The problem of realizing the value of life arguments. Literary arguments for writing an essay in the Unified State Exam format
Unified State Examination essay:
Meaning of life. Each of us at least once thought about why he was born. And if for some the goal is hoarding, then others will devote themselves to serving the weaker, the unfortunate, those in need of help. In both cases, the well-being and fate of those around us may depend on our choice. The problem of finding the meaning of life, which is so important for modern society, is posed by the author of the text offered to me - the famous religious philosopher A.I. Ilyin.
Analyzing this problem, the author tells a fairy tale-parable about an eccentric who was very rich and had everything “that a person could only wish for.” We learn that, despite this, the hero felt: the most important thing in his life was missing. It is no coincidence that the writer focuses the reader’s attention on the “sorrowful burden”, the hero’s misfortune: the author needs to show how similar an eccentric from a fairy tale is to a person living in the modern world. An important place in the text is occupied by a kind of forecast: from the author’s point of view, no matter what “new and new tools, means and opportunities” are put at a person’s disposal, without a specific goal in life, it “will be missing the main thing.” The writer analyzes the natural scientific and technical inventions of the last century and says that it is “a dormant fiery mountain, unpredictable and capricious.” The final part is an appeal to contemporaries with a warning about the troubles that will happen if a person “does not go in search of the meaning of life.”
The author’s position is beyond doubt: A.I. Ilyin is convinced that every person needs to find his own meaning in life, because “life without meaning... becomes more dangerous than ever.” Only in this case, as the author believes, “the possibilities of creation” will not become “means of universal destruction.”
Of course, I agree with the philosopher’s opinion: a person who has not found the meaning of life turns it into existence. In addition, I am sure that when defining priorities for ourselves, each of us must understand: the well-being and fate of the people around us may depend on the goals we set.
To prove this, let us turn to the work of F. M. Dostoevsky “Crime and Punishment.” Before us is a hero whose meaning in life is to be the one who is “allowed to step over the blood.” For this purpose, he kills the old pawnbroker and her sister Lizaveta, destroys a living soul for the sake of his idea, turns away from close people, and causes serious concern for his mother, sister, Sonya Marmeladova, and Razumikhin. Raskolnikov's story helps to understand that the priorities set by the main character influenced both Raskolnikov himself and the destinies of the people around him.
In order to understand how important it is to determine the meaning of life, let us turn to the work of B. Vasiliev “My horses are flying...”. The author talks about a hero who influenced the fate of not just one person, but an entire city. Dr. Jansen, a doctor in the poorest district of Smolensk, was respected for his life filled with the meaning of serving people. He considered his calling to be dedication to his work, the ability to sacrifice time for the sake of patients. Dr. Jansen's story is confirmation that each of us, when determining the main values of our lives, is obliged to think not only about ourselves.
Text-parable by I.A. Ilyin, works by F.M. Dostoevsky and B. Vasiliev allowed me to rethink my attitude to the problem of the meaning of life. I thought about the fact that in the twenty-first century a person must feel “where” he is going, “why” he has been given enormous opportunities, “how” he must use, apply all this so that the path of life does not turn into a “path of ruins.”
Text by I.A. Ilyina:
(1) In a certain city there lived an eccentric... (2) He was very rich and had all the things that a person could only wish for. (3) His house was decorated with marble staircases, Persian carpets and gilded furniture. (4) In the garden surrounding this luxurious palace, flowers were fragrant, cool fountains were flowing, and overseas birds delighted the ears with their whimsical singing.
(5) However, despite his outward well-being, our eccentric felt that he was missing something most important, which he could not even name. (6) A decisive and courageous man, he could do so much, he dared almost everything, but he did not know what he could strive for, and life seemed meaningless and dead to him. (7) Nothing made him happy, and wealth, increasing more and more, gradually became a sad burden for him.
(8) Then he went to an old woman who was nurturing her ancient wisdom in the cave of a slumbering fiery mountain. (9) The eccentric told her about his misfortune, and the old woman answered him: (10) “Go to the big world to find what was missing. (11) Your misfortune is great: you lack the main thing, and until you find it, life will be misfortune and torture for you.”
(12) This fairy tale always comes to my mind when I think about the modern world and its spiritual crisis. (13) How rich humanity is in goods of a lower order! (14) And everything will become richer. (15) Space will be conquered, mysterious forms of matter will be discovered and mastered. (16) More and more new tools, means and opportunities will be placed at a person’s disposal, but the main thing is missing.
