To Live--Imagery Analysis by Ajit Dhillon https://padlet.com/ajitdhillon/r43d9vkpw4wk9pe9 -Use the annotations from your selected extract to write an analytical paragraph about the use of imagery in the novel -When complete, provide constructive feedback on two people's posts en-us 2020-09-15 05:10:12 UTC 2020-09-17 06:58:01 UTC hello@padlet.com Sample Analysis Paragraph ajitdhillon https://padlet.com/ajitdhillon/r43d9vkpw4wk9pe9/wish/746710223 “[My father-in-law] held his long gown with his right hand, and his face was ghostly pale as he made his way out to the country. Following him was a carriage covered with flowers and draped in red silk, with more than ten young men crowded around on either side beating bells and gongs” (40). 

The contrasting imagery in the passage conveys how wealth disparity unfairly defines social relationships. As Fugui is no longer a landowner, his father-in-law comes to reclaim his already married daughter. The imagery of an ornate wedding carriage, described in luxury with its “flowers” and “red silk”, heightens the irony as this ceremony is being used to steal a wife away from her husband. The luxury of the carriage contrasts with Fugui’s current state of poverty and ridicules how far Fugui has fallen economically. On the other hand, the description of the father-in-law as “ghostly pale,” almost as if he himself knows how wrong this is, signifies the unnatural quality of this arrangement. The fact that Jiazhen’s father can steal her away from her husband because of his newfound poverty, which goes against the wishes of the couple, shows the connection between social status and power. Now that Fugui is a mere farmer, he loses his rights as a husband. The imagery allows us to experience Fugui’s dread upon seeing his father-in-law while highlighting the unfairness of the situation.  


]]> 2020-09-15 05:14:15 UTC https://padlet.com/ajitdhillon/r43d9vkpw4wk9pe9/wish/746710223 Akhil - Analysis Paragraph https://padlet.com/ajitdhillon/r43d9vkpw4wk9pe9/wish/746971810 "Those sounds, one phrase at a time fading in and out, sounded like someone talking: You ask a question, he answers. The dreary voices didn't seem to come from the living. And then after a while there was only one voice crying. That voice was so soft it seemed like a mosquito buzzing back and forth around my face. After I listened for a while, it didn't seem to be groaning, but rather singing a short melody. All around it was so silent that not a sound could be heard, only that voice, eternally twisting and turning. I listened until tears fell from my eyes."

The imagery in this particular section of the extract contrasts the endless sounds - one by one - of the soldiers' moans and groans to a singular voice's "melody" resulting in tears falling from Fugui's eyes. Fugui is in the middle of war, and cannot help but long for his family, dreading the consequences he has been placed into. A sense of empathy befalls the reader as they come to terms with the continued pain that Fugui specifically is facing. The "dreary" voices symbolize his hatred for the situation he is currently facing, while the singular voice "like a mosquito buzzing back" may perhaps represent that ray of hope, or a fragment of Fugui. It is unclear why Fugui particularly cries after hearing this sound, but it is clear that the author has deliberately included this segment to highlight a sort of remembrance, or further deliver that "sense of longing". There must be some significance and correlation between the beginning of the passage mentioning his family, and his dread for the war, in the form of misery - and sharing that misery with the singular voice. It may be the case that this was a representation of Fugui in comparison to the war as a whole - zooming on an individual in specific to highlight that pain, as we would usually associate wars with statistics and numbers, but when we as readers understand it on a personal level, we are able to empathize with Fugui, his family, and the situation more. We see his state transition, from being unable to breathe, to crying, and this is significant, as it encapsulates the various stages of his longing to return to his home; intensifying his already growing problems, and eventually leading us to vouch for Fugui - having seen him getting characterized as someone who does truly care for his family.


