Dear Journal,

It is the year 1967 in Beijing. My name is Wang Xiaoming and I am 15 years old. Every time I step outside, I see the sun and think of Mao. Everywhere I turn, I see the "Four Olds" being destroyed. Mao is demolishing the evil past that binds us down. We, the students, are commended for helping with this effort, and we are breaking the chains of the past to allow China's further development. One day, as we were destroying an old temple, I saw one of our past teachers being paraded down the street with a dunce cap. He spoke treasonous lies against the Communist Party and Great Mao himself. Mao compares it to sweeping the floors. He says, "As a rule, where the broom does not reach, the dust will not vanish of itself." We must actively fight against the evil and do our part in "sweeping the floors." I myself am now a proud soldier of the Red Guard. I keep my little red book near to my heart, for Mao's greatness can even cure the deaf and mute.