Lu Xun's "Social Opera"

16 Social Opera

Text Discussion

1. Overall Understanding

The full text of "Social Opera" originally consists of two parts, the text is excerpted from The latter part describes the author's past events of watching social operas when he was a child, expressing his memories and nostalgia for the beautiful childhood life.

Childhood is a happy and beautiful experience for many people and an unforgettable experience. When I recall the past as an adult, I have a romantic feeling for the people and things at that time. The author of this article creates the image of a group of simple and lovely rural children, such as Shuangxi, Afa, Guisheng, etc. These little friends are smart, lively, bold, careful, enthusiastic and friendly. "I" couldn't see the play, "they all sighed and expressed sympathy"; when the boat was sailing, "the younger ones sat with me in the cabin, and the older ones gathered at the stern" just in case; when watching the play, Guisheng diligently Buy soy milk and scoop water for "me"; on the way home, Ah Fa suggested to "steal" his own beans because "ours are much bigger". These are all outstanding manifestations of their innocent childlike innocence.

Shuangxi is the "smartest" among the friends. He is like the little leader of the friends, and his personality is also the most outstanding: he is as careful as hair, smart and smart, and it is not fun to be "I" , when "I feel anxious to cry", Shuangxi can immediately come up with "good ideas", and can give reasons that "grandmother and mother also believe"; Tietou Laosheng does not do somersaults at night, "I" is very disappointed, Shuangxi uses "Who is willing to show his skills to Bai Di" to comfort "me", showing the kindness and consideration of a big brother; he can make up his mind, and when the old lady sings endlessly and everyone is tired of it but it is difficult to say back, he can It was he who suggested going home; on the way back, everyone stole the beans from Ah Fa's house, and after the double happiness, he advised everyone to "steal more, and Ah Fa's mother will cry if she finds out", which shows that he is good at thinking about others.

The description of the scenery in this article is very distinctive. The author uses freehand brushwork to depict the scenes of sailing on a moonlit night, watching a show on the bow, and returning home at midnight from aspects such as color, smell, and sound. The scenes blend together and are full of water town characteristics. The color is like the "green" of beans and wheat, the "light black" of distant mountains, the "brightness" of moonlight, the "red" of fishing fires and lights, and the "white" of ships; the smell is like the "fresh fragrance" of beans, wheat and water plants; the sound is like Such as the "gurgling" sound of the boat, the laughter of the children, and the "melodious" sound of the transverse flute, all aspects are written concisely, cleanly, and vividly. The author also uses various metaphors, personification and other techniques, such as showing the speed of the ship and using distant mountains to set it off, "the dark undulating mountains, like the backbone of an active iron beast, all run far away to the stern of the ship." Gone"; directly describes the ship, "The ship is like a big white fish jumping in the waves carrying a group of children on its back", turning static into movement and enhancing the effect of scene description.

2. Problem Research

1. Why does the author say that Pingqiao Village is "a paradise for me"?

A village with simple folk customs, for a feudal family For children who grow up in middle school and are bound by various rules, it is indeed a paradise of happiness and freedom. As a guest, the author "gets preferential treatment here", and the shrimps he catches "are mine to eat as usual". The friends take good care of "me", and this kind of friendship and care is vividly displayed in the section "Watching the Social Opera" ; Here "I" can avoid reading those outdated and useless scriptures, and there are not so many rules to follow. Even if I "beat the grandfather", "no one in the whole village will come up with the word 'offend'" , for "I" who have been suppressed in the feudal moral order since childhood, such freedom is such a precious enjoyment; and in the countryside, I can get close to nature, "dig earthworms", "fish for shrimp" and "herd cattle", Compared with the restricted life of "me" in the town house, it is undoubtedly fresh, interesting and charming.

2. What is the image of Father-in-law on June 1st?

Father-in-law on June 1st is the image of a simple villager. When Father-in-Law Liuyi complained about the children stealing his beans, he just blamed them for "reluctance to pick them properly and damaged a lot of them." When he heard that the beans were picked for a treat, he immediately said, "This is what it should be." He was not a stingy person. ; Later, he personally delivered the beans, showing his warm and hospitable character. "I" praised him and "actually felt very grateful", which reflected his honest and kind-hearted nature as a farmer.

