

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Hello Peiyun,
Thank you again for your response to my paper.
We do use topic sentences at the beginning of paragraphs or transition sentences at the end to connect paragraphs. I am used to writing more journalistic papers which do not utilize them, so I will have to adjust my paper to fit an essay style of paper.
After your comment, I did notice that the flow of the essay could be improved by adding these sentences.
I appreciate all of your input in order to improve my paper.
Thank you so much,
Sarah Wu

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Hello Peiyun,
Thank you again for your response to my paper.
We do use topic sentences at the beginning of paragraphs or transition sentences at the end to connect paragraphs. I am used to writing more journalistic papers which do not utilize them, so I will have to adjust my paper to fit an essay style of paper.
After your comment, I did notice that the flow of the essay could be improved by adding these sentences.
I appreciate all of your input in order to improve my paper.
Thank you so much,
Sarah Wu

Dear Sarah
Thank you very much for answering my questions in your last reply. After years of taking exams, I found that my writing had become almost fixed. I want to seek advice from you if there is any difference between journalistic writing and critical writing. If so, what is the difference? Looking forward to your reply.
Yours
Zhang Peiyun

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Hello, Sarah Wu
Life and art can't find a balance because they are very clear. I personally think that only Mr. Hu is an artist in the whole story.
Although Wang Cailing's voice is beautiful, she wants to settle down in Beijing with the power of music and achieve material abundance with the power of music. She is an inner material admirer. But the paradox is that after Beibei's appearance, Wang Cailing used all her savings to help Beibei, was she gradually waking up to pay for her past love and vanity, or was there an artistic dream in her heart?
Huang Sibao has been on the test for many times, but he returns home drunk. When he paints the human body for Wang Cailing, he can't stand the next door's social music. He is eager to become famous and like Van Gogh. He is a young man of literature and art who is addicted to his inner art. His good friend Zhou Yu is his reflection in the future.
From
Shuyou Xiao

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Dear Zhou Hanying,
Thank you to responding to my message.
It is very unfortunate that women had to be viewed this way during the time. Your description on the differences in how Americans and the Chinese viewed women was helpful. Although I noticed how physical beauty was emphasized in And the Spring Comes, I was unable to connect that with how women were valued. It is interesting to see how women had actual classes that taught them things like etiquette in order to prepare them as housewives. Do you know if China held similar classes like that in universities at the time or if it was just western culture? I am curious to know how women prepared for being housewives in China compared to in America at universities. If is also fine if you do not know.
Feel free to reach out if you have any other questions or comments for me.

From,
Sarah Wu

Dear Sarah Wu,
I am glad to answer your question, and I am very happy to get your reply here. With regard to the preparation of Chinese women before marriage, I think it is similar to that in the West. They were taught to obey their husbands, to be filial to their parents-in-law, to have children for their husbands, and to take care of the family. In the society at that time, women were not independent people. They were just accessories of their husbands, and the husbands could dispose of them at will. I don't know if you have ever heard of the three obedience and four virtues in China, which is the bondage to women. The three obedience is to obey the father at home, marry from the husband, and the husband dies from the son. From then on, you can see that the status of a woman is low, even if she is married, she is not free. Even if her husband dies, she has to listen to her son. From this point of view, I think the tragic experiences of Chinese and Western women at that time were similar, and they all had no independent human rights.
Yours,
Zhou

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Dear Sarah Wu,

American stories often follow themes of happiness, whereas the Chinese storyline was more realistic regarding things not always working out and being perfect. This is also evident through the lighting in the movies. “And the Spring Comes” generally holds a darker tone; many scenes take place at night or indoors with dark lighting. “Mona Lisa Smile”, on the other hand, has brighter and lighter scenes. Despite these contrasts, both movies conclude in similar endings where the women end up single, focusing on their own lives and careers rather than marriage. Although the Chinese and American films had similar messages, their execution was different and it showed the contrast between their cultures.

