Reflection on Kim Lan's Village Story

Prompt: Reflection on Kim Lan's Village Story

Sample Essay: Expressing Thoughts on Kim Lan's Village Story

I. Outline for Expressing Thoughts on Kim Lan's Village Story (Standard)

1. Introduction

- Brief overview of Kim Lan and his writing style.
- Introduction to the short story 'The Village'.

2. Main Body

a. Context of Creation and Significance of the Title:
- Written in 1948, it's a short story about the lives of farmers during the early years of the resistance against the French.
- The title 'The Village' is broad, representing rural Vietnam, evoking the image of a rustic village with hardworking farmers, stirring up feelings of love and attachment in every individual's soul.

b. Character of Mr. Hai Before Hearing about the Village Joining the Enemy:
- Deeply attached and in love with his village.
- Entirely focused on his village, he boasts about it everywhere to alleviate his longing, proudly sharing stories about Cho Dau village, boasting about its revolutionary tradition.
=> His love for the village knows no bounds, coupled with a profound trust in the revolution.

c. Mr. Hai's Reaction upon Hearing about the Village Joining the Enemy:
- Shocked, devastated, refusing to believe the news, hoping it's a mistake.
- Upon confirmation, he seems drained of all strength, hope, and intense love for his village, feeling ashamed, sorrowful, and bitter => Crying.
- He suffers, unable to face anyone, becoming irritable, snapping at his family, unable to sleep peacefully, becoming sensitive to all gossip, fearing humiliation,…
- Determined not to return to the village, no matter how much he loves it, once the village has joined the enemy, there must be retribution.
=> He's a discerning person, unwavering in his loyalty to the revolution, earning respect from others.

d. Mr. Hai's Emotions upon Hearing the Correction:
- Overjoyed and ecstatic, he feels rejuvenated.
- Enthusiastically shares the news of his house being spared by the enemy, demonstrating sacrifice for the revolution.
- Hastily rushes everywhere to clarify heroically to exonerate the village and himself.

3. Conclusion:

- Expressing personal feelings.

II. Sample Speech Expressing Thoughts on Kim Lan's Village Story

1. Sample Speech about the short story 'The Village', Sample 1: (Standard)

Kim Lan (1920-2007), born in Bac Ninh province, from a poor family, only completed primary education before quitting. He started writing short stories at the age of 21, with a simple, gentle writing style imbued with the love for his homeland as a farmer's child. Though not prolific, his works, especially those about rural Vietnam and farmers before the August Revolution, are profound. Despite the theme of farmers having been extensively explored by authors like Ngo Tat To, Nam Cao, and Nguyen Cong Hoan, Kim Lan's works still carry unique, fresh, and captivating aspects. This is because Kim Lan writes with meticulousness, caution, and depth, focusing on the beauty and changes in the characters' inner lives. Particularly in his works, though he writes about poverty and the harsh realities of society, it's not the main focus for him to denounce or reflect; what he desires is to highlight humanitarian values through his works, including human relationships, love for the homeland and nation, along with the hidden beauty in the souls of Vietnamese people at that time. 'The Village' is one of Kim Lan's most famous works, establishing his reputation in the Vietnamese literary world. In it, we see most of the distinctive features of Kim Lan's writing style.

'The Village' was written in 1948, a short story about farmers in the early years of the resistance against the French. The title 'The Village' is broad, representing rural Vietnam, evoking the image of a rustic village with hardworking farmers, stirring up feelings of love and attachment in every individual's soul. Like many other short stories, 'The Village' also has a plot, a story revolving around two unique situations: Starting with Mr. Hai from Cho Dau village, deeply in love with his village and country, but upon hearing his village has joined the enemy, he feels pain and sadness. The second situation is when Mr. Hai hears about the correction, along with the changes in his emotional development. The story is narrated with a gentle, simple, and sincere writing style, in the third-person narrative, allowing readers to perceive the storyline from various angles, leading to a thorough and precise exploration of the story.

