While reading Mo Yan and Barrett I’ve noticed similarities that are easily missed. When reading a story from each author, I noticed that power among entrepreneurs is repeated in various ways. The story from Mo Yan, Shifu, You’ll Do Anything for a Laugh and the one from Barrett, A Shape of a Full Circle, present power among the main characters in different ways. Though power is a factor, each story has a moral teaching to go with it. Along with the similarities these authors have, they both come from different backgrounds. The author Mo Yan is a Chinese Novelist and Adrian Igoni Barrett is a Nigerian writer. Both authors tend to give vivid descriptions of certain things and carry a theme about love, money and power. The concept of power means
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For Shifu losing his job one month from retirement means no money, which worries the old fella to the extremes. “There, right at the top of the layoff list, in alphabetical order, he spotted his own name. Suddenly light headed, he squatted down on his haunches; when that proved too tiring, he sat down on the ground. He hadn’t been sitting there for long before he burst into tears” (6). Unfortunately for Shifu the thought of having no money is overpowering. As entrepreneurship is common for the Chinese, Shifu creates what seems to be an illegal business with his “love cottage” as a way to make money. More specifically an old rundown bus in the woods that will be renovated into a “pay to have sex here type of cottage.” His idea is a genius way to make money, but Shifu is keeping it from his wife. “They were both out of bed at four in the morning, and as she prepared his breakfast and lunch, she kept asking him what sort of job he’d found. “I’ve already told you,” he said impatiently. “I’m going to be an advisor to some peasant entrepreneurs in the suburbs” (28). With this in mind he is overpowered once again and he isn’t being straight with his spouse. “Well, I discovered a path to riches today. Now the only question is, should I do it or not?” Shifu said “Shifu, as long as it’s not murder or arson you’re talking about, or highway robbery, I don’t see …show more content…
The similarities are power, love, and money. Dimié and Shifu share a commonality of wanting to provide for people they love. For both of these characters it’s difficult to consistently make money, as in the Chinese and African economy. Reading these stories give insight on what it’s like for a number of people in China and
For Shifu losing his job one month from retirement means no money, which worries the old fella to the extremes. “There, right at the top of the layoff list, in alphabetical order, he spotted his own name. Suddenly light headed, he squatted down on his haunches; when that proved too tiring, he sat down on the ground. He hadn’t been sitting there for long before he burst into tears” (6). Unfortunately for Shifu the thought of having no money is overpowering. As entrepreneurship is common for the Chinese, Shifu creates what seems to be an illegal business with his “love cottage” as a way to make money. More specifically an old rundown bus in the woods that will be renovated into a “pay to have sex here type of cottage.” His idea is a genius way to make money, but Shifu is keeping it from his wife. “They were both out of bed at four in the morning, and as she prepared his breakfast and lunch, she kept asking him what sort of job he’d found. “I’ve already told you,” he said impatiently. “I’m going to be an advisor to some peasant entrepreneurs in the suburbs” (28). With this in mind he is overpowered once again and he isn’t being straight with his spouse. “Well, I discovered a path to riches today. Now the only question is, should I do it or not?” Shifu said “Shifu, as long as it’s not murder or arson you’re talking about, or highway robbery, I don’t see …show more content…
The similarities are power, love, and money. Dimié and Shifu share a commonality of wanting to provide for people they love. For both of these characters it’s difficult to consistently make money, as in the Chinese and African economy. Reading these stories give insight on what it’s like for a number of people in China and