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Compose an essay on Remembering the Fields
Crafting an Essay on Remembering the Fields - Literature Grade 11 Knowledge Connection
I. Preparation - Crafting an Essay on Remembering the Fields
* Suggestions for answering the preparation section questions:
1. Based on your experience, how does a feeling of nostalgia usually begin and develop?
According to personal experiences, nostalgia often initiates with encountering a familiar object or event. As memories flood in, a sense of longing and nostalgia emerges. Positive memories bring happiness, while negative ones lead to introspection, regret, and self-reflection...
2. Imagine how you would start a piece of writing expressing your own nostalgia. What would be mentioned first? Why?
- I would commence the written expression of nostalgia by recounting the memories leading to that nostalgic feeling.
- This approach informs the audience, the readers, about the reasons behind the emergence of that nostalgic feeling and assists in structuring my written expression in chronological order.
II. Comprehension - Crafting an Essay on Remembering the Fields
* Suggestions for answering comprehension questions:
1. How is the sound of singing related to nostalgia?
- The sound of singing acts as the catalyst for the author to reminisce about the rural village scenery.
2. What characteristics do the images portrayed here have?
- The emerging images include: fragrant soil-scented breeze, bamboo clusters, 'lush green rice fields,' and 'sweet potato and taro plots.'
- These are all familiar images, closely linked to the peaceful countryside.
3. In comparison to the first stanza, what similarities and differences does this stanza have?
- Similarity: Both stanzas commence with the phrase 'Nothing deeper than the midday heat.'
- Point of difference:
+ The tone of describing midday changes: The first stanza is 'nostalgic midday.' The second stanza is 'lonely midday.'
+ The mentioned object: The first stanza mentions 'singing.' The second stanza mentions 'fields and paddies.'
4. Envision the image of 'hands... scattering seeds into the sky.'
- The verse captures the perspective from below, describing the hands of farmers holding handfuls of rice scattered evenly across the fields.
5. Who are referred to as the 'soul and body' here?
- The 'soul and body' here encompass the 'elderly mothers,' farmers, neighbors, and close relatives of the author.
6. How does the 'I' in this stanza develop compared to the 'I' in the previous stanza?
- In this stanza, 'I' no longer has to wander in search of the 'meaning of life' as in the previous stanza but has found their own ideals and way of living. Therefore, the 'I' in this stanza is joyful, light, following that path.
7. What emotion does the image of 'sad bird remembering the wind and clouds' express for the sentimental character?
- Like a bird confined in a cage for a long time, yearning to spread its wings and soar high with the wind and clouds. This imagery portrays the sentimental character's longing for freedom.
Compose an essay on Remembering Comrades - Literature 11 Knowledge Connection
III. After Reading - Crafting an essay on Remembering Comrades
* Suggestions for answering post-reading questions:
Question 1 on page 58 of Literature 11 Knowledge Connection - Volume 1:
- Diverse aspects of emotional content expressed in the essay:
- Remembering the vibrant colors, enticing flavors, and simple yet charming landscapes of the countryside.
- Recalling the peaceful, unchanging rhythm of life in the village over the years.
- Nostalgia for hardworking individuals cultivating hope in the 'plowed fields.'
- Cherishing the days of departure from the rural village, embarking on the revolutionary path, and joyously embracing ideals.
- Nostalgia for the free life beyond the prison walls.
- All these sentiments are intertwined with the countryside, the fields. Thus, the title 'Remembering Comrades' has encompassed the entire content and emotions of the poem.
- The term 'comrades' can be understood in both of the following senses:
+ Referring to a specific space, the field.
+ Encompassing a broader space than just the village with familiar, simple landscapes.
Question 2 on page 58 of Textbook Vietnamese Literature 11 - Connecting Knowledge - Volume 1:
Form:
+ The verse has a shorter length than the other verses, with only 2 lines.
+ All commence with the phrase 'What is deeper than the noon...'
- Content:
+ Verses 1 and 7 share similarities, as do verses 4 and 13.
+ Each portrays the longing for the village while imprisoned during the noon of the revolutionary.
- The term 'field' represents the external space, while 'prison' symbolizes the internal. The author's nostalgia is rooted in the past, yet he finds himself presently confined. Thus, these distinct verses serve as a connection between past and present, inside and outside the prison. Each appearance of these unique verses marks a new development in the prisoner's emotions and sentiments.
Question 3 on page 58 of Textbook Literature 11 - Knowledge Connection - Volume 1:
- Imagery system in the poem:
+ Verse 2: 'fragrant alcohol breeze,' 'cool bamboo field,' 'green paddy field,' 'sweet potato farm.' Portrays the nostalgic flavor of the beloved countryside.
