Analyzing the portrayal of the grandmother in the poem 'Noon Rooster'

Prompt: Analyze the depiction of the grandmother in the poem 'Noon Rooster'

Analyzing the grandmother's portrayal in the poem 'Noon Rooster'

I. Outline: Analyzing the grandmother's portrayal in the poem 'Noon Rooster' (Standard)

1. Introduction:

- Introducing the literary work

2. Body:

- Evoking memories of innocent childhood and warmth beside the grandmother of a soldier, the crowing rooster on the march recalls a bygone era.

- The grandmother emerges as a quintessential Vietnamese woman.
- She showers boundless love upon her grandchild, offering guidance and wisdom:
+ Lovingly scolds when the grandchild stares at the brooding hen, 'Looking at a brooding hen/ Then later your face will be cast down.'
+ She closely follows every step of her grandchild, nurturing and caring for them.

- She is industrious and compassionate:
+ Gathers every small egg
+ Cares for the small flock of chickens
+ Saves diligently to ensure her grandchild has new clothes for the Lunar New Year
+ Her entire life is a sacrifice for her grandchild, never resting.

- The noontime rooster evokes all the most beautiful memories of the childhood of the liberating soldiers.
- It serves as a great motivation for the soldier to set out to defend the motherland.

3. Conclusion:

General sentiment: The grandmother of the soldier represents millions of grandmothers across Vietnam.

II. Sample Writing: Analyzing the portrayal of the grandmother in the poem 'Noon Rooster' (Standard)

The image of grandmothers and mothers through the years remains something sacred in the hearts of every distant child. While Bằng Việt associates the longing for his grandmother with the image of the hearth, Xuân Quỳnh recalls his grandmother through the sound of the morning rooster. The portrayal of the diligent grandmother emerges in the poem 'Noon Rooster,' embodying the boundless beauty of Vietnamese women.

The poem 'Noon Rooster' opens with the sound of roosters on the soldier's march:

'On the distant marching road
Pausing by a small village
Whose rooster jumps on the nest:
'Cuc... cuc... cackle is ours'
Hearing amidst the midday sun
Feeling feet relieved from fatigue
Hearing the call back to childhood'

That rooster call awakens an entire childhood with the serene memories of the liberating soldiers. Countless emotions, joys, and reminiscences surge in the brief moments of respite. The childhood of the soldier in Xuân Quỳnh's poetry is one marked by the absence of a mother, distant from father, and living with a diligent grandmother, scraping together every coin to care for the little grandchild. Although the soldier's childhood lacks the love of a mother, it is compensated by the utmost affection of the grandmother. She cradles the little grandchild, bestowing upon them all her love, filling the gaps in familial affection. Thus, all the hardships and toils weigh heavily on the frail shoulders of the grandmother.

In her, one sees all the noble qualities of a Vietnamese woman, foremost of which is boundless love for her grandchild. The image of the elderly grandmother, always by the side to teach and care for the little grandchild, shines through. The affectionate scolding of the grandmother resonates in that rooster call:

'Noon rooster
Still carries the scolding of grandma
- Look at a brooding hen
Later you'll be ashamed!
Child, return and reflect
Childhood innocence worries'

Folklore has it that looking at a brooding hen will bring shame. Hence, the grandmother in the poem 'Noon Rooster' scolds her grandchild upon accidentally seeing the 'brooding hen.' This demonstrates the grandmother's attentive care for her grandchild. She is always by the child's side, worrying and teaching valuable lessons.

Moreover, in her, one also witnesses an immense diligence and compassion – qualities to be proud of in Vietnamese women. Despite poverty, she scrimps and saves for her grandchild, providing them with the best. Even the eggs laid by the hens, she saves diligently, 'carefully tending each egg:

'Noon rooster
Grandma's hands carefully collect eggs
Diligently saving each one
For the brooding hen to hatch'

Those eggs represent an entire future for other small hens, ensuring further care for the little grandchild. Each egg signifies a young chick, a future for the grandchild, hence the grandmother nurtures and values them immensely. The flock of hens is an investment, a new set of clothes for the little grandchild when the Lunar New Year comes. Therefore, the grandmother always takes care, meticulously tending to the flock of hens:

'Year after year
When the winter winds blow
Grandma worries about the hens
Hoping the sky won't be salty with dew
So at year's end, she can sell the hens
And the grandchild can have new clothes'

Everything the grandmother does, she does for her grandchild, never once thinking of herself. Her entire life is one of diligence and sacrifice for her children and grandchildren. She embodies the countless other grandmothers in our Vietnam, a lifetime of bitterness and sacrifice for the sake of their offspring, their grandchildren.

The noon rooster's crow recalls to the soldier - the grandchild all the most beautiful, serene moments of childhood. The image of the grandmother is deeply ingrained in the soldier's mind as he has spent his entire childhood alongside her. Every time she tends to each egg, she nurtures his dreams, aspirations, and happiness. Her entire life has been devoted to him, providing him with the best during the peaceful years in the impoverished countryside. Thus, the love between grandmother and grandchild blends with love for the country, motivating him to fight for the Motherland:

'You fight today
For the love of the Motherland
For the familiar village
Dear grandma, also for you

For the rooster's crowPink eggs of childhood'

The crowing rooster, the grandmother's guidance, and the pink eggs of a childhood full of serenity have become a tremendous source of motivation for the soldier to embark on his battle.

The poem 'Noon Rooster' is written in a five-character verse, with flexible rhythm, simple poetic tone, rustic yet leaving indescribable emotions in our hearts. Xuân Quỳnh's vivid descriptions of the soldier's childhood may bring tears to anyone's eyes. The image of the grandmother, lifelong devoted to her grandchildren, vividly portrays the exemplary qualities of Vietnamese women.