Choices in Life “The death sentence and the life sentence are equally immoral‚ but if I had to choose between the death penalty and imprisonment for life I would certainly choose the second. To live anyhow is better than not at all” (Chekhov 1). In Anton Chekhov’s short story “The Bet” a lawyer and a banker make a bet about which penalty is more humane. The lawyer says that life imprisonment is more humane. In saying this‚ the lawyer bets he can stayed locked up in a cell for 15 years without any
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Tug-of-War "Popular Mechanics‚" by Raymond Carver‚ was written in order to make the audience imagine their own details. The descriptions in this story are very blunt‚ the man and woman in the story are nameless with no clue of physical description‚ and there is no mention of what city‚ state‚ or country the story takes place. This allows the reader to picture the surroundings and details of the story in their own way; maybe the reader has heard of or been in similar situations and they can put
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aspect of ones life. Through culture‚ media‚ and socialization the choice to allow this influence can create ones identity. The short stories The Betrothed and The Darling; written by Anton Chekhov‚ display similar generalizations of a woman’s role in Russian society. The Betrothed is a short story about a young woman who chooses to pursue education independently over an arranged‚ loveless marriage. The Darling presents a traditional Russian woman who continues to fall in love. Anton Chekhov reveals criticism
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drama enlarge as if here they’ve found a space to unfold their wings. Irina‚ the youngest sister‚ is virginal and flits around wearing white. Beginning the play on her 20th name day‚ Chekhov sets his theme‚ the struggle toward maturity. Whom will Irina marry -- a real life suitor‚ or an imagined love of her life dwelling in Moscow where the family once lived and where she longs to return? Masha is the married woman‚ sensitive‚ witty‚ a trained pianist. Now 25‚ she wed too young and‚ chafing at
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the power to reflect on the world in which they live. What do the writers Chekhov and Carver say about the struggles of real life in the society around them? Discuss‚ using quotes and references to characters and scenes within the chosen short stories. The short stories‚ ‘The Bet’ and ‘Cathedral’ by Anton Chekhov and Raymond Carver respectively‚ both investigate the struggles of real life in society around them. Chekhov and Carver present the struggles created by greed and jealousy‚ how easily
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"The Bet" is a short story that explores a moral theme regarding the value of human life. However‚ the story is constructed with an important ironic twist that brings the reader back to the original context of the bet (if the lawyer could endure solitary confinement for fifteen years)‚ and presents an unexpected result. One can ultimately see that Anton Chekhov presents the readers with two different paths in the story. One of them is the banker‚ who refuses to face his own morality and the other
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Realism is a style of writing that is a look into human behavior incorporating realistic mindsets and events that can be related to a problem in society. Realism takes out all the idealism in a story and relates the story to realistic reactions to a plausible situation. Tolstoy’s "How Much Land Does a Man Need?" and Chekhov’s "The Bet" are works of realism that have similar themes and calls out against czarist rule and its direct relation to Russia’s industrialization‚ and the corruption that fuelled
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Analysis of the bet by Anton Chekov? A theme for "The Bet" by Anton Chekhov “The Bet” emphasizes the idea that the life of a human is far more valuable than money. In the short story “The Bet” by Anton Chekhov a wager is made that changes the lives of two people. The story begins with a heated argument at a party over which is more moral‚ capital punishment or life imprisonment. The host of the party‚ the banker‚ believes that capital punishment is more moral because the death sentence kills
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billion humans living on the Earth. Each of these 7 billion people has a life of their own to live. They might be working a job‚ or taking care of kids or living on their own. Every person has a different life and different values. Do these people value the life that they are living? Another question might be‚ how should their society assign value to human life? Society should assign value to human life based on friends and family‚ one’s circumstances‚ and qualities of life itself. The value of one’s
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Value of Human Life in Utopian Society Sir Thomas More ’s depiction of a supposedly perfect society in Utopia portrays a quasi-socialist community that has grown under ideal conditions into a successful and working country. It is a society that is drastically different from any society in history‚ both in the past or present. While the principals of the society may be very similar to those espoused by communist doctrine‚ in practice they have worked out successfully which we know was not the
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