Valuing the Beauty of the “Jade Flower Palace” Beauty has been known to be one of the most subjective concepts in existence, yet Tu Fu, a renowned Chinese poet from the eighth century, writes so vibrantly that not many disagree with him. During his lifetime, Fu’s familiarity with both wealth and poverty showed the lack of importance money had on his world. Fu instead wrote about the elegance of the natural world and eventually humanitarianism, often commenting on beauty and its ability to go unnoticed. The poem “Jade Flower Palace” brings the latter to life, tying the allure of nature in with the passage of time. Tu Fu uses descriptive imagery to make “Jade Flower Palace” a vividly evocative poem about loss over the years. One of the reasons “Jade Flower Palace” is so effective is its multiple meanings. On the surface, Tu Fu makes observations about what he sees in the ruins of what was once a grandiose palace. However, it soon becomes clear to the reader that Tu Fu has a deeper message. Fu’s description of what he imagines life to have been like displays his remorse, proving that he believes the palace was not appreciated in its time. Each meaning combines to demonstrate the fact that Tu Fu wishes beauty would be valued …show more content…
The way Fu speaks of “standing in / Ruins” (4-5) shows his regret and almost apologeticness for allowing the palace to decompose. Fu focuses heavily on what once might have been, and how it has fallen since, especially when describing the dancing girls and how “their painted cheeks have crumbled / Away” (12-13). The toll this sadness has taken on Tu Fu is most strongly evident when he admits that “the pathos of / It overcomes [the speaker]” (17-18). With the depressing line, “the future / Slips imperceptibly away,” (18-19) Tu Fu drags readers to the same dark place in his mind from which he writes, simply using his tone and word choice to deliver his final
The speaker’s rocky encounter with her ex-lover is captured through personification, diction, and tone. Overall, the poem recaps the inner conflicts that the speak endures while speaking to her ex-lover. She ponders through stages of the past and present. Memories of how they were together and the present and how she feels about him. Never once did she broadcast her emotions towards him, demonstrating the strong facade on the outside, but the crumbling structure on the inside.
With imagery she provided a detailed visual of what that looks like, how it sounds and gave readers an understanding of what magic feels like. Finally, characters told the tale with ambiguity so that each and every member of the audience could relate and draw references to the people in their own lives. The poem perfectly unified beauty with basics, showing that true beauty does not always have to be elaborate. True beauty lies within the simplistic details, the character of those involved, the love that is felt and the goodness of mankind, that alone is magic. The theme that all moments are worthy of gratitude no matter how often they occur or how simple they appear is beautifully exemplified in the poem “Common Magic”.
“Abandoned Farmhouse” and “Ode to Family Photographs” both capture the theme, essence of family. However, one poem highlights turbulent times and the other emphasizes flaws that add to the memory of family in a positive way. The mood of “Abandoned Farmhouse” is dark and lonesome, whereas the mood of “Ode to Family Photographs” is fatuous and nostalgic. Each poem shows evidence of a mood which contributes to the overall meaning of the poem.
Servomaa, Sonja. “Nature Of Beauty—Beauty Of Nature.” Dialogue & Universalism 15.1/2 (2005): Academic Search Premier. Web.
Lee was able to depict such an arduous relationship between a father and son… a relationship that Lee says shall one day fail, but for now, it is pure and full of emotion. The love the father has for the child, for wanting to keep him by his side is one of true compassion. The complexity between the child being so delighted and displaying such admiration, of wanting his father to read him another bedtime story; to one of which, is screaming at his father for wanting to keep him as a child. This sort of relationship was able to be composed by the use of imagery between the father ageing and the scratching of his ear; to the use of the poems structure layout and point of view all played massive roles in the understanding and perception of this literary art work. Thus, the relationship between the father and son is one of compassion and affection; which, cannot be told using simple minded tactics such as logic and
Perhaps one of the biggest issues foreigners will come upon is to maintain a strong identity within the temptations and traditions from other cultures. Novelist Frank Delaney’s image of the search for identity is one of the best, quoting that one must “understand and reconnect with our stories, the stories of the ancestors . . . to build our identities”. For one, to maintain a firm identity, elderly characters often implement Chinese traditions to avoid younger generations veering toward different traditions, such as the Western culture. As well, the Chinese-Canadians of the novel sustain a superior identity because of their own cultural village in Vancouver, known as Chinatown, to implement firm beliefs, heritage, and pride. Thus in Wayson Choy’s, The Jade Peony, the novel discusses the challenge for different characters to maintain a firm and sole identity in the midst of a new environment with different temptations and influences. Ultimately, the characters of this novel rely upon different influences to form an identity, one of which being a strong and wide elderly personal
The persona in the poem reacts to the power the wall has and realizes that he must face his past and everything related to it, especially Vietnam.
