Crafting the essay 'Melancholic Songs: A Touching Perspective' has not only enabled the students to adeptly answer comprehension questions but has also fostered an understanding of the humble and pitiable status of women in ancient society.

CRAFTING THE ESSAY: MELANCHOLIC SONGS, MODEL 1:

Question 1 (page 46 Literature 7 Volume 1):

- Collecting a selection of folk verses like this:

+ A crane out for a midnight feast
Lands on a soft branch, flips upside down into the pond
Oh sir, please rescue me
If I have a heart, you'll pick me up
If you pick, pick in clear water
Don't stir up muddy water, it hurts the crane's heart

+ The heron wades along the riverbank
Bearing the burden of rice, nurturing the husband's plaintive cries

+ It's raining
The watermelon twists and turns
The snail curls up
The shrimp dances energetically
The stork seeks its meal

- Farmers of old often borrowed the image of the stork to express the fate of their lives because:
+ The stork lives in the fields, its image close to the farmer.
+ Like the hardworking stork, the farmer diligently seeks a living, mirroring the life and qualities of a farmer.

Question 2 (page 46 Literature 7 Volume 1):
- In the first poem, the arduous life of the stork is vividly described: alone, the stork faces difficulties in the rising torrents, encountering numerous scenes of dry ponds and rugged paths, struggling to survive day by day.
- Beyond the melancholy content, this folk verse also echoes a stern indictment, exposing the sharp condemnation of the corrupt and unjust contemporary society, oppressing the humble fate of these impoverished farmers.

Question 3 (page 46 Literature 7 Volume 1):
- 'Thương thay là tiêng than' signifies profound sympathy and compassion.
- The repetition of this phrase implies:
+ It's not just words of pity for these struggling farmers but also resonates as their own lamentations.
+ Expressing deep sympathy that penetrates the hearts in the face of the plight of these farmers.

+ My being, akin to raindrops afar
Falling on palace grounds, dispersing to plowlands' care

+ My being, akin to a well on the path
The wise cleanse their faces, the common cleanse their feet

+ My being, akin to a peach blossom silk
Daintily held, whose hand it finds in the marketplace, one cannot say

- These folk verses often speak of the wretched fate and unhappiness of women in ancient feudal society: they are scorned, looked down upon, unable to control the future of their lives,...

- Similarities in the artistry of these folk verses.
+ Typically, they consist of a pair of six-eight couplets.
+ Commence with the phrase 'My being.'
+ Incorporate similes comparing oneself to pitiable tiny objects.

Question 6 (page 46 Literature 7 Volume 1):
- The similes in the third poem are particularly distinctive:
+ The dry gourd evokes a sense of humble and impoverished fate.
+ When comparing the dry gourd, it is further detailed with elements like wind strikes, waves rise, knowing not where to cling.
→ Thus, it calls attention to the humble, fluctuating, submerged, and oppressed existence, the many sorrows of ancient women, emphasizing by society.

EXERCISE
Exercise 1 (page 50 Literature 7 Volume 1):
Commonalities in content and artistry of the three folk verses
- In content:
+ All express compassionate lamentations for the painful, unfortunate fate of small, humble individuals.
+ Portray deep empathy.
+ Resist and denounce the unjust and corrupt society.
- In artistry:
+ Follow the lục bát poetic form.
+ Convey a sympathetic, compassionate tone.
+ Utilize the art of comparison, metaphor through ordinary, small objects.
+ All employ the traditional phrase 'My being.'
 

CRAFTING THE ESSAY: MELANCHOLIC SONGS, MODEL 2:

Question 1 (Page 49 textbook Vietnamese Literature 7 Volume 1):
Folk verses using the image of a stork:
- The heron wades along the riverbank
Bearing the burden of rice, nurturing the husband's plaintive cries
- A crane out for a midnight feast
Lands on a soft branch, flips upside down into the pond
Oh sir, please rescue me
If I have a heart, you'll pick me up
If you pick, pick in clear water
Don't stir up muddy water, it hurts the crane's heart
→ Ancient farmers often borrowed the image of the stork to depict their lives, symbolizing a small, gentle creature that works diligently for survival.

Question 2 (Page 49 textbook Vietnamese Literature 7 Volume 1):
The harsh, arduous life of the stork is portrayed:
+ Through the term 'lận đận' (hardships) and the phrase 'lên thác xuống ghềnh' (up waterfalls, down rocky paths): vividly expressing the toil and hardships of the stork.
+ The contrast: water - alone
stork - waterfall and rocky path
+ Opposing words: rising (waterfall) - falling (rocks)
(pond) full - (pond) dry
→ The contrast between the small, fragile and the harsh, tumultuous, rugged.
+ Gentle questioning: articulating the unfairness the stork encounters and the anchoring, laborious, bitter experience of ancient laborers.
Content of the folk verse:
+ Expressing lamentation: borrowing the image of a stork to depict the lives, fate of ancient laborers.
+ Resistance: Gentle questioning reflects a dissenting attitude towards those causing hardship for the ancient farmers, ascending waterfalls, descending rocky paths.

