Literary arguments on the topic of the meaning of life. Literary arguments for writing an essay in the Unified State Exam format

Antoine Marie Jean-Baptiste Roger de Saint-Exupéry(1900, Lyon, France - July 31, 1944) - famous French writer, poet and professional pilot.

A. de Saint-Exupery " A little prince». The Old Fox taught the Little Prince to comprehend wisdom human relations. To understand a person, you need to learn to peer into him and forgive minor shortcomings. After all, the most important thing is always hidden inside, and you can’t see it right away.

This is the story of the accidental landing of the writer himself and his mechanic Prevost in the desert.
The symbol of life is water, it quenches the thirst of people lost in the sands, the source of everything that exists on earth, the food and flesh of everyone, the substance that makes rebirth possible.
The dehydrated desert is a symbol of a world devastated by war, chaos, destruction, human callousness, envy and selfishness. This is a world in which man dies of spiritual thirst.

A rose is a symbol of love, beauty, and femininity. The little prince did not immediately discern the true inner essence of beauty. But after a conversation with the Fox, the truth was revealed to him - beauty only becomes beautiful when it is filled with meaning and content.

“Loving does not mean looking at each other, it means looking in the same direction” - this thought defines ideological plan fairy tale stories.

He examines the theme of Evil in two aspects: on the one hand, it is “micro-evil,” that is, evil within an individual person. This is the deadness and inner emptiness of the inhabitants of the planets, who personify all human vices. And it is no coincidence that the inhabitants of the planet Earth are characterized through the inhabitants of the planets seen by the Little Prince. By this, the author emphasizes how petty and dramatic the modern world is. He believes that humanity, like the Little Prince, will comprehend the mystery of existence, and each person will find his own guiding star, which will illuminate his path in life. The second aspect of the theme of evil can be conditionally called “macroevil”. Baobabs are a spiritualized image of evil in general. One interpretation of this metaphorical image is associated with fascism. Saint-Exupéry wanted people to carefully uproot the evil “baobab trees” that threatened to tear the planet apart. “Beware of the baobabs!” - the writer conjures.

Saint-Exupery encourages us to treat everything beautiful as carefully as possible and try not to get lost in difficult things. life path beauty within yourself - the beauty of the soul and heart.
The Little Prince learns the most important thing about beauty from the Fox. Outwardly beautiful, but empty inside, roses do not evoke any feelings in a child-contemplator. They are dead to him. The main character discovers the truth for himself, the author and the readers - only that which is filled with content and deep meaning is beautiful.

Misunderstanding and alienation of people is another important philosophical topic. The deadness of the human soul leads to loneliness. A person judges others only by the “outer shell”, without seeing the main thing in a person - his inner moral beauty: “When you tell adults: “I saw a beautiful house made of pink brick, there were geraniums in the windows, and pigeons on the roof,” they cannot imagine this house. They must be told: “I saw a house for a hundred thousand francs,” and then they exclaim: “What a beauty!”
People must take care of the purity and beauty of their planet, together protect and decorate it, and prevent all living things from perishing. So, gradually, unobtrusively, another one appears in the fairy tale. important topic- environmental, which is very relevant for our time. The Little Prince's journey from star to star brings us closer to today's vision of cosmic distances, where the Earth, due to the carelessness of people, can disappear almost unnoticed.
Love And the Fox reveals one more secret to the baby: “Only the heart is vigilant. You can’t see the most important thing with your eyes... Your Rose is so dear to you because you gave her your whole soul... People have forgotten this truth, but don’t forget: you are forever responsible for everyone you have tamed.” To tame means to bind oneself to another creature with tenderness, love, and a sense of responsibility. To tame means to destroy facelessness and indifference towards all living things. To tame means to make the world significant and generous, because everything in it reminds of a beloved creature. The narrator comprehends this truth, and the stars come to life for him, and he hears the ringing of silver bells in the sky, reminiscent of the laughter of the Little Prince. The theme of “expansion of the soul” through love runs through the entire tale.

Only friendship can melt the ice of loneliness and alienation, since it is based on mutual understanding, mutual trust and mutual assistance.
“It's sad when friends are forgotten. Not everyone has a friend,” says the hero of the fairy tale. At the beginning of the fairy tale, the Little Prince leaves his only Rose, then he leaves his new friend Fox on Earth. “There is no perfection in the world,” the Fox will say. But there is harmony, there is humanity, there is a person’s responsibility for the work entrusted to him, for the person close to him, there is also responsibility for his planet, for everything that happens on it.
Exupery wants to say that every person has his own planet, his own island and his own guiding star, which a person should not forget about. “I would like to know why the stars glow,” said the Little Prince thoughtfully. “Probably so that sooner or later everyone can find theirs again.”

Lev Nikolaevich Tolstoy ---1828 --- 1910 Novel "War and Peace"

Pierre (Tolstoy's "V. and the World") was helped to survive in captivity by the wisdom of Platon Karataev, who taught him to live simply and appreciate what you have: the sun is shining, the rain is falling - all is good. There is no need to rush around in search of happiness - live and rejoice, be happy that you live. He found a common language with everyone, even the French.

Using the example of Pierre Bezukhov and Platon Karataev L. N. Tolstoy showed two completely different types Russian characters, two different social heroes.
The first of them is the count, who was captured by the French as an “arsonist” and, miraculously, escaped execution. The second is a simple, experienced, patient soldier. Nevertheless, the soldier Platon Karataev managed to play an extremely important role in the life of Pierre Bezukhov.
After the execution of the “arsonists,” of which Pierre became an eyewitness, “it was as if the spring on which everything was held was pulled out in his soul, and everything fell into a heap of meaningless rubbish. Faith in the improvement of the world, and in human soul, and in God."
A meeting in a booth with Platon Karataev helped Pierre’s spiritual revival: “He felt that the previously destroyed world was now being erected in his soul with new beauty, on some new and unshakable foundations.” Karataev made a huge impression on Pierre with his behavior, common sense, expediency of actions, and ability to “do everything not very well, but not badly either.” For Pierre, he became “an incomprehensible, round and eternal personification of the spirit of simplicity and truth.”
Bezukhov, having endured severe suffering and fear of death, finds himself in another world. He sees how Karataev carefully arranged all his “household” in the corner, how a little dog ran up to him and began to caress him. The soldier started talking about something very simple, began muttering prayers. All these everyday words and actions in those conditions seemed to Pierre a miracle, a great discovery of the truth of life. Pierre felt the new beauty of the recently destroyed world, received “peace and contentment with himself”: “And he, without thinking about it, received this peace and this agreement with himself only through the horror of death, through deprivation and through what he understood in Karataev."
Karataev feels like a part of the people: ordinary soldiers, the peasantry. His wisdom is contained in numerous proverbs and sayings, each of which reveals an episode of Plato’s life. For example, “where there is justice, there is untruth.” He suffered from an unfair trial and was forced to serve in the army. However, Plato takes any twists of fate calmly; he is ready to sacrifice himself for the well-being of his family. Karataev loves every person, every Living being: he is affectionate with an ordinary stray dog, helps other prisoners, sews shirts for the French and sincerely admires his work.
Platon Karataev becomes for Pierre an example of the perception of another world, where simplicity and truth, love for humanity reign.
The relationship between Platon Karataev and Pierre Bezukhov developed very briefly in the novel. Due to the worsening illness, Karataev was shot by the French.
The soldier passed away unnoticed, and Pierre took Karataev’s death calmly, as a matter of course.
Plato appeared next to Pierre, like a savior, at the most difficult moment of his life and left casually. But, despite this, his personality is so extraordinary and his influence on Pierre’s fate is so great that Karataev cannot simply be counted among episodic characters novel.
It was not for nothing that years later Pierre often remembered him, thought about what Plato would say about this or that event, “would he approve or not approve.” The meeting of these two heroes largely determined future fate Count Pierre Bezukhov and showed the greatest wisdom of the Russian people, embodied in the guise of the soldier Platon Karataev

All arguments for the final essay in the direction of "Goal and Means".

Is it possible to achieve a goal if the obstacles seem insurmountable? Is it possible to achieve a goal if everything is against you? Are there unattainable goals?
Many examples in life and fiction indicate that human possibilities are limitless. Yes, hero autobiographical novel Ruben Gallego's "White on Black" is an example that confirms the idea that no obstacles are insurmountable. The main character of the novel is an orphan for whom, it seems, life has not prepared anything good. He is sick, and also deprived of parental warmth. Even in infancy, he was separated from his mother, and he was assigned to Orphanage. His life is hard and joyless, but the brave boy amazes with his determination. Despite the fact that he is considered weak-minded and incapable of learning, he is so passionate about overcoming fate that he achieves his goal: he becomes famous writer and an inspiring example for many people. The whole point is that he chooses the path of the hero: “I am a hero. It's easy to be a hero. If you don't have arms or legs, you are a hero or a dead man. If you don't have parents, rely on your own hands and feet. And be a hero. If you have neither arms nor legs, and you also managed to be born an orphan, that’s it. You are doomed to be a hero for the rest of your days. Or die. I am a hero. I simply have no other choice." In other words, to follow this path means to be strong and not give up until you reach the goal, when the goal is life, and achieving the goal is a daily struggle for existence.