As for his compliments about "I", "I've read books", "I will definitely get the top prize in the future", etc., it's just like today's praise of a child who is smart and will definitely be admitted to a good university in the future. There are also opinions that although Father-in-law Liuyi is a good person, he has the limitations of a farmer. His praise of "I" shows that his consciousness was deeply influenced by feudal ethics, which was inevitable at the time.

Exercise instructions

1. The end of the text says: "Really, until now, I have never eaten as good beans as that night, and I no longer see them. That night was like a good show. "How should we understand this ending? Do you have such an experience in life?

This question is intended to let students understand the author's thoughts and feelings expressed in the article.

In fact, the show that night made people "yawn" and "mutter curses" while watching it. The beans that night tasted really normal the next day. The so-called "good beans like that night" and "good plays like that night" represent the author's beautiful memories of innocent, free and interesting childhood, full of a romantic ideal color, expressing the desire and pursuit of the ideal state of life.

2. Sailing on a summer night and returning home on a moonlit night are both very exciting in terms of scene description and narrative. What did I see, hear, and feel during the summer night cruise to heighten "my" urgent mood? How is "my" mood different when sailing home on a moonlit night than when I go to the theater?

This question is intended to make "my" feel anxious. Students understand the writing characteristics of this article's blend of scenarios.

What you see: The moonlight is dim in this water vapor. The dark undulating mountains, like the backbone of an eager iron beast, all ran far away to the stern of the ship. ... Gradually I saw Zhaozhuang vaguely, ... there were still a few fires, ...

What I heard: And I seemed to hear a song being played, ... the sound was probably a transverse flute, melodious and melodious ...

Returning under the Moon writes an interesting story about friends going to "steal" Luohan beans. When I went there, "I" was in a very anxious mood and always "thought the boat was slow." But at this time, "I" and my friends were stealing and eating beans, and we were in a very happy mood.

3. Think about the following words and answer the questions in brackets.

1. My heavy heart suddenly relaxed, and my body seemed to stretch to an indescribable size.

(What kind of mood does “relaxation” and “stretch” express?)

2. The dark undulating mountains are like eager iron beasts. Like ridges, they all ran far away to the stern of the ship.

(Why is the mountain said to be "exciting"?)

3. Looking back at the stage in the light of the lights, it feels like it has not arrived yet, and it is as misty as a fairy mountain pavilion. , completely shrouded in red clouds.

(What kind of mood does "looking back" express? What kind of situation does "cover" express?)

4. Unexpectedly, Mr. Liu Yi became very grateful and He raised his thumb and said proudly...

(Why is Mr. Sixty-one still "grateful" after someone stole the beans?)

This question is intended to allow students to appreciate the language. deep meaning.

1. "Relaxation" and "stretch" are in sharp contrast to the previous article's frustration at not seeing the show, expressing "my" joyful and light mood.

2. Use the verb "to eagerly" to write about the mountains, bringing the still life to life. The meaning of this word is different from what it is now. The author creatively gives this word a new meaning here.

3. The word "looking back" expresses the mood of "I" Yiyi. "Cover" visually expresses the dreamlike scene on the stage, echoing the scene.

4. Because "I" who have studied in the city praised his beans. It shows the honest and kind character of Father Liu Yi.

4. △ Some people think that this article contains too little content directly about social operas and too much content other than social operas. Therefore, it is suggested to change the title to something like "One Night in Pingqiao Village". Do you agree with this view? Why? If everyone is interested in this, you might as well hold a group meeting to discuss this issue.

This question is intended to allow students to take initiative in learning and deepen their understanding of the text.

Students answer according to their own opinions.

Teaching Suggestions

1. This article mainly recalls the beautiful childhood memories, and this should be the focus when teaching.

Some people think that this article criticizes feudal ethics and criticizes the dark society. This view is somewhat biased and should be avoided in teaching.

2. Some problems, such as the "stealing" of beans by the friends and the "gratitude" of the June 1st father-in-law, may not be understood by students according to the current moral values, so they must be appropriately guided and explained during teaching.

