Reflections on the Tale of Two Maple Trees

Prompt: Reflections on the Tale of Two Maple Trees

One of the most iconic images associated with childhood, with the village of Ku- ru- rêu, is the image of two maple trees, nestled atop a hill. The writer only knows it's linked to childhood, to their own growth process, but cannot determine when the maple trees appeared, only that it's been a long time. These two maple trees have become a symbol of the village: 'I knew them from before I knew myself. No matter who comes to the village from whichever direction, they always see those two maple trees first, they always appear in front of their eyes just like the beacons placed on the mountain.' The image of the two maple trees has become so familiar, so endearing, that it has become a deeply ingrained symbol not only in the writer's psyche but also in the psyche of the villagers of Ku- ru- rêu.

Reflections on the Most Beautiful Maple Trees

Every time the writer returns to the village, their first action is to look up at the two maple trees '...every time I return to the village, riding the train through the prairie back to the village, I always consider my first duty to be to look from afar and seek out those familiar maple trees.' Thus, the maple trees are not just inanimate objects; they are like friends, like kindred spirits that the writer always remembers when far from home, and upon returning to their homeland, they are also the first thing the author looks up to: 'Am I going to see them soon, those twin maple trees? I long to return to the village, to climb up the hill and reach the two maple trees. And then just stand under the shade of the tree and listen to the rustling of the leaves until I'm intoxicated, enraptured.'

The writer's childhood is intertwined with fond memories of those two maple trees. In the writer's childhood perception, the maple trees seem like living entities, with souls, emotions, and states akin to those of a human being, sometimes 'whispering,' 'silent,' 'sighing deeply once.' The movements, the sounds, whether gentle or strong, poignant, have become part of childhood memories. Even though grown-up and now 'understand the mysteries' of the two maple trees: 'It's just that they stand on a windy hill, so they respond to any gentle movement of the air, every small leaf is keenly responsive to every passing breeze.' But, even knowing the truth, the poet's perception remains unchanged. The two maple trees in the poet's perception always remain vivid, always intimate in such a way.

The comparison between two maple trees and a lighthouse atop a mountain reveals the illumination of homeland's light and memories, illuminating the footsteps of the children here, empowering them to confidently journey to distant lands, perhaps even becoming the protagonist of the story, or even the author. The towering maple trees, like lighthouse beacons on the mountain, have impressed anyone. For the artist, the love for the homeland has intertwined with affection for the two maple trees at the village's entrance. Every return home, the artist gazes at the familiar maple trees, seeing it as their primary duty. The artist's reminiscence of the maple trees is filled with a poignant sadness, intensifying as they approach nearer home. The child silently wonders, 'Will we see them soon, those paired maple trees?' Longing to swiftly return to the village, hastening up the hill to reach the maple trees. And the joy it brings, to the child, after so long, to return, to stand beneath the tree's canopy, listening to the rustling leaves until they are enraptured. Indeed, a close bond between the author and the homeland, with their childhood. It seems like the message the author wants to convey to all of us: Remember your homeland, remember your childhood, for it is the foundation that shapes us today.

The two maple trees stand on the hill, with their colossal stature, branches soaring high above, reaching the height of birds in flight, casting a cool, inviting shade, swaying as if welcoming all to them. Perhaps it's this welcoming demeanor that has left the author with many memories. The natural landscape the author beholds from above creates a sense of vast expanses, stretching far and wide, across wilderness and shimmering rivers, as if unfolding before the reader's eyes, uniting them with the author in emotion. The author's depiction of nature is impressively distinctive and alluring, leaving indelible impressions in the reader's mind.

The two maple trees have captivated the storyteller, igniting inspiration within them. The maple trees are intertwined with the author's profound love for the homeland, making the reader feel truly appreciative and nostalgic for the cherished childhood memories that we've hastily forgotten. The work evokes those memories within us, unconsciously bringing them forth as we read the author's memorable recollections. The maple trees, for the author, represent beautiful memories of school days, though distant in the past, each reminiscence seems to resonate with the author a little more, pulling the reader into the same feelings and memories. The maple trees serve as vivid witnesses to the lively story of teacher Duy-sen and the girl An-t-nai. It was the teacher who planted the two maple trees on the hill with that girl, imparting hopes and dreams to impoverished, uneducated children like An-t-nai, encouraging them to broaden their knowledge and become useful individuals. The personification of the maple trees, with their distinct voices and gentle words, embody individuals with souls, with varying emotions and sentiments. The maple trees are depicted and described through the artist's imagination and the interweaving emotions of the artist.

The work has brought forth many emotions and rich feelings about the homeland. The homeland is the cradle nurturing the soul, and it is the foundation upon which one can stand in any circumstance. It is the sense of gratitude of the artist towards the homeland, where their roots are buried. The work serves as a wake-up call for us, providing us with intimate feelings about the homeland.

3. Reflection on the poem Two Maple Trees, sample number 3:

We learn that the story of The First Teacher is one of the famous works of the writer from the Republic of Curuguxtan Eimatop. The work portrays the noble teacher-student relationship, praising the resilience and strength of a group of young people in Curuguxtan in the twenties of the last century. Representative of that group are the teacher Duy-sen and his student An-t-nai. In the story, there is a remarkable detail: One day, Teacher Duy-sen brought two maple trees to the school and said to An-t-nai: 'These two maple trees, I bring them to you. We will plant them together. And as they grow, gaining more vitality each day, you will mature, you will become a good person...' Through study, training, and struggle, the impoverished girl An-t-nai became a talented scientist. And over time, through rain and shine, the two maple trees also grew steadily into two ancient trees standing proudly at the village's entrance, bringing joy and hope to the villagers, especially to the future generations of Teacher Duy-sen's students.

