Top 5 Best Literary Analysis Lessons (Literature 10)

Lesson Content

- Today, a text is considered literary when:

+ it reflects and explores life, nurtures thoughts and emotions, and satisfies the aesthetic needs of humans

+ the language used is creative, symbolic, and rich in deep, profound meanings

+ it is written in a specific genre with its own artistic conventions: stories, poems, etc.

- Literary texts possess various layers: language, imagery, meaning... One must delve into these layers to fully understand the text

Lesson Preparation Guide

Question 1 (page 121, Literature 10, Volume 2):

- Criteria for a literary text

+ A literary text deeply reflects and explores the world of emotions, thoughts, and satisfies the aesthetic needs of humans.

+ A literary text is created with artistic language, full of imagery, and high aesthetic quality.

+ A literary text always belongs to a specific genre with its own conventions and styles.

Question 2 (page 121, Literature 10, Volume 2):

- Language is the first step needed to enter the depth of a text.

- After that, one must explore the layers of imagery and meaning to truly understand the literary work.

- These three layers are inseparable and intricately connected.

- Without understanding the language layer, one cannot grasp the imagery and therefore will not fully comprehend the deeper meaning of the text.

Question 3 (page 121, Literature 10, Volume 2):

The sail has disappeared from the sky

Looking, all I see is the river flowing under the sky

(Li Bai – From the Pavilion of Yellow Crane, Seeing off Wang Changling to Quang Lang)

- The poetic character is depicted through two images: the sail vanishing into the sky and the river flowing beneath the sky

- The language and poetic imagery create numerous contrasts: scenery and people, the one who departs and the one who stays, small and vast, finite and infinite, heaven and water...

- The poetic imagery conveys both nostalgia and the anxious, hard-to-describe emotions Li Bai felt during the farewell to his friend heading to the bustling world.

Question 4 (page 121, Literature 10, Volume 2):

- The deeper meaning of a literary text is the hidden, latent significance of the text, the thoughts, feelings, and life experiences the author imparts.

- Example:

+ The poem "Floating Rice Cake" by Ho Xuan Huong is not merely about the rice cake but conveys themes about life and the plight of women in society.

PRACTICE

(1) Answer the questions

a. The two sections with similar sentence structures and imagery are the introduction and conclusion: the woman and the child – the soldier and the elderly woman.

b. The character imagery is presented to highlight the contrast:

- The young mother draws emotional support from her child, who has just started to walk.

- The soldier relies on the elderly woman, walking shakily.

⇒ This evokes reflection on "where to rely" – the emotional support found in faith, love, and the meaning of life.

2) Answer the question

a. Implication

- The first section (from the beginning to the deep well): speaks of the destructive power of time

+ Time silently slips “through the cracks of the hands,” gradually making life fade away.

+ The memories of life also fade into oblivion (like a stone falling into a well full of mud, it makes no sound and is lost forever).

⇒ Life and memories decay and are erased by time.

- The second section (remaining part) speaks of enduring values that persist through time

+ The poem; the song (poetry and music)... still alive, showing that art, when it reaches its peak, lasts forever, regardless of the passage of time.

+ "And your eyes / like two wells": The memories of love last forever, in contrast to memories that "fall" into the "bottomless well" of forgetfulness.

b. Through the poem "Time," Van Cao suggests that while time can erase everything, only art and love possess an eternal, indestructible vitality.

(3) Answer

a. The relationship between the reader (me) and the writer (us):

- During the creative process, the writer empathizes with the reader

- During the reception of the work, the reader empathizes with the writer.

- True empathy, deep down, is essential for the work to become a shared voice, a meeting place for the soul and emotions of human beings.

b. Concept

- What the writer wishes to express is embedded in artistic imagery, and art holds only suggestive value.

- The reader must reconstruct, imagine, reflect, and analyze further.

Question 1 (page 121, Literature Textbook for 10th Grade, Volume 2)

- Literary texts are those that delve deep into reflecting and exploring the world, emotions, ideas, and satisfying the aesthetic needs of humans.

- A literary text is constructed using artistic language, with imagery, high aesthetic value, and is rich in meaning, evoking numerous associations and imaginations in the reader.

- A literary text always belongs to a specific genre with its own rules, structures, and styles characteristic of that genre.

Question 2 (page 121, Literature Textbook for 10th Grade, Volume 2)

- Literature is the art of language. By reading literary texts, we understand the meanings of words, from clear meanings to hidden meanings, from literal to metaphorical meanings.

