Date of publication: 10/27/2017
"Indifference and responsiveness" - literary examples
An argument about indifference to the country for the final essay on the topic: “How is indifference to an individual connected with indifference to the Motherland?”
Possible thesis:
If a person does not care about someone else’s misfortune, then he is indifferent to his people and the country as a whole.
This argument ( literary example) about indifference is quite detailed, and it alone will be enough for an essay on a similar topic:
We can find a striking example of indifference to people and the fate of the state on the pages of V. L. Kondratiev’s story “Sashka”. Main character works was very young, but already knew what a person had to experience at the front. In one of the battles, he was wounded in the arm and was sent to the rear for health reasons. On the road, Sashka met a lieutenant who also came under fire, and they continued their journey together. The unfortunate friends were constantly tormented by endless pain and debilitating hunger. The only thing that gave them strength was the thought that they would get to the hospital, and there they would be warmed up, treated, and, most importantly, fed. However, upon reaching their final destination, the soldiers were disappointed: for dinner they were given only two spoons of millet porridge. But it was clear from the major that he did not suffer from hunger. While people who risked their lives at the front were starving, he grew a belly without remorse. The scoundrel reacted calmly to people’s dissatisfaction; he was already accustomed to the noise and knew perfectly well that he would not get anything for it. I am outraged by the major's actions. Every soldier was important to win the war, they shed blood, they needed to regain their strength in order to go into battle again. Apparently, this didn’t bother the boss much, and it’s very difficult for me to call such a person a patriot.
It seems to me that everything in the world is connected. For example, a person smiled - his smile evoked a good feeling in another person. A small “good” generates a big one. Just as indifference shown to just one specific person can turn into indifference to all people, indifference to one’s homeland. Indifference is a consequence of selfishness.
The author of the novel “The Conspiracy of the Indifferent,” Bruno Yasensky, said that one should not be afraid of the evil and hating, but one should be afraid of the indifferent, because from their tacit consent All betrayals and murders are committed on earth. Very harsh, but precisely said.
It is indifference that borders on betrayal. An indifferent person loses the ability to love, make friends, and enjoy beauty. With his indifference, he often gives the scoundrels a free hand. But even the indifferent person himself can finally fall, leaving his loved ones in trouble, betraying his homeland.
Indifference is also an emotion, a feeling, a response, only an angry one. Indifference does not imply dialogue or mutual understanding. Indifference contributes to the separation of people. An example to illustrate my thoughts would be literary characters. This is Alexey Shvabrin from the novel by A. S. Pushkin “ Captain's daughter"and Nikolai Zaretsky from the novel by E.G. Vodolazkin "The Aviator".
The moral decline of Alexei Ivanovich Shvabrin, the hero of A. S. Pushkin’s novel “The Captain’s Daughter,” apparently began even outside the events of the work. He ended up in the Belgorsk fortress, according to Vasilisa Yegorovna, for “murder.” The reader understands that this happened in a duel. Shvabrin does not respect anyone in the fortress. He tells Grinev who arrived that he finally saw human face. This means none of the residents Belogorsk fortress he doesn't respect. He slandered Masha Mironova and behaved dishonestly during the duel. It turns out that his transition to the side of the rebels is quite logical; betrayal of the oath is tantamount to betrayal of Catherine II, betrayal of the Motherland.
In the novel by our contemporary E.G. Vodolazkina is very interesting character. This is a man who works at a meat processing plant, steals sausage there, and believes that after the revolution he, a proletarian, “became everything.” In the literature of the 19th century, this image would be classified as “ little man", over which all Russian literature cried and sympathized. But in modern times such a hero as Nikolai Zaretsky began to personify new type a person - indifferent, self-satisfied, dreaming of personal glory. I understand that sympathy for the poor, humiliated and insulted should never develop into sentimentality, because the humiliated and insulted are no better than those who humiliate and insult them. Their humiliated and even proud indifference to those who humiliate them may well turn into hatred of others, of the Motherland, which does not meet their needs. And then betrayal of the Motherland. An example is Zaretsky’s act when he writes a denunciation against his neighbor in a communal apartment.
