Mid-course assignment

Tu Ben the Actor Nguyen Cong Hoan

TU BEN THE ACTOR

- Nguyen Cong Hoan SUMMARY Tu Ben the Actor is famous for his extraordinary comic skill, which people all love him and be addicted to his performance on the stage. He is originally from Sai Gon to Ha Noi to perform. With his unique talent, every theater wants him. Tu Ben with his father lives in a small house at the end of Sam Cong Lane. Because of his father age and his worsen conditions, Tu Ben cannot think about work and begins to borrow money from some theater owners. Because of his loan, Tu Ben has to perform for the Stage Drama Theater. In the theater, he still has to make up and perform while his stomach is churning. Then after his performance, he receives a stack of money also on the day his father is moribund and passes away.

Mid-course assignment

Tu Ben the Actor Nguyen Cong Hoan

MAIN CHARACTER In this story, Nguyen Cong Hoan is successful to depict vividly the picture of a famous actor Tu Ben. In the beginning, the author has a very exciting introduction which can make readers want to read more Amomg true opera fans, everybody knows Tu Ben the Actor. He is famous, above all, for his extraordinary comic skills. When on the stage, he need not utter a word, for just his facial expressions and over the top satirical gestures are more than capable of provoking hysterical belly laughs and thunderous applause from any audience. Although the audiences love him so much and the theaters owners want him, Tu Bens father is seriously ill, so he doesnt perform to take care of his father. He uses up all his money to treat medically his father and then, borrow money from the theaters owners. The highest of the story is when the Stage Drama Theater requires him to pay his loan So, wheres the money you owe me?. Then he drives Tu Ben into a corner and forces Tu Ben to perform for his business to earn more money Pay now or I take you to court. What an evil person! Replying with the answer Yes but thinking of his fathers condition, he repeated the words over in his head. Half a month. Fifteen long days. Each day he would have to leave his father for rehearsals. His father was sick and
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Mid-course assignment

Tu Ben the Actor Nguyen Cong Hoan

there was no one else to look after him. And his uncountable love for his father makes him decides to refuse the theaters recommendation without any hesitation Forget it. My fathers weak. I must stay with him. However, the theater keeps taking advantage of Tu Bens fathers worsen health to oblige him to follow. There is no other way to refuse; he is loath to rehearse at home. The theater is so happy when receiving the answer Okay. But, that man forces Tu Ben to sign a contract in case What if Tu Ben pulled a sudden no-show? He pulled out a contract and politely requested that Tu Ben sign on the dotted line. There is a satiric conflict between a sad situation of the main characters fathers heath and a funny show at the Stage Drama Theater. How ridiculous! One side is members of the crowd happily recited Tu Bens past routines and mimicked his signature gestures. The audience waited anxiously for the stage curtain to open. They wanted so much to laugh, clap their hands and memorize Tu Bens inevitable zingers, which they would then repeat incessantly, and just by describing people around the theater, the readers can image an absurd and inhuman society. Other side is the situation of the Actor. It is great honor for him to have so many fans but it is also pity for the situation of his fathers condition. He sits in the dressing room with grim-

Mid-course assignment

Tu Ben the Actor Nguyen Cong Hoan

faced before the mirror, his stomach churning, his brow furrowed in comparison with the outside atmostphere. The satiric conflict becomes higher and higher when the curtain opened. It is so ludicrous when the Actor bewildered thinking of his father; the audiences gaped, reveled in his comic genius, and cackled hysterically . He just has a short break to worry about his father when the first act ends. He doesnt know how his father is now. While he is acting in Act II, someone announces that his father slipped into a coma. But he cannot do anything because just at that moment, his character was scripted to embark on an elaborate comedic bit. Thousands of eyes fixed silently on his every move. Then he receives another news his father had lost consciousness, he cried aloud. But the theater owner forbade the stagehands to report further news. He has to continue acting reluctantly without any news from his poor father: Again, Tu Ben shouted and sang, chanted and laughed, jumped and danced the requisite quest for applause. His pity situation along with his extraordinary comic skill is going on, which makes readers feel great anguish. On the stage, Tu Ben feels as a thousand year while the audiences think it is too short. That is why they offer him to react the last scene a thunderous chant rose up from the front rows Bis! Bis!.