3. This article can be used as an opportunity to appropriately guide students to pay attention to the cultural customs of their hometown and carry out language activities.

Childhood

Lu Xun in his youth

When he was 13 years old, his grandfather, who was an official in the capital, was imprisoned for a fraud case in the imperial examination. His father was ill for a long time and eventually died. The family's financial situation declined, so he sold the house. Family changes had a profound impact on the young Lu Xun. He is the eldest son of the family. He has a lonely mother and younger siblings. He has to bear the burden of life together with his mother. The innocent and lively childhood life ended in this way, and he prematurely experienced the hardships of life and the warmth and coldness of the world. He often went to the drug store to pick up the medicine prescribed by the doctor for his father, and took the things to the pawn shop to sell them. When his family was in a good situation, people around him looked at him as a little "gongzi" with admiration, his words were kind and his eyes were tender. Since his family became poor, the attitudes of the people around him have changed: his words are cold, his eyes are cold, and his good friends no longer talk to him, with a look of disdain on their faces. This change in the attitude of the people around him left a deep impression on Lu Xun's mind and had a great impact on his young mind. It made him feel that in China at that time, there was a lack of sincere sympathy and love between people. People look at people and things with a "snobbish eye". Many years later, Lu Xun said very sadly: "Is there anyone who has fallen into trouble from a relatively well-off family? I thought that along the way, I could probably see the true face of the world." (Preface to "The Scream") Changes and changes in the family His later life experience also made Lu Xun close to the lower class people since he was a boy. His maternal grandmother's home was in a rural area, which gave him the opportunity to contact and understand the life of farmers. Especially around the time his grandfather was imprisoned, he had to take refuge with relatives in the countryside and lived in the countryside for a long time. There, he became friends with the children in the countryside, playing with them, boating with them, watching plays together, and sometimes going to their fields to "steal" beans and cook them. There is no mutual discrimination or hatred between them, but mutual care and friendship. Throughout his life, Lu Xun remembered and described his simple and sincere relationship with rural children as the most beautiful relationship between people.

School Period

At that time, ordinary scholars took three paths: one was to study and become an official. Those who cannot become an official can still become a "secret friend" of a certain bureaucrat. If the first two paths fail, they can also go into business. Lu Xun took another path that was most looked down upon by people at the time: entering a "foreign school". In China at that time, this was regarded by ordinary people as a despicable act of "selling one's soul to foreign devils". In 1898, the 18-year-old Mr. Lu Xun's portrait

Lu Xun left his hometown and entered the Nanjing Naval School, and later the Nanjing Road and Mine School, with 8 silver coins borrowed by his loving mother in various ways. Both schools were established by the Westernization Party in order to enrich the country and strengthen the military. They offered courses in mathematics, physics, chemistry and other natural sciences. During this period, Lu Xun read works on foreign literature and social sciences, broadening his horizons. In particular, Yan Fu's translation of "On the Evolution of Heaven" by Huxley, an Englishman, had a profound influence on Lu Xun. "Tianyan Lun" is a work that introduces Darwin's theory of evolution, which made Lu Xun realize that the real world is not harmonious and perfect, but full of fierce competition. If a person or a nation wants to survive and develop, it must have the spirit of self-reliance, independence, and self-improvement. We cannot be at the mercy of fate or bullied by the strong. Mr. Lu Xun's excellent grades while attending the Nanjing Road and Mine School gave him the opportunity to study abroad at public expense after graduation. In 1902, he traveled east to Japan and began to study Japanese at Hongbun College in Tokyo. Later, he entered Sendai Medical College (now the Faculty of Medicine of Tohoku University, Japan).

He chose to study medicine with the intention of treating patients like his father who were harmed by quackery and improving the health of the Chinese people who were ridiculed as the "sick man of East Asia".

