The Art of Addressing Oneself in 'Viet Bac'

Prompt: The Art of Addressing Oneself in 'Viet Bac'

5 Sample Essays: The Art of Addressing Oneself in 'Viet Bac'

Sample Essay 1: The Art of Addressing Oneself in 'Viet Bac'

In the poem 'Viet Bac', which depicts a historically significant event, Tố Hữu chose to begin with a dialogue imbued with folk elements and the sweet and melodious use of the pronouns 'ta - mình'. Particularly notable is the author's repeated use of the words 'ta - mình' throughout the poem, creating a recurring motif of tender affection.

The opening passage of the poem represents the sentiments of those who stayed behind bidding farewell to the departing comrades, reflecting the deep affection of the people of Viet Bac towards the resistance fighters during the farewell:

I return, recalling you
Fifteen years devoted fervently
I return, do you remember?
Gazing at trees, recalling mountains, rivers, and sources

Here, 'I' refers to the departing individual, while 'you' denotes the one staying behind. The sentiment of longing is deeply embedded within 'I'. Each hexameter line in the stanza repeats 'I' twice, accompanied by numerous level tones, creating a rhythm that descends, resonating with anguish and poignancy. The one staying behind poses gentle questions, reminding the departing one to remember Viet Bac, expressing profound and intense emotions. The four occurrences of 'remember' in the four lines reminisce about the 15 years of resistance and the landscapes of Viet Bac. The pronouns 'I' and 'you' entwine tenderly, with 'I' mentioned more frequently as it represents the voice of the one staying behind, while 'you' is mentioned less. 'You' is mentioned only once, displaying humility to flood memories during the farewell moment. In Vietnamese folklore, the pronouns 'I' and 'you' are familiar, used between loving couples, evoking memories and steadfast bonds:

The homeland, a shared burden of love
Who remembers, who remembers me?
A flock of white storks circling
Echoing longing for phoenix trees, for me, for you
I remember you like eggplant remembers salt
You remember me like the fig tree remembers the moon
I return, do you remember?
When will the fragrance of flowers be found?
For apricots to fill their pouches, for you to fill yourself
No boat, docked at Giang Dinh
No you, I resolve to embrace myself
A hundred years, wishing for shared love
In heaven and earth, just you and me

Tố Hữu's hexameter verses adeptly employ the language of folklore and folk songs. It's like a folk song recital, resonating with tender, sweet melodies. The Hue accent, the sentiment of love and nostalgia, can perhaps only be found in the works of the poet Viet Bac.

The second stanza of the poem serves as the departing individual's response, creating symmetry in the folk dialogue structure. While the one staying behind reminisces, the departing one is filled with nostalgia, restlessness, and lingering affection:

Whose tender voice by the bank?
Lost in thought, restless steps
Parting in simple robes
Holding hands, what words for today?

The pronouns 'you' and 'I' may not appear, but they embody themselves in the tender voice by the bank and the image of simple robes brimming with revolutionary sentiments. Both 'you' and 'I' are present in the act of holding hands, like a silent note of emotions during separation. Here, only the silent language of glances can contain the feelings of the departing and the staying:

Moving to the third and fourth stanzas, the author employs the 'you' and 'I' pronouns with utmost artistry, weaving them melodiously to create poetic harmony.

In the third stanza, the phrases 'I go, I return' repeat six times within six verses. Here, 'I' still refers to the departing individual. Whether going or returning, it denotes the same action. Departure signifies leaving the battlefield, while returning means heading back to the capital city down south. The remarkable aspect of this repetition is that it doesn't bore the reader due to the varied rhythm: I go - I return - I return - I go:

I go, do I recall those days?
Rain, springs, floods, clouds, and mist
I return, do I recall the battlefield?
Rice with salt, burdensome grudges?
I return, do the mountains remember someone?
Leaves for shedding, bamboo shoots for aging
I go, do I recall those homes?
Whispering grey leaves, deeply cherished memories
I return, still remembering the mountains and rivers
Remembering the resistance days, the Viet Minh era

And each time, the word 'remember' is associated. The one staying recalls the difficult and compassionate memories of the early days of resistance. Tố Hữu adeptly employs the counterpoint technique in these verses to create a balanced and harmonious rhythm, easily entering the hearts of readers. The stanza concludes with the unique phrase 'I' three times in a single verse:

I go, do I recall myself?
Tân Trào, Hồng Thái, communal halls, banyan trees?

