The most prevalant emotion in these poems written by Chinese immigrants is the frustration with the unexpected disappointment upon their arrival in the United States. One of the poets states that they were not only put in them in captivity, but acted tyrannically and inhumane. This poet seems to be more outraged with the treatment given to the Chinese, while Xu seems to be more remorseful while at the same time attempting to grasp some optimism. He poses the question, "Why should one complain if he is detained and imprisoned here? From ancient times, heroes often were the first ones to face adversity". Although Xu shares a more optimistic outlook on the situation at hand, there is an interesting similarity between the two poets in that they both express a feeling that those captured possess the ability to be heroes or supreme. This is interesting to me because I would not expect that being held captive and treated inhumanely would create a sense of empowerment. It seems that perhaps they are grasping hard at their deserved freedom by acknowledging what they are capable of since their freedom has (hopefully temporarily) been taken away.
What do you think brought on this feeling of empowerment (or rather foreseen empowerment) between the two poets?
Do you think that this is a typical emotional reaction when one loses their freedom?
You bring up a great point about the differences between the way these two poets respond to their circumstances. I think that both are very typical responses to losing freedom. I believe that first one woud likely go through a stage of anger, where he/she is disappointed with the way things have turned out and how they have been mislead and mistreated. Then, one would move on to resolve, where he/she is ready to find a solution and knows that this will make him/her stronger and better prepared than most to face the world.
ReplyDeleteI think it is about retaining their dignity and not giving in to despair. These men left their homes with more than enough confidence in themselves and their ability to thrive in a foreign land (otherwise, why come at all?) and so they reach inside of themselves to find the courage to face this trial head on. And by writing it down, perhaps they inspired others in that situation to have patience and find courage.
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