Literary works in the direction of victory and defeat. Do you agree that victory over the weak is like defeat? The final turning point in consciousness - Borodino

Andrei Bolkonsky, his spiritual quest, the evolution of his personality are described throughout the entire novel by L. N. Tolstoy. For the author, changes in the consciousness and attitude of the hero are important, because, in his opinion, this is what speaks about the moral health of the individual. Therefore, all the positive heroes of War and Peace go through the path of searching for the meaning of life, the dialectics of the soul, with all the disappointments, loss and gain of happiness. Tolstoy indicates the presence of a positive beginning in the character by the fact that, despite life’s troubles, the hero does not lose his dignity. These are Andrei Bolkonsky and Pierre Bezukhov. The common and main thing in their quest is that the heroes come to the idea of ​​unity with the people. Let's consider what the spiritual quest of Prince Andrei led to.

Focus on Napoleon's ideas

Prince Bolkonsky first appears before the reader at the very beginning of the epic, in the salon of Anna Scherer, the maid of honor. Before us is a short man, with somewhat dry features, and very handsome in appearance. Everything in his behavior speaks of complete disappointment with life, both spiritual and family. Having married a beautiful egoist, Lisa Meinen, Bolkonsky soon gets tired of her and completely changes his attitude towards marriage. He even begs his friend Pierre Bezukhov to never marry.

Prince Bolkonsky longs for something new; for him, constant going out into society and family life is a vicious circle from which the young man strives to break out. How? Leaving for the front. This is the uniqueness of the novel “War and Peace”: Andrei Bolkonsky, as well as other characters, their dialectics of the soul, are shown within a certain historical setting.

At the beginning of Tolstoy's epic, Andrei Bolkonsky is an ardent Bonapartist who admires Napoleon's military talent and is an adherent of his idea of ​​gaining power through military feat. Bolkonsky wants to get “his Toulon.”

Service and Austerlitz

With his arrival in the army, a new milestone in the quest of the young prince begins. The life path of Andrei Bolkonsky made a decisive turn in the direction of bold, courageous actions. The prince shows exceptional talent as an officer; he displays courage, valor and courage.

Even in the smallest details, Tolstoy emphasizes that Bolkonsky made the right choice: his face became different, stopped expressing fatigue from everything, feigned gestures and manners disappeared. The young man did not have time to think about how to behave correctly; he became real.

Kutuzov himself notes how talented Andrei Bolkonsky is as an adjutant: the great commander writes a letter to the young man’s father, noting that the prince is making exceptional progress. Andrei takes all victories and defeats to heart: he sincerely rejoices and experiences pain in his soul. He sees Bonaparte as an enemy, but at the same time continues to admire the genius of the commander. He still dreams of “his Toulon.” Andrei Bolkonsky in the novel “War and Peace” is an exponent of the author’s attitude towards outstanding personalities; it is from his lips that the reader learns about the most important battles.

The center of this stage of the prince’s life is the One who showed great heroism, seriously wounded, he lies on the battlefield and sees the bottomless sky. Then Andrey comes to the realization that he must reconsider his life priorities and turn to his wife, whom he despised and humiliated with his behavior. And his once idol, Napoleon, seems to him to be an insignificant little man. Bonaparte appreciated the young officer’s feat, but Bolkonsky didn’t care. He dreams only of quiet happiness and an impeccable family life. Andrei decides to end his military career and return home to his wife,

The decision to live for yourself and loved ones

Fate is preparing another heavy blow for Bolkonsky. His wife, Lisa, dies in childbirth. She leaves Andrey a son. The prince did not have time to ask for forgiveness, because he arrived too late, he is tormented by guilt. Andrei Bolkonsky's life path further is caring for his loved ones.

Raising his son, building an estate, helping his father form the ranks of the militia - these are his life priorities at this stage. Andrei Bolkonsky lives in solitude, which allows him to focus on his spiritual world and search for the meaning of life.

