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Prompt: Analyze the poem 'Lullaby for the Big Babies on Mother's Back' to prove the following viewpoint: 'In the lullabies of the Tà Oi mothers (Lullaby for the Big Babies on Mother's Back - Nguyen Khoa Diem), there is not only deep maternal love but also a sentiment and understanding of the revolutionary actions of the patriotic people.'
Analyzing the poem 'Lullaby for the Big Babies on Mother's Back'
Written Assignment:
Nguyen Khoa Diem is a poet born and raised amidst the harsh struggles of the nation's two fierce resistance wars. He was born into an intellectual family with a long-standing revolutionary tradition in Hue. He participated in combat in the Southern battlefield from 1964. The poem 'Lullaby for the Big Babies on Mother's Back' was composed in 1971 when Nguyen Khoa Diem was working in the combat zone of the Western region, Binh Tri Thien area. The poem has left significant ideological values for the national literature, as a critic has remarked: 'In the lullabies of the Tà Oi mothers (Lullaby for the Big Babies on Mother's Back - Nguyen Khoa Diem), there is not only deep maternal love but also a sentiment and understanding of the revolutionary actions of the patriotic people.'
Like all mothers in the world, Tà Oi mothers also carry within them boundless love. It's a love that is tender, abundant, and inclusive. We grow up on our mother's slender back, nurtured and grown within the sweet lullabies she sings. How rich and earnest is the melody:
'- Sleep tight, dear child, sleep tight, oh dear child,
Mother loves you, mother loves the soldiers,
Dream of mother having pure white rice grains,
When you grow up, you'll plow and sow the fields...'
Each lullaby carries a mother's hopes and dreams for her child. Mother's frail shoulders serve as your pillow, hoping you grow up quickly, healthy, to labor and fight alongside her. Mother loves you dearly, so even in weariness, she never hesitates, never falters in difficulties. You always accompany her in every task, whether pounding rice or husking corn, you're always by her side. To the Tà-oi mother, you are the sun, life, hope, and pride. With you, she gains courage to fight, gains strength to work. You're the everlasting sweetness bestowed upon her by the heavens.
'Little Tai sleeps on mother's back,
Sleep well, don't leave mother's side.
While mother husks corn on Kalui Mountain,
The mountain's back is broad, but mother's back is small,
Sleep well, don't tire mother.
The sun shines on the hill of corn,
But the sun of mother shines on your back.'
But mother's love isn't just for you alone; she reserves that immense affection for the soldiers, for Uncle Ho, for the resistance, for the beloved homeland. Within the Tà-oi mother lies a high consciousness of revolution, an understanding of fighting for the homeland. Her love is intertwined with patriotism. Within her, burns a fiery hatred for the enemy, a spirit of formidable combat. She's the steadfast rear support for the frontline warriors:
'Mother pounds rice to feed the soldiers,
As the pestle swings, your sleep sways.'
Mother cares for the weary soldiers marching day and night, facing the dangers of enemy bullets and bombs.
-' Sleep tight, dear child, sleep tight, oh dear child,
Mother loves you, mother loves the starving village.
Dream for mother that the corn grows evenly,
When you grow up, you'll prosper in Kalui...'
Mother loves A-cay, mother loves you, mother loves the entire village enduring hunger. And that love is profound, transforming into action; mother joins the fight, venturing to the battlefield with you in a courageous stance.
'Mother shifts gears, mother ventures into the forest.
The Americans chase us, forcing us away from our stream
Brother holds the gun, sister holds the rifle,
Mother carries you, preparing for the final battle.
From mother's back, you journey to the battlefield,
From amidst hunger, you enter the Truong Son.'
