Reflection on the Final Eight Lines of the Passing of Fate excerpt

Essay Prompt: Please express your reflections on the final eight lines of the Passing of Fate excerpt.

Reflection on the Final Eight Lines of the Passing of Fate excerpt
 

I. Outline for Reflecting on the Final Eight Lines of the Passing of Fate excerpt (Standard)

1. Introduction:

Introducing the author, the work, and the final eight lines.

The past, once filled with love and countless kindness, is now a reality filled with pain and sorrow, as much as one can bear.

c. Self-reproach, anguish over Kim's betrayal

- The call of Kim, 'Kim Lang': poignant, suffocating, with a touch of agony in despair.
- 'Enough, enough' seems like the conclusion, no more hope, nothing left to wait for, must accept this harsh reality.
- 'Betraying you': acknowledging oneself as the betrayer in love.

Expressing regret and remorse in the heart of Kiều.

d. Evaluation

- Content: The final eight verses of the excerpt clearly depict Kiều's feelings of pain and despair as love shatters, simultaneously portraying her noble character.
- Artistry:

+ Delicate portrayal of inner emotions.
+ Successful use of artistic techniques, folk proverbs, etc., to depict the characters' inner thoughts.

3. Conclusion:

Affirming the value of the eight verses and excerpt.

>> See details of the Outline Feeling about the last 8 verses of the poem Trao Duyen here.
 

II. Sample Essay Feeling about the last 8 verses of the poem Trao Duyen

1. Feeling about the last 8 verses of the poem Trao Duyen, sample 1 (Standard)

The excerpt from The Tale of Kieu illustrates Nguyen Du's remarkable literary talent in deeply portraying the characters' inner thoughts. Through the excerpt, we further comprehend and empathize with the tragic fate of Thuy Kieu. The final eight lines of the poem are particularly impressive as they vividly depict the profound pain and despair in Thuy Kieu's heart.

After relying on her sister to take her place in forming the 'excess fate' with Kim Trong, Thuy Kieu experienced agonizing heartache, revealing her true feelings. It was a sense of desperation and extreme suffering when she had to let go of her beautiful love with Kim.

'Now, the flower breaks, the mirror shatters
How can one recount the countless love and kindnesses'

The adverbial phrase 'now' signifies the present pain that Kieu is facing, enduring. It is a pain deeply engraved in her heart as she witnesses the breakup of her fate, the love letters still fresh but due to circumstances, falling into a scene of irreparable separation as nothing can mend the 'broken flower, shattered mirror.' The author skillfully employs the proverb 'broken flower, shattered mirror' to metaphorically represent the fragile yet beautiful love between Kim and Kieu.

The love Kiều holds for Kim is as genuine, intense, and grand as the pain she now bears is poignant. The vase has shattered, the wine cup has broken, no love can be patched up anymore, the hope of reuniting the old love is also gone. Kiều mourns the moments of happiness 'countless love and kindness' between them in the past. Those were precious memories, deep-seated memories that both Kim and Kiều shared. Nights of moonlight vows, drinking from the promise of a hundred years, enjoying the golden moonlight, reciting poetry, playing music,... All the past joys have turned into memories, vanished into nothingness when love is not yet exhausted but forced to part ways.

Regretting an incomplete love, thinking of Kim Trong, Kiều blames herself for betraying him, her choked words echo:

'A hundred thousand tributes to love's army
The thread of fate is brief, just that much'

Throughout Kiều's life, through every page of Nguyen Du's poetry, we know that Kiều is someone who lives by love and duty, she has never betrayed anyone. Furthermore, Kiều always gives everything good to the one she loves, trusts. She sacrifices her own happiness to fulfill the filial duty 'firstborn must repay the kindness of giving birth', with no other choice, she reluctantly breaks off her sincere affection and the beautiful destiny with Kim Trong. Deep in her heart, she is always tormented and blames herself for breaking her promise with Kim Trong. The action of 'a hundred thousand tributes to love' along with the earnest, regretful words 'The thread of fate is brief, just that much' is a poignant, heartfelt apology to Kim. How much must Kiều love and cherish the sacred love with Kim Trong to blame and torment herself like this?