(17) The “how” of earthly life develops non-stop, but the “why” is imperceptibly lost. (18) It is as if a person who suffers from absent-mindedness plays chess and has developed for himself a far-sighted, complex plan, the implementation of which is already half completed, and suddenly he forgets his plan. (19) “Wonderful! (20) But why did I do all this? (21) What did I actually want with this?!” (22) Let's remember the natural science and technical inventions of the last century. (23) Electricity, dynamite, bacterial cultures, reinforced concrete, airplane, radio, atomic splitting. (24) This is enough and super-sufficient to create something great. (25) Reaching such a transcendental level, on such paths presupposes the presence of a comprehensive, inspired, far-sighted, purposeful consciousness, the development of art, which carries enormous spiritual and educational power. (26) Life without meaning under such conditions becomes more dangerous than ever. (27) Possibilities for creation can become means of universal destruction. (28) After all, in themselves they are neither good nor bad, they are only a powerful, uncertain “possibility”, a dormant fiery mountain, unpredictable and capricious in everything.
(29) Modern humanity must at least intuitively feel “where” it is going, “why” it has been given these opportunities, “how” it must be used, applied, so that the creative path of knowledge does not turn into a path of ruins. (30) What will happen if a bunch of spiritually rootless and morally unbridled “conquerors of the world” start tinkering with the tools of modern chemistry, technology and science? (31) The misfortune of modern man is great, because he lacks the main thing - the meaning of life. (32) He must go in search. (33) And until he finds the main thing, troubles and dangers will lurk more and more often. (34) Despite all the power of his mind and the breadth of his capabilities.
(According to I.A. Ilyin*)
The problem of finding the meaning of life, the path of life. The problem of understanding (loss, gain) of the purpose of life. The problem of a false goal in life. (What is the meaning of human life?)
Abstracts
The meaning of human life lies in self-realization.
A high goal, service to ideals allows a person to reveal the powers inherent in him.
Serving the cause of life is the main goal of man.
The meaning of human life is in the knowledge of truth, faith, happiness...
A person cognizes the world around him for self-knowledge, for the knowledge of eternal truths.
Quotes
Need to live! At the last line! On the last line... (R. Rozhdestvensky).
“To live honestly, you have to struggle, get confused, struggle, make mistakes, start and quit, and start again, and quit again, and always struggle and lose. And calmness is spiritual meanness” (L. Tolstoy).
- “The meaning of life is not to satisfy your desires, but to have them” (M. Zoshchenko).
- “You must love life more than the meaning of life” (F.M. Dostoevsky).
- “Life, why were you given to me?” (A. Pushkin).
- “Without passions and contradictions there is no life” (V.G. Belinsky).
- “Life is boring without a moral goal” (F.M. Dostoevsky).
Literary arguments
In the novel L.N. Tolstoy's "War and Peace" reveals the theme of the search for the meaning of life. In order to understand its interpretation, it is necessary to analyze the search paths of Pierre Bezukhov and Andrei Bolkonsky. Let's remember the happy moments in the life of Prince Andrei: Austerlitz, Prince Andrei's meeting with Pierre in Bogucharovo, the first meeting with Natasha... The goal of this path is to find the meaning of life, to understand oneself, one's true calling and place on earth. Prince Andrei and Pierre Bezukhov are happy when they come to the idea that their lives should not be for them alone, that they must live in such a way that all people do not live independently of their lives, so that their lives are reflected on everyone and so that they all live together .
And A. Goncharov. "Oblomov." A good, kind, talented person, Ilya Oblomov, was unable to overcome himself and did not reveal his best traits. The absence of a high goal in life leads to moral death. Even love could not save Oblomov.
M. Gorky in the play “At the Lower Depths” showed the drama of “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.
“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’s put on weight, he’s flabby... - just behold, he’ll 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 “The Gentleman 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.
Many heroes of Russian literature are looking for an answer to the question about the meaning of human life, about the role of man in history, about their place in life, they constantly doubt and reflect. Similar thoughts worry both Pushkin’s Onegin and the main character of the novel M.Yu. Lermontov “Hero of Our Time” Pechorin: “Why did I live? For what purpose was I born?..” The tragedy of their fate is clearly understood “between the depth of nature and the pitifulness of actions” (V.G. Belinsky).
Evgeny Bazarov (I.S. Turgenev. “Fathers and Sons”) goes further than his literary predecessors: he defends his beliefs. Raskolnikov even commits a crime to prove the correctness of his theory.
There is something similar in the hero of M. Sholokhov’s novel “Quiet Don”. Grigory Melekhov, in search of truth, is capable of internal changes. He is not satisfied with “simple answers” to the complex questions of time. All these heroes, of course, are different, but they are close in their restlessness, desire to understand life and determine their place in it.
