A Sociological Analysis On The Construction Of The Exemplar's Image

The topic of the hero and the exemplar is indispensable in each era. Through the investigation of the change of the exemplar's image which the country shaped in one period, we can perspect the cultural tradition, values, behavior which were approved widely and the rough scenes of the development of the whole society. The society produces heroes and exemplars under the background of any era and needs their functions of guiding in order to stabilize the civil order and promote the society to be combined. It is with realistic significance to examine the history of the construction of exemplar's image and think which kind of exemplar's image can get common approval of the social members. We describe and analyze characteristics and changes of the exemplar's image systematically. It helps to know and understand some enormous changes during the decades in our country. We will analyze the exemplar's image reported in the influential media. It has positive meanings to analyze and understand the cultural tradition, values, behavioural norm, life style approved,etc. generally in this society.This thesis tries to use Social Constructivism and the thoery of symbolic power to interpret the reason why the exemplar's image has changed in the 40 years. Take comrade Lei Feng's deed as an example, we analyse the era background in which Lei Feng became an exemplar ,the text which established Lei Feng as an exemplar and the intention of the propagandist.Then we could sum up the reason why the exemplary deeds of Lei Feng were propagated deeply and spreaded broadly in China. Lei Feng's appearance has agreed with the requirements of the times. "the great leap forward" and "the people's communalization" movement have caused the proportion of national economy to be seriously imbalanced and made national economy in the serious predicament. Under such a situation, the collectivism spirit is needed urgently that one gives priority to national interests and doesn't care about the gain and loss of the individual interests. Lei Feng agreed with the characteristic of the requirement of times. The propaganda of ideology needed particular carriers too. Then he became an ethical hero, so it was the behavior of constructing of the teleology type. Because the pure morals have a kind of sacred sense, then as the morals symbol, Lei Feng has status that can't be stained either. Propagandists do the best to establish Lei Feng as a model too, their purpose is to get a carrier propagated ," real model ". And LeiFeng is just one of the typical representatives of exemplar's images constructed. The exemplar's image is the result constructed by the country.And then this text obtains the exemplar's image through the report of the " People's Daily "in 40 years after the state founding. The forms of the reports are state reports, model monologue, letter from reader, interview record and so on. We analysed the characters of vivid age, sex, job and characteristics such as the quality displayed of the exemplar's image and found the important intensity and quantity of the capital this period that the colony had were influenced by the factors such as economic system of the country, political system, social ideology. The colony was easy to occupy favorable position among national field, get symbolic capital that national field gave and became the representative of exemplar's images of this period when it got more important capital. As era develops the changes in respects such as economic system, political system, development goal, social ideology of the country,etc. may cause another colony to get the leading position because of the factor of capital. Then the colony will become the representative of exemplar's images in new period. The changes of the exemplar's image hapenned. Later we analyzed the exemplar's image of model of different periods and confirmed capital quantity occupied was important to the construction of the exemplar's image.Different periods the country propagates in the forms of newspaper, magazine, broadcast, TV, network, etc.and so on and construct different exemplar's images in the forms of unit recommendation and the masses evaluation. Then the country makes people study the exemplary deeds through various educational activities. Masses accept these exemplar'images constructed and take action like them. At the same time symbolic power has an effect.This thesis selects the report about exemplar personages in the "People's Daily" from 1950 to 1989. It adopts the analytic approach of the content and sorts out the exemplary personages from Several respects such as age, sex, job,qualities displayed. We can obtain the overall state of the exemplar's image constructed from 1950 to 1989 and the trend of exemplar's image changes in these years. This offers the source of the materials for the analysis of the exemplar's image later on. This thesis gets the conclusion from preliminary research. The conclusion is that the exemplar's image is the result constucted by the country. During the constrction of the exemplar's image the those colonies or individuals are apter to obtain symbol capital entrusted by field when they occupy important capital in the national field. Then they become the representatives of this symbol of the exemplar's image. Masses accept these exemplar's images constructed and take action like them. At the same time the symbolic power has an effect.The outline of the changes of exemplar's image briefly facilitates our understanding the social spirit that the country advocates in different periods more clearly. The analysis of the factors of the changes of the exemplar's image makes us understand the intension of the exemplar's image and understand the power relations that the exemplar's image contained. Then it could offer some guide to solve the problem that how to construct the exemplar's image.