Here, 'I' refers to both the departing individual and the one staying, intertwining closely yet distinctively as one. The word 'remember' becomes a bridge between the two, intensifying the poignant nostalgia in the hearts of the people of North Vietnam and the resistance fighters. We've encountered somewhere in folk songs the farewells and countless memories of those departing and returning:

Returning, he earnestly advises his beloved:
A hundred years, refrain from embracing any other boat
Returning, he firmly treads on the roots for longevity
Amidst the trembling wind, my dear, don't forget me

The steadfast loyalty of lovers from generations in folk songs seamlessly flows into Tố Hữu's revolutionary verses with such naturalness and sweetness. One might imagine the words of the one staying echoing endlessly like an invisible thread entwining the departing: in my heart, now there's only me, how could I leave?...

Without repeating the narrative style from stanza three, in stanza four, the 'I' and 'you' phrases alternate flexibly, creating two balanced clauses:

Me with myself, myself with me
My heart, both behind and ahead, steadfast and assured
I go, I remember myself again
As many waters flow, so does the loyalty

Me with myself, inseparable, then blending back into one. I go, I remember myself again. That's the answer to the question posed in the previous stanza. This repetition further emphasizes the inseparable bond between 'me' and 'myself,' between the resistance fighters and the people of North Vietnam. The farewell becomes a dialogue expressing longing and nostalgia. This affection will remain in the hearts of the people of North Vietnam and will follow the fighters back home. But wherever they go, this affection will never diminish. Delving deeper into the word 'me,' we also encounter it frequently in folk songs:

Now, truly ask, my friend
Is the affection still as strong as before or has it waned?
In the daytime, enduring the sun, at night, bearing the dew
My body toils, do I remember myself, oh myself?
If betel without lime, it surely tastes bland
If betel without areca, it must be old betel
Me without you, that's a real me
You without me, who else could you have?

Tố Hữu's use of the word 'me' not only learns from folk songs but also creatively innovates. Folk songs also mention 'me' frequently in a sentence, but usually imply only one person. But in Việt Bắc, just the word 'me' encompasses both 'me' and 'myself' in unity.

Through the first four stanzas of the poem 'Viet Bac,' we observe the pronoun pair 'we - oneself' skillfully, adeptly used by the author, repeated but not bland, melodic yet not tedious, unified yet highly flexible. The lục bát poetic form, rhetorical techniques, harmonious contrasts... All contribute to a dialogue full of emotions between those staying and those departing. This is a clear testament to the political sincerity and profound national sentiment of Tố Hữu's pen.

In other sections of 'Viet Bac,' the pronoun pair 'we - oneself' continues to be used by the author in a clever and astute manner, emphasizing the emotional bond of the people of Viet Bac with the revolution, with the Party, with Uncle Ho, deeply engraving the nostalgia of the cadres when parting with the battlefields, while also reconstructing a heroic and arduous resistance era in the Viet Bac battlefield:

We go, we remember the days
I here, you there, bitter and sweet...
Caring for each other, sharing hardships
Half a bowl of rice, sharing the same blanket...
I return, do I remember myself?
I return, I remember the flowers with you...
I return, myself remembers you
The Hong Thai shrine, the Tan Trao banyan tree...
I return to Uncle in the south
Telling Viet Bac's unceasing yearning
Remembering the bright-eyed elders
The brown shirt, the beautifully vibrant cloth bag...

We - oneself is the most beautiful, most sincere refrain in Viet Bac - an epic and also a love song about the revolution, about the resistance war, and the resistance fighters.

