Respond to one of the following questions by commenting on this post. You may also feel free to respond to comments posted by your classmates!
-What’s the connection between the broad historical material about the Ming Dynasty that begins the story and the narrative about Du Tenth and Li Jia’s relationship that follows?
-What kind of person is Li Jia? Does his behavior at the end of the story come as a surprise? Why or why not?
-How are courtesans represented in the story? Why do you think Feng Menglong chooses to depict them this way?
-Money plays a central role in the story. What does “Du Tenth Sinks the Jewel Box in Anger” seem to be saying about the relationship between money and love?
-Feng Menglong was interested in using literature to teach morality. What lesson is being imparted by this text?
In “Du Tenth Sinks the Jewel Box in Anger,” Feng Menglong seems to portray the courtesans in a higher position than a man that once was an academy scholar. Rather than expanding on the fact that they were paid for giving up their body, Menglong introduces courtesans that seem to live in their own houses by their own means. The “sisters” were a tight knit community that supported each other in any way possible. Meanwhile, Li Jia’s friends were too afraid of Li’s father to help him. The story ends saying Du was a “rare hero among women” and Li was someone “not even worth talking about.” Rather than portraying Li as the man who fell for a courtesan, Du was the woman who fell for a man not worthy enough for her.
I agree with this, Du who was a woman from different background but that has no relationship with loving someone. Li was not in love with Du by heart, a man who was not giving attention to his parents suddenly became loyal to them. From the beginning Du sacrificing everything for him even though she try to hep him out till end. i like saying “Du was the woman who fell for a man not worthy enough for her”(Leedaly).
Money and love are competing themes in the story “Du Tenth Sinks the Jewel Box in Anger” by Feng Menglong. Some value money more than love, others believe love is more important. The Madam (Du Tenth’s mother) valued riches more than her daughter, and that is why she exchanged her daughter for money for such a low amount. Even the idea that the Madam took a risk of trying to prove that Master Li wouldn’t be able to gather the money proved her true interest and priority was truly money and not her daughter.
Du Tenth on the other hand sacrificed her savings and gave it to Master Li so that they both can prove her mother wrong. Du Tenth was willing to give up all her money because she loved Master Li. Unlike her mother, this proved that Du Tenth valued love more than money.
At the end we discover that Master Li is a fool and his true love was not in fact Du Tenth but money. A random man manipulated Master Li and convinced him to exchange his wife Du Tenth to stay with him, in exchange for what seemed to be a large amount of money. It may have seem as if Master Li might be “considerate”, by asking his wife first if this is a good plan for them in order to avoid his father shaming him. Du Tenth then angrily showed him and proved to Master Li that she was hiding her riches and was hoping that Master Li trusted and loved her. What Master Li should have done was bring her to his father unashamed, but instead (foolishly) he was planning to hide and exchange her to a stranger for money.
Lust vs Reality and Desire of Approval themes that Feng Menglong has demonstrated in this text.
Du Tenth was the most popular Courtesan (Prostitute) and was well know for her charm and physical appearance. Master Li attraction to Du Tenth was as a result of lust. Master Li despite his attempts knew that in reality he could not be with Du Tenth due to his father disapproval and societies views of Du Tenth. In the end Master Li reality of being rejected by his own was not worth his relationship with Du Tenth that was initiated by lust.
The theme of Desire of approval is shown through his attempt to find the taels to give to Du Tenth’s mother. He attempted to beg his family members, his friends etc. This shows that Master Li was eager to satisfy Du Tenth’s mothers need in order to marry Du Tenth. Master Li also displayed desire of approval through his relationship with his father . Master Li becoming an academic scholar would bring honor to family, mainly his father. When Master Li became involved with Du Tenth he questioned his fathers approval of her and its affect on their relationship. Even after marrying Du Tenth Master Li’s desire to satisfy his father was great. He was even willing to give up Du Tenth to return home and please his Father.
