When Hope Comes Back

1. When Hope Comes Back Megan Rothgeb Devon McGinn Julia McCrane

2. “There’s nothing left” The author, Gu Cheng, keeps repeating the line “There’s nothing left” to emphasize the state that China is in at the time. China put many restrictions on personal expression such as art and literature, so he is speaking out against this matter. Gu Cheng keeps repeating this line to create a tone of hopelessness and despair. It conveys the image that the people have nothing left such as food because there is many famines. The “nothing” is referring to hope and resources.

3. “There’s more” In the second half of the poem, the author says “There’s more”. This is referring to how there is still hope left for the nation of China. This contrast the pessimistic tone of the beginning of the poem. “There’s more” shows the optimistic and hopefulness of the people of China.

4. Negative Versus Positive View • The first three stanzas create a dark picture of the little remnants of China during the cultural revolution. The first half of the poem focuses on all what they’ve lost to the government stating the “sky’s alive with gulls” which symbolized the government. The poet is saying the government is like gulls because it’s all around you waiting to take what’s your and devour it. The poet also says the fish recall an “army of shopkeepers” referring to the bourgeoisie citizens forced to move to the country by the government. The poet uses this imagery to highlight the desolate and dark city, the negative side, leftover from this so-called revolution. Throughout the first three stanzas, the poet utilizes dark imagery to illustrate the negative consequences of the revolution. As the poem progresses, the refrain goes from “there’s nothing left” to “there’s more” indicating a shift to a positive point of view. The author sees hope in the Misty Poets and his ability to communicate his voice. The poet uses the child to symbolize society in China. In the poem, the child is comforted and told there’s more as the poet is saying there is more to this revolution than darkness. The world isn’t totally dark; “a solitary star approaches” and the sun will stay on the horizon leaving light. The fourth to sixth stanzas contrast the first three because it focuses on the good still left in China whereas the first three looks at the darkness in China due to the cultural revolution.

5. Theme of “When Hope Comes Back” • The theme of When Hope Comes Back is keeping hope in dark times. The Cultural Revolution was a dark time for bourgeoisie and the thinkers. Mao Zedong purged all previous culture and try to rid the country of intellectuals. Gu Cheng illustrates this desolate, dark period in this poem throughout the first three periods. He creates images such as "sky's alive with gulls" symbolizing the government leeching on the citizens. The poem also includes the image "the sea is black as a hole”. The black hole is mysterious and frightening while the sea pushes its pressure down on you which represents the Chinese government’s pressure and power on its citizens. The first three stanzas use various images to fully express the disparity in this time in China. However, Gu Cheng uses the last three stanzas to say: although all seems lost, there is hope in the world. The poet uses “there’s more” to signify hope still exist in this mindless society. No longer dark, a single star approaches symbolizing hope coming to light up the Chinese society. Also, “the sun will anchor in the harbor” representing happiness or hope for happiness will stay around for these citizens. Gu Cheng restates this theme in the end of poem with “hope’s back/ what more can I say?”, showing the most important message is hope did exist in China and exists in the most seemingly dark situations. Gu Cheng uses various images in “When Hope Comes Back” to teach the reader there is hope in the dark times of life.

6. Images

7. Stanza 1 • “The southwest wind’s already landed. The sky’s alive with gulls. The evening's shaken out by the waves” • This image shows the start of a storm, showing uprising and turbulence the culture was going through at the time. The dark tone an image of a storm sets for the poem sets the mood for the rest of the poem. The gulls create a feeling of chaos in the people. • “Gleaming like coin, their eyed recall an army of shopkeeper.” • This image of eyes gleaming like coins creates a feeling of death that was caused by this situation, because coins are traditionally placed on the eyes of corpses. The eyes recalled an army of shopkeeper referencing the leader want to abolish upper-class therefore making everyone the same middle class status of merchants or shopkeepers.’

8. Stanza 2 • The last patient candle topples to the ground, kindling a cry of delight” • This images shows the start of the opposition towards the “Cultural revolution”, which was a attempt by the government to abolish the upper class. The last patient candle shows how even patient people reached the point where they couldn’t ignore the oppression by the government. The image of fire also shows how once this uprising starts it can’t be stopped and will keep spreading. • “The child who before was afraid of the dark now shrieks at this strange conflagration and scampers home.” • The darkness refers to the revolution when it was unopposed, the conflagration shows the period during the uprising against the cultural revolution. This comparison shows how a situation like the revolution can be difficult but doing something about it is just as scary because it is something you can’t be sure of the outcome. It also shows how this is all the younger generation has known and even though it is terrible they are scared of anything new and different.

9. Stanza 3 • The screaming seagulls urge the storm clouds on. Only the tree can’t fly • The seagulls represent the government in power and the tree represents the common middle class. The story refers to the seagulls urging to storm on meaning they have the power to keep the or storm, or “cultural revolution” of the time period going. The image of the trees shows that they are powerless and root bound. • The olive tree wants to abolish the sky • The quote earlier in the stanza established the tree as representing the common middle class with no power, and the storm as the cultural revolution. This image shows how the middle class is forced into their status and all they want is for the cultural revolution to end. This image uses an olive tree for the first time, this is a symbol of peace and further shows that they want an end to this period.

10. Stanza 4 • “The warm earth shimmers. ‘There’s more,’ you say, in your low, melodious voice” • This stanza makes the transition to bright happier images and adjectives which shows how there is still hope for a better world. In earlier stanzas it talks about a world on fire and the change to a warm shimmering earth shows that there is hope if you look at it in a different light. • “As if the world were a small black boy who’d wept too long, you comfort him.” • This image compares the world to a young weeping boy, which shows the fragileness of the world. This image shows how through taking care of this world the harm caused by the revolution can be fixed.

11. Stanza 5 • “While the motherless birds crowd sleeping together” • This image refers back to the birds representing the upper class and it is a reminder that the revolution is over. It shows how they are no longer in power so they are now harmless. This is another sign of hope because their oppressors are sleeping and not around. • “He sleeps on quietly. Quietly.” • This image of the personified earth shows that it needs time to recover after the revolution and uprising. It says it “sleeps on quietly. Quietly”, this repetition emphasizes how they are in a period where no one knows what is to come and there is a solemnness left from the difficulties the world went through

12. Stanza 6 • “The world will wake at daybreak, fully grown. Her eyes will flash a grown-up smile. • The image of the child waking at day brake shows how in time world will be mended. The quote refers to the world waking up fully grown and grown-up, the shows how the world is no longer fragile like during the revolution and uprising against it. The world is no longer a weeping child, but grown and happy. • “Outside, the sun will anchor in the harbor.” • This image is showing when the world will mend at daybreak. “The sun will anchor in harbor” is showing the daybreak, and also creates the well known image of returning ships evoking happiness. This creates the feeling of the sun bringing a new happier world, making the sun a symbol of hope.