The Classic of Poetry - Essay Sample

Introduction

The classic poetry was the earliest collection in East Asia. The poems depict the traditions of Chinese society, including values and history. Classic poetry consisted of 305 poems, which were categorized into three; Hymns, Odes, and the Airs of the Domain. To date, poetry plays a significant role in allowing people to express their feelings and emotions.

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Question 1: Plums are falling

From the first stanza, we can assert that the plums represent women. The plums are ripe, and therefore the speaker has to be ripe as well. Ripeness, in this case, is an expression of availability and desire. The ripe fruit is always ready for fertilization, plucking, and eating. The speaker has gotten to this age where she is ready for plucking and, most significantly, marriage. Besides, just as the plum detach from the fine after getting ripe, the speaker is ready to detach from her family and get into a different cultural content. The seven plums are decreasing in number from the first stanza to the last. The speaker must be worried that other women are getting married, and she is all alone. The phrase “many men want me “means the speaker has not been chosen, and that’s why she lowers her standards (3). The poem was written when the Chinese society was male-dominated and hence increased the anxiety of a woman to get a mate (Leung, 364). The persona in this poem is, therefore, a woman in need of a suitor.

Question 2

The Boat of Cyprus runs in a mood of sadness and depression. The boat symbolizes a ruler, and Cyprus are followers. In the last stanza, the speaker talks about her obligation, “I think on it in quiet, I cannot spread wings to fly away” (29, 30). Such shows that the speaker is immersed in thoughts that she cannot get off her mind. Besides, the author uses the word choice to depict the overall sorrow and the intensity of what she was going through. There are various words portraying sorrow throughout the poem, including restlessness (19), troubled, and torment (4). “These troubles of the heart are like unwashed clothes” (27, 28). The simile expresses sorrow, especially because, in most cases, people view unwashed clothes as less important or irrelevant. It seems that the rulers do not take the interest of people at heart.

Question 3

The Fishhawk poem expresses human emotions. The poet applies a series of literary elements throughout the poem, including imageries. The first sentence in the first stanza states that the fishhawks sing guan guan to mark the start of the poem. It is during springs that humans, animals, and birds become active. The author also uses syntax to make the poem compelling. The line, “water grows here and there” creates the rhythm. Besides, “gentle maiden, pure and fair” is repeated to emphasize the persona’s desire for a fair lady (3, 7, 15, and 19). The author chose the word fair to portray the virtue of kindness, which was embraced in the Chinese culture. The last line of the second stanza shows the intensity of the man’s desire towards the maiden. The poem is about the expression of human emotions.

Conclusion

In conclusion, people express their emotions through poetry. In the aforementioned work, the authors apply literary elements to convey the message and create emphasis where necessary.

Works Cited

Leung, Alicia SM. "Feminism in transition: Chinese culture, ideology, and the development of the women's movement in China." Asia Pacific Journal of Management 20.3 (2003): 359-374.