Abandoned medicine to pursue literature

Lu Xun

Lu Xun wanted to enlighten the consciousness of the Chinese people through medicine. But his dream did not last long before it was shattered by the harsh reality. In Japan, as a citizen of a weak country, Lu Xun was often highly discriminated against by the Japanese with militaristic tendencies. In their eyes, all Chinese people are "imbecile". Lu Xun's anatomy score was 95 points, so they suspected that Fujino Genkuro, the teacher in charge of the anatomy class, had leaked the test questions to him. This made Lu Xun deeply feel the sorrow of being a citizen of a weak country. Once, in a slideshow shown before class, Lu Xun saw many Chinese people with "strong physiques and numb expressions" watching indifferently their compatriots who were executed as Russian detectives. Lu Xun was greatly shocked. At this time, he realized that mental numbness was more terrifying than physical weakness. Lu Xun wrote in "The Scream": "All the stupid and weak citizens, no matter how healthy and strong they are, can only serve as meaningless publicity materials and spectators...it is changing them. Spirit, and what is good at changing the spirit is that I thought at that time that of course I should promote literature and art..." So he gave up medicine and followed literature, left Sendai Medical College, returned to Tokyo, translated foreign literary works, organized literary magazines, published articles, and engaged in Literary activities. At that time, the issue he discussed most with his friends was about China’s national character: What is ideal human nature? What is lacking most in Chinese national character? What is its root cause? Through this kind of thinking, Lu Xun connected his personal life experience with the destiny of the entire Chinese nation, which laid the basic ideological foundation for his subsequent development as a writer and thinker. While studying in Japan, Mr. Lu Xun initially formed his world view and outlook on life. However, Lu Xun's thoughts were not only incomprehensible to most Chinese at the time, but also found it difficult to gain widespread response among students studying in Japan. The foreign novels he translated could only sell a few dozen copies, and the literary magazine he organized was not published due to lack of funds. The financial difficulties forced Lu Xun to return to China to seek employment. In 1909, he returned from Japan and worked as a teacher in Hangzhou Zhejiang Normal School (now Hangzhou Senior High School) and Shaoxing Fu Middle School. This was a period of extremely depressed thought for Lu Xun. The Revolution of 1911 in 1911 also gave him a moment of excitement, but then came the continuous dramas of historical tragedies such as Yuan Shikai's proclaiming himself emperor and Zhang Xun's restoration. The Revolution of 1911 did not change the reality of China's stagnation and backwardness. Social chaos, national disaster, The misfortunes in his personal marriage life made Lu Xun feel depressed and depressed. After the May 4th Movement, his long-suppressed thoughts and feelings erupted like lava through his literary works. At that time, he was already working in the Ministry of Education and moved to Beijing with the Ministry of Education.

Novel Creation

Portrait of Mr. Lu Xun

On May 15, 1918, Mr. Lu Xun was first published under the pen name "Lu Xun" in the magazine "New Youth" He wrote "Diary of a Madman", the first vernacular novel in the history of literature, which laid the foundation for the New Culture Movement (1919) and promoted the development of modern literature. This novel embodies all of Lu Xun's painful life experiences from his childhood to that time and all his painful thoughts on the modern destiny of the Chinese nation. Through the mouth of a "madman", it denounced the thousands-year history of China's feudal autocracy as a history of "cannibalism", and issued a stern question to the stagnant and backward Chinese society: "Has this always been the case? Is it right?" and loudly shouted: "Save the child!" Mr. Lu Xun's novels are not many in number, but they are of great significance. Lu Xun focused his attention on the lowest level of society and described the daily life and mental conditions of these people at the bottom. This is inseparable from Lu Xun's creative purpose. Lu Xun said: "I draw most of my materials from the unfortunate people in a sick society, which means to expose the suffering of the disease and attract attention to treatment." ("Nanqianbei Diaoji·How do I start a novel") This kind of expression of life, The creative purpose of improving life made him mainly describe the most common tragic fates of the most ordinary people, such as Hua Laoshuan, Sister-in-law Shan, Ah Q, Sister-in-law Xianglin, and Ai Ai.

