Proving that 'Folktales Bring Us Beautiful Dreams'

Prompt: It is argued that folktales bring us beautiful dreams. Through the folktales you have learned and read, prove this argument

2 exemplary essays demonstrating how 'Folktales Bring Us Beautiful Dreams'

Sample Essay 1: Proving that 'Folktales Bring Us Beautiful Dreams'

The treasure trove of Vietnamese folk tales is incredibly rich, embodying a marvelous humanistic beauty. Whether myths, legends, or fairy tales, although originating in different social conditions, all deeply reflect the spiritual and material life of the community, explaining phenomena and events around us in an innocent and straightforward manner, recording the ups and downs, the historical vicissitudes of the nation through magnificent legends. Many folk tales have expressed the aspirations of the people from ancient times for strength to overcome all enemies, dreams of warmth, and happiness. Indeed, as some argue: Folktales Bring Us Beautiful Dreams.

Reading folk tales, sometimes we feel like we're dreaming, encountering Deities, Genies, Buddhas... Those beautiful dreams are truly miraculous and joyful for our childhood. Folk tales have indeed lifted the souls of our young age, allowing us to live in magical moments.

The world of gods in mythology is charming. Anyone who has visited Kinh Thien Mountain in Hai Duong Province, the trace of the God of Heaven, always feels an indescribable sense of elation. Every autumn, gazing at the vast blue sky, I dream again, remember, and feel stirred by the verse: 'He slapped the ocean - He told stories - He dug rivers - He planted trees - He built palaces - He resides in the sky.'

And the nursery rhyme:

High mountains and long rivers still remain

Years... years of revenge, generations of jealousy?

Why are the offerings to King Hung from Mount Son so abundant and precious? Nine-tusked elephants, roosters with nine spurs, horses with nine red manes... These treasures are not easy to find, not easy to obtain. Mount Tan Vien, towering in the west of the capital Thang Long, bears the mark, the miraculous feat of 'lifting the mountain' by Son Tinh to protect the beautiful woman, defeating Thuy Tinh. Son Tinh was the ancient people's dream of having the strength and magic to conquer natural disasters. Son Tinh... is also a beautiful dream for you, for me, for children everywhere:

Mount Tan Vien like an ancient rooster

Giant, with a red crest lighting up the dawn

Vastly calling for sunlight for ripening seasons

Since the time Son Tinh defeated Thuy Tinh.

(By Huy Can)

How unfortunate one would be if they couldn't read or listen to fairy tales? How happy one would be to hear grandma tell fairy tales? Because they are the source of beautiful childhood dreams:

The story of the frog, the fairy tale of Cinderella The story of Tam and Cam in kindness Ly Tieu Long's story in cruelty...

Her hair has turned silver

Yet joy sparkles in her eyes

She recounts tales of ages past

And still there's no end to her stories...

(Xuân Quỳnh)

Coconut Skull only has eyes, a nose..., no limbs, just rolling around without knowing how to walk. Yet, he's skilled at herding cattle. Where did he find ten pieces of peach silk, ten fat pigs, ten jugs of wine, and a golden comb to prepare the wedding feast for the beautiful youngest daughter of the rich man? Coconut Skull... the polite young man,... the embodiment of righteousness..., a miraculous transformation has become the beautiful dream of the people, of the unfortunate 'small' individuals in life.

The phoenix bird can speak, very honorable with its promise: Eat a fruit, return a gold nugget, fortunate to get three wallets, carry them and hold them; the old man with silver hair has bestowed upon Khoai the magic spell of carving in! Carve out!; the deity and the flock of sparrows, the embroidered shoe with the image of Tấm meeting the Prince on the festival day..., all have become the beautiful dreams of our people for warmth, happiness, for a change in life, the magical fairy tales have nurtured our souls with so much belief, so many beautiful dreams:

We Grow up with very real faith

Countless happiness exists in the world

Even amidst bitter hardships and struggles

Knowing that Cinderella also becomes a queen

Sour star fruits can't compare to sweet beans

Birds eat then repay us with sweetness....

(Country - Nguyen Khoa Diem)

Folk tales, especially legends, with their magical elements, rich stories, and mythical figures have become glorious patriotic songs that bring us many beautiful dreams. The heroic feat of Saint Giong, from a little boy to a giant warrior. The iron horse spewing fire, Giong wielded the iron rod to defeat the invaders. When the rod broke, Giong uprooted bamboo to use as a weapon, causing the enemy to perish. After defeating the enemy, Giong flew back to the sky. Giong is the dream of Vietnamese childhood for generations:

Every child dreams of an iron horse

Every river desires to transform into an Eagle

('Motherland, when were you ever so beautiful?' - Che Lan Vien)

The legend of a hundred eggs has been ingrained in us since infancy, through our mother's lullabies. The sword inscribed with the words 'Thuan Thien' is the treasure Long Quan lent to Le Loi to fight against the Ming invaders. The golden crossbow bolt of the Golden Turtle slew countless enemies. Trieu Quang Phuc, fighting against the Luong invaders at Dam Da Trach, received claws torn off by a Golden Dragon, with the instruction: Plant them on the tips of your bamboo spear, and you shall conquer wherever you strike! Thanks to this, Trieu Quang Phuc beheaded the Luong general Duong San, reclaiming the kingdom.

Historical legends, despite their fantastical elements, have showcased the miraculous strength of the Vietnamese people throughout glorious historical epochs. We grow up with these legends. We take pride in and love our country. A country with 'a thousand mountains and rivers of charm...'. A country with Bach Dang, Chi Lang, Dong Da, Dien Bien... majestic.

