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Exploring the Identity of Women in Traditional Society through Selected Lamenting Folk Verses: 5 Sample Essays
1. Sample Essay 1: The Identity of Women in Traditional Society through Selected Lamenting Folk Verses (Standard)
2. Sample Essay 2: The Identity of Women in Traditional Society through Selected Lamenting Folk Verses
The treasure trove of Vietnamese folk literature has always been a refreshing source nourishing our souls. Alongside other genres, originating in ancient society, folk verses depict the hearts, thoughts, and emotions of the people in relationships such as couples, families, homeland, and nation... not only as expressions of affectionate bonds but also as the lamentations rising from the bitter and poignant lives of Vietnamese people, especially women, in traditional society.
In feudal society, women are constantly belittled, undervalued, and deprived of decision-making rights in all aspects of life. The notion of 'male superiority, female inferiority' has trampled upon their right to live. Men are esteemed, entitled to 'multiple wives and concubines,' and hold power in society, while women are merely faint shadows, not respected. They toil tirelessly, serving husbands and children, enduring life's hardships. They must voice the silent cries of their hearts.
'My body akin to peach blossom silk
Fluttering amidst the market, whose hands shall I grace?'
A voice filled with resentment and bitterness. Women liken themselves to a piece of silk displayed for sale in the market. Their fate is merely an object amidst life's marketplace, bought and sold by many. Their plight is so small and pitiful. The phrase 'my body' resonates with profound sorrow and pity. In society at that time, they were not given the freedom to choose. From birth, they were predetermined by society, married off by parents; they had no other choice:
'My body akin to a minnow
Swimming into the river's net, into the earth's hook'
Examining the plight of women in ancient society through some lamenting folk verses
No escape in sight, they feel life is but servitude, ensnared on all sides. The imagery of 'Peach Blossom Silk' or 'minnow' in the two folk verses above is metaphorical. This imagery evokes the ordinariness, insignificance of women's fate: peach blossom silk is traded, minnows may struggle but only within the confines of a pond. The image of the minnow brings to mind women besieged by tradition, oppression, enduring feudal norms, unable to decide even their own happiness:
'A rock erodes from flowing waters
A rock tarnished by morning dew
I and you wish to bond harmoniously
Fearing mother as vast as the sea, father as vast as the sky,
I and you wish to intertwine in life,
Fearing that silver clouds in the sky swiftly disperse'...
Many desires stifled, the happiness of couples hindered by the barriers of customs, they contemplate their situation and voice bitter laments.
'My body akin to a dried betel nut
Some prefer thin, others desire thick'
Every folk verse is laden with grievances, every fate likened to trivial, ordinary things, depicting the consciousness, the resistance of endlessly unfortunate individuals. They have the right to live, to freely love, yet society has trampled upon their rights, granting them only a bitter, wretched life.
'This year I become a daughter-in-law
What's the difference from a buffalo bearing burdens?
This year I become a wife
My body carries the plow, the reins, but for whom?
Becoming a daughter-in-law offers no respite, only seasons of toil.'
The H'mong girl in this folk verse is lamenting her fate as she becomes a 'bride for sale.' They marry not for happiness but to become laboring creatures in their husband's home, beasts of burden 'under the yoke' like burdened oxen. Life seems to close in on them, seeing only a binding so stark:
'The fish bites the hook, who knows when it's released
The bird enters the cage, who knows when it's let out'
Sometimes they are beaten by their husbands:
'The fishing rod is just a fishing rod
You often beat your wife, who are you lying with?'
Sometimes betrayed by their husbands:
'Remember back then, you were plump and chubby
Hand holding a cigarette, the other a lemon
Now you're strong, you're healthy
You seek other romance, leaving me behind.'
In no aspect were ancient women granted happiness. Life lacked freedom, love went unrecognized, marriage wasn't determined by choice, marital relationships were not respected... In every aspect, they were suppressed, denied the right to speak up. Even expressing love was immensely pitiful.
'My body akin to a thorny bamboo shoot
White inside, black outside
Don't judge by peeling, but by tasting
Only after eating will you know how sweet I am''
In every lament, they liken themselves to pitiful things, whether it's silk cloth, raindrops, dried betel nuts, or thorny bamboo shoots... everything seems insignificant, pitiable. Raindrops fall without knowing where, betel nuts depend on someone's choice, and bamboo shoots seem beautiful inside but no one knows. This folk verse is an expression of a woman. She wants society to recognize her value but is still filled with insecurity: 'Don't judge by peeling, but by tasting, only after eating will you know how sweet I am'. A hesitant invitation.
