To “Do for the Many” is a key quote that can be paralleled to Up the Yangtze. Cindy is sent to work as a young teenage girl because her family cannot afford to send her to school. With their home and farmland going under (literally) they must do all that they can to support the family to stay afloat. Thus, Cindy was sent to work on the cruise ship with little concept on how to speak English and the proper etiquette she would have to use to speak to American tourists. This is also the first time Cindy had been away from home, let alone all by herself. Though this was very difficult for Cindy to do, and she said she felt home sick nearly every day, she did it for “the many”, her family. Though perhaps she had no choice, it is still a sacrifice she made for the sake of her family’s prosperity and health.
To “Do for the Many” is also a key quote for the country of China as it relates toe the joke made in the movie about the black and white cats. The joke was that it doesn't matter if a cat is black or white, so long as it catches mice.” In my opinion, this joke means that, in China, it does not matter of your background or wealth. What is most important is that you do your part in the chain for their country. To “do for the many” is to do for the betterment of your country. Therefore, this quote is both relevant in Cindy’s family as well as the entire country.
Chang further emphasizes this with contrasting Cindy and Jerry. While Cindy is a girl from a poor family most likely to see the dam's destruction first, Jerry came from a middle to high class family. Instead of having to work to support his family, Jerry works for himself. You can see this when he laughs at an American woman for giving him a large tip. Despite this attitude and being a 19 year old middle-class young man, Jerry is doing what someone on his link of the "chain" sould do: get a job and learn something about yourself and your country.
ReplyDeleteJerry's situation is a metaphorai for the opportunity this dam presents. Not only does the contruction of this bridge provide jobs, and Jerry illustrates this by taking a job on the boat, but many people will be provided with electricity and communities will prosper and grow. This will eventually lead to economic growth. With economic growth comes jobs and a rich and powerful country. Such growth gives Jerry "opportunities offered by a changing China." (He says he is embracing these here: http://www.uptheyangtze.com/subject-bios.php).
Chang chose to use Jerry's situation, because it further shows China's attitude of "for the many."