The Classic of Poetry

The Classic of Poetry is a collection of old Chinese literature that has been rewritten and renamed into the Book of Songs/Odes. (“Norton Anthology of World Literature” 812) This collection of poems seemed to become popular around the beginning of Confucianism. Confucianism is the concept of centering one’s life or work on authority figures, family, and friends. The expression of Confucianism is best seen in the work of Tu Fu. Confucianism is wide spread throughout the Classic of Poetry. Confucianism is brought out in the poetry because it focuses on education, political views, and social views. Education in the poetry helped to spread the ideas or moral values and knowledge to the people of China. (“Norton Anthology of World Literature” 812) Political and social views were also spread because it seemed to give the Chinese people an outlook of their own political system and how the system was used to run the different Chinese dynasties. The Classic of Poetry spread through China like wildfire and was first recognized the most by the Chou society. ("Norton Anthology of World Literature" 812) Confucius wanted the poetry to get a reaction from people and for people to be able to get actual perceptions from reading the poetry. The idea was for the reader to be able to put themselves in the author’s brain as if the reader is physically seeing what the author describes. The Classic of Poetry is compiled of simple poetry it essentially lays out the reality of “early Chinese Civilization.” (Norton Anthology of World Literature” 813) Different works in the Classic of Poetry truly do seem very simple but when reading between the lines it is easy to find the poem’s true meaning. “Fishhawk” is an excellent example of poetry that appears to be simple, but in reality it has a deep meaning. “Fishhawk” is a poem about a female that is watching her husband have an affair with a much younger woman from a distance. The woman is hurt and angered but will

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