Li Jia is not the bad guy that play around and flirt with other girl and he is in love with Du for sure. Li Jia is a coward and he is in fear with his father about his relationship with Du. Li Jia is kind of people that escape away from the problem instead facing it. Also，Li Jia is somehow brainless and he ask his friends for advise all the time and cried while presenting the problem，he always blindly follow the advise from his friends.
Li Jia behave badly at the end of the story does not come as a surprise because he born in wealthy family and he had never been poor and suffer in such situations. when his father is mad about his behavior, he did nothing but just ignore it. Li Jia is not a responsible person that he is selfish and only care about his own desire.
I agree with this. Li Jia was brought up in a family that was financially prosperous and he didn’t had to do anything himself. Most of his life, he never faced any kind of adversity and he isn’t costumed to any of the things that was going on. That’s why he always relied on other people for help because they probably encountered those problems before.
He isn’t the bad guy because he was forced to take the action of dumping his wife in order to be in good terms with his father. Everything that he accomplished in his life is due to his father and he knows that his father has the power to ruin him. That’s why I think that Li Jia didn’t had any choice other than letting go of his wife.
-Money plays a central role in the story. What does “Du Tenth Sinks the Jewel Box in Anger” seem to be saying about the relationship between money and love?
Throughout the whole story, money was a big theme, whether it be Li trying to raise the 300 Taels to get Du Tenth out of prostitution, or whether it be Li’s interaction with Sun Fu. Unfortunately, most times throughout the story money causes people to make the wrong choices. Specifically when Sun Fu gives a gloomy outlook as to what will happen if Li brings Du Tenth home with him. He tells him how his father will throw him out of his house, and Li and Du Tenth will be stuck in poverty for the rest of their lives. Fortunately at the end of the story, Du Tenth provides us an interpretation of what true love is, putting money issues on the side. When it comes time for Du Tenth to go to Sun Fu’s boat after she was purchased for 1000 Taels, she does something incredible. Du Tenth throws all of her jewelry chest drawers, which had in them 1000 of taels worth of merchandise in them, into the river. She not only does this out of frustration, but she is really exemplifying how love can be hijacked by money quite often. By symbolically throwing all this into the river, she shows that love is way bigger than anything having to do with money.
-Money plays a central role in the story. What does “Du Tenth Sinks the Jewel Box in Anger” seem to be saying about the relationship between money and love?
The jewel box sinking at the end of the story represents that money should not be the reason two people are together. Du Tenth did not want for Master Li to stick around with her only because jewels she had acquired through her tenure at the brothel. She wanted to make sure she had chosen the right person and that she could trust and see herself being with him for a long time. Du Tenth knew Money doesn’t solve every problem in a relationship. This is why at the end of the story she threw the sliver and jewels overboard knowing nothing good would’ve come with it if she had to told Li about the stash of sliver and jewels.
In “Du Tenth Sinks the Jewel Box in Anger” money plays a big role. In fact, right from the beginning of the story we see that money can be used alternatively in a corrupted sort of way when Li Jia is able to buy his way into the institution instead of working hard using his grades. This foreshadows the use of money later on when he wants to marry Du Tenth. He has to purchase her from the Madam however he does not have the money. Again instead of working for the money he looks around trying to borrow from people, some would say that’s the easy way out. We don’t see any true devotion and dedication from him to work. From that point I didn’t think there was any real true love from Li Jia and that was later confirmed when he decided to sell her for 1000 silver.
Money plays a central role in the story. What does “Du Tenth Sinks the Jewel Box in Anger” seem to be saying about the relationship between money and love?
In “Du Tenth Sinks the Jewel Box in Anger,” money is valued higher than love. Money is important than love in this situation because Li Jia was willing to give Du Tenth up to a stranger for money. Although love was a big thing to Du Tenth, Li never cared about her. Du believed that Li Jia was her husband and he considered her a “pet.” Du Tenth had money saved up and did not show Li to test his ways and see how committed he was to her. Li did not want Du to be seen by his father and hid her from him and instead of loving her, he feared his fathers opinion. It did not come to a shock that money mattered more than love. Du Tenth loved the wrong guy and picked someone who didn’t want to truly be with her. Meanwhile, it was always about money for Li Jia and he was willing to please his father more and earn money by selling Du because after all, Du Tenth was still Li’s property.
