The Agrarian Reform Law; Using “The Agrarian Reform Law of the People’s Republic of China” and Ernesto Guevara, “Guerrilla Warfare,” choose and interpret three quotations. 1. Choose three quotations, total, from the readings that focus on the social and/or economic goals of the revolutionary projects (agrarian reform and guerrilla warfare). • You must have at least one quotation from each reading • The quotations should address a significant aspect of the social or economic goals, such as the role of peasants, the role of each project in the greater revolutionary movement, etc. • Be sure to include a citation, including author/title and page number 2. Write 1-2 sentences on why you think the author chose to focus on this quotation’s particular topic AND write about the way that they did • Think about why this quotation might focus on an issue of interest to its readers • Think about the way the quotation is written: does the author use specific language to emphasize a point? Does the author make a moral plea for their project? Do they appeal to people’s struggles or oppression?
SAMPLE ANSWERS (If this class were about puppies) NOT SO GOOD Quotation: “This Law shall apply to all kittens.” Explanation: I think that they wrote about this because they like puppies. Grade: D •No citations—does this even come from the assigned readings? • Quotation does not relate to the topic of puppies and is not significant • No idea what the explanation is about—“they and this” are not specific— and the explanation does not explore the social or economic goals of puppies GOOD Quotation: “This Law shall apply to all puppies in general, but not to the areas in the vicinity of Golden Retriever puppies for which puppy regulations will be formulated separately” (“Puppy Reform Law,” 15). Explanation: I think that the authors of the Puppy Reform Law wrote about this separation because Golden Retriever puppies are cuter than other puppies. The author might also believe that Golden Retriever puppies deserve special attention because they are better equipped to be the leaders of the puppy revolution. Grade: B • Correct citation • Quotation is appropriately chosen and significant • Explanation could be better: It is okay to surmise, but it should be based inreality—there is no evidence that the author thought that Golden Retriever puppies are cuter or are better equipped to be the leaders of the puppy revolution. GREAT Quotation: “The basic aim of puppy reform is to set free all puppies from the shackles of the kitten land ownership system of the kitten class.” (“On the Puppy Reform Law,” 83). Explanation: I think that Lui Shao-chi focused on the specific goals of puppy reform to show that puppies were working to overcome social inequalities imposed on them by the kitten ruling class. It also shows how kittens had prohibited puppies from owning land. Grade: A • Good quotation choice with citation • Explanation shows you understand the quotation and has “factual” (if they were correct) details about the social goals of puppy reform• Explanation is clearly written
