27 December, 2023

BIS Hanoi student has “Conceptual Metaphor and Eco-Temporality in The Sorrow of War” research paper published in an International Academic Journal

Gia Khanh literary research published in the schola

Pham Bui Gia Khanh, an outstanding member in Year 11, has achieved yet another remarkable milestone in her academic journey.

Her research paper titled “Conceptual Metaphor and Eco-Temporality in Bao Ninh’s The Sorrow of War” has been published in the prestigious The Schola, a leading forum showcasing the best scholarly work by high school students around the world to the global audience. The Journal’s rigorous process of publication selection guarantees that only exceptional manuscripts with outstanding critical thinking and analytical skills strengthened with clarity, coherence and originality are chosen. Being published with The Schola as the youngest author among the nine selected students worldwide not only affirms Gia Khanh’s academic rigor and intellectual vitality in general but also establishes her as a promising young scholar in literary analysis and humanities in particular.

As we sat down with Gia Khanh, she expressed her contentment with the recognition she received, after 16 consecutive weeks of dedicated commitment and hard work in researching and writing the paper. Her research focuses on “The Sorrow of War”, a novel she came across during her Vietnamese class in Year 10 at BIS Hanoi. Unlike any other novel that Gia Khanh had read before, she was captivated by its poetic prose, an inventive diction, an unconventional structure, a unique perspective on war from a human standpoint rather than a classic societal and propagandistic one. Driven by her appreciation to Vietnamese history and culture, Gia Khanh wanted to go deep dive in this novel and showcase a new perspective on a global landscape. Her analysis delves into the novel’s use of conceptual metaphor and eco-temporality, shedding light on deeper layers of meaning and contributing to the broader field of literary theory.

Reflecting on the challenges she faced while working on the research, Gia Khanh said “In English classes, one picks out techniques and structures to analyse but research paper uses a specific type of terminology and approach hence requires a lot of engagement with existing work while one is expected to figure out something new and niche. It was a challenge to find that niche in an already very famous literary work The Sorrow of War. I managed to overcome this challenge by reading many other papers and ultimately found a framework that seemed to fit. I immediately contacted and discussed with Mrs Hai to develop ideas”.

Gia Khanh and her Vietnamese teacher Mrs. Hai Nguyen | BIS Hanoi

Photo: Gia Khanh (left) and Ms. Hai (right) at our Graduation Ceremony in 2023 when her sister, Gia Han, graduated.

She is very grateful to her teacher, Mrs Hai, who is also the Head of Vietnamese at BIS, for encouraging her to delve further into the novel’s themes and motifs and to consider fresh perspectives for her analysis. “Mrs Hai’s guidance was invaluable in shaping my research paper”, Gia Khanh added.

Gia Khanh has consistently been a standout student in the BIS Hanoi community and is a keen participant and leader in non-academic activities such as the Philosophy Club, Debate Club, and Student Council. A social project named Chalk Road initiated by Gia Khanh and co-managed by other 2 Year 11 students has recently been awarded the Nord Anglia Social Impact Grant, becoming 1st student-led project from BIS HN to receive this prestigious grant, recognising an outstanding impactful social initiative that works towards UN SDG Goals.

Talking about the experience of writing this research paper, Gia Khanh shared “I have learned that writing an exceptional essay in general or a research paper in particular requires an immense amount of reading, time to marinate the ideas, and patience to wait for the ideas to spark. It taught me the importance of perseverance and the rewards that come with dedicating oneself to a project or a commitment”.

Gia Khanh’s achievement demonstrates her solid intellectual abilities and has served as an inspiration to other students in the BIS community and student scholars worldwide. A huge congratulations to Gia Khanh for this well-deserved recognition from everyone at BIS Hanoi for her outstanding effort and achievement.