The book begins on a cold winter morning in a Siberian labor camp. One of the prisoners, a man named Ivan Denisovich Shukhov, starts his usually “normal” morning with a fever and some pain. Not feeling well at all, he hopes a nice guard is on duty and sleeps in a little bit. “In camp, the squad leader is everything: a good one will give you a second life; a bad one will put you in your coffin” (Alexander Tvardovsky 7). I picked this quote because the author pointed out how important it was to get a good leader. However, the odds were not in his favor, and he gets punished with three day in a solitary confinement cell. Shukhov does not take his punishment seriously when he realized that all he had to do was clean. After finishing his work and…
Two separate arguments take place: the old vs the present, and then the present vs the new. The old is denounced with statements such as “those times have passed” (Tolstoy & Katz 137) and “What barbarous views of women and marriage!” (Tolstoy & Katz 139). Then Pozdnyshev jumps into the aftermath of this first argument and shakes them all up with his statement about how love is always temporary: “this preference for one [person] may last for years…more often for months, or perhaps for weeks, days, or hours” (Tolstoy & Katz 140). Pozdnyshev is portrayed as winning this argument, as he is given the last…
On page 27, Stukachov knocks on Sasha Zaichik and his father’s door because he reported to the Soviet Union about Sasha’s father. Stukachov is a neighbor in the same communal apartment. He acts like a friendly neighbor, but he turned on Sasha’s father. Stalin had people keep an eye out for people who do not follow…
An analysis of Robert Schwartz “Autonomy, Futility, and the Limits of Medicine” reveals that physicians are not required to give patients treatment that has been proven to be effective, and they are not morally obligated to provide treatment that is not in-line with practice of medicine. Schwartz explains although our autonomy is respected, there are limitations on our request.…
In 1983, being a Christian in Communist Russia was dangerous and risky. In his essay, "Men Have Forgotten God," Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn argues that this situation is the result of men forgetting God and abandoning the Biblical standards that the people of Russia used to live by. Solzhenitsyn wrote his essay in order to inform people about the persecution of Christians occurring in Russia and offer a solution to return the love of God to the people of Russia. Basing his information off of experience and knowledge, Solzhenitsyn writes an essay that is both compelling and informative to the reader.…
A Yurodivy, or holy fool, is a person who purposefully “appears unintelligent and unsophisticated” in order to portray injustices going on around them, according to Oxford Dictionary Online. This word comes from Soviet Russia, and represents Shostakovich well. When Shostakovich lived, he seemed to represent the communist party and everything it stood for. After he died, his official obituary in Soviet newspapers showed him as a “faithful son of the Communist Party” (Pravda, 1975). However, his music and rebellious attitude seem to suggest otherwise. In his autobiography, Testimony, he is described as being a yurodivy, or holy fool. And according to Volkov, the author of his autobiography, “The yurodivy has the gift to see and hear what others know nothing about. But he tells the world about his insights in an intentionally paradoxical way, in code. He plays the fool, while actually being a persistent exposer of evil and injustice” (xxv). This especially describes Shostakovich’s music, which is usually superficially happy, but includes very dark undertones.…
To begin, St. Petersburg serves as a symbol of the corrupt state of society and its influence on Raskolnikov’s actions. For instance, in the first pages of Crime and Punishment, Raskolnikov describes the atmosphere of St. Petersburg as “terribly hot [...] with an intolerable stench from the taverns, especially numerous in that part of the city, and the drunkards kept running into even though it was a weekday, completed the loathsome and melancholy coloring of the picture” (Dostoevsky 4). In this case, the imagery of the dirty and disorient city of St. Petersburg is a symbol for the current state of society; imperfect, unequal, and full of corruption. The dysfunctional society of St. Petersburg clearly takes a toll on Raskolnikov, as he quickly finds himself poverty-stricken. In a corrupt society where the wealthy thrive and the poor suffer, he has no choice but to resort to crime in order to make ends meet. Similarly, Raskolnikov’s theory of the extraordinary versus the ordinary serves as a symbol of the imbalance of power in society. For instance, social inequality becomes increasingly apparent as Raskolnikov…
