Poetry: Please read what I think about this poem..

[blairjs]

So Han-shan writes you these words,

These words which no one will believe.

Honey is sweel; men love the taste.

Medicine is bitter and hard to swallow.

What soothers the feelings brigns contentment, -what's this line mean?

What opposes the will calls forth anger. -what's this line mean?

Yet I ask you to look at the wooden puppets,

Worn out by their moment of play on the stage.

I haven't answer these four question(would love some help or ideas)

1. What imagery is produced through the language?

2. How does the imagery effect the poem's meaning?

3. What moods are created by particular words?

4. What tone is established through the language choices of the author?

Here is what I think:

Han Shan’s poem ninety-nine of Cold Mountain is showing that men only want an immediate satisfaction throughout life instead of the big picture or long term. The poet starts writing these words, but not actions like Gandhi. The words he predicts will have not have any effect on people day to day because they will ignore them. Full truth is hard to swallow for most people. The next two lines show how men are selfish and only focused on what’s best for here and now; however, maybe the long-term solution is better. Honey makes us feel good temporary and it’s enjoyable, while we hate to take medicine, but it will keep us healthy. We concentrate so much on eating in this society which is only going to make us temporary happy. We think in an egocentric way. Feelings=fleeting; will only lasts as long as the mind. The last two lines show the puppets looking worn because their moments of play are short because they are controlled by greed, desires, and temporary fixes.

[blairjs]

In his poem ninety-nine of Cold Mountain, Han Shan illustrates that men only desire immediate satisfaction throughout their lives rather than looking beyond the short term and seeking satisfaction that is more long-standing. The author begins his poem with “these words”; he goes on to say that he predicts that his words will have no lasting impact on people, and they will choose to ignore them. The poet admits only to using words and not actions to show what he means like Gandhi. Some people fail to grasp the things that are truly important in life. The next two lines of the poem mainly focus on how men are selfish and only care about what is for the best momentarily. Han-Shan illustrates his point by using an analogy between honey and medicine in the third line. He starts out saying, “Honey is sweet; men love the taste” implying that honey is a temporary pleasure and though “Medicine is bitter and hard to swallow”, it will keep you healthy and more content in the future. All of this seems to suggest the fact that perhaps thinking more long term is the better alternative. This seems to be a common problem with people today; they focus too much on the temporary solutions to their problems, such as eating that they instead of fixing the problem, they’ve created a whole new problem to deal with. The poet shows that people not getting what they want by not fulfilling these temporary fixes, results in anger. Towards the end of the poem the author talks of worn out puppets that as a result of their lust for short term satisfactions, they are “Worn out by their moment of play on the stage!” People are worn out because all that controls them is their lust and greed for quick fixes and temporary solutions. The stage is the world that people have become tired of. People need to stop thinking in an egocentric way and think about the big picture. The author’s usage of the words “worn out” brings about a sense of sadness or remorse for those unfortunate souls. They have become a slave to their own needs and desires. We truly are wooden puppets relying on everything except our own mind; for to do that would mean to accept responsibility. We would rather become worn out than rather than question our own ways of decision making. The imagery that is produced through the language is puppets imagery because the poem shows how people like simple desires and that’s what restricts people from doing more with their life. The mood of the poem is realization that all is lost. His message is an important one and it, like most other things, will get lost and forgotten. This makes you pity society’s ignorance and lack of open mind ness. The tone of authority or observance comes from the author’s own voice at the start of the poem which brings on a feeling of warning or caution. This sets the final tone with a sad yet cautionary tale of what happens to those men who give in to instant satisfactions throughout life.