What are guidelines on preparing the lesson plan for the lesson "Nỗi buồn chiến tranh" for grade 12 students in Vietnam? What is the duration of reading section in grade 12 Literature curriculum in Vietnam?

Guidelines on preparing the lesson plan for the lesson "Nỗi buồn chiến tranh" for grade 12 students

I. Author and Work

1. Author

- Author Bao Ninh was born in 1952, his real name is Hoang Au Phuong, from Bao Ninh commune, Quang Ninh district, Quang Binh province.

- Bao Ninh is a military writer, he joined the army in 1969. As a military writer, he is very knowledgeable about war, specializing in writing about war themes and wanting "his writing to have the beauty of the military."

2. Work

- Genre: Novel

- Structure:

- Part 1 (from the beginning to trí tưởng tượng): The state of living always with the memories of war of the character Kien - the stream of memories has urged him to write down all the experiences of a special period of life.

- Part 2 (the remaining part): Impressions, feelings, and thoughts when facing the overwhelming “núi bản thảo” left by Kien.

- Content Value: Reflects the significance of reminiscing as an indispensable part of every human's life. Memories of loved ones, memorable experiences, and achievements are the bright spots that create colors and meanings in life. Reminiscing the past is also a source of motivation and strength when facing challenges.

- Artistic Value: Alternating third-person and first-person narration, characters in the excerpt almost have no "hành động bên ngoài" but only "hành động bên trong”.

II. Preparing "Nỗi buồn chiến tranh"

Question 1: Your initial assessment of the differences in this excerpt compared to excerpts from other novels you have studied.

- The excerpt from "Nỗi buồn chiến tranh" has fewer events than other novels.

- Characters have internal actions without external expressions.

- The story is told from two perspectives: third-person and first-person.

Question 2: Summarize the content of each part of the excerpt.

- Part 1: Third-person narrator, tells about the state of always living with war memories of the character Kien, the memories urged him to write down all experiences.

- Part 2: First-person narrator, talks about impressions, emotions, and thoughts when facing the overwhelming manuscripts left by Kien.

- This shows that events are an integral part of a novel, everything in the novel must begin and end with events. Events create the plot, challenges, and development for the story.

Question 3: What is the psychological state of the character Kien? List the words the author used to describe that psychological state.

- The character Kien in 'Nỗi buồn chiến tranh' often holds sadness, loss, loneliness, and despair, which are results of traumatic experiences during the war.

- Words describing that mood: “cô quạnh”, “đau buồn”, “lực bất tòng tâm"...

Question 4: How is war depicted in Kien's memories? Do you think this is the only aspect of war? Why?

- War is often described with a "sad face," difficulties, and losses. War is depicted as a world full of violence, loneliness, and despair, where people face daily pain and loss.

- This is not the only aspect of war; although war is associated with sorrow and sacrifice, from other perspectives, it has meanings such as justice, national defense, liberation, and glorious victory....

Question 5: Through the excerpt, we can understand the profound meaning of remembering for the human spirit.

- Remembering not only helps people relive glorious past memories but also helps form awareness about values, beliefs, and self-shaping.

- Memories and images from the past are an endless source of inspiration and learning for present and future life.

Question 6: What comments did the storyteller make about the novel Kien was writing? What characteristics of modern novels does this comment allude to?

The narrator commented:

- A work based mainly on a sense of disorder.

- The plot rhythm is constantly broken. The work lacks a common thread... as if falling into a crack in the time of the work.

- It is called loss of structure. It lacks coherence, lacks comprehensiveness...

- This comment is related to the characteristic of showing the diversity and encompassing a wide range of realities in modern novels.

Question 7: In the excerpt, what does the part about 'Kien leaving' and my reading of Kien’s manuscripts clarify about the nature and sorrow of the main character, and about the process of writing the novel?

In the excerpt from "Nỗi buồn chiến tranh," the part detailing Kien leaving and reading Kien's manuscripts clarifies the nature and sorrow of the main character, as well as his process of writing the novel:

- Kien is a soldier who has experienced bloody battles and painful losses in war. After the war, he feels loneliness and despair, lacking direction, losing faith in life, unable to find meaning in the post-war social environment.

- Kien witnesses and experiences many aspects of sorrow in war, from losing comrades to facing discrimination and a continuous feeling of loss.

Question 8: Give an overall assessment of Bao Ninh's awareness in choosing a suitable writing style to express the theme of war sorrow.

- The author has demonstrated a deep understanding of reality, choosing to write the work very realistically. He does not romanticize the story to attract readers but focuses on reflecting soldiers’ real experiences in war.

- "Nỗi buồn chiến tranh" is written as a novel within a novel (first-person narrator). The non-linear writing style, overlapping time and space dimensions, follows the heavy but volatile thoughts of the character.