gUpon my first read through “Fun games with a sphere” by Ko Un I was in a disarray. The poem’s first line of “last night I cut off an arm” became a lot to take in. From the start I could tell that this poem was made in a way to show the violence either happening around the author or in the mind. As it goes on I realize that the writer is giving body parts to other people. I was first confused since the people he gave them too weren’t family or people he was close to rather it was a “poor woman” or “idler”. The use of strangers showed the authors kindness in a time of fear. Although it didn’t make sense why he was giving so many body parts to others.
The next part of my difficulty was the use of the dash line in the first stanza. There was a reason why the author added that dash line there of all places. Although I didn’t understand why, my first way of understanding was to pull up google. I realized that the use of the dash line is the ability to create silence within the poem, forcing the reader to stop and take a break wherever one occurs. Although this didn’t make sense the more I read it as he writes “Then I cut off the other arm — gave that to her too.” Although there is the use of cutting off his arm he says the same thing in the first part of the stanza. Then later he talks about cutting off his other body parts. Although when I thought about it I realized the importance of arms as they connect to the ability to write. He states that he had “cut off the other arm” showing that rather than cutting himself in half he is tearing all parts off himself.
The writer kept using repetition in the poem with the use of “Ha ha ha.” He highlights his feelings by adding this phrase into its own sentence rather than a continuation of others. Rather than making this poem lighthearted he keeps it serious. The choice of that phrase shows a way of escaping the situation he is in by laughing or creating a harsh situation better by laughing. Which might be a way of escape towards the author. In the second stanza he writes “Ha ha ha. I wonder though: What the hell am I doing? Ha ha ha.” The writer himself is being confused by his actions. Showing that in a time of a difficult situation he would rather give himself to others than keep himself and see people living in this harsh situation they are in.
There was a feeling of the author having a lot of despair with the use of writing in the fourth stanza. The author writes “It can’t be helped. Now I’m nothing but a head, nothing but a head, nothing but a head”. With the repetition of the word nothing it displays the amount of despair he is. There could have been other words used instead of nothing, although with that word word being repeated it explains the authors inner feelings. Although he contradicts the nothingness by going further and saying “but a head”. The head is the most important part of the entire body with being able to have memories, conscious thinking, and being alive. The head is the reason why someone can think for themselves. Although with nothing and the head being used in the same sentence it seems as though even with the head they are nothing. Displaying that the person cannot use the head even though they have one. Supporting my belief of the situation being so bad they cannot speak for themselves.
The last stanza is what was the most difficult for me and the reason why I had ended up picking this poem. As the author adds religion into the mix into this poem with it saying “A bald monk from Chogye temple kicks my head away.” I saw this as the narrator praying for the hope that the situation they are in would go away. Although with the kicking away that wish did not come true rather became worse. Then the writer writes “spinning merrily” merrily to me seems to be more of a happy word. Different from the entire poem with its serious attitude. It seems to be a fake happiness or a way to make a harsh situation better. Which was used with the repetition of “Ha ha ha”. Lastly it talks about “World games! Global games! Ha ha ha.” While reading World games it seems like war rather than anything else. Which would fit with the harsh situation that I believed the author is in. Keeping with the excitement with the use of the punctuation being exclamation marks rather than periods.
At the end he explains that rather than being “nothing but a head” he now says he is “with one single but”. Showing that rather than grown he has lessened which shows that the happy ending that could have ended with was rather replaced with a harsh one. The author writes that with that but “I’ll send the earth, this helpless earth stray off course, off its tracks. I’ll send this world off to vanish forever into some outer space void.” He explains that although he is only one butt he will still do all that in his power to hold the world accountable. For the disaster it caused for him and to all the people he met as he was giving body parts away. The narrator holds a deep hatred for the world for causing himself to become ripped apart.
In the end I concluded that the author Ko Un depicted the hopelessness in the situation he was in. Although making the best of it by creating it better for others. At the end he holds a great grudge against causing this pain for a type of game (war). Although I have comprehended this much for the poem I still have unanswered questions. For example why did he say that he was “nothing but a head” then it changed to him having a butt? My analysis of this poem may be wrong of what the author had wanted it to be. Although it was fun matching pieces of the poem together like a puzzle.
