Vietnam: What are the sample argumentative essays on analyzing a double seven, six eight poem in the 9th-grade Literature curriculum?

The Poem "Tiếng đàn mưa"

Every time it rains, it seems our emotions become more sensitive. The sound of rain comes with feelings of longing, anxiety, and reflections on life. Just like us, standing before the rain with a restless heart, Bich Khe infused these feelings into his piece, the poem "Tiếng đàn mưa".

The poem begins by evoking the scene of a rainy day:
 

“Mưa hoa rụng, mưa hoa xuân rụng

Mưa xuống lầu, mưa xuống thềm lan

Mưa rơi ngoài nẻo dặm ngàn

Nước non rả rích giọng đàn mưa xuân.”

Objects fall along with the heavy raindrops. The raindrops fall, dropping from above to the "tower," covering even the "orchid terrace." The rain engulfs everything around. The scene of a rainy day is depicted with the falling of objects. A realistic scene painted by the author’s own pen. He calls the sound of raindrops the "spring rain tune." Spring rain, bringing happiness, makes the rain sound like music. This music, with its hypnotic power, takes us on a serene journey, recalling beautiful things still lingering in our minds. The rain falls, enveloping every path, every place:

“Lầu mưa xuống, thêm lan mưa xuống

Cùng nước non hoa rụng mưa xuân

Mưa rơi ngoài nội trên ngàn

Nghe trong ý khách giọt đàn mưa rơi.”

The rain falls on the tower, again around the beautiful orchid terrace. It falls from the fields to the mountains and streams. A scene entirely of raindrops washing away the old to bring new wonders. "Hear in the guest's thoughts the tune of falling rain" suggests a heart laden with feeling. The music rises in the rain, hinting at hidden emotions. Joy and sorrow, nostalgia for times past:

“Đầm mưa xuống nẻo đồi mưa xuống

Bóng dương tà rụng bóng tà dương

Hoa xuân rơi với bóng dương

Mưa trong ý khách mưa cùng nước non.”

The next stanza continues to describe places where rain falls, and the scenery follows suit. Rain falls in the hills, forming puddles. As the sun prepares to set, along with the spring flowers, creating a dreamy and illusory scene. This reflects the author's deep love for nature to perceive beauty through the rain. "Rain in the guest's thoughts along with the land and water," shows a love for the country, the land the character inhabits. With such emotional depth and love for nature, one can hear the rain as a melody and behold the beauty nature offers. Using the scenery to evoke feelings and reflections:

“Rơi hoa kết mưa còn rả rích

Càng mưa rơi cánh tịch bóng dương

Bóng dương với khách tha hương

Mưa trong ý khách muôn hàng lệ rơi”.

Rain stirs emotions. Loneliness under the "evening sun" deepens the sorrow and sadness. The loneliness envelops, with memories of the old land making "tears fall endlessly." The last stanza explains the poem's emotions. The sorrow, yearning, loneliness make the rain sound like a melody, playing a tune filled with longing that flows through each layer of emotion in the "homesick traveler."

Bich Khe successfully used the song that luc bat form combined with expressive language to depict deep emotions. Close rhetorical devices listed scenes in the rain, repeatedly mentioning scenes, especially "rain" to emphasize an evocative space for emotions. Coupled with a gentle tone, evoking emotions through each word, flowing smoothly into the reader’s mind. Speaking of nostalgia, loneliness without overwhelming emotion but gently as raindrops sounding like music.

"Tiếng đàn mưa" successfully captures the mood of a homesick person in the rain. Away from home, sensing the loneliness life brings, one recalls familiar scenes. The profound longing in a soul, with distant nostalgia. "When one is sad, can the scenery ever be happy?" and when one is sad, the raindrops too become a sad, tremulous melody full of yearning.

The poem is not long, doesn't use many words or details but brings sufficient imagery and character emotions. A highly successful poem in Bich Khe's artistic writing.

The Poem "Khóc Dương Khuê"

In Vietnam's poetic and literary history spanning more than a thousand years, poet Nguyen Khuyen contributed significantly. His poems carry the genuine, beautiful emotions of Vietnamese people, expressed in the simple and familiar Vietnamese language. Among those poems, "Khóc Dương Khuê" stands out.

Nguyen Khuyen and Duong Khue both passed the doctoral exam and served as officials under the Nguyen dynasty. However, after 1884, the country fell to the French colonists, and Nguyen Khuyen retired while Duong Khue continued as an official under the then puppet government until his death at 64. Duong Khue's sudden death was a great loss to Nguyen Khuyen. Ignoring all else, Nguyen Khuyen felt he had lost an irreplaceable dear friend. He understood that friendship so deeply that he cried in anguish:

“Bác Dương thôi đã thôi rồi

Nước mây man mác ngậm ngùi lòng ta.”

Away from literary embellishments, the verse is raw sorrow, a sincere and complete sorrow. The word “thoi” sounds colloquial and natural, erupting from the author’s grief. In a society valuing “refinement” in literature, Nguyen Khuyen valued genuine everyday truth. Though speaking of death, he didn’t use the word "death," instead saying “thoi da…thoi roi,” signaling an end. He lost a dear friend forever. Only profound sorrow brings forth authentic tears. Nguyen Khuyen’s tears couldn’t be shouted; he cried with himself, grieving from within.

At that moment, he longed to be alone with his departed friend, recalling distant memories:

“Nhớ từ thuở đăng khoa ngày trước…

Trong khi gặp gỡ biết đâu duyên trời.”

Their friendship bonded since they took the regional exam together and both passed. Initially strangers from different towns, they were united by destiny. Nguyen Khuyen’s words feel simple yet close-knit, expressions of enduring respect and affection from beginning to end.

“Cũng có lúc chơi nơi dặm khách…

Thú vui con hát lựa chiều cầm xoang.”

Like-minded friends experienced joyful, delightful days, sharing and enjoying the noble arts. The poet’s soul resonated with memories, living again the pleasure of "lofty balconies," listening to the music and songs of the “female singer.” Friends drawn together by destiny, bonded by admiration, where their friendship was about understanding and harmony. They shared experiences: “drinking fine wine to savor its rich taste and aroma.” Serving under the same dynasty, they shared the pain of losing the country, feeling heavy with helplessness. It's not just mourning a departed friend but also grieving himself, losing a soulmate. He bore both the loss of a confidant and the pain of contemporary times:

“Ai chẳng biết chán đời là phải

Vội vàng chi đã mải lên tiên.”

The eternal departure of a confidant was an enormous loss, making life feel isolated and lonely.

The poem "Khóc Dương Khuê" carries deep regret and emphasizes the notion of friendship. It illustrates a beautiful perspective on friendship and highlights Nguyen Khuyen’s noble character.