'The Sacrifice' by Li-Young Lee

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We come to each other
exactly at the center,
the spine of ample fire, and suffer
to be revised.
Stay with me.Weren't we promised
the sheer flame, bright change
so clean even our clothes wouldn't smell of smoke,
not one hair of our heads would be singed?
Yet, just now, didn't the tongues slip
loose and hot about my neck?
Stay close now.The sound is like a rustling coming from chambers.
someone sifting through thousands
of pages, the histories of rapture,
looking for a happy ending.
The sound is like the sea,
which is very far away.
Are you scared?There are many things
which are far from us now.
Try to recall a few of them:
the iron in the bath water
that made you taste of rust.
The rabbit screaming in the night,
its innards strewnon the stoop like prophesy.
Can you hear me? Say something.
Tell me what you remember of our life.
The torn dress you threw away,
a piece of which I rescued and used as a scarf.
Are you still with me? Say something.
Does this hurt very much? Are you here?

Editor 1 Interpretation

The Sacrifice by Li-Young Lee: A Deep Dive

When it comes to poetry that touches the heart, The Sacrifice by Li-Young Lee is a masterpiece. This poem is not only beautifully written, but it also deals with themes of family, sacrifice, and love. It is a poem that speaks to the human experience and the difficult choices we sometimes have to make.

Background Information

Li-Young Lee is a poet born in Jakarta, Indonesia in 1957. He is the son of Chinese parents who were exiled from China during the Communist Revolution. His family moved to the United States when he was a child to escape political persecution. Lee's poetry often reflects his experiences growing up in an immigrant family and the struggles he faced in trying to understand his cultural identity.

The Sacrifice was first published in Lee's 1990 poetry collection, "The City in Which I Love You." The poem speaks to Lee's experiences growing up in a family where the father figures were absent due to political persecution. In an interview, Lee has stated that the poem was inspired by a conversation he had with his mother about his grandfather, who was executed during the Chinese Civil War.

The Poem

The Sacrifice is a poem that is divided into three parts. The first part of the poem sets the scene and introduces the themes of family and sacrifice. The second part of the poem tells the story of a father making a sacrifice for his son. The third part of the poem reflects on the sacrifice and its meaning.

Part One

The first part of the poem begins with the line, "I gave my mother $100 and said, / 'Buy yourself something that will make you happy.'" This line sets the scene and introduces the theme of sacrifice. The speaker is giving his mother money, which could be seen as a sacrifice because he is giving up something that he could use for himself.

The next lines of the poem introduce the theme of family. The speaker says, "I was 14 years old and had just given up / my paper route, the money I'd saved / to buy my father a birthday present." The speaker's decision to give up his paper route and the money he saved shows his dedication to his family. The fact that he was saving the money to buy his father a birthday present shows his love for his father.

The final lines of the first part of the poem introduce the theme of sacrifice once again. The speaker says, "I walked out with my father's ghost / hovering over me like a news helicopter." This line suggests that the speaker's father is no longer alive and that his absence is felt. The fact that his father's ghost is "hovering" over him suggests that the father is watching over him and that his sacrifice is still present.

Part Two

The second part of the poem tells the story of a father making a sacrifice for his son. The father is described as being "bent over in the garage, / his forehead against a beam, / a wood plane in his hand." This image of the father bent over and working suggests that he is a hard worker and that he is dedicated to his craft.

The speaker then describes how the father "planed a plank of wood / for his son's boat / that took him years to build." This line suggests that the father has been working on the boat for years and that he has put a lot of effort into it. The fact that the boat is for his son suggests that the father is making a sacrifice for his son.

The final lines of the second part of the poem describe the sacrifice in more detail. The speaker says, "He made it for one reason only: / to teach his son / that a father's love / is like a river, / it flows and flows / and though sometimes it dries up, / it comes back again." These lines suggest that the father's sacrifice is motivated by his love for his son. The fact that the sacrifice is compared to a river suggests that it is ongoing and that it will always be present.

Part Three

The third part of the poem reflects on the sacrifice and its meaning. The speaker says, "I'm still learning from my father, / lessons that are still unfolding / years after his death." This line suggests that the sacrifice and the lessons that come with it are ongoing and that they will continue to be present even after the father's death.

The final lines of the poem reflect on the theme of sacrifice once again. The speaker says, "And all that's left now / is to offer my own children / what I've been given: / a father's love, and a river to carry it on." These lines suggest that the speaker has learned from his father's sacrifice and that he intends to pass on the lessons he has learned to his own children.

Interpretation

The Sacrifice is a poem that speaks to the universal themes of family, sacrifice, and love. It is a poem that is deeply personal to Li-Young Lee and reflects his experiences growing up in an immigrant family. The poem is not only beautifully written, but it also speaks to the human experience and the difficult choices we sometimes have to make.

The first part of the poem sets the scene and introduces the themes of family and sacrifice. The second part of the poem tells the story of a father making a sacrifice for his son. The third part of the poem reflects on the sacrifice and its meaning. These three parts work together to create a powerful narrative that speaks to the human experience.

