Characters: Ruby, Ruby's grandfather, Ruby's family
Setting: Ruby's Chinese home
Plot: Ruby gets her wish and goes to the university instead of getting married in the Chinese culture.
The story Ruby's Wish was written by Shirin Yim Bridges and illustrated by Sophie Blackhall. The story tells about a girl named Ruby, who lives in China with her wealthy grandfather and vast family in the late 19th century. Her ambition is to go to university with the boys in her family and become a woman that receives an education. However, girls at that time are not allowed to go to university or pursue an education. Despite all this, Ruby finds some intelligent ideas to persuade her wealthy grandfather to send her to university. Ruby's wish comes true at last.
First, I learned what it means to prefer boys to girls. China is a large agricultural country. More boys mean more labour and a better life. So, boys can get more resources from their families, but girls do not. In the story, Ruby is not allowed to go to university at that time because she is a girl. At that time, girls were not allowed to go to school; they only did chores and cared for their families. Preferring boys to girls is a wrong concept. With the progress of society, more and more people realized that girls should be equal to boys.
Secondly, I learned that preferring boys to girls is a social issue, regardless of country or era. The girls have no right to schooling, cannot go out to work to earn money, do not have voting rights, do not have inheritance rights, and even cannot participate in sports. In the story, Ruby's grandfather allows her to study with her brothers and cousins, and she can go to the university and become the first female student in the school and change her fate. Ruby is unlucky. She was born at that time; most of the girls only do chores and take care of the family and don't have a chance to receive an education. Ruby is lucky because she is striving, and her grandfather is wealthy and enlightened. I think, regardless of gender, we should have the same opportunity to do everything.
Last but not least, I learned that gender equality is one of the fundamental human rights and that girls can contribute to the world like boys. For example, Jane Goodall devotes herself to Chimp and helps us find that animals have personalities. Helen Keller devotes herself to helping blind people and deaf people to receive education, helping girls to get voting rights, and helping the poor. In the story, Ruby persists in studying to make herself more excellent to get a chance to persuade her grandfather to send her to university. Through hard work and luck, Ruby goes to university like her brothers. Girls can get outstanding achievements if they have the same opportunity as boys.
In conclusion, we are human, and all men are equal. Regardless of gender, we should have the same human rights and chance of doing anything. The book is beautifully illustrated, with detailed and colourful images, encouraging us to pursue our dreams and work hard to achieve our goals. I love this book and recommend reading it with your parents or friends.
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