The Analysis of Image Translations in “Ode to the West Wind” from Linguistic and Sociological Perspectives

1、從語言學(xué), 社會學(xué)角度分析詩歌西風(fēng)頌中的意象翻譯the analysis of image translations in “ode to the west wind” from linguistic and sociological perspectivesabstract：poetry is a form of literary art in which language is used for its aesthetic and evocative qualities.poetry often uses particular forms and conventions to sugges

2、t alternative meanings in the words, or to evoke emotional or sensual responses. devices such as assonance, alliteration, onomatopoeia, and rhythm are sometimes used to achieve musical or incantatory effects. among the different components of a poem, image is a very important and impressive part in

3、poetry. it can effectively invoke inspiration as it can easily call forth peoples imagination. therefore, the understanding of a poetrys image is essential to the appreciation of the poem，forming a solid basis for poetry translation. and my essay is designed to analyze the subjectivity and objectivi

4、ty of the images in “ode to the west wind”, and further criticize the defects and merits in the chinese image translation.key words: poetry image, sociology and linguistic, subjectivity and objectivity從語言學(xué)，社會學(xué)角度分析詩歌西風(fēng)頌中的意象翻譯摘要：詩歌是巧妙運用語言的文學(xué)形式，從中表現(xiàn)詩歌的美學(xué)特點與啟示性。詩歌通過其獨特的形式與表現(xiàn)手法，常常賦予詩歌內(nèi)容多樣性與啟示性的等特點。詩歌也通常運

5、用頭韻，擬聲，押韻等方法來獲得形式上，音律上的美感和效果。而在眾多的詩歌組成部分中，“意象”這種組成成分既是十分重要的，也是十分有表現(xiàn)力的。由于詩歌極其容易喚起人們的想象或聯(lián)想，從而給予讀者獨特的審美體驗，表現(xiàn)詩歌本身的內(nèi)涵。因此，了解詩歌中的意象對于了解詩歌來說是十分重要的，這也為翻譯好詩歌打下堅實的基礎(chǔ)。該論文將從社會學(xué)，語言學(xué)的角度來分析西風(fēng)頌該詩作中意象的主體性與客體性，并評判其中文譯作中意象翻譯的優(yōu)缺點。關(guān)鍵詞：詩歌意象，社會學(xué)與語言學(xué)，主體性與客體性content1. the introduction of related elements11.1 the role of imag

6、e in poetry.11.2 the linguistics role in analyzing image translation.21.3 the sociologys role in analyzing image translation32. the critical theories32.1 linguistic theories.42.1.1 horizontal relationship and vertical relationship .42.1.2 similarity and contiguity.42.2 marxist critical theories.52.2

7、.1 reflection theories.52.2.2 the social existence and ideology.53. the analysis of image translation in “ode to the west wind.63.1 the introduction of “ode to the west wind”63.2 the image translation of “ode to the west wind”.63.2.1 ghost and enchanter.63.2.2 “wintry bed” and grave73.2.3 “l(fā)yre and

8、trumpet.83.2.4 appraisal from linguistic.103.3 from marxist approach: subjectivity.113.3.1 the image of strength.123.3.2 the image of immortality.133.3.3 appraisal from sociology.144.conclusion.15references.16the analysis of image translations in “ode to the west wind” from linguistic and sociologic

9、al perspectives1. the introduction of related elements: the first section of this essay is aimed at providing an outlining illustration concerning the quality or function of the involved research subjects in my essay so as to present a clear picture of what my essay concerns and how i will develop i

10、t.1.1 the role of image in poetry: in poetry, image is the picture of an object that represents the idea or the emotion of the art subject-the artist himself or herself. so, image has two qualities: the subjectivity and objectivity：1.1.1 the subjectivity of image: the subjectivity of image means the

11、 quality of the image that manifests or implies the authors own characteristics or emotions, so to speaks, his personal status. during the process of appreciating a poem, we should have a similar aesthetic experience the same as that of the author. so we can realize the subjectivity in his or her wo

12、rk. thats why we find the more we are into a work, the more we will understand the work and the status of its author.1.1.2 the objectivity of image: since poetry itself calls for as profound as possible meanings with limited lines and space, and the meanings include abstract or concrete ones, the be

13、st way to express these meanings is to condense them into some tangible objects which have the similar quality, such as sun implies passion and energy. so the image in poetry is often a real object that suggests a more profound meaning. if we aim to understand the meaning that an object suggests, we

14、 should have a precise knowledge of what this object is.thus, with the understanding of the objectivity and subjectivity of a poem, especially of its image, we can fully understand a poem, and then, criticize its translation.1.2 the linguistics role in analyzing image translation linguistics is the

15、scientific study of language and its structure, including the study of grammar, syntax and phonetics.the work of the swiss linguist ferdinand de saussure, course in general linguistics, has been profoundly influential in forming the basis of modern linguistics, and further more, in providing new per

16、spectives in analyzing and appreciating a literature work. the key two ideas, “l(fā)angue” and “parole”, are essential for us to know how an individual literature work comes into being:langue: a language viewed as an abstract system used by a speech community.parole: the actual linguistic behavior or pe

