https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LjCzPp-MK48

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7e1XTLWpgGE

Lu Chi’s use of metaphors of a garden to illustrate his point of how writers are the gardeners of future writers comes from his own personal life and experience. Lu Chi came from a long line of military leaders, but he also followed in his grandfather Lu Sun’s foot steps whose first passion was to be a servant to the earth. As such Lu Chi had a deep respect for his culture, the land and knew the seasons, its soil and the people from his state well. Lu Chi grew up in the Lu family estate which was a large and prosperous property with rolling hills and had rice fields, mulberry and bamboo groves and they also grew other produce and animals. However, Lu Chi also carried on the martial tradition of the family and joined the army. But, he achieved greater fame as a man of writing then a general on the battlefield. During this era armies and farming were very important for the survival of the people, they depended on the military for protection and farming for food and sustenance. Also literacy was high and most people couldn’t read nor write, for Lu Chi to use metaphor is to make the text easy to read and relatable to the people of his time.

This section of Lu Chi's text explains that only after we accept the tranquil inner depth of the mind, will the hard work of searching for inspiration payoff and wild creativity finally emerge to the surface. We see this in his use of words such as “Blithe,” “calmly,” “secret,” “lost,” “subterranean,” “arduously,” “hidden,” “out,” “bottom,” “emerge,” and “hook.” Going from a place of being carefree (blithe) and reaching below the minds surface (Subterranean) will the writer come out the other side (emerge) victories (angler’s hook). He uses the juxtapose of “celestial” and "Subterranean" as a metaphor of going from a "celestial" place of security above and being conscious, to “subterranean” as going to that unknown place below, the subconscious to find oneself. Also he uses “water” as referencing to the limited and small mind, “Current” as the mind breaking free and drifting, to the “Ocean” to become a massive and unlimited force of creative energy. Lu Chi also uses the transformation of the writer as the “diver,” who enters this unknown water and becomes the “fish” searching and finally metamorphosis into the “angler” who has found what he is looking for and pulls inspiration and creativity with "hook."

In this section of Lu Chi’s text, he is describing the most important task and responsibility of a writer is to teach future generations present and not yet born the importance of proper writing. We see this with his use of words such as “Let,” “full-blown,” “morning,” “ancients,” “own,” “stand,” “life,” “late,” “yet,” “bud” and “endeavor.” Lu Chi uses the metaphors of a garden and its plants to illustrate this with “full-grown garden” who are a group of mature writers in all their “glory,” who give clarity on how to write with the word “morning” and are beacons with the word “stand,” for present and future writers that will come after they are gone and he demonstrates this with the use of “late blossoms” and “yet to bud.” The words “full,” “late” and “yet” is the juxtapose of past, present and future. Lu Chi use of garden also exemplifies how proper writing are order, beauty and neat, because he doesn’t use words like jungle or forest, which grow wild. Also “Ancient” means that history will prove which writers will stand the test of time to teach others in the future.

Historically Medieval China had its own dark age marked with many invasions and wars, it was a time when people struggled and searched for light in their dark world. For the Chinese people during this time, their search took various forms from religion, the arts, music and literature. Lu Chi wrote his Wen Fu as a direct expression of this search through literature. We can see that he infused religious teachings as a way to explain this text of how one can reach a state of conscious to unconscious by putting in the hard work of making the mind tranquil like water so that inspiration and creativity can finally surface (anglers hook).

This section of the text has a similarity to Horace Ars Poetica, AP:408- 437, Nature plus training: but see through flattery, Horace says, “Whether a praiseworthy poem is due to nature or art is the question: I’ve never seen the benefit of study lacking a wealth of talent, or of untrained ability: each needs the other’s friendly assistance.” Horace mentions that nature and the hard work of study talent go hand in hand as reflected in his words of “nature,” “study,” “talent” and “untrained.” The same way as Lu chi suggests that inspiration (nature) only comes after the hard work of taming the mind (talent), with his use of words of “celestial” to mean “nature,” “arduously” to mean “study, “anger’s hook” reflects “talent,” and “stray fish” to mean “untrained.” The both realized that you need both nature and talent to be able to release the inner creativity of the writer.

