An example of a final essay for the third direction from FIPI.
All victories begin with victory over yourself
Don't be afraid to go the wrong way -
be afraid not to go anywhere.
Dmitry Yemets.
Life is a long, long road, woven from victories and defeats, from ups and downs, on which events on a universal scale and personal scale take place. How not to get lost and confused in the universe of the time allotted to a person? How can you resist temptations and fatal mistakes so that you don’t feel bitter and offended later? And how to become a winner in your life?
There are many questions, almost no answers, but one thing is clear: this is not easy to do. Literary world is rich in examples confirming the fact of how a person walked through thorns to the stars and how he slipped into the world of greed, spiritual emptiness, losing himself, family and friends. My reading and life experience allow me to boldly agree with the statement that “all victories begin with victory over oneself.”
The life of Santiago, an old man whose face is dotted with wrinkles, and whose hands are covered with deep scars from a string, and very old ones, is proof of this. When you read Ernest Hemingway's parable, at first you are perplexed about what kind of victory we can even talk about. The deplorable, plight of the frail old man is eloquently emphasized by one small but significant detail: a patched sail, reminiscent of “the banner of a completely defeated regiment.” What feelings could this old man evoke in me? Of course, pity, compassion. It is bitter to look at a lonely, old, hungry man, at his hut open to all the winds. The impression is also aggravated by the fact that for 84 days in a row he has been returning from the sea without a single fish. And this is 3 months of living from hand to mouth.
But! Amazing thing! Among all this despondency, we see the cheerful eyes of the old man, “the eyes of a man who does not give up.” Despite his age and streak of bad luck, he is ready to fight and overcome circumstances. I was interested to understand where Santiago got such confidence? After all, everyone had long since written off this unlucky old man; the parents of the boy who fished with him took their son and put him in a boat with another fisherman. But the devoted boy is here, taking care of the old man. Maybe it was he, who carefully covered Santiago with a newspaper and brought him food, who was the support he needed in old age? I think it’s the warmth of the soul little boy warmed old age, softened failures and the cold attitude of fishermen. But even more important for Santiago himself is to convey the experience that a young fisherman needs, to prove that an experienced fisherman can catch a big fish, he just needs to sail further.
And we will see this big fish, or rather, its skeleton - evidence of the extraordinary victory of the old man, which he got at a huge price. In this story you can endlessly ask whole line questions, among which there is one main one: “Was it worth risking yourself and dragging a narwhal accompanied by bloodthirsty sharks?” Many condemn the old man and see his defeat in this act, arguing that he overestimated his strength and underestimated the sharks. I associate this assessment with the stupid remark of tourists who saw the skeleton of a narwhal and were amazed that the shark (!) had such a beautiful tail. How can it be considered a defeat for Santiago to remain above himself, above the narwhal?! I will not join their voice and say that it was worth it. If he had to repeat this path, he would choose it. It was no coincidence that after this campaign he dreamed of lions. This victory was needed not only by Santiago, but also by the boy. He is still a child, he has a lot to learn from life, from such brave and brave people, like Santiago.
If a person does not learn to overcome circumstances, he becomes their slave. A striking example For me, the slave of my own destiny is Akaki Akakievich Bashmachkin. Perhaps my statement will cause a storm of indignation, but how can you live your whole life in fear, submitting to everyone and everything, and at the same time grumble: “Leave me alone, why are you offending me?” It’s not about the overcoat, old and patched, but about the soul, patched with fears, lack of will, and lack of struggle. In the struggle over his weaknesses, a person grows stronger, step by step establishing himself in life, no matter how difficult and unbearable it may be. “To be”, not “to exist”! “To be” means to burn, to fight, to strive to give the warmth of your soul to people. After all, the same little man Maxim Maksimych, who lived in the same period, but in more difficult conditions, found warmth in his heart in order to warm the captive Bela, Pechorin. Who did Akaki Akakievich caress?! Who did you help?! Whom did you bestow with your care and attention?! No one... If he fell in love with someone, he would not have time to feel sorry for himself. I feel sorry for him as a human being, but in today’s reading I associate this image with lack of will and lack of fortitude. With the absence of life. One must be, not exist. To live, and not to vegetate, like wise minnow like a teacher Greek language Belikov and the like.
From all that has been said, I can draw the following conclusion. Life is a long, long road. The wheel of life lifts some above circumstances, and wipes others off the face of the earth. But the chariot of his own destiny is controlled by man himself. He may be wrong, but he must always remember that only strong man A man who knows how to triumph over himself can bear his story. “The falcon rises high when it flies” - wisdom confirming the movement up the ladder of one’s own destiny.
Thematic direction
« Victory and defeat »
Possible theses:
- The victory of a person over circumstances.
(It often happens that life puts a person in a difficult situation: he is faced with obstacles that at first glance may seem insurmountable. Truly strong people do not give in to difficulties and cope with any obstacles)
Arguments
1. In “The Tale of a Real Man,” Boris Polevoy tells the story of a person’s victory over circumstances.
(Pilot Alexey Meresyev; crawled out of the German rear for eighteen days; both legs were amputated; managed to learn not only to walk on prosthetics, but also to fly a fighter; returned to the active army)
Arguments
2. Another example of unbending perseverance and courage can be the hero of the story M.A. Sholokhov “The Fate of Man”. The hero Andrei Sokolov faced considerable trials: he was at the front, was captured, and more than once looked into the eyes of death. The war took away his entire family: a bomb fell on the house where his wife and daughters were, and his son was killed by a German sniper on the last day of the war, May 9...
Possible theses:
2. A person’s victory over himself.
(To a person who finds himself in difficult situation, it can be difficult to overcome difficulties. But it is much more difficult to gain victory over yourself – your cowardice and fear. No wonder Cicero called the “greatest victory” precisely the victory over oneself)
Arguments
1. Many writers in their works addressed the theme of a person’s internal struggle with his weaknesses. So, in story by Yuri Kazakov " Quiet morning» we see a boy named Yashka, who found himself face to face with fear... (Fishing, Volodya)
Arguments
2. We find another example in A. Mass’s story “The Difficult Exam.”
(performance, Anya, resentment, disappointment, attempt to refuse to go on stage)
3. V.P. also writes about a person’s victory over his own fear. Aksenov in the story “Breakfasts in 1943.”
Possible theses:
3. Ambiguity and relativity of the concepts of “victory” and “defeat”.
(Is it always possible to say unambiguously who won and who was defeated? Reflecting on this question, one cannot help but come to the conclusion: no, not always. It often happens that, while inferior to the enemy in physical strength, a person wins a moral victory if shows qualities such as courage, perseverance, willingness to go to the end and not give up)
Arguments
1. We all, of course, know about the Battle of Borodino. As you know, after it, Russian troops were forced to leave Moscow, which gave Western historians a reason to recognize the Battle of Borodino as a victory for Napoleon. However, we believe that the Russian troops won. What gives us reason to say this? The answer is simple: the main thing is what and how the parties fight. Russians fought for their Fatherland, they were led into battle by patriotism. They were ready to die defending their native land from the enemy. It is the spirit of the army that determines the outcome of the confrontation. The Russians won, first of all, a moral victory, showing the world unprecedented fortitude, courage and readiness for self-sacrifice. M.Yu. Lermontov told us about this in the best possible way in the poem “Borodino”, L.N. Tolstoy in the novel “War and Peace”
Arguments
2. V.P. Aksyonov “Breakfasts for 43 years” (“By my face, they apparently understood that I would again defend my breakfast. Come what may. Let them beat me, I will do this every day”)
3.V.G. Rasputin “French Lessons” (fight in the clearing)
Possible theses:
4. The price of victory.
(We all know the history of the victory of our people in the Great Patriotic War. This greatest victory was won at a high price: millions of people gave their lives to hasten the momentous day. No wonder the famous song says that “this is a holiday with tears in our eyes.” Thinking about victory, one cannot help but remember those whose heroism is difficult to overestimate)
Arguments
- B. Vasiliev “Not on the lists” “And the dawns here are quiet”
- Yu. Bondarev " Hot Snow»
- M. Sholokhov “The Fate of Man”
- V.S. Vysotsky….
What is victory? What is defeat? Why do we sometimes suffer defeats or, conversely, win victories? Victory is success, achieving a set goal, overcoming oneself and hostile circumstances. Every day we face all kinds of problems, obstacles and thorns. People are hindered by laziness, fear, and lack of self-confidence. That is why on the way to the goal it is important to show willpower and fortitude.
Let's turn to the novel, where the main character lost the battle with himself, with his laziness. He grew up in an environment where everything went as usual, smoothly, calmly, measuredly. Ilyusha was always surrounded by care and attention, and that is why he lacked independence in the future. Oblomov's favorite pastime was lying on the sofa. Days, months, years passed... But all “good things” come to an end, right? Ilya Ilyich was faced with problems that, if desired, probably could have been solved, but he did not change himself and did not do anything to correct the disastrous state of affairs. They say that love changes people, and this is what happened with Oblomov: he made an attempt to overcome himself. Thanks to his love for Olga, he: got up from the couch, started reading, and walking. However, he soon abandoned this idea, justifying himself by saying that he would not be able to give his beloved what she really deserved. Having found an excuse, the hero returns to his home sofa and his usual way of life. But his closest friend Stolz was able to achieve his goal, because his upbringing was harsh and, as life showed, correct. Stolz overcame his fear of the big city and homesickness in order to succeed in the big city and find his calling. He achieved career success and won Olga's favor.
