Critical Analysis of The Books Red Azelea and Dressmaker from Khair Khana (Book Review Sample)

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Critical analysis of The Books Red Azelea and Dressmaker from Khair Khana
An evaluation of the books Red Azalea by Anglee min and The dressmaker of Khair Khana  Gayle Tzemach Lemmon tell true stories of Min and Kamila respectively, who underwent adverse challenges in their life but were able to overcome them through self-determination and resourcefulness. Among the many themes found in both books, the most clearly demonstrated themes include female empowerment to and self –determination. The audience can be able to find a sense of female empowerment which are visible as both characters go through one life obstacle after another, and their resilience is admirable that. For Min, overcoming the psychological conformity of the communist ways of life and choosing her own destiny is evident as she live by her own rules while in the case of Kamila despite her lack of education, she trains herself to become a dressmaker and inspires others find a way of earning a living. The authors of the two books give an exemplary account of this real-life stories that aim to shed light on how women can overcome their circumstances to make changes in their lives. Although the books seek to elaborate a sense of conquest over prevailing their circumstance, we find the two characters, Kamila and Min each adopt and dissimilar paths that ultimately find a way to overcome challenges. Additionally, the book aspires to inspire their audiences that despite the hardship encountered the will power, and self-determination can help in achieving great heights. In the books, we review how their childhoods as well as the political circumstances and how the impact on their lives. This essay seeks to review the two stories regarding similarities and differences between the life decision that were made by the main characters Min and Kamila, and how the decision helped overcome their challenges.
In the Red Azalea, we find a young girl known as Min, who grows up in communist China and is introduced in adult life while still young and the struggles to remain true to her in a very communistic society. We find that Anchee Min is a Red Guard school girl, who devotes her trust in Mao teachings blindly. Although she struggles with the role of being a red guard, we see her stubborn individualistic nature that drives her will and create her identity. Even though we see that the party control keeping a close eye on her behavior. However in telling the story of her life, art the particular times when it was still risky for on to go against the traditional norm, we can evaluate that Min was able t overcome her oppressors (Min 147). This can be attributed to her finding her voice and making herself stand out by sharing her experience and the way she tells the story with conviction and sense of victory. See that, unlike other characters, in does not succumb to the survivalist mentality that was very popular among many of the Red Guard that to gain at the expense of the others. In although her childhood life was filled with neglect, the book elaborates who she was able to scope. From an excerpt of the book in we see how she was able to overcome the urge to become cynical. She states, "my life greened because the supervisor to an interest in me" (Min 259) implying that her attachment was survival tactic that ensured that mind was not diverted to the cynicism that she saw around her. This is also seen as she says "I needed Yan to Worship" (Min 56) indicating that she needs someone to believe in amidst the harsh emotional and physical conditions.
Similarly, in the book The Dressmaker of Khair Khana, we find despite the difference regarding geographical location, the character in this book Kamila is faced with difficulties during her childhood. As a result, of the war, she is left to fend for herself as well as her family after being abandoned by her parents and bigger brothers (Lemmon 22). In a quest to survive the harsh reality of lingering poverty, lack of schools to develop skills and traditional customs that restricted women’s movements, Kamila’s success to the uplift her family as well as her family in nothing short of heroic. We wee how Kamila seeks to cope with the loneliness; boredom and poverty involve reading books that suit their interests and which do not, and dressmaking to cater for the provision of money (Lemmon 54). Although both characters adopt very different coping mechanisms, we find their strength and sense of overcoming that they both do not conform to society’s expectation of them and choose to leave theirs according to their individual lives.
It is clear that the prevailing circumstances that led to the lives that both Min and Kamila found themselves in were as a result of that political and that social issues. In the case of that in we find that the communist regime in China does not condone individualism. The fact that people were similar as a result of that Taliban militia in that Afghanistan and the Political instability, the Kamila does not have an opportunity to attend school. Therefore, that state of affairs results from essentially to circumstances beyond their control. Also, the cultural norms in China did not allow a woman to have a voice nor to express herself inner self. In the case of Kamila the cultural norms constrain the role of women; however the adversities experienced as a result of the particular circumstances assist exposing the strength of these women (Lemmon 76). The ability to be the breadwinner for her siblings and becoming a strong symbol will come out clear for Malika as a result of that tumultuous state of affairs in Afghanistan. The author mentions what Malika told her that"learning was the key the future. Both for her and that country”, an indication that despite one's background learning is an important tool that empowers (Lemmon 128). In the case of Min, the Mao teachings were a form of subjugation in which woman everyone was expected to act in a certain manner. This is found in that Madame Mao’s propagandist operas that were simplistic and meant to control the masses. What is particularly the notable is that mean uses her selection to compete for a role in the production of Red Azalea as a way to uplift her circumstances out of the red farm that was a form of incarceration. Both roles can make the best out of the bad circumstances and achieve a point of excellences and self-vindication.
The story offers a sense of female empowerment to its audience. By elaborating the adversities that the characters had to endure allows the audience to empathize with their struggle. Although Min’s struggle was that of psychological conformity and aspirations to attain a sense of freedom, we find that it symbolize emotional struggle that people go through every day in t...