A. Platonov’s story “The Pit” touches on the problem of finding the meaning of life. The writer created a grotesque that testifies to the mass psychosis of universal obedience that has taken over the country! The main character Voshchev is the exponent of the author's position. Among the communist leaders and the dead masses, he doubted the human correctness of what was happening around him. Voshchev did not find the truth. Looking at the dying Nastya, he thinks: “Why now do we need the meaning of life and the truth of universal origin, if there is no little faithful person in whom the truth would be joy and movement?” Platonov wants to find out what exactly motivated the people who continued to dig the hole with such diligence!
A.P. Chekhov. The story “Ionych” (Dmitry Ionych Startsev)
M. Gorky. Stories “The Old Woman Izergil” (The Legend of Danko).
I. Bunin “Mr. from San Francisco.”
Possible introduction/conclusion
At a certain point in life, a person certainly thinks about who he is and why he came into this world. And everyone answers these questions differently. For some, life is a carefree movement with the flow, but there are also those who, making mistakes, doubting, suffering, rise to the heights of truth in search of the meaning of life.
Life is a movement along an endless road. Some travel along it “on official business”, 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".
The problem of freedom of moral choice. The problem of choosing a life path. The problem of moral self-improvement. The problem of internal freedom (non-freedom). The problem of individual freedom and human responsibility to society.
Abstracts
It depends on each person what the world will be like: light or dark, good or evil.
Everything in the world is connected by invisible threads, and a careless act or an unexpected word can result in the most unpredictable consequences.
Remember your High human responsibility!
A person cannot be deprived of his freedom.
You can't force someone to be happy.
Freedom is a conscious necessity.
We are responsible for other people's lives.
Save while you can, and shine while you live!
A person comes into this world not to say what it is like, but to make it better.
Quotes
Everyone chooses a Woman, a religion, a path for themselves. To serve the devil or the prophet
Everyone chooses for themselves. (Yu. Levitansky)
Above this dark crowd of the Unawakened people, Will you ever rise, O Freedom, Will your golden ray shine?.. (F.I. Tyutchev)
- “Effort is a necessary condition for moral improvement” (L.N. Tolstoy).
- “You can’t even fall freely, because we are not falling in emptiness” (V.S. Vysotsky).
- “Freedom is that everyone can increase their share of love, and therefore good” (L.N. Tolstoy).
- “Freedom is not in not restraining oneself, but in being in control of oneself” (F. M. Dostoevsky).
- “Freedom of choice does not guarantee freedom of acquisition” (J. Wolfram).
- “Freedom is when no one and nothing prevents you from living honestly” (S. Yankovsky).
- “To live honestly, you have to rush, get confused, fight, make mistakes...” (L.N. Tolstoy).
Arguments in the essay of part C of the Unified State Exam in Russian on the topic “The problem of happiness (its understanding), the meaning of life”
Text from the Unified State Examination
(1) The writer lives for them, his readers and viewers. (2) In novels, stories, stories, the author certainly - sometimes even involuntarily - shares his life experience, his thoughts, suffering and hopes.
(3) Later, letters can convey to the author the opinion of those for whose sake all his incessant thoughts, turmoil, his defenseless frankness, his work. (4) One of the readers in his letter recalls how once in the House of Writers he heard from me the lines of a poem, the author of which I cannot now name with certainty:
(5) And people are looking for happiness, As if Happiness, Happiness exists...
(6) Many, many questions from readers can be reduced to this common semantic denominator: what is the concept of “happiness” in reality? (7) They are also interested in whether I have ever been absolutely happy. (8) I answer immediately and without hesitation: “absolutely” I have never been. (9) As Arkady Isaakovich Raikin said, the most meaningless question is: “Are you okay?” (10) Does anyone ever have everything go well?!
(11) And if suddenly it were... (12) To feel such boundless, thoughtless and careless happiness is, in my opinion, immoral and sinful. (13) After all, even if everything seems to have turned out well for you, someone at the same time is experiencing mental and physical torment...
(14) The classics of Russian literature penetrated the depths of universal human situations, universal human conflicts and psychological cataclysms. (15) They comprehended the incomprehensible complexities of existence. (16) What do they think about the happiness so desired for everyone? (17) Pushkin, as you know, wrote: “There is no happiness in the world, but there is peace and will.” (18) By will he meant freedom. (19) Lermontov was looking for “freedom and peace” - and this was perhaps his most secret aspiration. (20) Lermontov was looking for “peace,” but in reality he was likened to that sail that “is looking for storms, as if there is peace in storms!” (21) “We only dream of peace...” - Alexander Blok stated sadly many years later. (22) Perhaps in the second half of the twentieth century people no longer dream of peace. (23) But still we crave peace of mind, in which only creative rest and beneficial rest are possible in any other activity necessary for people. (24) Worldly prosperity did not often visit the immortals. (25) It is generally accepted to consider Goethe the darling of fate. (26) But Irakli Andronikov showed me Goethe’s letter, in which the “darling” said that if there had been at least one completely happy month in his life, he would have considered his whole life happy. (27) So much for “absolutely”!
