The third volume of the textbook "High School Chinese" published by New People's Education Edition contains Qu Yuan's romantic masterpiece "Li Sao". The excerpted text mainly shows Qu Yuan's lofty ideal, brilliant and clean personality and feelings of worrying about the country and the people, which is relatively easy to master. But many students are puzzled and don't understand the ending of Qu Yuan's sinking into the river. The question to be discussed in this paper is: Is it possible for Qu Yuan to take another road besides death at that time?
As we all know, Li Sao was written during Qu Yuan's second exile. At that time, for poets who had gone through hardships, the possible path was:
One is to wait for an opportunity to please the king of Chu in order to repay him.
This road is obviously not feasible. As the saying goes, "No common cause, no common goal", there are serious political differences between Qu Yuan and Chu Wang: Qu Yuan is a reformist in internal affairs, while Chu Wang is an old school; In diplomacy, Qu Yuan advocated uniting Qi State, and the king of Chu tended to be pro-Qin. One represents the emerging progressive forces and the other represents the backward and decadent forces. Qu Yuan was exiled twice because he refused to give up his lofty ideals and integrity. In order to please the king of Chu, he had to give up his principles, sell his soul and go along with those traitors. This is what Qu Yuan hates and can't stand. Therefore, Qu Yuan would never choose this road.
Second, rise up and overthrow the decadent Chu regime.
This is the most revolutionary and progressive road, but it is the most impossible way for Qu Yuan to choose. Not to mention that Qu Yuan was born in the nobility of Chu State, even an ordinary patriotic intellectual would never do so. This is because, in the ancient society of China, where "home is the world", the monarch and the country are one, loyalty to the monarch equals patriotism, and patriotism is bound to be loyal to the monarch. This is the core content of ideological and moral education of ancient intellectuals in China. Qu Yuan was also deeply influenced by it. In Qu Yuan's mind, the king of Chu is not only an individual, but also a symbol of Chu. When Qu Yuan was exiled by the King of Chu, he also resented the fatuity of the King of Chu. However, resentment belongs to resentment, and he will never rebel against the king of Chu. On the contrary, deep down, he still hopes that the king of Chu will wake up. If given the chance, he would even earnestly persuade the king of Chu to be a saint and take the right path. As long as the king of Chu accepts his suggestion, he will spare no effort. Therefore, this road will not be Qu Yuan's choice.
Third, retire from the mountains and escape from the world.
It should be a good choice to abandon the dirty reality and maintain a noble personality, but seclusion means that the poet's good material beauty will be buried. For an ideal and ambitious person, the greatest wish and happiness in life is to give full play to one's talents, show one's ambitions and realize the value of life. As the saying goes, "when a lead knife is cut, the dream is better" (gold? Zuo Si), that's the truth, otherwise what's the point of living? Moreover, at that time, there were powerful enemies and chaotic villains abroad, the country was in danger and the people were miserable. At this juncture, how can a scholar-bureaucrat who cares about the country and the people hide in the mountains without advancing and retreating with the people of the motherland? Therefore, he is unwilling to give up his lofty ideals; He can't bear to abandon the people of the motherland. This doomed Qu Yuan not to retreat into the mountains.
Fourth, travel abroad and learn from others.
Since the king of Chu is in a daze, it's no use staying. Besides, "time suddenly doesn't drown" and "I'm afraid that the beauty will die", why not travel around the world while the Spring and Autumn Period is in full swing, and maybe you can meet a wise master who knows how to meet him and show his arms. This is also the idea that he once revealed in Li Sao. But at the moment when he was full of ambition to leave, he saw the land of his motherland, so "I was sad and worried, but I couldn't do it." He finally stayed because he couldn't bear to be separated from the troubled motherland to which he was deeply attached.
At this point, all other possibilities were rejected by Qu Yuan. He saw that his motherland was getting weaker and weaker, but he was unable to save it. He dreamed of great ambitions, but he accomplished nothing. As a result, he fell into a deep contradiction and pain, and fell into a dilemma of going and staying. He must die for his personality, ideal and motherland. Therefore, suicide was the only way that Qu Yuan could choose at that time, and it was also his last struggle against cruel fate. Because of this, on the fifth day of May every year, people deeply commemorate the death of Qu Yuan in such a grand way. ...