In the story of M.A. Sholokhov “The Fate of Man” there is a truly great story. On his way, he survived a lot of cruel blows of fate. During the civil war, he lost his family and was left completely alone. Having pulled himself together, Sokolov passed the time of suffering: he received an education, then got a job, and after some time he got married. A close-knit family, three children, this seemed to be happiness... Everything collapsed in one moment. The war began, the hero was taken to the front. Captivity, hunger, exhausting work, death of comrades. At such moments, only the thought of family, of home can warm the soul; only they can give hope for a bright future. A shell fell into the house where his wife and his two daughters were, and on Victory Day Sokolov learned of the death of his son. It is difficult to imagine how a person feels in such seconds. Where does he get his strength from? Despite everything, he continued to live, adopted a boy as lonely as himself. I think that anyone else would have broken by now, but not
Description of the presentation by individual slides:
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"The Tale of Igor's Campaign." A.S. Pushkin “The Battle of Poltava”; "Eugene Onegin". I. Turgenev “Fathers and Sons.” F. Dostoevsky “Crime and Punishment.” L.N. Tolstoy " Sevastopol stories";"War and Peace"; "Anna Karenina". A. Ostrovsky “Thunderstorm”. A. Kuprin “Duel”; "Garnet bracelet"; "Olesya." M. Bulgakov " dog's heart"; "Fatal Eggs"; " White Guard"; "Master and Margarita". E. Zamyatin “We”; "Cave". V. Kurochkin “In war as in war.” B. Vasiliev “And the dawns here are quiet”; "Don't shoot white swans." Yu. Bondarev “Hot Snow”; "The battalions are asking for fire." V. Tokareva “I am. You are. He is." M. Ageev “Romance with Cocaine.” N. Dumbadze “I, Grandmother, Iliko and Illarion” V. Dudintsev “White Clothes”. List of recommended literature on this direction
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Official comment: The direction allows you to think about victory and defeat in different aspects: socio-historical, moral-philosophical, psychological. Reasoning can be associated both with external conflict events in the life of a person, country, world, and with a person’s internal struggle with himself, its causes and results. Literary works often show the ambiguity and relativity of the concepts of victory and defeat in different historical conditions and life situations.
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Guidelines: The contrast between the concepts of victory and defeat is already inherent in their interpretation. From Ozhegov we read: “Victory is success in battle, war, complete defeat of the enemy.” That is, the victory of one implies the complete defeat of the other. However, both history and literature give us examples of how victory turns out to be defeat, and defeat turns out to be victory. It is about the relativity of these concepts that graduates are invited to speculate, based on their reading experience. Of course, it is impossible to limit ourselves to the concept of victory as the defeat of the enemy in battle. Therefore, it is advisable to consider this thematic area in different aspects.
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Aphorisms and sayings famous people: - - The greatest victory is victory over yourself. Cicero The possibility that we may be defeated in battle should not prevent us from fighting for a cause that we consider just. A. Lincoln Man was not created to suffer defeat... Man can be destroyed, but he cannot be defeated. E. Hemingway Be proud only of the victories you have won over yourself. Tungsten
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Socio-historical aspect. Here we will talk about the external conflict of social groups, states, military actions and political struggle. Peru A. de Saint-Exupery comes up with a paradoxical, at first glance, statement: “Victory weakens the people - defeat awakens new forces in them...”. We find confirmation of the correctness of this idea in Russian literature.
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"The Tale of Igor's Campaign" - famous monument literature Ancient Rus'. The plot is based on the unsuccessful campaign of the Russian princes against the Polovtsians, organized by the Novgorod-Seversk prince Igor Svyatoslavich in 1185. The main idea is the idea of the unity of the Russian land. Princely civil strife, weakening the Russian land and leading to the ruin of its enemies, makes the author bitterly sadden and lament; victory over enemies fills his soul with ardent delight. However, this work is about defeat, not victory. ancient Russian literature, because it is defeat that contributes to rethinking previous behavior and gaining a new view of the world and oneself. That is, defeat stimulates Russian soldiers to victories and exploits.
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The author of the Lay addresses all the Russian princes in turn, as if calling them to account and demandingly reminding them of their duty to their homeland. He calls on them to defend the Russian land, to “block the gates of the field” with their sharp arrows. And therefore, although the author writes about defeat, there is not a shadow of despondency in the Lay. The “Word” is as laconic and terse as Igor’s addresses to his squad. This is the call before battle. The whole poem seems to be addressed to the future, permeated with concern for this future. A poem about victory would be a poem of triumph and joy. Victory is the end of the battle, but defeat for the author of the Lay is only the beginning of the battle. The battle with the steppe enemy is not over yet. Defeat should unite the Russians. The author of the Lay does not call for a feast of triumph, but for a feast of battle. D.S. writes about this in the article “The Tale of the Campaign of Igor Svyatoslavich.” Likhachev.
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The “Lay” ends joyfully - with Igor’s return to the Russian land and the singing of his glory upon entering Kyiv. So, despite the fact that “The Lay” is dedicated to the defeat of Igor, it is full of confidence in the power of the Russians, full of faith in the glorious future of the Russian land, in victory over the enemy. The history of mankind consists of victories and defeats in wars.
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In the novel “War and Peace” L.N. Tolstoy describes the participation of Russia and Austria in the war against Napoleon. Drawing the events of 1805-1807, Tolstoy shows that this war was imposed on the people. Russian soldiers, being far from their homeland, do not understand the purpose of this war and do not want to waste their lives senselessly. Kutuzov understands better than many that this campaign is unnecessary for Russia. He sees the indifference of the allies, the desire of Austria to fight with the wrong hands. Kutuzov protects his troops in every possible way and delays their advance to the borders of France. This is explained not by distrust of the military skill and heroism of the Russians, but by the desire to protect them from senseless slaughter. When the battle turned out to be inevitable, the Russian soldiers showed their always readiness to help the allies and take the main blow.
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For example, a detachment of four thousand under the command of Bagration near the village of Shengraben held back the onslaught of an enemy “eight times” outnumbered. This made it possible for the main forces to advance. The unit of officer Timokhin showed miracles of heroism. It not only did not retreat, but struck back, which saved the flanking units of the army. The real hero of the Battle of Shengraben turned out to be the courageous, decisive, but modest captain Tushin before his superiors. So, thanks in large part to Russian troops The battle of Schöngraben was won, and this gave strength and inspiration to the sovereigns of Russia and Austria.
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Blinded by victories, occupied mainly with narcissism, holding military parades and balls, these two men led their armies to defeat at Austerlitz. So it turned out that one of the reasons for the defeat of the Russian troops under the skies of Austerlitz was the victory at Schöngraben, which did not allow an objective assessment of the balance of forces. The entire senselessness of the campaign is shown by the writer in the preparation of the top generals for the battle of Austerlitz. Thus, the military council before the Battle of Austerlitz resembles not a council, but an exhibition of vanities; all disputes were conducted not with the goal of achieving a better and correct solution, but, as Tolstoy writes, “... it was obvious that the purpose... of the objections was mainly the desire to make General Weyrother feel , as self-confidently as he read his disposition to schoolchildren, that he was dealing not only with fools, but with people who could teach him in military affairs.”
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But still main reason we see the victories and defeats of the Russian troops in the confrontation with Napoleon when comparing Austerlitz and Borodin. Speaking with Pierre about the upcoming Battle of Borodino, Andrei Bolkonsky recalls the reason for the defeat at Austerlitz: “The battle is won by the one who is determined to win it. Why did we lose the battle at Austerlitz?.. We told ourselves very early that we lost the battle - and we lost. And we said this because we had no need to fight: we wanted to leave the battlefield as quickly as possible. “If you lose, then run away!” So we ran. If we hadn’t said this until the evening, God knows what would have happened. And tomorrow we won’t say this.”
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L. Tolstoy shows a significant difference between the two campaigns: 1805-1807 and 1812. The fate of Russia was decided on the Borodino field. Here the Russian people had no desire to save themselves, no indifference to what was happening. Here, as Lermontov said, “we promised to die, and we kept the oath of allegiance in the Battle of Borodino.” Another opportunity to speculate on how victory in one battle can turn into defeat in a war is provided by the outcome of the Battle of Borodino, in which Russian troops won a moral victory over the French. The moral defeat of Napoleon's troops near Moscow was the beginning of the defeat of his army.
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The Civil War turned out to be such a significant event in the history of Russia that it could not help but be reflected in fiction. The basis for graduates’ reasoning can be “Don Stories”, “Quiet Don” by M.A. Sholokhov. When one country goes to war with another, terrible events occur: hatred and the desire to defend themselves forces people to kill their own kind, women and old people are left alone, children grow up orphans, cultural and material values are destroyed, cities are destroyed. But the warring parties have a goal - to defeat the enemy at any cost. And any war has a result - victory or defeat. Victory is sweet and immediately justifies all losses, defeat is tragic and sad, but it is the starting point for some other life. But "in civil war every victory is defeat" (Lucian).
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The life story of the central hero of M. Sholokhov's epic novel "Quiet Don" Grigory Melekhov, which reflected the dramatic destinies of the Don Cossacks, confirms this idea. War cripples from the inside and destroys all the most precious things that people have. It forces the heroes to take a fresh look at the problems of duty and justice, to look for the truth and not find it in any of the warring camps. Once among the Reds, Gregory sees the same cruelty, intransigence, and thirst for the blood of his enemies as the Whites. Melekhov rushes between the two warring sides. Everywhere he encounters violence and cruelty, which he cannot accept, and therefore cannot take one side. The result is logical: “Like a steppe scorched by fires, Gregory’s life became black...”.
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Moral, philosophical and psychological aspects Victory is not only success in battle. To win, according to the dictionary of synonyms, is to overcome, overcome, overcome. And often not so much the enemy as yourself. Let us consider a number of works from this point of view.
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A.S. Griboyedov "Woe from Wit". The conflict of the play represents the unity of two principles: public and personal. Being an honest, noble, progressive-minded, freedom-loving man, the main character Chatsky opposes Famus society. He condemns the inhumanity of serfdom, recalling “Nestor of the noble scoundrels,” who exchanged his faithful servants for three greyhounds; he is disgusted by the lack of freedom of thought in noble society: “And who in Moscow was not silenced at lunches, dinners and dances?” He does not recognize veneration and sycophancy: “For those who need it, they are arrogant, they lie in the dust, and for those who are higher, they wove flattery like lace.”
