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Crafting a Concise Fairy Tale Retelling, 6th-grade Vietnamese Literature - Horizon of Creativity
Retell the shortest fairy tale
I. Guidelines for Analyzing Text Types
1. Does the narrator mention the time and place where the story takes place?
Answer:
- The narrator indeed mentions the time and place of the story.
2. Does the narrator ensure to narrate all the key events that occurred in the story 'The Persimmon Tree'?
Answer:
- The narrator does narrate all the key events that happened in the story.
3. Are the character's actions in the story overlooked by the narrator?
Answer:
- The character's actions in the story are not overlooked by the narrator.
4. From retelling the story 'The Persimmon Tree,' what have you learned about narrating a fairy tale?
Answer:
- I've learned:
+ Using the third-person narrative to tell the story.
+ Narrating events in the correct chronological order.
+ Telling the story with full and detailed events.
+ When writing, the essay needs to have a complete 3-part structure.
II. Writing Process Guidelines
1. Step 1: Preparation before writing.
- Define the topic: read the prompt carefully to identify the writing subject and requirements for the essay type.
- Collecting materials: seek stories that left a lasting impression or characters that linger in your memory,...
2. Step 2: Generating ideas, outlining
- Generate ideas: search for content related to the story such as the story's title, circumstances of the story, characters, key events, conclusion, personal thoughts about the story.
- Outline: organize the gathered ideas into a complete 3-part structure.
3. Step 3: Writing the Essay
- Based on the outline, proceed to write the complete essay.
4. Step 4: Review and Revise, Gain Experience
- Review and revise: reread the entire essay, correct errors such as spelling, grammar. It's advisable to read the essay aloud to others and seek their feedback and comments for further enhancement.
- Gain experience: reflect on personal lessons learned after writing.
Prompt: Write a composition of around 400 words retelling a fairy tale
Reference Writing:
Retelling the Fairy Tale 'Coconut Skull'
In the poem 'Our Folktales' by poet Lâm Thị Mỹ Dạ, she writes:
'I love the folktales of my land,
Both humane and extraordinarily profound.'
Indeed, as time flows, the enduring vitality of folk stories continues to leave a deep imprint in our minds. Each story is a moral lesson, a virtue passed down from our ancestors. Every tale, while uniquely creative and captivating, I am most impressed with the story of 'Coconut Skull.'
The tale goes that in the past, there was a poor couple hired by a wealthy landlord. Both were kind and generous, yet despite being over fifty, they had no children. One day, while gathering firewood in the forest, the wife felt thirsty. With the sun blazing, she discovered a coconut skull at the base of a tree and hastily drank from it. Later at home, she became pregnant. Some time after, the husband passed away. She gave birth to a peculiar child: round-headed, fluffy, without limbs. Looking at the child in such a state, she considered discarding him, but the child spoke, 'Mother, I am human. Please don't cast me away; I am pitiful.' Reluctantly, she kept him and named him Coconut Skull.
As time passed, Coconut Skull retained his unusual appearance. His mother, saddened by his inability to work, urged him to seek employment with the wealthy landlord as a cattle herder. With approval granted, every day he diligently led the cattle to graze in the fields. Upon returning in the evening, everyone was well-fed.
The wealthy landlord had three gentle daughters. Each day, they took turns bringing food to Coconut Skull. One day, while delivering food to the hillside, the youngest sister heard a flute. Intrigued, she hid behind a bush and saw a handsome young man playing. Sensing movement, the young man transformed back into his original round, fluffy form. From this, she learned that Coconut Skull was not like ordinary people and developed affection for him.
By the end of the season, Coconut Skull urged his mother to ask for the youngest daughter's hand in marriage from the wealthy landlord. The mother, astonished, but agreeing with her son's wish, procured a betel nut tray, ten sheets of embroidered silk, ten plump pigs, and ten bottles of aged wine.
Returning home, the mother conveyed the wealthy landlord's message to Coconut Skull. She advised him to reconsider marriage, but he confidently stated his determination to prepare everything. On the appointed day, the house was filled with bustling relatives and possessions. Seeing this, the wealthy landlord was delighted, quickly summoning his three daughters to seek their opinions. The two elder sisters scorned Coconut Skull's appearance, while only the youngest agreed to marry him. True to the promise, the wealthy landlord gave his youngest daughter in marriage.
On the wedding day, amidst the vibrant and lively atmosphere, Coconut Skull shed his ugly exterior, becoming handsome. Envious and resentful, the two elder sisters harbored jealousy and spite.
The married life of the couple was exceedingly happy and harmonious. Due to his diligence and historical knowledge, Coconut Skull passed the imperial examination. Before embarking on his mission, he instructed his wife always to carry the items he had given her: a flintstone, a knife, and two eggs.
Since witnessing her younger sister marrying a handsome and talented man, the two elder sisters, fueled by jealousy, intentionally pushed her into the sea while rowing a boat. Remembering her husband's words, when swallowed by a giant fish, the youngest sister used the knife to kill the fish and escaped. Stranded on a deserted island, she used the flintstone to create fire, cooked the fish for sustenance, and the two eggs hatched into a pair of chickens, becoming her companions in the desolate place.