(28) On the monument to Father Lermontov in Tarkhany we read:
(29) You gave me life, but you didn’t give me happiness.
(30) You yourself were persecuted in the world, you have only experienced evil in life...
(31) It was hard for the immortals. (32) “In life I have only experienced evil...” ... (33) This also applied to the poet himself. (34) But how much wisdom and light did he give to people?!
(According to A. Aleksin)
Introduction
Happiness is a relative concept that has become the main goal of human existence. No matter how different people may be, everyone strives for happiness: the poor, the rich, the simple worker, and the highly educated professor. Old and young, sick and healthy, smart and stupid... And everyone has their own happiness.
Text problem
What is absolute happiness? What is it like? Is happiness the meaning of human life? A. Aleksin reflects on this in his text.
A comment
The author says that writers and poets, through their works, share with the reader thoughts, doubts, and emotional experiences. People often ask creative individuals what happiness is, apparently relying on their life experience and ability to see the inner world.
Aleksin is sure that it is impossible to be absolutely happy, that everything can never be fine. Even if we assume that absolute boundless happiness has arrived, how can one feel careless given the suffering and torment of those around them?
The classics of Russian and world literature had their own idea of happiness - for the majority it was peace and freedom. Although few, or rather, none of them had to experience happiness in real life. Pushkin, Lermontov, Blok - they all suffered, and from their suffering magnificent poems were born, filled with the deepest meaning.
Author's position
According to A. Aleksin, the main goal for an artist, a creative person, is not only to find happiness, but also to help readers better understand their place in life. This is the meaning of the difficult life of poets, writers, musicians, and artists.
Your position
I think that bringing light and a better understanding of life is the destiny not only of creative individuals, but of each of us. Awareness of the positive results of one’s actions, efforts, and labors is happiness. Perhaps this is the meaning of our short life - to give birth to another person and help people feel the value of their existence. In other words, true happiness lies in self-realization, in the struggle for the well-being of the world around us.
Argument No. 1
Many works have been written about happiness. One of the most famous was the poem by N.A. Nekrasov “Who Lives Well in Rus'.” The heroes of the poem, seven men from surrounding villages, go in search of a happy man in Russia.
On the way they meet various heroes: a priest, a landowner, wealthy Russian men who live by honor and justice. None of them found happiness in life, each had their own difficulties.
Russian peasant women are not happy either. Matryona Timofeevna is considered lucky by the people, although she works for seven, and in her youth she lost her first-born son.
Unfortunately, Nekrasov did not finish the work. From his draft notes it becomes clear that the main “lucky” person of the poem is Grisha Dobrosklonov, a man who lives for the good of his people.
Argument No. 2
Another understanding of happiness is presented by L.N. Tolstoy in the epilogue to the novel “War and Peace”. All their lives, Andrei Bolkonsky and Pierre Bezukhov were in search of answers to eternal questions: what do we live for? how should one live? is there happiness? what does it consist of?
The moral quest of one ended in death - Prince Andrei died during the War of 1812. And the other found simple human happiness - Pierre married Natasha Rostova, they gave birth to three children, formed a strong family, for the sake of which they built their future lives, without fear of problems and difficulties.
Natasha Rostova, a flighty girl in her youth, turned out to be a faithful wife and a wonderful mother, putting her personal ambitions on the altar of the needs of her husband’s life.
Family is a person’s true pleasure, his meaning of life, his happiness.
Conclusion
Everyone is happy in their own way, everyone has their own ideas about happiness. It is not easy to achieve, for the sake of happiness you need to sacrifice a lot, then a person’s life will become filled with meaning.
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 in the monastery of painters - the Eternal City of 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, the 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” - the life principle of Sanya Grigoriev helps him to 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 the individual and the totalitarian state, the confrontation between moral and immoral value systems, slave psychology, freedom of choice are raised in the 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, holds rallies on especially important days, and discusses 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 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 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 for most of 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 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 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 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.
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. Thus, the hero of Ruben Gallego’s autobiographical novel “White on Black” is an example that confirms the idea that there are no insurmountable obstacles. 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 sent to an 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 unable to learn, he is so passionate about overcoming fate that he achieves his goal: becoming a famous writer and an inspiration to 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 is the “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 of a medical institute, are waiting for assignment 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 the respect of 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 of 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, Eugene, the hero of the novel of the same name in poems by A.S. Pushkin. At the beginning of the work we see a young man who has no interest in life. And the main problem 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 engaged 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 dinner. 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 should do 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. A special light and smell emanated from him. 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 are neither 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 addressed in the dystopian novel “Brave New World” by 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 the other side of 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.