17、rformance of individuals.this is the reason that though we have different languages in the world like english, chinese and french and so on, their underlying structures are invariably the same, all composed of subject, object, predicate and other grammar components. and with the shared language syst

18、em, we put our individuality in the realization and application of this system. thus every person has his own characteristics in his speaking and writing. when it comes to literature, the properties of one author become more manifest as he uses his language with his own characteristics.so, my goals

19、of choosing linguistic as a perspective are as followed:1. to find how the “ode to the west wind” forms its own characteristics in its style and content with english. then go further to understand the images in this poem.2. on the basis of understanding these images in original version, try to find

20、out the defects and merits of the image translation in chinese version by criticizing the way the translator uses chinese language system to convey these images meanings in english system.to summarize, i will present how shelly compose the “ode to the west wind” and whether the image translation has

21、 drawn enough attention to their linguistic properties.1.3. the sociologys role in analyzing image translation:sociology is the discipline of the relationship between social structure and social activity. needless to say, literature composition belongs to social activity since a also a literature wo

22、rk entails an authors creative effort and the work itself always has its influence upon individuals and society. among different genres of socialism, i draw my attention to marxism, because it first claims that economic status decides superstructure, which includes ideology. and ideology has great i

23、nfluence upon peoples beliefs and behaviors. so, from the marxism in sociology, we can find a satisfactory explanation of how a society with its economic status influences a poets beliefs and behaviors. then, we can better understand the authors subjectivity in his work.so, my goals of choosing soci

24、ology as a perspective are as followed:1. to find how the “ode to the west wind” with its images reflect the social status and to know what a kind of spirit or emotion the social reality has aroused in the author.2. to criticize whether the image translation has well manifested the authors spirit an

25、d emotion aroused by the social upheaval at that time.2. the introduction of critical theories: this section is aimed at giving an overall introduction of the theories or ideas in linguistics or sociology that are used in my essay. all of them are essential to my appreciation of the images in “ode t

26、o the west wind” and the chinese translation of them.2.1 the linguistic theories:in my appreciation of the images in “ode to the west wind” and the criticism of their chinese translation, the linguistic theories provides the objective perspective to the understanding of these images and the analysis

27、 of the chinese translation of them. that means to take these images as the product of a certain language system. try to find the vertical or horizontal relationship between images that arise out of the language system, and the textual meanings which derive from the two relationships.in a word, the

28、linguistic theories in this essay are used to study the objectivity of the images and their translation.2.1.1 “horizontal relationship” and “vertical relationship”vertical relationship: in the vertical dimension, we have an inventory of elements that may be substituted for one another.horizontal rel

29、ationship: in the horizontal dimension, we have elements chosen from the inventory to form an actual sequence.thus, a given sentence may be viewed either vertically or horizontally: 1. each element is selected from a set of possible elements and could be substituted for another in the set.2. the ele

30、ments are combined in a sequence, which constitutes parole.2.1.1 “similarity” and “contiguity”jakobson introduced two sorts of disorder: contiguity disorder and similarity disorder:contiguity disorder is the inability to combine elements in sequence; and the similarity disorder is the inability to s

31、ubstitute one element for another.for example, in a word-association test, if you said “hut”, the first type would produce a string of synonyms, antonym and other substitutions: “cabin”, “palace”, “den”, “burrow”. the other type would offer elements which combine with “hut”, forming potential sequen

32、ce: “burnt out”, “is a poor little house”.jakobson goes on to point out that the two disorders correspond to two figures of speechmetaphor and metonymy. as the foregoing example shows, “contiguity disorder” results in substitution in the vertical dimension as in metaphor, while “similarity disorder”

33、 results in the production of parts of sequences for the wholes as in metonymy.to draw the conclusion, metaphor is based on the “similarity” of two referents while metonymy is based on the “contiguity” of two referents.2.2. the marxist theories: in my appreciation of the images in “ode to the west w

34、ind” and the criticism of their chinese translation, the linguistic theories provides the subjective perspective to the understanding of these images and the analysis of the chinese translation of them.every literature work is an individual artistic expression of the author himself or herself. it in

35、evitably contains some of authors subjective influence. he or she wants to manifest and share something personal with the readers during their aesthetic experience. and it is the subjective communication between reader and writer that establishes an enduring friendship.in a word, the marxist theorie

36、s in this essay are used to study the subjectivity of the images and their translation.2.2.1. the “reflection theory” :lukacs stressed literatures reflection, conscious and unconscious, of the social reality surrounding it-not just a reflection of a flood of realistic detail but a reflection of the

37、essence of a society. detriment to social wholeness reveals themselves in the literary works. it is true that every work reflects to some degree that age of its composition and thus the conditions of society.according to lukacs, to “reflect” is to “frame” a mental structure transposed into words. pe

38、ople ordinarily posses a reflection of reality, a consciousness mot merely of objects but of human nature and social relationship. a literary work reflects not individual phenomena in isolation, but the full process of life. however, the reader is always aware that the work is not itself reality but