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Chatsky is full of sincere patriotism: “Will we ever be resurrected from the foreign power of fashion? So that our smart, cheerful people, even by language, do not consider us to be Germans.” He strives to serve the “cause” and not individuals; he “would be glad to serve, but it’s sickening to be served.” Society is offended and, in defense, declares Chatsky crazy. His drama is aggravated by a feeling of ardent but unrequited love for Famusov’s daughter Sophia. Chatsky makes no attempt to understand Sophia; it is difficult for him to understand why Sophia does not love him, because his love for her speeds up “every beat of his heart,” although “to him the whole world seemed like dust and vanity.” Chatsky can be justified by his blindness by passion: his “mind and heart are not in harmony.”
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Psychological conflict turns into social conflict. Society unanimously comes to the conclusion: “crazy in everything...”. Society is not afraid of a madman. Chatsky decides to “search the world where there is a corner for an offended feeling.” I.A. Goncharov assessed the ending of the play this way: “Chatsky is broken by the quantity of the old force, having dealt it, in turn, a fatal blow with the quality of the new force.” Chatsky does not give up his ideals, he only frees himself from illusions. Chatsky's stay in Famusov's house shook the inviolability of the foundations of Famusov's society. Sophia says: “I’m ashamed of myself, the walls!” Therefore, Chatsky’s defeat is only a temporary defeat and only his personal drama. On a social scale, the victory of the Chatskys is inevitable.” The “past century” will be replaced by the “present century”, and the views of the hero of Griboyedov’s comedy will win.
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A.N. Ostrovsky "Thunderstorm". Graduates may ponder the question of whether Katherine's death is a victory or a defeat. It is difficult to give a definite answer to this question. Too many reasons led to the terrible ending. The playwright sees the tragedy of Katerina’s situation in the fact that she comes into conflict not only with Kalinov’s family morals, but also with herself. The straightforwardness of Ostrovsky's heroine is one of the sources of her tragedy. Katerina is pure in soul - lies and debauchery are alien and disgusting to her. She understands that by falling in love with Boris, she violated the moral law. “Oh, Varya,” she complains, “sin is on my mind! How much I, poor thing, cried, no matter what I did to myself! I can't escape this sin. Can't go anywhere. After all, this is not good, this is a terrible sin, Varenka, why do I love someone else?”
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Throughout the entire play there is a painful struggle in Katerina’s consciousness between the understanding of her wrongness, her sinfulness and the vague, but increasingly powerful feeling of her right to human life. But the play ends with Katerina’s moral victory over the dark forces that torment her. She atones for her guilt immensely, and escapes from captivity and humiliation through the only path that was revealed to her. Her decision to die, rather than remain a slave, expresses, according to Dobrolyubov, “the need of the emerging movement of Russian life.” And this decision comes to Katerina along with internal self-justification. She dies because she considers death the only worthy outcome, the only opportunity to preserve that highest thing that lived in her.
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The idea that Katerina’s death is in fact a moral victory, a triumph of the real Russian soul over the forces of the “dark kingdom” of the Dikikhs and Kabanovs, is also strengthened by the reaction to her death of the other characters in the play. For example, Tikhon, Katerina’s husband, for the first time in his life expressed his own opinion, for the first time decided to protest against the stifling foundations of his family, entering (even if only for a moment) into the fight against “ dark kingdom" “You ruined her, you, you...” he exclaims, turning to his mother, before whom he trembled all his life.
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I.S. Turgenev "Fathers and Sons". The writer shows in his novel the struggle between the worldviews of two political directions. The plot of the novel is based on the contrast of the views of Pavel Petrovich Kirsanov and Evgeny Bazarov, who are bright representatives of two generations who do not find mutual understanding. Disagreements on various issues have always existed between youth and elders. So here, the representative of the younger generation Evgeny Vasilyevich Bazarov cannot, and does not want to understand the “fathers”, their life credo, principles. He is convinced that their views on the world, on life, on relationships between people are hopelessly outdated. “Yes, I will spoil them... After all, this is all pride, lionish habits, foppishness...” In his opinion, the main purpose of life is to work, to produce something material.
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That is why Bazarov disrespects art and sciences that do not have a practical basis. He believes that it is much more useful to deny what, from his point of view, deserves denial, than to watch indifferently from the outside, not daring to do anything. “At the present time, the most useful thing is denial - we deny,” says Bazarov. And Pavel Petrovich Kirsanov is sure that there are things that cannot be doubted (“Aristocracy... liberalism, progress, principles... art..."). He values habits and traditions more and does not want to notice the changes taking place in society.
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Bazarov is a tragic figure. It cannot be said that he defeats Kirsanov in an argument. Even when Pavel Petrovich is ready to admit defeat, Bazarov suddenly loses faith in his teaching and doubts his personal need for society. “Does Russia need me? No, apparently I don’t,” he reflects. Of course, most of all a person manifests himself not in conversations, but in deeds and in his life. Therefore, Turgenev seems to lead his heroes through various trials. And the strongest of them is the test of love. After all, it is in love that a person’s soul reveals itself fully and sincerely. And then Bazarov’s hot and passionate nature swept away all his theories. He fell in love with a woman whom he valued highly.
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“In conversations with Anna Sergeevna, he expressed his indifferent contempt for everything romantic even more than before, and when left alone, he was indignantly aware of the romanticism in himself.” The hero is experiencing severe mental discord. “... Something... took possession of him, which he never allowed, which he always mocked, which outraged all his pride.” Anna Sergeevna Odintsova rejected him. But Bazarov found the strength to accept defeat with honor, without losing his dignity.
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So, did the nihilist Bazarov win or lose? It seems that Bazarov is defeated in the test of love. Firstly, his feelings and he himself are rejected. Secondly, he falls into the power of aspects of life that he himself denies, loses ground under his feet, and begins to doubt his views on life. His position in life turns out to be a position in which, however, he sincerely believed. Bazarov begins to lose the meaning of life, and soon loses life itself. But this is also a victory: love forced Bazarov to look at himself and at the world differently, he begins to understand that in no way does life want to fit into a nihilistic scheme. And Anna Sergeevna formally remains among the winners. She was able to cope with her feelings, which strengthened her self-confidence. In the future, she will find a good home for her sister, and she herself will marry successfully. But will she be happy?
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F.M. Dostoevsky "Crime and Punishment". Crime and Punishment is an ideological novel in which non-human theory collides with human feelings. Dostoevsky, a great expert on human psychology, a sensitive and attentive artist, tried to understand modern reality, to determine the extent of the influence of the ideas of revolutionary reorganization of life and individualistic theories that were popular at that time on a person. Entering into polemics with democrats and socialists, the writer sought to show in his novel how the delusion of fragile minds leads to murder, shedding of blood, maiming and breaking young lives.
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Raskolnikov's ideas were generated by abnormal, humiliating living conditions. In addition, the post-reform disruption destroyed the age-old foundations of society, depriving human individuality of connection with ancient cultural traditions society, historical memory. Raskolnikov sees violations of universal moral norms at every step. It is impossible to feed a family with honest work, so the petty official Marmeladov finally becomes an alcoholic, and his daughter Sonechka is forced to sell herself, because otherwise her family will die of starvation.
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If unbearable living conditions push a person to violate moral principles, which means that these principles are nonsense, that is, they can be ignored. Raskolnikov comes to approximately this conclusion when a theory is born in his fevered brain, according to which he divides all of humanity into two unequal parts. On the one hand, these are strong personalities, “super-men” like Mohammed and Napoleon, and on the other, a gray, faceless and submissive crowd, which the hero rewards with the contemptuous name - “trembling creature” and “anthill”.
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The correctness of any theory must be confirmed by practice. And Rodion Raskolnikov conceives and carries out a murder, removing the moral prohibition from himself. His life after the murder turns into real hell. A painful suspicion develops in Rodion, which gradually turns into a feeling of loneliness and isolation from everyone. The writer finds a surprisingly accurate expression characterizing Raskolnikov’s internal state: he “as if he had cut himself off from everyone and everything with scissors.” The hero is disappointed in himself, believing that he did not pass the test of being a ruler, which means, alas, he belongs to the “trembling creatures.”
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Surprisingly, Raskolnikov himself would not want to be the winner now. After all, to win means to die morally, to remain with your spiritual chaos forever, to lose faith in people, yourself and life. Raskolnikov's defeat became his victory - a victory over himself, over his theory, over the Devil, who took possession of his soul, but failed to forever displace God in it.
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M.A. Bulgakov "The Master and Margarita". This novel is too complex and multifaceted; the writer touched on many topics and problems in it. One of them is the problem of the struggle between good and evil. In The Master and Margarita, the two main forces of good and evil, which, according to Bulgakov, should be in balance on Earth, are embodied in the images of Yeshua Ha-Notsri from Yershalaim and Woland - Satan in human form. Apparently, Bulgakov, in order to show that good and evil exist outside of time and that people have lived according to their laws for thousands of years, placed Yeshua at the beginning of modern times, in the fictional masterpiece of the Master, and Woland, as the arbiter of cruel justice, in Moscow in the 30s. XX century.
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The latter came to Earth to restore harmony where it had been broken in favor of evil, which included lies, stupidity, hypocrisy and, finally, betrayal, which filled Moscow. Good and evil in this world are surprisingly closely intertwined, especially in human souls. When Woland, in a scene in a variety show, tests the audience for cruelty and beheads the entertainer, and compassionate women demand to put her in her place, the great magician says: “Well... they are people like people... Well, frivolous... well, well... and mercy sometimes knocks on their hearts... ordinary people... - and loudly orders: “Put on your head.” And then we watch how people fight over the ducats that fell on their heads.
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The novel “The Master and Margarita” is about man’s responsibility for the good and evil that happens on earth, for his own choice life paths leading to truth and freedom or to slavery, betrayal and inhumanity. It is about all-conquering love and creativity, elevating the soul to the heights of true humanity. The author wanted to proclaim: the victory of evil over good cannot be the end result of social and moral confrontation. This, according to Bulgakov, is not accepted by human nature itself, and the entire course of civilization should not allow it.
