For this blog post I decided to answer one of the discussion questions on The Classic of Poetry. The question is “how do repetition and variation function in the poems? Think in terms of the analogies the poems draw between natural and human cycles.” Now I believe that repetition and variation emphasizes melodic rhythm and highlights certain words or phases to show its importance and cater to its meaning. A great example of this is the poem “Plums Are Falling.” This poem describes a woman’s journey of finding a suitable man for herself. The recurring line Plums are falling signifies the decreasing amount of available men that she is capable of marrying. In the first stanza, she states ‘seven are the fruits’ and in the second stanza ‘three are the fruits,’ referencing that as time goes by, the chances of finding that right one is getting smaller and smaller.
Also the poem “Peach Tree Soft and Tender” is a great example of repetition and variation is utilized. This poem is depicts the life of woman as she transitions into being a wife and her obligations to her family (home). The line ‘Peach Tree Soft and Tender’ symbolizes the woman. The beginning of the first stanza, ‘Peach tree soft and tender, how your blossoms glows’ relates to the young lady being in the process of growing in to a woman; the beginning of the second stanza ‘Peach tree soft and tender, plump, the ripening fruit’ relates to the young lady in her prime getting ready for marriage; and lastly the beginning of the third stanza ‘Peach tree soft and tender, its leaves spread thick and full’ illustrates the young lady as a fully blossomed woman and her succeeding as a wife, mother and daughter.
These examples of repetition show the realities of what it means to be a woman, more so the cycle of being a woman. The poem “Peach Tree Soft and Tender” seems to describe the overall process of being a woman whereas the “Plums Are Falling” specifically sheds light on the process of getting a husband and becoming a wife, hoping to get the right one in the end.
I agree with the answer the writer gave about the repetition of the phrases along the stanzas. The writer tried to give a nice and a brief summary of the poems. The repetition is not just a repetition. It a poet’s view of making the reader to take the poem for a long ride, understanding the poet’s thought and emotions. Its main focus is to bring the reader to the central idea of the poem. In the poem” plums are falling”, if the lines were not repeated, the reader won’t be able to figure out what the writer is trying to explain. The repetition of phrase in a poem is like the a lesson taught in a class, where the teacher repeats time and again to make sure everybody understands it.
The repetition of phrases or words doesn’t always make the poem meaningful and worthy, but the correct use of words and repetition on the correct stanza. For instance, in the poem” plums are falling”, the poet repeats the reducing number of fruits and the addition of quality for the fruits adds values to the poem. If the same phrases were repeated throughout the poem, it wouldn’t have made any sense to the poem.
The explanation of the poem “peach tree soft and tender”, relating a women’s life added meaning to the repetition of the phrases. The repetition was little different from the poem “plums are falling” but it gave a deeper perspective to the women’s life with a peach tree. The repetition not only provides the central idea of the poem, but also the poem can be described with different aspect.
I definitely agree that repetitions, of a line for example, are often used to emphasis certain words, and extensively certain ideas. On the same discussion question, I found very interesting how authors use variations within the repetition. Both concept are completely opposite, but they are used together to play with the mind of the reader. For instance, in “Peach Tree Soft and Tender”, almost each stanza ends with the same line. I say almost because the last one slightly differs (“this house” is replaced by “these folk”). This change makes us wonder what caused the pattern to be broken, and thus, successfully directs the reader to ask specific questions about what happens since the previous stanza. This is a pretty good example of the collaboration between the two opposite concepts of repetition and variation. It is not so surprising after all; variations can only be noticed in the presence of repetitions, and respectively, repetitions needs variations to be noticed.
I also want to add something about repetition. Its most obvious form is when words, or lines are repeated more often than they usually are. Nevertheless, it is important to see the larger picture and notice that poems themselves are structured around repetitions (and variations). Rhythm is one explanation. But, as words are repeated to highlight an idea, the structure of poems can convey some hidden meaning, or image. For instance, only the second line of each stanza is modified in “Peach Tree Soft and Tender” (excluding “these folk”). It is very consistent. What to make of that? well, here is the way I see it: the bride is the fruit going through different stages of maturity, and reaching the final stage where it is ready to be married by her husband, (and picked up by a farmer for the peach). We can make that interpretation from reading the modified lines only and ignoring the rest. This is why it is interesting to think about the consistency surrounding the evolution of the fruit. You may disagree, but I believe that one possible interpretation is that the author wants us to also pay attention to the tree, which, in opposition to the fruits and leaves it produces, remain unchanged. And to do so, he follows a rigorous plan SUPPORTING the fruit going through different stages of maturity. We can even go further, and think of the tree as a timeless social structure raising girls into mature, ready to be married women. It is up to the reader to interpret the text, but the structure of a poem is not to be ignored as it also can include interesting repetitions and variations.
This might be completely off topic, but as I wrote about repetition and poem, I couldn’t help thinking that there could be a link to be done between some work of poetry and fractals (which are naturally or mathematically never-ending patterns). Some examples of fractals have been observed in art (ex: famous painting of a wave by the Japanese artist Hokusai), so I thought why not in poetry.