Fyodor Dostoevsky’s novel, Crime and Punishment, riddles its characters with physical, sexual, and psychological violence. Thomas C. Foster asserts in the chapter “More than it’s Going to Hurt You: Concerning Violence” of How to Read Literature like a Professor that no violence exists for its own sake; Rather, violence is useful in contributing to the novel’s overall message. Crime and Punishment is powerful demonstrating the control of conscience, guilt and otherwise, over the life of man. Quite typically violence erupts due to a sick combination of id and ego. The relationship between Semyon Zaharovitch Marmeladov, a town drunk of St. Petersburg, and his children and spouse, Katerina Ivanovna, is built upon a myriad of violence catalyzed by guilt. This relationship is the quintessence of lives tyrannized by guilt resulting in a vicious circle of ferocity.…
Frida Kahlo was a Mexican surrealist artist born on July 6th 1907, in Coyoacán, Mexico. Kahlo is best known for her self-portraits that were usually created with the purpose of depicting her physical and mental struggles. Kahlo is also known as one of the first feminist icons. Her unconventional characteristic and behaviour, that would have been seen as rebellious in the early 1900’s, inspired countless other female artists and influenced feminist movements around the world.…
In a piece written by Igor Stravinsky, a renowned composer, he comments on the fraud of orchestral conductors. This “conductor fraud” is juxtaposed to that of political treachery. By intertwining music and politics, Stravinsky asserts negatively charged words and sarcasm to refute his disapproval for both. These feelings are also manifest in his use of comparisons towards the facade of these conductors.…
Semyonova’s bleak account of Russian peasantry stands in stark contrast to the romanticized view so common among upper-class Russians. Peasant villages were places of brutal violence, death, sickness, and hard labor. Yet this is the view we need to see and understand. At the time Semyonova performed her research, Russia was barely twenty years away from the most significant period of change in its history – and a revolution that would change the world. By virtue of their numbers, the peasants (and those who claimed to speak for them) would come to play a major role in the decades of turmoil…
Cited: Fruchtman, Jack, Jr. “A Voice from Russia’s Past,” . Solzhenitsyn at Harvard : The Addresses, Twelve Early Responses, and Six Later Reflections .Ed. Ronald Berman. Ethics and Public Policy Center, 1980. 43-48. PDF…
Emerald Heart tells us the story and tragedies of ambition and grees surrounding Cesar Augusto Salvatierra and His family. Cesar Augusto, owner of the Salvatierra consortium, has been accumulating power, fortune, and failed marriages over the years. Even though, His biggest regret is to have lost Marina Lozano, his only true love when she discovered she was pregnant of their child.…
The last paragraph on pg.477 in Solzhenitsyn’s The Evolution of Our Character it has a very deep focus with betrayal and lying. “An overpowering plume of betrayal. It was unavoidable. If you wanted to survive, lie. Lie and Pretend.” That is a quote I will be focusing and elaborating in the essay as well as tying that quote down from the reading of Our Muzzled Freedom from The Gulag Archipelago. During the ruling period of the Bolsheviks, which were, led by Stalin there was a lot to fear in the government. Reasons for people to fear, lie and to betray others as well. In a way, the Bolsheviks made betrayal and the lie into forms of existence within their government.…
Wolfgang Keller was a hands on manager who making all of the decisions necessary to turn them around as quickly as possible. He turned a failing food products manufacturer into a profitable company and saved another subsidy of the company within two years. In less than three years Keller changed the marketing strategy, restructured the sales force and these bring Keller a high reputation as a successful hands on manager. Also, Keller has tremendous capacity and enthusiasm for work and he always try to make sure that Konigsbrau comes out the top because he love and enjoyed his job. Keller was a man of strong action; he convinced the new commercial strategy required a closer, hands-on management style. That is why I believe Keller is an effective leader.…