Reflections on the Encounter between Little Thu and Brother Sáu after 8 Years Apart

Topic: Reflections on the Encounter between Little Thu and Brother Sáu after 8 Years Apart

Reflections on the Encounter between Little Thu and Brother Sáu after 8 Years Apart

I. Outline for Reflections on the Encounter between Little Thu and Brother Sáu after 8 Years Apart (Standard)

1. Introduction:

- Introduction to the author and the work.

2. Main Body:

a. Content:
- Drawing from the narrative of character Uncle Ba about the reunion of Mr. Sáu and his daughter after eight years
- Depicting Mr. Sáu's deep father-daughter affection as well as little Thu's steadfast love for her father.

b. When little Thu didn't recognize her father:

- Upon hearing Mr. Sáu calling out: little Thu 'startled, eyes wide open', 'bewildered, strange'.
+ The child 'blushed', 'ran away quickly'
+ This made Mr. Sáu disappointed, 'hands dropped as if broken'.
+ The child refused to call him father, refused to acknowledge Mr. Sáu as her father.
+ Reason: he didn't look like in the photo taken with her mother.

- During the holidays:
+ Mr. Sáu stayed at home, attempting to reach out to his daughter
+ Little Thu rejected all of Mr. Sáu's attempts to show care, refusing to utter a word to her father
+ She spoke bluntly when she needed something, asking Mr. Sáu to fetch water and when calling him for dinner.

- During mealtime:
+ Mr. Sáu served a piece of fish egg to his daughter, but little Thu unexpectedly flung it away in anger, prompting Mr. Sáu to hit her.
+ Little Thu bowed her head, put the egg back into the bowl, then rowed to her grandmother's.

- Thu is a stubborn, defiant girl, yet behind that stubbornness lies a deep love for her father.

c. When little Thu recognized her father:

- Upon hearing her grandmother's explanation, the child remained silent, occasionally sighing like an adult.

- Upon returning home to bid farewell to her father:
+ Little Thu stood 'in the corner of the house, leaning against the door', silently 'pondering deeply'.
+ When her father softly said goodbye, the child burst into tears, shouting out to her father: this is the call that Thu has kept in her heart for so many years.
+ She hugged Mr. Sáu tightly, 'kissing all over', even 'the scar on her father's face'.
+ She didn't want her father to leave

3. Conclusion

Reflections on the father-daughter bond between Mr. Sáu and little Thu.

II. Sample Essay: Reflections on the Encounter between Little Thu and Brother Sáu after 8 Years Apart (Standard)

The Ivory Comb is one of the most renowned short stories by the author Nguyễn Quang Sáng. The story recounts the touching yet tragic encounter between Mr. Sáu and little Thu after 8 years of separation, portraying the beautiful, sacred father-daughter bond amidst war.

Mr. Sáu joined the resistance when his eldest daughter was just one year old. Being away from home for 8 years made Mr. Sáu yearn for the moment to reunite with his daughter. However, little Thu only knew her father through a small photo taken with her mother. That's why when he called her name and referred to her as his daughter, she was 'startled, eyes wide open'. Seeing his daughter for the first time, Mr. Sáu was so nervous that he saw a 'eight-year-old, hair cut to the shoulders. Wearing black pants and a fluffy shirt', he hurriedly 'jumped up' without waiting for the boat to dock. Perhaps the fatherly love in him was so intense that he couldn't wait.

However, just when he thought his daughter would 'run into his arms', 'hug him tightly by the neck', on the contrary, little Thu only 'startled', 'bewildered, strange'. She 'ran away' and 'shouted for her mother'. Little Thu's attitude surprised Mr. Sáu, leaving him 'standing still' in 'pain', 'hands dropping as if broken'. Yes, is there any father who wouldn't feel pain? When his beloved daughter, distant and longed for, suddenly ran away in fear, with a face 'pale' as if asking 'someone' when she saw herself? Thu had never met her father in real life, moreover, the war had left 'a long scar' on Mr. Sáu's face, terrifying and twitching every time he was deeply moved, making little Thu run away in fear.

