Statement by Erich Maria remarque reason is given to man. Electronic textbooks on the Russian language
"Reason and feelings are two forces that equally need each other"(V.G. Belinsky).
As I already mentioned in the review of the final essay (presentation) in the 2016-2017 academic year (), in order to better illuminate the topic of his direction "Reason and Sensibility" from Russian authors, I would advise taking "War and Peace" by L. Tolstoy, "Eugene Onegin" by A. Pushkin, "Poor Liza" by N. Karamzin.
But, before we begin to reveal the theme of feelings and reason in the main part of the essay, in the introductory part it should be given an idea of what what is feeling and what is reason.
As written in V. Dahl’s explanatory dictionaries “Feeling is the ability to consciously perceive the activities of the external world,” and D. Ushakova, “Feeling is the ability of a living being to perceive external impressions, to feel, to experience something.”
What does it say about the mind?
According to Dahl "Reason is a spiritual force that can remember (comprehend, cognize)", from Ushakov - “The highest level of human cognitive activity, the ability to think logically, comprehending the meaning and connection of phenomena, to understand the laws of development of the world, society and consciously find appropriate ways to transform them.”
There is often a conflict between reason and feeling. It is very difficult to subordinate feelings to reason, especially if they are ardent and sincere.
(Erich Maria Remarque).
In the main part of the essay, you should begin directly to analyze the relationships of the characters in the chosen work.
1. Let's take for example "Eugene Onegin". It will be much clearer to many future graduates.
What do we see?
And we see a young charmer, Tatyana Larina, in whose heart love flared up, which is probably the strongest and deepest feelings that one person can experience in relation to another. Love for the flighty, jaded Eugene Onegin.
"My whole life was a pledge
The faithful's meeting with you;
I know you were sent to me by God,
Until the grave you are my keeper..."
What about Onegin? He doesn't care about Tatyana's feelings.
"He no longer fell in love with beauties,
And somehow he was dragging his feet;
If they refused, I was instantly consoled;
They will change - I was glad to have a rest."
Time passed and a miracle happened - Onegin, after all, fell in love with Tatyana, but the trouble is, his beloved is no longer free, she got married.
"And happiness was so possible,
So close!..
But my destiny
It's already decided."
Having met her at the ball, Evgeny sees that Tatyana still continues to love him, but she, in response to his declaration of love, says:
"I love you (why lie?),
But I was given to another;
I will be faithful to him forever..."
In this work we see how the mind was able to curb and defeat the feelings of love in favor of another feeling - duty, honor, loyalty, respect for another person.
2. If we consider the confrontation between reason and feeling using the example of " War and Peace", then here, on the contrary, feelings prevailed over reason.
At the heart of the conflict between feelings and reason are relationships between Prince Andrei Bolkonsky, Natasha Rostova, his bride and Anatoly Kuragin.
Everything, of course, could have been different if the groom had not gone abroad, if the womanizer Kuragin had not turned up at the moment when the girl was sad, looking at Natasha with an “admiring, affectionate gaze”...
Well, she couldn't resist him. Youth, the thirst for love, reckless love, did their job. Natasha succumbed to the impulse of passion, although she later regretted it.
In conclusion, conclusions are drawn about what role the mind and feelings play in human life.
As an example, we can cite the statements of great representatives of humanity, for example:
“Reason is undoubtedly the highest ability, but it is acquired only by victory over the passions.”(N.V.Gogol)
"Love is a delightful deception to which a person agrees of his own free will"(A.S. Pushkin)
“Reason is given to man in order to understand: it is impossible to live by reason alone, people live by feelings”(Erich Maria Remarque), etc.
Feelings and reason have always been at odds with each other. The theme of this confrontation is popular in both classical and modern literature. And for good reason: the victory of one over the other in a person often ends in disastrous consequences.
Famous writer E.M. Remarque argues that suppression of feelings is a terrible misfortune, and it is impossible to live by reason alone. Indeed, many examples are proof of this; one of the most striking, in my opinion, is the fate of the main character of the novel “Fathers and Sons” - Evgeniy Bazarov. His life is built on clear rules dictated by reason, among which there is no place for love or recklessness. Dedicate yourself to science, destroy the old, build the world anew! Looking at this cold young man, it’s hard to believe that he can think about anything other than work.
However, a meeting with Mrs. Odintsova turns his world upside down. Love, almost animal passion, takes possession of the hero, and he finds himself in despair due to his inability to resist the surging feelings. Bazarov experiences all this very painfully. The character's internal conflict destroys all the unspoken rules in his head. As a result, he understands: you cannot live by reason alone. This defeat leads the hero to an equally tragic end.
Just as the mind can imprison feelings behind a stone wall, so feelings cloud our minds with unjustified ease. What's more scary? The story of Natasha Rostova, the heroine of the novel “War and Peace,” will help answer this question.
This girl, sincere and emotional, was lucky enough to grow up in a loving, wealthy family. She grew up without thinking about how strongly feelings took over her entire being. Anatol Kuragin, the main womanizer and rake of St. Petersburg, with his attractive appearance and passionate looks, instantly captured the heart of Natasha, who at that time was already indebted to Prince Andrei. Accustomed to trusting the will of her feelings, the heroine commits betrayal towards her groom, obviously believing that she is doing the right thing. Later, Natasha regrets what she did, she regrets it so much that mental torment almost destroyed her physical shell. Feelings without the voice of reason are an uncontrollable element, tirelessly growing and merciless. Fortunately, Natasha manages to understand this in time.
I have always considered myself to be a person who puts feelings in the background. However, the sad events that overtook those who were under the rule of one mind, or one feeling, force them to think seriously and reconsider their priorities. You can learn a lot from the destinies of Evgeny Bazarov and Natasha Rostova, but the main thing is: reason and feelings should not create internal conflict, their task is to complement each other.
