Analyze the profound emotions of maternal love in the poems Lullabies for Grown Babies on Mother's Back and The Crane.

Prompt: Analyze the deep affectionate feelings of a mother in Lullabies for Grown Babies on Mother's Back and The Crane.

Analyze the profound emotions of maternal love in the poems Lullabies for Grown Babies on Mother's Back and The Crane.

I. Outline: Analyzing the Deep Affectionate Feelings of a Mother in Lullabies for Grown Babies on Mother's Back and The Crane

1. Introduction

- In Vietnamese poetry and literature, the theme of maternal love is a captivating topic for many poets and writers.
- The deep affectionate feelings of a mother are vividly expressed in two poems, Lullabies for Grown Babies on Mother's Back by Nguyen Khoa Diem and The Crane by Che Lan Vien.

2. Body

a. Lullabies for Grown Babies on Mother's Back by Nguyen Khoa Diem:
* Mother's bond with her child in labor and struggle:

* Maternal love within the mother's heart and the reason for her struggle:
- 'The sun of the fields lies upon the hill/The sun of a mother, the child lies on her back' the child is indeed the sun of the mother, giving her belief and strength, the reason for her labor, for her ceaseless struggle.
- From sacred maternal love to love for the homeland, there is a strong connection. Above all, the mother stands firm both at home and on the front lines for one sole wish: 'In the future, may my child grow up to be a Free Man...'.
- The intense affection of the Tà-ôi mother is not only found in the meaning of each verse but also expressed through tender poetic tones, carrying a gentle, affectionate lullaby.

b. The Crane by Che Lan Viên:
- The crane evokes the image of ancient Vietnamese women, toiling tirelessly under the sun and rain, with noble sacrifices for their families, especially the silent sacrifices for their children.
- Mother's love turns into sweet lullabies guiding the child into life, instilling in the child love for the homeland from their earliest days.
- The child living under the protective embrace of the mother will never know the hardships endured by the crane, the mother bears all the hardships and difficulties for the child.
- Even when the child starts school, the mother still watches lovingly as the child takes each step, the mother sends the white crane to accompany the child to school, play with the child, stay with the child, the crane stands in for the mother, the crane is also the mother's love for the child, silently wishing for the child a bright future, a peaceful life like a poem.
- Even when the child is grown, the mother still follows the child's steps to the ends of the earth, the mother's arms ready to embrace the child, eagerly awaiting the child's return even when the child is tall, has flown far away.
 

3. Conclusion

Express your feelings about maternal love through two poems.

II. Sample Writing: Analyzing the Profound Affectionate Feelings of a Mother in Lullabies for Grown Babies on Mother's Back and The Crane

'Traveling the world, there's no one as good as mother', half of that verse doesn't say much, but one word 'good' alone encompasses countless emotions of a mother nested within it. It can be said that maternal love is the most special and sacred emotion in life, if asked who sacrifices the most, it must be affirmed that it's only the mother, because a mother's sacrifices are forever immeasurable by words. In Vietnamese poetry and literature, maternal love is a captivating topic for many poets and writers, especially for authors who focus on human life, family affection, sincerely portrayed in works like To Huu's Dear Cripple, Nguyen Duy's Reminiscing Our Mother, or Tran Dang Khoa's Sick Mother, all of which are excellent poems with their own allure, each author has their own perception of maternal love. Especially, in different circumstances, wartime or peacetime, the poetic essence carries different emotions, we can clearly see this in two poems Lullabies for Grown Babies on Mother's Back by Nguyen Khoa Diem and The Crane by Che Lan Vien. But whether it's wartime or peacetime, a mother's love for her child is always the warmest in the world, because for the child, the mother is willing to sacrifice everything, only wishing for the child to have a peaceful life.

Firstly, let's discuss Lullabies for Grown Babies on Mother's Back by Nguyen Khoa Diem, a poem composed on March 25, 1971, a time when the anti-American war in our country's southern battlefield became most intense. Our entire army and people exerted efforts to drive the enemy out of our homeland, highlighting the significant contributions of resilient women who participated in serving the revolution, exemplified by the Tà-ôi mother representing millions of other mothers involved in the country's liberation process. In such a special context of the nation, maternal love becomes even more sacred and noble, described as 'heroic maternal love,' embodying the spirit of the era, a time when the nation stood amidst the flames of suffering, and maternal love became deeper and more profound. The mother carries the child with an earth-colored cloth, warm with the scent of the homeland. The mother's small, strong hands thresh rice for the soldiers, fueled by the belief that the country will be independent tomorrow. The mother loves the child, unwilling to let them lie in a cold cradle, so in every laborious task, whether arduous or dangerous, the mother always brings the child along. The mother loves the child with the warmth of her sweat 'falling hot on the child's cheek,' cherishes the child with her thin shoulders 'bouncing as pillows,' 'the back sways the cradle and the heart sings the lullabies,' and perhaps little Cu Tai understands the mother's hardships, so she is obedient, deeply immersed in sleep, also showing love for the mother as the mother loves her. Maternal love deeply bonds from the mother's yard carrying the child threshing rice, to the fields where the mother takes the child 'to hoe corn on Kaloui mountain,' it can be said that the mother and child always accompany each other in every laborious task. Not only in labor but even in battle, the child always follows the mother's footsteps, 'going on the move together,' 'trudging through the forest,' blending into the vibrant atmosphere of national struggle, maternal love becomes even deeper. From these details, it can be seen that the Tà-ôi mother is a strong and deeply loving woman because we can see that every task she performs is very laborious and difficult, from threshing rice, hoeing corn, to moving, traversing forests, all done by the strength of a woman is quite exhausting. However, with her intense and profound love for the child, the mother cannot bear to leave the child alone to focus on work, the mother accepts her weary shoulders, her back sometimes swaying, numbing, but still determined to bring the child along with her footsteps, so that the child follows the mother's life, to be close and intimate.

