Morning Glories Plucked at Twilight - (Expert and Master Interpretation Version)

Author: Lu Xun
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2005-10-01
Features: The Flowers Are Plucked at Dusk recounts the author's childhood life and his journey of studying in his youth, recalling unforgettable people and events, and expressing his nostalgia for his former friends, relatives, and teachers. The work critiques and satirizes the reactionary and conservative forces through a mix of narration and commentary. The essay Dog, Cat, and Rat was inspired by an attack on the "gentlemen of high moral character," satirizing the "rumors" they spread and expressing hatred for the cat's tendency to "torment the weak," "yowl everywhere," and sometimes "put on a flirtatious air." It also recalls the experience and feelings of rescuing a lovely hidden mouse in childhood, which was later destroyed, showing sympathy for the weak and hatred for the cruel. A Long and (Mountain Sea Classics) recounts the author's childhood interactions with his nanny, A Long, describing her kind, simple, yet superstitious and talkative personality, as well as her earnest effort to purchase and gift him the illustrated Mountain Sea Classics he longed for, filled with respect and gratitude. The essay uses heartfelt language to express sincere remembrance of this working-class woman. The Twenty-Four Filial Exemplars discusses children's reading materials of the time, recalling the author's childhood experience of reading The Twenty-Four Filial Exemplars and exposing the hypocrisy and cruelty of feudal filial piety. The work focuses on analyzing stories like "Sleeping on Ice to Catch Carp," "Old Amusing His Parents," and "Guo Ju Burying His Son," condemning such feudal filial piety as disregarding children's lives, treating "shamelessness as amusement," and distorting ethics, thereby misleading the past and corrupting the future. The work also delivers a sharp critique of the trend at the time that opposed vernacular literature and promoted a return to traditional styles. The Five Demon Festivals recounts the author's childhood excitement and anticipation of watching the god-worshiping festivals, as well as his disappointment and pain when forced by his father to recite The Mirror of Historical Records. It points out how feudal education suppresses and damages the natural inclinations of children. The describes the "" figure seen in rural god-worshiping festivals and on theater stages during childhood, explaining why this "ghost who is also human, rational yet emotional," and straightforward yet just figure is beloved by the people—it is because there is no justice in the human world, and evil people do not receive their due punishment, while justice is found in the underworld. The article satirizes the "gentlemen of high moral character" who claim to uphold "justice" and "reason" with a sharp wit through a mix of narration and commentary. From the Herba Garden to the Three Flavor Study describes the joy the author experienced in the herba garden at home and the tedious life of studying at the Three Flavor Study, revealing the sharp contradiction between the broad interests of children and the restrictive feudal education that stifles their natural inclinations. It expresses the reasonable demand that children should grow up healthy and lively. Father's Illness recalls the author's childhood efforts to find a doctor for his father, describing the behavior, demeanor, and prescriptions of several "doctors," exposing their lack of distinction between medicine and sorcery, their pretense of knowledge, their extortion of money, and their indifference to human lives.