]]> 2020-09-15 07:33:09 UTC https://padlet.com/ajitdhillon/r43d9vkpw4wk9pe9/wish/746971810 Cassandra https://padlet.com/ajitdhillon/r43d9vkpw4wk9pe9/wish/746972443 The author uses imagery to highlight the inhumanity of war and also reveals the reality of what people went through during that historical period of time. He describes the disturbing situation when hearing people suffer in pain and 'those sounds, one phrase at a time, fading in and out, sounded like someone talking: You ask a question, he answers. The dreary voices didn't seem to come home from the living. And then after a while there was only one voice left crying. That voice was so soft it seemed like a mosquito buzzing back and forth around my face"(73). The author uses imagery in this quote to reveal the discomfort he feels, having to hear these dreary sounds before he goes to bed. He compares the soft voice to a mosquito buzzing, which is soft, but loud enough to hear, therefore affecting him. The author also reveals the reality of war as he mentioned that after a while, there was only one voice left crying, and this truly reveals the true reality on the cruelty and inhumanity of the war, as people die a slow and painful death. Hence, it can be seen that the use of imagery paints a very dreadful and gloomy scene, which essentially illustrates the harsh reality of life during the Chinese Civil War. ]]> 2020-09-15 07:33:29 UTC https://padlet.com/ajitdhillon/r43d9vkpw4wk9pe9/wish/746972443 Jacky https://padlet.com/ajitdhillon/r43d9vkpw4wk9pe9/wish/746972621 "Those sounds, one phrase at a time fading in and out, sounded like someone talking: You ask a question, he answers. The dreary voice didn't seem to come from the living, And then after a while there was only one voice left crying. That voce was so soft it seemed like a mosquito buzzing back and forth around my face. After I listened for a while it didn't seem to be groaning, but rather singing a short melody. All around it was so silent that no a sound could be heard, only that voice eternally twisting and turning."

The use of imagery and simile used in this section really engages the audience, by having this particular section in Fugui's first person view, this allows the readers to create an image in their head about what it is actually like to be at war, and how the characters feel. The use of imagery is very important as the book is trying to convey the messages of war being bad, and the use of imagery creates a sense of empathy to the readers, as the readers are basically experiencing what Fugui's going through during this war. As we can see, the current situation Fugui's in is very harsh, for example, "The dreary voices didn't seem to come from the living" and continues to describe the environment around him, which is the result of war. We can also tell that Fugui's hurting deep down as it states "I thought and though about them until I was all blocked up insde and couldn't breathe" Fugui's reminiscing of him and his family is what gives him comfort and what gives him the will to not give up, showing a side of him we haven't seen that much earlier in the book.]]> 2020-09-15 07:33:34 UTC https://padlet.com/ajitdhillon/r43d9vkpw4wk9pe9/wish/746972621 Grace https://padlet.com/ajitdhillon/r43d9vkpw4wk9pe9/wish/746973604 The author utilises imagery to vividly illustrates the death of wounded soldiers, highlighting the fragility of lives under the historical context of China Civil War. The impact of the image is significant to the protagonist as the "wounded troops who had been calling out the night before were all dead". This view is detrimental to Fugui because it is his first time to see so many people dying and it makes him fall into despair, knowing that they were all going to die at some point in this war and no one can salvage them. It was like an "eternity" to look at the corpses "lay there in disarray, not moving a muscle, covered by a light blanket of snow". The imagery here particularly highlights how people are suffering in wartime as normal citizens are forced into war. The reference of snow is also an indicator of time passing by and the presence of nature, indicating that these dead people just disappeared from a period of history and the world still goes on without them. This creates a sense of melancholy and helplessness.]]