About the
Author
Lu Xun or Lu Hsün (Wade-Giles), was the pen
name of Zhou Shuren (September 25, 1881 – October 19, 1936), a leading figure
of modern Chinese literature. Writing in Vernacular Chinese as well as
Classical Chinese, Lu Xun was a novelist, editor, translator, literary critic,
essayist, and poet. In the 1930s he became the titular head of the League of
Left-Wing Writers in Shanghai.
Lu Xun's works exerted a
substantial influence after the May Fourth Movement that began around 1916. He
was highly acclaimed by the Communist regime after 1949, and Mao Zedong himself
was a lifelong admirer of Lu Xun's works. Though sympathetic to communist
ideas, Lu Xun never actually joined the Chinese Communist Party. Like many
leaders of the May Fourth Movement, he was primarily a leftist and liberal.
Discussion
Director (Myca)
1. Why do you think the puller helped the
woman?
- The puller helped the woman maybe because the puller thinks that it’s his
responsibility that he bumped the woman. Of course, if you are in the situation
that you bumped someone not even intentionally, you will think that it is your
responsibility to apologize or help him/her up. And, as a sign of being
respectful to others, helping someone is the best thing to do, not only showing
that you are indeed a good person but also being hospitable and being concerned
of everything that surrounds you.
2. Why do you think that the man gave
the copper to the puller?
- The man gave the copper to the puller
because he felt ashamed and had conscience of what he did to the hurt woman.
For example, if I did something and I realized lately that it was wrong, then I
will have a feeling of conscience because the first thing that would run into
my mind is, “What have I done?”. And at the same time, feeling ashamed because
I didn’t think it before I did. So I will apologize.
3. Why do you think the puller brought
the woman to the police station?
- The puller brought the woman to the
police station because he thinks that is for the better good. We all know that
most of us call the police immediately when there is an accident so that they
could help us and solve the problem.
4. If you were the man in the story,
would you also give copper to the puller? Why or Why not?
- Yes I will. I will give them some
copper as a sign of my help. Because I think that they need money. We know that
many of us really want to help our neighborhood. So that’s why I help my
classmates and friends as possible as I can.
5. If you were one of the characters in the
story, who would it be and why?
- I would like to be the rich man.
Because even we thought that he is a bad and insensitive person because of what
he said to the woman. But, he still had conscience deep inside him and that’s
why he gave some copper to the puller. Sometimes I talk back to my parents in a
very bad way, but later on I feel guilty so I go apologize to them immediately.
Character
Captain (Aries)
1. Lu Hsun as Russell Crowe in Les
Miserables
- Lu Hsun is
comparable to the character of Gerard Butler in Les Miserables. He was so
concerned about his job that he became insensitive to the sufferings of his
fellow mankind. And like Lu Hsun in the story, Russell Crowe also realized that
the main character, Hugh Jackman was a very kind person.
2. The puller as Hugh Jackman in Les
Miserables
- The
character in Hugh Jackman in Les Miserables, is similar to that of the rickshaw
puller. Hugh Jackman was from a low station in life as was the rickshaw puller.
And yet, they were both very sensitive of the needs of the people around them.
They always put the needs of others ahead of themselves.
3. The old woman as Anne Hathaway in Les
Miserables
- Like Anne Hathaway, the old woman in
the story was a victim of society.
Literary
Luminary (Bunny)
1. “It was a winter day in the sixth year
of the Republic and a strong northernly wind blew seriously. To make a living, I had to be up early and on
the way to my duties I encountered scarcely anyone.”
Everyday, parents, adult people and
even children who needed to find a living, go through sacrifices to provide for
their loved ones. The phrase above
described the weather condition. Winter
is such a cold day in itself. When it is
coupled with a wind blowing, the cold would tend to become more harsh. It could have been a nice day to sleep and
stay in the comforts of home and yet the author had to get up early and face
the weather conditions outside of his home and on the street so he could earn his
living and fulfil his duties. This is a
mark of a man who is responsible and committed to his life and to his job. There are people like him around us, we just
need to look around and look at the sacrifices they are making for the people
he loved and for his country.
2. “It was a woman with streaks of white in
her hair, and she wore ragged clothes.
She had darted suddenly from the side of the street, and directly
crossed in front of us.”
In our lives, people and events
suddenly come without warning. Our
reaction will be different from each other.
Others will be irritated, others will be surprised and yet others might
have no feelings at all. These people,
these events are actually opportunities. Opportunities for us to either become
a better person or a bad one. Because
these opportunities comes with choices.
And your choice could lead you to another world of possibilities. Just like in the story, the sudden crossing
of the woman with streaks of white hair, gave the rickshaw puller and the
passenger choices and opportunities and each of them took different
choices. Which choice was the right
choice? Who took the opportunity for the
good? These could be answered by the
shame that the author felt after seeing what the rickshaw puller chose to do.