The progressive views of the young prince are revealed: he improves the life of his serfs (replaces corvée with quitrents), gives status to three hundred people. However, he is still far from accepting a sense of unity with the common people: every now and then thoughts of disdain for the peasantry and ordinary soldiers slip into his speech .

Fateful conversation with Pierre

The life path of Andrei Bolkonsky moves into another plane during the visit of Pierre Bezukhov. The reader immediately notices the kinship of the souls of the young people. Pierre, who is in a state of elation because of the reforms carried out on his estates, infects Andrei with enthusiasm.

Young people discuss for a long time the principles and meaning of changes in the life of the peasantry. Andrei does not agree with something; he does not accept Pierre’s most liberal views on serfs at all. However, practice has shown that, unlike Bezukhov, Bolkonsky was able to really make the life of his peasants easier. All thanks to his active nature and practical view of the serfdom.

Nevertheless, the meeting with Pierre helped Prince Andrei to delve well into his inner world and begin moving towards transformations of the soul.

Revival to a new life

A breath of fresh air and a change in outlook on life came from meeting Natasha Rostova, the main character of the novel “War and Peace.” Andrei Bolkonsky, on matters of acquiring land, visits the Rostov estate in Otradnoye. There he notices a calm, cozy atmosphere in the family. Natasha is so pure, spontaneous, real... She met him on a starry night during the first ball in her life and immediately captured the heart of the young prince.

Andrey seems to be born again: he understands what Pierre once told him: he needs to live not only for himself and his family, he needs to be useful to the whole society. That is why Bolkonsky goes to St. Petersburg to make his proposals to the military regulations.

Awareness of the meaninglessness of “state activity”

Unfortunately, Andrei did not manage to meet with the sovereign; he was sent to Arakcheev, an unprincipled and stupid man. Of course, he did not accept the young prince’s ideas. However, another meeting took place that influenced Bolkonsky’s worldview. We are talking about Speransky. He saw good potential for public service in the young man. As a result, Bolkonsky is appointed to a position related to the drafting of wartime laws. In addition, Andrei heads the commission for drafting wartime laws.

But soon Bolkonsky becomes disappointed with the service: the formal approach to work does not satisfy Andrei. He feels that he is doing unnecessary work here and that he will not provide real help to anyone. More and more often, Bolkonsky recalls life in the village, where he was truly useful.

Having initially admired Speransky, Andrei now saw pretense and unnaturalness. More and more often, Bolkonsky is visited by thoughts about the idleness of St. Petersburg life and the absence of any meaning in his service to the country.

Breakup with Natasha

Natasha Rostova and Andrei Bolkonsky were a very beautiful couple, but they were not destined to get married. The girl gave him the desire to live, to do something for the good of the country, to dream of a happy future. She became Andrei's muse. Natasha compared favorably with other girls of St. Petersburg society: she was pure, sincere, her actions came from the heart, they were devoid of any calculation. The girl sincerely loved Bolkonsky, and did not just see him as a profitable match.

Bolkonsky makes a fatal mistake by postponing his wedding with Natasha for a whole year: this provoked her passion for Anatoly Kuragin. The young prince could not forgive the girl. Natasha Rostova and Andrei Bolkonsky break off their engagement. The blame for everything is the prince's excessive pride and unwillingness to hear and understand Natasha. He is again as self-centered as the reader observed Andrei at the beginning of the novel.

The final turning point in consciousness - Borodino

It is with such a heavy heart that Bolkonsky enters 1812, a turning point for the Fatherland. Initially, he thirsts for revenge: he dreams of meeting Anatoly Kuragin among the military and avenging his failed marriage by challenging him to a duel. But gradually the life path of Andrei Bolkonsky changes once again: the impetus for this was the vision of the tragedy of the people.

Kutuzov entrusts the command of the regiment to the young officer. The prince completely devotes himself to his service - now this is his life’s work, he has become so close to the soldiers that they call him “our prince.”

