The document provides summaries of multiple books and films. It discusses how Keith Schoppa's book details significant changes in 20th century China, including economic, cultural, governmental and lifestyle changes. It also summarizes The Man Awakened from Dreams by Henrietta Harrison, which examines lives in rural China in the late 19th/early 20th century. Additionally, it discusses Edward Friedman's book about social changes in North China villages during war and revolution.

1. Book Report
Student’s Name
Institutional Affliliation
Book Report
Keith Schoppa points out the significant changes that Chinesse
experienced during the twentieth centuary.Some of this changes
include;economy,culture,changes in their government and
changing poeples’ lifestyle.The leaders during that time were
the main cause of this drastic changes and erratic directions
hence kept China into the historical books.Using a variety of
well defined images Keith Schoppa brings out primary sources
that led to the changes experienced,social and political changes.
Socially,due to rise of nations and nationalism in Asia there was
a revolutional movement that was of modernity and ethnicity.It
was important in thsat the chinesse had to leave some of the
culture they practiced nad had to adopted new cultural
practices.The establishment of a military force also a social
contribution since provided security hence keeping them
together.
Military forces also brought about political effects where the
generals had extra powers that contributed to dictatorship, Keith
points this out clear when a general destroyed a kinder garden
and built a Manson on the site.The military on the other hand
helped in stopping the Japanese from exploiting their resources
for raw materials.
Questions
Explain effects of the military on both the social and political
factors?
State major changes in China during the 20th centuary?
The Man Awakened from Dreams by Henrietta Harrison,its a
book that explains the emblematic lifes.In this book he mostly
dwells on the peoples’ life who live in the countrysides,this is
during the late nineteenth centuary and early twentieth

2. centuary.The author talks of Lui Dapeng who was a provincial
degree holder and did not occupy any of the government offices
, decline relation between the countryside and the cities was
due to the modernization and transformation of confucian
ideology.
In Liu’s diary the decline relation is about the following
aspects;what was like to study in an academy and to be a
schoolteacher,the pressure of changing family relationships,the
daily grind of work in industry and agriculture, peoples’
experience with government and life under Japanese occupation.
Book Report
In shanxi Village the author also uses the Liu’s diary to us how
social structures and ideologies are practiced with a reflection
in their daily lifes.During the transitional period from late Qing
to the early nation of China,there was intersection of old and
new norms ,moral,political and economic spheres.
Questions
What are some of the factors that led to the decline of relation
between countryside and the cities?
Describe Liu Dapeng character how its brought out in the
context?
Edward Friedman in the Chinese village socialist state,decribes
the social change in North China by deeply describing how the
lifes of peasant Chinese evolved during the period of war and
revolution.The authors go ahead and gather information by
interviewing,visiting archives and investigating villages with
extreme resources,cultures and traditions.
By analyzing this data the authors find out that revolution
resulted due to cultural disintergration and desperations in the
economic growth.The communist leaders also adopted some

3. changes that led to the economic gain and cultural healing.
The Yu Hua brothers talk about a China which has never being
seen before after its forty years of rough and rumble Chinesse
history and from the madness of cultural revolution to the equal
rabid madness of extreme materialism. They illustrate how life
was during the culture revolution where they lived in a closed
society in that everything was crazy and black and white and if
one was on the wrong side was dead.there was no stage for
persons but only the government.
Questions
State some of the changes that took place in the North China?
Was cultural revolution of advantage for China,explain by
giving examples?
What are the Yu Hau brothers illustrating in the context?
Student’s name
Instructor’s name
Course
Date
CHARACTERSTICS INDEPENDENT FILMS
INTRODUCTION
Independent films are feature films produced outside of the
major film studio system and is also produced and distributed
by independent entertainment agencies. There marketing is
characterized by limited release but can also be marketed in
wide release. They can be screened at local, national or
international film festivals before they are distributed. In my
work, I would like to show how the following movies, I.e. My
Left foot and reservoir dogs meet the basic criteria as
independent films. The above movies are analyzed below.
Reservoir Dogs, It is an American crime thriller film that
explains the events before and after botched diamond heist. The
writer and the director of the film is Quentin Tarantino and the
stars are Harvey keiteL,Michael Madsen, Steve Buscemi, Chris
penn,Lawrence Tierney and Tim Roth. Edward Bunker the
criminal turned author and tarantino have minor roles in the