These people live at the bottom of society and most need sympathy, compassion, care and love from the people around them. However, in the Chinese society at that time that lacked sincere love, what people gave them was insult, discrimination, indifference and callousness. Is such a society a normal society? Is this kind of interpersonal relationship a reasonable interpersonal relationship? What saddens us the most is that they live in a loveless world and are deeply tortured by life, but they also have a deep relationship with each other. Lacking sincere sympathy, they adopt an attitude of indifferent spectatorship or even appreciation for the tragic fate of their own kind, and vent their pent-up resentment when they are oppressed and bullied by bullying those who are weaker than themselves. In "Kong Yiji", there is a blouse customer who maliciously mocks Kong Yiji; in "The True Story of Ah Q", others bully Ah Q, and Ah Q bullies a little nun who is weaker than him; in "Blessing", Lu The villagers in the town regarded the tragedy of Mrs. Xianglin as an interesting story... All of this made people feel a chill to the bones. Lu Xun's attitude towards them was "sorry for their misfortune, angry for their inability to fight". Lu Xun loved them and hoped that they would be enlightened, that they could be self-reliant, independent, self-reliant, and possess the principles of life. Mr. Lu Xun had a deep hatred for the powerful and hypocrites. Ding Juren in "Kong Yiji", Mr. Zhao in "The True Story of Ah Q", Mr. Lu Si in "Blessing", Guo Laowa in "The Everlasting Lantern", the Seven Masters in "Divorce", etc. are all like this The image of some powerful people. They are powerful, but they have no sincere concern for the fate of others and no enthusiasm for the progress of society. They only care about their own power and status. They are selfish, hypocritical, and callous, hindering the progress and improvement of society. Si Ming in "Soap" and Master Gao in "Old Master Gao" are fake moralists and hypocrites. They claim to care about the morality of society, but in fact they themselves are people without morals. Mr. Lu Xun's novels describe the ordinary lives of ordinary people. There are no bizarre stories or fascinating plots, but they are full of infinite artistic charm. Where does this charm come from? It comes from his meticulous description of people and life and his penetrating portrayal of people's inner subtle psychology. When reading Lu Xun's novels, I always feel a "joy of discovery". The picture is an ordinary picture, and the characters are ordinary people, but in this ordinary picture and ordinary characters, we can always notice characteristics that we usually don't notice, and notice the psychological activities of the characters that we usually can't notice. It is precisely because of this meticulous description and profound psychological portrayal that the artistic charm of Lu Xun's novels becomes more and more mellow with time. In our youth, we are not deeply involved in the world. The primary and secondary school students in the north are not familiar enough with the local customs and customs such as Lu Town and other Jiangnan water towns and Sanwei Bookstores described in the story. They have not had more personal experience of life. Lu Xun's novels are as a whole into our sensory world. In order to reveal the different meanings of different life scenes and the fate of different characters, the structure of Lu Xun's novels is changeable, with almost one article following the same style and one article following the other. "Diary of a Madman" is different from "The True Story of Ah Q", "Kong Yiji" is different from "White Light", "Hometown" is different from "Blessing", "The Lonely" is different from "Sorrow". Not only are the structural styles different, but the tone and rhythm are also different. "Kong Yiji" is so simple and solemn, while "Sorrow" is so twists and turns and deeply affectionate. Lu Xun's novels are not only novels, but also poems. They use ordinary social life as the theme and reflect the lives of working people as a whole. They have deep artistic conception, cold outside and hot inside. His ability to use national languages ​​has reached the level of perfection. While writing "The Scream" and "Wandering", Mr. Lu Xun also created the prose collection "Morning Blossoms Picked Up at Dusk" and the prose poetry collection "Weeds". Mr. Lu Xun's works (12 photos). The former was published in 1928 and the latter in 1937. If the novels in "The Scream" and "Wandering" are Lu Xun's grim portrayals of life in real society, intended to wake up the sleeping citizens, the prose in "Morning Blossoms Plucked at Dusk" are Lu Xun's warm memories, a tribute to the people who nourished him. The affectionate remembrance of life, people and things.