It can be said that these lamenting folk verses are not just complaints about life, hardships, bitterness, but also voices of resistance, affirming the value, qualities of women in ancient society.
3. Sample Verse 3: The plight of women in ancient society through some lamenting folk verses
Folk verses are the voices rising from the hearts of common people. Among them, many verses express the inner turmoil of women. They are the ones disregarded in a patriarchal society with the notion of 'male superiority, female inferiority.' Through the lamenting folk verses about the plight of women in the old society, I somewhat understand the pain they had to endure.
In that society, they were deprived of basic human rights. They were turned into slaves to the strict laws, rigid constraints of feudal rituals, and outdated conservative beliefs. They had no say in their destiny but entirely depended on others due to the strict Confucian rule of 'Three Obediences and Four Virtues' (obey father at home, obey husband after marriage, and obey son after widowhood). Such constraints led to the miseries of women, so they sang lamenting songs about their passive fate:
'My body akin to peach blossom silk
Fluttering amidst the market, whose hands shall I grace?
My body akin to raindrops falling
Drops into the jeweled well, drops onto the plowed field
My body akin to a well in the middle of the path
Some don't wash their faces, some merely wash their feet'
They compare 'My body...' to many things, portraying various aspects but with a common point: affirming their self-worth and lamenting their dependent fate. Whether it's the precious 'peach blossom silk' or the cool 'well in the middle of the path,' they still don't know their future. These comparative images highlight their lonely, uncertain fate. They cannot decide their own destiny. Fortunately, they may find a place of peace and happiness, unfortunately, they may fall into turmoil, and in any circumstance, they must accept it as their 'chained birdcages.'
The fish bites the hook, who knows when it's released
The bird enters the cage, who knows when it's let out
Due to dependence, they marry at a young age, women are the most suffering victims of forced marriages:
Golden butterflies cling to withered grass
The earlier the marriage, the sadder the lullabies
The withered grass is already troubled by the arrival of golden butterflies. Similarly, women who marry early suffer more. They pour their sadness into lullabies as they cannot confide in anyone. Young girls forced into marriage at a tender age have led to tragic destinies, as reflected in bitter folk verses:
Married at thirteen
Now eighteen, five children by my side
or:
On the streets, I'm still youthful
Back home, five children await with my beloved
Due to forced marriages, due to those outdated customs, women in ancient society did not enjoy their youth. Before they could grow up, before they could understand life, they had to dedicate their lives to motherhood, endure the bitter fate of being a daughter-in-law. The burdens of life weigh heavily on the slender shoulders of women.
Insights into the Status of Women in the Old Society through Some of the Best Lamenting Folk Verses
Too many uncertainties await women on the journey of life, so they always carry within them anxieties and regrets. Fate is unstable, happiness too fragile. Finding genuine love is already difficult, keeping that love and living together is even harder because they don't have the right to choose their own happiness. The notion of 'parents decide where you sit' has deprived women of the right to choose their own happiness. So many uncertainties, worries about fate are expressed in these heartfelt folk verses:
The stone closes its opening as the water flows
The stone turns silver with the dew
I love you but dare not speak it out
Afraid of mother, afraid of father
I also want to be together with you
Afraid the silver clouds in the sky will quickly fade
So many constraints, so many uncertainties burden the shoulders of girls, forcing them to carry anxieties within them. The vulnerable status of women in the old society has been depicted in numerous folk verses like these. The fate of a wading bird, a struggling duck, frail and toilsome, making a living, a fluctuating fate has become a familiar symbol in folk verses to represent women. It shows us how disadvantaged women were in the old society, when there was no gender equality.
Today, society has progressed, men and women are equal, women are happier. Although absolute equality may not be achievable, women today are appropriately cared for by society. They have been able to unleash their full potential and actively determine their own destiny. While there is still injustice, women still suffer, compared to women in the past, society has taken a long step forward. We will gradually eliminate outdated and inappropriate beliefs so that women have the right to live happily, replacing lamenting folk verses with joyful songs.
Sample 4: The Status of Women in the Old Society through Some Lamenting Folk Verses
The image of women and their fluctuating status like wading birds appearing in literature, especially in Vietnamese folk verses, this image is very well chosen by folk authors and those verses always go hand in hand with the years.
