Lola Rose Elvina Hart
http://www.kenji-world.net/english/download/works/Rain.html - website with the poem
The poem I've chosen is Be not Defeated by the Rain by Kenji Miyazawa.
_________________________________________________________________________________
These images connect to the poem because for one the poem is called Be not Defeated by the Rain, and the author is talking about not letting yourself be defeated by unfortunate events and always trying to see the silver lining in awful situations. Another reason these connect is because there is a lot of imagery of nature in the poem.
______________________________________________________________________________
Be not defeated by the rain, Nor let the wind prove your better.
Succumb not to the snows of winter. Nor be bested by the heat of summer.
Be strong in body. Unfettered by desire. Not enticed to anger. Cultivate a quiet joy.
Count yourself last in everything. Put others before you.
Watch well and listen closely. Hold the learned lessons dear.
A thatch-roof house, in a meadow, nestled in a pine grove's shade.
A handful of rice, some miso, and a few vegetables to suffice for the day.
If, to the East, a child lies sick: Go forth and nurse him to health.
If, to the West, an old lady stands exhausted: Go forth, and relieve her of burden.
If, to the South, a man lies dying: Go forth with words of courage to dispel his fear.
If, to the North, an argument or fight ensues:
Go forth and beg them stop such a waste of effort and of spirit.
In times of drought, shed tears of sympathy.
In summers cold, walk in concern and empathy.
Stand aloof of the unknowing masses:
Better dismissed as useless than flattered as a "Great Man".
This is my goal, the person I strive to become.
_________________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________
http://www.kenji-world.net/english/who/who.html
This poet was from Japan, and he wrote children's stories as well as poems about his life. He lived in a time period when "the country (Japan) began to manifest an attitude that was increasingly self-centered and condescending toward the peoples of the neighboring Asian countries," and ended in a series of wars. Kenji Miyazawa's work, especially the poem Be not Defeated by the Rain, reflected what was happening in his country at the time. Themes in his work relate to the state of the people and their reactions to the state of the world around them.
_________________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________
The poem Be not Defeated by the Rain talks about the struggle of the authors life and how they are surviving. The poem later progresses to speak on how to thrive and be a "Great man" without bothering the world around you. Kenji Miyazawa lived in a time when war was on the rise which is seen in this poem. He talks about being "unfettered by desire," which can be interpreted as not giving in to the whole idea of war no matter how terrible the situation gets. The speaker uses figurative language to show how life was difficult in the time period. By saying, "Nor let the wind prove your better," the author is comparing the reader to a fragile being who shouldn't let the harsh winter winds harm them. The author connects his personal "goal" of "striving to become" a better person with the struggle in others lives using figurative language. Miyazawa uses seasons as symbols many times throughout this poem, "In summers cold, walk in concern and empathy," is saying that some evil issues should not occur but when they do people need to work together to resolve them. When an author rhymes in a poem it usually is to show togetherness in their story, Kenji Miyazawa does not use rhyming in this poem because he wants to express detachment. In this poem the author uses stanza division to create different sections and moods. The tone of Be not Defeated by the Rain is plainly positive events trying to push away negative events. Most of the lines in the poem are negative, "A thatch-roof house, in a meadow," is rather positive which is to create a unique tone with contrast. While the author does use tone to express their wishes, he also uses tone to secretly explain the issues from this time period. The theme of this poem is to not let yourself be defeated by unfortunate events.
The poem I've chosen is Be not Defeated by the Rain by Kenji Miyazawa.
_________________________________________________________________________________
These images connect to the poem because for one the poem is called Be not Defeated by the Rain, and the author is talking about not letting yourself be defeated by unfortunate events and always trying to see the silver lining in awful situations. Another reason these connect is because there is a lot of imagery of nature in the poem.
______________________________________________________________________________
Be not defeated by the rain, Nor let the wind prove your better.
Succumb not to the snows of winter. Nor be bested by the heat of summer.
Be strong in body. Unfettered by desire. Not enticed to anger. Cultivate a quiet joy.
Count yourself last in everything. Put others before you.
Watch well and listen closely. Hold the learned lessons dear.
A thatch-roof house, in a meadow, nestled in a pine grove's shade.
A handful of rice, some miso, and a few vegetables to suffice for the day.
If, to the East, a child lies sick: Go forth and nurse him to health.
If, to the West, an old lady stands exhausted: Go forth, and relieve her of burden.
If, to the South, a man lies dying: Go forth with words of courage to dispel his fear.
If, to the North, an argument or fight ensues:
Go forth and beg them stop such a waste of effort and of spirit.
In times of drought, shed tears of sympathy.
In summers cold, walk in concern and empathy.
Stand aloof of the unknowing masses:
Better dismissed as useless than flattered as a "Great Man".
This is my goal, the person I strive to become.
_________________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________
http://www.kenji-world.net/english/who/who.html
This poet was from Japan, and he wrote children's stories as well as poems about his life. He lived in a time period when "the country (Japan) began to manifest an attitude that was increasingly self-centered and condescending toward the peoples of the neighboring Asian countries," and ended in a series of wars. Kenji Miyazawa's work, especially the poem Be not Defeated by the Rain, reflected what was happening in his country at the time. Themes in his work relate to the state of the people and their reactions to the state of the world around them.
_________________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________
The poem Be not Defeated by the Rain talks about the struggle of the authors life and how they are surviving. The poem later progresses to speak on how to thrive and be a "Great man" without bothering the world around you. Kenji Miyazawa lived in a time when war was on the rise which is seen in this poem. He talks about being "unfettered by desire," which can be interpreted as not giving in to the whole idea of war no matter how terrible the situation gets. The speaker uses figurative language to show how life was difficult in the time period. By saying, "Nor let the wind prove your better," the author is comparing the reader to a fragile being who shouldn't let the harsh winter winds harm them. The author connects his personal "goal" of "striving to become" a better person with the struggle in others lives using figurative language. Miyazawa uses seasons as symbols many times throughout this poem, "In summers cold, walk in concern and empathy," is saying that some evil issues should not occur but when they do people need to work together to resolve them. When an author rhymes in a poem it usually is to show togetherness in their story, Kenji Miyazawa does not use rhyming in this poem because he wants to express detachment. In this poem the author uses stanza division to create different sections and moods. The tone of Be not Defeated by the Rain is plainly positive events trying to push away negative events. Most of the lines in the poem are negative, "A thatch-roof house, in a meadow," is rather positive which is to create a unique tone with contrast. While the author does use tone to express their wishes, he also uses tone to secretly explain the issues from this time period. The theme of this poem is to not let yourself be defeated by unfortunate events.
This poem stood out to me because it has a very positive and influential message. From interpreting the figurative language you can tell that the author was living in a time where he felt like everyone around him was greedy. Another possible theme for the poem could be help thy neighbor. The fifth stanza talks how people should help each other when someone is down and not be greedy. The qualities listed defining a "good man" should be the morals we live by today because they show humbleness and would help all people prosper.
ReplyDelete