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Of course, the range of works in which the thematic direction of “Victory and Defeat” is revealed is much wider. The main thing is to see the principle, to understand that victory and defeat are relative concepts. R. Bach wrote about this in the book “Bridge over Eternity”: “The important thing is not whether we lose in the game, but what matters is how we lose and how we will change thanks to this, what new things we will learn for ourselves, how we can apply this in other games . In a strange way, defeat turns out to be victory."
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An example of an essay on the thematic area Victory and defeat: True defeat comes not from the enemy, but from oneself (Romain Rolland) Defeat and the pangs of conscience that inevitably follow, reproaching self-doubts, hostility reaching the point of self-loathing - these feelings are familiar to any thinking person to one degree or another. A person who has made a mistake has suffered defeat in the eyes of others, but their reproaches, the triumph of enemies, the condemnation of the crowd are nothing compared to internal experiences. It is the reproaches of one’s own conscience that become a true defeat. A person’s inner life, his thoughts, feelings, experiences, vision of the world inevitably influence his actions. Sometimes ideas that arise in a person’s thoughts grow into large-scale projects that require implementation.
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So, a small push, encouragement is needed, and then, like a snowball, the idea acquires details, contours, a plan is nurtured, and finally implemented. The fact that a person was wrong comes later. Often, having accepted internal defeat, a person does not understand how such a thing could even come to mind; thoughts, reflection - this is the source of both great discoveries and terrifying mistakes. For example, in Fyodor Mikhailovich Dostoevsky’s novel “Crime and Punishment,” the real drama of the main character Rodion Raskolnikov is depicted. The idea that wanders into his head about how to save the world grows and becomes a fixed idea, but the hero himself does not fully believe in the possibility of its implementation. Let us remember the dream he had on the eve of the murder. Having woken up, he exclaims with horror and despair: “Am I really going to take an ax and hit him on the head like that?!”
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However, the idea, like a web, envelops the entire being of the hero, random coincidences seem to him to be conventional signs, inadvertently overheard conversations in a tavern, a cry outside the window, involuntarily received information at the market that at such and such an hour the old woman will be home alone flashes invitingly the ax in the slightly open door of the janitor's room - all this seems to be pushing Rodion, like someone's hand. A noble crime turns into a bloody double murder, and this blood falls on the hero’s conscience as a heavy burden, he immediately realizes that he was deeply mistaken, that his idea failed, that he committed a terrible, irreparable act, and new thoughts and torment surround him. “Did I kill the old lady? I killed myself!” – these piercing words come from the very depths of the hero’s soul.
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Alexander Ostrovsky’s play “The Thunderstorm” also shows mental turmoil main character Katerina Kabanova. Being a freedom-loving girl, she cannot come to terms with life with an unloved husband and an overbearing mother-in-law. She makes a mistake by cheating on her husband, and it is this sin that does not allow her to live on, the pangs of conscience weigh heavily on her, and in despair she commits suicide. Thus, our reasoning allows us to formulate the following conclusion: a person’s true defeat occurs precisely in himself; he himself is the strictest judge of his own actions
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Essay: What does Katerina’s suicide mean - her victory or defeat (“The Thunderstorm” Ostrovsky) To answer the question: “What does Katerina’s suicide mean - her victory or defeat?”, it is necessary to examine the circumstances of her life, study the motives of her actions, pay special attention to the complexity and contradictory nature of the heroine and the extraordinary originality of her character. Katerina is a poetic person, full of deep lyricism. She grew up and was brought up in a bourgeois family, in a religious atmosphere, but she absorbed all the best that the patriarchal way of life could give. She has a sense of self-esteem, a sense of beauty, and she is characterized by the experience of beauty, which was brought up in her childhood.
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N.A. Dobrolyubov saw the greatness of Katerina’s image precisely in the integrity of her character, in her ability to be herself everywhere and always, to never betray herself in anything. Arriving at her husband’s house, Katerina was faced with a completely different way of life, in the sense that it was a life in which violence, tyranny, and humiliation of human dignity reigned. Katerina's life changed dramatically, and events became tragic character, but this might not have happened if not for the despotic nature of her mother-in-law, Marfa Kabanova, who considers the basis of “pedagogy” to be fear. Her philosophy of life is to frighten and keep in obedience with fear. She is jealous of her son towards the Young Wife and believes that he is not strict enough with Katerina. She is afraid that her youngest daughter Varvara may be “infected” by such a bad example, and how would she future husband I didn’t later reproach my mother-in-law for not being strict enough in raising my daughter.
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Katerina, humble in appearance, becomes for Marfa Kabanova the personification of a hidden danger that she senses intuitively. So Kabanikha seeks to subjugate, break Katerina’s fragile character, force her to live according to her own laws, and so she sharpens her “like rusty iron.” But Katerina, endowed with spiritual gentleness and trepidation, is capable in some cases of showing both firmness and strong-willed determination - she does not want to put up with this situation. “Eh, Varya, you don’t know my character!” she says. “Of course, God forbid this happens! And if I get really tired of being here, you won’t be able to hold me back with any force. I’ll throw myself out the window, throw myself into the Volga. I don’t want to be here.” I won’t live like that, even if you cut me!”
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She feels the need to love freely and therefore enters into a struggle not only with the world of the “dark kingdom”, but also with her own beliefs, with her own nature, incapable of lies and deception. A heightened sense of justice makes her doubt the correctness of her actions, and she perceives the awakened feeling of love for Boris as a terrible sin, because, having fallen in love, she violated those moral principles that she considered sacred. But she also cannot give up her love, because it is love that gives her the much-needed feeling of freedom. Katerina is forced to hide her dates, but living a life of deception is unbearable for her. Therefore, she wants to free herself from them by her public repentance, but only further complicates her already painful existence. Katerina’s repentance shows the depth of her suffering, moral greatness, and determination.
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But how can she continue to live, if even after she repented of her sin in front of everyone, it did not become easier. It is impossible to return to your husband and mother-in-law: everything there is foreign. Tikhon will not dare to openly condemn his mother’s tyranny, Boris is a weak-willed man, he will not come to the rescue, and continuing to live in the Kabanovs’ house is immoral. Previously, they couldn’t even reproach her, she could feel she was right in front of these people, but now she is guilty in front of them. She can only submit. But it is no coincidence that the work contains the image of a bird deprived of the opportunity to live in the wild. For Katerina, it is better not to live at all than to put up with the “miserable vegetation” that is destined for her “in exchange for her living soul".
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N.A. Dobrolyubov wrote that Katerina’s character “is full of faith in new ideals and selfless in the sense that it is better for him to die than to live under those principles that are disgusting to him.” To live in a world of “hidden, quietly sighing sorrow... prison, deathly silence...”, where “there is no space and freedom for living thought, for sincere words, for noble deeds; a heavy tyrant ban is imposed on loud, open, widespread activity "There is no way for her. If she cannot enjoy her feeling, her will legally, “in broad daylight, in front of all the people, if something that is so dear to her is snatched away from her, then she doesn’t want anything in life, she doesn’t even want life...” . Katerina did not want to put up with the reality that kills human dignity, could not live without moral purity, love and harmony, and therefore got rid of suffering in the only way possible in those circumstances.
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“... Simply as a human being, we are glad to see Katerina’s deliverance - even through death, if there is no other way... A healthy personality breathes upon us with joyful, fresh life, finding within itself the determination to end this rotten life at any cost !..” - says N.A. Dobrolyubov. And therefore, the tragic ending of the drama - Katerina’s suicide - is not a defeat, but an affirmation of the strength of a free person, - this is a protest against Kabanov’s concepts of morality, “proclaimed under domestic torture, and over the abyss into which the poor woman threw herself,” this is “a terrible challenge to the tyrant power ". And in this sense, Katerina’s suicide is her victory.
The essay is evaluated
according to five criteria:
1. relevance to the topic;
2. argumentation, attraction literary material;
3. composition;
4. speech quality;
5. literacy
The first two criteria are required , and at least one of 3,4,5.
Victory and defeat
The direction allows you to think about victory and defeat in different aspects: socio-historical, moral-philosophical, psychological.
The reasoning can be related aswith external conflict events
in the life of a person, country, world, and witha person's internal struggle with himself
, its causes and results.
Literary works often show the concepts of “victory” and “defeat” in differenthistorical conditions and life situations.
Possible essay topics:
1. Can defeat become victory?
2. “The greatest victory is victory over oneself” (Cicero).
3. “Victory is always with those in whom there is agreement” (Publius).
4. “Victory achieved by violence is tantamount to defeat, because it is short-lived” (Mahatma Gandhi).
5. Victory is always desired.
6. Every small victory over oneself gives great hope in one’s own strength!
7. The winning tactic is to convince the enemy that he is doing everything right.
8. If you hate, it means you have been defeated (Confucius).
9. If the loser smiles, the winner loses the taste of victory.
10. Only the one who defeats himself wins in this life. Who conquered his fear, his laziness and his uncertainty.
11. All victories begin with victory over yourself.
12. No victory will bring as much as one defeat can take away.
13. Is it necessary and possible to judge the winners?
14 Do defeat and victory taste the same?
15. Is it difficult to admit defeat when you are so close to victory?
16. Do you agree with the statement “Victory... defeat... these lofty words are devoid of any meaning.”
17. “Losing and winning taste the same. Defeat tastes like tears. Victory tastes like sweat."
Possibleabstracts on the topic: "Victory and Defeat"
Victory. Every person has the desire to experience this intoxicating feeling. Even as a child, we felt like a winner when we received our first A's. As they grew older, they felt joy and satisfaction from achieving their goals, defeating their weaknesses - laziness, pessimism, maybe even indifference. Victory gives strength, makes a person more persistent and active. Everything around seems so beautiful.
Everyone can win. You need willpower, a desire to succeed, a desire to become a bright, interesting person.
Of course, both a careerist who has received another promotion and an egoist who has achieved some benefits by bringing pain to others experiences a kind of victory. And what a “victory” a money-hungry person experiences when he hears the clink of coins and the rustle of banknotes! Well, everyone decides for themselves what they strive for, what goals they set, and therefore “victories” can be completely different.