+ Verse 3: 'endless curved paths,' 'low thatched houses in quiet sleep.' Depicts the peaceful, unchanged life despite enduring 'melancholy' days.
+ Verse 5: 'bent back over the plow,' hands 'scattering seeds to the sky in the early morning.' Illustrates the diligent, hardworking activities of farmers.
+ Verse 6: 'evening dew covers the field,' 'soft rice sways along the riverbank,' 'sound of water buffalo carts,' 'tune of rustic singing.' Conveys the somber atmosphere of the countryside.
+ Verse 9: 'souls from ancient times,' 'souls as simple and kind as the earth.' Portrays the traditional, gentle nature of the people evoking warm emotions.
+ Verse 11: 'I' 'as light as a lark,' 'joyfully singing with fellow villagers in the sun.' Life is joyful during revolutionary activities.
- The images used in the poem are all familiar to the Vietnamese countryside. The author's weaving, coordinating, and arranging of image clusters in each verse give readers a unique impression of the people, landscapes in the countryside, or even the self-portrait of the author. From this, we see the rich inner life of the sentimental character.
Question 4 on page 58 of Textbook Grade 11 Knowledge Connection - Volume 1:
- The word 'where' appears 10 times in the poem, usually at the beginning of a sentence.
- Role of the word 'where' in the poem's structure:
+ Serves as an inquiring word to evoke the memories of the sentimental character, creating a familiar countryside space.
+ Contributes to creating a smooth and cohesive text, facilitating the expression of the sentimental character's emotions.
+ Plays a part in listing the images of the countryside.
Question 5 on page 58 Textbook Vietnamese Literature 11 Knowledge Connection - Volume 1:
- The alternating use of questions in the text has portrayed the complex, multi-toned emotions of the sentimental character.
- Helps the poem escape the monotony of conventional expressions, stimulating the reader's senses and prompting reflection, engaging in a dialogue with the poem.
Question 6 on page 58 Textbook Vietnamese Literature 11 Knowledge Connection - Volume 1:
With this question, students can choose different images; Mytour suggests some images:
- The images of the 'path of a thousand lives' and the 'village of low thatched houses sleeping peacefully' may seem tranquil at first glance, but they represent a life trapped, helpless, monotonous, with no way out. From there, the author had to search for the 'meaning of life,' find another path of development, and escape from those 'gloomy days.'
- The images of the 'bent back to the plowed field' and the hands 'sowing seeds that scatter to the sky on early mornings' evoke a beautiful portrait of the farmer. They are strong, diligent, hardworking, and love labor. The contrasting perspectives in these two lines make readers feel like they are watching a fast-paced documentary about people in the field.
- The image of 'I' being 'light as a lark,' 'intoxicated with the homeland, singing happily in the sunlight' is the portrayal of the sentimental character after finding a way out of the gloomy days. We see the enthusiasm, interest, and love for the beautiful life ahead.
Question 7 on page 58 of Literature Grade 11 Knowledge Connect - Volume 1:
- Mood: 'longing for the field,' yearning for the rugged, poignant homeland, desiring freedom.
- Characteristics: deeply attached to the homeland, sincere love for the homeland and the country.
- Ideal: aspiring to change the stagnant, trapped life, always looking towards the Revolution with great faith.
* Reading and Writing Connection: Write a paragraph (about 150 words) elucidating the connection between the details and images that constitute the emotional world of 'Remembering the Fields' in the poem.
'Remembering the Fields' by To Huu is a poem filled with emotional details and vivid images. While the author is in prison, the sound of folk songs suddenly echoes from memory, evoking familiar images of the homeland. These are the days with 'fragrant alcohol-infused winds,' the green bamboo groves of the village, the 'green thatched roofs' or the 'sweet and earthy aroma of yam fields'. The rural people are diligent with their 'backs bent over the plow,' hands 'sowing seeds into the sky,' and possess a gentle, familiar demeanor. The homeland is beautiful but still must endure 'amidst the gloomy days' because of colonial oppression. Therefore, the author contemplates, seeking the 'meaning of life.' Upon finding it, he is joyful, 'light as a dragonfly,' and 'sings happily in the hometown sunlight.' All the emotions of nostalgia and love for the homeland, the sorrow of a dark and entangled life, and the joy upon discovering the Revolution are condensed and expressed in 'Remembering the Fields.'
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The title 'Remembering the Fields' somewhat reveals that the essence of the work is a deep longing for the homeland while the author is undergoing imprisonment. For more insights into the poem, you can refer to: 'Analyzing the poem 'Wife Picking Up' - Literature Grade 11 Knowledge Connect,' 'Analyzing the poem 'Oh, Corn!' - Literature Grade 11 Knowledge Connect.'
