Essay on the Solitary Situation of Military Wives

Topic: Write an essay on the Discussion of the Solitary Situation of Military Wives

Delving into the solitary plight of the military spouse.
 

I. Outline Discussion on the solitary plight of the military spouse (Standard)

II. Sample Essay Discussion on the solitary plight of the military spouse

1. Discussion on the solitary plight of military spouses, model 1 (Standard):

The literary masterpiece Chinh Phu Ngam by Dang Tran Con is a national literary masterpiece. The poem is written in Han script, in the form of short verses with 467 lines. After its creation, Chinh Phu Ngam has been translated by many, but perhaps the most successful translation is by Doan Thi Diem. An excerpt depicting the solitary plight of military spouses is extracted from the work with 24 poignant verses, portraying feelings of sadness, loneliness, longing, and the desire for happiness of a wife with a husband at war. 

“Wandering the deserted porch, silently pacing
Sitting by the thin curtain, tears demanding their turn”

With her husband off to battle, the wife is left alone in cramped space. The image of the solitary woman pacing before the vacant porch is undeniably poignant. The desolation envelops the tiny, desolate space, footsteps echoing 'silently pacing' in exhaustion amidst the silence as if expressing the heavy burden of longing weighing on the soul of the military spouse. Steps taken then sitting, these actions repeat unconsciously, the yearning, waiting for the husband, engulfing the mind. Thin, weary hands grasp the curtain, lifting and lowering it, like an act of weariness, desolation turning into boredom. 

The verbs 'wandering', 'sitting' combined with words denoting emptiness 'desolation', 'vacant porch' along with the slow rhythm of poetry increasingly reveal the deep-seated anguish, silently endured in the heart of the military spouse. Far from her husband, sorrowful, filled with longing, the anticipation of his return at the border grows stronger day by day, awaiting the sound of hoopoe birds bringing joy even though these birds are also 'silent and absent': 

'Beyond the curtain, no news is whispered'

The tiny hope of hearing good news from the hoopoe birds is also nonexistent, exacerbating the sorrow of the military spouse: 

'Within the curtain, is there a light to know?

The lamps have been lit, darkness also envelops the space, this is the time when people feel most lonely, most sorrowful. The question softly rises in the voice of sadness 'Within the curtain, is there a light to know?' That lamp dispels the darkness of the night but it cannot dispel the sorrows in the heart of the empathetic. The indifferent light how can it comprehend the heart, how can it illuminate the soul, the worries in the heart of the military spouse there. 

'Does the light know or does it not
My heart alone knows its own sorrow'

The rhetorical question 'Does the light know - does it not know' only deepens the sadness, the loneliness extending further, becoming more poignant. A sorrow only understood, only endured by her: 

'Unspeakable sorrow overwhelms
That lamp with the shadow of the beloved'

The overwhelming sadness chokes, words fail to suffice. The night grows longer, the lanterns shine brighter yet the heart of the military spouse finds no solace. The figure still sits there, by the late-night lamp, once thought warm, now cold, profoundly lonely. The verse evokes the image of Vu Nuong and her shadow on the wall in longing for her husband at war in 'The Story of Nam Xuong's Daughter'. Perhaps, military spouses choose to encapsulate their longing in their own shadow to alleviate their sorrow. The light fades or perhaps the prime of the young woman diminishes, withering away as time passes in anticipation and longing.

She mourns her husband and then herself, feeling the loneliness, despair expressing the emotional turmoil within the sincere character: pitying others yet feeling sorry for herself, helpless, unable to do anything, resigned to embrace the bitterness. The melancholic lines resonate like choked sobs in each breath, the fervent desire for embrace of the widow only intensifies, yet seems distant, truly heartbreaking, conflicting.