> 2020-09-15 07:34:11 UTC https://padlet.com/ajitdhillon/r43d9vkpw4wk9pe9/wish/746973604 Elin https://padlet.com/ajitdhillon/r43d9vkpw4wk9pe9/wish/746973968 In the passage, imagery is used to allow the reader to empathize with what was happening during the war and to highlight the adverse effects and the cruelty of the war. The way in which the author describes the horrible events of the fighting and the death of the soldiers immediately impacts the reader and paints a very clear and impactful image of the situation. While Fugui is hearing the wounded soldiers outside the tunnel dying he describes how the "voice was so soft it seemed like a mosquito buzzin back and forth around my face. After I listened for a while it didn't seem to be groaning but rather singing a short melody. All around is was so silent that not a sound could be heard, only that voice, eternally twisting and turning" (73). By going into detail on the sound of the voices, the author paints a very dark and sad scene. The contrast between the nature of the situation and how the voice is described as singing creates a lot of dissonance as death is not typically associated with singing. This builds almost a sort of eeriness around the situation. This is also done through how the voice is described as "eternally twisting and turning," suggesting that Fugui is struggling to ignore the voice and that it is in a way consuming him and won't go away. This allows the reader to understand the discomfort and cruelty of the war and the death that comes with it. Through the imagery that is used here, the author is able to create empathy in the reader.        ]]> 2020-09-15 07:34:22 UTC https://padlet.com/ajitdhillon/r43d9vkpw4wk9pe9/wish/746973968 Inaya https://padlet.com/ajitdhillon/r43d9vkpw4wk9pe9/wish/746974716 In the passage, the author uses imagery to express the Fugui's sense of dread and discomfort of hearing the dying troops, which allows the reader to empathise with him. The sounds of the wounded troops instill a sense of constant uneasiness in Fuigui, which he then tries to suppress by distracting himself by imagining their cries as conversations with the fallen soldiers or thinking of them as a melody in a song. This is a failed attempt as the cries come back to haunt him.  "All around it was so silent that not a sound could be heard, only that voice, eternally twisting and turning" (74). He is so fixated on the cries, it is all his senses focus on all night]]> 2020-09-15 07:34:41 UTC https://padlet.com/ajitdhillon/r43d9vkpw4wk9pe9/wish/746974716 https://padlet.com/ajitdhillon/r43d9vkpw4wk9pe9/wish/746975000 The imagery which describes the sounds of the wounded soldiers in the passage exposes the narrator’s struggle in coping with death. During the time when Fugui is fighting in the war he hears the voices of the wounded soldiers at night as he tries to fall asleep. As the voices fade he thinks that “most of them had fallen asleep”, but the ones that still remain “[sound] like someone talking” and when finally all but one voice fade it seems to him “like a mosquito bussing back and forth around his face”. Fugui created an alternative reason as to why the soldiers stoped moaning as he thinks the simply had “fallen asleep“ this hopefulness in the idea that they had not passed away shows his inability to accept his current environment. He then tries to normalise the moans by comparing them to “someone talking” attempting to ignore the pain and suffering of the soldiers. Yet the comparison of the last voice to a mosquito buzzing in the air shows how despite the low volume he cannot help but think about it. This look inside the way Fugui tries to disassociate the moaning with deaths happening so near him signifies the damage death can have on one’s mind. ]]> 2020-09-15 07:34:51 UTC https://padlet.com/ajitdhillon/r43d9vkpw4wk9pe9/wish/746975000 Tia https://padlet.com/ajitdhillon/r43d9vkpw4wk9pe9/wish/746975130 The imagery used in this extract displays the unfamiliarity that Fugui experiences whilst his experience in the war. As Fugui was forced into the war he feels uncomforted being in a new environment as he attempts to find comfort. Fugui “felt as if someone were holding [his] nose and covering [his] mouth” (73). Making it hard for him to breathe in this situation. The author uses this imagery to convey Fugui's physical state, giving the audience a visual representation of that. The details in the quote also allows for the audience to relate and physically understand what Fugui feels. Additionally the unfamiliarity of this new environment shows how Fugui's mindset. "I thought that most of them had fallen asleep"(73). This shows Fugui's assumption of what may be happening outiside his shelter. Fugui is not used to people dying around him and therefore his inner thoughts display his