Name: Trazona, Maebelle A.

Course/ Year: BSNED-2

Cabansag, Joymie D. Schedule: 9:00-10:30 PM / TTH
Subject: SNED-10

Task # 1: Good readers read by thought units. Place a slash for every thought unit and read
the paragraph.

MAO NOW

Surely,/ Mao must be spinning in his crystal coffin./ The founder of the People’s
Republic of China,/ who decreed/ ”there is no such thing as art for art’s sake,”/ has himself
become an objet d’art./ As attention shift from making revolution to making money,/ and
intellectuals debate Mao’s legacy as a hero or villain,/ artist cash in on politically charged,/
tongue-in-cheek /(and flower-on-cheek)/ versions like Buddha-like face./ Some images are
too charged:/ Gao Qiang’s “Swimming Mao'' was banned/. “The government was unable to
undergo moral test,” Gao says./ Even before he become the darling of art galleries,/ Mao had
been crowned the king of kitsch;/ his image decorates T-shirts and watches./ The great leap
forward/ the read guard to avant-garde/ probably began with Andy Warhol’s 1972 silkscreen
portraits;/ one just sold for 17.4 million dollars to, fittingly,/ a Hong Kong tycoon./ Call it the
ultimate Chinese brand./

Task # 2: Discuss with your partner the following questions:

2.1 What does the author try to tell the readers?

The author convinced readers to show the importance of great art of china. According
to Mao Zedong, who became the founder of People’s Republic of China, there is no such
thing as art for art’s sake”, because art is always rooted in class dynamics and politics. He
wanted the art and culture of China to be modern and vibrant as well as socialist. Mao’s
concerns with art reflect his wider concern with the culture of China. As memories of his
legacy, there were artwork created by artists through his history. The produced artwork was
sold expensively to upper class individuals or elites. The author also showed how people
argue on the positive and negative deeds of Mao during his time, where he created different
organizations in Chinese history.

2.2 What words need to be understood for the readers to get the meaning of the paragraph?
 The words such as, tongue-in-cheek, flower-on-cheek, kitsch, avant-garde, objet d’art
and tycoon are not usually encountered by readers. Therefore, these words are considered
as complicated and readers need to find strategy in order to get the meaning of the selection
given.

2.3 What background knowledge is important for better understanding of the selection?

To have a better understanding of the selection it is important to have background

knowledge because it will help the readers to gain ideas for the succeeding text. For this
selection, the reader should have advanced knowledge on the events in the life of Mao
Zedong, a great revolutionary hero whose conviction and perseverance inspired millions to
rebuild the Chinese nation. He became a member of Nationalist Party known as Guomindang
and led other organizations. The reader's advantage of knowing some details on the given
selection is for easy comprehension. The more we know about the selection, the easier it is to
read and understand, and retain the information.