The sadness in the heart renders everything cheerful, nature reflects the mood, all is mournful amidst the night: 

'The rooster crows amidst the misty dawn
The paddles stir, beckoning the shadow to return'

The crowing of the rooster, the shadows of trees are supposed to evoke the tranquility, the serenity of rural life, but under the lonely gaze of the military spouse, the scene becomes desolate, even eerie. Adjectives like 'desolate', 'stirring' vividly depict the desolation, sparse, eerie coldness of the scene. Nature seems weary, exhausted, sinking into the surrounding darkness. 

'Marking the hours relentlessly like years
The lingering sorrow resembles a distant sea'

Throughout the long night's vigil, the widow remains sleepless, the sorrow multiplying exponentially. The comparison combined with the familiar expression 'Marking the hours relentlessly like years' accentuates the loneliness, for the widow, every moment of time feels unbearably long, indescribably sad. Adjectives like 'lingering', 'relentless' combined with nouns denoting time, emotions only highlight the lingering sorrow within the sincere character. The art of using static description to portray space, time to express the sadness of the human heart is delicately employed by the author. The reader feels the pain alongside the character, remembers the longing of the character in every poignant verse.

'The incense lingers, captivating the soul
The mirror reflects tears, turning them into pearls
The iron strings strum, the fingers falter
The silk thread snaps, the melody falters, stumbling'

The torment of loneliness tears at the soul, the military spouse seeks diversions to escape the loneliness within, but it all seems futile. The term 'lingers' indicates weariness, boredom in her. Incense lingers, captivating the soul; the mirror reflects tears, streaming down; even the instruments break, everything seems to be resisting her or perhaps her own heart burdened, unable to escape the loneliness, emptiness at this moment.

'This heart sends the winter wind conveniently
A thousand gold pieces are sent to the distant Yen mountain
Though Yen mountain is far away,
Longing for you deepens the journey through the heavens'

The poignant longing for her husband never fades, no one understands to share her burden, she resorts to confiding her heart to her beloved at the distant border. The symbolic images of 'Yen mountain', 'winter wind' emphasize the endless distance between her and her husband. Gathering all the longing, pain, sorrow, she sends them into the winter wind to reach him, but who understands, the more she longs, the further the distance, infinite. The longing grows longer, wider day by day 'longing for you deepens the journey through the heavens'.

The poem concludes but the sorrow, the agony of the military spouse remains. War is truly cruel, pushing people into intense mental anguish. The longing for happiness of the military spouse in the work is truly worthy of respect, it is also the longing of people in all ages.

Exploring the solitude: Selections from the Solitary Scenes of the Spousal Sacrifice

The imagery of the lamp serves as a familiar aesthetic signal to depict the innermost feelings of sentimental characters. In folk poetry, we encounter a girl's longing conveyed through the detail of the lamp: “A lamp remembers someone / But the light never fades.” Here, the spousal figure faces the lamp in the lonely night, with the question lingering in her heart tenderly: “In the curtain, could there be a lamp, one wonders?” And then, she answers herself in dilemma: “In the curtain, could there be a lamp, one wonders?” The tender question “could there be a lamp” accentuates the poignant longing within the profound sorrow. Furthermore, the rhetorical device “could there be a lamp - does the lamp know” underscores the extreme loneliness, weariness, and despair of the spousal figure. It seems the pain, the sorrow, cannot be contained, she directly reveals her anguish: “My heart alone deeply wounded / Sorrowful, words fail to express.” It is the loneliness, the grief so profound, so agonizing that it remains unspoken by the spousal figure, only she knows and endures. The pain of “sorrow” pierces into her numb heart.

It seems that the more one strives to escape loneliness, the deeper the spousal figure sinks into that emotional tragedy:

“Incense struggles to ignite the soul from its stupor
Mirror struggles to reflect tears turned to pearls
Iron struggles to pluck the strings of the lute
The fated bond snaps, keys of the melody hesitant to play.”