After mastering the Art of Addressing Oneself and Others in Viet Bac, you can delve into analyzing the nostalgia of revolutionary cadres towards Viet Bac in the poem Viet Bac by Tố Hữu, or refer to the analysis of the quadripartite painting to reinforce your knowledge.

Sample 2: The Art of Addressing Oneself and Others in Viet Bac

Tố Hữu is one of the modern poets who adeptly and creatively utilizes folk poetry techniques in his works.

Viet Bac is a revolutionary romantic poem. The relationship between the revolutionary homeland Viet Bac and the revolutionary cadres is depicted by Tố Hữu as a unique love affair.

The 'bonds of friendship' between the Viet Bac battlefield and the revolutionary soldiers who have lived together for 15 years 'intimately and deeply' are now parting ways as the officials have to leave Viet Bac to return to the lowlands amidst the jubilant victory of our troops and people.

The farewell, filled with lingering affection, echoes the atmosphere of parting moments in ancient folk verses:

'I return, yet I hold you back
I grasp my own shirt and recite the verse' (Folk Verse)

Borrowing the folk singing form, borrowing the language rich in national colors to express new emotions, Tố Hữu has imbued the poem with deep, flavorful loyalty.

'Ta' and 'mình', once thought to only belong to individual lives in folk verses, suddenly rise, evolve, innocently into the collective life of the nation, encompassing all the grand emotions of the era:

'I return, I remember myself
Fifteen years of intimate devotion' (Tố Hữu)

And

'We with ourselves, ourselves with us
Our hearts, before and after, full and confident' (Tố Hữu)

The entire poem Viet Bac is crafted in the form of dialogue between 'we' and 'I', echoing the style of folk verses. However, the usage of these pronouns in the poem is remarkably flexible, showcasing Tố Hữu's artistic prowess. 'I' represents the homeland Viet Bac. 'We' symbolizes the revolutionary soldiers:

'We depart, we remember the days
Here and there, bitter and sweet'

Those lines express an unbreakable bond. This camaraderie is tested through the years.

At times, 'we' may signify the officials of the lowland, while 'I' represents the people of Viet Bac:

'Returning home, we remember ourselves
Fifteen years so devoted and intense
Returning home, do we recall
Gazing at trees, reminiscing mountains and rivers' (Tố Hữu)

At times, these pronouns transform flexibly. For example:

'We depart, we remember ourselves
Tân Trào, Hồng Thái, village houses, ancient banyan trees?' (Tố Hữu)

The question posed by the subject of Viet Bac to oneself. This verse is unique in that there are various interpretations of the pronoun 'ourselves'. It could be understood as follows: I depart, do I remember myself (remembering the land where I once lived) or I depart, do I remember me (remembering my own memories)

Here, there's a unique transformation between 'we' and 'I': 'I' is used to refer to oneself (first-person singular) but also to address an intimate second person.

'We' is used to refer to oneself (first-person singular) but also to refer to two or more people (first-person plural):

'We return, do we remember ourselves
We return, do we remember the flowers with you'

And sometimes, nature - humanity united against the enemy. This is portrayed through the pronoun 'we':

'Together we battle the Western foes through forests, trees, and rocky hills'

Or

'The land and sky, we dedicate to the battlefield with one heart'

'We' and 'I' undergo a versatile transformation: acting as subjects, objects, dividing, merging... reflecting the cohesive bond.

The continuous evolution of the expressive meanings of 'we' and 'I' can be seen as a daring and innovative move in the poem. These words sometimes engage in genuine dialogue between the departing and the remaining, while other times, they represent self-reflection, responding to the profound emotions of those staying behind.

The pronoun pair 'we'-'I' in the conversational structure of the poem brings a romantic hue to the work of Revolutionary sentiment, gratitude for those who planted trees, and the bonds of resistance, transforming into the intimate exchange between lovers sending each other off.

Beneath the 'we'-'I' couple lies the sincere emotions of the protagonist - the poet Tố Hữu - embodying the heartfelt sentiments of revolutionary combatants embarking on a new revolutionary mission. The dialogue serves as a chosen form to express these emotions.