-Money plays a central role in the story. What does “Du Tenth Sinks the Jewel Box in Anger” seem to be saying about the relationship between money and love?
Du Tenth sinks the jewelry in order to represent that love can be betrayed by money. Li had Du as a property to its own. Even though Du had more money than Lin Jia. Money is what keeps a relationships going, we are able to observe in different scenarios, One of them is when Li is forced to collect 300 silver in order to free her “love” but he’s unable to behave mature and get the money. Clearly, It represents that love has value when money is present. It’s understandable that money cannot buy Love but Money can buy things that an individual is attracted to. Another example is Once Li represents du as her pet, selling her for 1000 silver. Li was manipulated easily by the temptation of having 1000 coins in which he could expend everything to himself. This is a clear example where Li chooses money over love.
The connection between the broad historical material about the Ming Dynasty and the narrative about Du Tenth and Li Jia’s relationship depicts the idea that money plays a vital role in declaring an individual’s social standing, status, and opportunity. The more money you have, the more you can buy into opportunity. It doesn’t take merit, but money to reach these privileged places.
Li Jia is the kind of person that put’s reputation and parental approval over what matters to him. He’s the kind of person that self-sabotages and makes poor decisions. He lacks discipline, he’s gullible, and he’s selfish. His behavior at the end of the story does not come as a surprise. He starts off as a poor manager of money with a fear of his father. These two aspects of his personality influenced Du Mei’s tragic end and his shameful character. He spent his money the wrong way once again because he sold his lover so that another man could take care of her and he could be considered worthy in his father’s eyes.
Courtesans are represented as pets in the story, exchanged as property, and regarded as inferior. Feng Menglong probably chooses to depict them this way because they have a tarnished reputation that makes them less human and more objective.
The narrative seems to be saying that the relationship between money and love are like players in a game against one another. A game with an agenda that ultimately leads to an ultimatum that forces you to choose one and sacrifice the other. The narrative says the relationship between the two cannot coexist, you have to choose one.
Feng Menglon teaches a lesson about love in the process of unjust circumstances, through trial and error, and in regards to loyalty. The lesson I retained is that love is a distraction from an individual’s true colors, that it blindsides those involved to see only what they desire, and that it associates itself to an idea rather than something tangible. Du Mei was so adamant on escaping the life of prostitution that Li Jia became her key to getting out of the life. Li Jia, we can assume, was trying to escape his father’s wrath and Du Mei was that distraction for him at the time.
-What kind of person is Li Jia? Does his behavior at the end of the story come as a surprise? Why or why not?
In my opinion, Li Jia was a feudal and traditional person. One the hand, he was obsessed with the Du Tenth’s beauty, and fell in love with her. On the other hand, he was afraid of his father. Although it wasn’t written in the article, in fact, he faced to make a choice. Obviously, money and his father were more important than love for him. Also, I think he was a little bit stupid because he believed in Sun Fu who he had just known. His unsteadfast love for Du Tenth was the direct reason to kill Du Tenth. I don’t think his behavior at the end comes as a surprise. At the article it was put a background that the prostitutes was discriminated at that time. Falling love with a prostitute is shamed. Also, his father was very angry with him. These were prepared for Li Jia’s behavior.
Lia Jia is the type of careless man who doesn’t consider to hold any responsibility with his inability to make decisive decisions that would impact his life in a significant way. Wasting his money on a lifestyle he most certainly knew he couldn’t afford, pawning his clothes after being left with no money and even having his own family members turn their backs on him when he asked for taels in order to acquire Du Tenth from her Madam, Are just a few examples of how his poor making decisions lead him to be left with nothing and having his own family members not help him in his time of need perfectly depicts how everyone knew Lia Jia as an irresponsible man. Lia Jia never deserved a woman as compassionate as Du Tenth so the ending of him selling her to Sun Fu came as no surprise, although Du Tenth committing suicide was exceedingly unexpected.
