Compose the essay 'Memories of the Forest' by Thế Lữ

Crafting the essay 'Memories of the Forest'

Compose the essay 'Memories of the Forest,' Brief 1

Compose the essay: 'Memories of the Forest' (by Thế Lữ)

Question 1: The poem is divided into 5 paragraphs with the following content in each:
- Paragraphs 1 and 4: express the resentment of the tiger being made a toy alongside foolish bears and the mundane, helpless, artificial deceit in the zoo.
- Paragraphs 2 and 3: reminisce about the scenes of freedom, expansiveness in the wild mountains during the intense prime.
- Paragraph 5: nostalgic reflection on the ancient mountainous forest with dreams of a thousand.

Question 2:

a.
- The scene at the zoo is incredibly pathetic and stifling.
+ Paragraph 1: portrays the feelings of boredom, resentment, and frustration of the tiger when confined in an iron crib, turned into a toy, and grouped with foolish bears and careless leopards.
+ Paragraph 4: the zoo scene, in the eyes of the tiger, is truly contemptible: artificial, deceptive, inferior, imitative, lacking any semblance of the pristine forest. => Utmost disdain and hatred towards contemporary society.

- The majestic mountainous scenery where the tiger once ruled in the 'old days'.
+ Paragraphs 2+3: describes the grandeur of the mountainous forest, everything is vast, tall, extraordinary: towering shadows, ancient trees, the howling wind, the mountain's roaring voice. The mountain god seems both exquisitely delicate and mighty, majestic, yet soft and graceful.

b.
- The grandeur of the mountainous forest with the 'towering shadows of ancient trees' exudes profound solemnity.
- Grand and intense sounds like the 'roaring wind' and the 'voice of the mountain's roar'.
- The wilderness of the nameless, ageless wild expanse.
=> Selective, rich language, vivid descriptions → portraying the majestic, colossal, powerful, and mysterious sacred beauty of the tiger's mountainous kingdom.

c) The stark contrast, sharp opposition between the scene at the zoo and the majestic mountainous scenery vividly expresses the poignant nostalgia, pain, and sorrow of the tiger for its glorious past.
The tiger's sentiments mirror the feelings of the Vietnamese people who lost their country, living in the sorrowful and unforgettable era of intense struggles against foreign invaders, resounding gloriously in the nation's history.

Question 3:

In portraying the image of the tiger, the author has chosen a highly fitting symbol and beauty to convey the poem's theme. The tiger possesses a majestic beauty, being regarded as the mountain god, resplendent in the deep, profound forest, within the vast universe. Whether roaming freely or confined in an iron crib, it symbolizes the profound feelings of a hero who experienced victories and defeats. Suffering due to constraints, accepting mediocrity. The abundant, majestic forest - the kingdom of the mountain god - symbolizes a vast, free, and sublime world. With such symbolic imagery, the poet is adept at expressing his inner thoughts and romantic inspiration.

Question 4:

Critique Hoài Thanh hailed Thế Lữ as 'a commander directing the Vietnamese language army with irresistible commands.' This speaks to the art of using refined language, reaching a high level of precision:
- Solely regarding the sounds of the mountainous forest, Thế Lữ allows us to hear the howling wind, the mountain's roaring voice, the intense chorus of the wild anthem.
- The rhetoric creates a sense of lament (where, where are the...)
- The rhythmic poetry eloquently describes the majestic and graceful demeanor of the tiger.

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In addition to Preparing the essay Remembering the forest, students should explore other compositions in Grade 8 Literature, such as Preparing the essay Mr. Do or the section Preparing the essay Interrogative sentence to reinforce their knowledge of Grade 8 Literature.

Preparing the essay Remembering the forest, Short 2

Question 1: The poem is divided into 5 paragraphs, please provide the content of each paragraph.

• The tiger confined in a cramped, iron crib, helpless and forlorn
• Deception, monotony, the facade of everything
• Actions and emotions
• Feelings of sadness, resentment, and hatred towards the tiger's life.