After expressing to Kim her lamentations about her fate, Kiều's self-awareness of her status reveals her understanding of life's truths, also a premonition of her less-than-rosy future:

'Fate, oh fate, as fickle as lime.
Once the water flows, the flowers drift away'

The cries of resentment about the pain of fate are a natural expression when Kiều's sorrow reaches its peak. The proverbs 'fickle as lime,' 'water flows, flowers drift away' are like sighs, choked accusations of Kiều against life's injustices, against a cruel society that has pushed her into deadlock, misery, and despair. Accepting the 'once the water flows' for the 'flowers drift away' is also an act of endurance, an expression of the sacrifice of a girl in the face of life's hardships. And perhaps, that signals an uncertain future, a fate of misfortune for her.

The two words 'Kim Lang' contain boundless love and appreciation that Kiều holds for Kim Trong. The endearment 'Kim Lang' combined with the exclamation 'Oh,' 'Alas,' along with the 3/3 poetic rhythm, is like the heartfelt cry of Kiều. Each word uttered is choked, painful, imbued with tears, tinged with sorrow. The final farewell words of the loyal girl carry both regret and pain to the utmost:

'Enough, enough, I have betrayed you from now on'

The final eight verses, though not lengthy, still showcase Kiều's many noble qualities. It is her loyalty, compassion, awareness of her status, and a heart longing for deep happiness within Kiều. Through these eight verses, the humanitarian values that Nguyen Du conveys are clearly demonstrated. It is a condemnation of the feudal society full of injustice that has pushed people into painful tragedies. It is a voice of compassion for unfortunate fates like Kiều's and an expression of appreciation for the good qualities, emotions of people in society. On the other hand, artistic success is also a remarkable highlight in the passage. It is the meticulous portrayal of inner emotions, the art of internal monologue, comparison, metaphor, and the combined use of folk proverbs with the familiar six-eight verse form that make up a complete and meaningful poem.

In general, Trao duyen and the final eight verses contribute to the success of the masterpiece The Tale of Kieu. It is believed that in the future, Trao duyen along with The Tale of Kieu will preserve their enduring value, cherished and preserved by generations of readers.

2. Feeling about the last 8 verses of the poem Trao duyen, sample 2 (Standard)

The literary giant Nguyen Du has left an immensely significant cultural legacy, the masterpiece of Vietnamese medieval literature - The Tale of Kieu. In every excerpt of the work, through the character Thuy Kieu, the author has disseminated both practical values and humanitarian values in each verse. Especially in the excerpt Trao duyen - a representative excerpt, the climax of Thuy Kieu's life tragedy, the final eight verses are likened to cries of lamentation, unspoken screams of a humble life resigned to the fate's arrangement.

After persuading her sister Thuy Van to accept the fate with Kim Trong, Thuy Kieu hands over all the mementos between her and Kim Trong to Thuy Van and admonishes her with heartfelt words. In her pain and sorrow, Thuy Kieu involuntarily shifts from conversing with her sister to internal monologue when she remembers Kim Trong. The following eight verses are the heart-wrenching cries and painful farewells of Kieu to her beloved.

'Now, the flower breaks, the mirror shatters,
How can one recount the countless love and kindness!
A hundred thousand tributes to love's army,
The thread of fate is brief, just that much.
Fate, oh fate, as fickle as lime?
Once the water flows, the flowers drift away.
Oh Kim Lang! Alas, Kim Lang!
Enough, enough, I have betrayed you from now on!'

It can be seen that in the eight verses above, there are five exclamations. At first glance, the reader sees the image of a perfectly talented girl but fate has pushed her to the brink of 'tragedy', sitting slumped down letting go of everything. Thuy Kieu's verses are full of pain, touching the readers' emotions. 'The flower breaks, the mirror shatters' signifies the broken love, broken in a way that cannot be repaired or healed anymore. This will be an eternal parting, no longer salvageable. Yet before this, she and Kim had such a beautiful love, with countless love and kindness, with many memories and mementos exchanged. Now all of that means nothing anymore, she has to abandon it all, reject that feeling to fulfill her filial duty to her parents.

For Kim Trong, her 'military lover', whom she loved wholeheartedly, not being able to be her true spouse is what torments Thuy Kieu the most. She doesn't know how to make amends with Kim Trong, only knows to 'send a hundred thousand tributes', sending this tribute to apologize for the genuine love of Kim. This is a tribute for the solemn farewell, showing that Thuy Kieu greatly values and sincerely treasures this love. She only hopes that Kim Trong understands her feelings, fate, and circumstances, accepting to be betrothed to her sister. Thuy Kieu had to lament about fate with a series of proverbs like 'the thread of fate is brief', 'fate, oh fate, as fickle as lime', 'once the water flows, the flowers drift away', hinting at the miserable, fickle, floating fate of Thuy Kieu. She realizes her painful fate, tossed about, if the past was full of love, countless kindness, then now it's filled with real pain, desolation, her fate arranged as such.