- Moving beyond the level of words, we must dive deeper into the level of imagery and the layer of hidden meaning in order to fully comprehend a literary text.

- In a literary text, the level of language and imagery appears relatively clear, while the layer of hidden meaning is more elusive. The hidden meaning can only be grasped when the reader is able to reason, analyze, and generalize.

Reading a literary text requires understanding its hidden meaning, but understanding the language is the first necessary step to reach the depth of the text.

Question 3 (page 121, Literature Textbook for 10th Grade, Volume 2)

Example: The image of the pink silk in a folk song.

The image of me is like a pink silk

Waving in the market, not knowing who will buy me

- Literal meaning: The girl compares her body to pink silk in the market.

- Imagery meaning:

+ Characteristics of the pink silk: precious, beautiful, soft, worthy of respect.

+ The situation of the pink silk: being sold in the market, not knowing who will buy it.

+ Implicit meaning: Through the similarity between her fate and the characteristics, circumstances of the pink silk, the girl affirms her self-worth but also expresses sorrow and worry about her uncertain future. In the past, women did not have the freedom to decide their own marriage.

Question 4 (page 121, Literature Textbook for 10th Grade, Volume 2)

- The hidden meaning of a literary text is the ability to evoke many layers of latent, concealed meanings which the reader gradually uncovers through their engagement with the text.

- To recognize the hidden meaning of a literary text, the reader must pass through various layers: topic, theme, central inspiration, etc.

- The hidden meaning of a literary text is not always easy to grasp, and it is not always possible to fully or accurately understand it.

For example:

The moss grows slantwise across the earth

The stones break through the clouded sky

(Excerpt from “Self-reflection” II – Hồ Xuân Hương)

- The author describes the actions, the states of moss growing slantwise across the land, and stones pushing through the clouded sky. They have a strong, vital force despite their small and ordinary appearance. The hidden meaning here represents Hồ Xuân Hương’s rebellious and defiant attitude against the small, fragile fate of women in ancient feudal society. This is also Xuân Hương’s unique, strong personality.

Practice

Question 1 (page 121, Literature Textbook for 10th Grade, Volume 2)

The text “Where to lean”

a. The structure of the text is divided into two paragraphs with similar sentence structures and imagery:

- The first and last sentence of each paragraph share similar structures.

- Each paragraph contains two characters with similar traits. The first paragraph features a woman and a child, while the second features a soldier and an old woman.

b. The imagery in the two paragraphs of the poem evokes many thoughts about where to find support in life.

- The woman leads the child, but it is the child who becomes the “support” for the woman.

- The elderly woman, whose steps are no longer firm, becomes the support for the soldier.

The text “Time”

a.

- The memories in life “Fall / like pebbles / in the dry well”. It is truly harsh. This reflects the destructive law of time.

- The timeless strength of poetry and music. Specifically, “the verses” and “the songs,” true works of art. The word “green” is repeated, contrasting with the word “dry” in the first sentence.

- The final line “And your eyes / like two wells”. These are “two wells” filled with everlasting memories of love, contrasting with the memories that “fall” into the “dry well” of time, forgotten and lost.

b. Through the poem “Time,” Văn Cao conveys to us a message: time can erase everything, even destroy our lives. However, only literature, art, and memories of love have enduring vitality.

The text “I and You”

a. The two lines of poetry express Chế Lan Viên’s deep understanding of the relationship between the reader (I) and the writer (you). In the creative process, the writer always empathizes with the reader, and in the process of receiving the work, the reader also empathizes with the writer. True empathy, felt deeply, is what allows a work to truly be a shared voice, a meeting place for souls and human emotions.

b. The next two lines reflect Chế Lan Viên’s thoughts on literary texts and their place in the minds of readers:

- According to him, a literary work only truly becomes a literary work when it reaches the reader.

- The process from the author’s text to the work in the reader’s mind is not a passive act of simply copying. Instead, the literary work exists dynamically, drawing readers across generations.

- Chế Lan Viên expressed this view through poetry, which also serves as a testament to his own philosophy.

