Prompt: Impressions on some charming characters mentioned in the story 'Silent Sa Pa'
2 sample essays on Impressions on some charming characters mentioned in the story 'Silent Sa Pa'
1. Impressions on some endearing characters mentioned in the story 'Silent Sa Pa,' Sample 1:
Every literary work has its own destiny. Some works barely make a sound upon arrival and perish pitifully. Some cause a commotion in public opinion for a while and then fade into obscurity with time. Yet there are poems, stories that possess enduring vitality in the hearts of readers, with a peculiar allure. Nguyễn Thành Long's short story 'Silent Sa Pa' is a remarkable piece, leaving us with many beautiful emotions.
The story lacks extraordinary characters, grand achievements, unlike many war narratives of the anti-American resistance era.
Nguyễn Thành Long employs a gentle and poetic writing style: nature unfolds under a tender, warm, and strangely unfamiliar sentiment. Particularly charming are the images of ordinary yet admirable laborers.
Four individuals mentioned by the author, old and young, male and female, aside from the kind driver, the remaining three characters are social intellectuals: the old painter, the science officer, and the recent graduate female engineer. The story almost lacks a plot, yet the encounter between them lingers in our minds.
The kind-hearted and humorous driver serves as a memorable storyteller. The old painter, experienced and wise, postponed a 'feast' to embark on his final practical journey to the Northwest before retirement. His pen seems like another heart throughout his life, and he 'craves' art, 'loving life' and people even more. Half an hour of conversation with the young man, and his sincere attitude toward the female engineer, like a 'parental' bond, impresses and respects him. He is a true artist, a meticulous intellectual, a beautiful personality with a rich inner life.
Essay on Impressions on some charming characters mentioned in the story 'Silent Sa Pa'
The young man is a character the author showers with favor, described profoundly, leaving many beautiful impressions. Regarding appearance, he has a 'small stature and a radiant face.' Living and working alone on the 2600m high Yen Son mountain, surrounded by year-round cold mist. Labor and efficiency are the measures of human worth. He works in meteorology, 'measuring wind, rain, sunshine, calculating clouds, seismic activity, participating in daily weather forecasts, serving production, serving combat.' He collects accurate data and reports to the headquarters. On snowy, freezing nights, he holds a hurricane lamp in the garden at one in the morning, indescribable hardships. He played a crucial role in detecting fluffy clouds in the Ham Rong sky, allowing our air force to down many American planes. 'The loneliest person in the world'—is it really so?
His true value lies in the simplicity of his existence. He craves humanity, but not the bustling urban nostalgia. He always questions himself: 'What am I born for, where am I born, who do I work for?'. A sense of responsibility that commands admiration. He knows how to pick up books for a 'conversation,' for progressive learning, and to enrich his knowledge. He speaks of himself with innocence and humility. He doesn't want the painter to paint his portrait. He praises the engineer in Sa Pa's vegetable garden, the science officer studying clay maps, stating they are 'people working and thinking... for the country.'
He also possesses a generous and noble heart. He sends a gift to the wife of the kind driver who just recovered— a bunch of ginseng. He presents the young engineer visiting his 'home' with a visibly large and beautiful bouquet. He offers a tray of eggs for lunch to the guests. It's all simple garden foliage, but behind this gift is a lofty heart, full of human warmth. He is an intellectual with a polite demeanor, radiating warm affection.
The young engineer, portrayed briefly by the author, is genuinely charming. Her gesture of 'holding the bouquet to her chest,' listening attentively to the young man's story, and quietly contemplating, moved when she sees the book the young man is reading on the table— entering life, she encounters the young man like a mirror, reflecting to understand herself, thinking about the faded love she rejected, and the path she is taking. She is as beautiful as the flowers she holds.
These are characters, souls, pure, simple, kind, and filled with love. Nguyễn Thành Long doesn't embellish, only hints at 'a page of life, a piece, a feature of life carved out... subtle observations gently reminding readers' (Tô Hoài), deeply permeating. Because that is the color, the flavor of life.
My impression of Nguyen Thanh Long's Short Story 'Silent Sa Pa' is that it's a captivating narrative. With a simple plot revolving around an unexpected encounter between an elderly painter, a young engineer, and a spirited youth working at the weather station atop Yen Son in Sapa, it leaves readers with joy and fascination. Therefore, there's an opinion that:
Reading the story 'Silent Sapa' by Nguyen Thanh Long in our youth, we perceive many enriching and interesting aspects: Life is truly beautiful and lovable. Around us, there are so many beautiful souls, their actions are admirable and lovable.
The story 'Silent Sapa' is almost plotless. A young man working as a weather station attendant and a geophysicist living alone on the 2,000-meter-high Yen Son. His work may seem ordinary, but it is crucial, contributing to production and warfare. The chance encounter of the old painter, the young engineer, and him highlights the ideal figure and leaves a farewell full of nostalgia.
The life of the young man, like the vegetable garden engineer in Sa Pa, the altitude measurer in the story, is truly beautiful and lovable.
-Despite his youth, the young man willingly embraces a solitary life atop the high mountain, surrounded year-round only by companionship with plants, the mist of Sa Pa. He creates a sense of normalcy for himself: planting flowers, raising chickens, and reading books. Even in a place devoid of people throughout the year, he fulfills his duties perfectly because of his sense of responsibility and genuine concern for the country and its people.
Reflections on some endearing characters mentioned in the story Silent Sa Pa, a selected literary piece
-The vegetable garden engineer in Sa Pa, with a seemingly ordinary but highly impactful job: artificially pollinating carrots to make them larger and sweeter, serving the human way of life.
-The scientific research officer has been patiently waiting for 11 years to complete the survey map, searching for potential resources for the country.
They are individuals who live and work, dedicating themselves wholeheartedly to life and the people. Just as Nguyen Thanh Long remarked: In the quiet stillness of Sa Pa, the mere mention of Sa Pa evokes thoughts of serenity, with people laboring and contemplating for the nation.
In today's life, amidst the era of the market economy, these ideal individuals are truly rare. If everyone could think and work like them, it would be worthy of admiration.
The image of the people in Sa Pa is truly worth the admiration, resisting the temptation to compete and striving for their personal interests, they think differently.
These individuals have shaped the world of those who diligently work in silence, earnestly striving for the benefit of the country and the well-being of everyone.