Question 3 (Page 49 textbook Vietnamese Literature 7 Volume 1):
The phrase 'Thương thay' (Pity): the lamentation signifies high-level sympathy, compassion.
- 'Thương thay' is repeated 4 times. The significance of this repetition:

CRAFTING THE ESSAY: MELANCHOLIC SONGS, MODEL 3

Question 1 (Page 49 textbook Vietnamese Literature 7 Volume 1): In folk verses, ancient farmers often employ the image of a stork to depict their lives and fate. Provide a few folk verses to support this and explain why?

Answer:
Some folk verses where ancient farmers commonly use the image of a stork to portray their lives and fate:

A crane out for a midnight feast
Lands on a soft branch, flips upside down into the pond
Oh sir, please rescue me
If I have a heart, you'll pick me up
If you pick, pick in clear water
Don't stir up muddy water, it hurts the crane's heart.

- Rain falls
A twisted gourd appears
A snail curls up
A shrimp flails about
A stork searches for sustenance.

- The stork navigates the riverbank
Bearing a load of rice, the squash's cries echo through the swamp.

Farmers often employ the image of a stork to speak of themselves because:
- Storks often forage in the fields, so the image is closely related to farmers.
- Storks endure hardship, diligently forage in the river. They share many characteristics with the life and qualities of farmers.

Question 2 (Page 49 textbook Vietnamese Literature 7 Volume 1): How is the difficult, arduous life of the stork depicted in the first poem? Besides the content of lamentation, does this folk verse contain any other content?

Answer:
- Depiction method: Uses metaphor, employs the stork's image to speak about human life, utilizing various other artistic techniques.
+ The term 'lận đận' (hardships) and the idiom 'lên thác xuống ghềnh' (up waterfalls, down rocky paths) magnify the suffering and hardship of the stork's life.
+ Contrast: A prominent feature of this folk verse, present in all four lines of poetry.
++) Water non - alone, contrasting the vast expanse and the small, lonely, isolated nature of the stork.
++) Stork - waterfall and rocks; up - down, contrasting the small, fragile nature of the stork with the fierce, harsh elements of nature.
++) The other basin full - that pond dry is an extreme expression of nature, one basin is full, and the pond where the stork forages daily is small and dry. Therefore, even though the stork is nimble, resourceful, and hardworking, the stork's body remains frail and delicate.
+ Gentle questioning (last two lines) is the stork's sigh - a lament, a question without an answer.
- Content of lamentation and resistance:
+ Lamentation: The ancient farmer uses the stork's image to express the bitterness, hardship, and difficulty of life. Thus, this is not just the life story of the stork but also the innermost thoughts of life and the fate of humans. 'Each line of poetry is a sigh, a deep, poignant breath.'
+ Resistance: The gentle questioning in the last two lines also expresses a dissenting attitude towards those causing hardship for ancient farmers, ascending waterfalls, descending rocky paths. Who here represents the feudal class, the ruling class at that time.

Question 3 (Page 49 textbook Vietnamese Literature 7 Volume 1): How do you understand the phrase 'thương thay'? Point out the meanings of the repetition of this phrase in the second folk verse?

Answer:
The content of the second poem expresses the sympathy of laborers towards those who share their hardships. 'Thương thay' is a lamentation expressing compassion, sorrow.
The term 'thương thay' repeated four times carries various shades of meaning:
- Each repetition is a pity for the poor laborers, and it is also a lament for their own fate. Each repetition of 'thương thay' seems to deepen the sense of compassion.
- The repeated use of this term encompasses a broader meaning - Pity for all the humble people who must endure many injustices.

Question 4 (Page 49 Textbook Vietnamese Literature 7 Volume 1): Analyze the compassionate feelings of laborers through the metaphorical images in the second poem

Answer:
- General observation: Images of small, insignificant creatures like the 'silkworm,' 'ant swarm,' 'heron,' and 'stork' are used as metaphors for the arduous life of laborers.
- Specific images:
+ 'Silkworm': The silkworm eats mulberry leaves, and then from its intestines, people extract golden silk threads, making beautiful, valuable fabric. When the silk is depleted, the silkworm's life also ends.
⟹ The silkworm's image is a metaphor for laborers being exploited by the ruling class, exhausting their labor to enrich them.
+ 'Ant swarm': - meaning crowded - 'tiny' 'very small', often despised, not worth much. Being small, they eat little but spend their days looking for food.
⟹ It is a metaphor for the humble laborers in the old society who tirelessly work hard, but still can't make ends meet, still remain poor and hungry.
+ 'Heron' tired wings have no place to rest.
⟹ The metaphorical image speaks of the wandering life and futile efforts of laborers in the old society.

