Unit3BereavementandGriefPreparatoryWork(1)AccordingtoBritannica,LuigiPirandellowaswinnerofthe1934NobelPrizeforLiterature.Withhisinventionofthe“theatrewithinthetheatre”intheplaySeipersonaggiincercad’autore(1921;SixCharactersinSearchofanAuthor),hebecameanimportantinnovatorinmoderndrama.Influencedbyhiscatastrophicpersonalexperiences,hedevelopedaliterarystylecharacterizedby“theexplorationofthetightlyclosedworldoftheforeverchangeablehumanpersonality”(Britannica).“War”reflectsthisstyleofpsychologicalrealism,forinsteadofdepictingexternalcircumstancesoftheGreatWar,itchoosestounderlinethecrueltyofwarfromtheperspectiveofthesoldiers’anxious,grievingparents.(2)Thestorywassetinatraincarriageatdawn.ThewarreferredtointhestoryismostprobablyWorldWarI,forduringthiswartheauthorhimselfwasapsychologicallytormentedfather,bothofwhosesonswerecapturedasprisonersofwar.TheWorldWarIwasaninternationalconflictthatresultedfromclashesofinterestamongtheworld’seconomicgreatpowersassembledintwoopposingalliances,theAllies(includingtheUnitedKingdom/BritishEmpire,FranceandtheRussianEmpire)versustheCentralPowersofGermanyandAustria-Hungary.ItalywasamemberoftheTripleAlliancealongsideGermanyandAustria-Hungary,thoughitdidnotjointheCentralPowers(Willmott15).ItisgenerallybelievedbyhistoriansthatWorldWarIwas“virtuallyunprecedentedintheslaughter,carnage,anddestructionitcaused”(Britannica).Itledtothefalloffourgreatimperialdynasties(Germany,Russia,Austria-Hungary,andTurkey),resultedintheBolshevikRevolutioninRussia,and,initsdestabilizationofEuropeansociety,laidthegroundworkforWorldWarII.(3)Commonsymptomsofgriefcausedbybereavementincludewistfulness,lethargy,hysteria,depressionandsoforth.AccordingtothepsychologistElisabethKübler-Ross,peoplewhohavelostsomeonecloseusuallygothroughfiveemotionalstages:denial,anger,bargaining,depressionandacceptance.(4)Luigi/lu?id?i/Perandello/?p?r?n?d?lo?;Italian?pirɑn?d?ll?/Fabriano/Italian?fabri?a?no/Sulmona/Italiansul?mona/CriticalReadingI.Understandingthetext1.(1)Theirargumentwasaboutwhatattitudeparentsshouldtaketowardstheirchildrengoingtowarandkilledinaction.Ofthepassengers,thefatmanappearedtohavethestrongestargument,whosuggestedthatparentsshouldwithholdtheirowngriefandfeelproudandhappyabouttheirchildrenwholaiddowntheirlivesfortheCountry.(2)InParagraphs15and16,heisdescribedasa“fat,red-facedmanwithblood-shoteyesofthepalestgray”,whowas“panting”,and“from[whose]bulgingeyesseemedtospurtinnerviolenceofanuncontrolledvitalitywhichhisweakenedbodycouldhardlycontain”.InParagraph17,itisrevealedthathistwofrontteetharemissing.HiseyesareonceagainmentionedinParagraph29,describedtobe“bulging,horriblywaterylightgrey”.Thesephysicaltraitsmightsuggestthatthefatmanwasinpoorhealth,andwasgrief-strickenbyhisson’sdeath.