Lecture on the segment 'Mã Giám Sinh Buys Kiều'

Prompt: Analyze the excerpt 'Mã Giám Sinh Buys Kiều,' excerpted from Nguyễn Du's 'The Tale of Kiều.'

Lecture on the segment 'Mã Giám Sinh Buys Kiều'
 

I. Outline of the discourse on the excerpt 'Mã Giám Sinh Buys Kiều' (Standard)

1. Introduction

Introducing the author Nguyễn Du and the excerpt 'Mã Giám Sinh Buys Kiều'

2. Main Body

- The excerpt vividly portrays the antagonist character Mã Giám Sinh - a cunning human trafficker
+ Through dialogue: In contrast to the title 'traveler from afar,' he immediately reveals his deceitfulness by inadvertently mentioning his hometown
+ Appearance: With a smooth face and well-dressed attire, he clearly exhibits the cunning appearance of a human trafficker
+ Actions, gestures: Sitting comfortably shows his lack of education and culture. He sees Kiều as a commodity that can be bought and sold. He 'buys' her for a price of just over four hundred...(Continued)

>> See the detailed Outline of the discourse on the excerpt 'Mã Giám Sinh Buys Kiều' here.
 

II. Sample Essay on the discourse on the excerpt 'Mã Giám Sinh Buys Kiều' (Standard)

'Mã Giám Sinh Purchases Kiều' is one of the remarkable excerpts in the masterpiece 'The Tale of Kiều' by the great poet Nguyễn Du. Although not the main character of the story, the portrayal of Mã Giám Sinh by the author is very realistic with his cunning, scheming, and deceitful nature, which brings excitement to the readers. From this, we can see the talent in character development and content transmission of Nguyễn Du.

At the beginning of the excerpt, Mã Giám Sinh appears with a scholarly demeanor. He plays the role of a 'traveler from afar' who comes to inquire about Thúy Kiều, but in reality, he is there to assess her. Nguyễn Du deliberately constructs meticulous details about this antagonist character to immediately reveal the contrast in nature and appearance, inside and outside:

'Asking his name: Mã Giám Sinh,
Asking his hometown: Lâm Thanh district, quite near'

His words immediately betray him as a cunning and deceitful individual. He claims to be a 'traveler from afar' while affirming his hometown to be in Lâm Thanh district. This immediately exposes the true nature of a deceitful person.

'Over four decades, externally refined,
His face smooth, his attire elegant.
Before the master, after the servant, bustling
The matchmaker brings the match into the chamber
He sits on the upper seat with ease'

Not only his words but also his attire, gestures, and demeanor are meticulously cunning and deceitful. Despite being past his prime, he still appears sleek and elegant. Author Nguyễn Du skillfully describes the most distinctive details of the character, making the portrayal of Mã Giám Sinh vivid and lifelike. Nguyễn Du does not impose the character's personality in the verse but allows the reader to perceive it through the details of appearance. Particularly, he uses invaluable words to accurately depict the essence of the character. If Nguyễn Du exposes Sở Khanh with the word 'len', then Mã Giám Sinh is revealed by the word 'tót'. This shows the uncouth, uncultured nature of the pretentious intellectual.

'Deliberating over beauty, assessing talent,
Pressing the zither to test her poetry fan.'

At this point, Mã Giám Sinh no longer needs to pretend noble but reveals the true face of a genuine human trafficker. He 'weighs, assesses' the talent and beauty of Thúy Kiều as if evaluating a commodity. And not satisfied, he continues to 'press' her to recite poetry for his evaluation. Reading this, the reader feels sorry for Kiều as she falls into the hands of a despicable human trafficker. They do everything for gold, for their own benefit, regardless of the life and dignity of the woman.

'Two less one makes two more,
Now long have I waited, the price outside four hundred'.

Mã Giám Sinh is one of the prominent antagonistic characters helping Nguyễn Du expose the forces trampling on humanity, exemplified here by the monetary power. Throughout Kiều's life, perhaps she never imagined she would fall into such dire circumstances. With just 'four hundred' taels of gold, Kiều's life is now bound to the hands of human traffickers, allowing them to humiliate and exploit her at will. Alas! It is a price too cheap for a talented and virtuous woman rare in the world. Truly reflecting Nguyễn Du's verse 'Pity the fate of women.'

Through the portrayal of Mã Giám Sinh, Nguyễn Du has exposed the nature of the flesh trade and human trafficking, the dominance of money prevailing in feudal society. Hence, he critiques a society hollow, rotten, and incapable of protecting human beings.

While Mã Giám Sinh is rejoicing in purchasing a bargain, Kiều finds herself in an extremely dire and painful situation. From a noblewoman, living in luxury and love from her parents and lover, she steps into a dark doorway without seeing a way out. For a woman, being treated as a mere commodity is a tremendous humiliation:

'My personal grief adds to family's sorrow,
A step to the flower porch, tears lining the path,
Shy before the wind, timid amidst the mist,
The flower's shadow, embarrassed, gazes at its thick face.
The knot loosens, hands held tight,
Sadness like chrysanthemum, thin as bamboo.'

Thúy Kiều compares herself to a flower facing a storm because of being 'shy before the wind, timid amidst the mist.' She has not yet escaped the image of a delicate, fearful young lady. Each step she takes is accompanied by bitter tears and misery. She both 'adds to the sorrow' of her family and empathizes with her own fragile, delicate fate. Expressions like 'shy, embarrassed, loosens, held tight, sadness like chrysanthemum, thin as bamboo' emphasize this. She doesn't know where life will take her, but in her keenest perception, she realizes she will be like a fragile flower facing life's storms. Nguyễn Du's premonitions about Kiều's life, 'Jealous flowers pale, willows resentful, inferior to green,' are now the fate of Kiều herself.

Kiều's tragic fate is the most vivid proof of the saying 'talent and beauty, cursed fate.' Good-hearted individuals like Kiều suffer while swindlers and deceivers like Mã Giám Sinh, Sở Khanh roam freely outside the bounds of justice. This injustice in society, which Nguyễn Du wants to address in his work, each word of his is like a cry of injustice for the fate of the character, or even the fate of people in feudal society.

With a unique artistic pen, symbolic imagery, and precious language, Nguyễn Du has created a remarkably vivid portrayal of the antagonistic character Mã Giám Sinh. Therefore, it leaves a profound impression on readers and marks his name in Vietnamese literature.