Dehumanizing The Soldiers In 'What Plant Is Not Faded?'

Dehumanizing the soldiers Dehumanization is the process of depriving a person or population of human qualities or attributes such as compassion, dignity, individuality, etc. The process of dehumanization was used on the soldiers in the poem “What Plant Is Not Faded?”. The poem is Chinese literature and discusses the challenges that soldiers who were forced to fight in the wars had to face. This poem could be used as a way for Chinese soldiers and soldiers' families to express their emotions about people being forced into fighting war. “The Chinese valued literature highly and even had a god of literature named Wen Chang, also known as Wendi, Wen Ti” (“Chinese Literature”). The poem conveys a theme of dehumanization. In “What Plant Is Not

The metaphor, “The fox bumps and drags/ through the tall, thick grass” (“What Plant is Not Faded?” 516) helps to better the understanding of the theme. The comparison of the soldiers to a fox is dehumanization. When the author says “bumps and drags”, he/she means that the soldiers are like tired and slowed down foxes. The soldiers were physically and mentally drained. The men being compared to something nonhuman, allows the reader to use their imagination to comprehend what the soldiers had to endure. The use of the metaphor presents the theme of dehumanization.
In addition to using metaphors, symbolism of dying plants is also used to convey the theme of dehumanization. The question, “What plant is not wilting?” (“What Plant is Not Faded” 516) is asked in the poem. The word “plant” symbolizes the soldiers. The word “wilting” symbolizes their health. The true meaning of the question is what soldier is not dying (physically and mentally). The symbolism of a wilting plant paints the picture of the soldiers slowly burning out. The symbolism of the wilting plant is also supposed to show the effects that dehumanization had on the soldiers. Due to the soldiers being forced to fight against their own will, they felt tired and like they were slowly dying. Dehumanization is delivered through symbolism of dying

The author suggests the theme of dehumanization when the question, “Are we buffaloes, are we tigers?” is asked (“What Plant is Not Faded” 516). Comparing the soldiers to “buffaloes” and “tigers” creates the image that the soldiers have to be strong and fearless. “Tigers are strong, powerful and one of nature’s most feared predators” (“Amazing Facts About the Tiger”). The soldiers are expected to be these strong and emotionless humans that show no human qualities. This is dehumanizing the soldiers because their personalities and emotions are being hidden and taken away. The symbolism of the tigers and buffaloes accentuates how the soldiers are forced to live up to these inhumane expectations. Tigers are known to be heartless and brutal when it comes to survival, so when they symbolize the soldiers it is dehumanizing