Analysis of the Poem 'Visiting Mrs. K on the Second Day of Tet'

Assignment: Analyzing the Poem 'Visiting Mrs. K on the Second Day of Tet'

Sample Essay: Analysis of the Poem 'Visiting Mrs. K on the Second Day of Tet'

Sample Essay: Analyzing the Poem 'Visiting Mrs. K on the Second Day of Tet'

Tran Te Xuong, born as Tran Te Xuong, was a naturally intelligent and diligent learner, but unlucky in examinations. His life was brief, only 37 years, during the tumultuous, chaotic, and tragic period of our country. Throughout his life, he did not satisfy his thirst for learning, yet lived in deprivation and hardship, so he often indulged in writing poetry as a means of solace and expressing grief. It is for this reason that later generations have poems that truly reflect the essence of contemporary society. An exemplary example is the poem 'Visiting Mrs. K on the Second Day of Tet.'

Who is Mrs. K, that the poet must visit? It's quite pitiful, that woman was originally someone who lived in the same neighborhood as Tran Te Xuong, still young but died unexpectedly, not only that, she even chose the second day of Tet to die. A young woman, so why does Tran Te Xuong refer to her as 'Mrs.'? The reason is because her husband was Mr. K, an elderly man, almost like a father figure, an uncle perhaps, surely he must have had some kind of official, literary job to be addressed as 'Mr.' in this era of half Western, half Eastern, half modern, half backward. The French invaded our country, all they brought was the sound of gunfire and extreme suffering for our people, but there were also those who became rich thanks to the civilization brought by the colonialists, becoming the 'new rich,' a typical example being the couple Mr. and Mrs. K. They opened a hand-pulled cart store, using the labor of the poor and destitute to make money, trampling on the sweat and tears of others to become rich, and they became rich quickly. Of course, it's not just this couple, there were many others with similar 'status' in Nam Dinh at that time. However, when someone dies, no matter who they are, they are all deserving of sympathy, especially someone with a 'special story' like Mrs. K.

Returning to the poem, the opening lines are as follows:

'Mrs. K suddenly passed away
Did Heaven not spare the Westerner!'

The phrase 'Mrs. K suddenly passed away' is Tu's exclamation about Mrs. K's unexpected death, the writer seems to not believe in that death, Mrs. K was so healthy, how could she 'pass away' like that, quite strange and shocking news. However, in the next phrase 'Did Heaven not spare the Westerner!' Tu also expresses surprise, but there's something odd, why would Heaven or whoever spare the Westerner, furthermore, why suddenly switch from talking about Mrs. K to mentioning a Westerner out of the blue, the two phrases don't logically connect. But hold on before jumping to conclusions because just by reading the next phrase everyone will be baffled:

'The maiden married twice'

Let's analyze each word, 'maiden' means a young woman, this is straightforward, but 'married twice' requires more thought. Because if taken separately, we understand it literally, oh so this young woman went to become the young wife of Mr. K, but when rereading the previous phrase 'Did Heaven not spare the Westerner!', immediately realize this woman not only became Mr. K's young wife but also somehow took on a Westerner, turns out she has two husbands, that's the idea. That woman with a strange fate, unfortunate when she returned to heaven on the second day of Tet, and the attitude of the neighbors and especially the ex-husband also makes people endlessly amazed, blaming the fickleness of human nature.

'The streets weep with crimson couplets
The husband mourns over the hand-pulled cart.'

During Tet holiday, it's natural that everyone decorates their homes with dazzling crimson couplets, adding to the lively atmosphere of the new year. But for Mrs. K's death, it's like a sudden cold splash, utterly indifferent. No one mourns for Mrs. K, they 'weep with crimson couplets', implying that whoever dies, life must go on, festivities must continue, no one cares how the woman died. What kind of society makes people so indifferent, so cold-hearted. But that's still nothing compared to the 'mourns over the hand-pulled cart' of the husband. One would think if his wife died, he would at least mourn a little, but no, he only laments the loss of the 'hand-pulled cart' that the Westerner, Mrs. K's second husband, brought, ending here. Does this mean that from the beginning till now, the husband only saw Mrs. K as a tool to make money, to enrich himself with his wife's body? Is there anything more bitter for a woman's life? Mrs. K offered herself as a gift to her husband to pave the way for his business, but in return, she received only coldness, loneliness, and even in death, no one cared. Partly out of disdain, partly because no one bothered to care. Reading Tu's poems from the outside seems so ordinary, like telling a mundane story, but upon closer inspection, it sends shivers down your spine, when did money become more valuable than a human life!

If the first six lines depict the story of Mrs. K's death and her ironic situation, the last two lines immediately shift to a different tone, somewhat sharp, bitter:

'Appalling for those daughters
Who still compete to marry their former teachers'

The poet appears astonished, suggesting that there already exists a large and bright example above, so why do people still persist in following the path of destruction? However, it must be reiterated, the marital situation of Mrs. K must have become commonplace in this society, no one is surprised by the scene of infidelity anymore. Therefore, the issue of daughters marrying their former teachers is just a common occurrence in the district. In a chaotic society where money tramples over human emotions like this, it is bound to produce individuals, destinies like Mrs. K. Ultimately, Mrs. K, in the end, holds a pitiful yet infuriating position, perhaps she only has this method left to exist or to live comfortably in a pragmatic, mundane life, isn't it?

The poem Visiting Mrs. K on the Second Day of Tet carries the tone of a satirical poem, yet it does not deny the profound sentiment embedded in every word of this poem. Tú Xương has infused the poem with bitter words, yet still veiled with affection, pity for a life of mistakes, loneliness, simultaneously blaming the society for its coldness, its despicableness.