4. film.
The film is classified as an independent because, it was well
received and many critics praised its cast. The film was very
successful in the United States though it was not given many
promotions. The film was more successful in the united
kingdom grossing €6.5 million and it also achieved higher
popularity.Reservior dogs is low budget endie movie about
some men arguing in a warehouse without big stars and unknow
writer director.It is expected to be violent, as we are waiting to
see the psychopathic Mr. Blonde(Michael Madsen) slashing a
policeman’s face and cutting his ear but at the end reservoir
Dogs is not a violent film, It has a more talking than ear-
lopping, and it is not violence particularly explicit. This is also
another characteristic of independent films when the response
of the film comes out to be different from the expectations of
the viewers.
Reservoir Dogs is more restrained than standard holly hood
thriller and is also more moral. In this film the protagonist is
not getting away with murder like other films. In this movie
crimes don’t pay, violence does not solve anything and crooks
are revealed to be burglars and cowards.The film insists that,
anyone who kills another person should also get killed too.
The opening scenes of the movie is high-minded ness.Tarantino
persuades us that we will see a heist being pulled off to
perfection by the coolest dudes (Sharp-suited career criminals
sitting around a dinner table talking about everything except the
diamond robbery they were planning) since the Rat Pack starred
in ocean’s Eleven. But this is all a trick, a little while we start
hearing agonist gasps and whimpers and the next thing we see is
a terrified Mr. Orange (Tim Roth) at the back seat bleeding
profusely.Tarantino does not show us the anti-heroes profession
by showing the activities in the jewellery store he only show
use us painful and their humiliating feeling after their botched
job.its only in this film out characters being losers, one and
all.The rest of the film bears this out.
My left Foot is a biographical drama film written and directed

5. by Jim Sheridan. The starring characters are, Daniel Day-lewis,
Brenda fricker, Ray McAnnally and Fiona shaw.It tells the story
of Christy brown Born with cerebral palsy who could only
control his left foot.He grew up in a poor, working class family
and became a writer and artist. Other characters in the movie
are, Julie Hale, Alison Whelan, Kirsten Sheridan, Declan
Croghan, Eanna MacLiam, Marie Conmee, and Cyril Cusack.
The film contains characteristics of independent film as; it was
well received by critics and audiences, with Daniel Day-Lewis
acting as man with cerebral palsy. Critics and film watchers
ranked his performance as one of the best.
The film opens with Christy Brown (Daniel Day-Lewis), who
has a cerebral palsy. He is taken to a charity event where he
meets his nurse Mary Carr. Steve could not walk or talk but hi s
family loved and supported him, more so his mother. One day as
a young boy, He saw his saw his mother fall down a flight of
stairs while in labor and he was able to alert some neighbors
and summon them over to help..This made his father who had
never believed in him became a supporter. He used his left foot
to write the word Mother on the floor with a piece of chalk.
As an independent film, the movies bring up Christy brown as
an untypical hero or unusual hero. In many circumstances
Christy Brown shows the requirement of typical cinematic hero.
He is self-educated, working class man, an artist and a writer
and he also secures the love of a woman. Despite his physical
limitations he teaches himself to speak and express himself
through painting and writing using is left foot. His disability
marks him as an untypical or unusual hero. The cinematic hero
may be sometime emotionally distraught particularly in some
genres such as film noir, but he is rarely physically disabled
because he is able to accomplish his goals as any superman.
Despite his disability, Christy performs physical and classical
activities of heroism. As a young boy he uses his left foot to
bang of front door to alert neighbors to come help his pregnant
mother when he fall down the stairs, He scores goal in football
game with local boys through a powerful kick using his left

6. foot, He also uses his weight to open a pantry door to help his
father who was lying unconscious on the flow. He also defend
his family name after the death and burial of his father.
CONCLUSSION
Both the “reservoir Dogs “and “My Left Foot” movies
characterize independent films in that, there is a lot of iron in
the story of the movie, the results turn out to be different from
our expectations. For example, in most films main actors of the
movie get away with the murder which is not the case in
Reservoir Dogs. In My left foot we see a crippled man being
successful and performing activities of normal man in a unique
manner.
REFERENCES
Dawson, Jeff (February 1993). "Classic Feature: Reservoir
Dogs".
"Indie Film Financing makeindependentfilms.com".
Hughes, Howard (2006). Crime Wave: The Filmgoers' Guide to
the Great Crime Movies. London.