Prompt: The essence of the Little Tiger story lies in its impactful moral teachings. Share your impressions after reading the story.
1. Sample Essay 1
2. Sample Essay 2
Reflecting on the profound meaning of the Tiger story after reading
1. The tale of the Tiger holds a deep moral lesson. Share your thoughts after reading, example 1:
Medieval Vietnamese stories from the 10th to the late 19th century are prose tales in Chinese characters, written differently from modern stories. They often blend history and education, and some are fictional, using animal imagery to convey human nature, morality, and life ethics. The Tiger story is a prime example.
Right after Mrs. Tran saved the female tiger from a seemingly insurmountable crisis, the tiger family joyfully celebrated. Touched by Mrs. Tran's life-saving grace, the male tiger knelt beside a tree, dug up a silver lump with his paw, and immediately gifted it to Mrs. Tran to help her survive the upcoming lean season. The instant and unhesitant act of gratitude from the male tiger left a profound impression on me. The act was spontaneous, without overthinking, and the amount of silver was not a mere 'more than ten taels.'
The portrayal of the male tiger is vividly depicted, leaving a lasting impression through the artistic technique of anthropomorphism. We witness that the male tiger embodies actions and thoughts akin to a human. Within the family, it wholeheartedly supports its mate during pregnancy, always showing care and affection towards the female tiger nearing childbirth. The male tiger is overjoyed, ecstatic even, when becoming a father, and sentimentally moved when bidding farewell to the lifesaver of its mate.
The male tiger acknowledges that it would never see its wife and offspring again in this world without the assistance of Mrs. Tran. It understands that its current family happiness is indebted to Mrs. Tran. Such humanistic thoughts drive the male tiger to perform noble and touching acts - complete and sincere gratitude. The act of reciprocation unfolds naturally as an instinct, a habit deeply ingrained in the subconscious. It's like understanding the life principle that one must never forget a favor and must repay the debt of salvation. In the eyes of the male tiger, Mrs. Tran's hands seem like those of a prophet, gently saving its mate from a struggle with death. And in the heart of the male tiger, this lifesaving grace demands eternal remembrance and repayment. As Mrs. Tran, the venerable savior, departs, the tiger still bows, wags its tail, and eventually departs.
Could the roar of the male tiger be a silent, overwhelming admiration that words fail to express? Or is it the farewell to the benefactor, the one who saved a life. In the eyes of the male tiger, the image of Mrs. Tran is akin to a fairy, and within those eyes, an infinite gratitude arises for the one who saved its wife and offspring. And so, the male and female tigers, day by day beside their cub, remember Mrs. Tran, though they have repaid a bit of silver. It understands that the silver cannot compare, trading for the debt of salvation. The entire family, passed down from father to son, eternally engraves the memory.
A life of humanity, yet the way of repaying kindness for the white-fronted tiger is different. It was saved after a choking incident. It understands that it would never witness the natural life, that sacred forest, without Uncle Tieu. The benefactor appears before it like a saint, caring and helping it before bidding farewell to life. It also shares a delicious piece with its benefactor. But what's more touching is knowing that the benefactor has passed away; it is heartbroken for being unable to help Uncle Tieu. Suppressing the pain, emotions overflow, and the white-fronted tiger suddenly comes to pay respects to Uncle Tieu's grave. From a distance, seeing the tiger bowing its head to the coffin, circling it a few times, and leaving. And not just on the day Uncle Tieu passed away, but from then on, every anniversary, the tiger brings a goat or pig to place outside Uncle Tieu's house.
Truly touching and admirable are the actions of the white-fronted tiger. Grateful for the lifesaving act, within the heart of the white-fronted tiger, the image of the benefactor who saved its life never fades. When alive, the tiger cared, provided treats, and regularly offered delicious pieces to Uncle Tieu. Even after its passing, it maintains gratitude as ever. Folk wisdom says, 'Remember the benefactor, honor the death anniversary,' and every anniversary, the white-fronted tiger performs a ritual with offerings, expressing eternal gratitude. The bond with its lifesaver is deeply engraved in its silent roars - one roar honoring the living benefactor, and another roar expressing the pain when the benefactor transitioned to the other world. In those roars, an infinite sorrow for the one who saved its life is marked. Simultaneously, it affirms a commitment to life and itself, pledging to keep the promise and repay the savior, both in life and beyond.
We observe that, in reality, there are tigers with meaning, but certainly not as noble as the tiger in the story.
The purpose of the feudal scholars constructing this story is for educational purposes, to teach and admonish people. In other words, it uses the tiger story to convey human characteristics. The Confucian ideology of the feudal era always emphasized a humane way of life. Hence, the authors constructed two tigers in the story as representatives of the thoughts and actions of those who repay kindness. But from ancient times to the present, in the subconscious of our people, tigers are considered the most ferocious species, so how can they have such meaning and affection. The male tiger and the white-fronted tiger have had human thoughts and actions blown into them by the author, and they behave like humans. Such a ferocious animal harbors so many human emotions, complete gratitude, with love and meaning. What about humans? The story uses the imagery of the two tigers repaying gratitude to teach humans to live meaningfully. When others face difficulties, they must be willing to help without hesitation. Mrs. Tran and Uncle Tieu Phu were afraid the tigers would eat them, right? They were afraid, but thanks to the love of a human, the human emotions overcame the fear, rescuing the two tigers from death.
