Proving: Near the ink, not necessarily dark; near the light, not necessarily bright.

Guidance on outlining detailed structure and writing a complete essay for the topic: Our people have a proverb 'Near the ink is dark, near the light is bright'. But some argue: Near the ink, not necessarily dark; near the light, not necessarily bright. Write an essay to prove persuasively according to your opinion.

I. Outline: Proving 'Near the ink not necessarily dark, near the light not necessarily bright'.

1. Introduction

- Introducing the issue, presenting the proverb: 'Near the ink is dark, near the light is bright'.

- Introducing the viewpoint: 'Near the ink, not necessarily dark; near the light, not necessarily bright'.

2. Body

a) Explaining the proverb 'Near the ink is dark, near the light is bright.'

- Literal meaning

+ Ink: Usually black in color, ancient people used Chinese ink, which could be used for writing or painting.

+ Light: An object used for illumination, providing brightness in darkness.

+ Careless use of ink may lead to smudging on hands and clothing.

+ Near the light source, people can still study, work, and engage in activities as usual, akin to being under sunlight.

- Figurative meaning

+ Near the ink is darkness: Being in a negative environment and associating with bad people can easily lead to adopting negative behaviors.

+ Near the light is brightness: Being with good people and in a positive environment will cultivate a better individual.

=> Meaning of the proverb:

- It advises people to live in a good environment and associate with good people.

- Stay away from unhealthy places and bad company.

b) Explaining the viewpoint: 'Near the ink not necessarily dark, near the light not necessarily bright.'

- In nature:

+ Green trees grow from brown soil.

+ Beautiful lotuses emerge from dark mud.

- In everyday life:

+ Many individuals who have achieved great success and fame today once lived in extremely difficult circumstances. Examples include Oprah Winfrey; J.K.Rowling; the football-playing brothers Bùi Tiến Dũng and Bùi Tiến Dụng,...

=> Meaning of the above viewpoint

- Humans need to overcome themselves and circumstances to rise above.

- When pushed into the most difficult situations, we need to surpass them with our determination and courage.

3. Conclusion

- Reaffirm personal opinion and express emotions.

- Lessons for oneself.

II. Sample Essay  Proving 'Near the ink not necessarily dark, near the light not necessarily bright'.

Experience is the block of knowledge that humans derive and synthesize from right occurrences. Life experiences, valuable and precious lessons from our ancestors, are transmitted through literature in a sophisticated and remarkable manner, exemplified by folk sayings with melodious and comprehensible rhythms. For instance, when advising future generations on how living environments affect individuals, our ancestors had a saying: 'Near the ink is dark, near the light is bright.' However, some argue: 'Near the ink not necessarily dark, near the light not necessarily bright.' Is this opinion contrary to the advice of our ancestors?

For Vietnamese people, folk sayings often encapsulate many life experiences and carry educational meanings, widely used and become behavioral norms. Folk sayings are intimate and simple because of the imagery used in the sentences, such as familiar images like 'fruit' and 'tree' in the saying: 'Eat fruit, remember the one who planted the tree', which are passed down through generations due to their correctness. In the saying: 'Near the ink is dark, near the light is bright,' there are contrasting prominent images: 'ink, light,' and contrasting adjectives 'dark, bright,' making the sentence symmetrical both in imagery and meaning. In the past, Vietnamese people favored black ink for writing with fountain pens, ink pens for their elegance and gloss. Therefore, when mentioning ink, one immediately thinks of deep black. When using ink, users need to refill or dip ink when it dries or runs out; hence, it's difficult to avoid the phenomenon of ink sticking to hands or clothing. So, the saying 'Near the ink is dark' means that using ink for writing will inevitably lead to smudging. The lamp is an object used for illumination in the darkness, whether in the past people used lighting tools like oil lamps or modern times using electric lights, when mentioning the lamp, one immediately thinks of light. When near the lamp, one is illuminated and therefore can study or work easily, conveniently as under the natural light of the sun. From the contrast between the images of ink and lamp, our ancestors wanted to advise us in life to choose where to play, where, and whom to learn from. The essence is for individuals to learn the good things from others and from the living environment. If in good, healthy places, it will help individuals develop healthy habits, live responsibly, and be more virtuous. A good friend is considered good when they help their friends strive and progress in learning, work, and life. Additionally, folk sayings also admonish us to avoid bad environments and bad people to avoid being infected with bad things for ourselves. Therefore, folk sayings always carry a high educational meaning for all ages and eras.

So is the opinion: 'Near the ink not necessarily dark, near the light not necessarily bright' perhaps a mistake? When considering in reality, the above opinion also has some correctness. In nature, even though trees are green and flowers are radiant to whatever extent, they still grow from brown soil, even the noble lotus flowers also grow from muddy soil. Thanks to the mud, flowers bloom, leaves turn green, and the fragrant lotus seeds crystallize the essence of the earth and sky. Thanks to the brown soil, trees thrive and develop for fragrant flowers, sweet fruits, and shade for humans. In real life, there are many talented people who achieve many successes even though they were born and raised in difficult circumstances. The so-called 'Queen of Media' and African-American billionaire - Oprah Winfrey once lived in the soul prison when she was abused at the age of 9, became pregnant at 14, and witnessed her child's death shortly after birth. However, partly influenced by strict education from her father, Oprah Winfrey became strong, resilient, and continuously achieved success, becoming the top figure in the media world today. Isn't that 'near the light not necessarily bright' as our ancestors said? Or like the author J.K. Rowling - the creator of the wizard boy Harry Potter conquering countless readers worldwide - a single mother, before fame, she also endured much suffering from her mother's death and the breakdown of her marriage, in addition, Rowling also always had to fight the poverty war in a cramped rented house. Poverty engulfed that woman in the time before the threshold, making her one of the richest people in the world by writing. Brothers Bui Tien Dung - Bui Tien Dung football players in the difficult years had to collect and sell each plastic bottle cap to buy balls and satisfy their passions, and now both have become famous faces in the football world of Vietnam. Alongside those who rise above circumstances are 'saplings' who, out of fear of what will happen, accept lying in the soil forever. There are people who live indifferently, blaming their circumstances and living day by day like grass or living in good living conditions but indulging in excess, competition, addiction, then becoming decadent, degenerate, truly deserving of condemnation. Martin Luther King - civil rights activist Nobel Peace Prize winner in 1964 once said: 'You cannot control the direction of the wind, you can only control the sails.' In life, we cannot predict what will happen to us, let alone prevent it from happening, what is more important is how you behave with it. If you live in a bad environment, you can integrate but do not lose yourself. If you have a bad friend, the better way than leaving them is to let them see that good things always exist, so that they can gain confidence in themselves; let your kindness spread, and you will become a light illuminating every heart of others.

Life is diverse in color and form, always bringing humans profound lessons and experiences. Just believe in yourself and always live towards goodness, love all beings and others, then at that time living conditions or environment will become a lever to help you shine. Therefore, the saying: 'Near the ink not necessarily dark, near the light not necessarily bright' is a correct opinion, reminding people to awaken themselves, thereby helping people live more responsibly and beneficially.

To be able to easily complete the essay Proving 'Near the ink not necessarily dark, near the light not necessarily bright', students also need to understand more about the original folk saying 'Near the ink is dark, near the light is bright' through detailed articles: Explaining the folk saying 'Near the ink is dark, near the light is bright', Social argument 'Near the ink is dark, near the light is bright' or Social argument outline 'Near the ink is dark, near the light is bright' to know how to construct the outline of a social argumentative essay.