What's happened " great goal"? What is the purpose of human existence? What goal can bring satisfaction?
A great goal is, first of all, a goal aimed at creation, at making people's lives better. In V. Aksenov’s story “Colleagues” we see heroes who have yet to realize their destiny. Three friends: Alexey Maksimov, Vladislav Karpov and Alexander Zelenin, graduates medical institute, awaiting placement after graduation. They do not yet fully understand how important their work is, because quite recently they lived carefree: they went to the movies and theaters, walked, fell in love, argued about the purpose of a doctor. However, after college they are faced with real practice. Alexander Zelenin asks to be transferred to the village of Kruglogorye; he is sure that friends should continue the work of their ancestors for the sake of their descendants. Thanks to his work, he quickly gains respect local residents. At this time, Alexander's friends are working in the seaport, awaiting assignment to the ship. They are bored and do not understand the importance of their work. However, when Zelenin is seriously injured, his friends are nearby. Now a friend’s life depends only on their professionalism. Maksimov and Karpov perform a difficult operation and save Zelenin. It is at this moment that doctors understand what the great purpose of their lives is. They have enormous power to snatch a person from the tenacious clutches of death. This is why they chose their profession; only such a goal can bring them satisfaction.

Lack of purpose. Why is aimless existence dangerous? What is the purpose for? Can a person live without a goal? How do you understand the statement of E.A. According to “No transport will be favorable if you don’t know where to go”?

Lack of purpose is the scourge of humanity. After all, it is in achieving a goal that a person comprehends life and himself, accumulates experience, and develops his soul. Many heroes literary works serve as confirmation of this. Usually, an immature person who is at the very beginning of his life’s journey suffers from the lack of a goal. For example, Evgeniy, hero novel of the same name in verses by A.S. Pushkin. At the beginning of the work we see a young man who has no interest in life. A the main problem- this is the purposelessness of his existence. He cannot find the peak to which he could strive, although throughout the novel he tries to do so. At the end of the work, he seemingly finds a “target” - Tatyana. That's the goal! It can be assumed that his first step was taken: he confessed his love to Tatyana and dreamed that he could win her heart. A.S. Pushkin leaves the ending open. We don't know whether he will achieve his first goal, but there is always hope.

What means cannot be used to achieve a goal? Does the end justify the means? Do you agree with Einstein's statement: “No goal is so high that it justifies unworthy means to achieve it”?
Sometimes, in order to achieve their goals, people forget about the means they choose on the way to what they want. Thus, one of the characters in the novel “A Hero of Our Time,” Azamat, wanted to get a horse that belonged to Kazbich. He was ready to offer everything he had and didn't have. The desire to get Karagöz overcame all the feelings he had. Azamat, in order to achieve his goal, betrayed his family: he sold his sister to get what he wanted, and ran away from home, fearing punishment. His betrayal resulted in the death of his father and sister. Azamat, despite the consequences, destroyed everything that was dear to him in order to get what he so passionately desired. From his example you can see that not all means are good for achieving the goal.

The relationship between goals and means. What's the difference between a true and a false target? In what life situations does achieving a goal not bring happiness? Does achieving a goal always make a person happy?
The relationship between goals and means can be found on the pages of the novel by M.Yu. Lermontov "Hero of Our Time". Trying to achieve a goal, people sometimes do not understand that not all means will help them achieve this. One of the characters in the novel “A Hero of Our Time,” Grushnitsky, passionately desired to be recognized. He sincerely believed that the position and money would help him in this. In the service, he sought a promotion, believing that this would solve his problems and attract the girl with whom he was in love. His dreams were not destined to come true, because true respect and recognition are not associated with money. The girl he was pursuing preferred someone else because love has nothing to do with social recognition and status.

What false goals lead to?What is the difference between a true and a false target? What is the difference between a goal and a momentary desire? When does achieving a goal not bring happiness?
When a person sets false goals for himself, achieving them does not bring satisfaction. The central character of the novel “A Hero of Our Time” has set different goals for himself all his life, hoping that achieving them will bring him joy. He makes the women he likes fall in love with him. Using all means, he wins their hearts, but later loses interest. So, becoming interested in Bela, he decides to steal her and then woo the wild Circassian woman. However, having achieved his goal, Pechorin begins to get bored; her love does not bring him happiness. In the chapter “Taman” he meets a strange girl and a blind boy who are involved in smuggling. In an effort to find out their secret, he does not sleep for days and watches them. His passion is fueled by a sense of danger, but on the way to achieving his goal, he changes people's lives. Having been discovered, the girl is forced to flee and leave the blind boy and elderly woman to their fate. Pechorin does not set true goals for himself, he only strives to dispel boredom, which not only leads him to disappointment, but also breaks the fates of people who get in his way.

Goal and means/self-sacrifice. Does the end justify the means? How are a person’s moral qualities related to the means he chooses to achieve his goals? Achieving what goal brings satisfaction?
The means can be justified by the end if it is noble, like the heroes of O. Henry's story "". Della and Jim found themselves in a difficult life situation: on Christmas Eve they did not have money to give each other gifts. But each of the heroes set a goal for themselves: to please their soulmate at all costs. So Della sold her hair to buy a watch chain for her husband, and Jim sold his watch to buy a comb. “The James Dillingham Young couple had two treasures that were the source of their pride. One is Jim's gold watch that belonged to his father and grandfather, the other is Della's hair." The heroes of the story sacrificed the most important things in order to achieve the main goal - to please their loved one.

Do you need a goal in life? Why do you need a goal in life? Why is it important to have a purpose in life? Why is aimless existence dangerous? What is the purpose of human existence? What is the difference between true and false?
Witty satire on reality is a distinctive feature of O. Henry's work. His story “” touches on perhaps one of the most important problems of society. The narrative is full of comedy: the main character, Mr. Towers Chandler, being an ordinary hard worker, allowed himself a luxurious trip through the center of Manhattan once every 70 days. He put on an expensive suit, hired a cab driver, dined at a good restaurant, posing as a rich man. Once during such a “soray” he met a modestly dressed girl named Marian. He was captivated by her beauty and invited her to lunch. During the conversation, he still pretended to be a rich man who doesn’t have to do anything. For Marian, this lifestyle was unacceptable. Her position was obvious: every person should have aspirations and goals in life. It doesn't matter whether a person is rich or poor, he must study useful work. Only later do we learn that the girl was actually rich, unlike Chandler. He naively believed that by posing as a wealthy person, not burdened with worries and labors, he could attract the attention of a beautiful stranger, and that people would treat him better. But it turned out that a purposeless existence not only does not attract, but also repels. O. Henry's manifesto is directed against slackers and idle people, "whose whole life passes between the living room and the club."

Determination. Do you agree with the statement: “A person who certainly wants something forces fate to give up”? Is it possible to achieve a goal if the obstacles seem insurmountable? What is the purpose for? How do you understand Balzac’s statement: “To reach the goal, you must first go”? How to achieve the goal?
Are there things beyond our capabilities? If not, how can you achieve your wildest goal? In his story "" A.P. Platonov gives answers to these questions. It tells the story of the life of a small flower that was destined to be born between stones and clay. His whole life was a struggle with external factors that interfered with his growth and development. The brave flower “worked day and night to live and not die,” and therefore was completely different from other flowers. Came from him special light and smell. At the end of the work, we can see how his efforts were not in vain, we see his “son”, just as alive and patient, only even stronger, since he lived between the stones. This allegory applies to man. A person’s goal is achievable if he works without sparing effort. If you are purposeful, you can overcome any obstacles, and also raise children in your image, even better. What humanity will be like depends on everyone. Do not be afraid of difficulties and give up. Strong personalities, who are characterized by determination, “shine” with an extraordinary color in the same way as A.P.’s flower. Platonov.

How does society influence the formation of goals?
From the very beginning of the story, all the thoughts of Anna Mikhailovna Drubetskaya and her son are directed towards one thing - organizing their material well-being. For this sake, Anna Mikhailovna does not disdain either humiliating begging, or the use of brute force (the scene with the mosaic briefcase), or intrigue, etc. At first, Boris tries to resist his mother's will, but over time he realizes that the laws of the society in which they live are subject to only one rule - the one with power and money is right. Boris begins to “make a career.” He is not interested in serving the Fatherland; he prefers serving in those places where he can quickly move up the career ladder with minimal impact. For him there is no sincere feelings(rejection of Natasha), nor sincere friendship (coldness towards the Rostovs, who did a lot for him). He even subordinates his marriage to this goal (description of his “melancholy service” with Julie Karagina, declaration of love to her through disgust, etc.). In the war of 12, Boris sees only court and staff intrigues and is only concerned with how to turn this to his advantage. Julie and Boris are quite happy with each other: Julie is flattered by the presence of a handsome husband who has made a brilliant career; Boris needs her money.

