Chapter+2

By Eric During Ch. 2, Da’s Grandmother dies. His grandpa is surprised by this and wonders why Buddha claimed her life before claiming his. When Da’s grandpa becomes sick, Da has to take his place in the fields and scare away crows with an old landlord named Mr. Gong. Instead of chasing the birds, they take turns taking naps and swimming in the river. The second part of the chapter talks about school and Da’s tuition. When he asked the amount needed for tuition, he was told 3 Yuan. When he asked his mother, he was given 50 fen. He was told to beg for an extension on the tuition. Luckily, he received the extension from a nice teacher, Mr. Sun. Themes of this chapter include death (his grandma and his grandfather’s views on death) and the importance of an education. Chen keeps a steady point of view throughout the chapter and uses a few similes, but not many.
 * __Ch.__** **__2 Summary__**

__Key Quotes__

1. (pg. 7) “[t]he commune cadre in charge of landlord reform had set the following rules: Grandpa could not visit his friends, he could not leave town without advance permission, and he was to write a detailed diary of his life every day.”

2. (pg13) “I took the money with a heavy heart. It was a pound of flesh off the family fortune, but only a small piece of tuition.”

3. (pg. 10) “I was only seven, and had a long life before me. The kids might start throwing stones. They could do anything they wanted and no one would defend us. Landlords were open game.”