Crafting an Essay on Folk Songs Expressing Family Affection

Crafting an Essay on Folk Songs Expressing Family Affection

Crafting an Essay on Folk Songs Depicting Family Affection, Sample 1

I. Reading and Understanding the Text:

Question 1:
- Folk song 1: a mother's lullaby
- Folk song 2: words of a daughter marrying far from home speaking to her mother
- Folk song 3: words of grandchildren speaking to their grandparents
- Folk song 4: parental advice or siblings confiding in each other.
This assertion is based on the content of each folk song.

Question 2:
* The sentiment that folk song 1 aims to express is the parental affection towards children, reminding of the parents' role in giving birth and nurturing:
- Like the immense stature of a mountain: affirming greatness

* Notable Points:
- Using the simile 'father's merit - towering mountain', 'mother's virtue - water in the East Sea' => Parents' contributions are immense.
- Imagery: the nine-character sandbar specifies parental contributions, maternal virtue, and children's gratitude.
- Language: employing the term 'vast'
- Tone: conveying advice, sentiment.

* Similar Folk Phrases:
- Father's merit is like Mount Tai
Mother's virtue is like water from the source
Respecting parents wholeheartedly, fulfilling filial piety properly makes one a true child
- Father's grace is heavy, oh dear
Mother's virtue is like the sky carrying for nine months.
...

Question 3:
* Essay 2 reflects the sentiment of a woman marrying far from home.
* Analyzing the sentiment:
- Time: 'evening after evening' - evokes sadness, longing, but it's not just once, every evening is the same, the sorrow accumulates, making the girl miss home and her mother intensely.
- Space: 'back alley' is a deserted, desolate alley, so every evening she stands there looking towards her mother's hometown. In the bleak setting, the woman standing alone appears even smaller and more pitiful than ever.
- Actions: 'standing', 'looking' towards her mother's hometown.
- Emotion: 'aching heart for nine evenings' means she's hurt in many ways
⟹ The longing for her mother of the girl in this folk song is extremely intense.

Question 4:
* Essay 3 depicts longing and reverence for grandparents.
* Analysis:
- The author has employed figurative language to express that sentiment: longing is compared to water droplets on the roof. As we know, comparing longing to water droplets on the roof means it's immeasurable, countless because there are so many droplets.
⟹ The sentiment, longing of grandchildren for grandparents is immeasurable.
- The excellence of this expression lies in the use of the term 'look up' to denote respect and the comparison 'longing - water droplets' beyond the meaning of countless longing, it also shows the strong connection of blood ties, familial bonds of those in the family specifically of grandchildren towards grandparents.

Question 5:
* In the 4th passage, sibling affection is portrayed:
Firstly, it's depicted using words like 'together', 'in harmony', 'joyful' to show that siblings always harmonize, joyfully together.
Next, a simile is used: the love between siblings is compared to 'like limbs'. Siblings, like limbs, must know how to connect, support each other for the family to be warm, happy.
Especially, what's remarkable here is the use of simple, familiar, understandable words when talking about the close bond of sibling love.

Question 6:
The artistic techniques used in all 4 pieces:
- Hexameter poetry.
- Metaphors, similes.
- Familiar, everyday imagery.
- Language isn't in the form of dialogue but only messages, sentiments.

II. PRACTICE:
Question 1:
* The emotions depicted in the 4 folk songs are family emotions.
Songs on this theme are often lullabies from mothers, words from parents or grandparents to grandchildren, words from grandchildren about parents or grandparents, and often use familiar metaphors, hidden familiar symbols to express sentiments, reminders of parental responsibilities, and sibling love.

Question 2: Similar folk verses:

- Parental merit, maternal virtue, lofty and deep
Innocent days nurtured with water and eggs
Raising children has been tough until now
As adults, children must know how to respect their parents' nurturing.

- Siblings are like banana bunches
Good pieces cover torn ones, never speaking harshly to each other.

- An aged mother in a makeshift hut
Early morning visits, late evening visits, only then does the child feel relieved.
 