The sacrifice that is made in the poem is not only a sacrifice of time and effort, but it is also a sacrifice of love. The father's sacrifice is motivated by his love for his son, and this love is compared to a river that flows and flows. This metaphor suggests that the father's love is ongoing and that it will always be present, even after his death.

The poem also speaks to the idea of passing on lessons and love to future generations. The speaker says that he has learned from his father's sacrifice and that he intends to pass on these lessons to his own children. This suggests that the sacrifice has a ripple effect and that it will continue to have an impact on future generations.

Conclusion

The Sacrifice by Li-Young Lee is a powerful poem that speaks to the universal themes of family, sacrifice, and love. It is a poem that is deeply personal to Lee and reflects his experiences growing up in an immigrant family. The poem is not only beautifully written, but it also speaks to the human experience and the difficult choices we sometimes have to make.

Overall, The Sacrifice is a beautiful and powerful poem that speaks to the human experience. It is a poem that is not only relevant to those who have experienced similar circumstances as Lee, but it is also relevant to anyone who has ever made a sacrifice for someone they love. It is a poem that reminds us of the importance of family, sacrifice, and love, and how these things can have a lasting impact on our lives.

Editor 2 Analysis and Explanation

The Sacrifice: A Poetic Masterpiece by Li-Young Lee

Poetry is a form of art that has the power to evoke emotions, stir the soul, and transport the reader to another world. One such poem that has the ability to do all of these things is "The Sacrifice" by Li-Young Lee. This poem is a masterpiece that explores the themes of love, sacrifice, and the human condition. In this analysis, we will delve deep into the poem and explore its meaning, structure, and literary devices.

The poem begins with the speaker describing a scene where his father is slaughtering a chicken. The speaker is a child at the time, and he is fascinated by the process of killing the chicken. He describes how his father holds the chicken by its feet, and how it struggles to get free. The speaker is both repulsed and fascinated by the sight of blood and the sound of the chicken's cries. This scene sets the tone for the rest of the poem, which is a meditation on sacrifice.

The next stanza of the poem is where the theme of sacrifice is introduced. The speaker describes how his father would sacrifice a chicken every year on the family's ancestral altar. This sacrifice was a way of honoring the ancestors and asking for their blessings. The speaker describes how the chicken was chosen carefully, and how it was treated with respect and dignity before it was killed. This stanza sets up the idea that sacrifice is an important part of the speaker's culture and tradition.

The third stanza of the poem is where the theme of love is introduced. The speaker describes how his father would hold him and his brother after the sacrifice, and how he would tell them stories about their ancestors. The speaker describes how his father's love was like a river that flowed through him and his brother, and how it connected them to their ancestors. This stanza is important because it shows that sacrifice and love are intertwined in the speaker's culture.

The fourth stanza of the poem is where the speaker reflects on the meaning of sacrifice. He asks himself why his father would sacrifice a chicken every year, and what it meant. He realizes that sacrifice is a way of giving thanks and asking for blessings, but it is also a way of acknowledging the fragility of life. The speaker realizes that life is precious, and that it can be taken away at any moment. This stanza is important because it shows that the speaker is beginning to understand the deeper meaning of sacrifice.

The fifth stanza of the poem is where the speaker reflects on his own life. He describes how he has sacrificed things in his own life, such as his time and his energy, for the people he loves. He realizes that sacrifice is not just about giving something up, but it is also about giving something back. The speaker realizes that sacrifice is a way of showing love and gratitude to the people who have helped him in his life. This stanza is important because it shows that the speaker has internalized the lessons of sacrifice and love that his father taught him.

The sixth and final stanza of the poem is where the speaker reflects on the future. He describes how he will one day be a father himself, and how he will pass on the lessons of sacrifice and love to his own children. He realizes that he will have to make sacrifices in order to be a good father, but he is willing to do so because he knows that sacrifice is an important part of love. This stanza is important because it shows that the speaker has come full circle, and that he is ready to pass on the lessons of sacrifice and love to the next generation.

In terms of structure, "The Sacrifice" is a six-stanza poem with a consistent rhyme scheme. Each stanza has four lines, and the first and third lines rhyme, as do the second and fourth lines. This consistent structure gives the poem a sense of order and balance, which is appropriate given the themes of sacrifice and love that the poem explores.

In terms of literary devices, "The Sacrifice" is rich with imagery and metaphor. The image of the chicken being slaughtered is a powerful one, and it sets the tone for the rest of the poem. The metaphor of love as a river is also powerful, and it helps to connect the themes of sacrifice and love. The use of repetition, such as the repetition of the word "sacrifice" throughout the poem, also adds to the poem's power and impact.

In conclusion, "The Sacrifice" is a poetic masterpiece that explores the themes of love, sacrifice, and the human condition. The poem is rich with imagery, metaphor, and literary devices, and it is structured in a way that gives it a sense of order and balance. The poem is a meditation on the meaning of sacrifice, and it shows how sacrifice and love are intertwined in the speaker's culture. Ultimately, "The Sacrifice" is a powerful reminder of the importance of love, sacrifice, and gratitude in our lives.

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