We are born and raised under the blue sky and the scent of rice, nurtured by the love of our fathers, by mother's milk, by the teachings of our teachers. The sound of the monochord, folk songs, and the verses of Nguyen Du's 'Tale of Kieu'... have become pieces of our souls. Have you ever heard the rooster crowing on a deserted island?

Cock-a-doodle-doo...

Should we send an envoy to escort her home?

Do you still remember the folk song sung on the day of the Giong festival?

One child snivels, nose and ears running.

Another succumbs to the thorns of ivory bamboo, a tragic end indeed!

Indeed, folk tales have brought us beautiful dreams. We seem to hear the whispered words of our ancestors echoing through the ages. And the more we love folk tales. A wishful book. A magical pen. The divine zither and the magic rice pot... of Thach Sanh... have become dreams and companions in the soul of every child.

A diligent, brave, intelligent, and talented nation possesses a rich and captivating treasure trove of folk tales.

Beside the Argument 'Folk tales bring us beautiful dreams', students should explore other essays such as Analysis of the folk tale Clever Child or the section Compose a summary of Vietnamese folklore literature to reinforce their knowledge of Literature.

Sample Essay 2: Argument 'Folk tales bring us beautiful dreams'

Fairy tales are one of the types of folk tales that emerged when society was divided into classes. Fairy tales often depict the lives of various types of characters such as: unfortunate characters, characters with magical abilities, intelligent or foolish characters, etc. Fairy tales often have a fantastical element; they express the hopes and beliefs of the people about good and evil, the good replacing the bad, dreams of warmth and happiness.

Fairy tales are beautiful dreams, a magical world, full of miracles, expressing aspirations for freedom, happiness, and social justice. Reading fairy tales, we encounter the beautiful dreams of our ancestors. Have you ever wondered why they had to dream? Our ancestors dreamed when reality failed to meet their desires, so they turned to a different, more beautiful world, just as they hoped. Our ancestors' lives were like an endless abyss of hardship, seemingly impossible to escape. A life always oppressed by war, a life suppressed and exploited both physically and spiritually. They had to work hard day after day, year after year, always enduring hunger and hardship like poor farmer Thach Sanh... They were always despised, ridiculed, deprived of the right to love and to be treated as human beings like Co Tam, Coconut Skull... Therefore, they dreamed. As powerless insects, what could they do but endure their lowly fate? That's why they always dreamed of having supernatural forces like Fairy, the Fairy, the Water King, or the magic zither, the magic rice pot... The appearance of these supernatural beings fosters justice in fairy tales. Justice here means the triumph of good over the dark, evil forces. That's why in fairy tales, we encounter happy endings, Thach Sanh, a poor man, marries a princess, the pitiful Co Tam becomes a queen. Clearly, these are their desires, their dreams, just dreams that are not real but enough to alleviate the worries of their hardworking days.

Not only stopping there, our ancestors also dreamed of marriage freedom, of deciding their own happiness. This dream is justified because the feudal society bound people, especially women, with harsh laws such as 'Where parents place, children sit, male and female relationships are not allowed', 'Three obediences and four virtues'. Therefore, marital freedom can be considered a very important dream for our ancestors. Speaking of this issue, Chu Dong Tu or more specifically, the marriage of Chu Dong Tu - Tien Dung is a heroic testimony, this is a beautiful love story. Beautiful because it is a true love between two hearts regardless of the harsh laws of feudal society about class, social status. When Tien Dung married Chu Dong Tu, she had no hesitation because she was a princess who married a poor fisherman. She disregarded the king's obstruction, she was a courageous girl. Tien Dung met Chu Dong Tu unexpectedly in a vast area of the sky. Their love was as sudden and free as nature. It's beautiful because it's in line with human nature, so it's helped by fairies. Thanks to that, Tien Dung and Chu Dong Tu lived happily, then returned to the eternal realm. The love of Tien Dung and Chu Dong Tu can only become a reality in fairy tales. Therefore, after many centuries, it is still a beautiful dream, a voice longing for the freedom to love, putting love above all.

The dreams above cannot be realized in daily life, they can only be realized in fairy tales thanks to miracles. However, it is precisely because of these beautiful dreams that fairy tales become a source of comfort, encouragement, a reliable companion for farmers from century to century. Yes, a famous writer once said, 'fairy tales are beautiful dreams', dreams that nurture human character. Fairy tales are not real but the fairy tale dreams are magical wings to support the human character even in the muddy depths of everyday life, they are a fulcrum for people to live and hope for a tomorrow where dreams are no longer just dreams.

Closing the mythical fairy tales, we return to the current reality with all its inherent movements. Today, when the world has entered a perfect age, it can be said that where we live is like a fairy world, in the past in fairy tales, extravagant desires or tall houses were still distant but today we can easily achieve them. In today's society, when all conditions, both material and spiritual, of human beings have advanced and far exceeded many times compared to the era when fairy tales were born, is there still truly fairy tales in this real world? In reality, it has been proven that many fairy tales still exist in real life. A little girl from a remote state of America, she was blind, deaf, and unable to speak. Since birth, she has been discriminated against and dreaming of going to school was too far-fetched for her, but a strange thing happened, a doctor doing charity work helped her gradually learn Braille through constant efforts, she slowly began to speak and hear. This must have touched the hearts of each of us. Although life is not like a dream, let's create our own dreams and turn those dreams into reality.

Today, dreams have become reality in life and fairy tale dreams continue to sow the seeds for the new dreams of today. Fairy tales awaken our childhood to know how to dream, to aspire, to believe in genuine dreams to live life.

In addition to the above content, you can explore the section Reflections on Reading the Poem 'Nam Quoc Son Ha' to prepare for this lesson.

Furthermore, Composing the Lesson 'Noon Rooster Crow' is an important lesson in the 7th-grade Literature curriculum that students should pay special attention to.