William Bell
William E. Bell was born 1945 in Toronto. He is a Canadian author that writes teen fiction. Bell has been an innovator in literature for young adults in Canada and many of his novels are read in high school English courses. Bell was also a teacher and was at the head of the English department at Orillia district Collegiate and Vocational Institute. Bell also taught in China as a English teacher which has inspired him to write one of his most notable novels, The Forbidden City. Which is about a seventeen year old boy and his father who is a reporter that travel to China to report on a deadly story. But little did they know that they would be stuck in the mess.
"On Writing, with William Bell." Open Book: Ontario. N.p., n.d. Web. 13 Apr. 2016.
"On Writing, with William Bell." Open Book: Ontario. N.p., n.d. Web. 13 Apr. 2016.
LanguageSmith, Richard L. "Mandarin Chinese Profanity | Wikiwand." Wikiwand. N.p., n.d. Web. 13 Apr. 2016.
There are two different types of Chinese characters. They are traditional and simplified. The main difference is that traditional Chinese characters have more strokes and take longer to write. Both types of characters have the same pronunciation and meaning. Countries like Taiwan and Hong Kong use the traditional method of writing unlike China that uses the simplified version.
In the book Forbidden City Alex is learning how to speak and write Mandarin since he and his Dad are in China. When learning, is Chinese friend Xiao, tells him how "writing in mandarin is very different than writing in the states." He says that in China they use the "simplified version of characters", which takes less time and effort to write(Bell 98). In Mandarin Chinese, the alphabet does not exist. It is written with symbols. These symbols are called Chinese characters which represent the oldest writing system in the world. It even goes back to the 12th century. Chinese mandarin also features 4 tones. When Alex is speaking Mandarin with some help from his friend Xiao. Xiao tells Alex when he's about to pronounce a word that "here we speak with 4 tones". He then says the four tones are high level, rising, falling rising, falling. Right after this Alex then correctly says "Xie xie nin" which means thank you in Mandarin(Bell 107-108). Symbols"Traditions - Myths and Legends." Dragon. N.p., n.d. Web. 13 Apr. 2016.
The date of June 4th 1989 will be remembered among the people of Beijing and especially the residents of Tiananmen Square. 1989 is known as the Tiananmen Square massacre. Where thousands of unarmed civilians were slaughtered by the government. The government tries to slide this day under the rug, but the people of Beijing will never forget this symbolic day.
In Forbidden City, citizens of Tiananmen square go through a terrible massacre caused purposely by the government. Days after the massacre ended the date of June 4th 1989 was remembered as a “day of mourning” among the people of China(Bell 193). The remembrance of the day can be compared to the date of 9/11 that occurred in America. Except the government does not want the date to be remembered because it could lead to rebellion. In Chinese folklore and mythology the dragon symbolizes spiritual strength, courage, good luck, and control over weather. Dragons have always been a symbol of good in Chinese culture. In daily Chinese language excellent and outstanding people are compared to a dragon. While others that are not outstanding may be compared to animal like a worm. When Alex and his father are at a restaurant with Xiao Lao. Lao compares Alex to a dragon for his "courage and respect" he has shown dining at the restaurant.(Bell 108). Alex's father then asks Lao what the meaning of the dragon stands for. Lao then replies that that it stands for "courage, good luck, and strength"(Bell 111). |
NormsHelen. "Helen1986's Blog." Helen1986s Blog Chinese Culture Category. N.p., n.d. Web. 13 Apr. 2016.In China its not proper to eat everything off you're plate like in the west because its viewed as the host didn't provide you with enough food. More food than you can eat shows generosity from the host.
Once in China Alex and his Dad are taken to a Chinese banquet at the hotel. When finished with their meal. Alex asked their guide if they could take their food home because their was a large amount of uneaten food on the table. The guide then said no and that "here the host must always offer more food than the guest can eat", because its shown as a sign "respect" from the host(Bell 23-24). In Mandarin, English syliables can be hard to pronounce because the tone used in mandarin is very different than what is used in English. As an example differentiating the word ship and sheep or bus and boss and be very challenging for a mandarin speaker. When Alex meets his interpreter, Lao Xu he pronounces is name as "Ah-rek Shan Da" because its hard to pronounce Alexander in mandarin. Then Lao Xu gives Alex a new name "Shan Da" because it sounds like his name and also it means "tall mountain" in mandarin and Alex is a "tall boy"(Bell 18). ValuesPliss, Ivan. "3 Men Jailed for Insulting Buddha - Freedom Force." Freedom Force. N.p., 17 Mar. 2015. Web. 13 Apr. 2016.
In China citizens are ruled by communism, which is a way of organizing a society in which the government owns the things that are used to make and transport products. There is no privately owned property in communism, everything is owned by the government. It is the governments belief that they are in power over the people.
In Forbidden City the people of Beijing are protesting against the governments values of "communism" in hope of getting a "democracy"(Bell 145). In fact "most of the citizens of Beijing want a democracy" but sadly they do not have a voice in the government(Bell 148). In Beijing majority of the people worship Buddhism. Which is the beliefs and spiritual practices based on teachings from Gautama Buddha. In this religion the belief that life is always changing and can always be in a flux is apparent. In Forbidden City the worship of Buddhism is seen after the horrific events that take place in the massacre in Tain Men square. Many citizens are seen "meditating to Buddhas teachings" in temples(Bell 173). When Alex is talking to Xia Lao, Lao says "you will not be punished for your anger, you will be punished by your anger"(Bell 184). Which is a quote from Buddha. |