Especially, women in the ancient feudal society were those who suffered many injustices, oppressions, and exploitation by the ruling class, even their lives were full of obstacles and challenges. Women exude elegance, gentleness with pure souls and love, but they are always ruthlessly suppressed by cruel forces. Injustice under a patriarchal regime becomes even more apparent when according to the notion of 'praising men, disparaging women', they only consider women as the bottom class of society without any place for them to rise up and fight.
In the past, women were not in control of their own lives, they had to conform to narrow conventions that bound their lives in iron cages, depriving them of anything called their own. Especially when feudal society highly valued the 'three obediences, four virtues', it turned every woman's life into a sacrifice for others, living for others rather than for themselves. We can see in the poetry of Ho Xuan Huong the image of women as the central theme always mentioned by her and set aside a space to write about the fate of their lives.
The Status of Women in the Old Society through a Selection of Lamenting Folk Verses
Poetry is like a confession of the author's own fate and a resounding call to protect women in general:
'My body is both fair and round
Seven parts float, three sink in water
Despite being worn out, squeezed by others' hands
I still keep a heart of gold...'
Women in the past possessed beauty and virtue, but indeed, it's true as the saying goes for poets to speak of the fate of women as 'talented but ill-fated' even though they are beautiful, they still have to endure a life full of ups and downs. Like floating rice cakes 'seven float, three sink in water', the author Ho Xuan Huong was very subtle in borrowing the words 'float' and 'sink' to express most clearly the fate of talented women who seem to drift, unable to know where to go.
'My body is like a peach silk,
floating gracefully in the market, who knows whose hands will it go to'
This is also a folk verse that fully expresses the floating fate, 'floating gracefully' in life with no place to lean on. Women are like 'peach silk' beautiful and delicate but seemingly worthless just drifting along the path of life.
In the treasure trove of Vietnamese folk verses, there are still many beautiful lines on this familiar theme, the lamenting folk verses, the fate complaint:
- 'My body is like falling raindrops
Dropping onto the palace, dropping onto the fields'
- 'My body is like a broom in the heat
In the rain and wind, I sweep my feet
Sweeping then tossing to the yard
Calling the neighbor with feet to sweep'
The suffering of women is not only about material things 'climbing mountains twice a day', 'enduring sun during the day and dew at night' but the greatest suffering is the bitter endurance in spirit, they are only compared to 'falling raindrops', 'broom in the heat'... We can feel the many sorrows of women when they sing those verses. They understand their fate, their whole life just like a lousy body, enduring pain and hardship. And it seems that the unhappiness of women in ancient society is a common constant.
Even when getting married, women endure a hundred more hardships. The belief 'marrying is serving the husband', 'marriage is serving the in-laws' made many ancient women swallow their bitterness, especially when marrying far away, the endless longing when looking back at their hometown:
- 'In the evening, standing by the riverbank
Longing to return to mother but no boat is found'
- 'In the evening, standing at the back alley
Gazing towards my mother's hometown, my heart aches deeply'
- 'In the evening, carrying a basket to pick vegetables
Gazing up at my mother's grave, the pain in my heart deepens'
In ancient society, when returning as a daughter-in-law, women had to conform to the husband's family, endure extreme hardships, and adhere to strict customs, which bound women tightly.
Having endured numerous bitter hardships, they all patiently endured, but the women rose up in resistance due to the overwhelming pressure on their slender shoulders until they could bear no more. Particularly tragic is the fate of women when subjected to the ordeal of shared husbands. Feudal society allows for 'men to have multiple wives and concubines, while women are limited to only one husband,' a longstanding injustice that persists through the ages. Those who suffer such losses need empathy and support:
- 'Marriage brings nothing but misery
Going to the fields, plowing, the wife's effort is disregarded
In the evening, she waits for her husband
She spreads out the mat, sleeps without the cattle shed
Hoping her husband won't come home
When he finally does, the rooster crows incessantly
Killing that other hen, why rush to crow
Leaving me distressed and troubled about husband and child'
- 'As a wife, she is disregarded
Like a deserted wife, sitting in the middle of the road'
Despite enduring such sorrows, their souls remain pure, and women always yearn for complete happiness, dreaming of beautiful love:
'Wishing the river were a single plank bridge
So I could tie my sash for you to cross'
These are just brief words, yet profoundly poignant, expressing the heartfelt confessions of women from the past. But in whatever circumstances, the beauty of women is never obscured. That imagery continues to be a theme chosen by writers and poets in their works.