Question 1 (page 121, Literature Textbook 10, Volume 2):

- Criterion 1: A literary text, also referred to as an artistic or literary work

A literary text is an artistic work that delves deeply into reflecting objective reality, exploring the world of emotions and thoughts, and satisfying the needs of moral and aesthetic guidance

Criterion 2: The language of the text is artistic, highly symbolic, polished, expressive, evoking emotions, and multi-layered

Criterion 3: Every text adheres to a specific genre, following the conventions and structural norms of that genre

Question 2 (page 121, Literature Textbook 10, Volume 2):

Literature is constructed from words, and to fully comprehend a text, one must understand the meaning of words, ranging from explicit meanings to implied meanings, from literal meanings to metaphorical ones

- Moving beyond the surface language, we delve into the symbols and implied meanings to understand the depth of the literary text

+ The three layers of a literary text are inseparable, closely linked together

- The words are immediately clear, but the implied meanings are more difficult to grasp; however, it is the implied meanings that attract readers, as the value of a literary work lies in its hidden layers

- To understand these layers, readers must analyze, generalize, and infer

Reading the text allows us to grasp the implied meanings, but understanding the words is the necessary first step in unlocking the text’s deeper significance

Question 3 (page 121, Literature Textbook 10, Volume 2):

a. To analyze a text, students must grasp the imagery in poetry, understand the words, and analyze the features and meanings of the imagery

b. It is advisable to select an image in a poem or a passage to analyze its characteristics and the significance of that imagery

c,

My body is white, yet round

It rises and falls with the tides of life

No matter how it is molded by others’ hands

It retains a heart that is pure

- The image of the rice cake symbolizes the position of women in the feudal society, embodying both physical and inner beauty yet lacking recognition

Question 4 (page 121, Literature Textbook 10, Volume 2):

The implied meaning of a literary text is its ability to suggest multiple layers of hidden meaning, which readers gradually uncover as they engage with the text

b. To uncover the implied meanings of a literary work, readers must pass through various layers: the subject matter, the themes, and the dominant emotional tone

c. The implied meanings of a text are not always easy to fully comprehend.

For example: The text "The Village" focuses on the theme of the peasant's role in the resistance against French colonialism. The peasant is depicted as loyal to the village, the nation, and the revolutionary cause

The poem "The Fishing Boat" draws inspiration from the love for nature and humanity in the new era

- The short story "The Final Harbor" contains many hidden layers of meaning, with people becoming preoccupied with seeking illusory values, overlooking the more familiar and meaningful ones until it is too late

EXERCISE

Question 1 (page 122, Literature Textbook 10, Volume 2):

The Text "The Support"

- The two segments are nearly symmetrical in structure: Opening- Conclusion

- Character imagery:

+ The young mother: relying on her child who is just learning to walk

+ The soldier: relying on an elderly man whose steps are unsteady

→ Evokes reflection on the concept of "support" as both emotional and life-affirming support

Text: "Time"

+ Segment 1: The destructive power of time

+ Segment 2: The enduring values that survive time

- Time flows gently, quietly, almost weakly, "slipping through the fingers," time "dries the leaves"

+ "The leaf" is a symbol of transience

+ The dry leaf represents life’s inevitable cycle of birth and death

- Memories and fleeting lives fade into obscurity

- Yet some things remain timeless: poetry, songs

These forms of art, when they reach their pinnacle of excellence, remain eternally vibrant, regardless of time

- The concluding line is a surprise: "And your eyes, like two wells of water." The "two wells of water" contain memories, love, and vitality, contrasting with the "worn well" that represents the forgetting of time

c. Through the text "Time," the author seeks to express: Time can erase all things, but only literature and love endure eternally

The Text "Me and I"

- This is a quatrain by the poet Chế Lan Viên from the collection "I Send to Myself." The poem discusses the philosophy of poetry and art

- The first two lines express the relationship between the reader (me) and the writer (I). In the creative process, the writer shares an empathetic connection with the reader, and in turn, the reader feels a deep connection with the writer

- The next two lines present the author's perspective on literary texts and how works of literature live in the reader's mind

- The writer creates literary works, art, following unique principles. What the writer wants to convey is embedded in the artistic imagery, offering an open-ended interpretation

- The reader must reflect, explore, and analyze to uncover the meaning of the text

- The final two lines express Chế Lan Viên's view of literary texts and the role they play in the reader's mind

- This philosophy of Chế Lan Viên is delivered through a poetic declaration, filled with symbolic imagery.

I. Guide to Preparing the Lesson

Question 1 (page 121, Literature 10 Textbook, Volume 2):

Main criteria of literary texts:

- Literary texts, also known as artistic or literary texts, deeply reflect objective reality, explore the emotional and intellectual world, and satisfy the human needs for morality and aesthetics.