The excerpt from Two Maple Trees, part of the first section of the epic The First Teacher, transports the reader to the present time after many years of Teacher Duy-sen teaching and the girl An-t-nai studying. Although we may not know the specific content and significance of the work, reading the excerpt introduced by the Language Cloud 8, we can still perceive a part of the writer's creative talent, the exceptional beauty of the image of two maple trees, especially the spiritual beauty of the young generation, the bond between the tree and the successive generations of The First Teacher. 'The tree and the horizon,' could that be the overarching meaning that readers can perceive from this excerpt. The passage is written with a mixture of description and autobiography, present time intertwined with past reminiscence, the character 'we' running parallel with the character 'I,' sharing thoughts, emotions with the reader. Thus, the words, images weave in and out, sometimes hidden, sometimes revealed, sometimes real, sometimes vague, very intriguing. The image of two maple trees emerges, childhood joys recounted, emotions overflowing, profound thoughts,... every line, every line resonates. The beauty of the two maple trees: From the beginning to '... every gentle breeze passes through.' Stepping into the character 'I,' the artist, the writer depicts the image of two maple trees with words, phrases full of imagery and musicality. It starts with the image of two tall maple trees, standing proudly amidst the village's hill, from afar resembling 'lighthouses placed on a mountain.' The lighthouse stands by the coast, casting light to guide ships, while those two maple trees have also served their duty, guiding countless children of Kur-kur-reu village back home. The writer's art of comparison is truly meaningful. So, every time I return to my hometown, I - the artist, the storyteller - determine that 'my first duty is to look from afar to find the familiar two maple trees.' And with each return, I hope to quickly reach the village, to reach the hill, 'to stand under the tree's canopy to listen to the rustling leaves until I am enraptured.' Thus, alongside the majestic image of the two maple trees standing proudly, the symbol of the homeland's soul is the image of a person who loves the homeland deeply. Thanks to that love, I, the storyteller, hear the 'distinct voice,' the 'gentle words' of the two maple trees, two living beings vivid like humans.

Reference article Reflection on the poem Two Maple Trees

The author has immersed himself into the characters to tell the story, to describe with a series of associations, comparisons, personifying the sounds of the maple trees. Whether day or night, 'they still sway their bodies, moving their leaves and branches, never ceasing their rustling...', sometimes 'like a tidal wave surging onto the sandy shore..., sometimes 'whispering... intensely like an invisible flame', sometimes 'all the leaves and branches sighing collectively as if mourning someone...'. And when the dark clouds roll in, the two maple trees 'lean their flexible bodies and sway wildly like a blazing fire engulfing the forest'. It takes an artist's soul harmonizing two qualities - the qualities of painting and the qualities of music, for me as the character * to be able to depict the lines, colors, to hear the deep, resonant sounds, to feel the warmth, intoxication of the beauty that the two maple trees have displayed, have conveyed. Clearly, through the artist's perception, the two maple trees have appeared with grand, dignified figures, with gracefully flowing lines of leaves and branches, especially with their multi-toned rustling... marvelously beautiful. This is the image of the homeland, also a symbol of the robust, resilient, yet tender and affectionate vitality of the people here. When the artist stands under the tree's canopy 'listening endlessly to the rustling leaves until being thoroughly intoxicated', the love for the homeland in his soul - the writer Ai-ma-top, merges blissfully with the earth, sky, trees, and people of the homeland. The prose passage is filled with vivid imagery, figurative language, lively sensory descriptions, captivating as a poem, a song. The beauty of youthful souls: Transitioning to the next paragraph (from the sentence 'Exploring...' to the end of the piece), the language of the narrative shifts, from present to the perspective of a matured person returning to the dreamy memories of childhood. It's as if Ai-ma-top himself is regressing to relive a wonderful memory. On a certain day of the last year of school before summer break, 'I' - the storyteller - climbed higher, higher, and higher, perhaps nearing the tree's top. 'And there we were, the little kids walking on the ground... climbing high, shaking the kingdom of birds'. A naive yet fascinating narrative, indeed! The boys resembling young birds have taken over this kingdom, the green canopy, the vast sky. Thus, from the height 'where birds' wings span', the boys have seen a boundless world of space and light. At these lines, the character 'I' fades away, letting 'us' emerge to encompass everything. Why is that? Perhaps the writer intends to change the perspective, truly embodying the world of childhood to experience the dreamy beauty of his homeland. The village of Ku-ku-reu in the country of Cu-ro-gu-xtan has appeared under the eyes of children, how? Here, 'the vast land astonished us'. Over there, 'the stable of the farm which we always thought of as the largest building in the world... seemed merely like an ordinary shack'. In the distance lies the desolate prairie disappearing into the murky mist. And even farther are the rivers, 'the sparkling rivers reaching towards the horizon like delicate strands of silver thread...'. How fascinating it is, thanks to the elevated position of the two maple trees, the boys have 'brought within sight the endless expanse of land and water' just like the poetry of Ho Chi Minh in a well-known poem. And also from such a position, the boys get to live in moments of awe, happiness. 'We nestled ourselves on the tree branches contemplating...