ENG111 -- Introduction to Literature

Prof. Eileen Joy

Spring 2004

DISCUSSION QUESTION #9 (Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon)

Jen and Lo in the mountains together

At one point in the film, after Li Mu Bai has sent Lo to Wudan Mountain (to wait for further instructions), and Jen has run away with the sword (Green Destiny), and Li Mu Bai and Shu are searching for Jen, Li Mu Bai says to Shu, "The things we touch have no permanence . . . there is nothing we can hold on to in this world. Only by letting go can we truly possess what is real." How does Li Mu Bai's statement seem to relate to what we have seen so far in the film? Also, on a more philosophical level: do you agree with him (and: why, or why not)?

Please respond to the question with full, complete sentences. You should write at least one typed double-spaced page in response to the prompt (but let's not get distracted by these fine points of detail--what matters to me is that you respond to this prompt with thoughtfulness and care and show me that you have something of substance to say in relation to the reading and discussions we have had in class, and what that ultimately means is: MORE is always better than less, but 1 page is the minimum). The questions are always interpretive in nature, and therefore there are NO right or wrong answers, only your opinion (an opinion, nevertheless, that's hopefully grounded in a close reading of the text as well as a close attention to background material presented in class). It wouldn't be a bad idea either to point to and/or quote specific passages from the text in order to support your observations and ideas (that will help you practice a skill that will become an absolute necessity when you are writing your critical essays).