The verb 'struggle' embodies actions filled with determination, reiterated three times to emphasize the loneliness, the sorrow with no escape for the spousal figure. She tries burning incense to seek back the flavor of conjugal happiness but 'the soul gets more lost' - sinking deeper into sadness; struggling to gaze into the mirror to refurbish her beauty but 'tears turn into pearls', unable to stop the tears from flowing due to sorrowful pity. She plays the lute but the sadness only piles up more and fears the unwholesome things about conjugal happiness: 'keys hesitant to play'. Despite emotions swirling deep into the tragedy of loneliness, of foreboding misfortunes, she still wholeheartedly turns towards the distant spousal figure with longing, anticipation:

“This heart sends the east wind if possible
A thousand gold sent to the Yan mountain
...
The sail of hearts devout
The branches misted with dew, the sound of insects amidst the rain.”

The external space is expanded along the wide altitude of the Yan mountain, evoking distant geographical distances. At the same time, it's also the space filled with memories in the sentiment of the sincere character. The author has employed a series of poetic devices like 'profound', 'anguished', 'devout' combined with rhetorical device: 'Yan mountain - Yan mountain', 'the path upwards is through the heavens - heavens profound' to emphasize the endless pain along with the perpetual sorrow constantly residing in the spousal figure's soul. At this moment, the landscape also bears the weight of emotions and contains the sadness: 'branches misted with dew, the sound of insects amidst the rain'. The description of the sentimental scenery - one of the distinctive poetic devices of medieval poetry - has been successfully applied by the author to depict the character's inner feelings. Facing the quiet, desolate space, the drops of night dew not only saturate the branches and leaves but also permeate the frozen soul of the character. The sound of insects depicted through the 'motion describing stillness' technique has emphasized the loneliness, the desolation of the scenery. Perhaps that is also the voice of weakness echoing in the character's helpless sorrow. Her tragic mood has merged with the rain and the scenery.

Thus, through the use of symbolic picturesque imagery, the technique of describing sentimental scenery, the author has successfully recreated a complex yet unified emotional picture of the spousal figure. The different shades of longing have been vividly depicted but all express the sincere longing of the faithful woman's heart, yearning for conjugal happiness, family happiness. Through this, we can perceive the empathetic, compassionate voice of the author towards the tragedy of the woman alongside the condemnation, criticism of the unjust wars in the tumultuous feudal society.

3. Discourse on the solitary plight of the spousal figure, standard 3

Though the war has long passed, its stories, remnants linger on till today. Lessons from history, literary legends still carry the scent of sorrow. I suddenly recall the spousal figure - the spouse in Dang Tran Con's work 'Chinh Phu Ngam' (translated by Doan Thi Diem in the Literature 10 textbook). The spousal figure's solitary plight in that work abruptly makes me shudder with compassion...

'Chinh Phu Ngam' can be considered a famous work by Dang Tran Con translated by Doan Thi Diem (translated version in the Literature 10 textbook). The work is a monologue of the inner thoughts of a wife whose husband participates in a war initiated by the feudal court. The wife advised her husband to serve the king to help the country in hopes of establishing fame. However, when bidding farewell to her husband and returning home alone, the wife in her hometown feels lonely and misses him. The verse 'The solitary plight of the spousal figure' describes the spouse's worry and anxiety when the husband hasn't returned after the deadline, she pours all her longing into the scenery, into everyday actions.

We all know that those in love always want to be together, especially when newly married. And the spousal figure is no exception, the affection between husband and wife is still fresh when he has to go to the battlefield. On the day of farewell, she vowed to wait, but then returning to an empty room with no one around, she blames herself, wonders why the couple had to part? So much loneliness, sadness, and lamentation when enduring such solitary plight...

'Silent steps sow along the deserted veranda'

One might think that in that 'stroll along the veranda', she's relaxed, carefree, but in reality, she's anxious, restless, her heart unsettled. She walks back and forth across the veranda as if to kill time slowly passing by:

'Sitting behind the sparse curtain, urging the river to divulge its secrets
Outside the curtain, no hint is given'

The curtain is drawn up and then dropped again, like her feelings tangled like spun silk, fluctuating, restless. If it's a 'veranda stroll', then it's 'veranda solitude' - the loneliness, the empty space, so when sitting before the curtain, she chooses a sparse curtain, why? Because only with a sparse curtain can she hope that her husband will return, she fragilely hopes that through that little gap, she might catch a glimpse of her beloved husband. A feeling of gloom, laden but with no one to share, the spousal figure seems to imprison herself in her own world:

'Within the curtain, has the lamp known?
Does the lamp truly understand without understanding?
My heart alone understands, that's all.'