No longer silent sufferers, Thuy Kieu, the character of Nguyen Du, has broken free from the contemporary social prejudices, daring to voice her deep sorrow, not afraid to lament her life and fate. Although unable to change, at least it shows that Thuy Kieu is a person who understands reason, full of sincerity and loyalty. Placed in a situation where she must choose between family and love, she chose to sacrifice love to save her parents. The call to Kim 'Oh Kim Lang! Alas, Kim Lang' is a poignant, choked call, somewhat painful in despair, one can imagine Thuy Kieu has become lifeless, suffering to the extreme. 'Enough, enough' is like an end, no more hope, nothing left to wait for, must accept this harsh reality. This is the end of this love, and Thuy Kieu has accepted herself as unfaithful, unable to deny her feelings for Kim Trong are earnest, sincere but filial duty forces her to sacrifice love, she has no other choice. Although she has entrusted Thuy Van with this betrothal, deep within Thuy Kieu's heart, she's not at peace, she's in agony, lamenting her fate and life's injustice. Despite Kieu's painful life, she radiates a brilliant personality, always demanding her status, her love for each other, but also never forgetting her filial duty.

Through the excerpt Trao duyen, we feel that Thuy Kieu is not just an artistic figure, a fate created by the talented hand of the poet, but she is very close to a real person, with a multi-dimensional personality. Thuy Kieu's emotions, pain, and sacrifice make us constantly reflect on ourselves amidst life, sympathize with the bitterness, fickle fate of Kieu.
 

3. Impressions on the last 8 verses of Trao duyên, sample number 3 (Standard)

In medieval literature, awareness of human identity, as well as compassion for the unfortunate, seems limited and not one of the topics chosen by many writers and poets. However, despite surpassing those boundaries, we still see Nguyen Du - the national poet, living under a harsh feudal regime, with stark class disparities, as well as heavy bias towards males. Nevertheless, his thoughts were ahead of his time by several hundred years. He not only sympathized with human fate but also had a practical, humane view, affirming and elevating the value of women, including both beauty and intelligence. At the same time, he discreetly condemned the injustice, decay of the feudal system, which pushed humble individuals, despite their many virtues, into agonizing tragedies. The Tale of Kieu is considered a masterpiece in medieval literature, as well as the entire Vietnamese literature, with profound influence and two values of reality and humanity expressed through verses with rhythmic melodies, telling the life of the talented and beautiful girl Thuy Kieu. In the excerpt Trao duyen, after the tragedy fell upon Thuy Kieu forcing her to mature to shoulder the family burden, not only selling herself to redeem her father and sister, Kieu also had to end her love with Kim Trong and betroth her sister, leaving her with wounds and heartbreak.

The love of Thuy Kieu and Kim Trong is a beautiful love, beautiful because of the match, while Thuy Kieu is perfect in both talent and beauty, 'Beauty needs only one talent to demand, one talent requires two drawings', Kim Trong is also knowledgeable, from a well-educated family, genteel, handsome. Because of that reason, they seemed to understand each other from the first meetings, not just simple love but also friendship. Especially in The Tale of Kieu, Nguyen Du also has a quite liberal and bold view when writing about the love affair of Kim Trong with Thuy Kieu. He advocates for freedom in the love of couples, letting both decide to marry, vow to each other, and even Kieu taking advantage of her parents' visit to her hometown, went to Kim Trong's house to make a pledge with her lover. These details may have become uncouth, lacking in societal etiquette of the past, however, from Nguyen Du's perspective, the character of Thuy Kieu and her love must have something different and impressive, above all, he wants to create for his character a freedom not only in the physical but also in the spiritual, that is the progress of Nguyen Du in humanitarian thought, loving people. Returning to the Trao Duyên excerpt, one can see a clever, shrewd, and resolute Thuy Kieu as she persuades Thuy Van to help her connect with Kim Trong. After everything settled smoothly, right at this moment, Kieu could not maintain her composure, calmness, her cleverness anymore, she returned to a weak appearance, revealing the utmost pain in her heart before the breakup of love, before the pain of fate. Reading the last verses, one can imagine the image of a collapsing girl, helpless with tears streaming down, vacant eyes, despairing.

