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Topic: Analyzing the beauty and tragic fate of Vu Nuong in the Tale of the Girl from Nam Xuong
Write a paragraph about the beauty and fate of Vu Nuong in the best way in the Tale of the Girl from Nam Xuong by Nguyen Du
I. Outline of Analyzing the Beauty and Fate of Vu Nuong:
1. Introduction:
- Introduce 'The Tale of the Girl from Nam Xuong'.
- Provide an overview of the beauty and fate of Vu Nuong.
2. Body:
a) Beauty of Vu Nuong:
- Appearance: 'graceful and beautiful.'
- Personality: 'charming and delicate.'
- A loyal and gentle wife:
+ Despite being from a wealthy family, she is not jealous or suspicious, maintaining harmony in the relationship.
+ During her husband's military service, she remains faithful and waits for his return.
- A filial daughter-in-law:
+ Caring for her ailing mother-in-law with advice, medicine, and religious rituals.
+ After her mother-in-law's death, she mourns and arranges a proper funeral.
- A loving mother:
+ Alone during pregnancy, she raises her child while waiting for her husband's return.
+ Fearing the absence of a father's love, she points to her own shadow on the wall, claiming it as the father to comfort the child.
=> Vu Nuong is a woman of both physical and moral beauty, with grace, dignity, and exemplary behavior.
b) Tragic Fate of Vu Nuong:
- War disrupts her happiness, forcing her to live in loneliness and shoulder the entire family burden alone.
- Post-war, suspicions and jealousy from her husband bring undeserved accusations.
=> Dreams of happiness shattered.
=> A society that 'values men and belittles women' grants men the power to drive, suppress, and oppress women.
- Overwhelmed with injustice, Vu Nuong drowns herself in the river as an act of self-destruction.3. Conclusion:
II. Write a paragraph about the beauty and fate of Vu Nuong:
'The Tale of the Girl from Nam Xuong' is an exceptional work by Nguyen Du, portraying the captivating story of Vu Nuong. As the central character, Vu Nuong embodies both physical beauty and moral virtues but faces an unfortunate fate. Nguyen Du introduces her as a person with a 'graceful, charming demeanor, combined with exceptional beauty.' From her marriage to Truong Sinh, she adheres to etiquette, maintaining a warm family atmosphere. During her husband's military service, she diligently cares for her ailing mother-in-law. Even after her mother-in-law's passing, Vu Nuong meticulously performs funeral rites, showcasing her filial piety. Alone for three years, she bears the family's burdens, anticipating her husband's return. However, upon Truong Sinh's return, baseless suspicions lead to her unjust expulsion from the household. The tragedy begins with her husband's military service, disrupting their happiness. War, coupled with societal norms favoring men, results in tragic actions from Truong Sinh. In a society that oppresses women, Vu Nuong, despite her strength and virtue, succumbs to the societal injustice. In her despair, she chooses self-destruction, drowning in the Hoang Giang river.'
III. Best Analysis of the Beauty and Tragic Fate of Vu Nuong in the Tale of the Girl from Nam Xuong
1. Analyzing the character Vu Nuong – Model 1
Nguyen Du stands as the most remarkable prose writer of the 16th century literature. Living during the decline of the feudal regime, marked by continuous wars causing suffering for the people, he expressed his profound feelings through the collection 'Truyen ki man luc,' particularly exemplified by 'The Tale of the Girl from Nam Xuong.'
According to the author's narration, Vũ Nương is portrayed as a delicate, gentle girl with graceful charm and admirable qualities, evident in various circumstances.
In family life, Vũ Nương is a virtuous wife. Marrying Trương Sinh, a less educated and overly suspicious man, she skillfully manages his temperament, ensuring harmony and warmth in the family. Vũ Nương proves to be a devoted wife, conscious of maintaining family happiness. When the country faces war, and Trương Sinh is called to serve, her noble qualities shine brighter. Her farewell words to her husband, expressing a simple desire for his safe return, deeply move everyone. Vũ Nương, devoid of ambition, only seeks family happiness, understanding and sympathizing with the challenges faced by her husband in the war.
Expressing intense longing for her faithfully devoted husband, Vũ Nương performs touching gestures like adjusting her clothes under the moonlight, sending warmth to her distant beloved.
Despite the distance, Vũ Nương fulfills her role as a virtuous wife and daughter-in-law. Managing household chores and caring for her ailing mother-in-law while giving birth to a child, she showcases exceptional dedication. Particularly when her mother-in-law passes away, she diligently conducts funeral rites, mirroring the love and duty she holds for her own parents. Through the mother's heartfelt words before her demise, the author conveys his sentiments towards the character of Vũ Nương, affirming her contributions and exemplary character within the family.
In Vu Nuong, we witness the concentration of noble traditional qualities of Vietnamese women. She deserves to enjoy a happy life. However, cruel reality thrusts her into a scene of misfortune, bitterness, and injustice. Despite being an exceptionally loyal woman, Vu Nuong is now unjustly accused of losing her virtue due to an unintentionally naive remark by a child. Her husband, Truong Sinh, not only suspects her but cruelly mistreats, humiliates, and expels her. Accused of the most disgraceful crime against a woman's virtue, Vu Nuong is unable to defend herself. Truong Sinh, blinded by jealousy, refuses to let her clarify the situation. The attempts by neighbors to defend her and explanations are tragically futile. Stripped of her dignity, Vu Nuong desperately clings to the hope of family happiness, fearing its imminent collapse with heart-wrenching words: 'Separated for three years, guarding a reputation. Lipstick and powder can't cover a broken heart; the willow flowers by the lane remain untouched.'