End justifies the means? Is it possible to say that in war all means are good? Is it possible to justify great goals achieved through dishonest means?
For example, in the novel by F.M. Dostoevsky's main character Rodion poses the question: “Am I a trembling creature or do I have the right”? Rodion sees the poverty and troubles of the people around him, which is why he decides to kill the old money-lender, thinking that her money will help thousands of suffering girls and boys. Throughout the entire narrative, the hero tries to test his theory about the superman, justifying himself by the fact that great commanders and rulers did not set themselves barriers in the form of morality on the path to great goals. Rodion turns out to be a man unable to live with the awareness of the act he committed, and therefore admits his guilt. After some time, he understands that the pride of the mind leads to death, thereby refuting his theory of the “superman”. He sees a dream in which fanatics, confident in their rightness, killed others without accepting their truth. “People killed each other... in senseless rage, until they destroyed the human race, except for a few “chosen ones.” The fate of this hero shows us that even good intentions do not justify inhumane methods.

Can the end justify the means? How do you understand the saying: “When the goal is achieved, the path is forgotten”?
The eternal question of the relationship between ends and means is touched upon in the dystopian novel “O Marvelous new world» Aldous Huxley. The story is told in the distant future, and a “happy” society appears before the reader’s eyes. All areas of life are mechanized, a person no longer experiences suffering or pain, all problems can be resolved by taking a drug called “soma”. People's whole lives are aimed at obtaining pleasure, they are no longer tormented by the torment of choice, their life is predetermined. The concepts of “father” and “mother” do not exist, since children are raised in special laboratories, eliminating the danger of abnormal development. Thanks to technology, old age is defeated, people die young and beautiful. They even greet death cheerfully, watching TV shows, having fun and taking soma. All the people in the state are happy. However, further we see reverse side such a life. This happiness turns out to be primitive, since in such a society strong feelings are prohibited and connections between people are destroyed. Standardization is the motto of life. Art, religion, true science find themselves repressed and forgotten. The inconsistency of the theory of universal happiness is proven by heroes such as Bernard Marx, Hulmholtz Watson, John, who could not find a place in society because they realized their individuality. This novel confirms the following idea: even such an important goal as universal happiness cannot be justified by such terrible methods as standardization, depriving a person of love and family. Therefore, we can say for sure that the path that leads to happiness is also very important.

The question of the goal and the means to achieve it has worried humanity since ancient times. Many writers, philosophers and public figures reflected on it and gave historical, life and literary arguments to prove their point of view. In the Russian classics, there were also many answers and examples that, as a rule, prove the statement that the paths of achievement must correspond in everything to what needs to be achieved, otherwise it loses all meaning. In this collection, we have listed the most striking and illustrative examples from Russian literature for the final essay in the direction of “Goals and Means.”

1. In Pushkin’s novel “The Captain’s Daughter,” the main character always chose the right path to achieve goals, however, no less noble. Thanks to this, from an unintelligent nobleman, Grinev turns into a sincere officer, ready to sacrifice his life in the name of duty. Having sworn allegiance to the empress, he honestly serves, defending the fortress, and even death at the hands of rebel robbers does not frighten him. Just as honestly, he sought Masha’s favor, and achieved it. The opposite of Pyotr Grinev in the novel - Shvabrin - on the contrary, uses any means to achieve the goal, choosing the most vile of them. Having set out on the path of betrayal, he pursues personal gain, demands reciprocity from Masha, without hesitating to denigrate her in the eyes of Peter. In choosing goals and means, Alexey is driven by spiritual cowardice and self-interest, because he is devoid of ideas about honor and conscience. Mary rejects him for this reason, because a good goal cannot be achieved by deception.
2. What should be the final goal if the means to achieve it are cruelty, deception and human lives? In the novel by M.Yu. Lermontov's "Hero of Our Time" Grigory Pechorin's goals are momentary, encapsulated in the desire for momentary victories, to achieve which he chooses complex and sometimes cruel means. Hidden in his victories is a persistent search life meaning, which the hero is unable to find. In this search, he destroys not only himself, but also everyone who surrounds him - Princess Mary, Bela, Grushnitsky. To revive his own soul, he plays with the feelings of others, unwittingly becoming the cause of their misfortunes. But in a game with own life Grigory is hopelessly losing, losing those few people who were dear to him. “I realized that chasing lost happiness is reckless,” he says, and the goal, to achieve which so much effort and other people’s grief was put into, turns out to be illusory and unattainable.
3. In the comedy A.S. Griboyedov’s “Woe from Wit”, the society in which Chatsky is forced to live lives according to market laws, where everything is bought and sold, and a person is not valuable spiritual qualities, but by the size of your wallet and career success. Nobility and duty are nothing here compared to the importance of rank and title. That is why Alexander Chatsky turns out to be misunderstood and not accepted into a circle where mercantile goals dominate, justifying any means.
   He enters into a fight with Famus society, challenges Molchalin, who resorts to deception and hypocrisy in order to get a high position. Even in love, Alexander turns out to be a loser, because he does not defile the goal with vile means, he refuses to squeeze the breadth and nobility of his heart into the narrow framework of generally accepted and vulgar concepts with which Famusov’s house is replete.
4. A person is valuable by his deeds. But his deeds, even if subordinated to a high goal, do not always turn out to be good. In the novel by F.M. Dostoevsky's “Crime and Punishment” Rodion Raskolnikov decides for himself an important question from a moral point of view: does the end justify the means? Can he, according to his theory, dispose of people's lives at his own discretion?
   The answer lies in the title of the novel: Raskolnikov's mental anguish, after the atrocity he committed, proves that his calculation was incorrect and his theory was erroneous. A goal based on unjust and inhumane means depreciates itself and becomes a crime for which sooner or later one must be punished.
5. In the novel M.A. Sholokhov's "Quiet Flows the Flow" the fate of the heroes is swept away by the revolutionary elements. Grigory Melekhov, who sincerely believes in a happy and wonderful communist future, is ready to give his life for the well-being and prosperity of his native land. But in the context of life, bright revolutionary ideas turn out to be untenable and dead. Gregory understands that the struggle between whites and reds, seemingly aimed at a “beautiful tomorrow,” in fact represents violence and reprisals against the helpless and dissenters. Brilliant slogans turn out to be deception, and behind the lofty goal hides the cruelty and arbitrariness of the means. The nobility of his soul does not allow him to come to terms with the evil and injustice that he observes around him. Tormented by doubts and contradictions, Gregory is trying to find the only correct path that will allow him to live honestly. He is unable to justify the numerous murders committed in the name of a ghostly idea that he no longer believes in.
6. A. Solzhenitsyn’s novel “The Gulag Archipelago” - a study related to political history The USSR, according to Solzhenitsyn, is “an experience artistic research", in which the author analyzes the history of the country - a utopia that is building an ideal world on the ruins of human lives, numerous victims and lies disguised as humane goals. The price for the illusion of happiness and peace, in which there is no place for individuality and dissent, turns out to be too high. The problems of the novel are diverse, since they include many questions. moral character: Is it possible to justify evil in the name of good? What unites victims and their executioners? Who is responsible for mistakes made? Supported by rich biographical and research material, the book leads the reader to the problem of ends and means, convincing him that one does not justify the other.
7. It is human nature to seek happiness as the main meaning of life, its highest goal. For her sake, he is ready to use any means, but does not understand that this is unnecessary. The main character of the story V.M. Shukshin “Boots” - to Sergei Dukhanin - manifestations of tender feelings are not at all easy, because he is not used to unjustified tenderness and is even ashamed of it. But the desire to please someone close to him, the desire for happiness, pushes him to spend a lot. The money spent on buying an expensive gift turns out to be an unnecessary sacrifice, because his wife only needed attention. Generosity and the desire to give warmth and care fill the somewhat coarsened but still sensitive soul of the hero with happiness, which, as it turns out, is not so difficult to find.
8. In the novel by V.A. Kaverin's "Two Captains" the problem of ends and means is revealed in the confrontation between two characters - Sanya and Romashka. Each of them is driven by their own goals, each of them decides what is really important to them. In search of solutions, their paths diverge, fate pits them against each other in a duel that determines the moral guidelines of each, proves the noble strength of one, and the vile baseness of the other. Sanya is driven by honest, sincere aspirations; he is ready to take a difficult but direct path to find out the truth and prove it to others. Chamomile pursues small goals, achieving them in no less petty ways: lies, betrayal and hypocrisy. Each of them is experiencing the painful problem of choice, in which it is so easy to lose yourself and those you truly love.
9. A person does not always clearly understand his goal. In the Roman L.N. Tolstoy's "War and Peace" Andrei Bolkonsky is in search of himself and his place in life. His shaky life guidelines are influenced by fashion, society, and the opinions of friends and relatives. He is delirious of glory and military exploits, dreams of making a career in the service, but not just rising to high ranks, but gaining eternal glory as a winner and hero. He goes to war, the cruelties and horrors of which instantly showed him all the absurdity and illusory nature of his dreams. He is not ready, like Napoleon, to follow the bones of soldiers to glory. The desire to live and do wonderful life other people set new goals for Bolkonsky. Meeting Natasha instills love in his soul. However, in a moment that requires his perseverance and understanding, he gives in under the weight of circumstances and abandons his love. He is again tormented by doubts about the correctness of his own goals, and only before his death Andrei understands that the best moments of life, its great gifts are contained in love, forgiveness and compassion.
10. Character makes a person. He defines it life goals and landmarks. In “Letters about the good and the beautiful” D.S. Likhachev's problem of the goal and the means to achieve it is considered by the author as one of the most important, forming the young reader's concepts of honor, duty, and truth. “The end justifies the means” is a formula unacceptable to the author. On the contrary, every person should have a goal in life, but no less important are the methods that he uses to achieve what he wants. In order to be happy and in harmony with one’s own conscience, it is necessary to make a choice in favor of spiritual values, giving preference to good deeds and beautiful thoughts.