Finally, the day of the apotheosis of the Patriotic War and the quest of Andrei Bolkonsky comes - the Battle of Borodino. It is noteworthy that L. Tolstoy puts his vision of this great historical event and the absurdity of wars into the mouth of Prince Andrei. He reflects on the pointlessness of so many sacrifices for the sake of victory.

The reader sees here Bolkonsky, who has gone through a difficult life: disappointment, death of loved ones, betrayal, rapprochement with the common people. He feels that he now understands and realizes too much, one might say, foreshadows his death: “I see that I have begun to understand too much. But it is not fit for a man to eat of the tree of good and evil.”

Indeed, Bolkonsky is mortally wounded and, among other soldiers, ends up in the care of the Rostovs’ house.

The prince feels the approach of death, he thinks about Natasha for a long time, understands her, “sees her soul,” dreams of meeting his beloved and asking for forgiveness. He confesses his love to the girl and dies.

The image of Andrei Bolkonsky is an example of high honor, loyalty to duty to the Motherland and people.

There are probably no people in the world who would not dream of victory. Every day we win small victories or suffer defeats. Trying to achieve success over yourself and your weaknesses, getting up thirty minutes earlier in the morning, studying in the sports section, preparing lessons that are not going well. Sometimes such victories become a step towards success, towards self-affirmation. But this doesn't always happen. Apparent victory turns into defeat, but defeat is, in fact, victory.

In A.S. Griboyedov’s comedy “Woe from Wit,” the main character A.A. Chatsky, after a three-year absence, returns to the society in which he grew up. Everything is familiar to him; he has a categorical judgment about every representative of secular society. “The houses are new, but the prejudices are old,” the young, hot-blooded man concludes about the renewed Moscow. The Famusov society adheres to the strict rules of the times of Catherine:
“honor according to father and son”, “be bad, but if there are two thousand family souls - he and the groom”, “the door is open for those invited and uninvited, especially from foreigners”, “it’s not that they introduce new things - never” “they are judges of everything, everywhere, there are no judges above them.”
And only servility, veneration, and hypocrisy rule over the minds and hearts of the “chosen” representatives of the top of the noble class. Chatsky with his views turns out to be out of place. In his opinion, “ranks are given by people, but people can be deceived,” seeking patronage from those in power is low, one must achieve success with intelligence, and not with servility. Famusov, barely hearing his reasoning, covers his ears and shouts: “... to trial!” He considers young Chatsky a revolutionary, a “carbonari,” a dangerous person, and when Skalozub appears, he asks not to express his thoughts out loud. And when the young man does begin to express his views, he quickly leaves, not wanting to bear responsibility for his judgments. However, the colonel turns out to be a narrow-minded person and only catches discussions about uniforms. In general, few people understand Chatsky at Famusov’s ball: the owner himself, Sophia and Molchalin. But each of them makes his own verdict. Famusov would prohibit such people from approaching the capital for a shot, Sophia says that he is “not a man - a snake,” and Molchalin decides that Chatsky is simply a loser. The final verdict of the Moscow world is madness! At the climactic moment, when the hero makes his keynote speech, no one in the hall listens to him. You can say that Chatsky is defeated, but this is not so! I.A. Goncharov believes that the hero of the comedy is a winner, and one cannot but agree with him. The appearance of this man shook up the stagnant Famus society, destroyed Sophia’s illusions, and shook Molchalin’s position.

