Compose an essay on Lorca's Guitar

Composing 'Lorca's Guitar' by Thanh Thao, brief 1 

A. FUNDAMENTAL KNOWLEDGE

I. AUTHOR:

1. Biography
- Thanh Thao's original name is Ho Thanh Cong, born in 1946 in Mo Duc district, Quang Ngai province. After graduating from the Literature Department at Hanoi General University, Thanh Thao worked in the battlefield in the South.
- Thanh Thao belongs to the generation of anti-American poets with achievements and a distinctive poetic voice that has garnered public attention, even in poems about the war and post-war era.
- 'Lorca's Guitar' is emblematic of Thanh Thao's innovative efforts in Vietnamese poetry, though the poem remains somewhat cryptic due to its symbolic and surrealistic influences, notably from the modern Spanish poet Garcia Lorca whom Thanh Thao greatly admires.

2. Literary Career
- Thanh Thao engages in poetry, journalism, essay writing, and various literary genres, but his most significant success lies in the poetic field.
- Representative poetry works by Thanh Thao: Those Who Go to the Sea (1977), Footprints Through the Grass Field (1978), Waves of the Sun (1982), Ruby Cube (1985), From One to a Hundred (1988).

3. Style
- Thanh Thao's poetry reflects the thoughtful nature of an intellectual responsible to the contemporary society and the country. His poetry serves as the voice of an intellectual deeply concerned about social issues and the era.
- As a poet with a commitment to innovation, Thanh Thao wants life to be perceived in depth, thus avoiding facile expression in poetry.
– His poetry delves into the profound essence of phenomena. It is a continuous effort for exploration and innovation, rich in contemplation yet open-minded in expression.

II. LORCA'S GUITAR - WORK

1. Structure
The poem can be divided into four sections:
Section 1 (first 6 lines): Lorca – the person of freedom.
Section 2 (next 12 lines): Lorca – the person murdered, the guitar sound bleeding.
Section 3 (next 4 lines): Lorca – the person of regret, the guitar sound unburied.
Section 4 (last 9 lines): Lorca – the person of eternity, Li-la li-la li-la.

2. Themes of the poem
– Praise for the genius artist Lorca.
– Affirmation that tyranny may kill artists, but their images and true art will never die.
- Artists and the aspirations of artists are fragile in the face of life and ruthless forces.
- The greatest contribution of a genius artist is to let the younger generation surpass them. A great artist is someone who knows how to sacrifice for art in both senses: protecting it from tyranny and burying it (not turning it into an immortal monument) so that art can be reborn stronger and more beautiful in the future.

3. Values of Content and Art
- The guitar sound of Lor-ca becomes the central symbol throughout the poem, serving as a suggestive element.
- Lor-ca, a great poet, a great artist of Spain, and the guitar are symbolic of Spanish culture. Therefore, associating the symbolic image with the talented artist is nothing more fitting than the sound of the guitar, the traditional sound of the Spanish people.
- The guitar sound represents the face, life, talent, and artistic qualities of Lor-ca. It carries the distinct mark of the talented and majestic artist, yet echoes the spirit of the Spanish nation, the soul of noble knights full of lofty humanitarian spirit.
- Thanh Thao constructs the image of the guitar uniquely, skillfully, and creatively, albeit tinged with symbolic and surreal hues.
- The poem is structured in the rhythm of the guitar, akin to the life of the great Spanish poet. The guitar doesn't stop; life stops, creating a contrast. This signifies the yearning for eternal life within the guitar's sound. Human life is finite, but the melodies of the guitar will resonate far into the distance.

a) Lor-ca – The Person of Freedom
- The image of Lor-ca emerges with the dotting strokes of an impressive style - a style inclined towards color: “the guitar sounds,... bright red cloak, wandering alone towards the desolate land, the moonbeam dazzling, the horse resting wearily”.
- The contrasting images help us visualize Lor-ca, evoking the spectacle of an arena. It is also a unique cultural feature of Spain. There, warriors showcase their talents on the sidelines of life and death. In other words, the talent of the warrior is engraved in the realm of death. The red cloak suggests valor and heroism on the battlefield.
- Yet, here is the arena where, on one side, there is Lor-ca's aspiration for freedom, democracy, and equality; on the other side, there is the authoritarian fascist regime (Franco), on one side, there is the desire for artistic innovation, on the other side, there is the conservative art, aged. In this struggle, the image of Lor-ca appears solitary, alone: “on the weary horse,” a portrayal evoking death.