feeling at that point. As a contrast, we can see how old Quan is so used to seeing people die. Regardless of his "dumbfounded" reaction, Old Quan is still not fazed by this. "'It's terrible' As Old Quan spoke and climbed out of the tunnel and walked"(73). This displays a very casual tone where the reader can understand the Old Quan is used to these surroundings. ]]> 2020-09-15 07:34:55 UTC https://padlet.com/ajitdhillon/r43d9vkpw4wk9pe9/wish/746975130 Khulan https://padlet.com/ajitdhillon/r43d9vkpw4wk9pe9/wish/746976645 Yu Hua uses imagery to reveal the inhumane and cruel nature of war. After, a cold night of bloodshed, Fugui manages to survive in the tunnels. The author emphasises the selfish nature of war where human life is not valued with the disturbing visualisation of the "thousands of wounded soldiers who had been calling the night before dead. They lay there is disarray, not moving a muscle, covered by a light blanket of snow". This creates a very dark and morbid image. All of these men had a chance at survival but, because of the need for violence, precious lives were wasted.]]> 2020-09-15 07:35:44 UTC https://padlet.com/ajitdhillon/r43d9vkpw4wk9pe9/wish/746976645 Giulia https://padlet.com/ajitdhillon/r43d9vkpw4wk9pe9/wish/746976693 Throughout the novel, imagery is used to appeal to the reader's senses and allow them to imagine certain feelings. "All around it was so silent that not a sound could be heard, only that voice, eternally twisting and turning. I listened until tears fell from my eyes. After the tears melted the snow on my face, they trickled down my neck, making it feel like a cold wind had blown in" (73). The author, Yu Hua, incorporates imagery to allow the reader to encounter the way in which Fugui feels in this passage of the novel. It also allows the reader to highlight what was happening in the war, as well as understand the cruelty of it. The "theme" of this passage is very dark and creates a ]]> 2020-09-15 07:35:44 UTC https://padlet.com/ajitdhillon/r43d9vkpw4wk9pe9/wish/746976693 Jake https://padlet.com/ajitdhillon/r43d9vkpw4wk9pe9/wish/746976723 "They lay there in disarray, not moving a muscle, covered by f snow. sThose of hiding in the tunnefa'rh
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9]]> 2020-09-15 07:35:45 UTC https://padlet.com/ajitdhillon/r43d9vkpw4wk9pe9/wish/746976723 Noah Stignor 21noahs https://padlet.com/ajitdhillon/r43d9vkpw4wk9pe9/wish/746977333 To Live uses imagery throughout much of the story and narration to compel the reader to feel or imagine a certain emotion or setting. "And then after a while there was only one voice left crying. That voice was so soft it seemed like a mosquito buzzing back and forth around my face." Here the authors uses both imagery and a simile to allow the reader to experience a sense of what the character, Fugui, and this allows the reading to be more rounded and appeal to the audience much better. This use of imagery also tends to improve the story telling, and the actual emotions of characters, considering the diction the author uses when in their perspective.]]> 2020-09-15 07:36:04 UTC https://padlet.com/ajitdhillon/r43d9vkpw4wk9pe9/wish/746977333 Jake https://padlet.com/ajitdhillon/r43d9vkpw4wk9pe9/wish/746985538 2020-09-15 07:40:38 UTC https://padlet.com/ajitdhillon/r43d9vkpw4wk9pe9/wish/746985538 Jake https://padlet.com/ajitdhillon/r43d9vkpw4wk9pe9/wish/747006525 “They lay there in disarray, not moving a muscle, covered by a light blanket of snow. Those of us hiding in the tunnels who were still alive stared blankly at them for what seemed like an eternity.” Here the author utilises imagery in order to enhance the mood of the harsh, cold reality of the aftermath of a war when everything and everyone has gone silent, unable to come with terms with the traumatising experience they they still cannot fathom. They mention the completely still bodies that are covered by snow all lying outside their tunnels, when it seemed like seconds ago when they were all crying out desperately for their lives. The author also applies the word “eternity” to highlight the seemingly long and silent yet incomprehensible situation that these soldiers just experienced, and no one with a suggestion of their new action. The usage of imagery here to illustrate the dead and the current atmosphere with the surviving soldiers emphasises the mood of the brutal, cold aftermath reality of the traumatising events they just went through that felt like a nightmare.]]> 2020-09-15 07:53:08 UTC https://padlet.com/ajitdhillon/r43d9vkpw4wk9pe9/wish/747006525