The poem 'Viet Bac' is not only a masterpiece of Tố Hữu's poetry but also a masterpiece of revolutionary poetry, poetry of resistance. The poem demonstrates the multifaceted talent of Tố Hữu, including the artful use of the pronoun pair 'we'-'I.' It exudes the national spirit, embodying the traditional loyalty of the Vietnamese people.

Sample 3: The Art of Addressing Oneself and Others in the Poem 'Viet Bac'

The poem 'Viet Bac' was born in October 1954, after more than three thousand days of President Ho leading the victorious army back to the capital. In that glorious historical context, Tố Hữu created the poem 'Viet Bac.' Enveloping the poem is a remembrance of revolutionary cadres for the people of Viet Bac. The profound longing and nostalgia express the loyal and profound bond between those from the North and those from the South. Highlighting this memory, that sentiment is embodied in the pronoun pair 'we'-'I.'

The poem is written in the lục bát poetic form with a soft dialogue structure. It is a dialogue between 'we' and 'I,' between those staying and those leaving in a farewell full of nostalgia. This poetic form and addressing style are very common in Vietnamese folklore, especially in dialogical folk songs. Through this dialogue, readers can understand the conversation between those leaving and staying, as well as express the deep affection between the resistance cadres and the people of Viet Bac.

By splitting into two romantic characters, the author can express more of his inner emotions while creating a harmonious resonance with the reader. What's remarkable is that this traditional structure is not just used once by the author but has become a recurring motif of artistic finesse.

In ancient folk songs, the pronoun 'we' was often used in the first person, but in the poem 'Viet Bac,' the author flexibly employs the pronouns 'we' and 'I.' In the words of the people of Viet Bac, the pronoun 'we' is often used in the second person to refer to the resistance cadres, while the pronoun 'I' is used in the first person as the self-reference of the people of Viet Bac.

'We return, we remember each other
Fifteen years of fervent memories
We return, do we remember?
Looking at the trees, remembering the mountains, looking at the rivers, remembering our people'

For those who remain, the longing has turned into words, 'We return, we remember each other.' The pronoun 'we' resonates like a heartfelt melody, echoing in the depths. They are words from the heart, from the soul. It makes the departing ones respond only with their hearts. The addressing style 'we' and 'I' is as sweet as the whispers of lovers, awakening in the reader the most sacred feelings hidden within.

In Vietnamese folk songs, the pronoun pair is often used when referring to longing, to loyal bonds:

'I return, I don't let go
I grasp my coat, I lay down the verse»

In addition, the addressing style 'we - I' also helps highlight the structure of interaction between people from the upstream and downstream regions. This is a typical representation of the sentimentality in political poetry.

In Tố Hữu's poetry, each poem is associated with the nation's events, each historical moment has become artistic inspiration and is transformed by the poet into poems in a soft sentimental form.

The addressing style 'we - I' has helped the poet deeply express this idea, the theme of the work. This turns a modern poem into a love song with sweet melodies and a profound national sentiment.

Moreover, through the charming exchange, Tố Hữu successfully portrays the beauty of nature and the people of Việt Bắc. Simultaneously, he vividly reconstructs the historical hardships in the revolutionary homeland, highlighting the entire value of the work.

With pure, rustic language, along with the flexible and gentle hexameter verse, especially, Tố Hữu succeeded in utilizing the personal pronouns 'we - I' to create a poetic style considered the pinnacle of revolutionary literature. With his talented pen, the author has crafted a profound and affectionate exchange laden with emotion between the departee and the stayee, while also prominently showcasing the beauty of nature, the people of Việt Bắc, and the historical moments of the nation.

Sample Essay 4: The Art of Addressing 'We - I' in the poem 'Việt Bắc'

During the resistance against the French, many writers and poets used literature as a weapon of warfare. They infused it with patriotism and determination to liberate the nation. Prominent among the revolutionary literary movement was Tố Hữu, the shining star. The poet has left behind many valuable works, especially the poem 'Việt Bắc'. Contributing to the success of the poem is the skillful utilization of the personal pronouns 'we - I'.

