Poem: What is Red by Mary O Nell

Themes
1. The many faces of red
-Red in objects, scenery, motion & sounds is a rich & vibrant colour which stands out
get noticed immediately
Eg Firecrackers from Han Dynasty thousands years ago little red explosive tubes tied in
long chain popular during Chinese New Year
Eg Indians as natives in North America liked to paint their faced and bodies with red
paint
Eg Circus cart to carry people and animals of a circus connected like a train, pulled by a
vehicle at the front edges of cart were painted red to attract peoples attention to the
carts
Eg Shout can be in visual or audio form audio: as warning of danger, visual: red of
traffic lights, ambulance siren lights, stop signs
Messages
1. Appreciate colour in life
-makes life more interesting eg. Rainbow, yellow hues of sunrise, reddish shades of sunset
-appreciate red by connecting colour to physical & non-physical things
-red seen in objects, scenery, motion, sounds
-red exists in range of qualities, ideas, emotions
2. Be sensitive to colours, especially to red
-as warning to ill health, danger, emotion
-pale yellow face indicates jaundice; blue faced baby lacks oxygen
-red as signal to stop; red meat with high cholesterol
-red associates with anger and when youre angry / Red runs thorugh your head
-red associates with love, fragrant rose and romance; red lips are attractive, red as colour
of prosperity during CNY; red is popular decorative balls during Christmas
Moral Values
1. Moderation
-exercise moderation even in colours
-sometimes use of loud and vibrant colour (red) can be unsuitable eg. At a funeral
-anger should have boundaries due to health reasons or under some circumstances eg. In
a sick room, when there are children
2. Courage
-needed when facing difficulties in life eg. Sickness, examinations, loss of loved one red is
feeling brave; at such times we must be positive and brave; this mental and emotional
state requires determination
- required in times of war, when there is real fear in hearts of young soldiers who walk into
battlefield from which they may not come out alive
3. Humility
-red as show off, loud and flamboyant colour which demand attention; however we
should be more humble
-people who show off might end up regretting their actions as nothing last forever; Asian
culture to be humble even though we are rich, famous or beautiful
Tone & Mood
1. Positive and vibrant
-positive on colours, write in captivating detail on everything about red
-red dances, sings, cries, turns on warning lights, screams for attention or sighs in love
2. Enthusiastic
-like a loving, imaginative artist, she paints a beautiful canvas covering many faces and
phases of red
-she carries us into exciting world of red, helps us to see things as she does