39、 rather a special form of reflecting reality.2.2.2 the social existence and ideology:lukacs insist on the principle of underlying order and structure because the marxist tradition borrowed from hegel the “dialectical” view of history. development in history is not random or chaotic, nor is it a stra

40、ightforward linear progression, but rather a dialectical development. in every social organization, the prevailing mode of production gives rise to inner contradictions which are expressed in class struggle. for example, capitalism developed by destroying the feudal mode of production and replacing

41、it with one based on absolute private property and market, which made possible a higher level of productivity. however, while the process of production was increasingly socialized, the ownership of the means of production became concentrated in private hands. workers who had owned their tools eventu

42、ally had nothing to sell but their labor. the inherent contradiction is expressed in the conflict of interests between capitalist and workers. the private accumulation of capital was the foundation of factory working, and thus the contradiction between privatization and socialization is necessary un

43、ity, which is central to the nature of capitalist mode of production.3. the analysis of image translation in “ode to the west wind” the section is about the appreciation of the images in “ode to the west wind” in original english version and the analysis and criticism of the image translation in chi

44、nese version.3.1 the introduction of “ode to the west wind”ode to the west wind is an ode written by percy bysshe shelley in 1819 near florence, italy; it was published in 1820. some have interpreted the poem as the speaker lamenting his inability to directly help those in england owing to his being

45、 in italy; at the same time, the poem expresses the hope that its words will inspire and influence those who read or hear it. more than anything else, shelley wanted his message of reform and revolution spread, and the wind becomes the trope for spreading the word of change through the poet-prophet

46、figure. some also believe that the poem is due to the loss of his son, william in 1819 (to mary shelley), his son charles (to harriet shelley) died in 1826, after ode to the west wind was written and published. the ensuing pain influenced shelley. the poem allegorizes the role of the poet as the voi

47、ce of change and revolution; at the time of composing this poem.3.2 from linguistic critical approach: “similarity” and “contiguity” this section is about to analyze the image translation in “ode to the west wind” from linguistic critical approach. the theory items “similarity” and “contiguity” deri

48、ve from the research in languages vertical relationship and horizontal relationship. and it will help us discover the objectivity of image.3.2.1 “ghost” and “enchanter”:the provenance:o wild west wind, thou breath of autumns being,thou, from whose unseen presence the leaves deadare driven, like ghos

49、ts from an enchanter fleeing 譯段: 哦，狂暴的西風(fēng)，秋之生命的呼吸！ 你無形，但枯死的落葉被你橫掃 有如鬼魅碰到了巫師，紛紛逃避 in the beginning of the first stanza, the author depicts a spectacle of the dead leaves driven by the west wind. these dead leaves are afraid of the west wind to the same extent that ghosts are afraid of the enchanters.s

50、ince ghost and enchanter are unpleasant things in the world, this beginning does not offer us pleasant but a bit horrifying experience. so we need to retain the same feeling in its translation.the above translation has managed to maintain the horrifying and unsettled emotion by translating “ghost” a

51、nd “enchanter” into “鬼魅” and “巫師”. the most important but often neglected point is that the translation has drawn enough attention to the relationship between “ghost” and “enchanter” in the horizontal language structure.analysis: the chinese word “鬼魅” contains a meaning that the referred thing is ev

52、il and invisible. and fear and anxiety will be aroused if you can sense the existence of it while being unable to see it.“enchanter” in english is referred to a person who uses magic to put spells on people. the chinese word “巫師” is closely related to that meaning. and enchanters behavior tends to b

53、e mysterious and sometimes, even supernatural. thus people often hold awe and respect towards them. in conclusion, the translation of the two images has retained the original essence in english version by successfully reoccurring the contiguity of the two images, that is when “ghost” and “enchanter”

54、 are in a horizontal structure, they tend to establish a relationship of “flight and captivity.”3.2.2. “wintry bed” and “grave”the provenance: (canto i)yellow, and black, and pale, and hectic red,pestilence-stricken multitudes: o thou,who chariotest to their dark wintry bedthe winged seeds, where th

55、ey lie cold and low,each like a corpse within its grave, untilthine azure sister of the spring shall blowher clarion oer the dreaming earth, and fill(driving sweet buds like flocks to feed in air)with living hues and odours plain and hill:wild spirit, which art moving everywhere;destroyer and preser

56、ver; hear, oh hear!譯段： 黃的，黑的，灰的，紅得像患肺癆， 呵，重染疫癘的一群：西風(fēng)呵，是你 以車駕把有翼的種子催送到 黑暗的冬床上，它們就躺在那里， 像是墓中的死穴，冰冷，深藏，低賤although the translator of this poem is a renowned scholar, i still refuse being satisfied with his translation of the two image“wintry bed” and “grave” in the first stanza. in the english version o

57、f this poem, “wintry bed” is a image that suggest a place to lie these dead seeds while the “grave” implies a place to lie these dead people. we can easily note the similarity between the “wintry bed” and “grave”. that is both of them are due to provide dead creature with a place to rest in peace while the place may be cold. but in the chinese translation of the two images, i can hardl