The Old China Tea Cup

Paper Summary:

This piece of creative writing begins with the auditory associations that drinking from and caressing an old china tea cup arouse in the author, and these in turn inspire visions of traveling in Italy. The author describes the visual associations that occur on inspecting the cup, which bring on more visions of travel, first in space and then in time, as the cracks in the porcelain lead to an association with the expression lines on a human face, and hence to moments from the author's past. The essay concludes with the idea that the tea cup is a symbol of both the outer and inner worlds of the author, depicting the author's past as well as reflecting the author's feelings, thoughts, dreams and projections.

From the Paper:

"I close my eyes and find myself lying in the sun somewhere in Tuscany, in a rugged hill medieval town, amazed at the green landscape and soft golden light of the region. From where I am, I can see the coastline covered with vineyards, the abundance of olive trees as well as the crowds of people sitting down at tables and having pasta and red wine. Many things here appear not to have changed since, maybe, the Renaissance, such as the narrow streets, the facades of buildings, and the small shops which sell antiques and paintings. I stroll down the streets and gaze at the beautiful terraces of the buildings while the aroma of Italian food becomes more than I can handle, so I decide to sit down with the locals for a plate of true Mediterranean food. I open my eyes and see the small cup in my hand. I get a strange feeling and look closer."

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