The spousal figure sits before the lamp confiding with the light, but it's also herself conversing alone with her heart. She's lonely, she fervently desires someone to talk to, to listen to her thoughts, but how obscure, the silent empty space remains just her alone. Eventually, she borrows the lamp to convey her feelings. We've seen the image of the lamp often in folk poetry like 'A lamp remembers someone / But the light never fades?' The lamp symbolizes longing, for the nights spent waiting eagerly for news from the distant loved one. But the more she asks, the more she retreats into despair, that lamp, after all, is just an inanimate object, how could it understand? She pities her own fate more 'That lamp with your shadow, I feel sorry' - self-pity, self-blame, feeling desolate amidst the silent night. The spousal figure now is just a 'shadow' fading away like the image of a lamp dying out when the oil is depleted, an emptiness, a lifeless body.

The best discourse on the solitary plight of the spousal figure

They say 'The one in sorrow never truly finds joy' perhaps it's true! When the spousal figure's mood is overflowing, the surrounding scenery seems even sadder:

'Rooster crowing in the mist, drums beat in the cold air
Plough sways gracefully, casting shadows in all directions.
The ticking clock is as relentless as the years
The heavy sorrow clings like a distant sea.
Incense burns, the soul entranced and absorbed,
Mirror reflects tears like pearls.
Iron strings plucked, breaking the melody,
Marriage bond severed, keys hesitant.'

The sound of the rooster crowing 'in the mist' evokes melancholy, profound sorrow. The plough in the night, not showing off its beauty but flowing gently with its shadows. The external scenery is tinged with mourning, lifeless, making the spousal figure even more lonely, pitiful. She anxiously awaits, hoping for time to pass quickly, but time keeps dragging on 'relentlessly', thickening her sorrow like a deep sigh for all. An hour for her feels like an endless year, her sorrow and longing for her husband extend to the distant, boundless sea. The art of comparison seems to emphasize, depict more vividly, deeply the longing enveloping both time and space for the spousal figure. She's alone amidst the night, she 'sways' through familiar actions to kill time but seems to lack concentration. She burns incense to find some peace of mind, but the more she gets lost, immersed in her dreams. She looks in the mirror, and 'tears fall like pearls' - the sadness reaching its peak. She breaks the strings, borrowing the sound of the instrument to relieve her heart, but sadly the strings snap, keys hesitate - the desire for happiness suddenly turns ominous, she worries again, thinks and feels even sadder. In reality, we see the spousal figure performing these actions all as if 'forced' - deceiving herself, so her sorrow becomes even more sorrowful, confining herself back into a state of weariness, exhaustion. The first sixteen lines, the image of the spousal figure appears lonely, desolate with deep longing to the point where she forgets reality, sinking into reverie. Indeed, which wife wouldn't feel the same when her husband's figure remains obscure, silent for those years...

If the initial lines of poetry depict the spousal figure's image with fleeting glimpses of longing through scenery, the last eight lines overflow with longing, bursting out into sounds, into shapes. The spousal figure sends that longing to the winter wind, asking the wind to convey it to her husband on the battlefield:

'This heart sends to the winter wind if it may
A thousand gold pieces sent to Mount Yen'

The spousal figure remains deaf to hope, only the wind carries her longing to the distant frontier where her beloved resides. The longing intensifies, sharpens as the poetic rhythm, repetitions, and echoes persist, urgent:

'Mount Yen, though distant from my reach,
I yearn for you, the path to heaven
An abyss of sky, impenetrably vast,
My longing for you, endless, unfulfilled.'

