This poem shapes the image of an old horse, which can be seen as a whole: first, the poet compares people with horses; Secondly, in terms of content, "It doesn't say a word", "It hangs its head heavily" and "It only swallows tears in its heart". These sentences depict the image of "forbearance" rather than "struggle", which is a true portrayal of the tragic image of the people in the disaster-stricken old China.
Author and writing background.
Cang Kejia was born in the countryside of Zhucheng County, Shandong Province. He was familiar with the countryside since he was a child and loved farmers, so most of his poems were in praise of the countryside. 1933 published Brand, and the following year published Black Hands of Evil. This is the time when the decadent poetic style of "modernism" is rejected by readers. Jane Ke's poems describing farmers' images and rural scenery brought a fresh wind to the poetry world, which immediately attracted the attention and attention of the literary world and opened up a new world for new poems reflecting rural life.
Lao Ma, written in 1932, is one of Cang Kejia's famous poems "Brand". The author once said: "After the failure of the 1927 Great Revolution, I completely denied Chiang Kai-shek's regime, but I was very uncertain about the future of the revolution. Life is bitter and I feel depressed and sad. " The author saw an old horse with tragic fate with his own eyes, and there was a kind of pressure in his heart not to write it. By appreciating this poem, we can more specifically feel the achievements and characteristics of the new poetry creation of the Jianke family in the 1930s.
The gist of the content.
Eight short sentences in "Old Horse" have shaped the tragic image of an overwhelmed old horse.
Section 1, Write Load.
The first two sentences "always" and "no matter what" echo each other, showing the greed and cruelty of the owner, making the old horse overloaded, and also writing the stubborn and persevering character of the old horse, burying a cavity of grief and indignation in his heart. In fact, the last two sentences describe the compulsion, the word "buckle" and the word "heavy", which vividly and profoundly depict the tragic situation of the old horse under heavy pressure, the indifference of the owner and the pain of the old horse.
In the second quarter, write a whip and start. The first two sentences are fictional, depicting the sad and hopeless psychology of the old horse. The last two sentences are realistic "A Whip Shadow", which vividly shows the fierceness and ruthlessness of the master. Under such harsh oppression, what is waiting for the old horse ahead? The poet left readers with infinite imagination.
Regarding the poem "Old Horse", Cang Kejia once said: "To write about an old horse is to write about the old horse itself. How readers understand it is a matter for readers, and there are different opinions. "
What's it like to be an old horse?
First of all, judging from the title of the poem, the title of the poem is "Old Horse", but the poet did not describe the frail appearance of the old horse in detail, but focused on its fate, feelings and mood. This way of writing, which takes the appearance of the old horse for granted, gives this poem profound meaning.
Secondly, judging from the characteristics of the old horse's situation and fate, it seems that the old horse in the poem is born to bear the fate of loading a cart unconditionally, even if "the pressure on his back is buckled into the meat", "he won't say a word anyway" and "he will hang his head heavily." The poet wrote here about the fate of the old horse and his honest and kind character. The old horse also thought about his unfortunate fate, but he always "didn't know the fate of the next moment, just swallowed his tears into his heart." From here we can also appreciate the ignorance of the old horse. Although the old horse works hard, it is often whipped. Helpless, "I have to look up ahead." The poet wrote the tragic fate, painful feelings and sad mood of the old horse, which enhanced the appeal of the old horse tragedy.
Finally, if linked to the historical background, it is not difficult to see that this horse was crushed, extremely painful and whipped.
The poem "Old Horse" is not intended to symbolize the fate of farmers with old horses, but why do readers and annotators of this anthology almost say that it is about farmers suffering in the old society?
Analysis: Literature appreciation is an aesthetic enjoyment and an artistic re-creation. The meaning of the work comes from two aspects. One is the work itself, and the other is a gift from the reader. Therefore, we should not only admit the differences in literary appreciation, but also admit that the appreciator's understanding may be beyond or different from the author's original intention. Someone said, "A thousand spectators have a thousand Hamlets." Mr. Lu Xun once said: "A Dream of Red Mansions ... is just a matter of fate, because of the readers' eyes. Scholars look at the Book of Changes, Taoists look at lewdness, talented people look at lingering, revolutionaries look at rows, gossips look at palace secrets ... "Cang Kejia once said: On the surface, it is a horse with heavy load and great pressure. But almost all the readers and annotators of this anthology said that they wrote about the peasants who suffered in the old society. The reason is that the image of the old horse is shaped, and its shape is conveyed. The poet did not describe the old horse in detail, but focused on its fate, feelings and state of mind, which enhanced the appeal of the old horse's tragedy. The more the poet highlights the humiliation, kindness and faithfulness of the old horse, the more he can arouse readers' sympathy for the oppressed peasants and arouse their anger and curse against the old system and the exploiting class. Therefore, the image-building of the old horse fully embodies the characteristics of "image is greater than thought".