The problem of finding the meaning of life

Life is a movement along an endless road. Some travel along it “for official reasons,” asking questions: why did I live, for what purpose was I born? ("Hero of our time"). Others are frightened by this road, running to their wide sofa, because “life touches you everywhere, it gets you” (“Oblomov”). But there are also those who, making mistakes, doubting, suffering, rise to the heights of truth, finding their spiritual self. One of them - Pierre Bezukhov - the hero of the epic novel L.N. Tolstoy "War and Peace" .

At the beginning of his journey, Pierre is far from the truth: he admires Napoleon, is involved in the company of the “golden youth”, participates in hooligan antics along with Dolokhov and Kuragin, and too easily succumbs to rude flattery, the reason for which is his enormous fortune. One stupidity is followed by another: marriage to Helen, a duel with Dolokhov... And as a result - a complete loss of the meaning of life. “What's wrong? What well? What should you love and what should you hate? Why live and what am I?” - these questions scroll through your head countless times until a sober understanding of life sets in. On the way to him, there is the experience of Freemasonry, and observation of ordinary soldiers in the Battle of Borodino, and a meeting in captivity with the folk philosopher Platon Karataev. Only love moves the world and man lives - Pierre Bezukhov comes to this thought, finding his spiritual self.

The problem of freedom of choice (choice of path)

We all know the painting by V. Vasnetsov “The Knight at the Crossroads”. He stands in front of the Prophetic Stone, where it is inscribed: “If you go to the right, you will lose your horse, you will save yourself; If you go to the left, you will lose yourself, but you will save your horse; If you go straight, you’ll lose both yourself and your horse.” The knight hung his head: it’s hard for him, he has to choose a path, and that choice is fraught with temptation, struggle, deprivation and loss. The mystery of the eternal human soul, however, is hidden in folk wisdom. To go to the right means to follow the path of truth, the false path of deceit is to the left, and straight is the path of ascent “through thorns to the stars.” And each of us chooses our own path...

The writer has Ivan Shmeleva amazing story "Inexhaustible Chalice" about the talented serf artist Ilya Sharonov. This story is about spiritual joy, about overcoming sin with light.

Master Lyapunov found out about the talent of his slave and sent him to study at the monastery of painters - The eternal City Rome. Ilya learned many new names in that city: Titian and Rubens, Raphael and Tintoretto - the great artists of the Renaissance. He learned a lot at the Vatican Terminelli workshop. Commissioned by the cardinal, he painted a church painting - the face of St. Cecilia - no worse than the eminent Vatican masters. The time has come to return, the master persuades him to stay: “Great is your talent, become free in a free country.” Ilya could not accept the teacher’s offer, because he promised his people to return to their native places and serve them faithfully. Having returned, he painted two portraits: one of Anastasia Lyapunova in the image of an earthly woman, the other in the image of the Most Pure Virgin with a halo on her head. The monastery accepted an icon called the “Inexhaustible Chalice”, and it had miraculous power - it healed the sick and poor. The parting words of the Russian draftsman Ivan Mikhailov came true: “Remember, Ilya: the people gave birth to you, and you must serve the people!” This was the free choice of the “unfree” talented artist, serf Ilya Sharonov.

The problem of relating to the past, loss of memory, roots

“Disrespect for ancestors is the first sign of immorality” (A.S. Pushkin). A man who does not remember his kinship, who has lost his memory, Chingiz Aitmatov called mankurt ( "Stormy Station" ). Mankurt is a man forcibly deprived of memory. This is a slave who has no past. He does not know who he is, where he comes from, does not know his name, does not remember his childhood, father and mother - in a word, he does not recognize himself as a human being. Such a subhuman is dangerous to society, the writer warns.

Quite recently, on the eve of the great Victory Day, young people were asked on the streets of our city whether they knew about the beginning and end of the Great Patriotic War, about who we fought with, who G. Zhukov was... The answers were depressing: the younger generation does not know the dates of the start of the war, the names of the commanders, many have not heard about the Battle of Stalingrad, the Kursk Bulge...

The problem of forgetting the past is very serious. A person who does not respect history and does not honor his ancestors is the same mankurt. I just want to remind these young people of the piercing cry from the legend of Ch. Aitmatov: “Remember, whose are you? What is your name? Your father is Donenby!”

The problem of losing (gaining) purpose in life

“A person needs not three arshins of land, not an estate, but the entire globe. All of nature, where in the open space he could demonstrate all the properties of a free spirit,” wrote A.P. Chekhov. Life without a goal is a meaningless existence. But the goals are different, such as, for example, in the story "Gooseberry". Its hero, Nikolai Ivanovich Chimsha-Himalayan, dreams of purchasing his own estate and planting gooseberries there. This goal consumes him entirely. In the end, he reaches her, but at the same time almost loses his human appearance (“he has become plump, flabby... - just behold, he will grunt into the blanket”). A false goal, an obsession with the material, narrow, and limited, disfigures a person. He needs constant movement, development, excitement, improvement for life...

The problem of meanness, betrayal and moral fortitude

Honor and dishonor, courage, heroism and betrayal, choice of life path - these problems became the main ones in the novel V. Kaverina “Two Captains” . More than one generation of Soviet boys was brought up using the example of the main character of the novel, Sanya Grigoriev. This hero “made” himself. Left orphaned, he runs away from home with a friend, ends up in an orphanage in Moscow, meets the Tatarinov family and learns about the lost expedition of “St. Mary”. Then he decides to unravel her secret. He persistently searches for evidence that his cousin, Nikolai Antonovich Tatarinov, is related to the death of Captain Tatarinov.

On the path of life, Sanya more than once encountered the baseness and meanness of his classmate Romashka. During the war, he leaves the seriously wounded Sanya in the forest, taking his documents and weapons. Having met Katya Tatarinova, Romashov deceives her, saying that Grigoriev has gone missing. But the truth about betrayal put everything in its place: Romashov is arrested, Sanya unites with Katya and after the war continues the search for the expedition.

“Fight and search, find and not give up” - life principle Sani Grigorieva helps him survive in the fight against hypocrites, slanderers, traitors, helps him maintain love, faith in people, and finally tell the whole truth about the missing expedition of Captain Tatarinov.

The problem of indifference, moral callousness

Winter evening. Highway. Comfortable car. It is warm and cozy, with music playing, occasionally interrupted by the announcer's voice. Two happy, intelligent couples are going to the theater - a meeting with the beautiful lies ahead. Don't let this wonderful moment of life get away! And suddenly the headlights pick out in the darkness, right on the road, the figure of a woman “with a child wrapped in a blanket.” “Not normal!” - the driver screams. And that's it - darkness! There is no former feeling of happiness from the fact that your loved one is sitting next to you, that very soon you will find yourself in a soft chair in the stalls and will be spellbound to watch the performance.

It would seem a trivial situation: they refused to give a ride to a woman with a child. Where? For what? And there is no space in the car. However, the evening is hopelessly ruined. The situation is “déjà vu,” as if it had already happened, the heroine of A. Mass’s story flashes through her mind. Of course, it happened - and more than once. Indifference to the misfortune of others, detachment, isolation from everyone and everything - phenomena are not so rare in our society. This is exactly the problem in one of his stories in the cycle "Vakhtangov Children" the writer raises Anna Mass. In this situation, she is an eyewitness to what happened on the road. After all, that woman needed help, otherwise she would not have thrown herself under the wheels of the car. Most likely, she had a sick child; he had to be taken to the nearest hospital. But their own interests turned out to be higher than the manifestation of mercy. And how disgusting it is to feel powerless in such a situation, you can only imagine yourself in the place of this woman, when “people happy with themselves in comfortable cars rush past.” I think the pangs of conscience will torment the soul of the heroine of this story for a long time: “I was silent and hated myself for this silence.”

“People satisfied with themselves”, accustomed to comfort, people with petty proprietary interests are the same heroes Chekhov, “people in cases.” This is Dr. Startsev in "Ionyche", and teacher Belikov in "Man in a Case" . Let us remember how plump, red Dmitry Ionych Startsev rides “in a troika with bells,” and his coachman Panteleimon, “also plump and red,” shouts: “Keep it right!” “Keep the law” - this is, after all, detachment from human troubles and problems. There should be no obstacles on their prosperous path of life. And in Belikov’s “no matter what happens,” we hear the sharp exclamation of Lyudmila Mikhailovna, a character in the same story by A. Mass: “What if this child is contagious? By the way, we also have children!” The spiritual impoverishment of these heroes is obvious. And they are not intellectuals, but simply philistines, ordinary people who imagine themselves to be “masters of life.”

The problem of the relationship between government and people

Problems of the relationship between personality and totalitarian state, the confrontation between moral and immoral value systems, slave psychology, freedom of choice are raised in a philosophical fairy tale-drama E. Shvarts “Dragon” .

