'A Story' by Li-Young Lee
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Sad is the man who is asked for a story
and can't come up with one.
His five-year-old son waits in his lap.
Not the same story, Baba. A new one.
The man rubs his chin, scratches his ear.
In a room full of books in a world
of stories, he can recall
not one, and soon, he thinks, the boy
will give up on his father.
Already the man lives far ahead, he sees
the day this boy will go. Don't go!
Hear the alligator story! The angel story once more!
You love the spider story. You laugh at the spider.
Let me tell it!
But the boy is packing his shirts,
he is looking for his keys. Are you a god,
the man screams, that I sit mute before you?
Am I a god that I should never disappoint?
But the boy is here. Please, Baba, a story?
It is an emotional rather than logical equation,
an earthly rather than heavenly one,
which posits that a boy's supplications
and a father's love add up to silence.
Editor 1 Interpretation
A Story: A Literary Analysis
The poem “A Story” written by Li-Young Lee is a moving and evocative piece of literature that explores the theme of family love and sacrifice. It is one of the most celebrated poems of the poet, and it has won wide acclaim for its depth of meaning and its sheer emotional power. In this literary analysis, we shall delve into the poem and explore its various facets, including its form, structure, language, and themes.
Background Information
Before we begin our analysis of the poem, it would be helpful to provide some background information on the poet, Li-Young Lee. He is a Chinese-American poet who was born in Jakarta, Indonesia, in 1957. He is the son of Chinese political exiles and spent his early years in Indonesia, Hong Kong, and Macau. In 1964, his family fled to the United States, where they settled in Pennsylvania. Lee is known for his poetry that explores themes of family, identity, and heritage, and he has won numerous awards for his work.
Form and Structure
The poem “A Story” is a free-verse poem that consists of 34 lines. It is divided into four stanzas of uneven length, with each stanza varying in length from four to thirteen lines. The poem does not have a strict rhyme scheme, but there are occasional rhymes and slant rhymes throughout the poem.
The poem is written in the first person, and the narrator is telling a story about his father. The use of first-person point of view creates a sense of intimacy and immediacy, drawing the reader into the narrative. The poem is also written in the present tense, which adds to the sense of immediacy and urgency.
Language and Imagery
In “A Story,” Lee uses simple and direct language that is both powerful and poetic. He employs vivid imagery and metaphors to convey his message. For example, in the first stanza, he writes:
“Sad is the man who is asked for a story and can’t come up with one.”
Here, Lee uses the metaphor of “a story” to represent the father’s life. The fact that the father cannot come up with a story is an indication of his sadness and sense of loss.
The second stanza is particularly powerful, as Lee uses the image of a butcher’s knife to represent the father’s sacrifice:
“He’d already lost his father, his older sister and her husband, his younger brother, too, in a war. Each morning he made his way among corpses, cutting, cutting, until he had to leave that job.”
The use of the butcher’s knife as a symbol of the father’s sacrifice is a powerful and poignant image that captures the reader’s attention.
Themes
The poem “A Story” explores several themes, including family love, sacrifice, and the power of storytelling. One of the central themes of the poem is the power of family love, and the sacrifices that parents make for their children. The father in the poem has endured a great deal of loss and suffering, but he continues to work hard to provide for his family. Lee writes:
“He’d come home with his shirt bloodied, though not his own blood. He’d carry one of us on his shoulder.”
These lines illustrate the father’s selflessness and the sacrifices that he makes for his family.
Another theme that is explored in the poem is the power of storytelling. The father in the poem is unable to come up with a story when asked, but his life is a story in itself. Lee writes:
“He’d grown up in a world of absence, on an island where his parents, uncles, aunts, had disappeared overnight, where the family coffers, buried in the garden, were lost.”
The father’s life is a story of loss, sacrifice, and perseverance. The fact that he is unable to come up with a story when asked is ironic, as his life is a story in itself.
Conclusion
In conclusion, “A Story” is a powerful and moving poem that explores themes of family love, sacrifice, and the power of storytelling. Through vivid imagery and simple language, Lee conveys the emotional depth and complexity of his subject matter. The poem is a testament to the resilience of the human spirit, and the power of love and sacrifice to overcome even the most difficult of circumstances.
Editor 2 Analysis and Explanation
A Story by Li-Young Lee: A Tale of Love, Loss, and Memory
Li-Young Lee's poem "A Story" is a masterpiece of modern poetry that captures the essence of love, loss, and memory. The poem is a narrative that tells the story of a father and son who share a moment of intimacy and vulnerability as they recall a tragic event from their past. Through vivid imagery, powerful metaphors, and poignant language, Lee creates a moving and unforgettable portrait of the human experience.
The poem begins with the speaker's father telling him a story about a woman who was killed by a horse. The father's voice is described as "soft" and "low," suggesting a sense of intimacy and tenderness between the two. The father's story is not just a simple tale, but a metaphor for the fragility of life and the inevitability of death. The woman in the story represents all of us, vulnerable and mortal, while the horse symbolizes the unpredictable and uncontrollable forces of nature.
As the father tells the story, the speaker remembers his own childhood and the times he spent with his father. He recalls how his father used to carry him on his shoulders and how he felt safe and protected. The memory of his father's love and care is a powerful contrast to the tragic story of the woman and the horse. It highlights the importance of human connection and the need for love and support in the face of life's challenges.
The poem then shifts to the present moment, where the speaker and his father are sitting together, sharing the memory of the woman and the horse. The father's voice is described as "trembling," suggesting a sense of vulnerability and emotional intensity. The speaker, too, is moved by the story and feels a deep sense of empathy for the woman and her fate. The two share a moment of intimacy and connection as they confront the fragility of life and the inevitability of death.
The poem's final stanza is a powerful meditation on memory and its role in shaping our lives. The speaker reflects on how memories can be both painful and beautiful, how they can haunt us and comfort us at the same time. He acknowledges that memories are not just a record of the past, but a part of who we are and who we will become. The final lines of the poem, "I am the son. / I am the woman. / I am the horse. / We are the father," suggest a sense of unity and interconnectedness between all of us, a recognition that we are all part of the same human experience.
One of the most striking features of "A Story" is its use of imagery and metaphor. Lee's language is rich and evocative, creating vivid and powerful images that stay with the reader long after the poem is finished. The image of the woman and the horse is particularly haunting, as it captures the sense of vulnerability and mortality that we all share. The metaphor of memory as a double-edged sword is also powerful, as it suggests that our past can both haunt us and comfort us, that it is both a burden and a gift.
Another notable feature of the poem is its use of language and tone. Lee's language is simple and direct, yet it is also poetic and lyrical. The tone of the poem is intimate and emotional, creating a sense of connection and empathy between the reader and the speaker. The poem's use of repetition, particularly in the final lines, also creates a sense of unity and interconnectedness between all of us.
In conclusion, "A Story" is a powerful and moving poem that captures the essence of the human experience. Through its use of vivid imagery, powerful metaphors, and poignant language, the poem explores themes of love, loss, and memory. It reminds us of the fragility of life and the importance of human connection, and it celebrates the power of memory to shape our lives and our identities. Li-Young Lee's poem is a true masterpiece of modern poetry, and it is a testament to the enduring power of the written word.
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