A person lives among people, so the opinions of others are never indifferent to him, no matter how much some people want to hide it. A victory appreciated by people is many times more pleasant. Everyone wants others to share their joy.
Victory over oneself becomes a way of survival for some. People with disabilities make efforts on themselves every day and strive to achieve results at the cost of incredible efforts. They are an example for others. The performances of athletes at the Paralympic Games are striking in how great the will to win these people are, how strong in spirit they are, how optimistic they are, no matter what.
The price of victory, what is it? Is it true that “winners are not judged”? You can think about this too. If the victory was achieved dishonestly, then it is worthless. Victory and lies, toughness, heartlessness are concepts that exclude each other. Only fair play, playing according to the rules of morality and decency, only this brings true victory.
It's not easy to win. Much needs to be done to achieve it. What if you suddenly lose? What then? It is important to understand that in life there are many difficulties and obstacles along the way. To be able to overcome them, to strive for victory even after defeat - this is what distinguishes a strong personality. It’s scary not to fall, but not to get up later in order to move on with dignity. Fall and get up, make mistakes and learn from your mistakes, retreat and move on - this is the only way you should strive to live on this earth. The main thing is to move forward towards your goal, and then victory will definitely be your reward.
The victory of the people during the war years is a sign of the cohesion of the nation, the unity of people who have a common destiny, traditions, history, and a single homeland.
How many great trials our people had to endure, what enemies we had to fight. Millions of people died during the Great Patriotic War, giving their lives for the Victory. They were waiting for her, dreaming about her, bringing her closer.
What gave you the strength to endure? Of course, love. Love for the homeland, loved ones and loved ones.
The first months of the war were a series of continuous defeats. How hard it was to realize that the enemy was advancing along native land further and further, approaching Moscow. Defeats did not make people helpless and confused. On the contrary, they united the people and helped them understand how important it is to gather all their strength to repel the enemy.
And how everyone rejoiced together at the first victories, the first fireworks, the first reports of the defeat of the enemy! The victory became the same for everyone, everyone contributed their share to it.
Man is born to win! Even the very fact of his birth is already a victory. You must strive to be a winner the right person for your country, people, loved ones and loved ones.
Quotes and epigraphs
The greatest is victory over oneself. (Cicero)
Man was not created to suffer defeat... Man can be destroyed, but he cannot be defeated. (Hemingway Ernest)
The joy of life is learned through victories, the truth of life - through defeats. A. Koval.
The consciousness of an honestly sustained struggle is almost higher than the triumph of victory. (Turgenev)
Wins and losses travel in the same sleigh. (Russian last)
Victory over the weak is like defeat. (Arabic last)
Where there is agreement, there. (Lat. seq.)
Be proud only of the victories you have won over yourself. (Tungsten)
You should not start a battle or war unless you are sure that you will gain more in victory than you will lose in defeat. (Octavian Augustus)
None will bring as much as one defeat can take away. (Gaius Julius Caesar)
Victory over fear gives us strength. (V. Hugo)
To never know defeat means to never fight. (Morihei Ueshiba)
No winner believes in chance. (Nietzsche)
Achieved by violence is tantamount to defeat, because it is short-term. (Mahatma Gandhi)
Nothing but a lost battle can compare even with half the sadness of a won battle. (Arthur Wellesley)
The winner's lack of generosity reduces the meaning and benefits of victory by half. (Giuseppe Mazzini)
The first step to victory is objectivity. (Tetcorax)
The winners sleep sweeter than the losers. (Plutarch)
World literature offers many arguments for victory and defeat :
L.N. Tolstoy "War and Peace" (Pierre Bezukhov, Nikolai Rostov);
F.M. Dostoevsky “Crime and Punishment (Raskolnikov’s act (the murder of Alena Ivanovna and Lizaveta) - victory or defeat?);
M. Bulgakov “Heart of a Dog” (Professor Preobrazhensky - did he defeat nature or lose to it?);
S. Alexievich "War has no woman's face"(the price of victory in the Great Patriotic War - crippled lives, the fate of women)
I suggest 10 arguments on the topic: “Victory and defeat”
A.S. Griboedov “Woe from Wit”
A.S. Pushkin "Eugene Onegin"
N.V. Gogol “Dead Souls”
I.A.Goncharov "Oblomov"
A.N. Tolstoy “Peter the Great”
E. Zamyatin “We”
A.A. Fadeev “Young Guard”
Famous work A.S. Griboedov’s “Woe from Wit” is still relevant in our time. It has a lot of problems, bright, memorable characters.
Main character plays - Alexander Andreevich Chatsky. The author shows his irreconcilable clash with Famus society. Chatsky does not accept the morality of this high society, their ideals, principles. He expresses this openly.
I don't read nonsense
And even more exemplary...
Where? show us, fathers of the fatherland,
Which ones should we take as models?
Aren't these the ones who are rich in robbery?
The regiments are busy recruiting teachers,
More in number, cheaper in price...
The houses are new, but the prejudices are old...
The ending of the work, at first glance, is tragic for the hero: he leaves this society, misunderstood in it, rejected by his beloved girl, literally flees from Moscow:"Give me a carriage, carriage ! So who is Chatsky: the winner or the loser? What is on his side: victory or defeat? Let's try to understand this.
The hero brought such a commotion into this society, in which everything is so scheduled by day, by hour, where everyone lives according to the order established by their ancestors, a society in which opinion is so important “Princess Marya Alekseevna " Isn't this a victory? To prove that you are a person who has your own point of view on everything, that you do not agree with these laws, to openly express your views about education, about service, about the order in Moscow - this is a real victory. Moral. It is no coincidence that they were so frightened of the hero, calling him crazy. And who else in their circle could object so much if not a madman?
Yes, it’s hard for Chatsky to realize that he was not understood here. After all, Famusov’s house is dear to him, his youth passed here, here he first fell in love, he rushed here after a long separation. But he will never adapt. He has another road-road honor, service to the Fatherland. He does not accept false feelings and emotions. And in this he is a winner.
A.S. Pushkin "Eugene Onegin"
Evgeny Onegin, the hero of A.S. Pushkin’s novel, is a contradictory personality who has not found himself in this society. It is no coincidence that in literature such heroes are called “superfluous people.”
One of the central scenes of the work is Onegin’s duel with Vladimir Lensky, a young romantic poet passionately in love with Olga Larina. Challenging an opponent to a duel and defending one’s honor was common practice in noble society. It seems that both Lensky and Onegin are trying to defend their truth. However, the result of the duel is terrible - the death of young Lensky. He was only 18 years old and had his life ahead of him.
Will I fall, pierced by an arrow,
Or she will fly by,
All good: vigil and sleep
The certain hour comes;
Blessed is the day of worries,
Blessed is the coming of darkness!
Is the death of a man whom you called a friend a victory for Onegin? No, this is a manifestation of Onegin’s weakness, selfishness, unwillingness to overcome the insult. It is no coincidence that this fight changed the hero’s life. He began to travel around the world. His soul could not find peace.
So victory can become defeat at the same time. What matters is what the price of victory is, and whether it is needed at all, if the result is the death of another.
M.Yu. Lermontov “Hero of Our Time”
Pechorin, the hero of the novel by M.Yu. Lermontov, evokes conflicting feelings among readers. So, in his behavior with women, almost everyone agrees - the hero here shows his selfishness, and sometimes simply callousness. Pechorin seems to be playing with the destinies of the women who love him.(“I feel in myself this insatiable greed, devouring everything that comes my way; I look at the sufferings and joys of others only in relation to myself, as food that supports my spiritual strength.”)Let's remember Bela. She was deprived by the hero of everything - her home, her loved ones. She has nothing left except the hero’s love. Bela fell in love with Pechorin, sincerely, with all her soul. However, having achieved her by all possible means - both deception and dishonest acts - he soon began to grow cold towards her.(“I was wrong again: the love of a savage is a little better than love noble lady; the ignorance and simple-heartedness of one are just as annoying as the coquetry of the other."Pechorin is largely to blame for the fact that Bela died. He did not give her the love, the happiness, attention and care that she deserves. Yes, he won, Bela became his. But is this a victory? No, this is a defeat, since the beloved woman did not become happy.
Pechorin himself is capable of condemning himself for his actions. But he can’t and doesn’t want to change anything about himself: “Whether I am a fool or a villain, I don’t know; but it is true that I am also very worthy of regret, perhaps more than she: my soul is spoiled by light, my imagination is restless, my heart is insatiable; I can’t get enough...", "I sometimes despise myself..."
N.V. Gogol “Dead Souls”
The work “Dead Souls” is still interesting and relevant. It is no coincidence that performances are staged based on it, and multi-part feature films are created. The poem (this is the genre indicated by the author himself) intertwines philosophical, social, moral issues and topics. The theme of victory and defeat also found its place in it.
The main character of the poem is Pavel Ivanovich Chichikov. He strictly followed the instructions of his father:“Take care and save a penny... You can change everything in the world with a penny.”Since childhood, he began saving it, this penny, and carried out more than one dark operation. In the city of NN, he decided on a grandiose and almost fantastic enterprise - to redeem dead peasants according to the “Revision Tales”, and then sell them as if they were alive.
To do this, it is necessary to be invisible and at the same time interesting to everyone with whom he communicated. And Chichikov succeeded in this:“... knew how to flatter everyone,” “entered sideways,” “sat down at an angle,” “answered by bowing his head,” “put a carnation in his nose,” “brought a snuff-box with violets at the bottom.”
