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Prompt: Exploring the Image of the Mother in Chế Lan Viên's Poem 'The Stork'
I. Structural Overview
II. Sample Essay
Unveiling the Maternal Essence in Chế Lan Viên's Poem 'The Stork'
Expert Techniques for Analyzing Poetry and Extracting High Scores
I. Outline: The Portrayal of the Mother in Chế Lan Viên's Poem 'The Stork'
1. Introduction
- Brief overview of the author and the literary work.
- The maternal portrayal in 'The Stork.'
2. Main Body
a. Section 1: The image of the mother revealed through gentle lullabies.
- The mother isn't just singing lullabies; she's imparting the serene beauty of the homeland through the imagery of white stork wings.
→ Instilling in the child early perceptions of affection for the homeland.
- The mother's sentiment with the lines 'The stork, alone, must seek its food/With you, my child, play, then sleep again' expresses sacrifice, hardship, and daily toil for her child.
- The imagery of the struggling, solitary stork echoes the traditional image of Vietnamese mothers, representing their hardship, resilience, and daily struggles.
+ They endured hardship and toil daily, regardless of day or night, enduring many bitter moments.
+ Faced with the innocent child, the mother does not resent those hardships; instead, she consistently exhibits gentle, humane love, ready to envelop and protect.
b. Verse 2: The mother's bond with the child in every activity, in every step of life.
- The mother embraces the child, providing a warm, peaceful sleep, nurturing and comforting the child throughout the childhood years, accompanying them to school.
- The mother's contemplations about the distant future, as the child grows up and ventures into life's journey.
c. Final Stanza: Mother's contemplations and heartfelt messages for the child still in the cradle.
- Advising the child that no matter where they go, the mother will steadfastly walk alongside, sheltering the child as in childhood, for 'Even when grown, you're still my own/Through life's journey/my heart follows you still.'
- Reminding the child of the mother's life, a life of struggles through rain and shine, to shield the child from life's storms. Despite the unspoken sacrifices and hardships, the mother dedicates all-encompassing, immense love to the child, hoping they grow up to be a useful individual for the country, not betraying the mother's earnest desires.
3. Conclusion
Express your impressions.
II. Sample Essay: The Maternal Image in Chế Lan Viên's Poem 'The Stork'
Chế Lan Viên (1920-1989) stands as a renowned poet in the 20th-century Vietnamese literary scene. His name gained widespread recognition during the New Poetry Movement (1932-1941), particularly with the explosive collection 'Dissolution' (1937). With a unique, mystical, and eerie poetic soul, Chế Lan Viên shifted his focus post-August Revolution. Like many contemporary intellectuals breaking free from stagnation, he redirected his poetry towards exploring the beauty of humanity, the nation, and sacred emotions. His verses, laden with philosophy, intellect, and profound thoughts, portray diverse, rich, and engaging imagery. 'The Stork' ranks among Chế Lan Viên's masterpieces, found in the anthology 'Everyday Flowers - Storm Herald Birds' (1967). In this work, the maternal image emerges through the pervasive theme of the poem, depicting the stork intimately and tenderly, with verses resembling sweet, soothing lullabies, brimming with the sanctity of maternal love.
In the initial stanza, the motherly figure is revealed through gentle lullabies, her arms cradling the child warmly, radiating love and happiness. The mother sings lullabies with words like:
'The stork flies here
The stork flies there
The stork at the Gates of Phủ
The stork in Đồng Đăng...'
The mother's role goes beyond lulling the child to sleep; it involves imparting wisdom when the child is still an innocent soul, 'the child still carried in arms/the child doesn't yet know the stork.' Yet, through knowledge and genuine care, the mother introduces the child to the stork within the loving and warm lullabies. The mother conveys the serene beauty of the homeland through images of white stork wings and familiar landmarks, instilling in the child early perceptions of affection for the homeland.
The maternal image continues to emerge through the mother's sentiments towards the child, 'The stork, alone, must seek its food/With you, my child, play, then sleep.' This reveals the sacrifice, hardship, and daily labor of the mother, ensuring her child enjoys peaceful sleep and a happy childhood without worries. The following verses convey:
'The stork eats at night
The stork far from its nest
The stork encounters soft branches
The stork fears rustling reeds
Sleep soundly, sleep soundly, dear stork, fear not
If the branch is soft, I'm ready to lift.'