A consistent imagery in “Notes” that has a political implication is the sun. Universally, the sun represents warmth and the energy that gives life; however in this poem, the sun represents Mao Zedong. According to McDougall, the sun was commonly used to “signify Mao Zedon...
The poem of A Story by Li-Young Lee analyzes the coming of age of a son through the eyes and emotions of a father. On the surface, it seems like a simple situation of a father telling the son a story to entertain him. But it is upon closer inspection and deep analysis that reveals the true meaning of the poem that the poet is trying to convey to the reader.
The story of this poem tells about a young boy that is lured in by the sensuousness of the moon, and then dies because of his own desire for her. The symbolic meaning is much more hidden and disguised by the literary elements of the poem. The storyline and aspects of the literal story add meaning when searching for the figurative meaning. The warning learned from this poem is that infatuation with anything can lead to a downfall. The moon seemed to offer a comfort that attracted him, but it was only a disguise to lead him to death. The passion the young boy felt for the moon can easily be modified to describe the passion a person can feel for anything. The young boy saw safeness in the moon that brought him closer to her. Any obsession will seem to offer the same comforts that the young boy also saw, but this poem warns that death can always disguise itself.
Literature shows us the changes of our society from time to time. It also gives us an idea about people, culture, politics, gender traditions, as well as an overall view of previous civilizations. As a part of literature, poetry introduces us to different cultures with different perspectives. Ancient Egypt and ancient China may differ in terms of culture, politics, economic stability, tradition, or even in religious belief. However, in poetry, especially in love lyrics both Egyptian and Chinese poems portray common area of describing women, social attitudes toward love, sexuality and the existence of romance or selfishness in relationships. . If we look at the Egyptian poem “My god, my Lotus” and the Chinese poem “Fishhawk”, we will see both poems have similarities in describing relationships. Also, they have the similarity of imagining the lovers and their expression of love toward each other. However, both poems have some significant differences in terms of representing female sexuality, gender disparity and the display of love.
Next, since the village is located up high in the mountains, the palace and the Kung Fu warriors training space is surrounded by nature and its beauty. Nature is a major thought in Taoism. “Manifest plainness, embrace simplicity, reduce selfishness, have few desires” (Lau Tzu). The palace is in a secluded area and a plain design that is simple just as the teachings of Lau Tzu says to have in order to be a tru...
The speaker reflects on the teenage girl’s childhood as she recalls the girl played with “dolls that did pee-pee” (2). This childish description allows the speaker to explain the innocence of the little girl. As a result, the reader immediately feels connected to this cute and innocent young girl. However, the speaker’s diction evolves as the girl grew into a teenager as she proclaims: “She was healthy, tested intelligent, / possessed strong arms and back, / abundant sexual drive and manual dexterity” (7-9). The speaker applies polished language to illustrate the teen. This causes the reader not only to see the girl as an adult, but also to begin to grasp the importance of her situation. The speaker expresses what the bullies told this girl as she explains: “She was advised to play coy, / exhorted to come on hearty” (12-13). The sophisticated diction shifts towards the girl’s oppressors and their cruel demands of her. Because of this, the reader is aware of the extent of the girl’s abuse. The speaker utilizes an intriguing simile as she announces: “Her good nature wore out / like a fan belt” (15-16). The maturity of the speaker’s word choice becomes evident as she uses a simile a young reader would not understand. This keeps the mature reader focused and allows him to fully understand the somberness of this poem. The speaker concludes the poem as she depicts the teenage girl’s appearance at her funeral: “In the casket displayed on satin she lay / with the undertaker’s cosmetics painted on” (19-20). The speaker elects not to describe the dead girl in an unclear and ingenuous manner. Rather, she is very clear and
Although this extremely close connection of the individual with nature, the basic principle of Japanese gardens, has remained the constant throughout its history, the ways in which this principle has come to be expressed has undergone many great changes. Perhaps the most notable occurred in the very distinct periods in Japanese history that popularized unique forms of garden style—Heian (781-1185), and the Kamakura (1186-1393). Resulting from these two golden ages of Japanese history came the stroll garden from the former period and the Zen garden from the latter. As we shall see, the composition of these gardens was remarkably effected by the norms of architecture and the ideals of popular religion in these eras. Therefore, in understanding each garden style in its context, it is essential to also take into account the social, historical, and theological elements as well as the main stylistic differences.
The elegant and fluid dance highlights the ultimate beauty of the blooming lotus, thus championing the values of purity and morality of Dau. This is further enhanced by the abstraction of floor patterning (Appendix), which represents Dau breaking free from her internal struggle and the oppressive system to bravely declare her individualistic sense of