Question 5 (Page 49 Textbook Vietnamese Literature 7 Volume 1): Collect some folk verses that begin with the phrase 'thân em.' What do those folk verses often talk about and how are they similar in terms of art?

Answer:
Some folk verses that begin with the phrase 'Thân em':

- Like raindrops I fall,
Dropping onto palace halls, then onto fields for plowing.

- Like a well in the middle of the path,
Some clean their faces, others wash their feet.

- Like a silk cloth in the market square,
Fluttering, everyone wonders whose hands it will enter.

Folk verses on the theme of personal lament, starting with the phrase 'Thân em...' often depict the fate and suffering of women in feudal society. The greatest agony is the destiny of dependence, deprived of the right to decide.
These folk verses share artistic similarities: they all begin with the phrase 'Thân em,' use similes to describe the fate and suffering of women.

Question 6 (Page 49 Textbook Vietnamese Literature 7 Volume 1): Poem 3 discusses the fate of women in feudal society. What is special about the similes in this poem? How does it portray the life of women in feudal society?

Answer:
- Observations on similes:
+ Bitter gourd: both bitter and sour, moreover, it has fallen - suggesting the hardship and bitterness of poor, miserable lives - the verse carries a strong Southern flavor.
+ Wind strikes, waves rise: images of dark forces combining to crush, submerge the lives of the innocent.
- The agony of women: Through this folk verse, we see women in feudal society drifting, floating, always experiencing hardship and misery.

EXERCISE
Exercise 1 (Page 50 Textbook Vietnamese Literature 7 Volume 1): Identify common features in the content and art of the three folk verses.
Answer:
- In terms of content, all three verses express sympathy and empathy for the pain, hardships, and bitterness of farmers, women. Additionally, these verses have a rebellious, accusatory meaning against feudal society.
- In terms of art, all three verses often use small, sympathetic creatures as metaphorical images to convey the emotions and status of humans. All three use the six-eight couplet form and have a melodious, sympathetic tone. They also share the phrase 'Thân em...' traditionally used in folk verses.
Exercise 2 (Page 50 Textbook Vietnamese Literature 7 Volume 1): Memorize the three folk verses.

PREPARE LESSON: LAMENTING SONGS, MODEL 4:

ESSENTIAL KNOWLEDGE

Lamenting songs are abundant and representative in the treasury of Vietnamese folklore and folk songs. These songs often use small, familiar, and pitiable creatures as symbolic images, metaphors, and comparisons to express the emotions and status of human beings.

1. Distressed in the non-stop water flow
Body of the stork ascending waterfalls and descending rapids
Who caused that pond to fill up
While the other pond dried, why is the skinny stork still around?

2. Pity the fate of the silkworm
How many silk threads it spins before resting.
Pity the tiny ant
How much it searches for food in its small world.
Pity the swan in the sky
Fatigued wings from constant flight, when will it rest?
Pity the quail in the open sky
Even if it cries blood, who will hear it?

3. Your being is like a floating gourd
Wind and waves batter, and you know not where to go.

EXERCISES AND SOLUTIONS

Question 1 (Page 49 Textbook): In folk poetry, ancient farmers often use the image of the stork to express their life and identity. Collect some folk poems to prove this and explain why?

Answer:
The image of the stork in ancient folk poetry is often used to depict life and one's identity because the stork is a gentle, small creature that diligently dives to find food. These qualities resonate closely with the characteristics and identity of a farmer.

'The heron goes to greet the rain,
In darkness, who escorts the heron back?
Back to the village to visit home,
Visit father, visit mother, the heron returns to visit siblings.'

'The heron navigates the riverbank,
A load of rice to feed its mate, the sounds of crying in the paddy.'
'Rain falls,
Watermelon twists,
Snail curls,
Shrimp dashes,
Heron seeks its meal.'

'The heron ventures out for a nighttime feast.
The branch must be soft, flipping upside down into the pond...'

Question 2 (Page 49 Textbook): In the first poem, how is the heron's life depicted as harsh and difficult? Besides the compassionate content, does this folk poem convey any other messages?