As we see, indifference to an individual person is also indifference to everyone around and, therefore, indifference to one’s country.
- Patriotism can be both true and false
- A true patriot will not dare to betray his homeland even under the threat of death
- Patriotism is manifested in the desire to do home country better, cleaner, protect it from the enemy
- Huge number bright examples manifestations of patriotism can be found in wartime
- A patriot is ready for even the most reckless act, which can bring people at least a little closer to saving the country
- A true patriot is faithful to the oath and his own moral principles
Arguments
M. Sholokhov “The Fate of Man.” During the war, Andrei Sokolov repeatedly proved that he deserves to be called a patriot of his country. Patriotism manifested itself in enormous power will and hero. Even under the threat of death during interrogation by Müller, he decides to preserve his Russian dignity and show the German the qualities of a real Russian soldier. Andrei Sokolov’s refusal to drink German weapons for the victory, despite the famine, is direct evidence that he is a patriot. The behavior of Andrei Sokolov seems to summarize the fortitude and steadfastness of a Soviet soldier who truly loves his Motherland.
L.N. Tolstoy “War and Peace”. In an epic novel, the reader is faced with the concept of true and false patriotism. All representatives of the Bolkonsky and Rostov families, as well as Pierre Bezukhov, can be called true patriots. These people are ready to defend their Motherland at any moment. Prince Andrei, even after being wounded, goes to war, no longer dreaming of glory, but simply defending his homeland. Pierre Bezukhov, who doesn’t really understand anything about military operations, how true patriot remains in Moscow captured by the enemy to kill Napoleon. Nikolai and Petya Rostov are fighting, and Natasha does not spare the carts and gives them to transport the wounded. Everything suggests that these people are worthy children of their country. This cannot be said about the Kuragins, who are patriots only in words, but do not back up their words with actions. They talk about patriotism only for their own benefit. Consequently, not everyone from whom we hear about patriotism can be called a true patriot.
A.S. Pushkin “The Captain's Daughter”. Pyotr Grinev cannot even admit the thought of swearing allegiance to the impostor Pugachev, although this threatens him with death. He is a man of honor, true to his oath and his word, a true soldier. Although Pugachev is kind to Pyotr Grinev, the young soldier does not strive to please him or promise not to touch his people. In the most difficult situations Pyotr Grinev resists the invaders. And although the hero more than once turns to Pugachev for help, he cannot be accused of betrayal, because he does all this to save Masha Mironova. Pyotr Grinev is a true patriot, ready to give his life for his Motherland, as his actions prove. The accusations of treason that are brought against him in court are false, which is why justice ultimately wins.
V. Kondratyev “Sashka”. Sashka is a man who fights selflessly, at full strength. And although he beats the enemy with hatred, a sense of justice forces the hero not to kill a captured German, his peer, who unexpectedly found himself in the war. This is, of course, not betrayal. Sashka’s thoughts at the sight of Moscow, not captured by the enemy, confirm that he is a true patriot. Seeing a city in which almost the same life is in full swing, the hero realizes how important what he did on the front line is. Sashka is ready to defend his native country, because he understands how important it is.
N.V. Gogol “Taras Bulba”. Protection for the Cossacks native land is the basis of existence. It is not for nothing that the work says that it is difficult to resist the power of angry Cossacks. Old Taras Bulba is a true patriot who does not tolerate betrayal. He even kills his own youngest son Andriy, who went over to the side of the enemy because of his love for a beautiful Polish woman. Taras Bulba does not take into account his own child, because his moral principles are unshakable: betrayal of the Motherland cannot be justified by anything. All this confirms that Taras Bulba is characterized by a sense of patriotism, like other real Cossacks, including Ostap, his eldest son.
