The Death Of Ivan Illych Essays - House Of Romanov, Soviet Films

The Death Of Ivan Illych The short story, The Death of Ivan Ilych, written by Leo Tolstoy, is about the reactions of a man and his friends to his suffering and death. Everyone who knows Ivan including Ivan himself has led a life of total disconcern for the feelings and sufferings of others. They all lead shallow lives not daring to probe into the feelings deep down inside for fear of stepping outside the lines of propriety. That is the biggest rule that people of that society follow. Do not say or show what you are thinking. Ivan Ilych's attitude toward life is the same all the way up to his death. He was as the author put it, ...a capable, good-natured, and social man, though strict in the fulfillment of what he considered his duty: and he considered his duty to be what was so considered by those in authority. (p. 1088) That quote states that Ivan was solely concerned with his duties and his advancement in position by following the orders of his authorities. Ivan was son of a successful man who held many positions in many departments. That man, Ilya Epimovich Golovin, had three sons. The oldest followed his father's example and was a success. The youngest son was a total failure. He had blown many opportunities and was the shame of the family. Ivan the middle son was the better of the two. Ivan was a mix of his two brothers. He had the hard-working spirit of the older brother but also appreciates the value of a good time like the younger brother. Ivan's career grew steadily. In a short time, he eventually obtained the position of examining magistrate. Ivan did very well in this position. He excelled in the separation of the personal duties in his life and the official duties to which he was totally dedicated. This taste of power which came with his new position was very appealing to Ivan. The idea that writing a few words or giving a simple command sent people into motion made Ivan very happy. Upon moving to a new town to take up the position of examining magistrate, Ivan met his future wife, Praskovya Fedorovna Mikhel. Ivan saw her as a ...well connected, and was a sweet, pretty, and thoroughly correct young woman. The view that she was so within the lines of propriety was the most attractive feature which this young woman possessed in Ivan's view. At first the marriage which Ivan thought couldn't hurt his pleasure-seeking life didn't, then according to Ivan she began to disturb the pleasure and propriety of his life. This ordeal only worsened when his wife became pregnant. She became unbearable to him, overly jealous and coarse, becoming an obstacle to his pursuit of happiness and properness. When the child was born, Ivan realized that a life totally separate his family life would be necessary to fulfill the goals he set for himself. He also came to the realization that to keep his marriage in order that he was going to have to adopt the same attitude to his family that he has to his official duties. Ivan developed an attitude towards his family of complete indifference as stated in the story, He only required of it those conveniences---dinner at home, housewife, and bed---which it could give him. (p. 1092) More children arrived and his wife's attitude only worsened. After three years and becoming a highly looked upon official he received a promotion to the position of Assistant Public Prosecutor. This new promotion made Ivan like his job even more. Meanwhile, more children were born which made Ivan's life even more difficult. After getting another promotion and moving to another province, the marriage was getting increasingly difficult. To try and overcome this Ivan decided to spend some time in the country with his wife. This move turns out to be a very bad one. Ivan falls into deep depression and decides that some drastic measures are needed. He returns from the country heading towards St. Petersburg with the objective of obtaining a salary of 5,000 rubles a year. Things worked out very much in his favor. He got a promotion two steps above his former position. After obtaining this position, he returned to the country and his marriage life improved immensely. Ivan then proceeded to the province to which they were moving to attempt to locate a house. He found one which suited his tastes perfectly. Ivan turned his attention towards furnishing his house. He searched for all the things which give his house

The Irony of Liberation essays

The Irony of Liberation essays Though this paper had a few punctuation problems, I made a B+ on it and this is a sophmore level class. The Irony of Liberation When the liberators came, they came with hope of eliminating the torture and inhumanity the Nazi Germans were imposing on the Jews. Men and women came with the hope of releasing victims from the evil claw that had grasped Jews for so long. Some liberators came with the idea that the Jews would be given a new life, a life of freedom. However, freedom was far from what Jews were given after liberation. To the many Jews, who stood on the other side of the barbed wire fence, liberation was not a time to celebrate. Yet, it was a time to try to pick up what particles of life that remained. As Lucille Eichengreen explains in her testimonial story of liberation day, liberation was not about freedom. It was expected that there would be casualties of war. U.S and Russian army men had seen victims of war before[,] [RO] and nothing could be shocking. Or could it? As army men approached the barbed wire fences, many gasped in horror, turned their heads, and some men became sick. With their fingers ringed tightly around metal threads, Jewish souls stood, gazing at young healthy men. Empty eyes gazed back at these young and healthy bodies, bodies that were an inadvertent insult to the half-living. Time was motionless at one moment, and fast-forwarded the next. After all that had happened, were these victims really free? Was it a time to celebrate? Where would they go now? Who would take them? Much less, who would believe that such inhumanity happened? The looks received by nurses were not looks that showed sympathy, nor compassion, but instead offered back the images of Nazi ideology; the idea that Jews were filthy, weak and feeble people. And they were, but not by their own free will . Though color seemed to be restored as liberators approached, it also brought back the color of emotions. For s ...

Jorge Luis Borges and hes great love for Argentina Essay

Jorge Luis Borges and hes great love for Argentina - Essay Example The brilliance of Jorge Luis Borges the author came into existence as a result of a number of factors, including his genealogy, his early life experiences, his exposure to Spanish and English at a very young age, his family’s trips to Europe and most importantly, his paternal grandmother. All these things served to shape the man who, with his erudite creativity, created masterpieces which, till date, are read and praised by people all over the world. Although he wrote and compiled numerous short stories and poems, and received accolades for his prose, Borges started off his literary career with a collection of poems titles Fervor de Buenos Aires. The collection, literally translated to mean Passion for Buenos Aires, is an acute reflection of the love and sentiment the poet has for his homeland. The work was not only significant in its content, but had great emotional value for Borges too. In his autobiographical essay, Borges claimed that throughout his literary career, he fel t he had never moved beyond his first creation. In his own words, â€Å"I feel that all my subsequent writing has only developed themes first taken up there; I feel that all during my lifetime I have been rewriting that one book.† (Lovecraft, 199) These words aptly reveal the impact the work had on Borges. Through the analysis of Fervor de Buenos Aires, the love of Jorge Luis Borges for his country Argentina can be discovered in greater insight. Borges deep attachment to his country can be explained in the events that preceded the publishing of Fervor de Buenos Aires. Born in Buenos Aires, he was raised in a suburban district located on the outskirts of Buenos Aires. He grew up in a household that was unique for the time – both English and Spanish were spoken fluently in the family. His father had a sprawling library of English books, and Borges had read great English literary masterpieces at a very young age. As a young boy, he was not