Russian Duels In A Hero Of Our Time And Eugene Onegin

Keeping this in mind, it comes as no surprise that Raskolnikov would feel utterly abhorred when Svidrigaïlov refers to them as “birds of a feather”(p.340; Part 4, Chapter 1). While Svidrigaïlov is rather keen of their shared similarities, such as their status as murderers, Raskolnikov willingly fails to realize these associations. Raskolnikov’s better side objects to the hedonistic behavior of Svidrigaïlov, decrying him as a man of the most abject nature. The dramatic irony lies in the fact that Raskolnikov desires to be an “extraordinary” man, the very epitome of Svidrigaïlov, a man he holds in no high regard. Despite their superficial variances and dissidences, Raskolnikov had slowly rendered himself into a facsimile of the man he detested, Svidrigaïlov. Although both men, whether knowingly or unknowingly, desire to transcend above the ordinary masses, it is only a matter of time before self-realization indicates the folly of their ways.

Mikhail Lermontov’s ‘A Hero of our Time’ is set in the 1840s, a crucial time in Russian history. Pechorin was a revolutionary character in Russian literature due to his cynical and amoral personality that alienates him from all social strata. ‘A Hero of our Time’ generated a large amount of outrage from the public due to Lermontov, claiming Pechorin to be the ‘hero’ of our its time. ’Bela’ is a framed narrative portrayed from the views of an old friend, Maxim Maximych, however, the story told by Maxim Maximych suggests it is an unjust and biased view of our ‘hero’ thus we as readers are to depict the true ‘hero’ Pechorin is. Examining the chapter ‘Bela,’ his actions signify his capability to damage a society, demonstrating him to be the callous and manipulative character he is.

A story, of any type, is greatly affected by the characters’ outlook on life. A bright, hopeful main character will give the narrative a more lighthearted feel, and cause the reader to feel encouraged and satisfied. If the character has a negative perspective, however, it can elicit sadness, pity, or even irritation from the reader. In Voltaire’s Candide and Tolstoy’s Death of Ivan Ilyich, two characters with very different worldviews are displayed. The lighthearted Candide maintained an attitude of cheerfulness and perseverance even through the hardships of his life, which stems from his deep love and care for others, while the coldhearted despair of Ivan Ilyich is only intensified into anger by the feigned optimism of those around him.

During many duels, the opponents follow “Code Duello”. In the book by Ellis, “Code duello” is followed in one of the most historically and influential American duels. This duel helped change the views of many people. This duel is important historically and politically. Therefore, this duel is important for the shaping of America.

African-Americans played an important part on both sides of the battle. Petersburg was known for having a high population of freed African-Americans as high the population of Petersburg was black and 35% of that population was free. Slaves and freedmen were very integral to the city of Petersburg and the Confederacy as they worked for many railroad companies. In 1862, they helped construct the ten-mile long defensive line of trenches and batteries around the city of Petersburg. In March 1865, after sustaining heavy white casualties in the Confederate Army, they called upon 40,000 African-Americans to join in the fight. In the Petersburg Daily Express, a notice was given to the African-American population “To the slaves is offered freedom and undisturbed residences at their old

In a recent article, Richard Bell argued that dueling was regarded as a form of suicide in the early American Republic, which was considered morally repugnant. Vocal anti-duelist reformers also rhetorically insisted the bloody contests were a unique “species of murder,” although “suicide became the motif of choice for reformers who worked to instill proper fear and disdain for a cultural practice that persisted on the margins of respectable society.”

The short story “The Death of Dolgushov” by Isaak Babel is a gut wrenching story, at times literally, about the dilemmas of killing. Babel, a master of the short story, challenges readers’ morality by contrasting two soldiers plights. On the one hand, a soldier, Dolgushov, pleads that he has “had it (241),” meaning that he wants his comrade to kill him after being mortally wounded by machine gun fire; while on the other hand, another soldier, unnamed, cannot bring himself to kill Dolgushov. Throughout the story, war is depicted as a game until a soldier gets seriously hurt. This device, combined with the vivid imagery associated with both soldier’s plights, complicates how readers’ judge the act of killing and war in general.

