1 . In a time when too much importance has been attached to utilitarianism (功利主义), it doesn’t come as a surprise to me that we people no longer believe in poetry. Utility is now often the standard of what one should devote his or her time and energy to and what he or she shouldn’t, but don’t get me wrong. I am not saying that one should not consider utility at all when making crucial decisions. On the contrary, everyone should take it into account. Medicine, law, business and engineering, these are noble pursuits and necessary to sustain life. But poetry, beauty, romance and love, these are what we stay alive for.
My dad once told me that “life is suffering”, which now I think is probably a unanimous (无异议的) opinion among most people. With a tough life inevitably comes a tough language—and that is what poetry is and why poetry is needed. It offers people a way to talk about the difficult, to describe things in life, like death, suffering, profound joy and transformation. So whenever I hear someone say that poetry is not a must, or it’s an option, or it’s only for the educated middle classed, I suspect that he or she must have had things pretty easy.
But how can people live without poetry? Unlike what the academics may tell you, my suggestion about bringing poetry into your lives is that don’t analyze it and don’t ask others to analyze it. Don’t deconstruct (解构) it or try to make meaning of it. Just find the poems that wake you up, that make you feel as if you’ve submerged (沉浸) yourself in a hot spring or an ice bath. Find the poems that make you feel almost irrational joy or sadness. Find the poems that make you want to roll around in them or paint their colors all over your bedroom ceiling. Those are the poems you want to play with. Find the poems that communicate with the deepest parts your being and welcome them in.
If finding others’ poems no longer satisfies you, compose your own! You don’t have to be a poet to compose poetry. After all, poetry is not a luxury. It’s about searching for the real meaning of life and also about giving meaning to life. Just like Walt Whitman’s “O Me! O Life!”, a poem that ends by speaking directly to its readers: “the powerful play goes on and you may write a verse (诗),” poetry is about everyone. And now I want to ask you the mother of all inspirational questions; “What will your verse be?”
— Inspired by Jeanette Winterson’s book:
Why Be Happy When You Could be normal?
1. The author thinks that poetry is very important for human beings because it ______.| A．has nothing to do with the shared belief in utility |
| B．symbolizes a status as an educated middle class |
| C．offers a tool for describing hard experiences |
| D．uncover an important truth that life isn’t all roses |
| A．deconstruct and making meaning of it | B．enjoy a hot spring or an ice bath |
| C．paint it over his or her bedroom ceiling | D．feel irrational joy or sadness |
| A．only a true poet can write poems | B．no poem can appeal to everyone |
| C．life feels just like a powerful play | D．every human is entitled to poetry |
| A．Composing Poetry | B．Poetry for Life |
| C．The Art of poetry | D．Analyzing poetry |