A.T. Tvardovsky “Vasily Terkin”. The image of Vasily Terkin serves as the ideal embodiment of a simple Soviet soldier, ready at any moment to perform a feat in order to bring victory over the enemy closer. It costs Terkin nothing to swim across an icy river covered with ice in order to convey the necessary instructions to the other bank. He himself does not see this as a feat. And the soldier commits similar actions more than once throughout the work. Without a doubt, he can be called a true patriot fighting for a bright future for his country.
“Argumentation. Attraction literary material" is one of the main criteria for assessing the final essay. Using wisely literary sources, the student demonstrates his erudition and deep understanding of the problem posed. At the same time, it is important not only to provide a link to the work, but also to skillfully include it in the discussion, analyzing specific episodes that correspond to the chosen topic. How to do this? We offer you, as an example, arguments from literature in the direction of “Indifference and Responsiveness” from 10 famous works.
- The heroine of the novel by L.N. Tolstoy's "War and Peace" Natasha Rostova is a person with a sensitive heart. Thanks to her intervention, the carts, originally intended for moving and loaded with things, were given over to transport wounded soldiers. Another example of a caring attitude towards the world and people is Platon Karataev. He goes to war, helping out his younger brother, and although he doesn’t like fighting at all, even in such conditions the hero remains kind and sympathetic. Plato “loved and lived lovingly with everything that life brought him together,” helped other prisoners (in particular, he fed Pierre when he was captured), and took care of a stray dog.
- In the novel by F.M. Dostoevsky's "Crime and Punishment" many heroes manifest themselves as pronounced altruists or egoists. The first, of course, includes Sonechka Marmeladova, who sacrifices herself to provide for her family and then goes into exile after Raskolnikov, trying to save his soul. We must not forget about Razumikhin: he is poor and lives hardly better than Raskolnikov, but he is always ready to help him - he offers his friend a job, buys him clothes, gives him money. In contrast to these noble people, for example, the image of Luzhin is presented. Luzhin “loved and valued... his money more than anything in the world”; he wanted to marry Raskolnikov’s sister Duna, pursuing the base goal of taking a poor wife who would be forever indebted to him. It is noteworthy that he does not even bother himself with ensuring that the future bride and her mother reach St. Petersburg comfortably. Indifference to the fate of the closest people results in the same attitude towards the world and characterizes the hero with negative side. As we know, fate rewarded sympathetic characters, but punished indifferent characters.
- The type of person who lives for himself is depicted by I.A. Bunin in the story "Mr. from San Francisco". The hero, a certain wealthy gentleman whose name we never learn, goes on a journey “solely for the sake of entertainment.” He spends time among his own kind, and divides other people into service personnel and the annoying “interference” with his pleasure are, for example, the commission agents and ragamuffins on the embankment, as well as the inhabitants of the miserable houses that the gentleman from San Francisco has to see along the way. However, after his sudden death, he himself, from a supposedly respected and revered person, becomes a burden, and the same people, in whose devotion he believed, because “he was generous,” send his corpse to his homeland in a soda box. With this crude irony I.A. Bunin illustrates the famous folk wisdom: as it comes back, so it will respond.
- An example of dedication is the hero of the collection of stories by M.A. Bulgakov "Notes of a Young Doctor". A young doctor named Bomgard, recently graduated from university, goes to work in a rural hospital, where he is faced with harsh living conditions, human ignorance, terrible diseases and, finally, death itself. But, despite everything, he fights for every patient; goes to the sick day and night, not sparing himself; constantly learns and improves her skills. It is significant that Bomgard is not a heroic person, he is often unsure of himself and, like everyone else, experiences fear, but at the decisive moment the sense of professional duty overcomes everything else.