Money plays a big role in “Du Tenth Sinks the Jewel Box in Anger”. I believe that Feng Menglong is trying to show the readers that money is not everything in life. Throughout the story, we see Li Jia struggle with money by using it to spend time with Du Tenth and being completely irresponsible with it. As the story progresses, we see him attempt to collect various amounts of money in order to be with his love, Du Tenth, and to get back home with her. From the beginning, we are told that he is a big spender and that he does not have a backbone so it did not come as a surprise when he was easily persuaded to give up Du Tenth for a whopping one-thousand Tael in order to get home with some money to show his father, who he is scared of, that he is not a big screw up and did not waste all of the money he had. This then leads Du Tenth to reveal that she had more than enough money to care for them both and then dumping all of it into the river in anger proceeding with her ultimately killing herself. All of Li Jia’s actions were committed with the idea that money is what will make everything okay and that money is always the way to go but, by following that route, it lead him to loose his love and being forced to live with shame which ended up driving him crazy and die. This just goes to show that money is not everything and money is not always going to keep you happy in life.
-What kind of person is Li Jia? Does his behavior at the end of the story come as a surprise? Why or why not?
Li Jia is a selfish and indecisive person. All the money he spent on her came from his father. He had no ability to redeem Du Tenth without support from his family, that indicating he was not capable of self-reliance. I’m not surprised Li Jia’s behavior at the end. Li Jia loves himself more than he loves her. His feelings for Du Tenth were based on her beauty and talent, just like any other man who is infatuated with her. once their love conflicts with his lifelong interests and his status at home and society, he will waver. He can not become a man who surpasses the times, and can not be divorced from his living environment.
What kind of person is Li Jia? Does his behavior at the end of the story come as a surprise? Why or why not?
As I see, Li jia is a incapable person because he always spend others’ money no matter Du Tenth or his friends. All the money that he came up with doesn’t belong to him at all. Even his position in the imperial academy was exchange from his father’s money.
Besides, he is a person who never has his own ideas. He always listened to others and followed their instructions. Third , he is very luxurious. We can see in the article that he treated money like dirt when he stayed with Du Tenth. His behavior did come up as surprise because at the beginning of the tory, I thought he was really in love with Du Tenth. But at the end, he just gave up her easily with money. At first, I don’t have strong feeling about Li Jia and I just think he is a coward. However, when I try to think through the whole story. Actually, the writer has repeatedly hinted that he is not a good guy and I didn’t realize it before.
What kind of person is Li Jia? Does his behavior at the end of the story come as a surprise? Why or why not?
I think Li Jia is not a very brave character and was not truly in love with Du Tenth. He came to town with money and spent it all on prostitutes. When I read the story I saw this is as Li Jia’s way of trying to prove himself as an adult who can make decisions by rebelling against his father and engaging in activities his father clearly sees as wrong doings. In the end, Li Jia’s fear of his father takes precedent to his wife, the woman he claimed he to be in love with. This action was not surprising because even after almost coming close to bringing home Du Tenth to his father his fear kicked. He chose to take money to show his father and impress him.
One of the themes found in Feng Menglong’s “Du Tenth Sinks the Jewel Box in anger” is in the relationship between money and love. Feng illustrates this by having Du Tenth and Li Jia’s relationship completely dependent on money. If not for money Du Tenth would not have been able to go off with Li Jia, the both of them would not have been able to make the journey back to Li Jia’s home, and it was money that Li Jia believed he could use to make amends with his father. Feng Menglong was demonstrating that although love is very powerful regardless of why you are in love, a financial foundation is required to make any major decision in life. In Li Jia’s case it seemed that he was not financially independent and had no real understanding of how wealth works. Till this point in the story all his expenses were covered by his father, due to this he never learned to be financially independent and also seemed very ignorant in these matters. He knew he had no money but couldn’t realize that he did not have the ability to earn money or take on the responsibilities of a bride.