Exploring symbolism in Hu Ru Gui by Malaysian Chinese eriter Dai Xiaohua among Chinese tertiary students

Gopal, Revathi

Abstract

This article explores English literature teaching, particularly the application of symbolism in a literary work called Hu Ru Gui among Chinese tertiary students majoring in English. Hu Ru Gui is a novel written by a Malaysian Chinese writer, Dai Xiaohua, which then became one of the literature teaching materials used at the tertiary level for Chinese students. This paper discusses the spiritual bloodline themes in the form of symbolism which runs through the whole literature work. The themes range from attitudes towards life and death, the national ridge of defending the motherland_s dignity, and the patriotic values internalized deeply from generation to generation beyond time, location, and culture. A qualitative method was employed in the current study. Purposive sampling was used to select five students to participate in the study. The students were at the advanced level of English language proficiency. An interview protocol was applied as an instrument to collect data from a semi-structured interview. The feedback from the tertiary students was analysed through thematic analysis in the forms of themes, sub-themes, and codes. The research results revealed that the traditional values and patriotic values in the form of symbolism in Hu Ru Gui, the novel rooted in culture are the seeds of the motherland. Wherever and whenever a person goes, the seeds will bloom and inherited. Future research can focus on exploring how the themes, motifs, and symbols within the text resonate with Chinese tertiary students in Malaysia. _ 2024, Syiah Kuala University. All rights reserved.

References

Barsalou, L. W. (1995). Flexibility, structure, and linguistic vagary in concepts: Manifestations of a compositional system of perceptual symbols. In A. F. Collins, M. A. Conway, & P. E. Morris (Eds.), Theories of memory (1st ed., pp. 29-101). Psychology Press. https://doi.org/10.4324/9781315782119-3.

Bates, E., Benigni, L., Bretherton, I., Camaioni, L., & Volterra, V. (1979). The emergence of symbols: Cognition and communication in infancy. Academic Press.

Bhabha, H. K. (2015). The Beginning of Their Real Enunciation : Stuart Hall and the work of culture. Critical Inquiry, 42(1), 1-30. https://doi.org/10.1086/682994.

Bogdan, R., & Biklen, S. K. (2006). Qualitative research for education: An introduction to theories and methods (5th ed.). Pearson.

Braun, V., & Clarke, V. (2006). Using thematic analysis in psychology. Qualitative Research in Psychology, 3(2), 77-101. https://doi.org/10.1191/1478088706qp063oa.

Cushing, I. (2018). Suddenly, I am part of the poem : Texts as worlds, reader-response and grammar in teaching poetry. English in Education, 52(1), 7-19. https://doi.org/10.1080/04250494.2018.1414398.

Dai, X . Hu Ru Gui. Shang Hai/SDX Jount Publishing Company. De Man, P. (1988). The double aspect of symbolism. Yale French Studies, 74, 3-16. https://doi.org/10.2307/2930287.

Denzin, N. K, & Lincoln, Y. S. (Eds.). (2011). The SAGE handbook of qualitative research (4th ed). SAGE Publications.

Dobija, D., Górska, A. M., Grossi, G., & Strzelczyk, W. (2019). Rational and symbolic uses of performance measurement: Experiences from Polish Universities. Accounting, Auditing & Accountability Journal, 32(3), 750-781. https://doi.org/10.1108/AAAJ-08-2017-3106.

Gabrielsen, I. L., Blikstad-Balas, M., & Tengberg, M. (2019). The role of literature in the classroom: How and for what purposes do teachers in lower secondary school use literary texts? L1-Educational Studies in Language and Literature, 19, 1-32. https://doi.org/10.17239/L1ESLL-2019.19.01.13.

Giovanelli, M. (2015). Becoming an English language teacher: Linguistic knowledge, anxieties and the shifting sense of identity. Language and Education, 29(5), 416-429. https://doi.org/10.1080/09500782.2015.1031677.

Giovanelli, M. (2017). Readers building fictional worlds: Visual representations, poetry, and cognition. Literacy, 51(1), 26-35. https://doi.org/10.1111/lit.12091.

Hirsh-Pasek, K., Golinkoff, R. M., Berk, L. E., & Singer, D. G. (2009). A mandate for playful learning in preschool: Presenting the evidence. Oxford University Press.

Marshall, C. O. (2005). Literary symbolism. In D. Bradshaw & K. J. H. Dettmar (Eds.), A companion to modernist literature and culture (Chap. 4). Blackwell Publishing Ltd. https://doi.org/10.1002/9780470996331.ch15.

Merriam, S. B. (1998). Qualitative research and case study applications in education (2nd ed.). Jossey-Bass Publishers.

Quinn, S., Donnelly, S., & Kidd, E. (2018). The relationship between symbolic play and language acquisition: A meta-analytic review. Developmental Review, 49, 121-135. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.dr.2018.05.005.