The image of the brave soldier in "The Forehead and the Sky"

In December 1972, after unilaterally declaring the indefinite postponement of the Paris Conference on ending the war and restoring peace in Vietnam, the US imperialists launched a strategic air raid on Hanoi with the ambition of "Bringing our country back to the Stone Age" but they were wrong. The 12-day and night battle broke the wings of the B52 fortresses, the most modern weapons of the US at that time. The heroic spirit of "Hanoi - Dien Bien Phu in the air" was praised by poet To Huu: "They want to burn us to ashes/ We turn our dignity and conscience into gold/ They want us to sell ourselves in disgrace/ We become fragrant lotuses in the pond" (Vietnam, Blood and Flowers).

During those fierce days of war, military poet Minh Giang recreated the image of air defense soldiers with courage, intelligence, creativity, and skillful combat techniques, directly shooting down American planes, achieving glorious feats. The poet created a new, unique verse with great emotional power, clearly demonstrating the bravery and intelligence of Uncle Ho's soldiers who mastered modern weapons.

The poem takes us back to the atmosphere of war in those days: “When we hid in the basement/Above our heads, a savage roar sounded/The city shook with the rumbling of explosions.” Just a few sketches give us an idea of ​​the ferocity of the destructive war by the American imperialists’ air force. However, with an affirmation, a belief, a will, "I still believe the sky will not fall". That is a new spirit, a new posture to directly confront the fierce air battle. That is: "When I sit on the artillery tray / In the posture of raising my head / Boastfully screwing the enemy to the ground". With only two close-ups when in the shelter and when on the artillery tray fighting, the poet has painted a very vivid image of a soldier, with spirit, dignity, bravery, confidence with great spiritual strength. Just one word "screw" arouses the courageous initiative, the decisive offensive, the strength of the will of the latent internal strength forged from the thousand-year historical tradition of the nation. And especially the intelligence, creativity, and bravery concentrated in the image: "Forehead / Lifting the sky high". Indeed, this is a very realistic image but has the power to spread, has a high generality. A truly heroic symbol has affirmed a truth: "Through ten battles year/ We have clearly seen/ How high the forehead is/ How high the sky is”. A stature, a spirit, a “Vietnamese posture” has raised the country’s position to reach high and far. That is the echo of the victory: “Twelve days and nights of Dien Bien Phu in the air” in the sky of Hanoi. This victory broke the strategic intention of the US imperialists, contributing greatly to the resistance war against the US to save the country to complete victory with the great victory in the historic spring of 1975.

NGUYEN NGOC PHU