Here, it's not just the mother's words about the challenging, solitary life of the stork compared to the child. Through the image of the struggling stork searching for food, we see the reflection of the traditional Vietnamese mother, the image of a woman in the folk tradition. They endured hardship and toil daily, facing many bitter moments, enduring hardships to provide sustenance for their families. This sacrifice might not be fully understood or shared by everyone, but faced with their innocent child, mothers don't resent the hardships. Instead, they consistently exhibit gentle, humane love, ready to envelop and protect. The soft branches represent many fears for the mother, yet for the child, the mother is unafraid, even ready to lift the soft branches. In the mother's lullabies, there's not only warmth but also profound cultural knowledge, enriching the child's early perceptions with vivid concepts, bringing a 'breath of spring' to their souls. The mother goes above and beyond to provide the best for the child—sweetest milk, a happy childhood, and a beautiful life.
And not only in infancy, when the child is still cradled in the mother's arms, does the mother give her all. The image of the mother, like the stork's wings, remains connected and accompanies the child throughout life's journey.
'Sleep soundly, sleep soundly, sleep soundly
For the white stork comes to befriend
The stork stands around the cradle
Then the stork enters its nest
If the child sleeps, the stork sleeps too
The wings of the stork, a pair molded together
Tomorrow, as you grow, follow the stork to school
The white stork's wings following the footsteps
Grow up, grow up, grow up...
What will you become?
You'll become a poet
The white stork's wings endlessly soaring
In front of the house
And within the cool breeze of verse.'
The mother cradles the child, providing a warm, peaceful sleep, ensuring tranquility, and tenderly watching over the child's slumber throughout the tender years of childhood. When the child starts school, the mother guides those initial steps, daily ushering the child with hopes that their life will be illuminated by knowledge. Especially, the mother's love, gentleness, concern, and hope for the child are evident in her contemplations about the distant future, when the child grows up, matures, and steps into life's journey.
'Grow up, grow up, grow up...
What will you become?
You'll become a poet
The white stork's wings endlessly soaring
In front of the house
And within the cool breeze of verse.'
The mother contemplates a distant future where the child will become a poet, bringing beautiful verses to life. Whether the child becomes anything else, the mother will always walk alongside, vigilantly following the child throughout life, simply because the child is her own.
In the final stanza, the image of the mother emerges through her thoughts, her words of advice to the infant.
'Even if near, even if far
Up mountains and down rivers
The stork will find you
The stork forever loves you
Even when grown, you're still my child
Through life's journey, my heart follows you
Ah!
Just one stork
The stork that my mother sings
Is also a life
Fluttering wings over the cradle
Sleep, sleep!
For the stork's wings, the expanse
For the entire sky
Arrives singing
Around the cradle.'
Despite knowing that the day will come when you travel across the world, up mountains and down rivers, the mother tenderly reminds you that wherever you go, she will steadfastly walk beside you, sheltering you just like in your childhood because 'Even when grown, you're still my child/Through life's journey, my heart follows you.' Even at 80 years old, you remain the cherished child in the vast, unchanging expanse of your mother's compassionate heart. The mother also emphasizes, 'Just one stork/The stork that my mother sings/Is also a life/Fluttering wings over the cradle,' conveying her teachings about the stork. Her song isn't just a lullaby but also the life of the mother, a life enduring storms, rain, and hardship, shielding the child from life's tempests. The mother doesn't count the cost, doesn't complain about the hardships, yet dedicates her entire life to providing the greatest, most magnificent love to her child, hoping that you grow up to be a useful person for the country, not betraying her hopeful heart.
Chế Lan Viên's Con cò is a profound and beautiful poem that delves into the sacred theme of maternal love, a beloved subject in post-August Revolution poetic works. What sets Con cò apart from other works with similar themes is the use of the stork imagery from traditional folk poetry to construct the image of the mother, the typical Vietnamese woman, enduring, resilient, and sacrificial. Accompanied by the flexible, short and long free verses, imbued with the gentle, lulling tone, the poem offers readers profound thoughts and philosophies about maternal love and the life of each individual, encapsulated within the mother's lullabies.
