Name: Rachel D.

Elemento Course: BSED IV

Instructor: Mr. Jeffrey Fortuna Subject: ENGLISH 9

An Archetypal Analysis: Flower in a Classic Whisper

In literature, an archetype is a typical character, an action or a situation that

seems to represent such universal patterns of human nature. An archetype, also known

as universal symbol, may be a character, a theme, a symbol or even a setting. Many

literary critics are of the opinion that archetypes, which have a common and recurring

representation in a particular human culture or entire human race, shape the structure

and function of a literary work.

Carl Jung, Swiss psychologist, argued that the root of an archetype is in the

“collective unconscious” of mankind. The phrase “collective unconscious” refers to

experiences shared by a race or culture. This includes love, religion, death, birth, life,

struggle, survival etc. These experiences exist in the subconscious of every individual

and are recreated in literary works or in other forms of art.

In the poetry “Flower in a Classic Whisper” by Chon Pong-gon, the title itself

speaks of something that has been the dream of someone through the years, the hope

for peace. The flower could be an archetype for calmness or peace and the classic

whisper could mean a timeless hope or desire. When you read its title you’ll be thrown

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in a deep thought where you will ask what the author is trying to say in his work and

what is really the message of the poem. At first I thought the poem was all about love,

but when you dig a deeper thought to each word used by the poet and through

researching about the poet’s past experiences, you will understand that this isn’t about

love or romance; it’s about a timeless hope for peace.

In 1928, Chon Pong-gon was born in North Korea but fled to South Korea in

1946 and joined the southern army at the outbreak of war in 1950. He began his career

as a poet in 1950 and after the war was one of the leaders in the attempt to integrate

the experience of the war years into poetry.

There are several image archetypes that you will find in the poem. Some of

these are: hands, forsaken moss, stone, a thousand years, one moment, field furrows,

huge lightning flash, darkness, immortal element, blue sky, river, dew-drops, suns,

endless youth, leaf on a root, a fruit on a leaf and a root on a leaf, flute, fingerprint,

killed the darkness and killed the death, and marked on a stone.

In the first lines, the writer mentioned the words everywhere your “hands” meet

mine which means peace can be attained everywhere, but we all know that during

those years of endless wars and battles, peace is something that is hardly attainable.

The poet wants to convey that if you force to attain peace so eagerly, you will

become a “forsaken moss” which means being impatient and a “stone” which is an

archetype for death just as stones are hard but lifeless.

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 For “a thousand years” could simply mean that after patiently waiting for a very

long period of time, when peace has finally reached the writer’s grasp which means

peace is already attained, a thousand years become “one moment” which could be an

archetype for perfection. How perfect it is to be able to achieve something that you’ve

patiently worked so hard for one day.

“Field furrows” could be an archetype for land of tribulations and sorrows just as

furrows is a slight depression in the smoothness of a surface. In obtaining peace, you

may have to survive the deathly battlefield of war.

The “huge lightning flash” could be an archetype for great inspiration that burns

up the “darkness” which is an archetype for fear. When peace is obtained, great

inspiration may take place instead of fear.

“Immortal element” symbolizes a never ending “blue sky” which represents

possibility just as an ever-flowing rich “river” which symbolizes life. When there is

peace, there is always a possibility for a life to live as there’ll be no more violence and

killings.

“Dew-drops” represents fear which has already been engraved with thousands of

“suns” which is an archetype for life. All those fears brought to people by war will

eventually fall down when peace is achieved and will return to the souls of people who

are truly afraid of obtaining peace – those people who are driven by greed and the

desire for power and money.

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 “Endless youth” represents many children. When there is peace, children will get

the chance to see the children of their children. The “Leaf on a root, a fruit on a leaf

and a root on a leaf” could mean a man will eventually become a son, a father then a

grandfather and this can only be possible and attainable when there is peace.

The sweet sound of a “Flute” represents calmness and the beauty of being able

to experience peace that will last a thousand years. No more fears, just merely

calmness and peacefulness.

“Fingerprint” could mean that the writer has already left a mark that will forever

remain in the hearts and minds of all people. “Marked on the stone” which means he

already has the legacy that would remind people how he once killed the darkness and

killed the death which means how he ended the violence and killings during the war.

All of these archetypes mentioned in the poem are images installed in the story

to give it a more classic tone. These would help the writer to convey deeper thought

and appeals to human senses to deepen the reader's understanding of the work.

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