Yan Lianke (trans. Cindy Carter), _Dream of Ding Village_

Yan Lianke's harrowing, often macabre novel, based on a true incident, is a searing indictment of personal and governmental corruption and materialism.  Attempting to alleviate poverty, the villagers of Ding Village, in rural Henan Province, China, begin selling their blood plasma, creating a rampant HIV epidemic.  A tragic chain of events ensues, dissolving the bonds of family and community life.

For those interested in finding out more about the events that inspired Dream of Ding Village, Caijing Magazine provides a synopsis of the Chinese plasmapheresis industry.

Ekphractic Visual Response Poem

My colleague Joe seeded the idea for this ekphractic poem assignment, which I modified for my freshman classes.

ek·phra·sis

noun \ˈek-frə-səs\

plural ek·phra·ses also ec·phra·ses \-ˌsēz\

Origin of EKPHRASIS

Greek ekphrasis, literally, description, from ekphrazein to recount, describe, from ex- out + phrazein to point out, explain

First Known Use: 1715

Definition of EKPHRASIS: a literary description of or commentary on a visual work of art

Definition courtesy of http://www.merriam-webster.com/browse/dictionary/ekphrasis

EKPHRACTIC POETRY ASSIGNMENT: Visual Response Poem.  

·      Include a copy of your image, the title and artist if known, along w/ your poem itself.

- Write about the scene depicted in the artwork (5Ws).

- Relate the artwork to something else it reminds you of (similes, metaphors, memories, history, other works of art).

- Write about the experience of looking at the artwork (physical, emotional, psychological, etc).

- Describe how the things in the artwork are organized or presented: its colors, textures, lines, perspective, angle, dimension, etc.

- Speculate about why the artist created this work (occasion, inspiration).

- Imagine a story behind what you see presented in the work of art.

- What happened just before? What will happen?

- Speak to the artist or the subject(s) of the painting.

- Write in the voice of the artist.

- Write in the voice of a person or object depicted in the artwork.

- What is happening in the wider world beyond the frame?

- What more can you "see"? 

- What music can you "hear"?

Tried out the assignment myself.  Here's my experimental poem:

Tanzaku

Ohara Koson, Japanese, 1878–1945

Image: 40.5 x 16.7 cm (15 15/16 x 6 9/16 in.)

Tanzaku; ink and light color on silk

On the blackened branches of an ancient plum

Simians hang suspended, precariously perched,

The cautious one atop welds life to limb,

Embracing its mate, pressing belly to branch,

Whose tail's clutched by the solemn third, posting a lookout:

Impassive, vigilant, and watchful.

Below, a living chandelier:

The flanks: a pointer, dizzy with vertigo,

The other, cowering behind, peeking and fearful,

While the muscular third grabs the haunch of another,

Inverted and weightless,

Whose long arms reach down,

Hands rooted in a braided lover's knot,

With the courageous soul

Dangling in the void,

One-handed and reckless,

Admiring the view.