(3)Thewomanaskedthequestionofthefatmanbecauseshewasawedbyhisstoicresponsetohisson’sdeath.Shefounditextremelydifficulttocopewithheranxietyoverherson’sdepartureforthefront,andwishedtoconfirmthefatman’sfeelingssothatshemightderivesomestrengthfromhisexample.Shewastheonewhoaskedthequestion,ratherthanoneoftheotherpassengers,becauseshe,asafocalizedcharacterwhoseinnerconsciousnesswasexploredatgreatlength,wastryingtoemphasizewiththefatman.Thefatmanreactedstronglytothisquestion,stupefied,broughtintopainfulawarenessofhisson’sdeath,andreducedtouncontrollablesobs.Thisreactionindicatesthatthefatman,insteadofcalmlyacceptingthefactofhisson’sdeathasheclaimed,hadbeendesperatelyrejectingthishorribleidea.2.(1)F(2)F(3)T(4)T3.(1)D(2)A(3)AII.CritiquingtheText(1)Insteadofgivingdirectdescriptionofwaraction,thestorydepictstheemotionalturmoilonthepartofthesoldiers’parents.Theauthorintendstosendamessageaboutthecrueltyofwar,byshowingthatwarimposesgreatsufferinginmorewaysthanone,notonlyonthesoldierswhogotothebattlefield,butalsoontheirparentswhoareextremelyworriedabouttheirsafetyandmayhavetoendurethepainofloss.(2)Thefat,red-facedmanstartedhispartoftheargumentbyputtingastoptotheotherpassengers’debateoverthecorrelationbetweentheintensityoftheparents’anxietyandthenumberofchildrentheyhaveonthebattlefield.Heinsistedthatparentsgavelifetotheirchildrennotfortheirownbenefit,andthattheyshouldrespecttheirchildren’swishtogotothefront.Heendedhisargumentbyclaimingthatparentsshouldaccepttheirchildren’sdeathonthebattlefieldwithoutgrief,showingthathehimselfchosenottowearmourningforhisson.Hisargumentisinconsistent,foratfirsthementionsalltheglamourofyouthfullife,including“girls,cigarettes,illusions,newties”,butthenhetalksaboutdying“youngandhappy”,“withouthavingtheuglysidesoflife,theboredomofit,thepettiness,thebitternessofdisillusion”.Thelatterstatementoverlooksthegoodsidesoflifementionedintheformerone.Hisargumentisalsosomewhatillogical,becausetheawarenessthatchildrendonotbelongtotheirparentsdoesnotnecessarilyleadtotheconclusionthatparentsshouldnotgrieveovertheirchildren’sdeath.Therefore,thereasonhegavefornotgrievingwasunconvincing.InterculturalReflection1.GriefisdoubtlessthedominantemotioninbothWesternandChinesememorialservices.Interestinglyhowever,thereisadifferenceastowhethergriefisrequiredtobedisplayedinpublic.InChina,atleastinthepast,publicdemonstrationofgriefwasconsideredmandatoryforthoseinbereavement,especiallyforthosewholosttheirspouses,parentsormasters.Theremightevenbeprofessionalmournershiredtoweepfunerals(takeGrandfatherGao’sfuneralinBaJin’sFamilyforexample).Itisextremelyunorthodoxbehaviortoreplaceheart-rendingweepingwithlight-heartedrituals.Chuang-tzu’saffectionforhiswifewasquestionedwhenheplayedatabasinandsungafterherdeath.RuanJideliberatelychosetoconcealhisgriefandfeastinfrontofmournersathisfather’sfuneral,anactthatwasconsideredeccentric.IntheWest,itisnotastrictmoralobligationtoweepatfuneralsofone’scloserelations.UponOldEarnshaw’sdeathinWutheringHeights,forexample,eachmemberoftheyoungergenerationhadtheirownwayofprocessinggrief.Tomb-visitingisacommonwaytopayrespectstothedeceasedbothinChinaandtheWest.Forexample,OskarSchindler’sgravewasvisitedbytheJewswhoseliveshehadsaved.In“ThoughtsonaVisittoanAncientBattlefield”,LiHuadepictedscenesinwhichthedeadsoldiers’familiesplacedofferingsandpouredwineoverimaginarygraveswhilecontemplatingthedistanthorizonintears(“布奠傾觴，哭望天涯”).Thereisadifferencebetweenthesetwomourningrituals,though.TheSchindlerJewsweretocommemoratetheirdeceasedbenefactor,whilethedeadsoldiers’familiesinTangDynastywishedtoguaranteethewell-beingofthedeceasedintheunderworld(“吊祭不至，精魂何依”).Tomb-visitingisalsoaneffectivewaytocopewithone’sownemotionalproblems,forthedeceasedcanberegardedasanomniscient,non-judgmentallistener.ZhangWuji,heroofJinYong’sHeavenSwordandDragonSaber,visitedhisparents’graveafteraseverefaultinhisdecision-making.ChristineDayeinThePhantomoftheOperaalsowenttoherfather’scemeterytoassuageheremotionalturmoil.BothChineseandWesternmourningcustomswouldimposerestrictionsonentertainment.InTheDreamoftheRedChamber,thedomestictheatricaltroupeoftheJiahouseholdwasdismissedwhenanelderconcubinepassedaway.InGonewiththeWind,ScarletO’Harawasprohibitedfromwearingcolorfulclothinganddancinginpublicafterherhusband’sdeath,whichwassuffocatingforher.Thistraditionispasseddowntothemodernera,thoughnotasrigorousasbefore.AfterWenchuanearthquake,forexample,entertainmentactivitiesweresuspendedforthreedaysinmourningforthedeceasedvictims.2.元縝《遣悲懷（其一）》謝公最小偏憐女，自嫁黔婁百事乖。顧我無衣搜藎篋，泥他沽酒拔金釵。野蔬充膳甘長藿，落葉添薪仰古槐。今日俸錢過十萬，與君營奠復(fù)營齋。陶淵明《擬挽歌辭（其三）》荒草何茫茫，白楊亦蕭蕭。嚴(yán)霜九月中，送我出遠(yuǎn)郊。四面無人居，高墳正嶕峣。馬為仰天鳴，風(fēng)為自蕭條。幽室一已閉，千年不復(fù)朝。千年不復(fù)朝，賢達(dá)無奈何。向來相送人，各自還其家。親戚或余悲，他人亦已歌。死去何所道，托體同山阿。蘇軾《江城子·乙卯正月二十日夜記夢》十年生死兩茫茫，不思量，自難忘。千里孤墳，無處話凄涼?？v使相逢應(yīng)不識，塵滿面，鬢如霜。夜來幽夢忽還鄉(xiāng)，小軒窗，正梳妝。相顧無言，惟有淚千行。料得年年腸斷處，明月夜，短松岡。TheseancientChinesepoems,comparedwiththeirWesterncounterparts,tendtoexpressgriefofbereavementinamorereservedmanner,choosingmildexpressionsoverexaggeratingones,anddepictingbitter-sweetmemoriesthatmayevokesmilesinthemidstoftears.YuanZhen’spoemdoesnothaveasinglewordofsorrowinit,butitslight-heartedrecollectionofthepoet’simpoverishedearlylifewithhiswifeisjustastouching,resemblingTennyson’sline“Thetendergraceofthedaythatisdead/Shallnevercomebacktome”.TaoYuanming’spoem,insteadofappealingtoitsreadersformoregrief,suggestsattheendthatnomorewoefulwordsneedtobesaid,forthedeceasedhasbeenrestoredtoMotherNatureandrespectshavealreadybeenpaidadequately.SuShi’spoemdoeswitnesstearofwoe,andyetitattachesqualifierstosorrow,bysayingthepoetwouldbeheart-brokenwhenthemoonshinesbrightlyuponthepinehills.Chinesepoemsseldomusepassionateexpressionssuchas“unseengrief”and“everlastingwatchandmovelesswoe”.Inaddition,Chinesepoemsaremoreinclinedtouseconcreteimageryinsteadofdirectappealstoemotion.WhiletheexcerptedlinesbyShakespeareandBrowningarefilledwithexplicitelaborationsonthepainofloss,thethreeChinesepoemsemploy,foralargepart,concr