When giving and receiving kindness, one must remember it and find ways to repay it. The act of repaying must stem from sincere admiration, respect, and genuine gratitude, from thoughts and actions, from an understanding of morality and life. Those who do kindness do not calculate, helping others in need is a duty, a responsibility. At the same time, those who receive kindness must engrave it in their hearts, and here we see the admirable aspect of the images of the two benefactors, Uncle Tieu and Mrs. Tran: They did not ask for anything after saving the mother tiger and the white-fronted tiger. And it seems as if they were born to do good deeds. Also, very naturally, the two tigers repay kindness, reciprocate as a habit, an innate instinct.
2. The Tiger's Tale carries profound moral lessons. Share your thoughts on the story, example 2:
In the literary landscape of our country, as well as many others worldwide, alongside oral folklore, there exist works crafted by intellectual luminaries using written words. In Vietnam, written literature emerged earliest during the medieval period, a historical era spanning from the 10th century to the late 19th century. Hence, alongside exceptional folk proses like legends, folk tales, allegories, and humorous stories, we get to appreciate some remarkable medieval tales. Vietnamese medieval stories were often written in Chinese characters, featuring rich content and a didactic nature, with a more concise and straightforward writing style compared to modern tales. Nevertheless, each story possesses a plot, an author's narrative, and engaging characters and details. 'The Tiger's Tale,' meaning by Vu Trinh in the collection 'Lan Tri Literary Records' translated by Hoang Hung, is one such medieval prose.
What's intriguing about this tale is that the author doesn't narrate a human story but delves into the lives of two tigers, two rulers of the mountain forest. The writer employs the art of personification with a pen that is both realistic and subtly romantic, emphasizing the story of tigers while conversing about humans. To be precise, this is a story about ferocious beasts that are not malevolent but, on the contrary, are very gentle and embody the noble qualities of humans.
1. The Story of the Forest Lord in Dong Trieu
The forest lord, the tiger gentleman, the thirty-year-old tiger, and the tiger cub make a startling appearance at the beginning of the story, evoking awe similar to the fear experienced by Midwife Tran when confronted with a 'tiger approaching, carrying away... embracing... running like flying... into the forest...' We might think the tiger is about to devour Midwife Tran. However, that's not the case. It's how the 'husband' tiger fetches the doctor to help the 'wife.' This 'tiger husband' acts like a tiger... just like that. But this tiger is rich in emotions and possesses a commendable sense of humanity.
He knows how to 'hold hands' with Midwife Tran, then 'watches the small tiger's tears' while wanting to seek help for Midwife Tran and empathizing with the 'tigress wife' in pain, rolling and scratching the ground during childbirth. After Midwife Tran assists the tiger wife, tiger cub is born, and the male tiger knows to 'celebrate joyfully, play with the cub' like the happiest man. The author's storytelling is quite exquisite. The ferocious beast suddenly transforms into a gentle being, embodying human qualities. The tiger's humanity is most evident when seeing his wife safely delivering, he 'kneels down by a tree, uses his paw to dig up a silver piece' to gift Midwife Tran. Leading Midwife - the family's benefactor, the forest lord even knows to 'bow, wag his tail, bidding farewell.' Thanks to the tiger's silver, Midwife Tran overcomes a year of scarcity and crop failure. Throughout the story, the tiger doesn't utter a single word, being a tiger, how could it speak human language! Yet, through gestures, facial expressions, we see that the tiger possesses many human traits, behaving towards Midwife Tran as humans do with each other. Despite being a ferocious beast, the Dong Trieu Forest Lord has a human heart, knowing to cherish his wife, repay kindness, and acknowledge those who helped him through difficult times.
2. The Tale of the White-Fronted Tiger in Lang Giang
This story opens differently from the story of the forest lord in Dong Trieu. It's not about a tiger carrying a person but a person seeing a tiger. The peasant in Lang Giang sees a white-fronted tiger 'digging, jumping, pouncing, occasionally using its paw to scratch its throat, opening its mouth with blood, saliva flowing out.' The scene is truly terrifying. If someone were timid, the peasant would probably run away. Yet, the peasant is agile, climbing a tree and shouting: 'Is your throat sore? Don't bite me, I'll take the bone out for you.' As a result, the peasant successfully removes a large bone from the tiger's throat, saving the tiger from a dangerous accident. The peasant's action carries a beautiful human touch. In return, the rescued tiger treats the peasant with a strong human bond. It brings deer meat to the peasant's doorstep as a gift. When the peasant passes away, the tiger comes 'puts its head on the coffin, growls, runs around the coffin...' as if mourning, bowing in eternal farewell to a loved one or a friend. Not only that, every year 'on the anniversary of the peasant's death, the tiger brings a goat or pig to leave outside the peasant's house,' expressing remembrance and participating in a solemn ceremony to honor the departed. The tiger's behavior is truly that of a grateful individual, never forgetting kindness, finding every way to repay it, fulfilling the duty to the benefactor. Although a ferocious beast, the white-fronted tiger in Lang Giang thinks and acts like a human, an oddity! In telling this second tiger story, the author has constructed artistic details distinct from the first tiger story. It involves the tiger struggling, writhing when choking on a bone, the clever peasant saving the tiger, the tiger repaying kindness, fulfilling the duty to the benefactor,... Thus, as the story progresses, the more captivating the work becomes.
In the Language Arts 6 program, the section Describing a diligent janitor at work is a crucial topic that requires careful preparation from the students.