Structured as a dialogue, the entire work is a conversation between 'we' and 'I', between the departing and the staying amidst a farewell scene. This familiar structure is reminiscent of folk songs, especially those depicting romantic love. Through the conversational structure, the dialogue between the departing and the staying is portrayed, expressing the deep bond between the revolutionary cadres and the people of Việt Bắc. While the poem outwardly appears as a dialogue, it is essentially a monologue. Both intimate characters 'we' and 'I' are the poet's alter egos, allowing the author to fully express emotions and evoke resonance within the reader. The dialogic structure is highly suitable for the ideological theme of the work, reflecting the profound revolutionary sentiment and the moral principles of revolutionary solidarity between the cadres and the masses. Tố Hữu creatively applies the traditional folk literary structure, achieving success.

Usually, the pronoun 'we' is used in the first person as self-address, but it can also be used in the second person to address the interlocutor in an affectionate, intimate manner. The pronoun 'I' is often used in the first person as self-address.

'We said to myself, let's endure
I passed through the alley, saw my child crawling
My child amidst husks and ashes
I carried water to bathe my child.'

(Folk saying: We said to myself)

In the poem 'Việt Bắc,' the author has flexibly used the pronouns 'we' and 'I'. In the words of the people of Việt Bắc, the pronoun 'we' is often used in the second person to refer to the revolutionary cadres, while the pronoun 'I' is used in the first person as self-address.

'We return, we remember ourselves
Fifteen years of earnestness and fervor'

In the words of the departing, the pronoun 'we' is again used in the second person to refer to those staying behind. Meanwhile, the pronoun 'I' is used in the first person to denote the revolutionary cadres.

'I return, I remember myself
I return, I remember the flowers with you'

There's a flexible transformation between the pronouns 'we' and 'I':

'We return, do we remember?'

The pronoun 'we' is used in both first and second person. Sometimes in a single sentence, the pronoun 'we' appears three times with subtle shades of meaning.

'We go, do we remember ourselves?'

Alternatively,

'We go, we remember ourselves.'

Besides, the pronoun 'we' in some cases is used to refer to both the resistance fighters and the people of Viet Bac.

'The Viet Bac trails of ours
Every night echo like trembling ground.'

The pronoun pair 'I - You' vividly illustrates the structure of dialogue. The entire work is structured as a dialogue between the one who leaves and the one who stays, typical of the romantic political poetry trend. A political event in the country's life has become an artistic inspiration and has been transformed into poetry in a romantic form. The pronoun pair 'I - You' has helped the poet express the ideological theme of the work deeply. The romantic characters 'I - You,' the one who leaves and the one who stays, are both the poet's alter egos, thereby revealing the revolutionary affection of the resistance fighters with the Viet Bac battlefront in many aspects. On the surface, it appears to be a dialogue, but in reality, it is a monologue. The pronoun pair 'I - You' appearing repeatedly has brought a profound national character to the poem. Viet Bac is a modern poem but carries the sweet, passionate romantic melody of folk poetry. Therefore, the poem is very memorable, easy to memorize, and easy to resonate with the reader.

The poem successfully used the six-eight verse form, simple and rustic language, flexible writing style, especially successful in using the pronoun pair 'I - You.' The talent of poet To Huu has created a balanced, harmonious dialogue, expressing the emotions of the one who leaves and the one who stays. Alongside emerges the beauty of the landscape, the people of Viet Bac, while also recreating the difficult and glorious historical periods associated with the revolutionary base.

Exemplary Poem No. 5: The Art of Addressing Oneself and Others in the Poem Viet Bac

To Huu is a talented artist of Vietnamese literature, with many famous works including Viet Bac, which stands out with its unique artistic style and the use of pronouns 'I' and 'You' to highlight the author's language artistry.

In the opening poem, the author employed various forms of self-address to enhance the artistic construction typical of the poet, each method capable of enhancing the language usage and character of the author. The art of self-address was introduced into the poem, with the author using it in each segment to enhance the artistic nature. 'I' could be comrades, while 'you' could be the author here, the author used language to communicate with the other characters through the art of self-address:

I return, do I remember you?
You persistently wait for the boat.

