A Predestined Life The Tale of Kieu is the most popular and adored Vietnamese literary work to date. It is a beautiful epic poem composed by Nguyen Du. The epic tells a breathtaking story of the woes of a young girl named Kieu. Through the life of Kieu, Du explores the concept of how much of our lives are preordained by fate or the cosmos, and how much is free will. From beginning to end, readers are captivated by the main character’s misfortune, resilience, and strong moral character. The Tale of Kieu is a riveting read that will challenge readers to think deeper about concepts such as fate, destiny, and karma. Though the main character, Kieu, was of good character, she suffered very many heartbreaks and trials throughout her life. Kieu …show more content…
She not only lost a newfound love, but she was also being torn away from her father, mother, and sister. However, her troubles had only just begun. Kieu and Scholar Ma left for his home—a brothel he owns and operates alongside a woman named Dame Tu. Kieu was shocked to find out how little she knew about the man she married. After learning of Kieu’s misfortune and the reason she is there, Dame Tu allowed Kieu to live in the brothel, but not be obligated to host guests (Thong 66). After many meaningless, dreary days, a man visited the brothel that appeared to be taken with Kieu (Thong 68). He offered to come under cover of night and rescue her. He came to her as promised, put her on her own horse, and they rode away. Soon into the ride, he abandoned her, and she was left lost and alone. A band of men on horses surrounded her and dragged her back to the brothel (Thong 70). It was then Kieu realized she was set up by Dame Tu, and the man never had any pure interest in her at all. Dame Tu brutally beat Kieu upon her return (Thong 70). Kieu’s heart was broken once again over her twisted fate. After her attempt to run away, Kieu was no longer allowed the privilege of not welcoming guests. Dame Tu taught her the ways to charm and ensnare men, …show more content…
Much time passes as Kieu is forced repeatedly to give up her body to strange men. One visitor Kieu had, Thuc, seemed to fall in love with her for more than just her pleasures and appearance. Thuc visited the brothel often to see Kieu, and the two fell in love. Thuc took Kieu as a concubine, paying ransom for her to Dame Tu and freeing her from the hell of the brothel (Thong 79). However, he did so without the knowledge or consent of his wife. The two spent a blissful year living together before Thuc returned home to see his wife to tell her of Kieu (Thong 84). Thuc’s wife, Miss Hoan, was a tremendously jealous woman. Because Thuc had hidden the existence of Kieu from her, she was infuriated. She sends for Kieu to be kidnapped (Thong 85). They burned down Thuc and Kieu’s house, leaving inside a corpse they found on the riverbank (Thong 88). When Thuc arrived home, he believed it to be Kieu, and was devastated. Kieu is instead brought to the palace of Thuc and Miss Hoan and made into a slave (Thong 91, 92). Thuc returned home to find her
While she might think that her plans are working, they only lead her down a path of destruction. She lands in a boarding house, when child services find her, she goes to jail, becomes pregnant by a man who she believed was rich. Also she becomes sentenced to 15 years in prison, over a street fight with a former friend she double crossed. In the end, she is still serving time and was freed by the warden to go to her mother’s funeral. To only discover that her two sisters were adopted by the man she once loved, her sister is with the man who impregnated her, and the younger sister has become just like her. She wants to warn her sister, but she realizes if she is just like her there is no use in giving her advice. She just decides that her sister must figure it out by
Kien Nguyen, the author of The Unwanted, is a very interesting character because of the ways he describes the entire situation he is in. As an author, Kien is providing the reader with vivid details and constantly showing terrific scenes. However, as a child and one of the characters in the book, Kien is a very considerate and caring person. Throughout the book, Kien took good care of his younger brother, Jimmy. It showed that even though Kien himself is a child and is still innocent, he took into consideration to protect his younger brother.
The thirty years the Vietnamese spent fighting the war destroyed the value system of Vietnam culture. The war devastated the country, villages, and families. After the war, the Vietnamese began reconstructing their way of life. The character of Kien, in The Sorrow of War, shows the plight of the people of Vietnam before, during, and after the Vietnam War.
... of tragedy and lets her be the diamond in the rough. She is the one person whose vision is unaltered from the very beginning of the book and to her the other survivors draw their own courage.
woman she once knew. Both women only see the figure they imagine to be as the setting shows us this, in the end making them believe there is freedom through perseverance but ends in only despair.
Death, it cannot be prevented from happening, no matter how many bullets you carry, or how high you get. Kiowa, an Indian, a soldier, a warrior, he is just there, in Vietnam, at war, carrying on a tradition, carrying the distrusting feelings of the white man and most important carrying the pride of his people.