At the same time, he tried not to stand out too much(“not handsome, but not bad-looking, neither too fat nor too thin, one cannot say that he is old, but not that he is too young”)
Pavel Ivanovich Chichikov at the end of the work is a real winner. He managed to fraudulently make himself a fortune and left with impunity. It seems that the hero clearly follows his goal, follows the intended path. But what awaits this hero in the future if he chose hoarding as his main goal in life? Isn’t Plyushkin’s fate destined for him too, whose soul was completely at the mercy of money? Anything is possible. But the fact is that with every purchased “ dead soul“He himself is falling morally - this is certain. And this is defeat, because human feelings in him were suppressed by acquisitions, hypocrisy, lies, and selfishness. And although N.V. Gogol emphasizes that people like Chichikov are “a terrible and vile force,” the future does not belong to them, yet they are not the masters of life. How relevant are the words of the writer addressed to young people:“Take it with you on the journey, leaving the soft teenage years into stern, embittering courage, take with you all human movements, do not leave them on the road, you will not pick them up later!
I.A.Goncharov "Oblomov"
Victory over yourself, over your weaknesses and shortcomings. It is worth a lot if a person reaches the end, the goal that he has set. Ilya Oblomov, the hero of I. A. Goncharov’s novel, is not like that. Sloth celebrates victory over his master. She sits so firmly in him that it seems that nothing can make the hero get up from his sofa, simply write a letter to his estate, find out how things are going there. And yet the hero tried to make an attempt to overcome himself, his reluctance to do something in this life. Thanks to Olga and his love for her, he began to transform: he finally got up from the couch, began to read, walked a lot, dreamed, talked with the heroine. However, he soon abandoned this idea. Outwardly, the hero himself justifies his behavior by saying that he cannot give her what she deserves. But, most likely, these are just more excuses. Laziness dragged him away again, returned him to his favorite sofa("...There is no peace in love, and it keeps moving somewhere forward, forward...")It is no coincidence that “Oblomov” has become a common noun, denoting a lazy person who does not want to do anything, who does not strive for anything. (Stolz’s words: “It began with the inability to put on stockings and ended with the inability to live."
Oblomov pondered the meaning of life, understood that it was impossible to live like this, but did nothing to change everything:“When you don’t know why you live, you live somehow, day after day; you rejoice that the day has passed, that the night has passed, and in your sleep you plunge into the boring question of why you lived this day, why you will live tomorrow.”
Oblomov failed to defeat himself. However, the defeat did not upset him so much. At the end of the novel, we see the hero in a quiet family circle, he is loved and cared for, as he once was in childhood. This is the ideal of his life, this is what he achieved. Also, however, having won a “victory”, because his life has become the way he wants it to be. But why is there always some kind of sadness in his eyes? Maybe because of unfulfilled hopes?
L.N. Tolstoy "Sevastopol Stories"
“Sevastopol Stories” - work young writer, which brought fame to L.N. Tolstoy. Officer, participant himself Crimean War, the author realistically described the horrors of war, the grief of people, the pain and suffering of the wounded.(“The hero, whom I love with all the strength of my soul, whom I tried to reproduce in all his beauty and who has always been, is and will be beautiful, is true.”)
The center of the story is the defense and then the surrender of Sevastopol to the Turks. The entire city, along with the soldiers, defended itself; everyone, young and old, contributed to the defense. However, the forces were too unequal. The city had to be surrendered. Outwardly it is a defeat. However, if you look closely at the faces of the defenders, the soldiers, at how much hatred they have for the enemy, the unbending will to win, then we can conclude that the city has been surrendered, but the people have not accepted their defeat, they will still regain their pride, victory is certain will be ahead.(“Almost every soldier, looking from the northern side at the abandoned Sevastopol, sighed with inexpressible bitterness in his heart and threatened his enemies."Failure is not always the end of something. This could be the beginning of a new, future victory. It will prepare this victory, because people, having gained experience and taken into account mistakes, will do everything to win.
A.N. Tolstoy “Peter the Great”
Historical novel A.N. Tolstoy’s “Peter the Great,” dedicated to the distant era of Peter the Great, fascinates readers today. I read with interest the pages in which the author shows how the young king matured, how he overcame obstacles, learned from his mistakes and achieved victories.
More space is occupied by the description of the Azov campaigns of Peter the Great in 1695-1696. The failure of the first campaign did not break young Peter.(...Confusion is a good lesson... We are not looking for glory... And they will beat us ten more times, then we will overcome).
He began to build a fleet, strengthen the army, and the result was the greatest victory over the Turks - the capture of the Azov fortress. This was the first victory of the young king, an active, life-loving man, striving to do a lot(“Neither an animal nor a single person, probably, wanted to live with such greed as Peter... «)
This is an example of a ruler who achieves his goal and strengthens the power and international authority of the country. Defeat becomes an impetus for him further development. The result is victory!
E. Zamyatin “We”
The novel “We”, written by E. Zamyatin, is a dystopia. By this, the author wanted to emphasize that the events depicted in it are not so fantastic, that under the emerging totalitarian regime something similar could happen, and most importantly, a person will completely lose his “I”, he will not even have a name - only a number.
These are the main characters of the work: he - D 503 and she - I-330
The hero has become a cog in the huge mechanism of the United State, in which everything is clearly regulated. He is completely subordinate to the laws of the state, where everyone is happy.
Another heroine of I-330, it was she who showed the hero the “unreasonable” world of living nature, a world that is fenced off from the inhabitants of the state by the Green Wall.
There is a struggle between what is allowed and what is forbidden. How to proceed? The hero experiences feelings previously unknown to him. He goes after his beloved. However, in the end the system defeated him, the hero, part of this system, says:“I am confident that we will win. Because reason must win."The hero is calm again, he, having undergone the operation, having regained calm, looks calmly at how his woman dies under the gas bell.
And the heroine of I-330, although she died, remained undefeated. She did everything she could for a life in which everyone decides for themselves what to do, who to love, how to live.
Victory and defeat. They are often so close on a person's path. And what choice a person makes - to victory or defeat - depends on him too, regardless of the society in which he lives. Become united people, but preserving one’s “I” is one of the motives of E. Zamyatin’s work.
A.A. Fadeev “Young Guard”
Oleg Koshevoy, Ulyana Gromova, Lyubov Shevtsova, Sergei Tyulenin and many others are young people, almost teenagers who have just graduated from school. IN
During the Great Patriotic War, in Krasnodon, which was occupied by the Germans, they created their own underground organization “Young Guard”. Dedicated to the description of their feat famous novel A. Fadeeva.
The characters are shown by the author with love and tenderness. The reader sees how they dream, love, make friends, enjoy life, no matter what (Despite everything that was happening around and in the whole world, the young man and the girl declared their love... they declared their love, as they declare only in their youth, that is, they talked about absolutely everything except love.) Risking their lives, they put up leaflets and burn the German commandant’s office, where lists of people who were supposed to be sent to Germany are kept. Youthful enthusiasm and courage are characteristic of them. (No matter how difficult and terrible the war is, no matter how cruel the losses and suffering it brings to people, youth with its health and joy of life, with its naive kind egoism, love and dreams of the future does not want and does not know how to see the danger behind the general danger and suffering and suffering for herself until they come and disrupt her happy walk.)
However, the organization was betrayed by a traitor. All its members died. But even in the face of death, none of them became a traitor, did not betray their comrades. Death is always a defeat, but fortitude is a victory. The heroes are alive in the hearts of people, a monument was erected to them in their homeland, a museum was created. The novel is dedicated to the feat of the Young Guard.
B.L. Vasiliev “And the dawns here are quiet”
Great Patriotic War- a glorious and at the same time tragic page in the history of Russia. How many millions of lives she took! How many people became heroes defending their homeland!
War does not have a woman’s face - this is the leitmotif of B. Vasilyev’s story “And Here They Are Quiet.” A woman, whose natural destiny is to give life, to be the keeper of the family hearth, to personify tenderness and love, puts on soldier’s boots, a uniform, takes up a weapon and goes to kill. What could be worse?
Five girls - Zhenya Komelkova, Rita Osyanina, Galina Chetvertak, Sonya Gurvich, Lisa Brichkina - died in the war with the Nazis. Everyone had their own dreams, everyone wanted love, and just life..(“...I lived all nineteen years in the feeling of tomorrow.”)
But the war took all this away from them.("It was so stupid, so absurd and implausible to die at nineteen years old.")
Heroines die in different ways. So, Zhenya Komelkova accomplishes a true feat, leading the Germans away from her comrades, and Galya Chetvertak, simply frightened of the Germans, screams in horror and runs away from them. But we understand each of them. War is a terrible thing, and the fact that they went to the front voluntarily, knowing that death could await them, is already a feat of these young, fragile, gentle girls.
Yes, the girls died, the lives of five people were cut short - this, of course, is a defeat. It is no coincidence that Vaskov, this battle-hardened man, is crying; it is no coincidence that his terrible face, filled with hatred, causes horror among the fascists. He, alone, captured several people! But this is still a victory - a victory of the moral spirit Soviet people, their unshakable faith, their perseverance and heroism. And Rita Osyanina’s son, who became an officer, is a continuation of life. And if life continues, this is already a victory - a victory over death!
Examples of essays:
№1 There is nothing more courageous than victory over yourself.