Before us is the city of the Dragon, where on the main building there is an inscription: “People are definitely not allowed to enter!” Let us pay attention to the fact that the word “unconditionally” here is not introductory, but serves as a categorical imperative. And in this city live “armless souls, legless souls, cop souls, chained souls, damned souls, holey souls, corrupt souls, burnt souls, dead souls.” In the dragon city, everyone thinks alike, speaks in unison, especially important days hold rallies and discuss previously decided issues. Everyone regularly chants: “Hail the Dragon!” The main virtues in the city are obedience and discipline. Unanimity, according to the playwright, gives rise to dead souls. “Unanimity is even worse than thoughtlessness. This is a minus thought, this is the shadow of a thought, its otherworldly state” (M. Lipovetsky). Here everything is bought and sold, persecuted, killed.

A person who is inside the system does not notice any of its deformations: he has become accustomed to it, has become accustomed to the system, and is tightly tied to it. That’s why it’s not at all easy to “kill the dragon in everyone.” It is not the mass, according to E. Schwartz, that opposes the system, but the individual. The main character of the drama, Lancelot, managed, through the power of spiritual resistance to the built system, to restore faith in personal freedom, in the moral law - in these simple and unshakable human values ​​of existence.

The problem of the artist and power

The problem of the artist and power in Russian literature is perhaps one of the most painful. It is marked with particular tragedy in the history of twentieth-century literature. A. Akhmatova, M. Tsvetaeva, O. Mandelstam, M. Bulgakov, B. Pasternak, M. Zoshchenko, A. Solzhenitsyn (the list goes on) - each of them felt the “care” of the state, and each reflected it in their work. One Zhdanov decree of August 14, 1946 could have crossed out the biography of A. Akhmatova and M. Zoshchenko. B. Pasternak created the novel “Doctor Zhivago” during a period of brutal government pressure on the writer, during the period of struggle against cosmopolitanism. The persecution of the writer resumed with particular force after he was awarded Nobel Prize for the novel. The Writers' Union expelled Pasternak from its ranks, presenting him as an internal emigrant, a person discrediting a worthy title Soviet writer. And this is because the poet told the people the truth about the tragic fate of the Russian intellectual, doctor, poet Yuri Zhivago.

Creativity is the only way for the creator to become immortal. “For the power, for the livery, do not bend your conscience, your thoughts, your neck” - this is a testament A.S. Pushkin (“From Pindemonti”) became decisive in the choice of creative path of true artists.

Emigration problem

There is a feeling of bitterness when people leave their homeland. Some are expelled by force, others leave on their own due to some circumstances, but not one of them forgets their Fatherland, the house where they were born, their native land. There is, for example, I.A. Bunina story "Mowers", written in 1921. This story is about a seemingly insignificant event: Ryazan mowers who came to the Oryol region are walking in a birch forest, mowing and singing. But it was precisely in this insignificant moment that Bunin was able to discern something immeasurable and distant, connected with all of Russia. The small space of the story is filled with radiant light, wonderful sounds and viscous smells, and the result is not a story, but a bright lake, some kind of Svetloyar, in which all of Russia is reflected. It is not for nothing that during the reading of “Kostsov” by Bunin in Paris at a literary evening (there were two hundred people), according to the recollections of the writer’s wife, many cried. It was a cry for lost Russia, a nostalgic feeling for the Motherland. Bunin lived in exile most his life, but wrote only about Russia.

Third wave emigrant S. Dovlatov, leaving the USSR, he took with him a single suitcase, “an old, plywood, covered with cloth, tied with a clothesline,” - he went with it to the pioneer camp. There were no treasures in it: a double-breasted suit lay on top, a poplin shirt underneath, then in turn a winter hat, Finnish crepe socks, driver's gloves and an officer's belt. These things became the basis for short stories-memories about the homeland. They do not have material value, they are signs of priceless, absurd in their own way, but only life. Eight things - eight stories, and each is a kind of report on the past Soviet life. A life that will remain forever with the emigrant Dovlatov.

The problem of the intelligentsia

According to academician D.S. Likhachev, “the basic principle of intelligence is intellectual freedom, freedom as moral category" An intelligent person is not free only from his conscience. The title of intellectual in Russian literature is deservedly held by heroes B. Pasternak (“Doctor Zhivago”) And Y. Dombrovsky (“Faculty of Unnecessary Things”) . Neither Zhivago nor Zybin compromised with their own conscience. They do not accept violence in any form, be it the Civil War or Stalinist repressions. There is another type of Russian intellectual who betrays this high title. One of them is the hero of the story Y. Trifonova “Exchange” Dmitriev. His mother is seriously ill, his wife offers to exchange two rooms for a separate apartment, although the relationship between the daughter-in-law and mother-in-law did not work out in the best possible way. At first, Dmitriev is indignant, criticizes his wife for lack of spirituality and philistinism, but then agrees with her, believing that she is right. There are more and more things in the apartment, food, expensive furniture: the density of life is increasing, things are replacing spiritual life. In this regard, another work comes to mind - “Suitcase” by S. Dovlatov . Most likely, the “suitcase” with rags taken by journalist S. Dovlatov to America would only cause Dmitriev and his wife a feeling of disgust. At the same time, for Dovlatov’s hero, things have no material value, they are a reminder of his past youth, friends, and creative searches.