The main character of the story is Mr. Hai, a diligent farmer who had to leave his beloved village due to the war, where he had lived for decades. He loves and is attached to the village dearly, evident through various details in the story, such as how he always remembers his village whether tired or healthy, and returning to it makes him feel 'young again.' He is proud of the 'stone-paved roads, rain or shine, freely wandering throughout the village, mud not sticking to the soles of the feet' of the village, proud of the birth of a high-ranking official in the village. Overall, for Mr. Hai, everything related to the village is precious and deserves respect. Even after he has left, Mr. Hai's heart is still devoted to the village. He boasts about his village everywhere to alleviate his longing, proudly sharing stories about Cho Dau village, boasting about a village with 'the days of intense rebellion, where he joined the movement from the darkest times. Military training sessions,' proud of having the most illuminated information room in the region. All of this is enough to show that Mr. Hai's heart is filled with boundless love for the village, coupled with a deep trust in the revolution, even that love and trust once kept him fighting side by side with the village, but in the end, he still had to leave for his family.

However, to the dismay of Mr. Hai, a village lover, deeply trusting in the village, loyal to the revolution, hearing a news no less than a thunderbolt struck his ears that his village, Cho Dau, had joined the enemy. It was so cruel that it left Mr. Hai both in pain and extreme embarrassment. Every day, he eagerly awaited news from the village. So when he heard the enemy had invaded the village, his first thought was that this battle must be fierce since his village had a tradition of fighting against the enemy. Unable to contain himself, he immediately asked, 'How many did we kill?' Yet, the reality was heartbreaking. The woman next to him seemed to show contempt, saying casually, 'We didn't kill anyone. The whole village, they're all traitors following the West. What's there to kill?' Mr. Hai seemed to be paralyzed, unable to believe that his village, Cho Dau, could one day follow the enemy, betraying the revolution and his long-standing trust. Nothing could be more painful than this moment. Even if he were to be sliced open with a knife, it wouldn't hurt as much. With his exceptional ability to depict characters' inner feelings, Kim Lan depicted Mr. Hai's shock and pain with unique details that readers could almost feel Mr. Hai's astonishment and pain at that moment. 'His throat seemed to choke, his face numb,' 'He walked silently, as if he couldn't breathe,' these descriptions truly portrayed the immense shock Mr. Hai felt; he couldn't believe it was true. Therefore, he still held onto a faint hope, struggling to ask again with a trembling voice, 'Is it true, sir? Or is it just...' Perhaps Mr. Hai already believed 80-90%, so his voice was weak, hesitant, and lost. He was also afraid that if the woman said one more sentence, everything he had firmly believed about the village would immediately collapse. And the woman's affirmation seemed to drain all of Mr. Hai's strength, hope, and intense love for the village. He felt ashamed, he felt pain, and he had never felt so bitter before. The resilient man who had endured so much over the years now wept, 'Looking at his children, pitiful, his tears flowed,' thinking of his family being insulted, he felt even more painful and ashamed, a hundred thousand times over. Because of his deep love, he was deeply wounded. He couldn't bear it, so he clenched his fists, crying out, 'They eat the food we provide, then do they go and do the dirty work of traitors to the nation, causing such humiliation.' This curse contained all of Mr. Hai's anger, resentment, and pain. Only he understood the pain, the humiliation, which tortured the poor man. He couldn't face anyone, becoming irritable, harsh with his wife and children, unable to sleep peacefully, becoming sensitive to all gossip, fearing being driven away in disgrace. All these worries, all the suffering, tormented the poor old man, he couldn't stay in this village anymore, or go back to Cho Dau village? Mr. Hai had thought so, but his revolutionary love, his respect for Uncle Ho, didn't allow him to do so. Even though he loved the village to the bone, he was determined not to return to that shameful place because 'returning to the village means giving up the resistance, abandoning Uncle Ho.' He firmly said, 'I love the village indeed. But if the village has followed the West, then we must seek revenge.' Here, the beauty of Mr. Hai's character is clearly revealed. He is a discerning person who knows right from wrong, his unwavering loyalty to the revolution makes people admire him.