What is victory? Why is the most important thing in life to win over yourself? It is these questions that the statement of Erasmus of Rotterdam makes us think about: “There is nothing more courageous than victory over ourselves.”I believe that victory is always a success in the fight for something. Conquering yourself means overcoming yourself, your fears and doubts, overcoming laziness and uncertainty that interfere with achieving any goal. The internal struggle is always more difficult, because a person must admit to himself his mistakes, and also that the cause of failures is only himself. And this is not easy for a person, since it is easier to blame someone else than yourself. People often lose in this war because they lack willpower and courage. That is why victory over oneself is considered the most courageous.Many writers have discussed the importance of victory in the fight over one’s vices and fears. For example, in his novel “Oblomov,” Ivan Aleksandrovich Goncharov shows us a hero who is unable to overcome his laziness, which became the cause of his meaningless life. Ilya Ilyich Oblomov leads a sleepy and motionless lifestyle. While reading a novel, this hero we see traits that are characteristic of ourselves, namely laziness. And so, when Ilya Ilyich meets Olga Ilyinskaya, at some point it seems to us that he will finally get rid of this vice. We celebrate the changes that have happened to him. Oblomov gets up from his couch, goes on dates, visits theaters, and begins to become interested in the problems of the neglected estate, but, unfortunately, the changes turned out to be short-lived. In the fight with himself, with his laziness, Ilya Ilyich Oblomov loses. I believe that laziness is a vice of most people. After reading the novel, I concluded that if we were not lazy, many of us would reach high heights. Each of us needs to fight laziness; defeating it will be a big step towards future success.Another example confirming the words of Erasmus of Rotterdam about the importance of victory over oneself can be seen in the work of Fyodor Mikhailovich Dostoevsky “Crime and Punishment.” The main character Rodion Raskolnikov at the beginning of the novel is obsessed with an idea. According to his theory, all people are divided into two categories: “those with the right” and “trembling creatures.” The first are people who are capable of transgressing moral laws, strong personalities, and the second are weak and weak-willed people. To test the correctness of his theory, as well as to confirm that he is a “superman,” Raskolnikov commits a brutal murder, after which his whole life turns into hell. It turned out that he is not Napoleon at all. The hero is disappointed in himself, because he was able to kill, but “he didn’t cross.” The realization of the fallacy of his inhuman theory comes after a long time, and then he finally understands that he does not want to be a “superman”. Thus, Raskolnikov’s defeat in front of his theory turned out to be his victory over himself. The hero, in the fight against the evil that has gripped his mind, wins. Raskolnikov retained the man within himself and took the difficult path of repentance, which would lead him to purification.Thus, any success in the fight against oneself, with one’s wrong judgments, vices and fears, is the most necessary and important victory. It makes us better, makes us move forward and improve ourselves.
№2. Victory is always desired
Victory is always desired. We expect victory from early childhood, playing different games. We need to win at all costs. And the one who wins feels like the king of the situation. And someone is a loser because he doesn’t run so fast or the chips just fell out wrong. Is victory really necessary? Who can be considered the winner? Is victory always an indicator of true superiority?
In Anton Pavlovich Chekhov's comedy “The Cherry Orchard” the conflict is centered on the confrontation between the old and the new. Noble society, brought up on the ideals of the past, has stopped in its development, accustomed to receiving everything without much difficulty, by right of birth, Ranevskaya and Gaev are helpless before the need for action. They are paralyzed, cannot make a decision, cannot move. Their world is collapsing, going to hell, and they are building rainbow projects, starting an unnecessary holiday in the house on the day of the estate auction. And then Lopakhin appears - a former serf, and now - the owner cherry orchard. Victory intoxicated him. At first he tries to hide his joy, but soon triumph overwhelms him and, no longer embarrassed, he laughs and literally shouts:
My God, my God, The Cherry Orchard my! Tell me that I'm drunk, out of my mind, that I'm imagining all this...
Of course, the slavery of his grandfather and father may justify his behavior, but in the face of, according to him, his beloved Ranevskaya, it looks, at least, tactless. And here it is already difficult to stop him, like a real master of life, a winner he demands:
Hey musicians, play, I want to listen to you! Come and watch how Ermolai Lopakhin takes an ax to the cherry orchard and how the trees fall to the ground!
Maybe, from the point of view of progress, Lopakhin’s victory is a step forward, but somehow it becomes sad after such victories. The garden is cut down without waiting for the former owners to leave, Firs is forgotten in the boarded-up house... Does such a play have a morning?
In the story “The Garnet Bracelet” by Alexander Ivanovich Kuprin, the focus is on the fate of a young man who dared to fall in love with a woman outside his circle. G.S.J. He has long and devotedly loved Princess Vera. His gift - a garnet bracelet - immediately attracted the woman’s attention, because the stones suddenly lit up like “lovely, rich red living lights. “Definitely blood!” - Vera thought with unexpected alarm.” Unequal relationships are always fraught with serious consequences. The alarming premonitions did not deceive the princess. The need to put the presumptuous scoundrel in his place at all costs arises not so much from the husband as from Vera’s brother. Appearing in front of Zheltkov, representatives of high society a priori behave like winners. Zheltkov’s behavior strengthens them in their confidence: “his trembling hands ran around, fiddling with buttons, pinching his light reddish mustache, touching his face unnecessarily.” The poor telegraph operator is crushed, confused, and feels guilty. But only Nikolai Nikolaevich remembers the authorities to whom the defenders of the honor of his wife and sister wanted to turn, when Zheltkov suddenly changes. No one has power over him, over his feelings, except the object of his adoration. No authorities can prohibit loving a woman. And to suffer for the sake of love, to give one’s life for it - this is the true victory of the great feeling that G.S.Zh was lucky enough to experience. He leaves silently and confidently. His letter to Vera is a hymn to a great feeling, a triumphant song of Love! His death is his victory over the insignificant prejudices of pathetic nobles who feel like masters of life.
Victory, as it turns out, can be more dangerous and disgusting than defeat if it tramples Eternal values, distorts the moral foundations of life.
№3 . The greatest is victory over oneself.
Every person experiences victory and defeat throughout his life.A person's internal struggle with himselfcan lead a person to victory or defeat. Sometimes he himself cannot even immediately understand whether this is a victory or a defeat. Butthe greatest is victory over oneself.
To answer the question: “What does Katerina’s suicide mean - her victory or defeat?”, it is necessary to understand the circumstances of her life, the motives of her actions, to understand the complexity and inconsistency of her nature and the originality of her character.
Katerina is a moral person. She grew up and was brought up in a bourgeois family, in a religious atmosphere, but she absorbed all the best that the patriarchal way of life could give. She has a sense of self-esteem, a sense of beauty, and she is characterized by the experience of beauty, which was brought up in her childhood. N.A. Dobrolyubov noted the image of Katerina precisely in the integrity of her character, in her ability to be herself everywhere and always, to never betray herself in anything.
Arriving at her husband’s house, Katerina was faced with a completely different way of life, in the sense that it was a life in which violence, tyranny, and humiliation of human dignity reigned. Katerina’s life changed dramatically, and the events took on a tragic character, but this might not have happened if not for the despotic character of her mother-in-law, Marfa Kabanova, who considers fear to be the basis of “pedagogy”. Her philosophy of life is to frighten and keep in obedience with fear. She is jealous of her son towards the Young Wife and believes that he is not strict enough with Katerina. She is afraid that her youngest daughter Varvara might be “infected” by such a bad example, and that her future husband might later reproach her mother-in-law for not being strict enough in raising her daughter. Katerina, humble in appearance, becomes for Marfa Kabanova the personification of a hidden danger that she senses intuitively. So Kabanikha seeks to subjugate, break Katerina’s fragile character, force her to live according to her own laws, and so she sharpens her “like rusty iron.” But Katerina, endowed with spiritual gentleness and trepidation, is capable in some cases of showing both firmness and strong-willed determination - she does not want to put up with this situation. “Eh, Varya, you don’t know my character!” she says. “Of course, God forbid this happens! And if I get really tired of being here, you won’t be able to hold me back with any force. I’ll throw myself out the window, throw myself into the Volga. I don’t want to be here.” I won’t live like that, even if you cut me!” She feels the need to love freely and therefore enters into a struggle not only with the world of the “dark kingdom”, but also with her own beliefs, with her own nature, incapable of lies and deception. A heightened sense of justice makes her doubt the correctness of her actions, and she perceives the awakened feeling of love for Boris as a terrible sin, because, having fallen in love, she violated those moral principles that she considered sacred.
But she also cannot give up her love, because it is love that gives her the much-needed feeling of freedom. Katerina is forced to hide her dates, but living a life of deception is unbearable for her. Therefore, she wants to free herself from them by her public repentance, but only further complicates her already painful existence. Katerina’s repentance shows the depth of her suffering, moral greatness, and determination. But how can she continue to live, if even after she repented of her sin in front of everyone, it did not become easier. It is impossible to return to your husband and mother-in-law: everything there is foreign. Tikhon will not dare to openly condemn his mother’s tyranny, Boris is a weak-willed man, he will not come to the rescue, and continuing to live in the Kabanovs’ house is immoral. Previously, they couldn’t even reproach her, she could feel she was right in front of these people, but now she is guilty in front of them. She can only submit. But it is no coincidence that the work contains the image of a bird deprived of the opportunity to live in the wild. For Katerina, it is better not to live at all than to put up with the “miserable vegetation” that is destined for her “in exchange for her living soul.” N.A. Dobrolyubov wrote that Katerina’s character “is full of faith in new ideals and selfless in the sense that it is better for him to die than to live under those principles that are disgusting to him.” To live in a world of “hidden, quietly sighing sorrow... prison, deathly silence...”, where “there is no space and freedom for living thought, for sincere words, for noble deeds; a heavy tyrant ban is imposed on loud, open, widespread activity "There is no way for her. If she cannot enjoy her feeling, her will legally, “in broad daylight, in front of all the people, if something that is so dear to her is snatched away from her, then she doesn’t want anything in life, she doesn’t even want life...” .
Katerina did not want to put up with the reality that kills human dignity, could not live without moral purity, love and harmony, and therefore got rid of suffering in the only way possible in those circumstances. “... Simply as a human being, we are glad to see Katerina’s deliverance - even through death, if there is no other way... A healthy personality breathes upon us with joyful, fresh life, finding within itself the determination to end this rotten life at any cost !..” - says N.A. Dobrolyubov. And therefore, the tragic ending of the drama - Katerina’s suicide - is not a defeat, but an affirmation of the strength of a free person, - this is a protest against Kabanov’s concepts of morality, “proclaimed under domestic torture, and over the abyss into which the poor woman threw herself,” this is “a terrible challenge to the tyrant power ". And in this sense, Katerina’s suicide is her victory.
№4. P Defeat is not only a loss, but also an acknowledgment of this loss.
In my opinion, victory is the success of something, and defeat is not only a loss in something, but also the recognition of this loss. We will prove it using examples from the well-known writer Nikolai Vasilyevich Gogol from the story “Taras and Bulba”.
Firstly, I believe that the youngest son betrayed his homeland and Cossack honor, for the sake of love. This is both victory and defeat, victory is that he defended his love, and defeat is that the betrayal he committed: going against his father, his homeland is unforgivable.