Moreover, the child's love of the Tà-ôi mother is also deeply evident in the lines 'The sun of the fields lies upon the hill/The sun of a mother, the child lies on her back.' Just as the corn needs the sunlight to photosynthesize, to absorb nutrients to grow and produce full corn, so the child is the mother's sun, giving her belief and strong, resilient life force, the child is the small sun lying in the mother's heart, warming the mother's spirit, making the mother steadfast even though there are many obstacles ahead. Not only is the sun shining on the mother's footsteps and soul, little Cu Tai is also the reason for the mother's labor, for the mother's ceaseless struggle. In the mother's heart, first and foremost is the fervent love for the child, then expanding to the love for the homeland. The more the mother loves the child, loves the country, the more intense and determined the mother's fight becomes. It can be said that Nguyen Khoa Diem's poetry always performs well and harmoniously integrates two elements: personal emotions and the great emotions of the nation, from sacred maternal love to love for the homeland, there is a close connection. Above all, the mother stands firm both at home and on the front lines for one sole wish: 'In the future, may my child grow up to be a Free Man...', all the hardships the mother accepts to sacrifice today are ultimately for the child, the little child still sleeps on the mother's back. The mother fights with all her intellect and vitality for the country's freedom, and when the country is free, the child is also free, then someday the child will live in peace, warmth, will study, no longer have to listen to the terrifying sounds of rain of bombs and bullets, no longer have to witness the pain and loss that the mother has endured. Finally, the sacrifices of the mother today are to strengthen the future life of the child, the mother loves the child so much, cannot count it all, the mother loves the soldiers even more, loves the country that is in pain from the enemy's bombs and bullets.

The profound love and affection of the Tà-ôi mother are not only found in the meaning of each verse but also expressed through the tender poetic tone, carrying a lullaby melody that is incredibly gentle and affectionate. This lullaby doesn't feature storks or fairy tales, but rather it carries the spirit of the times, encapsulating a glorious historical period of the nation. Through this lullaby, the mother has taught the child about the resilient years of the Vietnamese people, instilled in the child a love for the homeland from the mother's back, and passed on deep affection from the depths of the mother's sincere, simple soul, bearing the distinctive characteristics of the Central Highlands ethnic groups.

In 'The Heron' by Chế Lan Viên, composed in 1962, the author leans towards a vision of the country's peaceful future. The entire poem is a portrayal of a heron carrying the familiar lullaby melody excerpted from the traditional folk songs of the nation. It can be seen that incorporating the image of a heron into a poem about the mother is a profound implication of the poet. The heron evokes the image of Vietnamese women of the past, toiling tirelessly under the sun, with noble sacrifices for the family, especially the silent sacrifices for their children. Furthermore, the heron's image brings readers back to extremely familiar emotions, from infancy, those are the tender lullabies saturated with intense maternal love, warmth. If the Tà-ôi mother's lullaby tells the child about a glorious historical period of the nation, then the lullaby in 'The Heron' brings the child back to the tradition of the nation, from the small cradle, the child already knows about 'The Heron of Cổng Phủ/The Heron of Đồng Đăng'. Through the mother's lullaby, perhaps the child has imagined a peaceful, beautiful country with vast, expansive fields where herons fly straight, the mother's love turns into sweet lullabies guiding the child into life, educating the child about love for the homeland from the earliest days of childhood. Living under the mother's nurturing embrace, the child will not know the hardships and suffering that the heron has to endure, 'The heron, alone, has to find food/With mother, the child plays then sleeps again,' all the initial hardships of the child's life have been supported by the mother, the mother sacrifices all her time and happiness to exchange for a peaceful and happy childhood for the child.

As the child gains awareness, as the child begins to go to school, taking the first steps on the wide-open road of life, the mother always watches with loving eyes following the child's footsteps, the mother sends the white heron to accompany the child to school, play with the child, stay with the child, the heron replaces the mother, the heron is also the mother's love for the child. The mother's feelings are also expressed in the silent wish for the child's bright future, the mother does not need the child to do anything great, just wants the child to live happily, if 'The child becomes a poet' just hopes that the wings of the heron will still flutter in the cool breeze of verses, the mother wants the child to become a person living with love and righteousness, no matter what the child does, never forget a beautiful childhood, forget the mother's lullaby, forget the homeland.

The mother's emotions in 'The Heron' are most clearly expressed in the verse:

Explore further about the mother-child bond depicted in the two poems The Stork and Speak to Me, you can refer to some of the following articles: Analysis of The Stork poem by Chế Lan Viên, Analyzing the imagery of the stork directly drawn from folk verses and reaching the innocence of childhood soul subconsciously, A father's confessions to his child in the poem Speak to Me, Analysis of the Speak to Me poem.