I totally agree with your assessment. Even the coloring of the films seemed to have a bit of a contrast to them. There were many shades of warm brown and lighter yellows in "Mona Lisa Smile" while "And the Spring Comes" was very gray and overcast. I noticed that at the end of the film in "And the Spring Comes" the sky seemed to no longer look overcast and almost sunny as if the weather was reflecting her inner peace or at least the closest she had come to it. To go with your idea of realism in the Chinese storyline, what makes it more realistic to you? Is it the dreariness of the setting and the gritty details? What about "Mona Lisa Smile" feels fantastical to you?
I think we viewers tend to equate grittiness with realism when polished things may be realistic as well. Is it the way the movies ended? I would like to read more about this particular aspect in your essay if you choose to elaborate on it!

All the best,
Olivia Myers

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Dear Zhang Peiyun,
I am a Public Relations major and much of the writing involves writing that would be for things like the news or press release. They are more seen as articles versus formal essays. Journalistic writing is different in a way that it is more about story-telling and letting the audience know facts, whereas in formal essays is more about evaluation and analyzing a phenomena. In the writing i do for my classes, some paragraphs may only be three sentences, and even in some cases, one sentence. It is also written in a pyramid style where the most important information is at the top, and as the article continues, the less interesting and important facts are listed. Because most of my writing for classes is press releases and news writing and they may not have transition/topic sentences, I forget to use them in my cultural essay. Thank you for reminding to incorporate these aspects and helping me remember that I must change my usual style of writing for this specific paper.
Let me know if you have any other comments of questions on journalistic writing or anything else in my essay.
From,
Sarah Wu

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Hello, Sarah Wu
Life and art can't find a balance because they are very clear. I personally think that only Mr. Hu is an artist in the whole story.
Although Wang Cailing's voice is beautiful, she wants to settle down in Beijing with the power of music and achieve material abundance with the power of music. She is an inner material admirer. But the paradox is that after Beibei's appearance, Wang Cailing used all her savings to help Beibei, was she gradually waking up to pay for her past love and vanity, or was there an artistic dream in her heart?
Huang Sibao has been on the test for many times, but he returns home drunk. When he paints the human body for Wang Cailing, he can't stand the next door's social music. He is eager to become famous and like Van Gogh. He is a young man of literature and art who is addicted to his inner art. His good friend Zhou Yu is his reflection in the future.
From
Shuyou Xiao

Hello Shuyou Xiao,
I am particularly interested my your statement "I personally think that only Mr. Hu is an artist in the whole story." Based on what I gathered from the sentences following this statement, I think you mean to say that a person's heart and intent behind their talent defines if they are a true artist. Is this correct? You mention how Cailing has a beautiful voice, but because her true intent behind wanting to be a famous singer is for material gain, she is not a true artist. Does your example of Sibao also suggests that although he is a man of art, he is not a true artist? You say that his "is a young man of literature and art who is addicted to his inner art," but you also said that Mr. Hu is the only artist. What I believe this means is that because his intent behind his art was fame, his heart is in the wrong place, and thus not a true artist.
Please let me know if I assessed your statements correctly and if you have any other questions or comments for me.
From,
Sarah

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Dea Zhou,
Thank you for your response to my questions. It is interesting to hear that China and America were similar in how women were taught to live and treat their families. Because times have changed so much, it almost seems like a different world back then. I have not heard of the three obedience and the four virtues in China before, but they were very enlightening of how the times were back then. It is so sad to hear what was expected of women and how they were looked down upon with not freedom. Because of this however, I find that And the Spring Comes is made to be a powerful film. Despite that women were treated like this during those years, the film highlights the life of a woman who breaks away from these traditions. Cailing challenges societal standards and fights for freedom, even if it is to her demise. This is very inspiring and can serve as an example for women who wish to pursue their own dream instead of living in the shadows of men.
From,
Sarah Wu