"To pray," to ask for something or make a request to a deity or higher being for something. "Share," a portion of something, a smaller amount than the whole. It becomes to ask for a small request to the Gods for a favorable outcome or ask for something personal. It seems as though no army or mortal can answer their request on earth, but the Gods could. however, they won't ask for too much so that the request could be answered and they will only ask for a portion of a bigger request. Sappho is praying for a request and hoping against the possible it will be answered.

This is a small fragment which leaves open what might have been written before or after. the word Share and the fragment piece, leaves us with only a small piece of a whole. What could the unfinished fragment and the word "share," combined to mean? or is it all a coincidence? It's as though we are being served a small piece (share) of a bigger part (fragment of the poem).

"But," is contrary to the statement she had said before. She is saying that people love what they want to love and not what might be considered as beautiful to others, and by saying "but," she comes to mean people can love the ugliness as much as they can love the beauty of the world.

"I say" is her giving a command in telling someone what she feels is true. "I" comes to signify that she alone has the answer and knows what love is, as in "I say," and the listener better pay attention to what she is saying.

"You" before love is a direct action, which signify, that she is having a direct conversation with the reader or listener and giving directions. She isn't singling out one, but making it in a general statement, instead of using words such as, "he or she or they," this way she is talking to everyone at the same time, but not using a direct word such as "All" and this makes the statement more personal.

"Not, Nor, and No," three words that are juxtaposition. "not'" meaning refusing to do something, "nor," meaning still unwilling to do something, and "no," meaning a direct word of won't do something. All three words are negative words, to mean not willing or going to do something and that she refuse to do or doesn't want to do something for others, even for the people closest to them. The words buildup on each other from Not, till the final word of No.

"Children," and "dead parents," are contrasting words of living and dead, young and old. Nothing alive or dead, who she loves will change her mind ones it's made up.

"Thought," to think, she will also think her own way and go against the thoughts of others. "Children," also referring to the current thoughts of the time and "dead parents," meaning she's going against tradition, because she is her own independent thinker with her own mind and she doesn't care what others think, or think about her.

The "Some" references to mean "a few" and not all, as in a few men. Also you have the words, "horse, foot and ship," they are all traveling by the three most common forms of transportation at the time. Plus you have "army" that can come to mean a group of people. Also "black earth," might be the ugliness of the world that people might have been facing. When you put all the words together, as in everyone coming together, it could mean that small groups of people are traveling through different means and they are gathering together to create an army. they have come to see the most beautiful thing to them in the earth, that stands out against the ugliness of the world (An individual interpretation of what is beauty and ugliness, to that person).

Also we have, "some men say," three times, in contrast to the one person in "I say," in meaning that one woman is more powerful than the strength of three men.

The question is, when she uses the word "men," does she also include women or is it just men alone?

putting the responsibility of Ismene fate and decision from herself, back onto King Creon. Since Antigone was done protecting Ismene, because she felt Ismene betrayed her for King Creon.

Antigone doesn't say “king,” making Creon mortal and not above her or the gods, however Antigone is also stating that Ismene puts Creon above herself and the gods. By Antigone not calling him King Creon and just Creon, she is taking away Creon's power and authority, but also implies that Ismene gave away her own power to him instead of giving it to her sister. With the word "ask," in this short phrase, Antigone sets the tone of leader and servant, because she doesn't need to ask anyone, let alone Creon for permission, unlike Ismene who does. Also this is a direct statement towards Ismene that she needs Creon's approval to do anything and she also needs Creon more than she does. This phrase is set apart with a period (.) that indicates her displeasure and an action of accountability towards Ismene and Creon and not her and a sense of Antigone own independence and the point, also suggests an action of getting to the fact. Two words might indicate the two sisters, Ismene and Antigone, with "ask" representing Antigone, not needing permission to do something and "Creon" to represent his authority over Ismene. The two word sentence is short and straight to facts at hand that Antigone is expressing.

Letting King Creon and Ismene know that the Dead and the God's know that king Creon is the one who's really at fault and who should be judge and not her, for his refusal to give Polyneices a proper burial as the God's laws demanded.

