Crafting the melody for feline ears

COMPOSING A MELODY FOR CATS, SHORT 1

COMPOSING A MELODY FOR CATS, SHORT 2

Reading Practice and Understanding Annotations:
+ Read the text multiple times. Pay attention: distinguish the opening, body, and conclusion parts: from when until now, mice are already afraid of cats, ... One day ... Since then ... mice still fear cats. Read character dialogues - expressing personality, character feelings, clarify the narrator's commentary when the mouse is in a predicament. That's when it's miserable, that's when it's good, that's when it's not strange at all), especially the teasing tone of the narrator (mice always fall, Uncle Chù, cousin Nhắt, Mr. Cống, the village with long teeth, your uncle..., run away in misery...).
+ Understand the meanings of the annotated words in the text and in the annotations section to understand the mouse characters and other narrations. For example: Uncle Chù turns into a verse, cousin Nhắt turns into a simile, Mr. Cống marks it above Mr. Đồ...
+ Pay attention to the adjectives describing mouse actions, creating different adjective phrases. For example: Each one is happy, the council is silent and clumsy, Cống is nervous but puts on a protective act, he (Nhất) is quick but sure to do the job, I was small then, he is slow but sure... he is honest without knowing why, mouse Cống is quick-tongued...

Reading - Understanding the Story: (Answer questions on page 107 of the textbook)
1. Summarize the story based on the defined ideas:
The Mouse Village is still afraid of cats, today they gather to resist cats (the reason for the mouse village meeting). The Mouse Village arrives in full force, from Uncle Chù stinky, cousin Nhắt sly, Mr. Cống trembling fat (the scene of the village gathering at the beginning). Mr. Cống speaks up analyzing why cats have been catching their brothers and proposes the initiative to 'put music on cats' so that when cats approach, the music rings, and our brothers know to run away (the initiative to put music on cats suggested by Mr. Cống). The whole village nominates Mr. Cống, the one who declares the task, to put music on cats. Mr. Cống cleverly pushes Mr. Chù into a difficult position, suggesting that cats have never eaten a village mouse (the scene of the person putting on music). Chù meets a cat, only then does he see the Cat gently stroking the bed and running back to the village. The whole village is so scared that they run away in panic, forgetting where the music went: implementing the 'initiative').

2. The initial village scene and the task of appointing someone to 'put music on cats' have many contrasting features. These are artistically contrasting elements with artistic value reflecting the purpose of Resisting cats
Content Running away from cats
Task
The excited village meeting for the 'initiative' - Handing out tasks and everyone is silent and clumsy.
Identity
Also the one who declares the 'initiative' When the village appoints someone to put on music, it is the person who criticizes, despises cats.
First delegate to the last delegate The contrasting details with the intended meaning above are to express the true nature of the 'mouse council,' meaning the council is eager to discuss but assigns tasks that no one accepts, the person in charge then withdraws with this reason, that reason; finally, pushing the problem onto the heads of the people smoothly; the tasks proposed are enthusiastic but are ideal tasks that cannot be realistically implemented, so the result is not achieved at all.

3. (Difficult question) The way each mouse is described does indicate a type of person in the old society (even today!).
- Cống is described with appearance: trembling fat, marking above Mr. Đồ, always speaking up, personality: proclaiming the theory of 'putting on music' but the village just nominated, internally nervous but still putting on a protective act, leaning on prestige to avoid work, delegating tasks to others » This is the image of the old village head, the village chief in the countryside, eating while sitting on top, giving orders.
- Nhắt is described with appearance: sly, agile (according to Cống's words), good at arguing, personality, pretending to obey the village but still afraid of the job, also relying on the 'upper layer' to avoid work and also having the talent to assign work to others (Uncle Chù, though slow, but sure) – This is the image of the sycophantic ones in the old village, outwardly obedient to superiors, but also able to hide behind superiors and cleverly delegate work to others, also cunning, agile as the appearance of him.
- Chu is described with appearance: gentle (honest without knowing how to argue, utters a word), personality: emotional (I am a servant of the village), humble (the village is wrong, I have to do it), also afraid of death but cares about the result of the job (cat meat, who will replace me, and ties the music), very cowardly (running in misery when the cat comes close) – this is the image of the common people in the old society, always being assigned dangerous tasks by the powerful, even tasks with dangers to replace death for the powerful.

4. In the Mouse Village meeting, Mouse Cống holds the power to declare tasks and give orders. The villagers or the obedient followers of the feudal mice (Mouse Chù) must obey and undertake difficult, dangerous tasks. The story implicitly criticizes the phenomenon of power abuse by the village leaders in the old days, exploiting status, bullying the common folks, being ready to dictate but avoiding the actual work, misguiding those below. The story reflects the feudal relationships in the old hierarchical system in rural Vietnam.

5. The story 'Putting Music on Cats' imparts several lessons to humans:
- Only undertake tasks when conditions are sufficient, avoid illusions.
- When holding a position of power, don't rely on authority to force others to do laborious tasks; instead, set an example yourself.
- If you propose an 'initiative' for a task, be the first to test it.
- When discussing tasks, be enthusiastic, but when assigned, don't evade, push it onto others, especially for challenging and dangerous tasks.

Practice
1. Character of Mouse Cống: A manipulative demeanor, actions and words don't match, exploiting authority and status to give orders, avoiding work, unwise words. 2. (Additional exercise): Relate the story to real-life.
The first time the concept of the 'Mouse Council' became a proverb from the fable: Putting Music on Cats to connect events in real life.
Example:
a) In class, when discussing tasks, there is enthusiasm, but when assigned, some try to avoid.
b) Some officials nowadays are corrupt, not investigating the situation thoroughly, proposing tasks without results, causing damage to the state budget.
c) Some officials exploit their power and position, only suggesting directions and strategies but never participating in execution, at least at the testing stage.
d) Once you've taken on a task, you must be determined to carry it out; facing initial difficulties shouldn't lead to escape, evading responsibilities both for the group and individually responsible.

Continue reading more essays to excel in Grade 6 Literature

- Prepare the lesson 'Frog at the Bottom of the Well'
- Compose the lesson on Nouns, the next section