'Now the trâm branch has broken and the vase shattered,
How can one mend countless endearments?
A hundred thousand tributes I send to my military lover,
The thread of fate is short, just that much.
What use lamenting over a fate as fickle as lime?
The water has flowed, the flowers drifted, village lost.
Oh Kim Lang! Oh Kim Lang!
From now on, I've betrayed you!'

Thuy Kieu reflects on her love with poignant verses 'Now the trâm branch has broken and the vase shattered', the words 'the trâm branch has broken and the vase shattered', signifies an irreparable rupture, an inevitable separation of her and Kim Trong, Kieu understands that this parting is probably, if they meet again, their feelings won't be the same as before, because once the branch is broken, what glue can mend it, once the vase is shattered, how can it be repaired. No matter how much effort is made, one can only see the dense scars. It can be said that this verse not only reveals Thuy Kieu's despair at the breakup of love but also anticipates the reunion after 15 years of longing, finally she and Kim Trong can only be 'Even the fate of the couple is just the fate of flock companions.'

As the next verse goes 'How can one mend countless endearments!', it's when Thuy Kieu reminisces the beautiful, sweet memories with Kim Trong, the nights of 'vows and pledges', enjoying the moonlight, reciting poetry, playing music, thinking that those beautiful moments would last forever, but unexpectedly, disaster strikes, all dreams vanish into nothingness. The pain, disappointment in love, especially in a girl's first love, is often profound and extremely painful. This pain is intensified when Kieu is forced to abandon her own happiness to save her family. Thus, the more beautiful and happy the memories of her and Kim Trong are, the more they crush her heart now. Not only does it stop at the pain of love breaking, Kieu also has to endure the torment of becoming a pawn, leaving her lover to marry someone else, even though she herself is also unwilling. Thuy Kieu revealed her remorse, regret in the two lines 'A hundred thousand tributes I send to my military lover, The thread of fate is short, just that much', understanding that in our lives, Kieu has never seen herself at fault, or living wrongly with anyone, Kieu always tries to be perfect for all the people she loves and cherishes. However, for Kim Trong, she still feels guilty for her betrayal, even though Kieu has tried to repay her debt to Kim by giving her fate to Van. Kieu's self-blame primarily stems from her decision to give up her love for her military lover, secondly from her deep feelings, her respect for Kim. Anyone facing someone they care deeply about, even a slight injury to the other person makes them restless. In the verse 'A hundred thousand tributes I send to my military lover', Kieu's 'tribute' is a deeply apologetic and poignant word, a solemn farewell to love, to her lover who is still far away. Because in the future, when Kim Trong returns, awaiting him will be Thuy Kieu's heartbreaking separation, Kieu understands that pain and dismay, but there is no other way. At the same time, these two lines also express Kieu's appreciation, sincere heart for Kim Trong, she sees herself as having betrayed, so she can only bow, place herself in a lower position, as the biggest apology, hoping that Kim Trong can understand her anguish when having to choose between her love and her filial duty.

'The thread of fate is short, just that much'

This verse is the epitome of Thuy Kieu's helplessness to despair when she must reluctantly forget her deep love with Kim, a fate though short-lived but as beautiful as the full moon, perhaps Kieu can never forget it in her lifetime. After the poignant expressions about fate, Kieu returns to her self-awareness of the pain of fate 'What use lamenting over a fate as fickle as lime? The water has flowed, the flowers drifted, village lost'. Because of too much pain, because of the impending shame, Kieu could not bear but utter a lament for her unfortunate fate. Thinking about a 15, 16-year-old girl's life, but in her words of complaint, in her consciousness, there is so much bitterness, enough to understand the great psychological pressure she has to endure.

Not only that, the self-awareness of the pain of fate is also an expression of Thuy Kieu's intelligence, understanding of reason. If the beauties of the past quietly endured, then in Nguyen Du's poetry, women knew how to lament, to express their sorrowful cries, to reflect the social reality, as well as the fact that they need an escape, even though it is difficult to achieve. The phrase 'the water has flowed, the flowers drifted' is a bleak premonition of a life adrift, not knowing which way Thuy Kieu will drift, she is immersed in a feeling of directionlessness and extreme instability, also the author's implication about the upcoming challenges waiting for the pitiful, unlucky girl.

