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Prompt: How does Nguyen Dinh Chieu's humanitarian spirit manifest in constructing the heroic farmer image in the poem 'In Praise of the Can Giuoc Martyrs'?
Analyzing Nguyen Dinh Chieu's humanitarian spirit in the poem 'In Praise of the Can Giuoc Martyrs'
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The portrayal of the ancient heroic farmer has always been a source of humanitarian inspiration for many authors. With a historical influence and a reflection of the indomitable spirit, peasant soldiers are ideal models for contemporary people. In medieval literature, the heroic farmer is praised as individuals ready to sacrifice for the lofty goals of the community. With the work 'In Praise of the Can Giuoc Martyrs,' Nguyen Dinh Chieu created a majestic monument for Vietnamese farmers, embodying honesty, simplicity, yet resolute in repelling foreign invaders. Through the heroic farmer image, the author profoundly expresses humanitarian spirit, respect, and gratitude to the predecessors who laid down their lives for national independence.
Born into a patriotic Confucian family, forced to seek refuge in his wife's hometown of Can Giuoc due to the invasion of the French, Nguyen Dinh Chieu, more than anyone, understood the pain, suffering, and loss when the homeland was invaded. Writing 'In Praise of the Can Giuoc Martyrs' in the heartbreaking context of over twenty farmers who sold their faces to the land and their backs to the sky, sacrificing intensely for independence, the work is not just a tribute but also a heartfelt lament for the brave people, demonstrating the humanitarian spirit and profound appreciation of the author, depicting the heroic image of patriotic farmers.
The humanitarian spirit, portrayed through the image of the heroic farmer, is primarily evident in how the hero is constructed. The people's hero emerges with noble qualities, a courageous posture, proudly lifting their heads high, undaunted by difficulties and hardships. Familiar with the toil of manual labor, these farmers now don armor, facing well-armed adversaries on the battlefield. Confronted with the nation's perilous situation, they are ready to leave their fields behind, responding to the homeland's call:
The enemy's guns thunder
The people's hearts reveal
Ten years of toil in the fields, their fame may not resonate like a bell
A battle against the West, though silent, echoes with heroic deeds.
The threat to the country's territory is also a time when the people's resilient spirit soars, like a wave submerging all the conspiracies of invasion. Faced with daunting challenges, their unwavering loyalty to the homeland is 'revealed by the heavens,' with the heavens bearing witness to their sincerity. Like silent soldiers, without fanfare, their brave sacrifices are understood by the heavens. In the midst of suffering, these soldiers do not falter, raising the spirit 'though silent, echoes with heroic deeds.' Nguyen Dinh Chieu exalts the humanitarian spirit through the image of peasant soldiers, a towering monument to patriotism, ready to sacrifice for the land of Can Giuoc's people.
The author expresses the humanitarian spirit by praising the beauty of the hero. In his view, farmers are the embodiment of precious, noble virtues. They are gentle, simple, and straightforward individuals:
Remembering ancient spirits
Hustling for a living
Cautious about poverty and hardship
Their lives are tied to plowing fields with a buffalo, only knowing labor, accumulation, and a love for peace. Their concerns are only about having enough to eat, staying warm, without hunger or thirst, oblivious to conflicts, unaware of the sword. These gentle-hearted people are the beautiful embodiment of the Vietnamese. The Can Giuoc farmers, burdened with seasonal worries and unpredictable weather, carry the heavy load on their shoulders. Nevertheless, the laborers' spirit is like a hidden flame always ready to ignite within them. When the enemy's boots begin to trample the homeland's fields, they transform from harmless farmers into robust, armor-clad soldiers ready to fight the invaders:
Seeing a white-covered tire, wanting to come and eat liver
Watching black smoke rise, wanting to go and bite the neck
Similar to the legendary image of Saint Giong, from a child who didn't know how to speak or smile, upon hearing the invasion, suddenly stood tall and fast. The innate honesty and goodness of the farmers, when faced with injustice, instantly transform into an indestructible spirit of a formidable army. The frustration and hatred for the enemy turn into a desire to act, to eliminate, 'wanting to come and eat liver,' 'wanting to go and bite the neck,' wanting to eradicate the roots of the colonial French. Quite different from the familiar image of farmers, driven by love for their country, hatred for the enemy, and the freedom of themselves and their loved ones, they are willing to rise, transforming into an elite force, undeterred by difficulties and hardships. Humanitarian values are vividly portrayed as the author constructs the psychological transformations of the Can Giuoc martyrs. Faced with the indifference and irresponsibility of the court officials, they change from those 'only knowing plowing and buffaloes,' 'accustomed to hoeing, plowing, harrowing, and planting...with hands used to such work' into brave warriors, defenders, with 'burning straw nests with fire,' 'swords hanging using blade-like knives.' Heading into battle with makeshift weapons, their determination is unwavering, their fighting spirit resolute, not afraid to sacrifice for independence. They fight for their homeland, for the soil, for their meager meal and clothing. Humanitarianism through the image of the people's soldiers is revealed through the noble purpose of the high-stakes battle and the people's spirited determination when faced with danger and hardship.
The humanitarian spirit of 'In Praise of Can Giuoc Martyrs' resonates magnificently, like a heroic anthem dedicated to the courageous soldiers who laid down their lives for a grand cause. With emotionally rich prose, Nguyen Dinh Chieu both praises and expresses a sense of nostalgia and regret for their noble spirit.
Enduring the wind and rain, the drumbeat echoes; the drum urges, trampling fences swiftly, treating the enemy as if they were nothing. Not afraid of the Westerner's small or big bullets, rushing in, risking their lives as if it meant nothing. Last summer's gang, next autumn's mob, disregarding the foreign guns' roar.
The epic of the victorious, of the heroes, transcends mere fears, untroubled by the difference in weaponry. As long as there is spirit, determination, success is certain. Every sentence carries a heroic, magnificent resonance. The humble farmers can now fight like well-equipped soldiers in a military environment. The strength of spirit and unyielding belief in future victory has become an infinite source of motivation and boundless capability. The image of the hero in simple clothes, the martyr farmer, is like a painting radiating emotions, immersing the reader into the indomitable spirit of the marching army. It's not just an individual, a specific heroic name; it's a national wave, a block of united strength. Similar to the verses of Nguyen Khoa Diem:
They lived and died
Simple and serene
No one remembers their faces or names
But they created the Country
The farmers live a simple life, not demanding, without flashy attire. When the nation faces adversity, they are the pioneers, resilient fighters, unafraid to sacrifice blood and tears to protect the homeland's integrity. There is nothing more valuable than the people; they are the backbone, the foundation, the source of a nation's strength. Without the people, how can there be a country, a majestic atmosphere suppressing all deceitful plunderers.
The pinnacle of humanity in the work is the verses expressing the readiness to sacrifice of the soldiers:
Rather drown but keep the ancestral land, even going with the forefathers is honorable
Than endure the Westerners' first letters, living in miserable foreign lands
The praises seem almost complete when letting the soldiers express their aspirations: 'Better to die with honor than to live in disgrace,' rather than living with the 'barbaric invaders,' every pest. In the real context, twenty soldiers lying down may seem a small number compared to a large army, but these are twenty humble farmers, dirty feet and muddy hands, fighting for the noble duty of the nation. When people no longer fear death but consider it as an immortal act, placing their lives under the independence of the nation, these individuals deserve to be honored as great lords. Their bodies may be buried, their souls may return to dust, but their images and contributions will forever be immortal in the hearts of those who remain.