1) The problem of historical memory (responsibility for the bitter and terrible consequences of the past)
The problem of responsibility, national and human, was one of the central issues in literature in the mid-20th century. For example, A.T. Tvardovsky in his poem “By Right of Memory” calls for a rethinking of the sad experience of totalitarianism. The same theme is revealed in A.A. Akhmatova’s poem “Requiem”. Sentence state system based on injustice and lies, A.I. Solzhenitsyn makes in the story “One Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich”
2) The problem of preserving ancient monuments and caring for them .
The problem of caring for cultural heritage has always remained at the center of general attention. In the difficult post-revolutionary period, when a change in the political system was accompanied by the overthrow of previous values, Russian intellectuals did everything possible to save cultural relics. For example, academician D.S. Likhachev prevented Nevsky Prospect from being built up with standard high-rise buildings. The Kuskovo and Abramtsevo estates were restored using funds from Russian cinematographers. Tula residents also take care of ancient monuments: their appearance is preserved historical center cities, churches, Kremlin.
The conquerors of antiquity burned books and destroyed monuments in order to deprive the people of historical memory.
3) The problem of attitude to the past, loss of memory, roots.
“Disrespect for ancestors is the first sign of immorality” (A.S. Pushkin). Chingiz Aitmatov called a person who does not remember his kinship, who has lost his memory, mankurt (“Stormy stop”). Mankurt is a man forcibly deprived of memory. This is a slave who has no past. He does not know who he is, where he comes from, does not know his name, does not remember his childhood, father and mother - in a word, he does not recognize himself as a human being. Such a subhuman is dangerous to society, the writer warns.
Quite recently, on the eve of the great Victory Day, young people were asked on the streets of our city whether they knew about the beginning and end of the Great Patriotic War, about who we fought with, who G. Zhukov was... The answers were depressing: the younger generation does not know the dates of the start of the war, the names of the commanders, many have not heard about the Battle of Stalingrad, the Kursk Bulge...
The problem of forgetting the past is very serious. A person who does not respect history and does not honor his ancestors is the same mankurt. I just want to remind these young people of the piercing cry from the legend of Ch. Aitmatov: “Remember, whose are you? What is your name?"
4) The problem of a false goal in life.
“A person needs not three arshins of land, not an estate, but the entire globe. All of nature, where in the open space he could demonstrate all the properties of a free spirit,” wrote A.P. Chekhov. Life without a goal is a meaningless existence. But the goals are different, such as, for example, in the story “Gooseberry”. Its hero, Nikolai Ivanovich Chimsha-Himalayan, dreams of purchasing his own estate and planting gooseberries there. This goal consumes him entirely. In the end, he reaches her, but at the same time almost loses his human appearance (“he has become plump, flabby... - just behold, he will grunt into the blanket”). A false goal, an obsession with the material, narrow, and limited, disfigures a person. He needs constant movement, development, excitement, improvement for life...
I. Bunin in the story “Mr. from San Francisco” showed the fate of a man who served false values. Wealth was his god, and this god he worshiped. But when the American millionaire died, it turned out that true happiness passed the man by: he died without ever knowing what life was.
5) The meaning of human life. Searching for a life path.
The image of Oblomov (I.A. Goncharov) is the image of a man who wanted to achieve a lot in life. He wanted to change his life, he wanted to rebuild the life of the estate, he wanted to raise children... But he did not have the strength to make these desires come true, so his dreams remained dreams.
M. Gorky in the play “At the Lower Depths” showed the drama “ former people”, who have lost the strength to fight for their own sake. They hope for something good, understand that they need to live better, but do nothing to change their fate. It is no coincidence that the play begins in a rooming house and ends there.
N. Gogol, an exposer of human vices, persistently searches for a living human soul. Depicting Plyushkin, who has become “a hole in the body of humanity,” he passionately calls on the reader going out into adult life, take with you all the “human movements”, do not lose them on the road of life.
Life is a movement along an endless road. Some travel along it “for official reasons,” asking questions: why did I live, for what purpose was I born? ("Hero of our time"). Others are frightened by this road, running to their wide sofa, because “life touches you everywhere, it gets you” (“Oblomov”). But there are also those who, making mistakes, doubting, suffering, rise to the heights of truth, finding their spiritual self. One of them is Pierre Bezukhov, the hero of the epic novel by L.N. Tolstoy "War and Peace".
At the beginning of his journey, Pierre is far from the truth: he admires Napoleon, is involved in the company of the “golden youth”, participates in hooligan antics along with Dolokhov and Kuragin, and too easily succumbs to rude flattery, the reason for which is his enormous fortune. One stupidity is followed by another: marriage to Helen, a duel with Dolokhov... And as a result - a complete loss of the meaning of life. “What's wrong? What well? What should you love and what should you hate? Why live and what am I?” - these questions scroll through your head countless times until a sober understanding of life sets in. On the way to him, there is the experience of Freemasonry, and observation of ordinary soldiers in the Battle of Borodino, and a meeting in captivity with the folk philosopher Platon Karataev. Only love moves the world and man lives - Pierre Bezukhov comes to this thought, finding his spiritual self.
6) Self-sacrifice. Love for one's neighbor. Compassion and mercy. Sensitivity.
In one of the books dedicated to the Great Patriotic War, a former siege survivor recalls that his life, as a dying teenager, was saved during a terrible famine by a neighbor who brought him a can of stew sent by his son from the front. “I’m already old, and you’re young, you still have to live and live,” said this man. He soon died, and the boy he saved retained a grateful memory of him for the rest of his life.
The tragedy occurred in Krasnodar region. A fire started in a nursing home where sick old people lived. Among the 62 who were burned alive was 53-year-old nurse Lidiya Pachintseva, who was on duty that night. When the fire broke out, she took the old people by the arms, brought them to the windows and helped them escape. But I didn’t save myself - I didn’t have time.
M. Sholokhov has wonderful story"The Fate of Man." It tells the story of the tragic fate of a soldier who lost all his relatives during the war. One day he met an orphan boy and decided to call himself his father. This act suggests that love and the desire to do good give a person strength to live, strength to resist fate.
7) The problem of indifference. Callous and soulless attitude towards people.
“People satisfied with themselves,” accustomed to comfort, people with petty proprietary interests are the same heroes of Chekhov, “people in cases.” This is Doctor Startsev in “Ionych”, and teacher Belikov in “The Man in the Case”. Let us remember how plump, red Dmitry Ionych Startsev rides “in a troika with bells,” and his coachman Panteleimon, “also plump and red,” shouts: “Keep it right!” “Keep the law” - this is, after all, detachment from human troubles and problems. There should be no obstacles on their prosperous path of life. And in Belikov’s “no matter what happens” we see only an indifferent attitude towards the problems of other people. The spiritual impoverishment of these heroes is obvious. And they are not intellectuals, but simply philistines, ordinary people who imagine themselves to be “masters of life.”
8) The problem of friendship, comradely duty.
Front-line service is an almost legendary expression; There is no doubt that there is no stronger and more devoted friendship between people. Literary examples there is plenty of that. In Gogol’s story “Taras Bulba” one of the heroes exclaims: “There are no brighter bonds than comradeship!” But most often this topic was discussed in the literature about the Great Patriotic War. In B. Vasilyev’s story “The Dawns Here Are Quiet...” both the anti-aircraft gunner girls and Captain Vaskov live according to the laws of mutual assistance and responsibility for each other. In K. Simonov’s novel “The Living and the Dead,” Captain Sintsov carries a wounded comrade from the battlefield.
9) The problem of scientific progress.
In M. Bulgakov's story, Doctor Preobrazhensky turns a dog into a man. Scientists are driven by a thirst for knowledge, a desire to change nature. But sometimes progress turns around dire consequences: a two-legged creature with a “dog’s heart” is not yet a person, because there is no soul in it, no love, honor, nobility.
The press reported that the elixir of immortality would appear very soon. Death will be completely defeated. But for many people this news did not cause a surge of joy; on the contrary, anxiety intensified. How will this immortality turn out for a person?
10) The problem of the patriarchal village way of life. The problem of beauty, morally healthy beauty
village life.
In Russian literature, the theme of the village and the theme of the homeland were often combined. Rural life has always been perceived as the most serene and natural. One of the first to express this idea was Pushkin, who called the village his office. ON THE. Nekrasov in his poems and poems drew the reader’s attention not only to poverty peasant huts, but also on how friendly peasant families are, how hospitable Russian women are. Much is said about the originality of the farm way of life in Sholokhov’s epic novel “ Quiet Don" In Rasputin’s story “Farewell to Matera,” the ancient village is endowed with historical memory, the loss of which is tantamount to death for the inhabitants.
11) The problem of labor. Enjoyment from meaningful activity.
The theme of labor has been developed many times in Russian classical and modern literature. As an example, it is enough to recall I.A. Goncharov’s novel “Oblomov”. The hero of this work, Andrei Stolts, sees the meaning of life not as a result of work, but in the process itself. Similar example We see it in Solzhenitsyn’s story “Matryonin’s Dvor”. His heroine does not perceive forced labor, as punishment, punishment - she treats work as an integral part of existence.
12) The problem of the influence of laziness on a person.
Chekhov's essay “My “she”” lists all the terrible consequences of the influence of laziness on people.
13) The problem of the future of Russia.
The topic of the future of Russia has been touched upon by many poets and writers. For example, Nikolai Vasilyevich Gogol in lyrical digression The poem “Dead Souls” compares Russia with a “brisk, irresistible troika.” “Rus', where are you going?” he asks. But the author does not have an answer to the question. The poet Eduard Asadov in his poem “Russia did not begin with a sword” writes: “The dawn is rising, bright and hot. And it will be so forever and indestructibly. Russia did not begin with a sword, and therefore it is invincible!” He is confident that a great future awaits Russia, and nothing can stop it.
14) The problem of the influence of art on a person.
Scientists and psychologists have long argued that music can have various effects on the nervous system and human tone. It is generally accepted that Bach's works enhance and develop the intellect. Beethoven's music awakens compassion and cleanses a person's thoughts and feelings of negativity. Schumann helps to understand the soul of a child.
Dmitri Shostakovich's seventh symphony is subtitled "Leningrad". But the name “Legendary” suits her better. The fact is that when the Nazis besieged Leningrad, the residents of the city were greatly influenced by Dmitry Shostakovich’s 7th Symphony, which, as eyewitnesses testify, gave people new strength to fight the enemy.
15) The problem of anticulture.
This problem is still relevant today. Nowadays there is a dominance of “soap operas” on television, which significantly reduce the level of our culture. As another example, we can recall literature. The theme of “disculturation” is well explored in the novel “The Master and Margarita”. MASSOLIT employees write bad works and at the same time dine in restaurants and have dachas. They are admired and their literature is revered.