- The indifference of people to each other is especially scary when it, like a virus, covers the entire society. This situation occurred in the story of V.P. Astafiev "Lyudochka" It contrasts life path the heroine and the attitude towards her from others, from family to society as a whole. Lyudochka is a village girl who moves to the city in search of better life. She works hard at work, meekly takes care of the housework instead of the woman from whom she rents an apartment, endures the rudeness of the “youth” around her, until the last minute comforts a dying man in the hospital... She is too different from the stupid, spoiled herd of people she is forced to be surrounded by, and this leads her to trouble over and over again. Alas, no one, not even her own mother, extended a helping hand to her at the right moment, and the girl committed suicide. The saddest thing is that for society this situation is in the order of things, which is reflected in dry but terrible statistics.
- The image of a kind-hearted, sympathetic person is key in the work of A.I. Solzhenitsyn "Matryonin's Dvor". Matryona’s fate cannot be called enviable: she is a widow, buried six children, for many years she worked on the collective farm “for workdays,” did not receive a pension, and remained poor in her old age. Despite this, the heroine retained her cheerful disposition, sociability, love of work and willingness to help others, without demanding anything in return. The apogee of her self-sacrifice becomes a tragic incident on railway, which ends with the death of the heroine. What’s surprising is that her face, untouched by the terrible accident, was “intact, calm, more alive than dead” - just like the face of a saint.
- In the story “Gooseberry” by A.P. In Chekhov we meet a hero obsessed with a base material goal. This is the narrator’s brother, Nikolai Chimsha-Himalayan, who dreams of buying an estate, and certainly with gooseberry bushes. For this, he stops at nothing: he lives stingily, is greedy, marries an old rich widow and plagues her with hunger. He is indifferent to people, so he is ready to sacrifice their interests for his own. Finally, his dream comes true, he feels happy and does not notice that the gooseberries are sour - to such an extent he has renounced real life. This horrifies the narrator; with a fiery speech he addresses “ happy man”, calling to remember “that there are unfortunate people, that no matter how happy he is... trouble will happen... and no one will see or hear him, just as now he does not see or hear others.” The narrator discovered that the meaning of life is not in personal happiness, “but in something more reasonable and greater.” “Do good!” - this is how he concludes his speech, hoping that young people who still have the strength and opportunity to change something will not follow the path of his brother and will become responsive people.
- It can be difficult for a person with an open and sympathetic soul to live in the world. This happened with the Freak from story of the same name V.M. Shukshina. As an adult man, the hero thinks and behaves like a child. He is drawn to people, loves to talk and joke, strives to be with everyone good relations, however, he constantly gets into trouble due to the fact that he does not look like a “proper adult.” Let's remember one episode: on the plane, Chudik asks his neighbor to buckle up, as the flight attendant ordered; he perceives his words with obvious displeasure. The landing is not entirely successful: Chudik’s neighbor falls from his chair, so much so that he loses his false jaw. The weirdo rushes to his aid - but in response he again receives a portion of irritation and anger. And that’s how everyone treats him, from strangers to family members. Chudik’s responsiveness and society’s reluctance to understand someone who does not fit into the framework are two sides of the same problem.
- The story of K.G. is devoted to the topic of indifference to one’s neighbor. Paustovsky "Telegram". The girl Nastya, secretary of the Union of Artists, devotes all her strength to her work. She worries about the fate of painters and sculptors, organizes exhibitions and competitions, and never finds time to see her old sick mother, who lives in the village. Finally, having received a telegram that her mother is dying, Nastya sets off, but it’s too late... The author warns readers against making the same mistake, the guilt for which will probably remain with the heroine for life.
- Manifestations of altruism in wartime have special meaning, since we are often talking about life and death. T. Keneally's novel “Schindler's Ark” is a story about a German businessman and NSDAP member Oskar Schindler, who during the Holocaust organizes production and recruits Jews, thereby saving them from extermination. This requires great effort from Schindler: he has to maintain connections with the right people, bribe, forge documents, but the result - more than a thousand lives saved and the eternal gratitude of these people and their descendants - is the main reward for the hero. The impression of this selfless act is enhanced by the fact that the novel is based on real events. Interesting? Save it on your wall!