Sieh Pao’s Silent Scream (The Cultural Revolution in China)
By Grace Johansen
"Tick-tock, tick-tock, tick-tock," Sieh Pao listened to the clock on the classroom wall as it marked the minutes and hours that seemed to be moving slower than her old Uncle in the middle of winter. She and her brother, Sieh Cho, had been sitting in the same room working on the same lessons with their private tutor since early that morning. It was now afternoon; and Sieh Pao longed to be outside in her own courtyard, soaking up the first sunny days of spring. Oh, when would Tutor Chien be finished teaching them about those boring emperors that ruled their country of China hundreds of years ago?
"Whack!" The wooden pointer of the tutor slammed across the wood of Sieh Pao’s desk. She jumped, startled by the sudden noise and the rush of wind on her face. "Sieh Pao, when I ask you a question, I expect an answer!" shouted Tutor Chien. "You always seem to be daydreaming. What would your father think of your laziness if I told him how poorly you do during your lessons?" Sieh Pao just shrugged her shoulders and looked down at the floor. She knew what was coming. Sure enough, Tutor Chien ordered her to place her hand on the desk. "Whoosh!" Down came the pointer once again; but this time, it landed on Sieh Pao’s hand instead of the desk. Sieh Pao struggled to hold back the tears, but one still managed to escape and trickle slowly down her cheek.
Needless to say, Sieh Pao was relieved when Tutor Chien finished his lessons for the day and dismissed she and Sieh Cho from the classroom. Outside, she giggled and turned to tell her brother a joke about Tutor Chien, but he quickly put a hand over her mouth to muffle her voice. Startled, Sieh Pao turned to him with a questioning glance. He put his finger to his lips and pointed in the direction of the courtyard. "Shhh, can you hear the voices?" he whispered. Sieh Pao was silent for a moment, and then she nodded her head. Yes, she could hear the voices. The angry tones were not familiar to her ears, but she immediately felt frightened by the intensity of the words being spoken. She and her brother crept closer to the wall of their house, flattening themselves against it. They slowly inched toward the sound of the conflict, the words of the men becoming clearer with each step that they took.
Peeking around the corner of the house, Sieh Pao could see five soldiers with guns in hand, standing in front of her father. "You are nothing but an upper class pig!" shouted one of the soldiers. "You feast on the finest of delicacies while the poor starve in the rice fields, surrounded by the food that will eventually fill your belly!" The soldier angrily spit in the face of Sieh Pao’s father. Lifting his hand to slowly wipe the spittle from his face, her father refused to look at the soldier.
Suddenly, the soldier brought the end of his gun down hard on father’s back. Sieh Pao clapped her hand over her mouth to keep herself from crying out. "You are a shame to the great country of China and a hindrance to the Revolution," bellowed the soldier! "You must pay the price for your selfishness. All that you own will be taken from you and given to the honorable citizens of China who do not have the privilege of living in a palace such as this," he said, gesturing towards the beautiful house.
Sieh Pao’s father looked up and abruptly blurted out, "But what I have does not belong to you! You cannot take that which I and my family have worked for our entire lives." Enraged, the soldier lifted his gun again and slammed the barrel of it into father’s head. "Bang!" The sound of a gunshot rang through the courtyard as Sieh Pao’s father slumped to the ground. Sieh Pao’s mouth opened in a scream, but no sound came out. The silence seemed to echo in the stillness of her mind as she wondered, "What is this Revolution they speak of, and why has it cost my father his life?"
*Note: This story is based upon the things that my grandmother experienced when she lived in China as a young girl. "Sieh" was her maiden name, and "Chien" became her name when she married my grandfather. My grandma was from a wealthy family and had a large home and private tutors. Fortunately, she married and moved to the United States before the Communist Revolution took place. However, the Communists did eventually murder her father (my great-grandfather) because of his wealth.
Questions about the Story
- In what country did Sieh Pao and her brother live? What observations did you make from the story that led you to that conclusion?
- Where did Sieh Pao and her brother attend school? Why do you think they attended school at this particular place?
- What did the soldiers say to Sieh Pao’s father? Why were they so upset with him?
- What happened to Sieh Pao’s father at the end of the story? In your opinion, do you think he was treated fairly by the soldiers? Why or why not?
- If you had been Sieh Pao, how would you have reacted differently in this situation?
- From the details given in the story, what do you think this "Revolution" might have been about?
"Sieh Pao’s Silent Scream" (The Cultural Revolution in China)
By Grace Johansen
Storytelling Outline
- Classroom scene (Prop: Teacher’s
wooden pointer)
- Sieh Pao’s boredom
- Sieh Pao’s punishment
- Released from the classroom
- Courtyard Scene
- Hearing voices
- Sneaking along the wall
- The conflict (Prop: Soldier-like uniform or hat)
- The soldier’s words
- Father’s response
- The gunshot
- Sieh Pao’s anguish
Answers to Questions:
- Sieh Pao and her brother live in China. The details that support this are their names, the fact that they were learning about the Chinese emperors in school, and the words that the soldiers spoke about China.
- Sieh Pao and her brother went to school at home. The details that support this are the following: a) They had a private tutor. b) The conflict took place outside their house immediately after they left the classroom. Sieh Pao and Sieh Cho probably went to school at home with a tutor because their father had a lot of money.
- The soldiers told Sieh Pao’s father that he was an "upper class pig." They yelled at him for having so much food and a nice house. They were mad that he had so many nice things when there were so many poor people in China.
- Sieh Pao’s father is shot (and killed) at the end of the story. Answers will vary.
- Answers will vary.
- Answers will vary, but may resemble the following: The Revolution that this story tells about might have been something dealing with the poor people and the rich people in China. In this Revolution, the soldiers wanted to take the things from the rich people and give them to the poor people.