Yet, words fail to shake the prejudiced mindset of the envious and tyrannical husband. Vu Nuong experiences profound pain and disappointment as she faces unjust treatment, unable to protect her honor and the dream of family happiness crumbling. Her poetic lament echoes her shattered hopes: 'Now the bamboo falls, the rain scatters; the lotus withers in the pond, the willow wilts in the wind... How can I return to the Vong Phu mountain again?'
Sadly, Vu Nuong's heart-wrenching curse does not rescue her from the unjust fate. A woman deeply conscious of her virtue, Vu Nuong resolutely chooses death to preserve her honor rather than live in disgrace. She throws herself into the river, ending the tragic life of an unfortunate woman.
By constructing a plot filled with dramatic intensity, the author vividly illustrates the relentless but futile efforts of a woman. Eventually, she accepts her fate and liberates herself from the drama of life through a dishonorable death. This event propels the story to its climax. When Truong Sinh comprehends his wife's innocence, it happens through a remarkably coincidental event. It is revealed when little Dan points to the shadow on the wall, claiming it as his father. This poignant revelation forcefully denounces the feudal system, showing how even a mere shadow can determine a person's destiny, pushing the virtuous and unfortunate woman into an inescapable tragedy.
Through constructing Vu Nuong's tragedy, Nguyen Du expresses deep sympathy and respect for women. Reflecting the general tragedy of women under the feudal system, the author portrays these virtuous women as victims of injustice, devoid of humanity, with no right to live happily. They lack protection and face an incredibly fragile and vulnerable fate. This tale etches itself into the reader's heart, evoking enduring sorrow, empathy, and choked-up compassion.
2. Concise Analysis of Vu Nuong's Beauty and Tragic Fate in 'The Story of the Girl from Nam Xuong' - Model 2
Women in ancient feudal societies often endured injustice due to stringent patriarchal systems. There's a saying, 'Beautiful faces have unfortunate destinies.' Indeed, beautiful, virtuous, and gentle women often found themselves in painful tragedies. This is evident in the character Vu Nuong in 'The Story of the Girl from Nam Xuong.' In this work, Nguyen Du intricately depicts both the beauty and the tragedies of this virtuous woman.
Vu Nuong is a girl described as 'graceful and gentle,' possessing 'beautiful and elegant charm.' After marrying Truong Sinh, aware of his jealous and suspicious nature, she cautiously navigates every aspect, ensuring family happiness. Her virtue is proven during Truong Sinh's military service. In the three years of waiting for her husband, she exhibits loyalty as a wife, filial piety as a daughter-in-law, and motherly love. Despite her mother-in-law's severe illness, she strives to keep her healthy. Vu Nuong regularly administers medicine, worships Buddha for her mother-in-law's health, using sweet words for comfort. Despite her efforts, her mother-in-law still passes away. Vu Nuong meticulously handles the funeral rites, similar to her biological parents. After her mother-in-law's death, she shoulders all family responsibilities and raises little Dan. When the child cries at night, she points to the shadow on the wall, saying it's Dan's father. It's an expression of maternal love, fearing her child will lack paternal affection. Additionally, she reveals her yearning for her husband and loyalty with the phrase 'separated for three years, guarding a reputation.' She expresses her wish for a happy family upon her husband's return, compensating for the lonely and isolated months. A virtuous woman like Vu Nuong should deserve the blessings her mother-in-law fervently wished: 'Heaven examines good hearts, bestows blessings; the family tree flourishes, children and grandchildren multiply, that green will surely not betray you, just as you won't betray your mother.' However, reality is the opposite. What she anticipated becomes a thorough injustice, a tragedy pushed to the inevitable end with no resistance.
The tragic fate of Vu Nuong truly began when Truong Sinh enlisted in the army. The unjust war tore apart the once happy couple, forcing the woman to live in loneliness during the vibrant years of her youth. The war also separated the husband and wife, leading to her later misfortune. When Truong Sinh returned from the army and learned about his mother's death, he brought little Dan to visit her grave. Innocently, Dan mentioned another man who visited every night. Enraged and thinking his wife was unfaithful, Truong Sinh, driven by deep-rooted gender biases, physically abused Vu Nuong and expelled her from their home. Truong Sinh, initially loving, succumbed to the toxic ideology of male superiority, turning jealousy into violent actions against his wife. This cruelty pushed Vu Nuong to her breaking point, and she chose to end her life by jumping into the river. Here, we witness the cruelty of the feudal system, where male dominance suppressed justice, leaving Vu Nuong without recourse. Despite being vindicated later, Vu Nuong chose to live in an underwater palace rather than return to the unjust society that had shattered her dreams. The injustices and sorrows she endured remained, and happiness was now an irretrievable past. Hence, she chose to forgive her husband but couldn't forget the harsh reality, unable to return to her previous life.
Vu Nuong, a girl of both beauty and virtue, had to endure an unfortunate and tragic fate. Her pain mirrors that of many other women, bearing the cruelty and injustice of feudal society. In 'The Tale of the Southern Maiden,' author Nguyen Du expresses empathy and sorrow for the plight of women while advocating for a just and happy society.
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Despite being a beautiful and virtuous woman, Vu Nuong still suffered the 'fortunate beauty, unfortunate fate' trope. Thus, we suggest analyzing the 'Beauty and Tragic Fate of Vu Nuong in The Tale of the Southern Maiden' in the next essay. Prepare for the 'Character Analysis of Vu Nuong and Express Your Thoughts' along with the 'Character Analysis of Vu Nuong in The Tale of the Southern Maiden' to gain deeper insights into this narrative.