In I. S. Turgenev’s novel “Fathers and Sons,” two opponents collide in a heated argument: a representative of the younger generation, the nihilist Bazarov, and the nobleman P. P. Kirsanov. One lived an idle life, spent the lion's share of the allotted time on love for the famous beauty, socialite - Princess R. But, despite this lifestyle, he gained experience, experienced, probably, the most important feeling that overtook him, washed away everything superficial, arrogance and self-confidence were knocked down. This feeling is love. Bazarov boldly judges everything, considering himself a “self-made man,” a man who made his name only through his own labor and intelligence. In a dispute with Kirsanov, he is categorical, harsh, but observes external decency, but Pavel Petrovich cannot stand it and breaks down, indirectly calling Bazarov a “blockhead”:
...before they were just idiots, and now they suddenly became nihilists.
Bazarov's external victory in this dispute, then in the duel turns out to be a defeat in the main confrontation. Having met his first and only love, the young man is unable to survive defeat, does not want to admit failure, but cannot do anything. Without love, without sweet eyes, such desirable hands and lips, life is not needed. He becomes distracted, cannot concentrate, and no amount of denial helps him in this confrontation. Yes, it seems that Bazarov won, because he so stoically goes to death, silently struggles with the disease, but in fact he lost, because he lost everything for which it was worth living and creating.

Courage and determination in any struggle are essential. But sometimes you need to put aside self-confidence, look around, re-read the classics so as not to make a mistake in the right choice. After all, this is your life. And when defeating someone, think about whether it is a victory!

Total: 608 words

Direction "Honor and dishonor" of the final essay 2016-2017 in literature: examples, samples, analysis of works

Examples of writing essays on literature in the direction of "Honor and Dishonor". Statistics are provided for each essay. Some essays are for school purposes, and it is not recommended to use them as ready-made samples for the final essay.

These works can be used to prepare for the final essay. They are intended to form students’ understanding of the full or partial disclosure of the topic of the final essay. We recommend using them as an additional source of ideas when forming your own presentation of the topic.

Below are video analyzes of works in the thematic area “Honor and Dishonor”.

Concepts of honor in our time

In our cruel age, it seems that the concepts of honor and dishonor have died. There is no special need to preserve honor for girls - striptease and depravity pay dearly, and money is much more attractive than some ephemeral honor. I remember Knurov from “Dowry” by A.N. Ostrovsky:

There are boundaries beyond which condemnation does not cross: I can offer you such enormous content that the most evil critics of other people's morality will have to shut up and open their mouths in surprise.

Sometimes it seems that men have long ceased to dream of serving for the good of the Fatherland, protecting their honor and dignity, and defending the Motherland. Probably, literature remains the only evidence of the existence of these concepts.

A.S. Pushkin’s most cherished work begins with the epigraph: “Take care of your honor from a young age,” which is part of a Russian proverb. The entire novel “The Captain's Daughter” gives us the best idea of ​​honor and dishonor. The main character, Petrusha Grinev, is a young man, practically a youth (at the time of his departure for service he was “eighteen” years old, according to his mother), but he is filled with such determination that he is ready to die on the gallows, but not to tarnish his honor. And this is not only because his father bequeathed to him to serve this way. Life without honor for a nobleman is the same as death. But his opponent and envious Shvabrin acts completely differently. His decision to go over to Pugachev’s side is determined by fear for his life. He, unlike Grinev, does not want to die. The outcome of the life of each of the heroes is logical. Grinev lives a dignified, albeit poor, life as a landowner and dies surrounded by his children and grandchildren. And the fate of Alexei Shvabrin is clear, although Pushkin does not say anything about it, but most likely death or hard labor will end this unworthy life of a traitor, a man who did not preserve his honor.

War is a catalyst for the most important human qualities; it shows either courage and courage, or meanness and cowardice. We can find proof of this in V. Bykov’s story “Sotnikov”. Two heroes are the moral poles of the story. The fisherman is energetic, strong, physically strong, but is he courageous? Having been captured, he betrays his partisan detachment under pain of death, betraying its location, weapons, strength - in short, everything, in order to eliminate this center of resistance to the fascists. But the frail, sickly, puny Sotnikov turns out to be courageous, endures torture, and resolutely ascends to the scaffold, not for a second doubting the correctness of his action. He knows that death is not as terrible as remorse from betrayal. At the end of the story, Rybak, who escaped death, tries to hang himself in the toilet, but cannot, because he does not find a suitable weapon (his belt was taken away during his arrest). His death is a matter of time, he is not a completely fallen sinner, and living with such a burden is unbearable.