Chapter 1 focused on introducing two politicians that were about to have a duel on July 11, 1804. Aaron Burr was the third vice president of the United States and the vice president during Thomas Jefferson’s term. Alexander Hamilton was a founding father of the United States and apart of the federalist party. Both Hamilton and Burr were each other 's political rival and would insult one another until they arranged a duel to end their dispute. The duel ended with Hamilton shooting Burr in the right side causing him to die the next day. Newspapers exaggerated the situation by making it seem like Hamilton murdered Burr out of cold blood and dwindling his reputation as a politician. What interested me in this chapter was that in the past they used dueling as a way to handle disputes between one another. However, I don’t think that dueling was the smartest method of settling a coral between people because it is a selfish act that is similar to suicide and risk ruining your life.

Often times in literature, we are presented with quintessential characters that are all placed into the conventional categories of either good or bad. In these pieces, we are usually able to differentiate the characters and discover their true intentions from reading only a few chapters. However, in some remarkable pieces of work, authors create characters that are so realistic and so complex that we are unable to distinguish them as purely good or evil. In the novel Crime and Punishment, Fyodor Dostoevsky develops the morally ambiguous characters of Raskolnikov and Svidrigailov to provide us with an interesting read and to give us a chance to evaluate each character.

1A duel was a common way of solving disputes and the loser was the first to have their blood touch the ground. The winner was believed to be right because the gods would help the right man

During many duels, the opponents follow “Code Duello”. In the book by Ellis, Code duello is followed in one of the most historically and influential duels. This duel helped change the views of many people. This duel is important historically and politically. Therefore, this duel is important for the shaping of

The end of the nineteenth century marked a brilliant period in Russian literature defined by innovation and experimentation. With political and economic changes sweeping over Russia, its literature displayed the anxious, even hostile reaction to the modernization of a nation that hadn’t seen transformations in decades. The Petty Demon, Wings, and Petersburg considered to be some of the greatest works of the time, were unique pieces of literature in the decadence period, although they borrowed and built on elements from other authors of the time. The analysis of these novels, in terms of conventional categories of literary analysis, including thematics, narration, and setting is not only a means to display the uncommon structure of the novel, but also to demonstrate its association with other influential authors. In the writings of The Petty Demon, Wings, and Petersburg these authors dismantle the ideas of other authors and then parody them, therefore subverting the norms of realist pros and making reader think of a particular style of writing and then goes to write the complete opposite.

“I have been questioning his methods of ruling for years now, ever since he stripped my family of my beloved brother. I had idolized my brother and was inspired to follow his footsteps in a fight for change when the Tsar’s okhrana brutality took him from me on May the 8th, 1887. I believed the Tsar Nicholas’s ruling methods to be outdated and his use of brutality and ignorance to be the cause of the minorities depression within this mislead country. The motivation my brother’s death brought to me pushed me to investigate further into politics. Here I found more unjust laws the Tsar stood by and I decided to work hard enough to make a change.”

Hadji Murat, Tolstoy's second book with the Caucasus as its setting can be considered a work of historical fiction that is a beautiful tale of resistance, and a window into not only the Caucasian War of the mid-nineteenth century, but also the culture of the Russian Empire during this period. As a work of fiction the reader must be wary of depictions of actual persons such as Tsar Nicholas I, whom Tolstoy was not enamored with, to say the least, but many insights about the period and its people can be gleaned from the story. The novel is one of great contrasts between Chechens and Russians and also of what life was like during this time.

Popular descriptions of Alexei Karenin label him as a cold and passionless government official who doesn’t care about his wife or family. Indeed, he is viewed as the awful husband who is holding Anna hostage in a loveless marriage. However, this is a highly exaggerated description, if not completely false, analysis of Karenin. Upon careful analysis of Karenin’s character and his actions, it is clear that he is not the person Anna makes him out to be. In fact, with thorough examination of the passage on pages 384 and 385 of Anna Karenina, it is clear that Alexei Karenin can be considered the hidden tragic hero of the novel.