Analyzing a selection of folk poems to illuminate the plight of women in ancient feudal society.

Topic: Analyzing a selection of folk poems to illuminate the plight of women in ancient feudal society

I. Outline: Analyzing a selection of folk poems to illuminate the plight of women in ancient feudal society

1. Introduction

Introducing and outlining the fate of women in ancient feudal societies: In the treasury of Vietnamese folklore, the folk songs not only convey praise and emotional expressions but also serve as lamentations for the fate of individuals, particularly women, in ancient feudal societies.

2. Body

· Underestimation and marginalization: The imagery of falling raindrops evokes a sense of insignificance, seemingly meaningless amidst life's struggles. Just as every raindrop falls, each person's fate differs - some land in prestigious places while others on the fields, akin to the fate of women where goodness exists universally but not all are fortunate.

· Drifting fate, devoid of self-determination: Fate becomes a game of chance, unpredictable and without choice, only to be endured and accepted

· Victims of the old feudal regime, where male supremacy reigns: They lose the right to live, the right to be loved. Men can have multiple wives and concubines, holding power in society while women remain as faint shadows, serving their husbands and children all their lives

3. Conclusion

Affirming the beauty and fate of women in ancient feudal society: It not only criticizes the harsh reality of the old society but also affirms and praises the good qualities of Vietnamese women

II. Sample Piece: Analysis of selected folk verses to highlight the fate of women in ancient feudal society

In the treasury of Vietnamese folklore, folk verses not only convey praises and emotional sentiments but also serve as expressions of lamentation for the fates of individuals, especially women, in ancient feudal society. The women depicted in these folk verses represent Vietnamese women with numerous virtues, yet their fates are bitter when living under the old feudal regime.

One undeniable fact is that women in ancient feudal society were not respected; on the contrary, they were looked down upon and treated with contempt, making these women appear insignificant and fragile in life. Some folk verses liken these women to ordinary, insignificant things:

'My body like raindrops fall
Some fall into palaces, some onto plowed fields.'

'My body akin to a piece of peach silk
Fluttering amidst the market, who will it land in the hands of'

Whether it's raindrops falling or peach silk, they carry a mundane, insignificant, and cheap meaning. Beginning with the phrase 'my body' seems to emphasize a sigh, carrying noble virtues but enduring a miserable fate. The imagery of falling rain evokes a sense of insignificance, seemingly meaningless amidst life's struggles. Just as every raindrop falls, each person's fate differs - some land in prestigious places while others on the fields, akin to the fate of women, everyone is good but not everyone is fortunate. Fate becomes a game of chance, unpredictable and without choice, only to be endured and accepted. The imagery of 'peach silk' symbolizes the beauty and virtues of women, yet they are treated as commodities weighed and measured outside the market, cheap objects lifted and dropped by people, fortunate to meet a gentleman, otherwise falling into the hands of villains. The fate of women in ancient feudal society entirely depends on circumstances, life is like a drifting strawberry sea not knowing where it will go and cannot choose its life's destination. Since birth, being a girl is a disadvantage, living in that society at that time is even more dissatisfying, parents and society decide their entire lives, parents arrange marriages, women don't have control over their lives, completely living according to others' arrangements.

'My body akin to a bitter melon
White inside, black outside
Oh, taste and see!
Only when tasted, one knows that I am sweet and bitter.'

Women in the old society may endure many hardships and sufferings, but their inner soul and qualities - the things nobody knows - always shine. People only care about appearances without delving deep into the inside. Women must assert their qualities and beauty, must invite others to recognize and acknowledge their beauty. Women want society to recognize their value, however, living in a feudal society they endure the oppression of the male-supremacist ideology, that ideology tramples on women's right to life and dignity. They lose the right to live, the right to be loved. Men can have multiple wives and concubines, holding power in society while women remain as faint shadows, serving their husbands and children all their lives. The fate of women in feudal society after marriage is even more tragic, enduring a hundred forms of suffering, swallowing bitterness, because of the old belief 'Marriage is to serve husbands,' forcing women to care for and depend on their husband's family, constantly longing for their motherland but unable to return.

'In the evening, standing at the back alley
Gazing towards my homeland, my heart aches.'

The folk verses above are not only voices, lamentations, blaming the fate of women but also a glimpse of sympathy, empathy for their fate. Not only criticizing the harsh reality of the old society, through them, the folk authors also affirm and praise the good qualities of Vietnamese women.