Years pass, in the historical memory of mankind there are still examples of actions based on honor and conscience. Will they become an example for my contemporaries? I think yes. The heroes who died in Syria, saving people in fires and disasters, prove that there is honor, dignity, and there are bearers of these noble qualities.

Total: 441 words

There are probably no people in the world who would not dream of victory. Every day we win small victories or suffer defeats. Trying to achieve success over yourself and your weaknesses, getting up thirty minutes earlier in the morning, studying in the sports section, preparing lessons that are not going well. Sometimes such victories become a step towards success, towards self-affirmation. But this doesn't always happen. Apparent victory turns into defeat, but defeat is, in fact, victory.

In A.S. Griboyedov’s comedy “Woe from Wit,” the main character A.A. Chatsky, after a three-year absence, returns to the society in which he grew up. Everything is familiar to him; he has a categorical judgment about every representative of secular society. “The houses are new, but the prejudices are old,” the young, hot-blooded man concludes about the renewed Moscow. The Famusov society adheres to the strict rules of the times of Catherine:

“honor according to father and son”, “be bad, but if there are two thousand family souls - he and the groom”, “the door is open for those invited and uninvited, especially from foreigners”, “it’s not that they introduce new things - never” “they are judges of everything, everywhere, there are no judges above them.”

And only servility, veneration, and hypocrisy rule over the minds and hearts of the “chosen” representatives of the top of the noble class. Chatsky with his views turns out to be out of place. In his opinion, “ranks are given by people, but people can be deceived,” seeking patronage from those in power is low, one must achieve success with intelligence, and not with servility. Famusov, barely hearing his reasoning, covers his ears and shouts: “... to trial!” He considers young Chatsky a revolutionary, a “carbonari,” a dangerous person, and when Skalozub appears, he asks not to express his thoughts out loud. And when the young man does begin to express his views, he quickly leaves, not wanting to bear responsibility for his judgments. However, the colonel turns out to be a narrow-minded person and only catches discussions about uniforms. In general, few people understand Chatsky at Famusov’s ball: the owner himself, Sophia and Molchalin. But each of them makes his own verdict. Famusov would prohibit such people from approaching the capital for a shot, Sophia says that he is “not a man - a snake,” and Molchalin decides that Chatsky is simply a loser. The final verdict of the Moscow world is madness! At the climactic moment, when the hero makes his keynote speech, no one in the hall listens to him. You can say that Chatsky is defeated, but this is not so! I.A. Goncharov believes that the hero of the comedy is a winner, and one cannot but agree with him. The appearance of this man shook up the stagnant Famus society, destroyed Sophia’s illusions, and shook Molchalin’s position.

In I. S. Turgenev’s novel “Fathers and Sons,” two opponents collide in a heated argument: a representative of the younger generation, the nihilist Bazarov, and the nobleman P. P. Kirsanov. One lived an idle life, spent the lion's share of the allotted time on love for the famous beauty, socialite - Princess R. But, despite this lifestyle, he gained experience, experienced, probably, the most important feeling that overtook him, washed away everything superficial, arrogance and self-confidence were knocked down. This feeling is love. Bazarov boldly judges everything, considering himself a “self-made man,” a man who made his name only through his own labor and intelligence. In a dispute with Kirsanov, he is categorical, harsh, but observes external decency, but Pavel Petrovich cannot stand it and breaks down, indirectly calling Bazarov a “blockhead”:

...before they were just idiots, and now they suddenly became nihilists.

