In the wake of the Sichuan earthquake, there was an outpouring of literary works that touched our hearts, among them poems. There was one by an anonymous author that assumes the voice of a mother talking to her dead child. It has simplicity tinged with sadness. One business executive, after reading it, pledged an additional 6 million yuan to the 4 million yuan already donated.
Recently, someone named Wang Zhaoshan published a poem, written in classic ci style, about the earthquake. He assumes the voice of a victim expressing gratitude from the grave for all the efforts the whole nation, especially our leaders and soldiers, have taken in rescue and relief.
Suffice to say, this is a horrible poem. It debases the purity of human love and compassion abundantly displayed in this tragedy.
True, we are mighty proud of the strong leadership from the central government, the speedy mobilization and commitment of the soldiers, the torrent of grief, volunteerism and donations from all over the country. We showed that we are capable of caring for our fellow human beings, especially when hit by misfortune of biblical scale.
Those who went out of their way to help deserve our praise, whether that person was an official or just an ordinary citizen. But that does not change the fact that what happened on May 12 was a tragedy, the biggest natural disaster in New China.
For people who suffered loss of life in the family, the pain is permanent. That was why Premier Wen Jiabao asked rescuers to "spare no cost and effort" in saving as many people as possible. A collapsed house can be rebuilt, but a life lost is lost forever.
Wang's poem has the overtone that, because of all the attention, a victim will "feel happy as a ghost". While this is disrespectful to the victims, he is not alone in this line of reasoning.
Shortly after the quake, I heard someone saying earthquake victims got "great postmortem honor". I was aghast. Yes, a victim would not have got a national memorial with three days of mourning if he or she died a natural death or was killed in a traffic accident. But to invoke the concept of "postmortem honor" is to put all of us back into the feudal era when subjects kowtowed to the monarch in gratitude even if the latter "condemned him to death".
The same logic applies to Wang's poem, in which he also "prays for a screen to be installed at the grave" so that "I", the victim, can watch the Olympic celebrations.
Not only is Wang not deferential to the victims, he is besmirching our leaders. By relentless fawning, he has inadvertently painted the leaders, whose presence and leadership were part of their "humanity-oriented policy", into emperor-like figures dispensing benevolence like a parent doling out candy.
The third party that Wang tarnishes in his poem is the image of the quake-zone people. We all remember the scene of young survivors standing at a roadside holding up banners that read "We thank you for your help!" That feeling of gratefulness was so spontaneous and beautiful. Even if victims could speak from beyond this world and want to express appreciation, it would not be what Wang spouted. It would be something simple and heartfelt, not chokingly schmaltzy.
Humanitarianism is based on the notion that everyone is equal and every life deserves respect. By placing victims at the receiving end of mercy, Wang has marred the beauty of human relations. His is the classic case of the painter who adds a pair of feet to a snake, turning an aching but exalting tragedy into a pretentious farce.
雅思写作常用词汇:候选人/应试者
雅思写作常用词汇:专注的
雅思写作常用词汇:留意/留心
雅思写作老题来袭 险恶用意不可低估
雅思写作常用词汇:热诚的/难以言表
雅思写作题目分析:音乐的作用
雅思写作8分范文:入乡随俗的探讨
雅思写作高频替换词整理
雅思写作常用词汇:安排/协议
雅思写作常用词汇:物质文明
雅思写作常用词汇:询问/打听
雅思写作范文:促进人民健康的方法
雅思写作常用词汇:简历/专业技能
雅思写作常用词汇:内疚的/担保
雅思写作常用词汇:创造性/资格
雅思写作常用词汇:奖学金/珍贵的/实现
雅思写作老题重现怎么办?先看清出题意图
雅思写作常用词汇:面试/申请
考生使用雅思写作机经的两个常见误区
雅思写作引言段背景句的写作方法介绍
雅思写作常用词汇:进取心/区分
雅思写作常用词汇:额外/附加的
雅思写作双边讨论型话题解的解答技巧
雅思写作常用词汇:有天分的
雅思写作高难度topic 15个
雅思写作常用词汇:学校教育/家庭教育
雅思写作常用词汇:感激/欣赏
雅思写作常用词汇:使失望/满意的
雅思写作实用词组及句型(88组)
雅思写作素材:Culture Shock
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