What is the sample analysis of the excerpt "Thúc Sinh từ biệt Thúy Kiều"? How many periodic assessments must 9th-grade students in Vietnam undergo in a semester?

Someone once commented that Nguyen Du's "Truyện Kiều" is "ink that dances, pen that flies, and words that leap." Indeed, that statement is no exaggeration. When we come to the "Truyện Kiều", we cannot deny its charm. Discussing the challenging life of Kieu, Nguyen Du’s pen is elevated with empathy towards the fate of women. It can be said that in Kieu's life, there were shadow figures of men who arrived to bring her happiness. Apart from Kim Trong, whom Kieu truly loved and respected the most, and Tu Hai the hero who rescued Kieu's life, there was also Thuc Sinh. Although Thuc had a wife, it was he who saved Kieu from the brothel. Unfortunately, this love had to eventually part due to unavoidable circumstances. This poignant farewell is vividly depicted by Nguyen Du in the passage of Thuc Sinh bidding farewell to Thuy Kieu.

At the beginning of the poem, Nguyen Du brings readers a truly bitter feeling about Kieu's fate:
 

“Someone mounts the horse, another parts with a gown,

The autumn maple forest has turned to the color of separation.

The red path, dust swirls,

Looking at the one now vanished behind thousands of green mulberry trees.”

Before our eyes appears a scene full of heartbreak, which is the separation between two individuals. For Kieu, the only and most beloved love is Kim Trong, but in the circumstances of her life as a courtesan, she shared a bed with many men. This shame left her conscience always restless, yet the seemingly womanizing Thuc Sinh brought happy days for Kieu. The first significant thing for Kieu was being rescued from the flesh-selling place.

Living with Thuc Sinh without any formal title, Kieu had no status, but at least she no longer had to entertain guests. And gratitude also made Kieu tender towards him. Additionally, he was like a mental support for Kieu. But alas, he was a man with a wife, and that wife was very authoritative, causing Kieu to feel apprehensive. Kieu advised Thuc to return to Hoan Thu to confess, but deep down, she wanted to hold onto him. Despite having a semblance of a married life, now they are parted. Kieu made the decision, but even this decision left her uneasy. The image of Kieu clasping Thuc's coat with emotions, reluctant to let go, and only when Thuc mounted the horse did she release her grip, parting with his gown. This can be seen as a poignant image of Kieu's sadness. The autumn forest in classical poetry appears once more here, now imbued with the color of separation. The poet uses allegorical techniques to show the distant rift between the two. As the horse’s steps recede thousands of miles, the dust swirls along its gallop, and gradually Thuc's figure fades behind the multitude of green mulberry trees.

And so, Kieu stays behind with worries and sorrows; from now on, only Kieu remains, no longer anyone to lend her a shoulder to lean on:

“Returning alone as shadows fall at the fifth watch,

One journeys a thousand miles by themselves, far away,

Who divided the moon into two halves,

One half shadows the single pillow, the other shines down the long road.”

These verses draw a picture of infinite melancholy, with all bonds seeming to vanish permanently, all joys and happiness departing with Thuc, leaving only fading remnants in both the scenery and mood. The girl left awake through five watches, nostalgically yearning for Thuc Sinh’s absence. This longing person has gone thousands of miles away, leaving her alone with her mournful, pitiful thoughts. Not only Kieu but the scenery itself is tainted with the melancholy of her emotions. The moon, which once was whole, now bears the marks of separation. It seems to be divided in half, uncertain of who divided it. It can be said that Kieu's state of separation has made even the eternal scenery incomplete. It evokes the disintegrated yearning and misery of Kieu. Even the bed and the pillow are not sliced, but they miss a person lying there. The emptiness pushes the character deeper into solitude.

Through this, we see the emotional states and the sorrowful separation of Kieu and Thuc. The two had the fate to meet but not to be husband and wife. This determined Kieu's actions. However, from the above excerpt, we see that it was the circumstances that forced Kieu, not her own desires. Using the artistic techniques of ancient poetry, Nguyen Du brings us unforgettable emotions about Kieu's hardships.