b) Lor-ca – The Person Murdered, the Guitar Sound Bleeding
- One of the expressions of the soul of a great artist is the premonition of Lor-ca's death always haunted by death. Thanh Thao uses the verse as evidence: When I die, bury me with the guitar.
- Lor-ca's death is sudden. While singing joyfully: “Suddenly, the horror, the cloak stained red.” This abruptness conveys boundless pain. Lor-ca's death equates to the death of a noble value of Spain.
- The real image “stained red cloak” evokes resentment towards the brutal forces that terminated a person who lived for love, for his homeland.
- Describing Lor-ca's walking posture, like a dreamer, Thanh Thao expresses admiration, sympathy, compassion, and praises the soldier who never bowed his head. More haunting is the symbolic expression with precious details, such as “brown guitar sound... / green leaf guitar sound... / round guitar sound, water bubbles burst / guitar sound continuous / blood flowing.” The sound of the guitar has broken into colors, shapes, and flowing blood. Lor-ca's departure is an indescribable pain.

c) Lor-ca - The Person of Regret, the Guitar Sound Unburied
No one buries the guitar sound / The guitar sound like wild grass / Moonlight tears / Sparkling at the bottom of the well.
- Continuous use of rhetorical devices: metaphorical imagery that no one buries the guitar sound, simile imagery that the guitar sound is like wild grass, evoking sympathy for the tragic death of the poet and regret for the unfinished modernization journey, not only with Lor-ca himself but also with the Spanish literature.

d) Lor-ca - the Person of Eternity, Li-la li-la li-la: the pointing finger has severed / the river wide beyond measure / Lor-ca swims across / on the silver-toned guitar.
- The ultimate purpose of the poem is to signify the eternity of Lor-ca's image. Still with the guitar, but now not the sound of the guitar, it's the guitar itself. Lor-ca uses the guitar as a means to cross the river.
- The image is placed in contrast - an impressionist technique: severed opposites immensely wide. This conveys the idea: life is finite, creation is infinite. Lor-ca's death means renouncing the finite to step into the boundless dimension. Through the guitar, Lor-ca swims across the river.
- The image of the river invokes the philosophy of transcendence (to the other shore) escaping the mundane cycle of the Buddha. Lor-ca has partly entered the realm of eternity. Western surrealistic poetry does not achieve this combination. Eastern culture is also the source that gives unique charm to Thanh Thao's guitar sound.
- Thanh Thao directs Lor-ca towards philosophical liberation - liberation on the wings of an angel named art: human fate is short, but the act of creation is infinite. Actions like throwing leaves into the whirlpool, throwing hearts into the tranquil realm, symbolize the liberation from Lor-ca's entangled circle.
- Only the sound 'Li-la li-la li-la' remains, echoing on the surface of the waters of life. It is the rhythm of the guitar, the rhythm of human steps, the rhythm of singing, and also the rhythm of the weary horse on the solitary journey of the artist.
- A true artist does not die because of enemies or dictators but dies by their own concept of artistic creation. Bury me with the guitar. The artist needs an awareness of their own 'death' for the next generation to advance. A sacrifice of the highest order. It is a paradox but also a truth.

B. Personal Reflection

The Value of Surrealistic Technique in Lor-ca's Guitar by Thanh Thao.
Essay Prompt
- As a poem showcasing Thanh Thao's significant innovation, despite being influenced by impressionistic and symbolic techniques, it is the surrealistic technique that truly determines the value of the work in terms of content and art.
- Surrealistic art focuses on a special perspective, indiscriminate of phenomena in space-time, abstract or concrete. The 'bright red cloak' suggests Lor-ca's bold and majestic demeanor, reflecting the bullfighting culture of Spain and the tragic death of an artist longing for freedom and artistic innovation.

Composing an Essay on Lor-ca's Guitar by Thanh Thao - Short 2

Question 1. Explain the imagery: the guitar's water bubbles, the vivid red cloak, the dazzling moon, the weary horse saddle,... What thoughts come to mind when encountering the images: the guitar, the vivid red cloak?

Therefore, we have suggested delving into the analysis of Composing the Guitar Record by Lorca for the next assignment. Prepare to answer the textbook questions for Composing 'Oh, Dear!' along with the section on Composing 'Freedom' (P.E-Luy-A) to excel in the 12th-grade Vietnamese Literature.