Finally, after so much suffering, humiliation, thinking the village had really followed the West, in the end, the village was vindicated. It turned out his village didn't follow the enemy; his village remained loyal to the revolution, to Uncle Ho. Cho Dau village still was the village he dearly loved and cherished. This made Mr. Hai ecstatic and overwhelmingly joyful. He felt as if he had been reborn. 'The sad face every day suddenly became cheerful. Chewing betel nut, eyes bright red, lively...' He joyously distributed gifts to his children, then hurried to inform Uncle Thuu, the landlord. What did he boast about? He boasted, 'The West burned my house, sir. Burned it down!' No one had ever had their house burned down and felt as happy and excited as Mr. Hai. Because it was evidence that his village hadn't followed the enemy, that his house had sacrificed for the revolution, and he wasn't a village traitor. What could be happier, more fulfilling for Mr. Hai at this moment? He continued to be proud, his tone heroic, proclaiming for everyone to know, 'Ridiculous! All nonsense, nothing true. It's all misinterpretation!' to regain his self-respect, to wash away the humiliation he had endured for the past few days. He was happy that he could continue to be proud of his beloved village, a village with revolutionary traditions. He continued to boast about his village, about the achievements of fighting the enemy,...

Kim Lân's short story 'The Village' vividly portrays the image of Vietnamese farmers during the resistance against the French, with their authentic beauty, simplicity, love for the village, homeland, and country, profound emotional changes during the resistance, along with their silent contributions and sacrifices for the revolution. As poet Tran Ninh Ho wrote: 'Everything seems to have been recorded with subtle identities, emotions to the core. If literature is the history of human emotions, then Kim Lân is truly a writer of that meaning.' Alongside its rich humanitarian content, the outstanding portrayal of characters' inner feelings, profound writing style, and meticulousness have largely contributed to the success of the work.

2. Expression of thoughts on the short story 'The Village,' model number 2:

Kim Lân is a modern Vietnamese writer with a profound understanding of rural Vietnam. He excellently captures the rustic pastimes imbued with the spirit of 'rural elegance' such as flying kites, cockfighting, raising dogs, releasing pigeons, playing with miniature landscapes, singing folk songs, performing spring festivals, etc. He is one of the outstanding short story writers with the countryside flavor through two works: 'The Ugly Dog' and 'Should Be a Wife Should Be a Husband.'

Writing about the theme of farmers and resistance, Kim Lân's story 'The Village' is more successful than ever. The main character of the story, Mr. Hai, has left deep and beautiful impressions on us.

Upon discovering the truth that 'the entire Chợ Dầu village sided with the West' was corrected, Mr. Hai felt the utmost joy. He was 'radiant, beaming with happiness,' 'chewing betel nut with a wide grin, his eyes gleaming with excitement'... He bought gifts for his children. He rushed to Uncle Thứ's house to 'brag' about the news that Chợ Dầu village fought off invaders, and his house was burned by the West. Very proud indeed! Readers feel as if they're sharing in his joy and happiness.

Flipping through the pages of the book, we are filled with nostalgia for Mr. Hai's love for his village, and for the compelling storytelling techniques of the author Kim Lân. Mr. Hai's admirable qualities such as diligence, simplicity, and love for his homeland... epitomize the noble and pristine nature of Vietnamese farmers. They toil and sweat to put a hearty meal on the table for everyone. They shed blood, fighting off invaders to 'protect the village, protect the nation, protect the thatched-roof houses, protect the ripe rice fields'... (The New Steel).

'Homeland is like a bunch of sweet persimmons...' It's the joy, the sorrow, the beautiful dreams of each of us. The homeland is evolving, 'roofed,' prosperous, in tranquility and warmth.

The profound lesson when reading this short story by Kim Lân is the love for the homeland, the pride, and gratitude for the Vietnamese farmers.