Paragraph 2,3: space, scenery

• A vast, expansive scene, gloomy and mysterious
• A majestic, dreamy place, resonating sounds echoing
• Jubilation in asserting dominance

b. Analysis of the use of language, imagery, and tone in paragraphs 2,3:

• Utilizing numerous Sino-Vietnamese words enhances the formidable aura of the sovereign in the poem.
• Diverse poetic rhythm.
• Abundant use of metaphors.
• Rich and vivid imagery.

c. Through the profound contrast between the two depicted scenes, the inner feelings of the tiger in the zoo reflect a fluctuation between joy and sadness. This sentiment resonates closely with the contemporary emotions of the Vietnamese people.

Question 3: Explain why the author borrows the 'words of the tiger in the zoo.' How does this borrowing serve the purpose of expressing the poet's emotional content?

Answer:
The author borrows the 'words of the tiger in the zoo' to convey a strong longing, silent desires, and objectivity.
This borrowing serves the purpose of expressing the poet's emotions by making it easily understandable and memorable for the readers, articulating the poet's feelings.

Question 4: Critic Hoài Thanh remarked about Thế Lữ's poetry: 'Reading a couple of poems, especially 'Remembering the Forest,'... is irresistible' (Vietnamese Literary Figures, pg). How do you interpret this opinion? Demonstrate through the poem.

Answer:
Critic Hoài Thanh's comment on Thế Lữ's poetry, particularly 'Remembering the Forest,' being 'irresistible,' suggests that this poem stands out remarkably in Thế Lữ's body of work. 'Remembering the Forest' reflects the author's deep love for the homeland, echoing the tiger's longing for freedom, akin to the yearning for freedom in our people. Hopefully, this article provides you with the best insights into the work.

Composing 'Remembering the Forest,' Short 3

Question 1: (Page 7 Literature Textbook Grade 8, Volume 2)
Answer:
- Paragraph 1: Expresses the tiger's feelings of boredom and resentment in the zoo, confined and placed alongside 'stupid bear' and 'plump cage mates.' Enduring humiliation, playing 'bizarre eye-catching tricks,' witnessing the 'mocking eyes of deep forest royalty.'
- Paragraph 2 and 3: The tiger reminisces about the intense past as the majestic ruler of deep forests and mountains.
- Paragraph 4: The tiger's disdain for mundane scenes, hypocrisy, and imitation of things only found in high forests and mountains.
- Paragraph 5: The tiger returns to painful reality, yearning intensely for freedom, dreaming of returning to the majestic realm of ancient mountains.
Question 2: (Page 7 Literature Textbook Grade 8, Volume 2)
Answer:
a. Analyze two outstanding scenes in the poem:
- Scene of the zoo where the tiger is confined (paragraphs 1 and 4): A very awkward, stifling, distressing scene.
+ The tiger's living space confined to an iron crib, day after day enduring humiliation, serving as 'bizarre eye-catching tricks,' witnessing the 'mocking eyes of deep forest royalty.' Not only that, once a majestic forest lord, now the victim of fate, subjected to captivity alongside foolish bears, ignorant with carefree leopards, without dreams or aspirations.
+ In paragraph 4, the zoo scene, from another perspective, becomes contemptible, detestable, and boring 'never changing' in the eyes of the tiger, artificial scenes, meticulously trimmed, sophisticated but 'ordinary deceit' portrayed through the lines:

In the realm of careful blossoms, trimmed grass, leveled pathways, and cultivated trees; A black ribbon imitating a stream, with no flowing grace, creeps beneath the modest artificial mounds; Sesame leaves, gentle and unassuming, revealing no secrets, grace the landscape.

The scenery is a monotonous, feeble hue, where the stream 'fails to flow,' sneaking beneath the artificial mounds 'short and lacking.' Sparse vegetation lines the straight path, 'gentle and unassuming, revealing no secrets,' yet even with meticulous attention, it remains artificial, unable to compare to the majestic beauty of mountainous landscapes. Yet, they seem oblivious and unashamed, 'Imitating the desolate appearance/Of a place ancient and lofty, profound and gloomy,' as expressed in the two lines above, one can sense the disdain and mockery of the tiger towards the scenes of the zoo to an extent.

