Please 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
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 the type of person with no “back bone” as the story puts it. His actions through out the story paint him as someone who cannot fend for himself so his behavior at the end of the story is no suprise. Through out his journey he spends all his money in the pleasure district and compromises his integrity among most of his peers minus one.
At the end of the story where he agrees to the plan that Fu concocts it is disappointing but not surprising that he has no belief in his love or himself to be able to carry on without the help of someone else and without exploiting his partner.
I agree with you. Even in the beginning of the story, it was mentioned that Li Jia was “deathly afraid of his old man, and did not dare take her up on her proposal” to be with him. Even so, he continued to see her and their relationship grew further. He is immature and irresponsible, constantly looking for the easy way out for his problems. In addition to his character, another reason for this might be due to the fact that he’s been sheltered all his life and hasn’t gained any real world experiences. Therefore, he’s unable to handle complicated situations, leading to a series of bad decisions.
Your comment might suggest that his father even bears some responsibility for his son’s immaturity.
Du Tenth is a courtesan who was known for being extremely beautiful. When people think of courtesans, many would assume they are seductresses who only care about luring men for their money. However, Feng shows how Du Tenth is human. While she was known for sleeping with many men, she still fell in love with Li Jia. The phrase, “friendship based on profit grows cold when profit runs dry” is a phrase that many would associate with courtesans. However, Feng depicts Tenth to be the opposite of this as she shows real affection for Li Jia even though he is running out of money. The more she saw his financial struggles, the more attached she had become. Using Du Tenth as an example, Feng characterizes courtesans to be kind and affectionate. This is also shown when Tenth’s friends, Xie and Xu, prepare a banquet for her and give her an expensive departure gift as well. Li Yunchun is moved by Tenth’s kindness and even goes as far as to say, “You were stirred to true love, and did not change your feelings on account of poverty. This makes you a hero among women.”
Feng deeply believed in the educational value of stories and believed that vernacular stories provide moral education. In the story, Sun Fu says, “Woman’s nature is water, devoid of constancy.” However, the story proves that the courtesans were not as greedy and vulgar as the men were. Li Jia was prepared to leave Tenth because of Sun Fu’s offer while Tenth sacrificed everything to be with Li Jia. Feng characterizes Du Tenth as a hero among women, despite her history as a courtesan. This helps establish the moral that you should not judge a book by its cover.
In response to, “How are courtesans represented in the story? Why do you think Feng Menglong chooses to depict them this way?”
You are right to suggest that the prostitutes in the story are depicted as being extremely generous and loyal, while the members of the wealthy class (Sun Fu and Li Jia) are more concerned with money, status, and material possessions.
-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 young man who comes from a wealthy family and was bought into the scholar academy by his father. Lia Jia spends most of his time engaging in acts of pleasure and spending lots of money but is unfortunately “spineless” and the type of person who doesn’t make his own decisions and cares about status and wealth more than anything. I was not surprised when he was persuaded by Sun Fu that Du Tenth was never going to be accepted by Li Jia’s father due to her being a prostitute and his father would ultimately disown him and Li Jia would lose access to all his wealth. So when it came to Li Jia accepting Sun Fu’s deal of 1,000 taels in exchange for Du tenth I wasn’t surprised that he accepted it.
-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 Jewerl Box in Anger” we see that Li Jia buys Du Tenth from the whore house. Finally freeing her after being born into a life of prostitution. Ironically a man named Sun Fu convinces Li Jia to sell Du Tenth to him. It is evident at this moment that money cannot buy love. All it took for Li Jia to turn on his newly wedded wife was 1000 taels of silver. I also think that Feng Menglong is trying to show that when money is involved we truly see what holds importance in the hearts of those we love. Li Jia expressed to Du Tenth how much he loved her, and for what ? Just to end up selling her back for 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?
– From the beginning of the story, we saw that Li Jia having money was what started his relationship with Du Tenth. He was able to give the madam money to satisfy her and Li Jia was the only man that Du Tenth seen in the duration of their relationship. It was able to continue on because Li Jia had money.
Then at the end, when Li Jia was ready to give up Du Tenth for 1,000 taels of sliver it showed that his love for money overpowered his love for her. She was the first woman he had every been with and in a way they were each using each other. Du Tenth had jewels that she could’ve gave Li to help her or for them to start a life together. However, she wanted to test him to see if he loved her or would be a good husband before she told him she had money.
Do you think she was right to “test him” in the way you’ve described?
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 coward who cannot seem to stand up for himself. He is easily swayed/convinced. Any bit of advice he takes to heart, as we see in the beginning of the story. When Sun Fu convinced him to giving away Du Tenth, I was not surprised at all. He exploits his partner for money and uses other people’s kindness the entire time, him being tricked by these means is no surprise. It’s a shame she was not able to find anyone more worthy of her love and devotion, because there was clearly plenty of it.
His immaturity leads to this catastrophe in the end.
I agree, Li Jia is a foolish and immature individual He is untrustworthy and cannot be depended upon at all for the most part. He still relies on his father for almost everything that we see, thus he hasn’t matured out of his childish phase. Li Jia is a fool when it comes to the subject of money but is driven by said money as shown when he was tested by the courtesan. Li Jia encounters the concept of love throughout the narrative for many people, love is a more valuable emotion than wealth. Li Jia lets this manufactured romance continue until he is forced to make a decision that defines who he is, revealing his true nature once more. The readers are given ample evidence that Li Jia will always be driven by money when he chooses to prioritize money over Du Tenth. His character is still emotionally undeveloped. When we consider Li Jia’s character’s original introduction, this behavior is hardly shocking. He’s not the smartest guy in the group and inept spender.
