Buzz
Topic: Analyzing the poem: Inviting the sword... bowing down to repay immediately in Thuy Kieu's acknowledgment
I. Outline
II. Sample essay
Not just mockery and sarcasm, but also a stern warning, Kiều's rebuke to Hoạn Thư. Today, their positions have reversed, Kiều leisurely watches Hoạn Thư kneel and confess, the mocking address as 'Miss' adding insult to injury, making Hoạn Thư both embarrassed and miserable. Kiều also reminisces about the 'old days' versus 'today,' implying that fortunes change easily, and one can never predict who will come out on top. Kiều points out that in the past, Hoạn Thư indulged in wicked deeds without considering the consequences, failing to leave room for self-redemption—a grave mistake. Kiều's words are sharp and cutting, hitting Hoạn Thư's heart, 'The more ruthless, the more unjust,' making it clear that Hoạn Thư must now accept punishment for how she treated Kiều in the past.
Hoạn Thư is a woman with a malicious heart, yet remarkably intelligent. Seeing Kiều's sharp and icy demeanor, she knows how to 'Bite the hand that feeds.' Her reasoning is shrewd, always choosing the advantageous position when speaking.
'Regarding my womanly status
Jealousy is a common human emotion
Thinking, when the pen stops
Leaving the door, ending love abruptly
Privately, those cherished loves
Shared husband not easy to please anyone'
Indeed, reading Hoạn Thư's words reveals her logical and complete arguments, targeting Kiều's feminine psyche, emphasizing that jealousy is a normal affair for women. Moreover, the burden of sharing a husband is an eternal pain for women, a pain Kiều surely understands. Secondly, Hoạn Thư recalls the past jealousy, a simple act of catching Kiều copying scriptures and writing books, and when Kiều fled, Hoạn Thư didn't pursue. Summing up her eloquent arguments, Hoạn Thư is both wise, admitting all faults 'Fell into trouble with a willing heart,' and cleverly seeking forgiveness from Kiều, 'Relying on the vastness of mercy, which scripture can match.'