Secondly, Taras Bulba, having committed his act: killing his son, is probably most of all a defeat. Even though it’s a war, you have to kill, and then live with it all your life, suffering, but it was impossible to do otherwise, since war, unfortunately, has no regrets.
Thus, to summarize, this story by Gogol talks about ordinary life which can happen to someone, but we must remember that when admitting our mistakes we must immediately and not only when it is proven by fact, but in its essence, but for this we must have a conscience.
№5.
Can victory become defeat?
There are probably no people in the world who would not dream of victory. Every day we win small victories or suffer defeats. Trying to achieve success over yourself and your weaknesses, getting up thirty minutes earlier in the morning, studying sports section, preparing lessons that are not going well. Sometimes such victories become a step towards success, towards self-affirmation. But this doesn't always happen. Apparent victory turns into defeat, but defeat is, in fact, victory.
In A.S. Griboyedov’s comedy “Woe from Wit,” the main character A.A. Chatsky, after a three-year absence, returns to the society in which he grew up. Everything is familiar to him, about each representative secular society he has a categorical judgment. “The houses are new, but the prejudices are old,” the young, hot-blooded man concludes about the renewed Moscow. The Famusov society adheres to the strict rules of the times of Catherine:
“honor according to father and son”, “be bad, but if there are two thousand family souls - he and the groom”, “the door is open for those invited and uninvited, especially from foreigners”, “it’s not that they introduce new things - never” “they are judges of everything, everywhere, there are no judges above them.”
And only servility, veneration, and hypocrisy rule over the minds and hearts of the “chosen” representatives of the top of the noble class. Chatsky with his views turns out to be out of place. In his opinion, “ranks are given by people, but people can be deceived,” seeking patronage from those in power is low, one must achieve success with intelligence, and not with servility. Famusov, barely hearing his reasoning, covers his ears and shouts: “... to trial!” He considers young Chatsky a revolutionary, a “carbonarius”, dangerous person, when Skalozub appears, he asks not to express his thoughts out loud. And when the young man does begin to express his views, he quickly leaves, not wanting to bear responsibility for his judgments. However, the colonel turns out to be a narrow-minded person and only catches discussions about uniforms. In general, few people understand Chatsky at Famusov’s ball: the owner himself, Sophia and Molchalin. But each of them makes his own verdict. Famusov would prohibit such people from approaching the capital for a shot, Sophia says that he is “not a man - a snake,” and Molchalin decides that Chatsky is simply a loser. The final verdict of the Moscow world is madness! At the climax, when the hero makes his keynote speech, no one in the hall listens to him. You can say that Chatsky is defeated, but this is not so! I.A. Goncharov believes that the hero of the comedy is a winner, and one cannot but agree with him. The appearance of this man shook up the stagnation Famusov society, destroyed Sophia’s illusions and shook Molchalin’s position.
In I. S. Turgenev’s novel “Fathers and Sons,” two opponents collide in a heated argument: a representative of the younger generation, the nihilist Bazarov, and the nobleman P. P. Kirsanov. One lived an idle life, spent the lion's share of the allotted time on love for a famous beauty, socialite- Princess R. But, despite this way of life, he gained experience, experienced, probably, the most important feeling that overtook him, washed away everything superficial, knocked down arrogance and self-confidence. This feeling is love. Bazarov boldly judges everything, considering himself a “self-made man,” a man who made his name only through his own labor and intelligence. In a dispute with Kirsanov, he is categorical, harsh, but observes external decency, but Pavel Petrovich cannot stand it and breaks down, indirectly calling Bazarov a “blockhead”:
...before they were just idiots, and now they suddenly became nihilists.
Bazarov's external victory in this dispute, then in the duel turns out to be a defeat in the main confrontation. Having met his first and only love, the young man is unable to survive defeat, does not want to admit failure, but cannot do anything. Without love, without sweet eyes, such desirable hands and lips, life is not needed. He becomes distracted, cannot concentrate, and no amount of denial helps him in this confrontation. Yes, it seems that Bazarov won, because he so stoically goes to death, silently struggles with the disease, but in fact he lost, because he lost everything for which it was worth living and creating.
Courage and determination in any struggle are essential. But sometimes you have to put aside your self-confidence, look around, re-read the classics so as not to make a mistake making the right choice. This is how life is. And when you defeat someone, you should think about whether this is a victory!
№6 Essay topic: Are there winners in love?
The theme of love has concerned people since ancient times. In many works of fiction, writers talk about what it is true love, about its place in people's lives. In some books you can find the idea that this feeling is competitive in nature. But is it? Are there really winners and losers in love? Thinking about this, I can’t help but remember the story “The Garnet Bracelet” by Alexander Ivanovich Kuprin.
In this work you can find a large number of love lines between the characters, which can be confusing. However, the main one among them is the connection between the official Zheltkov and Princess Vera Nikolaevna Sheina. Kuprin describes this love as unrequited, but passionate. At the same time, Zheltkov’s feelings are not of a vulgar nature, even though he is in love with a married woman. His love is pure and bright, for him it expands to the size of the whole world, becomes life itself. The official does not spare anything for his beloved: he gives her his most valuable thing - his great-grandmother's garnet bracelet.
However, after the visit of Vasily Lvovich Shein, the princess’s husband, and Nikolai Nikolaevich, the princess’s brother, Zheltkov realizes that he will no longer be able to be in the world of Vera Nikolaevna, even at a distance. In essence, the official is deprived of the only meaning of his existence, and therefore he decides to sacrifice his life for the happiness and peace of mind of the woman he loves. But his death does not become in vain, because it affects the feelings of the princess.
At the beginning of the story, Vera Nikolaevna “is in a sweet slumber.” She lives a measured life and does not suspect that her feelings for her husband are not true love. The author even points out that their relationship has long flown into a state of true friendship. The awakening of Faith comes with the advent garnet bracelet with a letter from her admirer, which brings anticipation and excitement into her life. Complete relief from drowsiness occurs after the death of Zheltkov. Vera Nikolaevna, seeing the expression on her face already dead official, thinks that he is a great sufferer, like Pushkin and Napoleon were. She realizes that an exceptional love has passed her by, the kind that all women expect and few men can give.
In this story, Alexander Ivanovich Kuprin wants to convey the idea that in love there can be no winners or losers. This unearthly feeling that spiritually elevates a person is a tragedy and a great mystery.
And in conclusion, I would like to say that, in my opinion, love is a concept that has nothing to do with the material world. This is a sublime feeling, from which the concepts of victory and defeat are far away, because few manage to comprehend it.
№7. The most important victory is victory over yourself
What kind of victory is there? And what is this anyway? Many, upon hearing this word, will immediately think of some great battle or even war. But there is another victory, and in my opinion it is the most important. This is a person's victory over himself. This is victory over your own weaknesses, laziness or some other large or small obstacles.For some, just getting out of bed is already a great achievement. But life is so unpredictable that sometimes some terrible incident can happen as a result of which a person can become disabled. Upon learning of such terrible news, everyone will react completely differently. Someone will break down, lose the meaning of life and will not want to live further. But there are also those who, despite even the most terrible consequences, continue to live and become a hundred times happier than ordinary, healthy people. I always admire such people. For me these are truly strong people.
An example of such a person is the hero of V.G. Korolenko’s story “The Blind Musician.” Peter was blind from birth. External world was alien to him and all that he knew about it was what some objects felt like to the touch. Life deprived him of his sight, but endowed him with incredible talent for music. Since childhood, he lived in love and care, so he felt protected at home. However, after leaving it, he realized that he knew absolutely nothing about this world. He considered me a stranger in him. All this weighed heavily on him, Peter did not know what to do. The anger and selfishness inherent in many disabled people began to arise in him. But he overcame all suffering, he renounced the egoistic right of a person deprived by fate. And despite his illness, he became a famous musician in Kyiv and simply happy man. For me, there is truly a real victory not only over circumstances, but also over myself.
In F. M. Dostoevsky’s novel “Crime and Punishment,” Rodion Raskolnikov also achieves victory over himself, only in a different way. His confession is also a significant victory. He committed a terrible crime, killing an old pawnbroker to prove his theory. Rodion could have run away, made excuses to avoid punishment, but he did not do this.
In conclusion, I would like to say that victory over oneself is truly the most difficult of all victories. And to achieve it you need to spend a lot of effort.
№8.
Essay topic: True defeat comes not from the enemy, but from oneself
A person's life consists of his victories and defeats. Victory, of course, makes a person happy, but defeat makes a person sad. But it’s worth thinking about whether a person himself is to blame for his own defeat?
Thinking about this question, I remember Kuprin’s story “The Duel.” The main character of the work, Romashov Grigory Alekseevich, wears heavy rubber galoshes one and a half quarters deep, covered to the top with thick, dough-like black mud, and an overcoat cut off at the knees, with fringe hanging at the bottom, with salted and stretched loops. He is a little clumsy and constrained in action. Looking at himself from the outside, he feels insecure, thereby pushing himself to defeat.
Considering the image of Romashov, we can say that he is a loser. But despite this, his responsiveness evokes special sympathy. So he stands up for the Tatar, in front of the colonel, and keeps the soldier Khlebnikov, driven to despair by bullying and beatings, from committing suicide. Romashov’s humanity also manifests itself in the case of Bek - Agamalov, when the hero, risking his life, protects many people from him. However, his love for Alexandra Petrovna Nikolaeva leads him to the most important defeat of his life. Blinded by his love for Shurochka, he does not notice that she just wants to escape from the army environment. The finale of Romashov’s love tragedy is the nighttime appearance of Shurochka in his apartment, when she comes to offer the terms of a duel with her husband and, at the cost of Romashov’s life, to buy her prosperous future. Grigory guesses this, but because of his strong love for this woman, he agrees to all the conditions of the duel. And at the end of the story he dies, deceived by Shurochka.
Summarizing what has been said, we can say that Second Lieutenant Romashov, like many people, is the culprit of his own defeat.