The Light - Week 3 Analysis
"Better this body die. . .
I long to see the light of love
In my husband's eyes.
Shall I become a butterfly in the spring
Gathering fragrance on my wings?
Glorying in the sunshine
And Settling on his clothes?
I will be on the bright moon in the sky
When night comes, I will rise
And shed my bright beams
On my beloved's face." (88)
This passage begins with a welcoming of death by Ch'un-Hyang. After being tortured in an inhumane fashion, the thought of death becomes her salvation. This salvation then materializes in her mind as becoming one with nature. In becoming one with nature through death, maybe she'll be able to see her husband again by inhabiting the varying aspects of nature: "I long to see the light of love/In my husband's eyes (88). This passage is both a hindrance to the theme of perseverance by displaying a momentary lapse of fight by Ch'un-Hyang (which is completely understandable considering the extreme torture), and ultimately an important imagery filled demonstration of persevering because of love/passion.
The turnaround is subtle in it's portrayal of light, but can be seen when examining the choice of diction. Hyang throughout the poem often compares her husband to 'light', displaying the importance he holds to her happiness by being a light in the darkness. This is encapsulated in the following from my chosen passage: "I long to see the light of love/In my husband's eyes". Her husband is often described as her "light" and is the focus in her moment of weakness (accepting death). By the end of this passage, a change occurs when describing how she'd watch over her husband through nature; Hyang acknowledges her own worth. Hyang puts herself in the position of being the "light". She acknowledges her own importance to her husband, being the light for him as seen in the following, "I will be the bright moon in the sky./When night comes, I will rise/And shed my bright beams/On my beloved's face" (88). In this recognition, she's able to see not only the light he provides, but power she wields in their relationship. Shortly after this passage her acceptance of death shifts to the desire to live; comparing her plight to the perseverance of Confucius and King Wen in their moments of desperation. Extra motivation to live is apparent after this passage, with the desire to see her husband in the flesh; providing the light to her husband that she so desperately seeks herself. This passage displays that turning point in the imagery evoked, providing a journey from absolute despair; that evolves into a stronger wall of perseverance as the overall theme dictates.
"The Song of Ch'un-Hyang." The Norton Anthology of World Literature, Volume D, 3rd Edition, W. W. Norton & Company, 2012. pp 88
Your analysis of "The Song of Ch'un-Hyang was absolutely profound. I love how you pointed out the juxtaposition of mental imagery and her actual experience. The theme of "light" I can clearly see, even though I must admit I did not when I first read it. Beautifully analyzed !
ReplyDeleteCeasar, your analysis was fantastic and moving. Thank you for this work. The metaphor of light which symbolized their love but also Ch'un-hyang's inner strength and power was very powerful. When you point out the moment our heroine acknowledges her own worth, as she is facing death , it was really enlightening because I was struggling at that point in the story myself and did not see the connections you made very clear here, this analysis was very well written and wonderfully thought out. Thank you
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ReplyDeleteHello Ceasar!
Outstanding analysis of Ch'un-Hyang! I honestly didn't even see the connection between life and death when I read this passage! After rereading this part, I agree with some of your analysis. Juxtaposition is a device used by many authors and in this case, I see it as a symbol of Ch'un Hyang's resolve. I like how you described her husband as her light in the darkness, because in honesty and in reality, our loved ones tend to be the ones that shine bright when we are in darkness and will always be the light that leads us from the darkness.
Your thoughts about Ch'un-Hyang's work is really great! I love how you analyze the wife becoming one with nature and how she could come back and somehow be with her husband again. I also love how you compare light and dark, like life and death. It's amazing how the wife finds happiness in her husband; it seems like he is her true love. And losing anyone close to you is always hard.
ReplyDeleteHi Caesar! your analysis was really insightful and I loved reading it! I agree that the overwhelming theme develops into one and another and in the end, falls into perseverance. I like how you stated Ch'un-Hyang is the light and how you explained the purpose of it and so on. Your analysis really created a good understanding of the story and helped me understand Hyang and her husband's relationship better. Great job and keep up the good work!
ReplyDeleteI really enjoyed the Song of Ch'un-Hyang was very poetic in how it described Ch'un-Hyang love and loyalty to her husband. It very intriguing that you point out the light and the darkness when it came to there relationship and how the are each others light. This story displayed a lot of emotion in there use of imagery.
ReplyDeleteHey Ceasar, I liked the analysis. Nice touch on adding the quote in the very beginning of the analysis it made it grabbed my attention forsure. I enjoyed your thoughts and take on the "Song of Ch'un-Hyang" and I agree that with what you said about, "juxtaposition between beautiful mental imagery and the actual dreary reality of her situation." I thought that was very well put. Overall great analysis and keep up the good work this was very interesting to read.
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