Literary Lens Analysis: “Songs that Cannot be Silenced” - Hien Luong

Songs that Cannot Be Silenced

Sing! Let us sing out,
Sing out again so our hearts may burst into flame
And our burning blood may finally melt these chains.
So that in the depth of the blackest night
The sun shines forever.

Here they come with their sticks
In the glacial silence
In the bolted cell
Their bloodshot eyes rivet on us
They hurl threatening words,
“Who’s the bitch who had the nerve to sing?”

Mute rage engulfs our hearts
Our retort:
A willful silence.

After vain threats and questionings
Blows rain down.
So much flesh is torn
Over all the bosy, so much pain!

Then, my sister,
You stood up proud
Rising above the pack of killers
“Down with terror! Down with the brutes!”

Hand in hand,
Shoulder to shoulder:
A human wall
Will not give way.
Scarcely have they turned on their heels
Our laughter bursts out more brightly
Our voices rise more sweetly
More harmonious together
With a stronger beat
Defying the impotent rage of the guards.

Such power in such frail bodies—
Does it come from magic?

The next day, reprisals.
Aged mothers,
Little sisters, barely thirteen years old,
Beaten with the rest
Just for having sung.
“Who led the singing?”

Answer: a willful silence.
Cornered between the wall and the hard ground
They fell unconscious.
Awakening,
Into their ears glides the sweet lullaby of an elder sister
Like the voice of the native village.
Suddenly, on your trembling lips
Blooms the rose of a first smile
That no chains nor shackles can imprison!

—Hien Luong. Trans. Anon. The Other Voice: Twentieth-Century Women’s Poetry in Translation. Ed. Bankier, Cosman, Ernshaw, Keefe, Lashgari, Weaver. Intro. Adrienne Rich. NY: Norton, 1976.

Analysis:

Humans are beautiful, terrifying, resilient creatures. They think, create, and communicate. They work together, they work against each other, they work for themselves. No other species on earth has the ability to shape and influence the natural world as much as humans have. However, no other species also has the capacity to be as evil, as greedy, as controlling, or as corrupt as humans. Even to psychologists, human motives may seem random, uncontrolled, and incomprehensible, given the diverse range of things humans have done. However, there are moments, under special circumstances, humans become predictable and almost formulaic. These circumstances, called archetypes, can take the form of symbols, settings, or situations, known as experiences of the “Collective Unconsciousness”. The Collective Unconsciousness is a theory presented by Carl Jung that postulates humankind has universal shared experiences and fears, ingrained in them from birth. In the poem “Songs That Cannot Be Silenced”, Hien Luong uses archetypes to evoke emotion in her audience by appealing to their subconscious instincts.

“Songs That Cannot Be Silenced” was written as a response to the author's time as a Vietnamese political prisoner in the Con Dao Prison, 1969. There, prisoners suffered inhumane conditions, with blows that “rain[ed] down”, flesh “torn over all the body”, starvation, and more. When put under such extreme conditions, one’s true character and essence is laid bare, casting aside pretenses, social masks, and the influence of societal norms that have shaped their behavior. Humans will revert back to natural instincts, especially those ingrained in their collective unconsciousness. One example of this is the fight or flight instinct, a primal reaction etched into humanity's collective psyche. Another is the emergence of values such as solidarity and resilience, shown when the prisoners stood “hand in hand, shoulder to shoulder” against the guards’ tyranny. This resistance and unification against oppression is an enduring archetype of humanity, an experience that evokes emotion and feeling in even those who haven’t experienced it. Humans will always fight for what they believe is right, especially when they have reached rock bottom. The author takes advantage of these shared experiences to connect readers with the characters and themes on a deeper, more subconscious, instinctual level.

Another common archetype prevalent during times of conflict is music as a form of protest. Even from the title, “Songs That Cannot Be Silenced”, the author already portrays music as something that is defiant, something that others would want to silence. It is music that kindles spirit, “so our hearts may burst into flame”; it is music that draws the prisoners together, “defying the impotent rage of the guards''; it is music that “blooms the rose of a first smile, that no chains nor shackles can imprison''. Just like an archetype, music is universal. And just like an archetype, the author uses music to evoke hope in the audience. Additionally, not only music but the absence of music, silence, is also seen as a form of protest. The phrase “a willful silence” is the only phrase repeated twice in the entire poem, and both times it signified a deliberate choice made by the prisoners to resist their oppressors. The act of silence in itself represents the archetypal theme of nonviolent resistance. Ultimately, these two archetypes make up the core of the poem, allowing the author to describe their experience in such a way that anyone, no matter their background, would be able to empathize with.

Delving past the conflicts, the archetype of sisterhood is clearly used by the author in order to immerse the reader into the story. Everyone has family, whether through biological ties or chosen relationships. In the poem, the bonds of sisterhood are formed through hardships and trauma. The author deliberately chooses words like “aged mothers” and “little sisters” to emphasize these close relationships and evoke a sense of community. . On top of that, the first mention of the word “sister” is directed at “you” the reader, and is later used to refer to all prisoners of the camp. This personal connection to the reader allows them to experience the archetypal sisterhood more deeply, as this calling evokes feelings from the collective unconsciousness of the reader. This solidarity later paves the way for defiance, as both readers and characters sing to protest against the guards. The familial bond is so strong, in “such frail bodies” that the author wonders if it comes “from magic”. It underscores that no material force can overcome the power of familial bonds, because of the fact that these familial bonds are ingrained in human nature itself.

In conclusion, one does not even need to view this poem through an archetypal lens to experience the emotions it elicits through archetypes and the collective unconsciousness. Humans react strongly to archetypes such as unification against oppression, music as a form of protest, and familial bonds, not only because they are pervasive but also because these archetypes have been ingrained in them since birth. Luong demonstrates the effectiveness of these archetypes quite thoroughly through the poem, leaving readers with a sense of determination and hope.