Analyze the whimsical, melancholic, and dreamy elements in Tản Đà's poem 'Desiring to Become Cuoi'

Prompt: Analyze the whimsical, melancholic, and dreamy elements in Tản Đà's poem 'Desiring to Become Cuoi'

Analyze the whimsy, melancholy, and dreams in Tản Đà's poem 'Yearning to Become Cuoi'

I. Outline for Analyzing the whimsy, melancholy, and dreams in Tản Đà's poem 'Yearning to Become Cuoi'

1. Introduction

Introduce the author, the work, and the issue to be analyzed.

2. Body

a. Melancholy depicted in the first two verses:

- The phrase 'very sad' directly and succinctly portrays the author's mood while enjoying the moon, undoubtedly feeling despondent and troubled. Thus, the poet, upon seeing the moon, an object that contains many joyful emotions, can only utter sighs filled with various sentiments.
- Alongside the melancholy mood during the autumn sky, the poet's humanistic sorrow is evident in 'In this world, I'm half tired':
+ Despite being a true Confucian scholar, living amidst a time of national loss to invaders, society is chaotic, Confucian studies are declining, and intellectuals and moralists have no place, so they must endure silently, living a life full of silent sorrow.
+ Literature is as cheap as duckweed, the talented artist's life suddenly falls into hardship, having to worry about daily food and clothing.
+ The actual situation of a lost country and the painful plight of the nation have pushed Tản Đà and many intellectuals of the past into a deadlock, into darkness.

b. Whimsicality revealed in the following 4 verses 'In the palace garden... just joy':
- The whimsical, arrogant attitude is immediately evident in the title 'Desiring to be Cuoi' of the work. A mere mortal like that dares to have such a terrifying desire, wishing to ascend to the moon, become Cuoi who daily associates with the immortal princess, Hằng Nga, being intimate and affectionate, calling her sister but also beloved.

c. Dream depicted in the final two verses:
- The 'whimsicality' is elevated to its highest with a unique and intriguing imaginative image that brings many thoughts to readers, while also concealing many of the author's sentiments.
- Tản Đà has presented a fantastic dream that he himself enjoys a comfortable life on the moon, and as usual on every full moon day of the eighth month, he leans on the shoulder, befriends Sister Hằng, and looks down on the world.
+ Escaping from worldly life, escaping from the dusty, filthy world, fulfilling the intense desire for liberation, makes Tản Đà laugh contentedly.
+ Tản Đà's laughter is also a sarcastic laugh, disdainful when looking down on the world.

3. Conclusion

Expressing general sentiments.

II. Sample Essay Analyzing the whimsical, melancholic, and dreamy elements in Tản Đà's poem 'Yearning to Become Cuoi'

Speaking of audacity, arrogance, or simply put, the word 'audacious' in Tản Đà's works, the title 'Yearning to be Cuội' alone speaks volumes about the author's nature. A mere mortal yet harboring such terrifying aspirations, longing to ascend to the moon palace, to befriend Hằng Nga the celestial fairy, addressing her intimately, romantically, calling her sister, what else could it be if not audacious? Especially in the poem, Tản Đà's 'audacity' is distinctly expressed in the following four lines:

'Who's yet to sit upon the laurel throne?
Could you, dear, recall the banyan's call?
With friends and a breeze, what need for despair?
With wind and clouds, life finds its flair.'

Tản Đà's audacity primarily manifests in the longing for imaginary interactions, dialogues with beings in the fairyland. In the poem 'Yearning to be Cuội,' he adopts a naturally playful tone, humorously asking, 'Who's yet to sit upon the laurel throne?' then boldly suggesting asking Hằng to 'recall the banyan's call' to join the moon palace. He confidently suggests that Hằng in the moon palace might also feel lonely, so why not converse with himself, befriend to alleviate loneliness. This reveals Tản Đà's solitude amidst life, unable to find understanding, thus seeking the moon palace to find a close companion, relieve all contained sorrow. Moreover, Tản Đà finds life on earth uninteresting; instead, he's impressed and intrigued by living with clouds and wind, believing life finds its joy there, differing from the mundane. Thus, Tản Đà's 'audacity' is shown in his unconventional, daring thinking, somewhat madness in longing for the unattainable, not within reach. This 'audacity' stems from weariness, melancholy, and helplessness in life, longing to find an ideal world, such as heaven, or the moon palace, beings representing a beautiful, pure society like Hằng, Heaven, the celestial beings, goddesses, all aimed to express the pain and deadlock of an ordinary person in the face of a society too rotten, personal life too dark, and vexing. Thus, Tản Đà's 'audacity' becomes a reasonable and creative 'audacity' when the poet finds a solution to liberate his soul from darkness, misery in the mundane.

Lastly, speaking of beautiful dreams in Tản Đà's poetry, we can clearly see them in the last two lines of the poem.

In the poem 'Desiring to be Cuoi' by Tan Da, the essence of whimsy, sorrow, and dreams is meticulously dissected. These analyses delve into the three prominent poetic features of Tan Da, vividly exemplified in 'Desiring to be Cuoi.' To delve deeper into this work, explore articles such as 'Analyzing the Poem 'Desiring to be Cuoi' by Tan Da,' 'Interpreting the Essence of Whimsy in Tan Da's 'Desiring to be Cuoi',' and 'Personal Reflections on the Sentiment and Whimsy of Tan Da's 'Desiring to be Cuoi.''