16) The problem of modern television.
In Moscow for a long time operated by a gang that was particularly cruel. When the criminals were captured, they admitted that their behavior and their attitude towards the world had been greatly influenced by american film“Natural Born Killers,” which they watched almost every day. They tried to copy the habits of the heroes of this picture in real life.
Many modern athletes watched TV when they were children and wanted to be like the athletes of their time. Through television broadcasts they became acquainted with the sport and its heroes. Of course, there are also the opposite cases, when a person became addicted to TV and had to be treated in special clinics.
17) The problem of clogging the Russian language.
I believe that the use foreign words in the native language is justified only if there is no equivalent. Many of our writers fought against the contamination of the Russian language with borrowings. M. Gorky pointed out: “It makes it difficult for our reader to insert foreign words into a Russian phrase. There is no point in writing concentration when we have our own good word- condensation."
Admiral A.S. Shishkov, who for some time held the post of Minister of Education, proposed replacing the word fountain with the clumsy synonym he invented - water cannon. While practicing word creation, he invented replacements for borrowed words: he suggested saying instead of alley - prosad, billiards - sharokat, replaced the cue with sarotyk, and called the library a bookmaker. To replace the word galoshes, which he did not like, he came up with another word - wet shoes. Such concern for the purity of language can cause nothing but laughter and irritation among contemporaries.
18) The problem of destruction of natural resources.
If the press began to write about the disaster threatening humanity only in the last ten to fifteen years, then Ch. Aitmatov back in the 70s in his story “After the Fairy Tale” (“ White steamer") spoke about this problem. He showed the destructiveness and hopelessness of the path if a person destroys nature. It takes revenge with degeneration and lack of spirituality. The writer continues this theme in his subsequent works: “And the day lasts longer than a century” (“Stormy Stop”), "The Block", "Cassandra's Brand".
The novel “The Scaffold” produces a particularly strong feeling. Using the example of a wolf family, the author showed the death of wildlife from economic activity person. And how scary it becomes when you see that, when compared with humans, predators look more humane and “humane” than the “crown of creation.” So for what good in the future does a person bring his children to the chopping block?
19) Imposing your opinion on others.
Vladimir Vladimirovich Nabokov. “Lake, cloud, tower...” The main character, Vasily Ivanovich, is a modest employee who has won a pleasure trip to nature.
20) The theme of war in literature.
Very often, when congratulating our friends or relatives, we wish them a peaceful sky above their heads. We don't want their families to suffer the hardships of war. War! These five letters carry with them a sea of ​​blood, tears, suffering, and most importantly, the death of people dear to our hearts. There have always been wars on our planet. People's hearts have always been filled with the pain of loss. From everywhere where the war is going on, you can hear the groans of mothers, the cries of children and deafening explosions that tear our souls and hearts. To our great happiness, we know about the war only from feature films and literary works.
Our country has suffered many trials during the war. At the beginning of the 19th century, Russia was shocked by the Patriotic War of 1812. The patriotic spirit of the Russian people was shown by L.N. Tolstoy in his epic novel “War and Peace”. Guerrilla warfare, the Battle of Borodino - all this and much more appears before us with our own eyes. We are witnessing the terrible everyday life of war. Tolstoy talks about how for many, war has become the most commonplace thing. They (for example, Tushin) perform heroic deeds on the battlefields, but they themselves do not notice it. For them, war is a job that they must do conscientiously. But war can become commonplace not only on the battlefield. The whole city can get used to the idea of ​​war and continue to live, resigning himself to it. Such a city in 1855 was Sevastopol. L.N. Tolstoy tells about the difficult months of the defense of Sevastopol in his “Sevastopol Stories”. Here the events taking place are described especially reliably, since Tolstoy is an eyewitness to them. And after what he saw and heard in a city full of blood and pain, he set himself a definite goal - to tell his reader only the truth - and nothing but the truth. The bombing of the city did not stop. More and more fortifications were required. Sailors and soldiers worked in the snow and rain, half-starved, half-naked, but they still worked. And here everyone is simply amazed by the courage of their spirit, willpower, and enormous patriotism. Their wives, mothers, and children lived with them in this city. They had become so accustomed to the situation in the city that they no longer paid attention to shots or explosions. Very often they brought dinners to their husbands directly to the bastions, and one shell could often destroy the entire family. Tolstoy shows us that the worst thing in war happens in the hospital: “You will see doctors there with their hands bloody to the elbows... busy near the bed, on which, with their eyes open and speaking, as if in delirium, meaningless, sometimes simple and touching words , lies wounded under the influence of chloroform.” War for Tolstoy is dirt, pain, violence, no matter what goals it pursues: “...you will see war not in a correct, beautiful and brilliant system, with music and drumming, with waving banners and prancing generals, but you will see war in its real expression - in blood, in suffering, in death...” The heroic defense of Sevastopol in 1854-1855 once again shows everyone how much the Russian people love their Motherland and how boldly they come to its defense. Sparing no effort, using any means, they (the Russian people) do not allow the enemy to seize their native land.
In 1941-1942, the defense of Sevastopol will be repeated. But this will be another Great Patriotic War - 1941 - 1945. In this war against fascism Soviet people will accomplish an extraordinary feat that we will always remember. M. Sholokhov, K. Simonov, B. Vasiliev and many other writers dedicated their works to the events of the Great Patriotic War. This hard times It is also characteristic that women fought in the ranks of the Red Army along with men. And even the fact that they are representatives of the weaker sex did not stop them. They fought the fear within themselves and performed such heroic deeds that, it seemed, were completely unusual for women. It is about such women that we learn from the pages of B. Vasiliev’s story “And the dawns here are quiet...”. Five girls and their combat commander F. Baskov find themselves on the Sinyukhin ridge with sixteen fascists who are heading to railway, absolutely confident that no one knows about the progress of their operation. Our fighters found themselves in a difficult situation: they couldn’t retreat, but stay, because the Germans were eating them like seeds. But there is no way out! The Motherland is behind you! And these girls perform a fearless feat. At the cost of their lives, they stop the enemy and prevent him from carrying out his terrible plans. How carefree was the life of these girls before the war?! They studied, worked, enjoyed life. And suddenly! Planes, tanks, guns, shots, screams, moans... But they did not break and gave for victory the most precious thing they had - life. They gave their lives for their Motherland.
But there is a civil war on earth, in which a person can give his life without ever knowing why. 1918 Russia. Brother kills brother, father kills son, son kills father. Everything is mixed in the fire of anger, everything is devalued: love, kinship, human life. M. Tsvetaeva writes: Brothers, this is the last rate! For the third year now, Abel has been fighting with Cain...
People become weapons in the hands of power. Dividing into two camps, friends become enemies, relatives become strangers forever. I. Babel, A. Fadeev and many others talk about this difficult time.
I. Babel served in the ranks of Budyonny’s First Cavalry Army. There he kept his diary, which later turned into the now famous work “Cavalry.” The stories of “Cavalry” talk about a man who found himself in the fire of the Civil War. The main character Lyutov tells us about individual episodes of the campaign of Budyonny’s First Cavalry Army, which was famous for its victories. But on the pages of the stories we do not feel the victorious spirit. We see the cruelty of the Red Army soldiers, their composure and indifference. They can kill an old Jew without the slightest hesitation, but what is more terrible is that they can finish off their wounded comrade without a moment's hesitation. But what is all this for? I. Babel did not give an answer to this question. He leaves it to his reader to speculate.
The theme of war in Russian literature has been and remains relevant. Writers try to convey to readers the whole truth, whatever it may be.
From the pages of their works we learn that war is not only the joy of victories and the bitterness of defeats, but war is harsh everyday life filled with blood, pain, and violence. The memory of these days will live in our memory forever. Maybe the day will come when the moans and cries of mothers, volleys and shots will cease on earth, when our land will meet a day without war!
The turning point in the Great Patriotic War occurred during the Battle of Stalingrad, when “the Russian soldier was ready to tear a bone from the skeleton and go with it to the fascist” (A. Platonov). The unity of the people in the “time of grief”, their fortitude, courage, daily heroism- Here the real reason victory. In the novel by Yu. Bondarev “ Hot Snow“reflects the most tragic moments of the war, when Manstein’s brutal tanks rush towards the group encircled in Stalingrad. Young artillerymen, yesterday's boys, are holding back the onslaught of the Nazis with superhuman efforts. The sky was bloody smoked, the snow was melting from bullets, the earth was burning underfoot, but the Russian soldier survived - he did not allow the tanks to break through. For this feat, General Bessonov, disregarding all conventions, without award papers, presented orders and medals to the remaining soldiers. “What I can, what I can…” he says bitterly, approaching the next soldier. The general could, but what about the authorities? Why does the state remember the people only in tragic moments of history?
The problem of the moral strength of a common soldier
The bearer of folk morality in war is, for example, Valega, Lieutenant Kerzhentsev’s orderly from V. Nekrasov’s story “In the Trenches of Stalingrad.” He is barely familiar with reading and writing, confuses the multiplication table, will not really explain what socialism is, but for his homeland, for his comrades, for a rickety shack in Altai, for Stalin, whom he has never seen, he will fight to the last bullet. And the cartridges will run out - with fists, teeth. Sitting in a trench, he will scold the foreman more than the Germans. And when it comes down to it, he will show these Germans where the crayfish spend the winter.
Expression " folk character” most of all corresponds to Valega. He volunteered for the war and quickly adapted to the hardships of war, because his peaceful life peasant life there was no honey. In between fights, he doesn’t sit idle for a minute. He knows how to cut hair, shave, mend boots, make a fire in the pouring rain, and darn socks. Can catch fish, pick berries and mushrooms. And he does everything silently, quietly. A simple peasant guy, only eighteen years old. Kerzhentsev is confident that a soldier like Valega will never betray, will not leave the wounded on the battlefield and will beat the enemy mercilessly.
Problem heroic everyday life wars
The heroic everyday life of war is an oxymoronic metaphor that connects the incompatible. War ceases to seem like something out of the ordinary. You get used to death. Only sometimes it will amaze you with its suddenness. There is such an episode from V. Nekrasov (“In the Trenches of Stalingrad”): a killed soldier lies on his back, arms outstretched, and a still smoking cigarette butt is stuck to his lip. A minute ago there was still life, thoughts, desires, now there was death. And it’s simply unbearable for the hero of the novel to see this...