- The language of literary texts is artistic language, rich in imagery, with a high aesthetic value, carefully crafted, expressive, evocative, concise, and multi-layered in meaning.

- Every text belongs to a specific genre and follows the conventions of that genre.

Question 2 (page 121, Literature 10 Textbook, Volume 2):

Understanding the level of words is the first essential step to penetrate the depth of a literary text because:

- In any literary work, the writer always conveys their thoughts, emotions, and attitudes toward life through imagery.

- The artistic image is formed from the abstraction of the layers of meaning in words.

⇒ Therefore, if one only understands the level of words without synthesizing the meaning of the image and the hidden meanings of the text, they cannot be considered to have grasped the content of the work.

Question 3 (page 121, Literature 10 Textbook, Volume 2):

Consider the following verse:

"A strange day, the ways of the petty officials

Bringing harm, all for the sake of money"

(The Tale of Kieu - Nguyễn Du)

- The level of words:

+ "Thói" refers to habits, ways of life, actions or behaviors that are usually bad, and have become routine over time.

+ "Sai nha" refers to the petty officials or servants of feudal authorities.

+ "Khốc hại" means harmful, dreadful, painful, tragic.

- The level of imagery:

This refers to the corrupt petty officials in the decaying feudal society: They cause destruction to the family of Vương Ông, bringing pain and suffering, all for the sake of money. Kieu’s family, once peaceful and happy, becomes shattered and broken, with some imprisoned and others forced into servitude to rescue their father! ⇒ A money-driven society where "money tears apart the paper".

- The level of hidden meaning:

Nguyễn Du stands with the people, pointing out the flaws of the feudal regime, condemning the officials and petty officials with disdain and bitterness. He also shows deep sympathy and solidarity with the people, those who suffer harm "for money", making his verses rich in both social critique and humanistic values.

Question 4 (page 121, Literature 10 Textbook, Volume 2):

The hidden meaning in literary texts is the layers of concealed, latent meanings embedded within the imagery.

Example from a folk verse:

"On the bright moonlit night, I ask her

Is the young bamboo enough to weave a mat?"

⇒ The hidden meaning: it's about love between a man and a woman, a question of courtship, or marriage proposal.

II. Practice

Question 1 (pages 121-122, Literature 10 Textbook, Volume 2): structure of two similar paragraphs

- The first sentence is a question posed by the poet about something observed on the road.

- The next three sentences describe two characters in detail: their facial expressions, gestures...

- The final sentence is both a question and an expression of concern, pondering about their place of reliance.

b/ contrasting images:

woman – child,

soldier – elderly woman

⇒ The mother relies on the toddling child, while the soldier leans on the elderly woman who is trembling as she takes a step forward. The child symbolizes joy and faith, a spiritual support for the mother to live and work.

⇒ The elderly woman, weak and frail, represents the deep respect of the descendants, serving as the strength that drives the soldier to fight and conquer.

⇒ According to Nguyễn Đình Thi, a place of reliance is a spiritual and emotional anchor: love, hope for the future, gratitude for the past.

Question 2 (page 122, Literature 10 Textbook, Volume 2):

a. Sentences with underlying meanings:

- Time flows slowly, softly, seemingly weakly, "time slipping through the fingers", time "drying the leaves". The leaf symbolizes the fleeting nature of life, drifting along with the rhythm of time. The dry leaves symbolize lives inevitably caught in the cycle of birth and death. These dry leaves, short-lived lives, and forgotten memories (like pebbles sinking in a well filled with mud and sand) will fade into oblivion.

⇒ Life and memories decay, erased by time.

- Yet, some things exist persistently with time:

Only the verses

remain green

Only the songs

remain green

- The image of "your eyes": the eyes of a lover (symbolizing love memories); "the well": an everlasting well, evoking purity and sweetness.

b. Through the poem "Time", Văn Cao conveys the idea that while time can erase everything, art and love have enduring vitality.

Question 3 (page 123, Literature 10 Textbook, Volume 2):

a.

- These two lines of poetry express Chế Lan Viên's profound view on the relationship between the reader (us) and the writer (them).

- During the creative process, the writer always has an empathic connection with the reader, and likewise, in receiving the work, the reader shares an empathy with the writer.

- True empathy must come from the deepest "depths" for the work to truly be a shared voice, a meeting point for souls and emotions.

b.