Response:
Regarding the content: The folk poem paints a picture of the heron's arduous and challenging life, facing numerous hardships and obstacles; the heron's life is full of adversity, and its existence is a constant struggle for survival. The heron has to endure 'fate' and navigate through difficult terrain alone.
Regarding the artistry: The folk poem has left a profound impression on the reader, evoking a deep sense of compassion for the farmers in the old society. To achieve this, the folk poem has achieved success in various artistic aspects:

EXERCISE

Question 1 (Page 50 Textbook): Enumerate the common points regarding the content and artistry of the three folk poems.

Response:

• The author employs the artistic technique of contrast between images: nonstop water - a lonely figure, the heron's body - the waterfall and rocky rapids, going up the waterfall - down to the rapids, filling the pool - the pond drying up. From this, it helps the reader recognize the extremely precarious and difficult life of the heron.
• Usage of the idiom: 'lận đận' evokes the hardship because the heron must face too many difficulties and obstacles.
• In the poem, many images and words are used to describe the appearance and fate of the heron: alone, the heron's body, the heron implies a sense of pity, lowliness, and loneliness.
• The form of posing the final question in the poem adds a poignant tone, evoking in the reader a sense of compassion and a deep understanding of the hardships of the laboring people in the feudal society.
• The contrasting images, the dangerous places, the ponds, waterfalls, rapids, and the sea show that the heron has had to go through many places, many situations, only by itself, worn out. The life of adversity is vividly and impressively depicted.
  Beyond the content of compassion, the poem also contains content accusing the unjust feudal society. That society has created the situation of full ponds and dry ponds, making the heron more miserable and worn out. The rhetorical question indirectly accuses the unjust feudal society.

Question 3 (Page 49 Textbook): What does the phrase 'thương thay' mean? Point out the meanings of the repetition of this phrase in poem 2?

Response:

The phrase 'thương thay' expresses sympathy, compassion, and pity. This phrase is repeated 4 times, each time emphasizing a sense of sorrow, pity for one's own fate while sympathizing with those in similar circumstances. The repetition not only serves to accentuate the pathos, bitterness of the farmer but also has the function of connecting, developing, expanding, and relating different sorrows. It intensifies the compassion, sorrow for the laborious life of the farmer; It connects and opens up various sorrows, making the poem develop.

Question 4 (Page 49 Textbook): Analyze the expressions of sympathy for the plight of the laborers through the hidden images in poem 2?

Response:

• Depicting small, insignificant creatures like the 'silkworm,' 'ant,' 'heron,' and 'toad' to metaphorically represent the arduous and laborious life of the laborers.
• The expressions of sympathy for the laborers are conveyed through the hidden images in folk poem 2:
• Sympathy for the silkworm represents compassion for a fate drained of energy for the benefit of others;
• Sympathy for the ant – the 'tiny size' signifies compassion for a petite fate, a life of perpetual toil for sustenance;
• Sympathy for the heron – a bird tired from endless flying without a place to rest, symbolizing compassion for a life of wandering, hardship, exhaustion with an uncertain future (knows not when it will end);
• Sympathy for the toad represents the plight of the lowly, even if exhausted to the point of sighing, there is no one moved, no pity.
  => Four creatures, four sorrows, four different pitiable situations make up the numerous sorrows of the laborer's fate.

Question 5 (Page 49 Textbook): Collect some folk poems that begin with the phrase “thân em.” What do these folk poems usually talk about, and how are they similar in terms of artistry?

Response:

Some folk poems beginning with the phrase “thân em”:

Thân em akin to raindrops fall
Drops on the pagoda, drops on the plowed field
Thân em akin to raindrops
Drops into the well, drops into the flower garden

Thân em akin to a drifting gourd
Wind strikes, waves surge, uncertain where to go

Thân em akin to a piece of dried betel nut
The modest are thin, the greedy are thick

Thân em akin to a well on the way
Some wash their faces in purity, others their feet in vanity

These folk poems often speak of the difficult, laborious, and unfair fate of women in ancient society.

• The phrase “thân em” is used to speak of humble lives, hardships, bitterness. This evokes deep sympathy in the reader - Often addressing the pitiful fate, the painful pot of those small, dependent destinies, without the right to decide their own lives - they are the women in feudal society.

In the Vietnamese Literature 7 curriculum, the section Composing the Scene of Late Night, Full-Moon January holds significant importance for your preparation.

Beyond the aforementioned content, you can explore the section Composing Expressive Essays about Literary Works to get ready for this lesson.

Furthermore, Reflecting on Reading the Piece 'Com - A Gift from Tender Rice' is a crucial lesson in the Vietnamese Literature 7 curriculum that requires your special attention.

In addition to the content covered, prepare for the upcoming lesson with the section Composing Hexameter Poems to master your knowledge of Vietnamese Literature 7.