Integrating Poetry and Documentary Filmmaking in Chinese Class

This poem uses metaphor and personification to describe severed fingers, using ‘baby’ and ‘grass’ to depict their frail life, creating an extremely oppressive atmosphere. The poem is filled with feelings of despair and indignation, exemplified by such phrases as ‘can never be welded’, ‘time and time again’, ‘one piece after another’ which depict a cycle of repetition, an unchangeable hell symbolically represented by the severed fingers. 

These body parts, once had no autonomous consciousness, and were a part of the workers' bodies. When given independent life, they evoke pity from the readers. Though they suffer and ‘cry in a bunch’ initially, they ultimately ‘reluctantly move on’, reflecting the attitudes of their old owners, the mutilated workers who continue to labor at risk. They are ‘cheap’ in the factory, their pain and accidents ‘have no end’, and their number is countless. 

Like many poems written by other workers, this one employs simple and understated language, yet does not shy away from using various grotesquely distorted images to reflect the harsh environment and the reality of work-place oppression.

This poem is marked by its ingenious use of punctuation. At times, the lines end with periods, while at others they directly transition to the next line. The chaotic pauses seem to mirror the author's erratic breath during narration. The poem’s pessimistic mood and sense of loss interrupts smooth articulation, resulting in a disjointed delivery. The unclosed lines reflect the author's fervor, while the closed lines resemble moments of immersion in nostalgic contemplation. 

The author often breaks the flow of the poem, placing key words on separate lines. These separated words add space and hesitation, making room for the reader’s imagination. 

The poem ends with orphans being deprived of nature, and the author’s nostalgia for fish, yet the future fate of these orphans and the exact actions the author reminisces about are omitted, leaving room for speculation. Readers reflect upon the orphans and the author, generating new impressions of industrialization. Within the omissions of punction at the end of lines  lies the poet's silence, or unspoken words.

Both first line of the poem "A screw falls to the ground" and the last line "A person falls to the ground" utilize the technique of tail-word repetition. By making an analogy through juxtaposition of ‘screw’ and ‘person’, it highlights the societal disregard for the working class and, to some extent, their objectification, as they are treated as resources in the production process rather than as flesh-and-blood human beings. The quantifier ‘one’ (‘A’) suggests that in the production process, one person bears all the pain.

Furthermore, the expression ‘a person’ does not emphasize the true identity of the person involved in the accident. It carries two implicit meanings: firstly, the loss of individuality among workers during work, each person appearing to others as a production resource without unique characteristics or personality traits; secondly, that accidents are not isolated incidents but rather a general phenomenon among the global workforce, underscoring the universality of this issue. The author's intention is to draw attention to the hardships faced by workers, seeking support in addressing the physiological and psychological challenges they encounter.

In our Chinese class, we learnt about filmmaking. The lecture given by the renowned documentary director Mr. Fan Shiguang, who had been invited by the Chinese Department, offered me a deeper insight into the world. The classic work ‘Among People’ described the intertwining of pain and resilience in illness, as well as traditional societal pressures, and much more. The newly released ‘Pioneers’ explores the world from the perspective of the elderly, which may seem alien to youngsters like us, but successfully demonstrates unexpected ways of thinking, eliciting empathy, compassion, respect, and care.

If we were to consider these examples from the perspective of what was discussed in class, they make ‘perfect essays’. Starting from unlimited source materials they arrive at a finite finished product, with each step requiring careful selection. They use narration to explain the surface-level plots and ideas, while utilizing different visual techniques to suggest underlying atmospheres and themes, connecting various observations from different times and places with logic and emotion.

Mr. Fan's lecture also enabled me to see that documentaries, unlike traditional films, demand that the production team has a profound understanding and unique insights into the relevant topic. As a cultural medium, what is the potential impact of documentaries? Are the subjects willing to publicly relate their personal experiences? Will the content affect the image of certain individuals or companies? If controversial topics are touched upon, could these escalate into conflicts and spark online public arguments? These questions have broadened my perspective and made me eager to dig deeper into the complex real-life contexts behind non-literary texts.

