Download PDF - UCR Magazine - University of California, Riverside
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An Anatomy <strong>of</strong> Chinese: Rhythm,<br />
Metaphor, Politics<br />
By Perry Link<br />
Harvard <strong>University</strong> Press<br />
January 2013, 376 pages<br />
During the Cultural<br />
Revolution, Mao exhorted the<br />
Chinese people to “smash the four<br />
olds”: old customs, old culture, old<br />
habits and old ideas. Yet when the<br />
Red Guards in Tiananmen Square<br />
chanted, “We want to see Chairman<br />
Mao,” they unknowingly used a<br />
classical rhythm that dates back to<br />
the Han period and is the very<br />
embodiment <strong>of</strong> the four olds. “An<br />
Anatomy <strong>of</strong> Chinese” reveals how<br />
rhythms, conceptual metaphors<br />
and political language convey<br />
time-honored meanings <strong>of</strong> which<br />
Chinese speakers themselves may<br />
not be consciously aware and<br />
contribute to the ongoing debate<br />
over whether language shapes<br />
thought, or vice versa.<br />
Inquiry into the workings <strong>of</strong><br />
Chinese reveals convergences and<br />
divergences with English, most<br />
strikingly in the area <strong>of</strong> conceptual<br />
metaphor. Particularly provocative<br />
is Link’s consideration <strong>of</strong> how<br />
Indo-European languages, with<br />
their preference for abstract nouns,<br />
generate philosophical puzzles that<br />
Chinese, with its preference for<br />
verbs, avoids. The mind-body<br />
problem that has plagued Western<br />
culture may be fundamentally less<br />
problematic for speakers <strong>of</strong><br />
Chinese.<br />
Perry Link is a distinguished<br />
pr<strong>of</strong>essor <strong>of</strong> comparative<br />
literature and foreign languages<br />
at <strong>UCR</strong>.<br />
Senegal Taxi (Camino del Sol)<br />
By Juan Felipe Herrera<br />
<strong>University</strong> <strong>of</strong> Arizona Press<br />
March 2013, 128 pages<br />
“I wish I could find the words<br />
to tell you the story <strong>of</strong> our village<br />
after you were killed.” So begins<br />
“Senegal Taxi,” the new work by<br />
one <strong>of</strong> contemporary poetry’s most<br />
vibrant voices, Juan Felipe Herrera.<br />
Known for his activism and writings<br />
that bring attention to oppression<br />
and injustice, Herrera turns to<br />
stories <strong>of</strong> genocide and hope in<br />
Sudan. “Senegal Taxi” <strong>of</strong>fers the<br />
voices <strong>of</strong> three children escaping<br />
the horrors <strong>of</strong> war in Africa.<br />
“Senegal Taxi” weaves<br />
together verse, dialogue and visual<br />
art created by Herrera specifically<br />
for the book. Phantom-like<br />
televisions, mud drawings, witness<br />
testimonies, insects and weaponry<br />
are all storytellers that join the<br />
siblings for a theatrical crescendo.<br />
Each poem is told from a different<br />
point <strong>of</strong> view, which Herrera calls<br />
“mud drawings,” referring to the<br />
evocative symbols <strong>of</strong> hope the<br />
children create as they hide in a<br />
cave on their way to Senegal, where<br />
they plan to catch a boat to the<br />
United States.<br />
Juan Felipe Herrera is a<br />
pr<strong>of</strong>essor <strong>of</strong> creative writing at<br />
<strong>UCR</strong>. He is currently the<br />
<strong>California</strong> poet laureate.<br />
Join <strong>UCR</strong> alumni<br />
in your area for<br />
a fun evening<br />
<strong>of</strong> casual<br />
conversation and<br />
refreshments,<br />
and welcome<br />
the new Class <strong>of</strong><br />
2013 alumni!<br />
M E E T<br />
M I N G L E<br />
NETWORK<br />
CONNECT<br />
Hosted by the <strong>UCR</strong><br />
Alumni Association,<br />
members in<br />
attendance will<br />
receive a gift and<br />
a chance to win<br />
two tickets to the<br />
Hollywood Bowl<br />
or Del Mar Races<br />
alumni events.<br />
Save the date for the event in your area!<br />
Los Angeles . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7/11<br />
<strong>Riverside</strong> . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7/17<br />
Orange County . . . . . . . . . . . . 7/24<br />
San Francisco . . . . . . . . . . . . 7/30<br />
The event is free for all alumni to attend.<br />
Registration required. Sign up at<br />
alumni.ucr.edu/meetgreet or call 951-827-2586.<br />
<strong>UCR</strong> Spring 2013 | 29