Chinese Civilization

Poetry and Politics in 1079: The Crow Terrace Poetry Case of SU Shih Charles Hartman in his article on the political fallout of the poetry of SU Shih acknowledges that all societies practice censorship in some degree and in some form. Western society has a history of confiscating, banning, destroying, controlling the distribution and punishing authors and individuals for the creation and possession of written texts that are deemed morally or politically subversive.

The paradox of the matter is that the western knee jerk reaction to censorship is one of condemnation and dismay. This high and mighty attitude is based on the idea that the First Amendment to the Constitution guarantees freedom of speech.

However, Herbert Mitgang in his book Dangerous Dossiers: Exposing the Secret War Against America's Greatest Authors, observes that for a greater part of the twentieth century the federal government policed many of the most revered American authors and playwrights and also watched well know writers from other countries who are read and admired here. Furthermore the practice of maintaining dossiers that cast a shadow over certain prominent literary personalities continues to this day.

Harman notes that the general political background of the case against Su Shih is best seen as a preemptive strike by the remaining members of the reform party to prohibit the opposition from generating enough cohesion to challenge their dominance of the emperor and control of the government. Harmon asserts that Su Shih was singled out for persecution because of his wide circle of acquaintances, activities, and literary contacts among the opposition party.

At the time there was tension between Wang An-shih and his "reform party" who were attempting to implement "New Policies" and Ssu-ma Kuang and his "conservative party" which opposed these policies. Historians regard Su Shih and his brother as Su Che as leaders of the "Szchwan party" which maintained their own intellectual independence from the two major parties but tended to side with the conservatives on most major issues.

Su Shih was a vocal opponent of the "New Policies" and he submitted writings to the emperor expressing differing opinions than Wang An-shih. A majority of his poems were seen as hostile to various aspects of the "New Policies" or their advocates. The popularity of Su Shih's verse was another factor that drew attention. The first indictments against him states, "There is nothing he has not slandered or ridiculed.

The common people therefore expect that as soon as there is a flood or a famine or an outbreak of banditry, Su Shih will surely be the first to criticize the situation, attributing all blame to the New Policies." Su Shih drew a distinction between "indirect criticism' and "malicious slander," however at the time no one was able to define that distinction.

(This brings to mind a famous quote of Associate Justice of the Supreme Court Potter Stewart about pornography being hard to define "but I know it when I see it."). A government's attempt to suppress the dissemination of ideas and opinions that differ from their own rhetoric is founded in the fear that the differing ideas threaten.