Bazarov's external victory in this dispute, then in the duel turns out to be a defeat in the main confrontation. Having met his first and only love, the young man is unable to survive defeat, does not want to admit failure, but cannot do anything. Without love, without sweet eyes, such desirable hands and lips, life is not needed. He becomes distracted, cannot concentrate, and no amount of denial helps him in this confrontation. Yes, it seems that Bazarov won, because he so stoically goes to death, silently struggles with the disease, but in fact he lost, because he lost everything for which it was worth living and creating.

Courage and determination in any struggle are essential. But sometimes you need to put aside self-confidence, look around, re-read the classics so as not to make a mistake in the right choice. After all, this is your life. And when defeating someone, think about whether this is a victory!

When we hear the words “victory” and “defeat,” images of military action or sports competitions usually appear before our eyes. But these concepts themselves, of course, are much broader and accompany us every day. Victory or defeat always involves confrontation with someone or something. Our life, whether we like it or not, is a struggle with circumstances, problems, competitors. And the more serious the opponent, the more significant and important the victory over him is for us. To win a grueling struggle against a powerful enemy means to become better, stronger. But if the enemy is obviously weaker, can such a victory be called real?

It seems to me that victory over the weak is still a defeat. Moreover, if a person enters into confrontation with someone who cannot fight back, he shows his moral weakness. Many Russian writers shared the same opinion. Thus, in A.S. Pushkin’s novel “Dubrovsky” we see the landowner Troekurov, who, out of a sense of resentment, deprived his longtime friend Andrei Gavrilovich of his estate. The imperious tyrant Kirila Petrovich, using his influence and wealth, ruined the Dubrovsky family. As a result, Andrei Gavrilovich, struck by such betrayal, goes crazy and soon dies, and his son Vladimir becomes a noble robber. Can Troekurov, who took advantage of his opponent’s weakness, be called a real winner? Of course not. The true moral victory in the novel is won by the younger Dubrovsky, who gave up revenge, falling in love with Masha, the daughter of his enemy.

Prepared material

What distinguishes victory from defeat? You can give a bunch of arguments, the essence of which is that victory is success in some kind of struggle, and defeat, accordingly, is failure. But it often happens that they can radically change places over time. So, for example, what seemed like a huge victory at a certain time will later become one of the main defeats in life. This cannot be avoided, despite the fact that, according to many researchers, only 20% of events are a matter of chance. And it is impossible to predict what this imaginary victory will turn into.

Almost all popular problems can be found in Leo Tolstoy’s epic novel “War and Peace.” Almost any point of view can be proven with the help of his work. Written back in the 19th century, during the writer’s lifetime it managed to become a world classic, the greatest legacy of world literature, and the life paths of some heroes became role models, such as Andrei Bolkonsky for me.

His journey of finding himself, finding the meaning of life, finding his place inspired me very much when I read this novel.

And, as his faithful fan, I was very upset for Andrei in the situation when Anatol Kuragin tried to take away his bride, Natasha Rostova. And, what’s most annoying, he almost succeeded. For some time he considered this his victory, his merit. All this was extremely fleeting, he was interrupted. But the fact remained a fact: the wedding of Natasha and Andrei was dissolved, and Anatole received a sworn enemy and a bunch of problems. This is how his small victory on the personal front turned into a huge defeat for all participants in these events.

When talking about War and Peace, you can’t just remove half of the title – the word “War”. It always consists of victories and defeats, big and small. They change each other, alternate, but there is never an absolute winner in a war. For example, Napoleon was considered the winner of all of Europe, the strongest leader in the world. He was able to walk through a huge country with fire and sword, eventually capturing even the capital. Everything, it would seem, is a victory! But it was this capture that cost Napoleon his army; this brilliant victory became his greatest defeat.

Every time someone talks about their victory, think that for someone it turned out to be a defeat. The balance remained unchanged, only the conditions of individuals or countries changed. Some received everything, while others received nothing. And if history remembers the winners, then people will remember the most worthy. The most worthy do not always win, but they always remain people, and who you want to become is up to you to decide!