Mid-course assignment

Tu Ben the Actor Nguyen Cong Hoan

He quickly hid his melancholy face and began a final humorous sketch for the crowd. This story has a very unhappy ending: the Actor gets many flowers and compliments from his fans, wage from the theater owner, and the news of his fathers death as well. The unexpected ending arouses the readers unpleasant feelings from the fate of people in a ludicrous society at that time in general, also the fate of Tu Ben the Actor in particular.

Mid-course assignment

Tu Ben the Actor Nguyen Cong Hoan

WRITING STYLE, ATTITUDE & PRIMARY CONTRIBUTIONS FOR WRITING Nguyen Cong Hoan is an outstanding writer of critical realism series of Vietnamese literature. His work Kep Tu Ben (written in 1927, published in 1935) caused an echo on literature forum at that time, and was the subject of the pen war among writers of 2 perspectives art for art sake and art for human sake. Someone said that: "... Nguyen Cong Hoan is firstly considered a master of short stories in modern Vietnamese literature. His world of short stories is rich in diversity; it is like an "encyclopedia", a "ton of fun" which featured the feudal society of colonialism in Vietnam in the first half of the 20th century. Nguyen Cong Hoans short stories had many strokes closed to folk jokes, followed the optimistic tradition of Vietnamese people, who liked to use laughter as a "weapon of the powerful people" to chase away the evil and backward ... Short stories of Nguyen Cong Hoan, with their characteristics, have advanced cognitive abilities and explored complex phenomena of the current society... We have the right to boast about Nguyen Cong Hoan, and consider him to be the master of short stories ... Nguyen Cong Hoan was publicly out, paving the way for realism in Vietnamese literature in modern period ... He broke into the stronghold, the framework of the teachings and the
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Mid-course assignment

Tu Ben the Actor Nguyen Cong Hoan

reception, follow a historical Objectivism when describing reality. The research literature that discussed the formation of the realism in Vietnamese literature were unanimously appreciated the role, the position of Nguyen Cong Hoan, whose works are considered to be "classical" in modern literature. " In 1935, soon after the publication, the collection of short stories Kep Tu Ben became a event bombshell in literary life, and at the same time retrieved both positive and negative comments. Art for human sakes fellows, namely Hai Trieu, appreciated the realistic content and artistic value of Nguyen Cong Hoan. The critic is very subtle in the writers sense of humor, "with the honest, ironic, sometimes bite and vulgar sentences Thieu Son commented: "the uniqueness of Nguyen Cong Hoan is that he observes the surrounding himself, finds out the irony, and draws out the cute. He creates conversations with the farcical tone of fun, and constitutes the tragic comedy"- Riview on Kep Tu Ben of Nguyen Cong Hoan, 1935 Artistic perspective Life urged Nguyen Cong Hoan writing about "things to see that pain". Right from the early days of writing, he has written about the subject that reflects social reality, attacked mercilessly those villainous, greedy officials and a mercy with extreme scenes of impoverished people and defended them.
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Mid-course assignment

Tu Ben the Actor Nguyen Cong Hoan

For Nguyen Cong Hoan: "writers must have knowledge of culture besides the knowledge of life and literary", so with the writing profession, the first thing required is the mind and the ethic of the writer. He was of the opinion that: "literature should not just be something to entertain. It is additionally useful". Social issues, ethical issues in family relations that Nguyen Cong Hoan reflected in his writings often bring a beautiful facade, meaningful but wicked and pointless inside. This is the texture of the opposition was exploiting popularly in Nguyen Cong Hoans short stories.

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