The imagery evokes the depth, breadth of longing continuously appearing 'profoundly', 'painfully' - time, space at this moment seem like units to measure longing. 'The path to heaven' - who knows how long that path is? Longing stretches indefinitely, unknown duration, distance, perhaps merging into the vast blue sky. If time measures the length of longing, space measures its breadth, then the spousal heart is the depth of longing. 'Painful longing' is both desire and despair, longing sent to the skies by the wind, yet only exchanging fear that her beloved at the border might not know of her endless yearning. And if he knew, perhaps he would return...

Longing fully entrusted to the scenery, the human emotion also merges into the landscape. The spousal figure gazes upon the scenery, feeling a chill in her heart, or perhaps we wonder if it's her sorrowful heart that tinges the landscape with pain? 'The scene mourns, the heart aches' or is it the heart that inflicts sorrow upon the scene? Perhaps only the spousal heart truly understands. Or perhaps her heart has now grown cold:

'Branches dripping with dew, the sound of insects, and the pitter-patter of rain'

As night falls, dew saturates the branches, permeating the soul of the spousal figure, rendering her spirit even colder. The chirping of insects in the night evokes loneliness but also resonates with the trembling of her heart, tolling the bell of helplessness. At this moment, sorrow merges with the rain, with nature, blending into the dismal sounds of the night. The human, the mind of the spousal figure, dissolves into the nocturnal rain...

To vividly depict the image of the spousal figure and her profound longing, the author has been remarkably adept in selecting words and imagery. Each word pierces the reader's heart, each image paints a picture of a spousal figure 'wandering through the deserted courtyard,' 'struggling with a broken instrument,'... Coupled with the flowing rhythm of the poetic form, it immerses the reader into layers of emotions, flowing with the mood of the spousal figure. The artistic technique, simple yet profound language, scene - emotion blending together, has successfully captured the reader's emotions.

The spousal figure craves intense empathy but ultimately remains alone. She is still too young, still filled with the fervor of love, the sweetness of marital bliss. Yet war has robbed her of this seemingly simple joy, leaving her isolated, alone, waiting for news of her beloved in vain. Using the image of the spousal figure not only expresses her longing, her solitary plight, but also speaks out against unjust wars, fighting for the right to happiness in love. And importantly, the longing for a peaceful life.

Closing the poem, yet the image of the spousal figure sitting before the mirror, tears glistening, continues to haunt my mind. I pity her, pity her solitary fate, pity the plight of a woman in her youthful prime enduring loneliness. Startled, I suddenly think there are probably many more spousal figures like her in feudal society. Thoughts for their fate persist within me...

'Marking time as endless as the years
The anguish dense as the distant sea'

4. Argument on the solitary plight of the spousal figure, model 4 (Standard):

War - two words that sound so painful, it has left behind so many consequences, of separation, of loss. Since ancient times, war has always occurred to reclaim independence or to conquer. Whatever the purpose, it has brought suffering to many families in the agony of separation, anxiously waiting each day. Understanding that sentiment, in the 18th century, author Đặng Trần Côn composed the poem 'Chinh Phụ Ngâm' about the loss, the loneliness of a woman whose husband went off to war. The excerpt 'The solitary plight of the spousal figure' highlights the sadness, the loneliness, the daily worry for the husband, and the hope for a happy future.

The excerpt begins, and the reader immediately senses a solitary figure, alone in a quiet, serene space:

'Strolling through the vacant courtyard in silent steps
Sitting by the thin curtain, silently pleading
Beyond the curtain, no news whispered
Within, does the light exist, one wonders?'

Although not a word about a person, one can instantly feel the image of a woman, too solitary, too lonely in the deserted 'courtyard'. She paces back and forth, each step a manifestation of worry, of anticipation. Actions repeated unconsciously, drawing the curtain, then pulling it back, she gazes into the distance, her heart focused solely on her husband, awaiting news. The steady, rhythmic verse creates a vivid image, capturing the reader's empathy. With the gentle inquiry, she truly desires to know her husband's well-being, her anxious heart echoing with unanswered questions.

