Poetry Out Loud Project By: Skylar Stinson

Ways Of Talking Ways of Talking By Ha Jin We used to like talking about grief Our journals and letters were packed with losses, complaints, and sorrows. Even if there was no grief we wouldn’t stop lamenting as though longing for the charm of a distressed face. Then we couldn’t help expressing grief So many things descended without warning: labor wasted, loves lost, houses gone, marriages broken, friends estranged, ambitions worn away by immediate needs. Words lined up in our throats for a good whining. Grief seemed like an endless river— the only immortal flow of life. After losing a land and then giving up a tongue, we stopped talking of grief Smiles began to brighten our faces. We laugh a lot, at our own mess. Things become beautiful, even hailstones in the strawberry fields. Ways Of Talking

Information About Ways Of Talking Title: Ways Of Talking Poet: Ha Jin Style: To Show Emotions (25 lines or fewer) Lines: 22 Ha Jin, born in Liaoning Province, China, grew up during the Cultural Revolution when schools were closed and books were burned. While serving in the army, Jin educated himself and studied English and literature when the schools opened in the 1980s. He came to the United States to earn his doctorate from Brandeis University, and decided to remain in this country after the massacre of students at Tiananmen Square. Jin writes solely in English, focusing mostly on Chinese culture.

Organization/Structure/Form I think the poem was organized this way to show what's more important in this poem, in this case it would be grief. There are more lines that talk about grief and it shows that grief overwhelms the person much more than beauty or happiness, sometimes.

Imagery There isn’t much imagery in this poem but there is something's I can image in my head, therefore that is considered imagery. Things I could image in this poem were the journals, the distressed faces, the bright faces, and the hail in strawberry fields. Also I could kind of picture the grief of all in my head.

Poetic/Literary Terms Some literary terms used in this poem include: Repetition Metaphor Imagery Figurative Language

Meaning I believe the meaning of this poem is just literally the ways of talking. Like for an example, we talk about grief and how it makes us feel and its true some of use write these things in journals. The meaning of this project is that grief can be overwhelming and difficult but we can all get over it and look at things in a different way and become happier individuals.

Author’s Purpose and Meaning The author’s meaning and purpose is that grief is overwhelming and plays a big part in our lives but we can get better with times and see things different. Also the purpose is to connect with the readers about grief and its troubles but we can over come them eventually.

Theme The theme is that grief is consuming and overwhelming to us all but we can all overachieve it and see things in a better more beautiful way.