When Antigone says, “know,” it's stating the facts of being aware that the dead and gods have knowledge of who had buried Polyneices and of seeing the actions that lead up to her own reasons for why she had to do what she did and also everyone else’s actions and part, but that Creon is also aware that Ismene didn’t take part in breaking the law, “know” is being aware of the facts at hand and stating awareness and understanding of the act that was committed that is seen by both the living and dead. When Antigone says “act,” she is also implying to Creon’s own act of not letting her burry her brother and the gods and dead knowing who truly is at fault for everything that is happening, including Antigone’s own actions and fate. “act” implies an action and to act now, because the time for words are over for Antigone. “This,” implies that only Antigone is the sole person who had committed the actions of burying her brother without the help of anyone else and also the action of King Creon’s decree and Ismene inaction during the whole time. It also shows action, ownership, resistance and possession, instead of passiveness or indifference of an act that was taken in honor of the dead and god’s. “Was” shows past action and something that had already been done and over with, as if the act had been started, but not completed, because Antigone still was unable to properly bury her brother as the gods had demanded and she truly wanted. was is the past tense of be.

Ismene Feeling of remorse and guilt for not helping Antigone and instead siding with King Creon and his decree and not her sister, this is an acknowledgment of her own guilt to her sister.

The period (.) before and after the statement sets this sentence apart and gives the impression of ambiguity, because we are uncertain if she is saying that she is guilty to Creon or Antigone, since first, Ismene knew who had buried Polyneices and didn’t say anything to Creon and second the guilt Ismene felt for not helping Antigone when she asked and now is confessing her guilty conscious to her sister. This sentence is a separate statement from the first sentence and stands on its own because it could had been included with the first sentence because where the first sentences asks Antigone for permission, “if she will let me say so,” this second statement doesn’t ask Antigone permission and instead takes direct action, “I am.” The “I” in the sentence represents herself as in she alone is guilty for her own actions, because she could had said “we” are guilty or “she” is guilty. Ismene wants to be sets apart from Antigone’s actions with Creon and yet seem included in Antigone’s eyes, which is why Antigone doesn’t want her to say she took part in burying Polyneices, as seen in the next line when Antigone tells her, “No, Ismene. You have no right to say so.” The I represents only Ismene’s actions of not taking part and doesn’t include Antigone’s action and of the actual deed. In this simple sentence, with only three words, Ismene also doesn't show proof nor does she defend an action she says she had also been responsible in partaking, the three words could represent herself (Ismene), Antigone and Creon as the all three being guilty for their actions.

Ismene only joins Antigone after King Creon orders for her arrest and now she is guilt ridden and scared because not only does she have to face her sister, but if they are both put to death, when they die Ismene might face repercussions in the afterlife from the God's and her dead family, because she didn't want to help in the beginning and so by saying she wants to share in the punishment maybe in the afterlife she will receive mercy from the God's, her sister and the dead.

“My” in the statement represents Ismene’s own part and associated with only her own action and doesn’t include Antigone, almost like disassociating herself from Antigone’s action. “share” seems to represent Ismene saying her percentage, she implies that she wants to take only a portion of the responsibility, while still leaving Antigone holding the majority of the blame and so Antigone should take the most of the punishment as well. In the statement before, Ismene says, “to join you,” but with the following statement of sharing the punishment Ismene seems to pull back, because she says, “of” which expresses the relationship between a part of the responsibility and fully sharing the action, so even though Ismene is there to stand by her sister’s side in the short term, in the long term, she is still looking out for herself and hoping that her distribution of punishment will be less severe in life or in death.

By Ismene asking a question, when she knows the answer, she's taking the responsibility for her sister's fate and placing it back on King Creon, while also trying to resolve her own guilty conscious for not doing anything in the beginning to help Antigone. It's a question where it will make Ismene, feel better about herself as having tried to help, even though she knows there's nothing she can really do to help.

Ismene uses "equally guilty!," to give reference to not only their actions, Antigone going against the king's wishes and Ismene for not doing anything to help Antigone, but also because of their family curse that they are both equally part of and because of this should both face the penalty of their family curse together.

Antigone gives off a feeling that Ismene had a romantic crush on King Creon when she said Ismene was always hanging on.