3. “The whole business is distasteful, and
the rickshaw man is merely making difficulties for himself. Now let him find his own way out of the
mess.”
In our world today, people are
running everywhere to fulfil a lot of duties: for work, for family, for children,
for civic activities and for community.
They needed to be in different places to be able to do that. As a result, they are always in a hurry that
they do no longer have time to attend to anyone else's need other than theirs.
They can no longer be bothered by the pains of other people as getting involved
can bring them another set of problem and complications which they no longer
need. This was exactly what the author
felt when the rickshaw puller had to stop and help the woman. We have become so insensitive to other people
and their needs that we sometimes get angry with people that still have the
sensitivity.
4. “Get another rickshaw” he advised. “This man can’t pull you anymore”
In our lives, we need to be able to
determine when is the right time to move on and when to wait around. The author in this story, still sat on the
rickshaw waiting for the puller to come
back and bring him to his destination, he failed to recognise the fact that the
rickshaw puller has already turned into another direction and from that point
ceased to the puller he hired to bring him to his destination. We all ride in different vehicles. Our job, our friends, our social group. If these vehicles have already ceased to
bring us to our destination then it is time to move on ahead and stop waiting
around.
5. “But always before my eyes, purging we
with shame, impelling me to better myself, invigorating my hope and courage,
this little incident is reenacted.”
What the rickshaw driver did was an
eye opener for the passenger. It does
not require education or wealth to be a better person. Because clearly the better person in the
“Little Incident” was the rickshaw puller, not the author who thought that he
was wiser than the puller because he did not want to complicate his life by
involving himself with the woman. In our
lives, we need incidents like that to remind us to strive to be better everyday,
to have the courage to help and not be afraid of the consequences for helping
because every person, every human being is worth the bother.
Summarizer
(Jam)
After six years of staying in the
capital city, Lu Hsun returned to his old village. As he walked along the
village, he remembered a shameful incident that after today burns in his
memory.
It was one winter morning and he rode
a rickshaw to work. When the rickshaw was about to reach the South Gate,
suddenly and old ragged woman crossed in front of them. The puller immediately
slowed down and halted. After a while, they saw the old woman kneeling down on
the street. The puller had stopped and approached her if she was hurt. Lu Hsan
was arguing to what puller was doing. He commanded the puller to leave the
woman for she was just pretending to be injured. But, the puller did not
hesitate to help the woman in need and carefully lead her to the police
station. Lu Hsun was left alone in the rickshaw, speechless and motionless. The
police officer ordered him to find another rickshaw because the puller could
not pull him anymore.
Lu Hsun couldn’t forget this little
incident. His conscience was asking him of why became rude to that woman. He
was ashamed of his conduct. That incident may be just “little”, but it teaches
us many lessons in life that we could really apply.
Connector (Geo)
Sometimes in my life I leave many
things for others do. I can easily
recognize people or children in need, but in my ignorance I thought that it was
not my job, that it was not up to me.
For example, I see children begging in the streets. They come to me to ask for food or
money. I see their need, their yearning
but I said to myself that I am not in a position to help them as I am a child
myself. I realize now, that even if I am
a child like them, I have more resources than them which I could share with
them. My sympathy, my time and other
resources that I may have.
In the adult world, it is the
same. They pass by beggars or other
people in need, thinking that other people should help them and not them as
they cannot be bothered in their own lives.
It is easy to point out to others that they should help when their hands
at the tip of their arms should be the ones to render help.
Vocabulary
Enricher (Rachel)
1.
scarcely (adverb)
- almost not
2.
rickshaw (noun)
- a small covered 2- wheeled vehicle
usually for one passenger that is pulled by one man and that was used in Japan
3.
entangle (verb)
- to wrap or twist together
4.
streak (noun)
- a line or mark of a different color
5.
swerve ( verb)
- to turn aside abruptly from a straight
line or course
6.
tattered (adjective)
- wearing ragged clothes; torn into
shreds
7.
flutter (verb)
- to flap the wings rapidly
8.
shaft (noun)
- a long handle of spear or similar
weapon
9.
halt (verb)
- to walk or proceed lamely
10. loom (noun)
- a frame machine for interlacing at
right angles of two or more sets of thread or yarns to form a cloth
11.
thrust (verb)
- to push or drive with force
12. ceased (verb)
- to cause to an end
13. mused (verb)
- to become absorbed in thought
14. fistful (adjective)
- a considerable number or amount
15.
introspect ( verb)
- a reflective looking inward; an
examination of one’s own thoughts and feelings
1 16. purging (verb)
- to clear of quilt
17. invigorating ( verb)
- to give life and energy to
18.distinctly (adverb)
- distinguishable to the eye or mind
19. wink (noun)
- to close and open one or both eyes
quickly
20. hesitate (verb)
to be reluctant or wait to act because of
fear indecision and disinclination
Artful
Adventure (Kyne)
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| (Kindness of Heart, Compassion for Fellowmen, Virtues which set a person above the rest) |
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