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Outline: Analyzing Tú Xương's Heartache through the lines: 'Desiring blindness...silver sentiment.'
1. Introduction
- Tú Xương, born as Trần Tế Xương (1870-1907), emerges as one of the foremost satirical poets in Vietnamese literature.
- His poetry, rooted in romanticism, intricately blends elements of sentimentalism with reality and satire, creating a distinctive flavor within his enduring works.
- Noteworthy among them is the piece 'Aching Eyes,' where the lines 'Desiring blindness, why not grant blindness?/Raise your eyes, what do you seek in this silvery sentiment!' partially reveal Tú's contemporary emotions and sentiments.
2. Main Body
- Life circumstances + national situation:
+ The declining feudal regime, deteriorating, outdated, resistant to change.
+ French colonial invasion => Society further entangled in chaos, the risk of losing the nation.
+ Intellectuals no longer valued, powerless in the face of the era.
- In the poem 'Aching Eyes,' Tú Xương's suffering goes beyond a mere physical ailment; it delves into the anguish within. Society is riddled with countless squalors that Tú Xương refuses to witness. They torment his ears and eyes, yet he can only endure, tortured to the point of 'aching eyes.'
- Faced with such helplessness, Tú Xương harbored a simple desire: to be 'Blind.'
- Tú Xương desires blindness for a simple reason—what the eyes don't see, the heart doesn't ache. It's a vehement form of resistance, asserting the noble character within Tế Xương. It's a discord, a fierce opposition to contemporary society.
- The 'silvery sentiment' moments in society:
+ It's the scene of family bonds slowly disintegrating, where people no longer care about each other, even in sickness and pain.
+ Money becomes more crucial than ever, transforming into a reigning monarch, and humans become its slaves. People use money to buy influence and strip others of dignity, as effortlessly as buying a bundle of vegetables in the market!
+ Humanity, now callous, is willing to trample on each other for survival. The cherished ethics and principles upheld by ancestors suddenly turn into emptiness in times of chaos. Who cares anymore?
+ Intellectuals become powerless in the face of the era, gazing upon a nation in ruins. Those hungry for personal gain sell their country for glory.
=> The profound pain in the heart of an intellectually noble figure like Tế Xương, the horn of dilemma shaping Tú Xương's life, made the Tú Xương family endure countless hardships, especially Tú's life, burdened and aggrieved for decades.
3. Conclusion
- Through the brief lines of the poem 'Aching Eyes' by Tế Xương, there's a seemingly casual tone, an apparent jest that conceals the true heartache of Tú Xương.
=> The pain of an entire era, the suffering of an intellectual class rendered helpless in the face of the times, gazing upon a nation in desolation.
- Wishing for blindness, not knowing, not seeing anymore is the sole ruthless resistance with oneself, yet resonating with Tú Xương's inner turmoil.
See the sample article: Reflecting on Tú Xương's sentiments through two poetic lines: 'Desiring blindness...silver sentiment'
