Buzz
Prompt: Drawing upon poetry and historical facts, substantiate the assertion: 'Our people harbor an ardent love for their country.'
Essay:
Vietnam, though a small nation, endured thousands of years of domination by ruthless empires. As a colonized people, they garnered global admiration for their resilient spirit, embodying the ethos of 'sacrifice everything but the homeland.' The monumental achievements spanning continents owe much to the immense efforts and profound love of the people for their homeland. Hence, it is undeniably true that 'Our people harbor an ardent love for their country.'
The concept of 'patriotism' dates back millennia, originating from the early days when our forefathers built and defended the nation. It is a wholehearted dedication to the homeland, to the roots, with gratitude for all that is beautiful and sacred. Human beings are moved by the love of their partners, enchanted by the love of nature, delighted by the love of animals, and all these simple emotions nurture a greater, nobler love – the love for the homeland. As the Vietnamese writer Nga Ê-ren-bua once said: 'Rivers flow into the sea, the Vân -ga river flows into the ocean. Love for home, love for the village, love for the homeland becomes love for the Motherland.'
From the early days of history, when the nation was in its infancy, our people knew how to unite to build a community. The geography of the country, with its proximity to rivers and the sea, made the construction of irrigation systems essential to bring water closer to the people for agriculture. From that origin, our people worked together for livelihood, giving rise to traditional cultural customs passed down through millennia. Especially, this spirit was elevated in the resistance wars against invading forces under the leadership of figures like Ngô Quyền, Lý Nam Đế, Trần Hưng Đạo, and more. Not only in historical reality but also in Vietnamese literature, there are masterful poems expressing the 'ardent love for the country.' One such example is Lý Thường Kiệt's masterpiece, Nam quốc sơn hà:
Nam quốc sơn hà nam đế cư
Absolute fate decreed by heaven's script
Defying foreign invasion like a mountain
Equal in rank, together we resist, the enemy shall perish
In 'Poem about the non-glass squad,' Pham Tien Duat expresses:
No glass, no lights on the car
No car hood, the truck has scratches
The car still runs because the South is ahead
Just need a heart inside the car.
Despite the harshness of resistance, despite the hardships, Vietnamese soldiers and citizens have never faltered. They take difficulties as motivation, challenges as goals to fight and overcome. The more they go through the war, the stronger and more resilient their spirit of resilience and love for the country becomes.
'Passionate love for the country' is not only expressed in war but also in peacetime with love for nature, love for simple and dear things in everyday life. To achieve the innovative achievements of today, it is the immense contribution of those who silently sacrificed, devoted their youth. It is the young man, the engineer, the painter in the work 'Silent SaPa' by Nguyen Thanh Long. The young man works in meteorology on the peak of the 2860m high mountain, alone all year round but not lonely because in him, the bright ideal is always dedicated a little of his small effort to the nation-building career. Just like the name 'silently,' although his work is not well known, no one even notices it, he still feels truly happy and peaceful. Love for the country is something extremely sacred. It is a red thread that extends from this time through the ages, from one person to another. So that when looking back, we feel truly grateful and proud.
Here, patriotism for Nguyen Tuan is to find the 'golden essence of nature and people in the northwest' in 'The boatman of the Da River.' The artist cherishes every beauty of nature just like cherishing every proud emotion for the country. He discovers behind the fierceness, brutality of the Da River is the 'sentimental flowing hair' that is both gentle and soft. He discovers behind the image of the small boatman is an artist who is both clever and brave. He discovers behind the simplicity of Northwest nature is a magnificent, charming painting that can only be fully explored by digging deep.
Indeed, the deep love for the country is not only a precious tradition passed down through generations of the nation but will also be an enduring sentiment in the people for generations to come. Patriotism is the most solid foundation for the strength of the nation. Therefore, every citizen must always be conscious of preserving, promoting, and protecting that tradition so that the country can prosper and thrive.
