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Prompt: The Soldier's Image in the third stanza of Tây Tiến
Sample essay dissecting the soldier's portrayal in the third stanza of Tây Tiến
Sample Essay Analyzing the Depiction of Soldiers in the third stanza of Tây Tiến
Tip: Techniques for analyzing prose or poetry effectively and scoring high marks
Quang Dũng has erected a monument depicting an anonymous soldier in the third stanza of the poem Tây Tiến. One could perceive this third stanza as the final strokes completing the grand portrait of the valiant and magnificent soldier of Tây Tiến.
The portrait of the soldier emerging in the third stanza seamlessly combines the beauty of the soul, the ideals of combat, and the heroic quality of sacrifice. One could argue that the entire poem is a colorful monument to a military unit amidst an extraordinary backdrop.
The portrayal of the Tây Tiến battalion is etched with a blend of realism and romanticism. Details seemingly drawn from real life intertwine with the poetic soul of Quang Dũng, captivatingly emerging on the pages of verse. Along the journey, the majestic and valiant beauty gradually shines, until the Tây Tiến soldiers confront disease and death, their brilliance shining even brighter, each stroke sharp and poignant, yet full of romance:
Tây Tiến battalion without a hair
Army green, fierce and proud.
Quang Dũng's choice of words here is intriguing. If the author starts the stanza with the term 'Army,' here the author uses 'Battalion.' It's the same army, but when using 'Battalion,' it evokes the image of a unit of warriors armed with weapons, with a combat stance that overshadows the frailty of illness. The phrase 'without a hair' flips the passive situation to active. No longer is the army succumbing to jungle fever, losing all their hair. The tone of the verse almost seems deliberate, as if they intentionally don't grow hair. It sounds defiantly proud and distinctly gallant.
The details 'without a hair, army green' depict the extraordinary hardship of soldiers' lives in a particularly active theater. The remnants of endless bouts of jungle fever are 'hairless' and pale skin. But contrasting with the emaciated appearance is the extraordinary inner strength emanating from the posture of 'fierce and proud.' With the art of contrast, just two lines of Quang Dũng's verse highlight the extraordinary nature of the Tây Tiến battalion. They emerge as images of noble warriors, once again, in the following two lines:
Eyes glaring, dreams crossing borders
Nights dreaming of Hanoi's graceful allure
'Eyes glaring' signifies pent-up resentment to the extent of being able to incinerate enemies through the light of the eyes. The poetic imagery highlights the determination of the Tây Tiến battalion. Here, the Tây Tiến soldier is referenced with all the realities of exhaustion and hardship through phrases like 'without a hair,' 'army green.' It is from these realities that the vivid portrait of the soldier emerges. However, transcending hardships and shortages, the soldier's soul still soars 'Nights dreaming of Hanoi's graceful allure.' The verse illuminates the beauty of the Tây Tiến soldier's soul. By day, 'Eyes glaring, dreams crossing borders' dreams of conquest towards the battlefield, but when the bombs quiet down, those dreams turn towards the rear, also towards the future, promising. A day returns in victory to reconnect with past dreams, the will is fierce, the emotions are intoxicated. Two harmonious beauties in the character of the Tây Tiến men.
Quang Dũng employed contrasting images: on one side, the graves, on the other, the determination of the warriors:
Scattered graves at the borderlands afar
Battlefields tread without regret for verdant lives
Uniforms replace covers, returning heroes to the earth
River Mã roars a solitary march.
'Graves in distant lands' are the lonely, desolate graves in remote places. These scattered graves along the marching route cannot hinder the determined spirit of the soldiers. The following verse is the resolute answer of those who stand above death:
Battlefields tread without regret for verdant lives.
It is the deep love for the homeland that makes the soldiers regard death lightly. When needed, they are ready to sacrifice for the greater cause peacefully, like a peaceful slumber. The verse resonates like an oath indeed, the death of a nobleman:
'Uniforms replace covers, returning heroes to the earth.'
While the noble knights of old viewed horse-hide armor as ideal, today's soldier, like comrade Hồ, fights and sacrifices for the Motherland silently and naturally. The image of the 'uniform' adds an air of reverence and solemnity to the soldier's death. The term 'uniform' borrowed from ancient literature reconstructs the beauty of a warrior and obscures the harsh reality of the battlefield. It also evokes the valor of the brave, 'ready to die amidst chaos.' The word 'returning' speaks of the cavalier attitude, the swagger of the valiant soldier 'He returns to the earth,' a powerful image of praise. After fulfilling their sacred duty, the Tây Tiến soldiers return in the embrace of their homeland, of comrades, back to where they were nurtured. In the face of noble deaths in distant, desolate lands, the River Mã bears witness and bids farewell.
The poem begins with the image of the River Mã, a river inseparable from the history of the Tây Tiến battalion. The River Mã has witnessed all hardships, all triumphs, and now witnesses the sacrifice of the soldiers. The stanza concludes with a heroic ode of the River Mã.
'River Mã roars a solitary march.'
The River Mã is a witness of a heroic era, witnessing the deaths of brave warriors, it roars a solemn march, shaking the very wilderness. The verse carries the atmosphere of a battlefield, an ancient epic. It speaks of painful loss yet still magnificence.
Four concluding lines:
The four lines ending the poem are written like inscriptions on a tombstone. These lines are also the oath of the defenders of the nation.
'Who goes to Tây Tiến in that spring'
'Spring' can be interpreted in many ways: the time of the establishment of the Tây Tiến battalion (spring 1947), the spring of the nation, the spring (youthful vigor) of the soldiers' lives.
