Question

In at least 150 words, discuss how Chang's use of personification, metaphor, or connotation express one his themes in "Garden of My Childhood." Use details from the poem to support your response.

Answer 1

Poet Kuangchi Chang did not remain in China long enough to be "re-educated." Following the Communist takeover he fled to the United States. His poem "Garden of My Childhood" describes China before the revolution as a peaceful, idyllic garden with a violent horde rapidly approaching. A vine, the wind, and the sea are each personified, and each beckons for him to run. It is not until "eons later," when he is "worlds away," that his "running is all done," and he finds himself at his destination: another garden, just like the one he had left behind.