In class, we discussed filming techniques and selection of materials in documentaries such as ‘My Ode’. This helped me realize that documentaries do not necessarily need to focus on major events. Even the smallest details can hold significance. It also made me aware that despite being inseparable from my mother since childhood, I have never fully understood her daily life as a teacher at school, often seeing things one-sidedly. For instance, I have witnessed her dedication to other children without truly grasping the meaning of her work. I believed that through filming a day in my mother's life, I would find answers.

As I am not adept at expressing emotions directly, I utilized the visual language learned in class to convey sentiments more subtly: using medium shots, focusing on the upper body to mimic the usual field of vision and highlight the subject; aiming for smooth transitions between shots to minimize dissonance; capturing dynamic scenes to depict a more authentic setting.

Through the learning and practice in this unit, I not only acquired filming techniques and modes of expression, but more importantly, learned to observe the world through an artistic lens. The idea that everything has a spirit, each thing possessing unique colors, and every person harboring fascinating stories, even the most familiar individuals can surprise you—adding a layer of intrigue and significance to mundane life. Finally, I want to tell my mother, "I will always love you!" and express gratitude to the teacher for providing us with such a unique experience in Chinese class, granting us the opportunity to express ourselves through visual language.

After studying the documentary unit themed around poetry in Chinese class, I was inspired to adapt a deeply moving poem. The original piece in the film was an English poem entitled ‘From Long Distance’, which I translated as ‘The Furthest Distance’. What struck me most about this poem was the poet's personal perspective in depicting the poignant story of a father's grieving for his dead wife. A key theme in the poem is the concept of the ‘Five Stages of Grief’ proposed by Kübler-Ross, and the subtle interplay between subjective emotions and objective descriptions in different contexts reminded me of the montage techniques we learned in Chinese class. Hence, I decided to adapt it into a short film. During the adaptation process, I fully ‘localized’ this poem.

The visual language interspersed throughout the short film mainly involves metaphorical and contrastive montage. In the conversation between the father and son, crow and pear blossoms symbolize loneliness and parting. The recurring imagery of candles, photographs, slippers, and other domestic items not only represent the gradual fading traces of the mother's life but also suggest the father's gradual acceptance and release from sorrow. Another crucial element in the short film is the light captured through a short-focus lens. In close-up shots, light can transform into a smoky, blurred image, reflect on the glass of a picture frame obscuring a character's face, and symbolize the faint last hope behind a door. I have been delighted to demonstrate my creativity in Chinese class, adapting a beloved literary work into a non-literary piece capable of moving hearts.

Being deeply interested in studying poetry and documentary films, I didn't see this short film assignment as just another task. Instead, I viewed it as a creative opportunity. I chose the elderly dining hall as the focus for my project because I believed they were a group that merited our attention. My convictions were further reinforced once I had the opportunity to interact and communicate with them directly. We acquired various camera lens techniques during our studies, and I endeavoured to apply these in my project. For instance, in the opening scene, I employed the technique of shooting through objects, capturing the scene through the delicate framework of a small tree. I started with a defocused dining hall, then sharply brought the door into focus as someone entered. This technique smoothly led the viewer into the main setting of the documentary: the elderly's dining hall. I used close-up shots in interviews to intensify the viewer's focus on the interviewee. This unit and assignment in Chinese class were very meaningful to me. It wasn't just about dissecting non-literary texts, but also about fostering a deeper understanding and consideration for the people and things around me, and the society in which they exist.

Being deeply interested in studying poetry and documentary films, I didn't see this short film assignment as just another task. Instead, I viewed it as a creative opportunity. I chose the elderly dining hall as the focus for my project because I believed they were a group that merited our attention. My convictions were further reinforced once I had the opportunity to interact and communicate with them directly. 

We acquired various camera lens techniques during our studies, and I endeavoured to apply these in my project. For instance, in the opening scene, I employed the technique of shooting through objects, capturing the scene through the delicate framework of a small tree. I started with a defocused dining hall, then sharply brought the door into focus as someone entered. This technique smoothly led the viewer into the main setting of the documentary: the elderly's dining hall. I used close-up shots in interviews to intensify the viewer's focus on the interviewee. 

This unit and assignment in Chinese class were very meaningful to me. It wasn't just about dissecting non-literary texts, but also about fostering a deeper understanding and consideration for the people and things around me, and the society in which they exist.