The characters provide a contrast for the readers, by presenting the powerlessness of women through Esme’s fate in the institution after her refusal to conform to married life, and the subplot of Iris being a contemporary version of Esme. Esme’s suffering foreshadows the events of Iris’ life. Through the use of narrative voice, symbols and foreshadowing, O’Farrell reveals that all aspects of Esme’s life are determined by society’s expectations to create the essence of the harsh effects of patriarchy for the reader to
...e relationship with men, as nothing but tools she can sharpen and destroy, lives through lust and an uncanny ability to blend into any social class makes her unique. Her character is proven as an unreliable narrator as she exaggerates parts of the story and tries to explain that she is in fact not guilty of being a mistress, but a person caught in a crossfire between two others.
Throughout Castle Rackrent, Maria Edgeworth narrates the story through Thady Quirk who can be described as a lovable servant that has been loyal to the family for all of his life. He has his own opinions about some of the matters that take place on the Rackrent estate, but Thady does nothing about them because he presents himself as the loyal servant who speaks no wrong against the family. However, within Thady Quirk there is something that splits his loyalty between what he believes is right and the Rackrent family. This split loyalty presents itself quite clearly when sir Kit has control of the estate. Sir Kit is a gambler and when he needs more money, he marries rich. His wife, Lady Rackrent, comes to the estate and refuses to give sir Kit her diamond
The Tale of Kieu, called the most important piece of Vietnamese literature, is the story of a young Vietnamese girl's attempt to right the wrongs of her past lives by enduring hardship in this life. She is sold into prostitution and continuously deceived by men promising her love. The only man whose promise of love is not in vain is Kim Trong, the first man to pledge himself to her. Kieu is visited by a ghost who reveals to her the bad karma she earned in a previous life. Following Kieu and Kim Trong's vows of love, he is called off to attend to his family when his uncle dies. Soon after, robbers brake in to steal and vandalize Kieu's house, and they tie up her father and brother. In order to redeem them, Kieu sells herself into a marriage. Unfortunately, the man she marries then turns around to sell her to a brothel. This is the beginning of her life as a prostitute.
Umm Kulthum is viewed as one of the best Middle Easterner performers who at any point lived. For more than fifty years, she shocked the Arab world with her unmatchable voice; her vocals ready to infiltrate individuals' hearts and express the spirit of countries. Her verses were composed by writers who energetically offered their pieces to her with expectations of turning into the following regarded musician appointed into Umm Kulthum's repertoire. Beginning in 1934 and for very nearly forty years, Umm Kulthum performed month to month shows in Cairo, Egypt (Danielson, 1). These shows turned into the feature of Middle Easterner life, as they were communicated live on the radio, extending a long ways past the shores of Egypt. Her eminence detonated
who wanted to enter her life, she is left alone after her father’s death. Her attitude
Imposing on an already divided, critical town, K. has made a few acquaintances. First, with two sisters named Olga and Amelia, and their brother Barnabus whom is K.’s messenger and only means of communicating with the superiors in the Castle. On a trip to the Counts Arms for an evening drink after receiving a letter of employment from Klamm, it isn’t quite clear if it confirms or denies the possibility of future employment, K and Olga run into the barmaid Freida whom K. slyly starts talking to in order to find out more about this mystery man named Klamm, whom is said to stay at the Counts Arms very regularly. Dis...
And happed that, allone as he was born,/ He saugh a mayde walkynge hym biforn,/ Of which mayde anon, maugree hir heed,/ By verray force he rafte hir maydenhed” (lines 885-888). The knight only gets to hold this power for a short amount of time before he is caught. For his crime, he presents himself in front of a court full of women who must decide his punishment. We can see why The Wife chose this story in just the fact that an unjust man must plead for his life in front of a court of powerful women. The head of the court, the queen, decides to show him mercy if the knight can find out what it is that women truly desire. The queen and her ladies decide to give him one year to find the answer to her question, if he does not find the answer then the knight will be killed. Not only do the women have power over the knight in this situation, but they have now extended their power over him for an entire year. His life is now dedicated to finding out what exactly women
In the readings Life of Pi by Yann Martel and “The Story of Keesh it is explained what they do to survive but not necessarily how they get the feeling to survive. They go through aching pain in these stories and still manage to work hard to do what they need to do to survive. In Life of Pi and “The Story of Keesh” the idea of survival in extreme environments is communicated through the character’s intelligence and through the emotions for their loved ones.