Analyzing Literary Discourse: Extracting Insights from the Excerpt of 'Bestowing Fate'

Prompt: Analyzing Literary Discourse: Extracting Insights from the Excerpt of 'Bestowing Fate'

Delving into Literary Discourse: Examining the Excerpt of 'Bestowing Fate'

I. Outline for Analyzing the Literary Discourse: The Excerpt of 'Bestowing Fate' (Standard)

1. Introduction

Introducing the author, the work, and the excerpt 'Bestowing Fate'.

2. Body

a. Thuy Kieu's Circumstances:
- Born into wealth, Thuy Kieu possessed both beauty and exceptional talent in poetry, with a unique fate intertwined with Kim Trong.
- Overnight, her family shattered, her father and brother arrested, their assets seized, burdening her with immense responsibility => Thuy Kieu's fate is fragile and pitiful.

b. Kieu's Cleverness in Bestowing Fate upon Her Sister Thuy Van:
- Kieu understood the difficulty of bestowing fate upon her sister and carefully prepared her approach, stating 'Rely on me, if you will/Then sit and listen to my will'.
- Leading Thuy Van out of passivity, she also imparted responsibility onto her.
- She succinctly recounted her love affair with Kim Trong and explained her struggles, 'Familial duty binds both of us', to gain her sister's understanding and sympathy.
- She tactfully revealed her understanding of Thuy Van's situation.
- She poured out her heartfelt desires, even willing to die, to make Thuy Van understand and agree.

c. Regret, Sorrow, and Selfishness in Love:
- Kieu returned all tokens between her and Kim Trong as a ritual of bestowing fate, from 'the bangle' to 'the cloud scroll'.
- Uttering a contradictory statement 'This fate holds this shared item'.
→ It turns out Thuy Kieu is not as strong as imagined; alongside her intelligence and persuasiveness in bestowing fate upon her sister, we see her sadness, pain, and regrets over the broken relationship.

d. Kieu's Heartache After Devoting Herself Completely:
- Kieu sobbed in agony over the shattered fate, revealing her deep love for Kim Trong 'how to recount countless affections', and bidding a heart-wrenching farewell to her beloved 'A thousand pleas to the beloved/Our brief fate ends there', marking the conclusion of her short-lived romance with Kim.
- She was acutely aware of the fragile nature of her fleeting beauty and fate, as delicate as floating petals in the water.

e. Artistry:

Nguyen Du's artistic portrayal of Thuy Kieu's inner turmoil presents us with a full spectrum of emotions and thoughts as she bestows fate.

3. Conclusion

Express General Impressions.

II. Sample Essay: Analyzing the Literary Discourse: Extracting Insights from the Excerpt of 'Bestowing Fate' (Standard)

Despite living nearly a century ago, Nguyen Du's ideologies and perspectives on human fate and contemporary social context are profoundly advanced and insightful, eliciting admiration from generations. Among Nguyen Du's works, 'The Tale of Kieu' stands as a pinnacle masterpiece in Vietnamese literature, as well as holds significant value in world literature for its exploration of human destiny. 'The Tale of Kieu' is esteemed for its humanitarian values and profound realism, evoking not only pity and empathy for the plight of ancient women but also reflecting the injustices of a corrupt feudal society towards vulnerable women. Additionally, the outstanding artistic values in 'The Tale of Kieu' contribute to its rich aesthetic aspects, leaving a lasting impression on readers. The protagonist of the work, Thuy Kieu, a perfect blend of talent and beauty, leads a life filled with adversities and trials. 'Bestowing Fate' is one of the prominent excerpts that vividly portrays the beauty of the character's soul and the initial sorrows that mark the beginning of a tumultuous life journey.

Thuy Kieu's seemingly idyllic life, as the beloved daughter of a wealthy family, blessed with unparalleled beauty and talent in poetry, finds a perfect match in Kim Trong. However, perhaps fate decreed otherwise, or perhaps Kieu's life was inherently cursed by jealousy and envy, coupled with the injustice of the feudal regime of the time, leading her to a desolate abyss for fifteen long years. Thuy Kieu went from a girl with a comfortable life to one night where her family collapsed, her father and brother arrested, their assets seized, and the storm descended upon her fragile shoulders. Yet, amidst her intellectual prowess and innate wisdom, Thuy Kieu could not alter her fate even slightly, to restore her family to its former glory. At this juncture, one truly perceives the plight of a feudal woman, the pitiful fate of Thuy Kieu. Faced with such a stark reality, Thuy Kieu pondered in myriad ways, perhaps her initial beauty in the 'Bestowing Fate' excerpt comes from her spirit and consciousness of the familial responsibility as the eldest daughter. Kieu wrestled with filial piety and love, between the duty of upbringing by her parents and her profound love and commitment to Kim Trong, between family and her deep love. Ultimately, Thuy Kieu resolved to fulfill her filial duty and sacrifice her love, a decision that may be deemed extremely challenging for a young girl just entering adulthood, but in the religious doctrine she was taught, it was a rational decision. Opting for 'filial piety' then, but how to fulfill that was another concern. And upon hearing that Kieu sold herself as a concubine to raise money for her father and brother's ransom, one cannot help but feel profound sorrow and regret. A girl of exceptional beauty, talent, and character, ultimately had to bury her youth alongside a man old enough to be her father or uncle, not only that but also endure the hardships of polygamy. What greater sadness, pain than this, when Kieu, once a precious gem cherished by her parents, became a cheap commodity traded off to the highest bidder. Truly lamentable for the fate of women who face many hardships! In the 'Bestowing Fate' excerpt, we not only witness Kieu's filial devotion in accepting the abandonment of her engagement to Kim Trong to save her family, but also recognize her cleverness in bestowing fate upon her sister Thuy Van. One may wonder if Thuy Kieu is too selfish, desiring to fulfill both her filial and romantic duties to Kim Trong? Then let it be answered that Thuy Kieu indeed displays selfishness, but perhaps compared to her sacrifices, she deserves that selfishness. Kieu understands that bestowing fate upon her sister is an extremely difficult task and not easy to articulate. Therefore, she prefaces her words with:

