The+Last+Emperor+Movie+Reflection

Today I watched the movie, //The Last Emperor.// The movie follows the life of China’s last emperor as the country makes the switch 1 from having an imperialistic government to a communist one. Before the movie I hadn’t 2 known much about China’s emperors and their roles in governing China, so most of this movie came as a shock to me. I was also surprised at how different Communist China was from its previous form of government and how quickly and suddenly it was able to change. Seeing these changes occur during one person’s lifetime helped me understand what an impact the change made on people’s lives. The treatment that the emperor received throughout his life in the Forbidden City was not surprising to me. I expected him to be very spoiled since he had so many servants with him all the time. What I didn’t know is that he would turn out to be very naïve because he was constantly protected and lied to about the outside world and events in China. I also didn’t understand why they had to separate him from both his real mother and his surrogate mother. I didn’t like the fact that the imperial mothers could make any decisions they wanted for the emperor and claim him as their own child. I really didn’t like the emperor himself because of his spoiled attitude, but at the same time I could understand that he didn’t exactly have a choice. China seemed very different to me in the movie after it became communist. One of the changes I noticed was that everything in China seemed to suddenly get more modern when it became communist, while imperial China had looked very old-fashioned and traditional. It was also strange for me to see the peaceful, happy setting in the Forbidden City go to the restricted, drab setting that was communist China in the movie. 3 I wondered how the Chinese citizens seemed to be okay with this change in which they had less freedom and individuality. The movie did not explain what China was like outside the Forbidden City so it was hard for me to understand how the Chinese citizens reacted to communism and why they accepted it. I was able to see the differences between these two types of governments much more clearly by watching this movie. 4

1. I don't like the word "switch". It makes it seem as it were an instantaneous transition, when in effect it took 38 years for the Communists to even get into power--a time period which included the Nationalist Era, the Japanese invasion, and a civil war.

2. No contractions allowed!

3. From your description, it does not sound as if you understood the second half of the movie at all. Most of it takes place between the fall of the last dynasty (1911) and the beginning of Communism in 1948. Where is the part about Pu Yi's collaboration with the Japanese?

4. Then these differences should be described in detail.

Reflection 7, English 9 (Contractions)

Today I watched the movie, //The Last Emperor//. The movie follows the life of China’s last emperor as the country makes the gradual change of having an imperialistic government to having a communist one. Before the movie I had not known much about China’s emperors and their roles in governing China, so most of this movie came as a shock to me. I was also surprised at how different Communist China was from its previous form of government and how quickly and suddenly it was able to change. Seeing these changes occur during one person’s lifetime helped me understand what an impact the change made on people’s lives.

The treatment that the emperor received throughout his life in the Forbidden City was not surprising to me. I expected him to be very spoiled since he had so many servants with him all the time. What I did not know is that he would turn out to be very naïve because he was constantly protected and lied to about the outside world and events in China. I also did not understand why they had to separate him from both his real mother and his surrogate mother. I disliked the fact that the imperial mothers could make any decisions they wanted for the emperor and claim him as their own child. I really did not like the emperor himself because of his spoiled attitude, but at the same time I could understand that he really had no choice.

When the movie depicted the emperor’s life after the Forbidden City, I noticed it was almost the same as how he had lived within the Forbidden City. As imperialistic China’s emperor, he seemed to be used solely as a puppet by the leaders around him. He was told what to say and do whether he agreed with it or not. Much like this situation, the Japanese also used him as a puppet to suit their own interests. The emperor was easily controlled by these “puppeteers” and allowed them to direct him and help him with all of his problems, remaining completely unaware of the bigger plot they had in mind. After all, that was what he had been taught to do his entire life.

China seemed very different to me in the movie after it became communist. One of the changes I noticed was that everything in China seemed to suddenly get more modern when it became communist, while imperial China had looked very old-fashioned and traditional. It was also strange for me to see the peaceful, happy setting in the Forbidden City go to the restricted, drab setting that was communist China in the movie. I wondered how the Chinese citizens seemed to be okay with this change in which they had less freedom and individuality. The movie did not explain what China was like outside the Forbidden City so it was hard for me to understand how the Chinese citizens reacted to communism and why they accepted it. I was able to see the differences between these two types of governments much more clearly by watching this movie.

Very good!!! I like the "puppet" comparison of two stages of his life.

Reflection 10 English 10