Buzz
1. Essay #1
2. Essay #2
TRIBUTE TO UNCLE HO! - TO HUU, short 1
Question 1. How does the immense sorrow before the passing of Uncle Ho manifest in the first four stanzas of the poem?
ESSAY WRITING: TRIBUTE TO UNCLE HO! - TO HUU, brief 2
A. BASIC KNOWLEDGE
I. AUTHOR (refer to the Vietnamese Bac)
II. THE WORK 'UNCLE HO!'
1. Circumstances of creation.
- The poem Uncle Ho! was written by To Huu immediately after President Ho Chi Minh's passing. In the boundless grief and sorrow, the poet recognizes even more the wonderful qualities of Uncle Ho, capturing them in the mournful farewell poem.
– Uncle Ho! is not just a 'funeral oration in verse (Xuan Dieu),' but is also considered a poetic monument to Ho Chi Minh, deeply portraying the portrait of one of the most beautiful figures of the present era in the language of poetry.
2. Theme of the poem
– Expressing the author's and everyone's deep sorrow before Uncle's departure.
– Summarizing Uncle's great contributions to the nation and the country.
- Affirming Uncle's great leadership role for the people.
3. Values of content and artistry
a) First four stanzas:
- The immense sorrow of the author before the event of Uncle Ho's passing.
- Hearing the news of Uncle's death while in treatment, To Huu returns to Uncle's beloved stilt house. The poet 'walks' step by step in pain, shocked to the extreme. The surroundings become desolate: the wet, cold vegetable garden, the silent room, the unringing bell, the unrolled curtain, the unsaturated light.
b) Six middle stanzas: The countless beloved image of Uncle Ho.
- Through burning sincere emotions in verse, the image of Uncle shines brightly with many noble qualities and ideals. It is a deep love for the country and a broad love for humanity. For Uncle, sincere feelings must be expressed concretely. Of course, the ultimate goal is still those who suffer the most: “Freedom for every life in bondage / Milk for the silky young poem to give to the old.”
– Throughout his life, Uncle's heart was never at ease because of concerns for the nation's destiny and the suffering of the people. Uncle's worry transcended the ordinary and became a historically pervasive concern, “The pain of the nation, a global sorrow.”
– During the intense days of the nation's resistance against the United States, Uncle Ho's heart turned towards the wounded half of the country, dedicating his affection to the beloved South and being optimistic, trusting the great frontline. Poet To Huu wrote beautiful verses praising this familial love: “Uncle remembers the South, the South misses Uncle.”
- A person with such a big heart is also a person with a simple, natural way of life “like our own sky and earth.” Uncle loves nature and people just as naturally and earnestly as Uncle's heart. Uncle's simple, natural joy is like Uncle's own, a noble joy, always cherishing everyone in the world. There, To Huu saw deeply the wonderful beauty of Ho Chi Minh and the greatness of the person: “Joyful song harmonizing the four seas / Nurturing all while forgetting oneself.”
- Therefore, Uncle left us the most precious spiritual legacy: boundless, profound love and a life of integrity and simplicity. The poet saw in that life a unique beauty of Uncle: the beauty lies in the soul, the spirit of a person:
More beautiful than statues airing well-trodden paths.
It is the beauty of a person extremely simple but that simplicity turns into something extremely great in Him.
- The image of Uncle Ho appears in the poem very familiar, close because He is the venerable father of the nation, the beloved Uncle of all of us. “Uncle lives like our own sky and earth,” like every person close to every person.
In Uncle, concern is not only limited to the grand but He also dedicates love to each fate, each circumstance, each specific person. Even Uncle's joy comes from the small, ordinary things to the grand, lofty things:
Joyful the song harmonizing the four seas.
Uncle remains forever among us, blending into life, merging into the soul of the nation.
c) Last three stanzas: Genuine sentiments of the Vietnamese people before Uncle's departure.
- In the moment of commemorating Him, time in eternal history has been fulfilled: “Oh Uncle Ho, the twilight moments / A thousand autumns remember You so much!”
- The entire national community turns towards Him with sacred remembrance. Uncle has transformed into the nation: “The red radiance adds to rivers and mountains / Leading us forward together!”
– Uncle has merged into the ranks of the immortal, the national heroes, a thousand years later and a thousand years after that, His image still shines on the majestic Truong Son range of our country.
- From Uncle's departure, from the immense legacy He left in the North, To Huu, on behalf of the entire Vietnamese people, promises to Him:
- Historical reality has proven this promise; six years after Uncle's fervent dream for the beloved southern land, it became a reality. The country is completely unified, free from the enemy's shadow.
- His lofty spirit, great ideology, and boundless humanitarian heart will forever be the guiding torch for the Vietnamese nation to step into new horizons.
B. PERSONAL OPINION
1. What thoughts does the image of Uncle Ho in Tố Hữu's 'Dear Uncle!' evoke in you?
Writing Suggestions
a) - Tố Hữu has composed many poems about Uncle Ho. In each period, the image of Uncle varies. In the poem 'Ho Chi Minh,' Uncle's image appears with the grandeur of a resolute leader on the battlefield:
Rapidly, swords and guns are assembled!
And the entire army
How many years have they endured the harshness of war
Bright eyes gripping green sleeves, brandishing machetes
Surging forward with determination to sacrifice in battle
Destroying the mighty oppressors!
Oh, boundless strength!
- In the poem 'Bright May,' Uncle appears simple, affectionate, and close:
The enduring color of our homeland
By Your side, You shine within us
We grow a little beside You...