Argument on the solitary plight of the spousal figure reveals the fate of women in ancient society

Her loneliness, who understands it? She longs to share, yet she can only confide in inanimate objects:

'Does the light know, or is it oblivious?
My heart, it knows its own sorrow
Sadness, unspoken, blooms like a flower
The light, its shadow, I hold dear.'

In the quiet of the night, with only the solitary lamp as company, she questions, perhaps to soothe her own heart. But facing the light, she sees only the stark silhouette of her own solitude, realizing that 'my heart, it knows its own sorrow', that no one but her is consumed by loneliness with each passing second, each hour. The imagery of the lamp, often used in poetry, here serves as a metaphor for the woman awaiting her husband, a sorrowful plight eliciting compassion.

Seemingly, the loneliness of the spousal figure has gradually permeated every space:

'The rooster crows amidst dew, the drum echoes in the night'

The rooster's crow reaches the dew, the shadow of the hoe sways in the night. Here, the author employs a metaphorical description, painting a scene tinted with endless sorrow difficult to grasp. Not only the scenery, but also her time seems to flow slower:

'Each passing hour feels like a year, sorrow weighs heavy like a distant border'

Every line brims with emotion. With the phrase 'feels like a year' paired with 'weighs heavy', the author accentuates a sadness that not only lingers but also burdens. Emphasizing both time and space, comparing an hour to a year, sorrow to the vast sea with two poignant phrases, as if depicting the pitiful sighs of the waiting wife.

That woman is battling loneliness hour by hour:

'The scent, forced, burns the longing soul,
The mirror, forced, reflects tears like pearls,
The fingers, forced, pluck the strings of the lute,
The bond of love severed, keys hesitant.'

The word 'forced' is repeated three times, signifying actions filled with reluctance, attempting to do something. Her sadness seems to reach its peak. Trying to burn incense, yet she loses herself in reverie, unable to stay conscious. Forcing herself to look in the mirror to fix her appearance, yet tears only well up. Playing the lute, fearing the strings will snap, then memories come flooding back. Thinking to do something to forget the sorrow, but instead, the sadness piles up even more.

Living in such loneliness, such worry, yet her heart always turns towards that distant land, always preserving her loyal heart:

'This heart sends the winter wind with ease,
A thousand gold pieces I send to Non Yen'

……

The sail earnestly holds its heart,
The branches dew-soaked, echoing the sound of drizzling rain.

Space seems to expand further, farther to the Non Yen mountain. She gathers all memories, deep love from the bottom of her heart, sending them with the winter wind to the distant border. A poignant image evokes the geographical distance between two people, overflowing memories filling the vast space. Combined with a somewhat speculative image of tender longing, it seems that only the dimensions of the universe can measure her heart. Amidst the scene of humans and nature, there is a similarity because 'No joy in such a sad scene.' The woman gazes at the landscape with eyes filled with sorrow. Whether describing emotions or scenes, we see the woman's loneliness and solitude entangled. The term 'earnestly' shows relentless persistence, clinging to the woman like a relentless longing. The landscape of trees, dew, rain, all images are small, delicate, just like her, making her even more melancholic.

Under his pen, the author employed various artistic techniques to portray the emotions of the chinh phụ. He used unique idioms combined with allegory, skillfully employing metaphorical imagery and symbolic poetic devices. Particularly successful was his 'scene portrayal,' which highlighted the various emotions of the woman. The mixed seven-six-eight verse with its melodious rhythm inevitably evoked empathy, endearing the chinh phụ to the reader even more.

The verses in the excerpt painted a poignant sorrow of the woman with a husband at war. Through this, the author aims to condemn feudal warfare, which destroyed the happiness of human couples, while affirming the human right to happiness. He empathizes with the woman and always hopes they also find happiness, showing deep humanitarian ideals: love and respect for human beings.

5. Argument about the lonely situation of the chinh phụ, model 5 (Standard):