5. Sample 5: The plight of women in the old society through some succinct folk verses
It can be affirmed that the literary history of a nation is the history of its soul. The folk verses from ancient times have helped common laborers express countless deep-seated thoughts and feelings. And amidst that colorful world of the soul, deeper still are the verses about the image of women. They are mentioned in many different aspects, but it can be seen that appearing with quite a high frequency are the succinct folk verses, especially those beginning with the words 'Myself':
'Myself is like a peach blossom silk,
Fluttering amidst the marketplace, to whose hand will it go?
Myself is like raindrops,
Falling into the palace, then onto the fields to plow.
Myself is like a well in the path,
The wise wash their faces, the ordinary wash their feet.
Myself is like a floating gourd,
Battered by waves, wind, uncertain where to drift.
The two words 'myself' uttered with deep sorrow evoke the small, poignant fates of women in the feudal era. The feudal social system existed for hundreds of years with unjust, stringent views on women: 'Serve the husband's family, follow the husband's departure, serve the husband's son' - a completely dependent fate. They were also looked down upon, considered non-existent: nine parts of ten in favor of men, ten women treated as void... all bound their lives. But the greatest anguish, worry, and confusion lie in the fragile, precarious dependence:
Myself is like a peach blossom silk,
Fluttering amidst the marketplace, to whose hand will it go?
The question rings with anxiety, agonizing doubts. The youthful years of a maiden are the most beautiful, sweetest period, like peach blossom silk, yet they must voice words full of sorrow, regretfully asking 'to whose hand will it go?' Although they are aware of their own worth - a soft, graceful peach blossom silk from inside out, yet it 'flutters amidst the marketplace.' At the market, the peach blossom silk becomes an object for praise, criticism, bargaining, and will become the possession of anyone who wants to buy, regardless of their character. It has no choice or control over its destiny. The question raised makes us feel deeply saddened every time we read it. Their fate entirely depends on the user: if they are 'a well in the path,' then 'the wise wash their faces, the ordinary wash their feet,' if they are 'a floating gourd,' then 'the greedy thin, the coarse greedy thick'...
In that unjust society, countless hardships were endured by women, from material to spiritual suffering, from oppression to lack of autonomy. They have never been able to control or decide anything, including their own happiness:
My mother sees the age of greed
Thinking a spider hole is a gold mine to squeeze children
Speaking shyly to the land and water
Swallowing the bitterness in the heart day and night.
Forced marriages, unhappiness seemed to be the common denominator of girls in the past, hence the lingering sad songs:
Golden butterflies settle in the dim blindness
The earlier marriage, the sadder the lullaby.
The status of women in the past was fragile, dependent, unsure of where to drift amidst the turbid flow of life. Therefore, the female poet Hồ Xuân Hương continued the emotional thread of folk literature to depict more vividly through a verse full of character:
Your body is both fair and round
Seven floats, three sinks in the water
Despite being tattered, hands still molding
Yet you keep a heart of gold.
Even if life is afloat, with seven floats and three sinks, they do not completely lose themselves, surrendering to fate. They still hold onto a 'heart of gold' full of pride, preserving the radiant beauty of the Vietnamese woman's soul and dignity.
The folk tunes of ordinary laborers have provided us with a comprehensive view of them and valuable lessons about life, about humanity, to appreciate the values of today. Contemporary literature and art continue to preserve the beauty of women in a new aspect, a new perspective. And today's society has created all conditions for women to express themselves, and above all, they are honored by society through special days dedicated to women. Let us gradually eliminate outdated beliefs so that the old plaintive folk songs are replaced by joyous hymns celebrating women. Borrowing the words of poet Xuân Quỳnh to once again affirm the value and role of women in society:
One early morning, my footsteps tread lightly on the sand. A mother gives birth to celestial kings. Whether heads of state or heroes, scholars or anyone else, they are all children of a woman. The ordinary woman whose age and name remain unknown.
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In the Literature curriculum for 10th grade, alongside Beloved Folk Verses, students also explore various typical genres of folklore such as humorous folk verses, jokes, proverbs, and fairy tales. To reinforce knowledge of these genres, students can refer to: Analyzing humorous folk verses, Analyzing the story But It Must Be With Both Eyebrows, Analyzing the story of Tấm Cám, Analyzing laughter in the story Three Chicken Sons.
