21 Feb 2021
Please write discussion that answer these questions:
- Kieu speaks of herself as a “floating fern”–someone without power to determine the course of her life. Is this correct? What kinds of constraints are there upon her freedom? What margin of power, if any, does she have?
- Consider the rebel leader Tu-Hai. Based on Nguyen Du’s portrayal of the character, do you believe the author was sympathetic with the Tây Són peasant rebellion?
- Contrast Kim and Tu-Hai. In your opinion, who’s to be more admired? Why?
- Buddhism describes earthly life as a wheel of recurring sorrows. How is this reflected in the plot? What does Kieu want, and why isn’t she allowed to have it?
- Is the ending appropriate? If there indeed is a three-way tension between Confucian duty, Buddhist longing, and human passion, has it been resolved in the best way? In a satisfying way?