Composing Folk Songs: Expressing Family Affection, Sample 2

Question 1 (page 36 Vietnamese Literature Grade 7 Book 1): Analyzing each folk song, we can see
- Song 1
+ this is the words of parents speaking to their child
+ signs are calling out 'my child'

- Song 2
+ this is the words of a daughter marrying far from home speaking to her mother towards her mother's homeland
+ signs are directing towards the motherland. In folk songs, the back alleys and riverbanks are often associated with the sentiments of women

- Song 1
+ this is the words of parents speaking to their child
+ signs are calling out 'my child'

- Song 2
+ this is the words of a daughter marrying far from home speaking to her mother towards her mother's homeland
+ signs are directing towards the motherland. In folk songs, the back alleys and riverbanks are often associated with the sentiments of women

- Song 3
+ words of grandchildren speaking to grandparents or loved ones
+ signs of the longing object are grandparents, the thatched roof, the familiar house evoke memories of loved ones

- Song 4
+ words of adults speaking to children in the family
+ signs of the song's content are confessions

Question 2 (page 36 Vietnamese Literature Grade 7 Book 1):
- The content of the folk song aims to address the immense contributions of parents to their children and the responsibilities of children
- The brilliance of this folk song lies in:
+ the parents' contributions are vividly depicted through grand, eternal imagery: towering mountains, vast seas
+ the use of symbolic imagery traditional to the Vietnamese narrative style: father as mountain, mother as sea
+ reminders are embedded in the folk song, easy to remember, easy to memorize, easy to touch people's hearts, making readers aware and reflective

- Collecting similar phrases

+ Like a towering mountain stands paternal care
Maternal love flows like a river, pure and fair
Honor parents with filial piety, this is the creed of a child
Only when filial duties are fulfilled, is the path truly beguiled

+ Like the vast sea nurtures a pearl
The child nurtures the mother, recounting each day

Question 3 (page 36 Vietnamese Literature Grade 7 Book 1):
- The sentiment of the sincere character is that of a young woman married far from home. The scene in the folk song portrays that, specifically:
+ The time is the evening, not just one but many evenings like that. Each evening evokes sadness and nostalgia because it is a time of family reunion >< the person's='' lost='' and='' lonely='' feeling=''
+ The back alley: silent and desolate → the fate of the young woman in the husband's family, hiding tears of bitterness
+ The hometown is the image of home filled with beautiful memories, warm and sacred maternal affection

Question 4 (page 36 Vietnamese Literature Grade 7 Book 1):
- Song 3 expresses longing and love for grandparents
- These feelings are expressed through comparative forms of how much ... so much
- The excellence in expression is shown in:
+ looking up to demonstrate the respect of grandchildren for grandparents
+ the image of raindrops on the thatched roof illustrates the strong bond of family members and the hard work of grandparents in building a family for grandchildren
+ the comparison of as much ... so much has concretized the abstract longing for the hard work of grandparents
+ the poetic form of lục bát → deep and intense longing

Question 5 (page 36 Vietnamese Literature Grade 7 Book 1):
- In song 4, the sibling bond is depicted: unlike those distant, they are of the same. Siblings, though two, are one: sharing the same parents, sharing joy and sorrow...
- The sibling relationship is compared using the imagery: like limbs (using body parts made of bone and flesh to compare with sibling affection)
→ demonstrating a sacred bond, reminding siblings to wrap each other with love and help each other

Question 6 (page 36 Vietnamese Literature Grade 7 Book 1):
- Artistic techniques used in all four pieces:
+ hexameter poetry
+ familiar folk imagery
+ often employing similes

Practice

Exercise 1 (page 36 Vietnamese Literature Grade 7 Book 1):
- The emotions depicted in the four folk songs are familial emotions
- Those emotions are often discreet, deeply sincere, representative of the sentiments of the working class

Exercise 2 (page 36 Vietnamese Literature Grade 7 Book 1):
Collecting some other folk songs with similar content
+ Evening after evening, looking back and forth
Not seeing mother, bitterness of longing

+ With father, with mother is better
Without father, without mother like a body without soul

+ Father's merit like Mount Thai Son
Mother's grace like water flowing from the source
Wholeheartedly honoring mother, respecting father
Completing filial piety is the true way of children

+ Siblings like limbs
Mending rifts, wrapping each other is better than being ignorant

Continue reading the lessons to study Vietnamese Literature Grade 7 effectively

- Prepare the lesson on Songs about love for homeland, country, and people
- Prepare the lesson on Idioms