—Alicia Soares
A “great work” to me is literature or writing that can leave a lasting impression, has many interpretations and inspires other great writers. Many great writers leave a lasting impression and many up and coming great writers copy their style of writing. A great writer is someone who sets the benchmark for literature and creates their own philosophy of writing that people look up to. This was the case for poet Tao Te Ching as his poems were a classic and were very ambiguous that his audience and readers questioned his writing. Only the writer will know what they meant when writing their work, but their goal is to intellectually challenge their audience. Tao’s poems symbolize the idea of balance and peace and in reading them you can connect the poems to everyday life. Personally, I am not a fan of poems because many poets disregard the audience in their writing and there isn’t any simplicity in their poems. Tao is one of the few poets that many enjoyed reading as his work brings peace to their mindset. Poem 22 was very interesting to me and one quote that really stood out was “be really whole and all things will come to you”. Numerous writers write in such a complex way that they lack the attention of the audience and in this quote, you can clearly read into it in many ways. Be really whole can mean anything but I interpreted it as being really patient and allowing everything to flow and occur without frustration. It is saying to allow all judgments in order for growth and all things will flow naturally. In many of Ching’s poems, he includes statements like those to emphasize peace and serenity in the reader’s life. Another reason why I consider his work great is he really focuses on the audience and not many writers do a great job at that. What is the purpose of writing something for the public if the public can’t read into it? He ensures that his writing is great but also ensures that the reader enjoys and has comfort in reading his work. Tao Te Ching’s work will continue to inspire other poets when it comes to their writing style and his legacy will continue to live on in his poems and other writers who follow his form of writing.