- Writers create literary works as an art form with unique characteristics. - What the writer wants to say is embedded in artistic imagery, and art has a suggestive value but never fully explains or clarifies everything.

- The reader must recreate, imagine, reflect, and analyze so that from a "pile of ash" that seems like it’s extinguished, "a flame" can be rekindled, from a "small stone" a fortress can be built.

Question 1 (page 121 of Vietnamese Literature 10, Volume 2): The main criteria of literary texts:

- Literary texts deeply reflect and explore the world of emotions, thoughts, and satisfy human aesthetic needs.

- Literary texts are constructed using artistic language, featuring imagery and high aesthetic value.

- Literary texts always belong to a specific genre with its own conventions and methods of that genre.

Question 2 (page 121 of Vietnamese Literature 10, Volume 2): "Understanding the layer of language is the first necessary step to delve into the depth of a literary text" because:

- Language is the first point of contact when engaging with a literary text.

- The depth of a literary text is created from its implicit meaning, which is hidden beneath the imagery layer, and the imagery itself is formed from the abstraction of the linguistic meaning layer.

Question 3 (page 121 of Vietnamese Literature 10, Volume 2): Analyze the symbolic meaning in the following folk verse:

On a moonlit night, he asked her

Is the young bamboo tall enough to weave the mat?

The folk verse holds more than a literal meaning. "Young bamboo with enough leaves" refers to a person who has grown up, who is of age and maturity; "weaving the mat" alludes to the idea of marriage. The verse is the young man’s indirect proposal, asking if the girl is willing to wait for him as a matchmaker.

Question 4 (page 121 of Vietnamese Literature 10, Volume 2):

The implicit meaning of a literary text is the hidden, latent meaning within it. It is what the writer conveys, confides, or tests through their work about life.

For example:

- Hồ Xuân Hương’s poem *Bánh trôi nước* at first glance simply describes a floating cake, but the hidden meaning is about the beauty and tragic fate of women in the unjust feudal society.

- Nguyễn Khuyến’s *Bạn đến chơi nhà* depicts a scenario where a long-lost friend visits, but the host has nothing to offer. In truth, the lack of material possessions highlights the poet’s deep friendship with his guest.

Practice

Question 1 (page 121 of Vietnamese Literature 10, Volume 2): Text "The Support":

a. Two passages with similar sentence structures and imagery are the introduction and conclusion: the woman and the child – the soldier and the elderly woman.

b. The characters are presented to emphasize their contrast:

+ The young mother finds her emotional support in the child just beginning to walk.

+ The soldier relies on the elderly woman to walk, trembling and unstable.

=> This evokes reflection on the "support" – the emotional anchor that provides strength, hope, and meaning in life. People must be grateful for the past and hopeful for the future.

Question 2 (page 121 of Vietnamese Literature 10, Volume 2): Text "Time":

a. The meanings of the following lines:

- The memories in me
Fall
Like the sound of pebbles
In the dry well. -> The destructive power of time: Time flows gently "through the fingers", silently "drying the leaves" (life falls away with time). Human memories also fade into oblivion (a pebble falling into a dry well full of mud and sand makes no sound and remains submerged). Both life and memories are worn away, erased by time.

- Yet the lines
Still remain green
The songs
Still remain green -> Those enduring values that exist beyond time: poetry and song (poetry and music)... remain ever green. Art, when perfected, will endure forever, defying the rules of time.

"And your eyes / like two wells of water": Memories of love remain forever, contrasting with the memories that "fall" into the "dry well" and are forgotten.

b. Through the poem *Time*, Văn Cao wants to convey that: Time can erase everything, but literature, art, and love have eternal vitality.

Question 3 (page 121 of Vietnamese Literature 10, Volume 2): Text "I and You":

a. Chế Lan Viên’s view on the relationship between the reader and the writer in the first and second lines:

I am you, after all, I still send to you.

The deep self? It’s still me!

The writer (I) and the reader (you) always share empathy during both the creation and reception process. This empathy must be at the deepest level, at the "deepest" point for the work to truly resonate as a shared voice, a meeting of the hearts and souls of "I" and "you".

b. Chế Lan Viên’s perspective on literary texts and works in the minds of readers in lines 3 and 4:

I send ash, you kindle it into blazing fire,

I send a small stone, you build it into a fortress.

To understand the writer’s message, the reader must recreate, imagine, reflect, and analyze, so that from the "ash" of the stove, something thought to be extinguished can "ignite into fire", and from the "small stone", a structure, a fort, can be built.