'Oh Kim Lang! Oh Kim lang!
Alas! I've betrayed thee from henceforth'

The last two verses are the poignant farewell, the pain-filled farewell of Thuy Kieu to Kim Trong, the one she betrayed, also demonstrating deep love, unwavering loyalty, and endless regrets when the love burden breaks midway, no longer retrievable. In the cries, the desperate pain, one seems to see tears staining every word, the haunting pain of broken love. It inevitably makes the reader ponder over Thuy Kieu's fate, for what reason would a girl who seemingly has everything suddenly fall and reach the end, utterly revealed, enduring such heartbreaking separation, such humiliation and resentment.

It can be seen that Thuy Kieu is a girl who seemingly has everything, yet also the one who must bear all the pains in life corresponding to the opening line of The Tale of Kieu 'A hundred years in the realm of humans/Talent and destiny disdainfully hate each other'. In the last verses of the excerpt Trao duyen, one can see the image of a girl facing the pain of broken love, forced to abandon love, forced to go against her vows for two words of filial piety. Alongside is the despair, the helplessness of Thuy Kieu when confronted with life's upheavals, which she herself is not strong enough to resist, ultimately having to accept the turmoil of life's current, not knowing where to drift, utterly miserable.

4. Essay: Reflection on the last 8 verses of the Trao duyen poem, standard model 4

'The Tale of Kieu' - a renowned masterpiece by the great poet Nguyen Du successfully portrays the life of Thuy Kieu - a woman of both talent and beauty but whose life encounters many twists and turns. The excerpt 'Trao duyen' is one of the typical examples illustrating the tragic love story, the unfortunate fate of Thuy Kieu, and the talent of Nguyen Du in constructing and depicting the character's psychology. After the 'exchange of tokens of love,' Kieu sinks deep into her own world of suffering, reminiscing about Kim Trong and their unfinished love affair. Through the last eight verses, we can see Kieu's awareness of reality and her heartfelt lamentation and remorse for Kim Trong:

'Now the sandalwood is broken, the mirror shattered,
How can one count the myriad affections?
A hundred thousand bows to my love,
The thread of fate is short, just that much!
Why is fate as fleeting as lime?
The water has flowed, the flowers have drifted away from the village.
Oh Kim lang! Oh Kim lang!
Alas! I've betrayed thee from henceforth!'

After exchanging tokens of love, instructing Thuy Van, and sinking deep into introspective soliloquy, Kieu realizes the harsh tragedy of reality and confides in Kim Trong in despair. She is acutely aware of the past, present, and future. The idioms 'the sandalwood is broken,' 'fate as fleeting as lime,' 'the water has flowed, the flowers have drifted away' depict the brokenness, precariousness, and transient nature of love and human fate:

'Now the sandalwood is broken, the mirror shattered,
How can one count the myriad affections?'

'Shattered sandalwood mirrors' - symbols of Kieu's fate, portraying the broken love, the unfortunate destiny, the agony. 'Destiny as fragile as lime' illustrates the delicate, ephemeral fate. Additionally, 'the flowing water, the drifting flowers' emphasizes the instability, the ups and downs in life's journey. These verses evoke the common fate of 'beauty and misfortune' in feudal society. The noun denoting time 'Now' resonates with sorrow, highlighting the contrast between the past - the tranquil years 'With calm curtains and soothing covers' and the present - the separation, the shattered first love. The realm of 'myriad affections' cannot be quantified, fading into the subconscious, leaving only pain and sorrow. The author employs contrast to underscore the juxtaposition between the sweet, passionate past and the bleak, uncertain future, pushing Kieu into a tragedy with no solace. Thus, she agonizes in despair:

'A hundred thousand bows to my love,
The thread of fate is short, just that much!'

The author employs the phrase 'a hundred thousand' to exaggerate the grandeur, the infinite, contrasting with 'just that much' to depict the insignificance, the humility, the helplessness. The author juxtaposes the finite 'just that much' against the infinite 'a hundred thousand' to express Thuy Kieu's heartfelt agony towards Kim Trong. It is the anguish, the torment, the relentless struggle of Kieu. Particularly, the act of 'bowing' once again emerges in the excerpt 'Trao duyen,' conveying profound meanings. If the first bow to Thuy Van portrays Kieu's position as a recipient of grace towards a benefactor, then in bowing to Kim Trong, we witness her pain. 'A hundred thousand bows to my love' is a bow of repentance, expressing inner turmoil, hoping to receive empathy from Kim Trong; it is also a farewell full of bitterness from Kieu.