But even in war, soldiers do not live by “one bullet”: in short hours of rest they sing, write letters and even read. As for the heroes of “In the Trenches of Stalingrad,” Karnaukhov is a fan of Jack London, the division commander also loves Martin Eden, some draw, some write poetry. The Volga foams from shells and bombs, but the people on the shore do not change their spiritual passions. Perhaps that is why the Nazis did not manage to crush them, throw them beyond the Volga, and dry up their souls and minds.
21) The theme of the Motherland in literature.
Lermontov in the poem “Motherland” says that he loves his native land, but cannot explain why and for what.
You can't help but start with this greatest monument ancient Russian literature, like “The Tale of Igor’s Campaign.” All thoughts and all feelings of the author of “The Lay...” are directed to the Russian land as a whole, to the Russian people. He talks about the vast expanses of his Motherland, about its rivers, mountains, steppes, cities, villages. But the Russian land for the author of “The Lay...” is not only Russian nature and Russian cities. These are, first of all, the Russian people. Narrating about Igor's campaign, the author does not forget about the Russian people. Igor undertook a campaign against the Polovtsians “for the Russian land.” His warriors are “Rusichs”, Russian sons. Crossing the border of Rus', they say goodbye to their Motherland, to the Russian land, and the author exclaims: “Oh Russian land! You’re already over the hill.”
In the friendly message “To Chaadaev” there is a fiery appeal from the poet to the Fatherland to dedicate “the beautiful impulses of the soul.”
22) The theme of nature and man in Russian literature.
The modern writer V. Rasputin argued: “To talk about ecology today means to talk not about changing life, but about saving it.” Unfortunately, the state of our ecology is very catastrophic. This is manifested in the impoverishment of flora and fauna. Further, the author says that “a gradual adaptation to danger occurs,” that is, the person does not notice how serious the current situation is. Let us remember the problem associated with the Aral Sea. The bottom of the Aral Sea has become so exposed that the shores from the sea ports are tens of kilometers away. The climate changed very sharply, and animals became extinct. All these troubles greatly affected the lives of people living in the Aral Sea. Over the past two decades, the Aral Sea has lost half of its volume and more than a third of its area. The exposed bottom of a huge area turned into a desert, which became known as Aralkum. In addition, the Aral Sea contains millions of tons of toxic salts. This problem cannot but worry people. In the eighties, expeditions were organized to solve the problems and causes of the death of the Aral Sea. Doctors, scientists, writers reflected and studied the materials of these expeditions.
V. Rasputin in the article “In the fate of nature is our destiny” reflects on the relationship between man and environment. “Today there is no need to guess “whose groan is heard over the great Russian river.” It is the Volga itself that is groaning, dug up length and breadth, spanned by hydroelectric dams,” the author writes. Looking at the Volga, you especially understand the price of our civilization, that is, the benefits that man has created for himself. It seems that everything that was possible has been defeated, even the future of humanity.
The problem of the relationship between man and the environment is raised by modern writer Ch. Aitmatov in the work "The Scaffold". He showed how a man destroys with his own hands colorful world nature.
The novel begins with a description of the life of a wolf pack that lives quietly before the appearance of man. He literally demolishes and destroys everything in his path, without thinking about surrounding nature. The reason for such cruelty was simply difficulties with the meat delivery plan. People mocked the saigas: “The fear reached such proportions that the she-wolf Akbara, deaf from the gunshots, thought that the whole world had gone deaf, and the sun itself was also rushing about and looking for salvation...” In this tragedy, Akbara’s children die, but this is her grief doesn't end. Further, the author writes that people started a fire in which five more Akbara wolf cubs died. People, for the sake of their own goals, could “gut the globe like a pumpkin,” not suspecting that nature would also take revenge on them sooner or later. A lone wolf reaches out to people, wants to transfer her mother's love for a human child. It turned into a tragedy, but this time for the people. A man, in a fit of fear and hatred for the incomprehensible behavior of the she-wolf, shoots at her, but ends up hitting his own son.
This example speaks of the barbaric attitude of people towards nature, towards everything that surrounds us. I wish there were more caring and good people.
Academician D. Likhachev wrote: “Humanity spends billions not only to avoid suffocation and death, but also to preserve the nature around us.” Of course, everyone is well aware of the healing power of nature. I think that a person should become its master, its protector, and its intelligent transformer. A beloved leisurely river, a birch grove, a restless bird world... We will not harm them, but will try to protect them.
In this century, man is actively interfering with the natural processes of the Earth’s shells: extracting millions of tons of minerals, destroying thousands of hectares of forest, polluting the waters of seas and rivers, and releasing toxic substances into the atmosphere. One of the most important environmental problems of the century has been water pollution. A sharp deterioration in the quality of water in rivers and lakes cannot and will not affect human health, especially in areas with dense populations. The environmental consequences of accidents at nuclear power plants are sad. The echo of Chernobyl swept across the entire European part of Russia, and will affect people’s health for a long time.
Thus, as a result of economic activities, people cause great damage to nature, and at the same time to their health. How then can a person build his relationship with nature? Each person in his activities must treat every living thing on Earth with care, not alienate himself from nature, not strive to rise above it, but remember that he is part of it.
23) Man and the state.
Zamyatin “We” people are numbers. We only had 2 free hours.
The problem of the artist and power
The problem of the artist and power in Russian literature is perhaps one of the most painful. It is marked with particular tragedy in the history of twentieth-century literature. A. Akhmatova, M. Tsvetaeva, O. Mandelstam, M. Bulgakov, B. Pasternak, M. Zoshchenko, A. Solzhenitsyn (the list goes on) - each of them felt the “care” of the state, and each reflected it in their work. One Zhdanov decree of August 14, 1946 could have crossed out the biography of A. Akhmatova and M. Zoshchenko. B. Pasternak created the novel “Doctor Zhivago” during a period of brutal government pressure on the writer, during the period of struggle against cosmopolitanism. The persecution of the writer resumed with particular force after he was awarded the Nobel Prize for his novel. The Writers' Union excluded Pasternak from its ranks, presenting him as an internal emigrant, a person discrediting the worthy title of a Soviet writer. And this is because the poet told the people the truth about the tragic fate of the Russian intellectual, doctor, poet Yuri Zhivago.
Creativity is the only way for the creator to become immortal. “For the power, for the livery, do not bend either your conscience, your thoughts, or your neck” - this is the testament of A.S. Pushkin (“From Pindemonti”) became decisive in the choice of the creative path of true artists.
Emigration problem
There is a feeling of bitterness when people leave their homeland. Some are expelled by force, others leave on their own due to some circumstances, but not one of them forgets their Fatherland, the house where they were born, their native land. There is, for example, I.A. Bunin's story "Mowers", written in 1921. This story is about a seemingly insignificant event: Ryazan mowers who came to the Oryol region are walking in a birch forest, mowing and singing. But it was precisely in this insignificant moment that Bunin was able to discern something immeasurable and distant, connected with all of Russia. The small space of the story is filled with radiant light, wonderful sounds and viscous smells, and the result is not a story, but a bright lake, some kind of Svetloyar, in which all of Russia is reflected. It is not for nothing that during the reading of “Kostsov” by Bunin in Paris at a literary evening (there were two hundred people), according to the recollections of the writer’s wife, many cried. It was a cry for lost Russia, a nostalgic feeling for the Motherland. Bunin lived in exile for most of his life, but wrote only about Russia.
An emigrant of the third wave, S. Dovlatov, leaving the USSR, took with him a single suitcase, “an old, plywood, covered with fabric, tied with a clothesline,” - he went with it to the pioneer camp. There were no treasures in it: a double-breasted suit lay on top, a poplin shirt underneath, then in turn a winter hat, Finnish crepe socks, driver's gloves and an officer's belt. These things became the basis for short stories-memories about the homeland. They have no material value, they are signs of priceless, absurd in their own way, but the only life. Eight things - eight stories, and each is a kind of report on past Soviet life. A life that will remain forever with the emigrant Dovlatov.
The problem of the intelligentsia
According to academician D.S. Likhachev, “the basic principle of intelligence is intellectual freedom, freedom as a moral category.” An intelligent person is not free only from his conscience. The title of intellectual in Russian literature is deservedly borne by the heroes of B. Pasternak (“Doctor Zhivago”) and Y. Dombrowski (“Faculty of Unnecessary Things”). Neither Zhivago nor Zybin compromised with their own conscience. They do not accept violence in any form, be it the Civil War or Stalinist repressions. There is another type of Russian intellectual who betrays this high title. One of them is the hero of Y. Trifonov’s story “Exchange” Dmitriev. His mother is seriously ill, his wife offers to exchange two rooms for a separate apartment, although the relationship between the daughter-in-law and mother-in-law was not the best. At first, Dmitriev is indignant, criticizes his wife for lack of spirituality and philistinism, but then agrees with her, believing that she is right. There are more and more things in the apartment, food, expensive furniture: the density of life is increasing, things are replacing spiritual life. In this regard, another work comes to mind - “Suitcase” by S. Dovlatov. Most likely, the “suitcase” with rags taken by journalist S. Dovlatov to America would only cause Dmitriev and his wife a feeling of disgust. At the same time, for Dovlatov’s hero, things have no material value, they are a reminder of his past youth, friends, and creative searches.
24) The problem of fathers and children.
The problem of difficult relationships between parents and children is reflected in the literature. L.N. Tolstoy, I.S. Turgenev, and A.S. Pushkin wrote about this. I would like to turn to A. Vampilov’s play “The Eldest Son,” where the author shows the attitude of children towards their father. Both son and daughter openly consider their father a loser, an eccentric, and are indifferent to his experiences and feelings. The father silently endures everything, finds excuses for all the ungrateful actions of the children, asks them only for one thing: not to leave him alone. The main character of the play sees how someone else's family is being destroyed before his eyes, and sincerely tries to help the kindest man-father. His intervention helps to overcome a difficult period in the relationship of children with a loved one.
25) The problem of quarrels. Human enmity.
In Pushkin’s story “Dubrovsky,” a casually thrown word led to enmity and many troubles for former neighbors. In Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet, the family feud ended with the death of the main characters.
“The Tale of Igor’s Campaign” Svyatoslav pronounces the “golden word”, condemning Igor and Vsevolod, who violated feudal obedience, which led to a new attack of the Polovtsians on Russian lands.
26) Caring for the beauty of the native land.
In Vasiliev’s novel “Don’t Shoot White Swans”