'Rely on you, will you consent
Sit up for me, then speak,'

Clearly, Kieu's actions put Thuy Van in a passive position, even when she didn't fully understand the situation, but she perhaps understood the importance of the matter. Pulling Thuy Van out of her carefree state, while also imparting some responsibility onto her, made it difficult for Van to refuse when her older sister used such a pleading tone, both 'relying' and 'beseeching' like that. Then she quickly summarized her love affair with Kim Trong, while also explaining her inner turmoil, 'Filial piety and love, both sides in distress', to receive her sister's understanding and sympathy. This was the foundation for Thuy Kieu to ask her sister to fulfill the remaining fate with Kim Trong, so that she could depart with peace of mind. But Kieu not only forced fate upon Thuy Van in a rigid manner, pushing Van into the situation, but she also very delicately revealed her understanding of Thuy Van's plight.

'In spring, your days lie ahead
Pity the blood and tears, the words of home
Even if I'm broken, worn to the bone
Let your laughter flow freely, fragrant and warm'

Kieu knew Thuy Van was still young, and didn't love Kim Trong, now she had to help herself fulfill the remaining fate, it was truly unfair, because in the future, Thuy Van's life might not truly be happy. She didn't have the right to choose, but had to fulfill her sister's remaining fate reluctantly. At the same time, the verse 'In spring, your days lie ahead' also reveals the hidden pity buried in Kieu's heart, Thuy Van's spring lies ahead, but what about her own, it seems that after today Kieu won't know anything about youthful beauty, about happiness anymore, when she has to step into a path that is predetermined to be filled with pain. Finally, to persuade Thuy Van once again, Kieu took even her deep-seated affection, her heartfelt longing 'even if I'm broken, worn to the bone', even if she died she was willing to make Thuy Van understand and agree.

After receiving Thuy Van's nod, Kieu handed over all the tokens between her and Kim Trong as a ritual of fate, from the 'bangle' to the 'cloud scroll.' However, she clearly ended the fate but still uttered a contradictory phrase 'This fate, then keep this shared item.' It turns out Thuy Kieu is not as strong as we imagined, alongside her cleverness, persuasiveness in handing fate to her sister, we see in her a sadness, pain, and many regrets about the broken love affair. Kieu, despite arranging Thuy Van's marriage to Kim Trong, still wants the two couples to remember her as the unfortunate one, still wants the memorabilia to be jointly owned by the three. That means in Thuy Van's fate, Thuy Kieu still wants to have a little existence. Although this is a selfish nature, perhaps anyone in Kieu's situation would be selfish and self-absorbed like that. Kieu is not to blame.

After the end of the fate exchange, Thuy Kieu returned to her pain, filial piety was almost complete, only love was unfinished, Thuy Kieu no longer pretended, she openly expressed her pain, lamented her situation through poetic verses, lamented.

'Now, the vase is broken, the peace is shattered,
How can one recount endless affections!
A hundred thousand salutes to the lover,
Such short-lived fate, only that much.
How can fate be as fleeting as lime?
The water has flowed, the flower drifted away in vain.
Oh, Kim Lang! Oh, Kim Lang!
Enough, enough, I have failed you from now on!'

Kieu uttered painful cries before the fate 'the vase is broken, the peace is shattered,' while also expressing her deep love for Kim Trong 'how can one recount endless affections,' and finally, a poignant farewell, full of sorrow for her lover 'A hundred thousand salutes to the lover, such short-lived fate, only that much,' as a conclusion to her short-lived relationship with Kim. At the same time, Thuy Kieu at this moment also realized very clearly the fragile fate of her beautiful life, as fragile as a drifting petal. The last two verses are the cries of the broken-hearted, the utmost pain of an unfortunate girl before the adversities of life, where perhaps the poem is like bleeding, overflowing tears as Kiều's life itself.