– The poem 'Dear Uncle!' was written in the intense emotion of immeasurable loss when Tố Hữu heard of Uncle's passing. The image of Uncle in the poem is complete and has a higher level of abstraction.
– Amid the sorrowful mood of loss, Tố Hữu's emotions flow abundantly. Yet, the poetic tone is not afflicted; the sorrow is profound, noble, compatible with the tender portrayal of Uncle Ho—simple, caring, affectionate, yet immensely great and vast.
+ The second stanza vividly describes details: pebbled path, staircase, small bell,... familiar scenes that remain as Uncle has gone far away.
- With a creatively rhythmic expression, the line 'The room is silent, curtains down, lights off!' deeply conveys the poet's emotional loss. It reveals Tố Hữu's profound feelings for Uncle.
+ The third stanza expands the perspective (autumn, blue sky) and imagination (welcoming Uncle in the South). This stanza illustrates the profound beauty and warmth emanating from Uncle. The structure of this stanza is unique: the first lines express a poignant, choked-up grief ('Uncle, You've gone, oh Uncle!'), contrasting with the atmosphere in the last three stanzas, which is dreamy, warm, and humanistic ('Beautiful autumn, blue sky, Uncle smiles...'). This contrast emphasizes the sorrow and sadness when Uncle has to leave.
+ The fourth stanza returns to familiar scenes (pomelo, jasmine flowers) to convey the poet's bitter feelings when Uncle is no longer in this world.
- In the first four stanzas, Uncle's image is portrayed through external scenes, including sky, land, and items closely associated with him. With a single line 'Life sheds tears, the sky pours rain,' the author captures both human emotions and the affection of heaven and earth for Uncle, as well as portraying the immense greatness of a heroic leader.
b) - The next six stanzas show uniqueness in the poetic language of the work.
The author mainly 'reads' Uncle's feelings and sentiments. Through this, he carves the portrait of the nation's venerable father, full of simplicity and kindness yet great: 'Uncle, Your heart is vast / Embracing all rivers and mountains, every life.'
- Not stopping there, using the comparison technique, Tố Hữu likens Uncle's affection to the vastness of the earth and sky. This affection extends to the natural and specific social scenes. Of course, this includes beauty, fragility, weakness, poverty,... that need protection:
Loving every grain of rice, every flower
Freedom for every enslaved life
Milk for the young, silk for the old.
- The simplicity yet compassionate nature has made the greatness of Uncle: 'Fragile fabric, the soul of myriad silks / Beyond the statue draped in worn paths.' Uncle's image has deeply penetrated millions of hearts of the Vietnamese people and progressive humanity worldwide.
– The special point in the structure of these six stanzas is that Tố Hữu has interwoven his own words with the words 'read' from Uncle's feelings. Specifically, as follows:
+ The fifth stanza: The first two lines 'read' Uncle's sentiments: 'Oh, if only the heart could be at ease / Five years lightening the burden of life.' The last two lines are Tố Hữu's words: 'Uncle, Your heart is vast / Embracing all rivers and mountains, every life.'
+ The sixth stanza is Tố Hữu's words 'reading' Uncle's sentiments: 'Uncle doesn't grieve, Uncle only hurts...' .
+ The seventh stanza is Tố Hữu's words: 'Uncle lives like our land and sky.'
+ The eighth stanza is Uncle's sentiments: Uncle remembers the South, the South misses Uncle, longing for a father.'
+ The ninth stanza continues Uncle's sentiments: 'Happy is the singing voice harmonizing the four seas / Nurturing all, only forgetting oneself.'
+ The tenth stanza is Tố Hữu's words: 'Uncle leaves love for us. A life of purity, not gold and silver.'
- This flexible interweaving of different types of words not only adds attractiveness to the poem, making the reader not receive only one type of sentence, one type of tone but also exploits the art of expressing sentiments to vividly portray Uncle's image, making it closer to the reader.
c) – The final three stanzas affirm that Uncle's departure to the world of the Righteous is inevitable, fitting our life's birth-death law and the great stature of Uncle. The place Uncle goes is the world of Marx and Lenin, the outstanding leaders of the socialist movement. Tố Hữu does not write that Uncle is dead, Uncle has passed away,... but uses the phrase 'on the way.' This usage both lightens the pain of loss and emphasizes the soldierly posture of Uncle:
Marx – Lenin, the world of the Righteous
The red radiance adds to the rivers and mountains
Leading us together to advance!
- Continuing the train of thought: 'By Your side, You shine within us,' Tố Hữu recognizes the greatness of Uncle in the depth of character, in the conquering power, and the spreading of that heartfelt spirit: 'Loving Uncle, our hearts are purer.'
- The pain of loss must transform into action, the author is determined to follow Uncle's teachings: 'Willing to reach out with You forever / Steadfast like the myriad peaks of the Trường Sơn.' d) – Throughout the selfless journey for the nation and homeland, Tố Hữu expressed gratitude for Uncle's immense contributions. Tố Hữu's perspective bears similarities to Nicolás Guillén's in the poem 'Ho Chi Minh' (translated by Lê Xuân Quỳnh) written in Cuba a few days after Uncle's passing, on September 5, 1969:
The gentle and sober Hồ Chí Minh
On the pure white of his clothes
His heart boiling expansively
No need for guards or servants
He traversed high mountains and deserts
In the white of his clothes
There's only one wide-open heart
What more could he want
For the long journey...
- Many years later, Hungarian poet Sándor Kányádi praised Uncle Ho: 'His breath does not rise to eye level / Like a blade of grass, a dewdrop.' Uncle's personality, ethics, talents, and intelligence conquered hearts across five continents.