-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 terms of money, it definitely is an important factor to not only the story but the message as well. After all in real life, a lot of issues arise in relationships due to financial concerns. In regards to this story, money itself seems to be the main driving force between individuals and their own happiness. After all Li Jia needs to put together the money in order to purchase Du Tenth; the price itself being the only thing standing in the way of their love. Through the fear of being cut off from his parent’s and their money(if he were to bring Du Tenth home), he sells Du Tenth to Sun Fu. Du Tenth keeps her jewel box, because maybe she was trying to use the context to make it so that her life wouldn’t be that hard if anything were to happen. However, the act of getting purchased undesirably angers her, causing how she sees money to change. After all what is the point of trying to find love if you can just be sold to the highest bidder? At that point, it might as well not be love; it is a transaction. By throwing her jewel box away she if effectively making the vow to herself that her love, her essence, her existence in this world can no longer be bought. Money and love are both very touchy subjects, considering they can interchangeably make or break each other in relationships. It starts to present the question, what is worth more love in a relationship? The other individual, or the lifestyle money provides?
-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 story suggest that true love and happiness cannot be bought, and that the power of money can overwrite the feeling of love when handed off to the wrong person. In the story we see as li Jia is a man made of money. This being a big reason as too why Du Tenth wanted to be with Li Jia. Du Tenth is a prostitute, who was bought out by Li Jia. Du Tenth has never been with a women before so he is inexperienced and assumes he is in love with Du Tenth. However by the end of the story we see that this isn’t the case. When given the offer to sell Du Tenth for one thousand Taels, Li Jia doesn’t hesitate to take the money. His lust for money took over, showing what he truly loved, which wasn’t Du Tenth.
Feng Menglong was interested in using literature to teach morality. What lesson is being imparted by this text?
I think that Menglong has given many morals in this story. First, this story shows people’s personal interests on other people perhaps it is for love or money. One of the best morals this story can give is to not trust people easily. There is this Albanian proverb my grandparents used to say, “From what is said to what is done there is a whole ocean in between”. Their reason for using this proverb was that words are easy to say, and most people don’t think hard before saying something, while they do think harder when doing something. So, a true person can be revealed only when he/she puts their words into action. It is a huge gap between words and actions, that is why we should always see for what people do rather what they say, either their actions being good or bad. Usually, actions reveal a person’s true face. Only when you see what someone is capable to do to you or for you, you learn how sincere their words are. Du Tenth learned her lesson to not believe words so late, because by the time she decided to do that, everything had already happened.
I love your proverb. It’s true in this story – where Li Jia and Du Tenth are said to have “exchanged vows”, but his behavior doesn’t live up to those promises.
-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 Sink the Jewelry Box in Anger” explores the intricate relationship between money and love, highlighting how financial circumstances can influence romantic dynamics in everyday life. The title itself suggests an act of revenge spurred by financial dissatisfaction. However, the narrative suggests that while love may exist between Du Tenth and Liu, their relationship is ultimately shaped and tested by financial disparities. Du Tenth’s anger and subsequent actions highlight the power dynamics at play, where wealth becomes a measure of affection and commitment. Furthermore, the story implies that the pursuit of material possessions can obscure genuine emotional connection, leading to resentment and discord in relationships. Ultimately, this text portrays money as a powerful force that is intertwined with love, influencing the dynamics and outcomes of romantic relationships.It serves as a warning about the dangers of prioritizing material wealth over emotional fulfillment in matters of the heart.
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?
The story starts by talking about what life was like during the Ming Dynasty. This helps us understand the time period and what people’s lives were like back then. Then, it goes into the story about Du Tenth and Li Jia. The historical part helps us see why their relationship and actions are influenced by the time they lived in. It shows how history affects people’s lives and choices.By connecting the historical material with the narrative about Du Tenth and Li Jia’s relationship, the story illustrates how larger historical forces shape individual lives and relationships. It demonstrates how personal experiences are intertwined with broader historical and cultural contexts, enriching the understanding and interpretation of the characters and their actions.
-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 a young man but from his actions Li Jia lack responsibility. For example Li’s father had got him an admission to a prestigious school so that Li wouldn’t have to spend too long study. Since Li came from a wealthy family Li had no understanding of the value of money and was not responsible with saving money. Li is also quick to let his emotions get the best of him and allows his emotions to guide his actions.Li Jia’s behavior does not come as a surprise at the end of the story because Li never got the sense of how money comes and is oblivious as to the limitations of wealth and trades his beloved for a thousand currency. When Li realizes about how his father is not happy with him and allows his emotions to get the best of him and gets a negative outcome.
The big picture of the Ming Dynasty’s history sets the stage for the story about Du Tenth and Li Jia’s relationship. It gives us a sense of the time and place they’re living in, showing us what life was like back then. This helps us understand how society and culture influence their relationship and the choices they make. So, while the history stuff might seem separate, it actually helps us see how Du Tenth and Li Jia’s story fits into the bigger picture of their world.