b. Analyzing the use of language, imagery, and tone in paragraphs 2 and 3: Using expressions such as 'mountains and forests, complete shadows, old trees,' 'thorny leaves, colorful grass,' evokes solemnity, loftiness, inviolability, a scene full of mysterious danger. In addition, the scene 'a place of nameless, ageless grass and flowers' is wild and vast. Utilizing imagery with a lyrical nature, 'the wind's howling,' 'the mountain spring's roar,' depicts the grand, majestic, and vast nature of the lush forest and deep mountains. The tone in paragraph 2 is contemplative, slow, and majestic, reflecting the grandeur and magnificence of nature. In paragraph 3, the tone changes to deep regret, profound reminiscence when recalling the tiger's past, thus the tone adopts a pulsating rhythm, continuously posing a series of unanswerable questions, with declarative phrases at the beginning and end of the sentences, such as 'Where are those...,' 'Where are...,' 'Where are...,' '...where are they?'.

c. Contrasting the two landscapes, revealing the tiger's emotional shift: The strong, stark contrast between the cramped, stifling, artificial zoo landscape and the free, expansive mountain and cloud scenery vividly illustrates the tiger's emotional transition from boredom, disdain, and resentment to pain, regret, and nostalgia for the glorious, fierce days that are now 'never to be seen again.' Hidden within is an intense desire for freedom, an ardent dream to return to the mountains and unleash itself freely, fulfilling the tiger's instincts and exploration desires. The tiger's emotions and circumstances bear similarities to the people of Vietnam at that time. At this moment, our people were living in slavery, oppressed, confined, and suffering from the pain of losing water, losing freedom, but always nostalgic, reminiscing about a glorious past, a resolute struggle to build and defend the country against foreign invaders, as in our history over the past 4000 years. And the aspiration for liberation, the nation's independence, to escape from the shackles of slavery of our people at that time.

Question 3: (Page 7 Literature Textbook Grade 8, Volume 2)
Answer:
The author 'borrows the words of the tiger in the zoo,' using the imagery of the tiger to create a captivating and valuable representation. The tiger carries an air of majesty, fierceness, once roaming and dominating in the deep, mountainous forests, now silent, resentful in a cage. In terms of circumstance and symbolism, it is highly fitting to speak of the group of patriotic youth with a melancholic mood, wearing downhearted shoes, carrying the pain and yearning for freedom, breaking free from the shackles of slavery for the nation. Moreover, borrowing the tiger's words also provides the author with romantic inspiration full of poetic charm, as the tiger reminisces about the majestic, boundless mountainous landscapes and other glorious natural scenes. It accurately reflects the author's emotions without losing the artistic and aesthetic qualities of the poem.

Question 4*: (Page 7 Literature Textbook Grade 8, Volume 2)
Answer:
Literary critic Hoài Thanh has made remarks about Thế Lữ's poetry: 'Reading a couple of poems, especially the poem Remembering the Forest, one might feel as if the words are being pushed and tormented by an extraordinary force. Thế Lữ is like a commander controlling the Vietnamese language army with irresistible commands.' This critique affirms Thế Lữ's talent in using words has reached a refined, mournful level, wielding the pen like a sword, sharp, powerful, and extremely precise, a feat not everyone can achieve.
- Simply through these short verses:

“Remembering the forest, complete shadows, old trees
With the wind's howling, with the mountain spring's roar
With the intense roar of a fierce epic”

It's enough to make the reader feel and hear the majestic mountainous scene, as if hearing the wind howl, the waterfall roar, and the tiger's growl echoing loudly, vibrating in every word.
- Even more skillful is the description of the powerful yet graceful nature of the lord of the forest through these verses:

“I ascend, resolute, in a dignified stride
Gently swaying like rhythmic rolling waves
Enveloped silently by the shadow of thorns, vibrant grass”

I feel as if witnessing a lord of the mountain, standing atop a peak, casting their gaze far and wide over their domain. The poetic rhythm flows smoothly, with evenly paced breaks, creating a balanced and decisive expression, somewhat capturing the majestic beauty of the mountain lord.
- Especially in these verses:

“Scenes refined, ordinary, deceitful
Carefully tended flowers, trimmed grass, orderly paths, cultivated trees
A black ribbon masquerading as a stream, refusing to flow”

Similarly breaking with an even, concise rhythm, the reader or listener perceives a sense of entanglement, everything remains mundane, simplistic, lacking innovation, leading to boredom, artificiality. The black hue of the stream intensifies the feeling of darkness and oppression. This is the author's skillful touch.