Please use the following book and try to meet the following checklist successfully as usual!

Book: Cheek, Mao Zedong and China’s Revolutions: A Brief History with Documents.

Checklist for Mao Zeong Essay

___ Three page essay (double spaced) using the small book Mao Zedong and China’s Revolutions.

___ Develop one main point or theme based on the information and insights you gained from the book.

Here are three examples of themes that could work for this essay:

The life of Mao Zedong, and his writings, reflect the way China was changing in the century.”
The writings of Mao Zedong show how a revolutionary thinker turned into a dictator.”
Mao had an idealistic vision for China, and he believed violence was necessary to achieve his vision.”

(You can find more ideas for themes from pages 235-236.)

___ Relate your main point to major developments in China in the twentieth century. You may also consider how your main point relates to social or political questions facing the world as a whole.

___ Please use short or medium-sized paragraphs. Three or four sentences can make a good paragraph.

___ In your first paragraph, introduce the topic you are covering and state your main point. Give the reader a basic overview of how you will develop your essay.

___ Develop your main point with specific information, insights and quotes from the documents. I recommend you use material from about three to five documents. You may also use the introduction, but please use it sparingly. The introduction is mainly to help you understand the documents.

___ Instead of footnotes, simply mention where you got your material and give a page number.

Example:
In his speech celebrating the victory of the Chinese Communist Party in 1949, The Chinese People Have Stood Up, Mao shares his optimism that the new Chinese government will be respected by the rest of the world. Our nation will never again be an insulted nation. We have stood up. Our revolution has gained the sympathy and acclamation of the broad masses throughout the world.” (126)

___ Please put a page number for any piece of specific information you use from the book.

___ Try to include about ten to twelve short quotes from the documents.

___ Please make sure you are mentioning the right author. Timothy Cheek wrote the Introduction. He also wrote comments in italics at the beginning of each document. Mao wrote most of the documents in Part One. The documents in Part Two are from journalists, historians, and cultural observers.

___ In your conclusion, discuss how the readings can enrich our lives and add to our understanding of the world. You may also note if you found any of the writings particularly rewarding.