'Oh Kim lang! Oh Kim lang!
Alas! I've betrayed thee from henceforth!'

In the soliloquy, Kieu immerses herself in a world full of her own suffering, uttering words of pity, resentment towards the unjust, irrational reality, yet it is also a heart-wrenching cry. With the poetic rhythm of 3/3, the lines are like broken halves in the midst of anguish, sobbing. The interjections 'Oh', 'O' combined with the repeated mention of Kim Trong's name twice express a tumultuous, heartfelt sentiment. The phrase 'Enough, enough' emphasizes the desperate pain, coupled with the word 'betray' as a painful confession, demonstrating Thuy Kieu's noble character. In that moment, 'Trao duyen' reveals the lament of a faithful girl who turns out to betray that love. With a compassionate heart, author Nguyen Du used pain to convey pain, to touch the hearts of readers.

Through the eight concluding verses of the excerpt 'Trao duyen', we can perceive the tragedy of shattered love, the unfortunate fate, and the noble character of Thuy Kieu. Moreover, these verses also serve as exemplary evidence for the remarkable artistic qualities of the work 'The Tale of Kieu' through its subtle portrayal of character psychology, sophistication in language, and vivid imagery.

5. Reflection on the final 8 verses of the poem 'Trao duyen', standard sample 5

The initial love between Kim and Kieu seemed destined to be beautiful, but fate intervened. To save her father and younger brother, Kieu had to sell herself. Promises and engagements, Kieu reluctantly handed over to her sister Thuy Van. Emotions and reason conflicted, Kieu felt pain, sorrow, and compassion. The excerpt 'Trao duyen' vividly portrays Kieu's emotions, especially reading the last 8 lines of the excerpt, one cannot help but shed tears at Kieu's heartfelt words.

'Now the silk breaks, the mirror shatters
How to mend the endless love that scatters.
...
Enough, enough, I've failed thee from this day.'

The vows we made in yesternight, now our love lies shattered, torn apart, 'the silk breaks, the mirror shatters'. Despite the beauty of our love, it's torn apart, causing anguish and sorrow. Moreover, Kieu, as a woman, loyal and devoted, feels the pain even more. Forced to give her fate to her sister, it's Kieu's final choice, though her heart is reluctant, the reality is too cruel, her heart, her soul shattered. Each utterance is like a lament, a cry of sorrow for her fate, for our love:

'The thread of fate, brief as it may be
Destiny, like lime, fleeting to see
Once the water flows, the flowers drift away lost.'

The idioms 'destiny like lime' and 'the water flows, the flowers drift away lost' are employed by the author in the poem to depict Kieu's fragile, floating fate. In an unjust society, amidst deceit, she's dragged into darkness, her love entangled in a fleeting fate. Faced with the cruelty of fate, though she desires, she can't fight back, resignedly accepting 'Once the water flows, the flowers drift away lost'.

The fate of medieval women, so precarious, life's lottery not of their own choosing:

'My body floats like a gourd adrift
Wind rages, waves crash, where to land, I fear.'

Thuy Kieu likened herself to a flower in the river, uncertain, insignificant, lost amidst the vast waves. The flower's 'lost' fate, where will it end up, reaching the shore or forever adrift in the currents?

The more she thinks, the more painful it becomes, Kieu's heart burdened, she pities herself as much as she pities Kim Trong. Seeing she's betrayed her true feelings, Kieu utters tearful apologies:

'Oh! Kim Lang! O Kim Lang
Alas, I've betrayed thee from this day'

The exclamations oh and o, coupled with the weighty Kim Lang, seem to pour all of Kieu's emotions for Kim into those two calls. Kieu admits fault in herself, deems herself the betrayer of Kim's heart, then anguish, bitterness surge, gnawing at her heart:

'Alas, I've shamed thee henceforth'

The final, heart-wrenching apology from Kieu leaves everyone feeling sorrowful. Before Kim, Kieu doesn't blame fate or circumstance; she takes fault upon herself. It reveals her thoughts and feelings. She no longer dwells on her own pain but directs all concern toward Kim - the one she deeply loves.