If the first meeting with his daughter brought disappointment and sorrow to Mr. Sáu, then during the days off, Thu's rejection and distance only made him feel bitter and painful. He had three days off, but during those three days, Thu always kept her distance from him, refusing to acknowledge him as her father. Every time he tried to 'care for' her, it only pushed her further away. Not once did Thu call out 'father', she only spoke bluntly, even in the most difficult situations. When her mother called for him to come eat, she refused, saying 'then let mom call you', until her mother 'threatened to hit her with a kitchen utensil' that she reluctantly said 'come eat', 'the rice is cooked'. To her, the word 'father' was perhaps a sacred term that she wanted to reserve for her beloved father. Therefore, when she saw that Mr. Sáu didn't resemble the person in the photo, Thu resolutely refused, even if she was punished. Once, when her mother was absent and instructed her to 'ask father for help if needed', but when it came time to drain the rice cooker, she stubbornly refused to ask Mr. Sáu for help, even though he was right beside her. When the rice cooker 'boiled up', she still bluntly said: 'The rice is cooked, pour the water!', 'the rice is cooked, eat now', ... even though Bác Ba had 'cleared the way' for her. The stubbornness and indifference of Thu towards Mr. Sáu, even if it meant being scolded by her mother, but she was determined not to call Mr. Sáu 'father'.

The peak of Thu's stubbornness and defiance towards Mr. Sáu was when he 'picked up a big golden fish egg to put in her bowl' and Thu unexpectedly 'suddenly threw the fish egg out', making Mr. Sáu angry and 'swung his hand to hit her buttocks'. That slap was perhaps the accumulation of so much disappointment and frustration that Mr. Sáu had endured in the past few days. It unexpectedly appeared in a fit of anger, making him shout 'Why are you so stubborn, huh?'

Still with that indifferent and stubborn attitude, Thu 'sat still, bowed her head', 'picked up the fish egg and put it in her bowl' then swam across to her grandmother's house. She didn't cry in front of others, she didn't cry in front of someone she didn't acknowledge as her father. Perhaps to many, Thu's actions were unruly, stubborn, and disobedient. But when looking deeper, one understands that it's because Thu hasn't fully understood the severity of the war, hasn't understood the hardships that Mr. Sáu had to endure while fighting, and the result is the terrifying scar on his face. Thu's stubbornness is not necessarily stubbornness, but the determination of a girl with deep, tender love for her father. She insists on reserving that 'father' call for her real father - the father like the photo taken with her mother.

But when her grandmother explained the reason for the scar on her father's face, she understood 'lying still, tossing and turning, occasionally sighing like an adult'. Perhaps at that moment, Thu understood her father's actions, regretted her own actions. The day Thu realized her father was also the day Mr. Sáu had to leave. She didn't rush, didn't run to hug her father as soon as he returned, she just 'stood in the corner of the house, leaning against the door, and looked at everyone surrounding her father'. There was no more 'stubbornness or wrinkles' on Thu's face, but rather a 'sadness', a 'deep contemplation'. When Mr. Sáu put on his backpack and greeted her with 'a loving glance' gently saying: 'Alright! Let daddy go now!' then all the emotions in Thu burst out, erupted. The word 'father' tore at her heart that she had suppressed for so many years, bursting out in the emotional outburst of everyone. Reading up to here, we cannot help but be moved by the way Thu expresses her love for her father. Loving her father so much that she refuses to call someone with a slightly unfamiliar face her father, and only when she understands everything, the cries, the calls of 'father' burst out in eruption. Perhaps the girl has endured, has waited for so many days just to be able to hug her father, to kiss her father. Therefore, she 'rushed forward, as fast as a squirrel, she ran up and hugged her father tightly by the neck'. And then she 'kissed her father all over. She kissed his hair, his neck, his shoulders, and even the long scar on his mother's face too'. Her love for her father is so intense, so profound! The opposite attitude from the first few days of meeting Mr. Sáu but consistent in Thu's love for her father. That is a love greater than the sea, higher than the mountains and rivers.

Although the war has ended, its intensity and the scars it left behind will forever be etched in our minds. The short story 'The Ivory Comb' by writer Nguyen Quang Sang somewhat attests to those harsh years. Analyzing the detailed scars in 'The Ivory Comb,' examining the character of Mr. Sau, discussing 'The Ivory Comb' in depth, and reflecting on family emotional life during wartime through excerpts from 'The Ivory Comb' will help us gain a more comprehensive understanding of this work!