The self-address techniques enhance the language rhetoric in the author's art, with the author's talent adding contrastive artistry to the work. The significant values in this art have elevated the level of the poem as a response to someone who has gone far away. It can be said that this poem is like a rich contrasting art, where the author can use narrative and communicate meaningfully with the characters in the poem.

Here, in the use of the art of self-address, the author is strongly expressing in each work, the values it leaves for the poem, a rich contrasting statement that increases the longing embedded in the work. Viet Bac is a remarkable poem with famous arts commonly used in the poem, the contrasting words and the art of self-address have brought out the outstanding characteristics of the poem, with a series of remarkable and valuable traits. Each of us discovers the prominent features embedded in each work. The art of self-address has highlighted the longing, and this is the main inspiration throughout the poem.

The art of constructing imagery is profound and it embodies exemplary values in the author's artistic style, the prominent self-addresses have empowered the author to strongly express deep longing, imbuing the work with remarkable artistic style. When the author departs from the land where they once bonded and coexisted with their comrades, this art serves as a self-dialogue enabling the author to create significant values throughout the entire work. The use of 'we' and 'I' has elevated the exemplary values throughout the work, its artistry leaves unique features through character construction and richly symbolic self-addresses.

In the poem, richly imaginative language techniques highlight the entire work with contrasting styles in the author's artistic approach. The imagery in the work is used to express the author's profound longing for their own poem. Prominent artistic techniques employed in the work have enhanced the language usage, combining distinctive imagery to express profound longing for the land of Viet Bac.

The author, having experienced and lived in this land, has significantly increased the value of employing exceptional artistic techniques, with a myriad of unique features, the self-address 'we' and 'I' have elevated the language usage throughout the work. This art has increased the value of the author's emotional range in the poem. With prominent artistic techniques, the prominent sources of inspiration in the poem have deeply stood out in the work with distinctive sources of inspiration to enhance the outstanding value in the poem.

The self-address technique 'we' and 'I' have heightened the intentions the author is employing in their work, the prominent imagery used therein enhances the primary inspiration, which is the author's reminiscence of a time intimately tied to this land, with its soldiers, landscapes, and traditional specialties of the Viet Bac region, from clusters of bright red banana flowers to clusters of ripe wild apricots, all highlighted in the language usage and distinctive features in each work.

Reminiscence is the predominant inspiration that pervades the entire work, with the amplification of those nostalgic feelings, the author has employed the artistic technique of self-address 'we' and 'I' to enhance the improvement in contrast and the value of the work. The verses used here carry characteristics aimed at alluding to the subjects who have been closely associated with the author, these arts are not only used by the author to enhance the value of the work but its language is also clarified and continually transformed throughout the work.

The author was intimately bonded with this land for 15 years, countless memories deeply embedded in the work, its value not only highlights the vitality but also amplifies the nostalgic feelings about a past memory:

We return and we remember
Fifteen years of sincere and intense dedication
We return, do we remember?
Looking at trees, reminiscing mountains, gazing at rivers, recalling the source.

Here the self-addressing style 'we' and 'I', with its warm and melodious melodies, has highlighted the entire value of the work, the use of contrasting language has increased the value throughout the work, the deeply meaningful responses and emotionally rich expressions have stirred the author's heart about a land that has been deeply and significantly attached, with immense value in the entire profound subconscious of the work.

The interludes of charm and the heartfelt exchanges have deeply depicted the entire work with prominent styles gradually awakening the soul of each individual, these values constitute the color and significance that highlight the sources of knowledge and explore all new sources of knowledge.

Tố Hữu has employed the prominent features in the artistic style using the contrasting self-addressing art 'we' and 'I' to enhance the value of the entire work.

After having understood the content above, students can proceed to Analysis of excerpts from the poem Việt Bắc to reinforce their knowledge of these literary contents.

In the Vietnamese Literature 12 curriculum, the section Social discourse on the virtue of humility is an important content that students need to pay attention to and prepare for.