Name: Charikleia Kotsoni Student number: 14004 Code number: LIT 5-125Y Workshop in critical writing: poetry, (group b) Instructor: Dr. Maria Schoina Date: 19/12/2011

“CONCEALING THE DARKNESS OF THE PAST CAN BRING RELEASE”

The speaker of Ha Jin’s poem “The Past” is emotionally attached to his/her past, creating the idea that together they form a complex whole. His/her past has such power over him/her that can actually control him/her and define who s/he is. Nevertheless, the speaker achieves to make a shift in his/her relationship with the past that until then seems to dominate him/her. This change is accomplished through the observation of three other people’s attitude towards their past. Although s/he changes his/her attitude, s/he doesn’t make a full reverse, but manages to depend less on his/her past and regains control of his/her life.

In the beginning, the speaker makes an insightful search of his/her own situation, but seems a little uncertain and reluctant, as s/he doesn’t embrace the fact that s/he and his/her past is one inseparable thing, ( l. 1 “I have supposed my past is a part of myself” ). Then, through a simile, given from everyday life, s/he makes

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clear that s/he cannot get away from his/her past, because it would be there eternally, like his/her shadow in the sun, appearing even when s/he doesn’t want this to happen, ( l. 2 “As my shadow that appears whenever I’m in the sun” ). Moreover, the diction in the first stanza depicts unpleasant feelings about the eternal existence of his/her past, ( words like ‘weight’ and ‘must’ show obligation for something unwanted ) and this is the first instance of the fact that the speaker is not at all satisfied with the way s/he deals with his/her past and that is something that s/he would probably change, if s/he had the chance. In spite of this notion, it is clear that the speaker is still unable to think of himself/herself otherwise, ( l. 4 “…or I will become another man”).

The procedure of the speaker’s attitude change begins when he becomes witness of three other personae and their own way of dealing with their past, but for all three of them, there’s a reason why the speaker would not adopt any of these attitudes. In the second stanza, the first person to be introduced is someone who guards his/her past by placing it into an imaginary garden and putting a wall all around it. This metaphor ( ll. 5-6 “But I saw someone wall his past into a garden / whose produce is always in fashion” ) represents an appealing and interesting, but fake, garden that would attract many visitors. However, there is a paradox referring to the entrance in this garden that would seem easy at first, but it will end up in great danger for the one making the attempt to visit it, ( ll. 7-8 “If you enter his property without permission / he will welcome you with a watchdog or a gun” ). This person, dealing with his past

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in this way, is probably someone who considers his past important and precious and has a strong will to protect it, so that other would not interfere. Nevertheless, somebody who makes such an effort to hide something and guards it strictly, is maybe ashamed of it. The speaker is quite ironic and sarcastic about this attitude and moves on to the next observation without adopting this one.

In the third stanza, a whole different attitude is introduced by the observation of a different persona. His past is portrayed as a harbor referring to protection, assurance and safety. Through an attractive personification his past is able to sail away to unknown places, but has also the option to return home when the world gets hard, ( ll. 9-10-11 “I saw someone…..as a harbor / whenever it sails, the boat is safe- / if a storm…..head for home.” ). This person seems to be adventurous and fond of challenges, but in order to do that he has been set free of his past first, put it into a safe boat, let it go and recalls it only when he needs it. When he is hurt or facing difficulties, he knows he can always come back. The speaker, once again, is ironic about this attitude, maybe because s/he is not the kind of person that would leave everything behind in order to gain experiences or mostly because s/he considers this person’s trips as safe and restrained, as he always has the chance to come back and resembles it to the safe journey of a kite, ( l.12 “His voyage is the adventure of a kite” ).

The last person’s attitude he observes, is the

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exact opposite of his own. The third persona decides to get rid of his past, as if it is something dirty and disgusting, presented through the simile with the trash, (l. 13 “I saw someone drop his past like trash”). This person doesn’t have a healthy attitude at all and the speaker isn’t about to follow his example, as it is a quite extreme and unjustified reaction. However, through this observation s/he learns that a change in his/her own behavior is something achievable, ( ll.15-16 “He has shown me that without the past / one can also move ahead and get somewhere)

In the last stanza, the speaker, through a dark simile, resembles his/her present relationship with the past to a shroud, ( l. 17 “Like a shroud my past surrounds me”), showing that he has been haunted by his/her past, but now decides to fight his/her demons make a new start. The change begins with the word ‘but’, (l. 18), and the metaphor of cutting and stitching the past, ( l. 18 “but I will cut it and stitch it, / to make good shoes with it” ), shows that the attitude s/he has chosen gives him/her such power that s/he can rearrange his/her past and make it suitable and perfect fit just for him/her. The reference to the ‘shoes’ is not random. Shoes ought to fit perfectly in one’s feet in order for him to walk properly and we move forward with our feet, ( l.20 “shoes that fit my feet” ).

Overall, the poem makes a perfect circle and goes back to the beginning, but nothing stays the same. The speaker first admits that s/he is bound with his/her past in a way that s/he is haunted by the choices s/he

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made in the past. But because s/he cannot accept that, s/he changes his/her attitude, becomes much more dominant and confident and makes everything the way s/he wants it. However the interesting thing is that s/he adopts a neutral attitude, s/he doesn’t make an extreme change, but s/he stops feeling chained with his/her past, s/he is released.

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