Sadness and War in Poem They Beat Their Drums - Essay Example

? Sadness and War in “They Beat Their Drums “ ID: “They Beat Their Drums” is an ancient Chinese poem that speaks both of historical events and of happenings that are of a personal nature to the narrator. The literal meaning of the poem follows a man who was part of a war and who returns home. This can be seen through the strong imagery of war in the first part of the poem, the use of a marriage vow in the fourth stanza, and the narrator’s despair at their bond being broken. However, the literal elements of a poem are only one way of examining the meaning of the words, and meaning can be determined through a deep analysis of different aspects of the poem. The poem makes use of inconsistent approaches to structure and tense to draw attention to specific aspects of the narrative, yet at the same time, the poem has a strong level of consistency throughout that makes it coherent as a single image. The first stanza of the poem serves to set the scene, focusing on images that are commonly associated with battle, particularly the use of drums, marching and weapons. It is distinct from the rest of the poem in several ways. The first is in terms of content. It is the only stanza that talks about “them.” No indication is given as to who “they” are. The term could refer to the enemy that is being fought, but it could equally refer to other people on the same side of the war as the narrator. The stanza also differs from the rest of the poem in terms of form, with the early lines of the stanza being longer than they are in other parts of the poem. This serves to separate this stanza away from the rest of the poem. These differences make this initial stanza appear to be an introduction or a prelude to the narration that is to come. In the first stanza, the poet refers to events that occur in the present tense. Terms are used such as “march” rather than “marched, and” “leaping” rather than “leaped.” These terms suggest that the events are being narrated as they are occurring, yet the structure of the poem indicates that this is not the case at all. Subsequent paragraphs play with this perception of time. At the beginning of the second stanza, the expression “we were led” is used, yet the final line of this stanza states that “my heart is sad within.” There are multiple reasons why the poem may switch tense like this. The first is that the narrator is currently in the war and is reminiscing on a painful memory. Another reason is for effect. The author could be using the changes in tense to make certain aspects of the poem appear to be more important, such as the sadness of the narrator and the southbound march of the army. Through this technique, the reader’s focus is drawn to some passages over the others and makes them more noticeable and more memorable. Despite the changes in tense and in structure across the poem, the direction of the writing and the emotional impact are strongly consistent throughout the poem. The melancholy overtone that is evident at the end of the poem is also foreshadowed in each stanza, making the poem as a whole appear sad and lonely, even before the narration suggests that it should be. The first stanza focuses on the noise and violence of the war, with images that suggest movement such as the beating of the drums, the loud noise, and the leaning and prancing. Yet, the last line of this stanza suggests a different image. Here, the narrator comments that “we alone march to the south.” This line juxtaposes the earlier phrases, even though it also suggests movement because of the implied sadness. This comes from the word “alone” in this sentence. It is not the fact that the group is marching south that is the important point; it is the fact that they are doing so alone. The use of the term strongly mirrors the emotions of the narrator. He would not have been literally alone during the march as he refers to a group marching; yet, the use of the term “alone” suggests that he felt alone emotionally even if he was not lonely physically. The second stanza makes use of the same approach, although here the lines in the stanza are shorter, which creates a choppier, more fast paced rhythm. As in the previous stanza, the first three lines continue to tell the tale of the war, talking about the leader of the army, Sun Zi-zhong, and the enemies that they were trying to defeat, Chen and Song. In this stanza there are two aspects that carry on the theme of melancholy. The first of these is the statement that “he does not bring us home.” Here, there is a strong suggestion that home is desirable and that not going home was something to be sad about. This is expressed directly in the next line, where the narrator says that his “heart is sad within.” Taken together, these lines suggest that the author is sad that he cannot go home, and that this might be why he felt that they were marching south alone. The narrative in the third stanza is different than the first two. In the previous stanzas the narrator was telling a coherent story about the war. Here the focus appears to have shifted away from the war and towards something that was happening at that specific point in time. This is evidence of the despair of the narrator increasing. There is a strong focus on stopping, staying and losing. These words all express a strong sense of being trapped. The emphasis of the poem has moved away from what is occurring and is more strongly centered around the author’s emotions. The word “here” is repeated four times within three lines, creating a very narrow sense of the narrator’s location and how much it means to him. The final two stanzas move the sadness and melancholy from being something that is implied to expressed and explained. The fourth stanza appears to be a wedding vow, where a man and a woman promise to grow old with each other. This is immediately contrasted with the final stanza where the narrator is effectively cursing the bond because it is no longer relevant in his life and he feels that he has been betrayed. As such, it is a reinforcement of the theme that has been present throughout the poem. This approach provides closure to the reader, as the cause for the sadness is finally understood. This creates a sense of the poem as a final, coherent whole. Throughout “They Beat Their Drums,” melancholy and sadness are a prominent theme and expressed both in obvious ways and also hidden within the text itself. Through the choices of words, the changes in tense and the alterations in structure, the audience connects with the emotions of the narrator even before what he is saying is evident. As such, the meaning that is hidden in the way that the poem is structured and the words that are chosen is used to reinforce strong emotions and to evoke feelings of sympathy. This serves to pull the poem together and to unify it, creating a single story with a single theme, despite the many variations that are present throughout it. The outcome is that “They Beat Their Drums” is a story of war and also a narration of sadness. Read More