Later, some people began to laugh at him for being an "essayist", and then he became more clearly aware of the power of "essays" and began to consciously engage in the creation of essays. Lu Xun said that essays are "the nerve of induction", which can "immediately react or fight against harmful things", thereby opening up a winding path for the development of new culture and new ideas in the thorny jungle of old culture and old ideas. The winding road enables it to exist, develop and grow. Lu Xun wrote "Grave", "Hot Wind", "Huagai Collection", "Huagai Collection Sequel", "Sanxian Collection", "Erxin Collection", "Nanqianbei Diao Collection", "Pseudo Free Letter", "Quasi Feng Yue Tan", "Lace Literature" and "Qie" in his lifetime. There are 15 collections of essays including "Jiejieting's Essays", "Qiejieting's Essays in Two Collections" and "Qiejieting's Essays in the Last Collection". In these 15 collections of essays, Lu Xun extended his writings to various cultural phenomena and various characters from different walks of life. Among them were ruthless revelations, angry accusations, sharp criticisms, and spicy stories. There is sarcasm, witty humor, detailed analysis, decisive judgments, passionate expressions, painful cries, kind encouragement, warm praises, the writing is galloping, the words are brilliant, the forms are diverse and changeable. . It freely and boldly expresses the emotions and emotional experiences of modern people, opening up a broader path for the development of Chinese prose. The status of Lu Xun's essays in the history of modern Chinese literature cannot be denied. Mr. Lu Xun has his own brand-new creations in various types of creations, including short stories, essays, prose poems, historical novels, and essays. His life was a life of struggle for the survival and development of the Chinese nation. He used his pen to uphold social justice, resist power, protect young people, and cultivate new forces. In the early days, he enthusiastically supported the just struggle of young students, exposed the Duan Qirui government's criminal actions of suppressing the student movement and causing the "March 18th" tragedy, and wrote a series of shocking articles such as "In Memory of Mr. Liu Hezhen"; In the later period, he opposed the Kuomintang government's bloody suppression of communists and progressive youths, joined the Left-wing Writers Alliance and the China Civil Rights Protection Alliance, and wrote a series of articles full of justice, courage and righteousness, such as "For the Memory of Forgotten". "Lu Xun had the hardest bones. He had no trace of servility or obsequiousness. This is the most precious character of colonial and semi-colonial people." (Mao Zedong: "On New Democracy")

Died of illness in Shanghai

The funeral of Mr. Lu Xun

On October 19, 1936, Mr. Lu Xun died of tuberculosis in Shanghai. Tens of thousands of people in Shanghai spontaneously held a public memorial and funeral, and he was buried in Hongqiao Cemetery of All Nations. His coffin was covered with a flag with the words "National Soul" written on it. In 1956, Lu Xun's body was moved to Hongkou Park and Mao Zedong inscribed the rebuilt tomb of Lu Xun. Before his death, he made his last words: "1. Don't accept any money for funerals. But friends are not included in this. 2. Quickly collect, bury, and pull down the coffin. 3. Don't do anything to commemorate. 4. Forget me, Take care of your own life. If you don't, you are really stupid. 5. If your child grows up and has no talent, you can find some small things to make a living. 6. Don't be a short-term writer or artist. , Don’t take it seriously. 7. Don’t get close to those who harm others but oppose revenge and advocate tolerance.” Shakespeare said: “A person’s last words, like deep music, have a natural tendency to attract attention. The power of Mr. Lu Xun's funeral

Lu Xun's writings and translations totaled nearly 10 million words, including ***16 collections of essays. Among them, "Kite", "Hometown", "Kong Yiji" and "Two Poems" were selected into the second volume of the second-term curriculum reform textbook. "From Baicao Garden to Sanwei Bookstore" was selected into the first volume of the second phase of the curriculum reform textbook. "From Baicao Garden to Sanwei Bookstore", "A Chang and the Classic of Mountains and Seas", "Kite", "Snow", "Mr. Fujino", "Social Opera", etc. have all been selected into the Chinese textbooks published by the People's Education Press of junior high schools. The book "Morning Blossoms Picked Up at Dusk" has also become one of the must-read books for middle school students, and his novel collection "Scream" and "Wandering" have also become spiritual masterpieces for future generations. Since 1918, he has published famous novels such as "Diary of a Madman", "The True Story of Ah Q", "Medicine", "Grave", "Hometown" and "New Stories", which were later included in the novel collection "The Scream".