I took Dr. Peggy Chang’s grammar class two years ago and we got her distracted by talking about languages and effectiveness. If you can imagine, she drew on the white board a piece of wet spaghetti and a dry piece of spaghetti. The first was curvy and twisted, while the other was simply a straight line. She said the first line was Chinese and the second was English. In essence Chinese brings the message about by going all over the place, while English is effective in getting the message across a space. Fenollosa talks about all truth being expressed through sentences, and all truth being transference of power. Chang’s metaphor can be applied in a special way. The use of English is effective in its path and simplicity. Small and powerful. While Chinese, though less direct, brings its power through imagery and ornate qualities of expression. Like comparing a Colt .45 handgun to the tradition of the Bushido (Japanese, I know). West: Small, direct, powerful, virtually universal. East: Intricate, extensive, arguably more powerful but limited to those who have been blessed with the passing of tradition.
The essay’s we’ve read have discussed language as poetry in and of itself. Fenollosa brings up the manifest example of Chinese by explaining the etymology of their word for is as “to snatch from the moon with the hand.” Chinese seems to be alive, an active process, whereas English is more commonly a tool. Fenollosa later brings up a possible basis for this perspective in that the western mind uses thought as a logical and categorical procedure as opposed to a direct imaginative process (p.376). Eastern thought is greater adept to bring imagination with its thought process than the Western practice of cataloging.
What is this? Is this a poem? Is this a good poem or a bad poem? Do I like it? Why do I like it?
as opposed to
This moves me.
I’m not necessarily saying the western mind can’t find the second point of view, but I do feel that the first is more standard.
The shortest passage in the Bible is “Jesus wept,” and some Christian’s argue that it is one the most powerful scriptures.
My favorite line in this essay: "... and life is pregnant with art."
skip to main |
skip to sidebar
Some Persona
connection
- Academy of the Presentation of the Blessed Virgin (T.Y.F.T.S.)
- Uncle Don Leo XII Loayza (A.Bu.)
- Gala Placidia (T. C-Mc.)
- Euclides (B.Co.)
- Fermina Sanchez (R.Co.)
- Aunt Escolastica (J. H-Mc.)
- General Ricardo Gaitan Obeso (M.Ke.)
- Dr. Marco Aurelio Urbino (Dr.K.S.Mo.)
- Transito Ariza (D.Oa.)
- Leona Cassiani (M.Pa.)
- Sara Noriega (J.Ro.)
- Ofelia Urbino (S.Sc.)
- Hildebranda Sanchez (S.Sm.)
- Aminta Dechamps de Olivella (I.St.)
- Ausencia Santander (E.Sw.)
- Lotario Thugut (M.Yk.)
- Jeremiah de Saint-Amour (M. Yg.)
- Captian Rosendo de la Rosa (Wi.Zi.)
- Alootook Ipellie
- Fotografias de Aventura
- Mi hermano, el Doctor
- ¡Divertido con Television Telgua!
- Versus
1 comment:
Yes, the "Jesus wept" passage, with its totally minimal subject-verb structure, feels like a description or enactment of a vivid ideogram. For me, there is a strong imagistic connection between the word Jesus and the figure of Jesus (probably as a result of seeing the word in print so much in religious texts, but still)--that capital J is both like the man on the cross, with his robe fluttering at the bottom, and like the curve of his beard on his chin. The remaining letters are like apostles, or more beard. Obviously this is beyond silly, but I think we do perform these subjective kinds of word/image associations all the time without thinking about it much. From there, it's not much of a step to start thinking about the relation between the two-syllable subject and the one-syllable object, with their two pronunciations of the vowel e, and the way they cornice into each other, and to consider this relation as a dramatic enactment of theme on whatever level.
Post a Comment