Essay in the direction: Reason and feeling. Graduation essay 2016-2017
Reason and feeling: can they possess a person at the same time or are they concepts that are mutually exclusive? Is it true that in a fit of feelings a person commits both base acts and great discoveries that drive evolution and progress? What can a dispassionate mind, a cold calculation, do? The search for answers to these questions has occupied the best minds of humanity since life appeared. And this debate, which is more important - reason or feeling, has been going on since ancient times, and everyone has their own answer. “People live by feelings,” says Erich Maria Remarque, but immediately adds that in order to realize this, reason is needed.
On the pages of world fiction, the problem of the influence of human feelings and reason is raised very often. So, for example, in Leo Nikolayevich Tolstoy’s epic novel “War and Peace” two types of heroes appear: on the one hand, the impetuous Natasha Rostova, the sensitive Pierre Bezukhov, the fearless Nikolai Rostov, on the other, the arrogant and calculating Helen Kuragina and her brother, callous Anatole. Many conflicts in the novel arise precisely from the excess of feelings of the characters, the ups and downs of which are very interesting to watch. A striking example of how a rush of feelings, thoughtlessness, ardor of character, and impatient youth influenced the fate of the heroes is the case of Natasha’s betrayal, because for her, funny and young, it was an incredibly long time to wait for her wedding with Andrei Bolkonsky, could she subdue her unexpectedly flared up feelings? feelings for Anatole the voice of reason? Here a real drama of the mind and feelings in the soul of the heroine unfolds before us; she faces a difficult choice: leave her fiancé and leave with Anatole or not give in to a momentary impulse and wait for Andrei. It was in favor of feelings that this difficult choice was made; only an accident prevented Natasha. We cannot blame the girl, knowing her impatient nature and thirst for love. It was Natasha’s impulse that was dictated by her feelings, after which she regretted her action when she analyzed it.
It was the feeling of boundless, all-consuming love that helped Margarita reunite with her lover in Mikhail Afanasyevich Bulgakov’s novel “The Master and Margarita.” The heroine, without hesitation for a second, gives her soul to the devil and goes with him to the ball, where murderers and hanged men kiss her knee. Having abandoned a wealthy, measured life in a luxurious mansion with a loving husband, she rushes into an adventurous adventure with evil spirits. Here is a vivid example of how a person, by choosing a feeling, created his own happiness.
Thus, the statement of Erich Maria Remarque is absolutely correct: guided only by reason, a person can live, but it will be a colorless, dull and joyless life, only feelings give life indescribable bright colors, leaving emotionally filled memories. As the great classic Lev Nikolayevich Tolstoy wrote: “If we assume that human life can be controlled by reason, then the very possibility of life will be destroyed.”
Many people live clearly trying to adhere to the voice of reason and common sense. They try to avoid risky enterprises and restrain their manifestations of gambling. Their daily life is built on compliance with algorithms. Such as, for example, proper nutrition and adherence to a daily routine. Pedantry in everything leads to the fact that people who listen only to common sense and clearly calculate the expediency of their actions often disgust the absolute majority. They seem boring and uninteresting because you always know what to expect from them in the next minute. Exposure to emotions, the ability to experience unpredictable feelings, is what distinguishes human beings from mechanical machines. Of course, there are also shocking individuals who are guided in their behavior only by the voice of the heart. Often these are people of creative professions: musicians, writers, poets, actors, screenwriters. Their behavior can sometimes be not at all decent due to the emotional explosion that constantly affects the behavior of these natures.
Each person should restrain his feelings, but not completely hide them. By finding a healthy middle ground between restless behavior and an indifferent approach to any event, you can attract enough attention from others to your person, but at the same time not piss off your family and friends. Sometimes, in order to gain favor from a attractive object, you need to be the first to show your attitude towards this person. Sometimes this may not find a response, but you shouldn’t become closed and unsociable. On this vast planet there will be a person who will have a keen interest in this or that person. And it will be completely sincere. It is important to allow your soul to remain ready for contact: for friendship, or for love.
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“Reason is given to man to understand: it is impossible to live by reason alone, people live by feelings”
(Erich Maria Remarque)
Reason and feeling... Which of these two components of the human soul is more important? What should we listen to more in life: the voice of reason or the call of the heart? It is these questions that the topic I have chosen makes me think about.
For many centuries, humanity has lived, developed and created precisely thanks to reason. It is the ability to think that distinguishes humans from other animals. But each of us is also endowed with the ability to feel. Reason and feeling are the most important components of a person. In my opinion, they must coexist in each of us in harmony, because if a person lives only by reason, then he is deprived of all the joys given to him by life. If a person lives only by feelings, then there is a high probability that one day he will commit a rash act under the influence of emotions. However, each person gives his own answer to the question of what is more important, and many writers have discussed this.
Let us remember the work of A.I. Kuprina. The story “The Garnet Bracelet” tells the love story of poor telegraph operator Grigory Stepanovich Zheltkov for Princess Vera Nikolaevna Sheina. Our heroes have completely different ideas about what is more important in life: feeling or reason. Vera Nikolaevna lives guided by her reason, her life proceeds according to routine. Her life is a monotonous existence. And for Zheltkov, love for the princess, his feelings, became the meaning of life, although he was well aware of the insurmountable gap that lay between them. But the hero chooses the path indicated by his heart, his soul, he loves, and this makes the hero happy. Having devoted eight years of his life to the princess and receiving nothing in return except a note telling him to stop pursuing her, he dies. And only his death brought Vera Nikolaevna to his home and made her understand that Zheltkov’s love was the only true love in her life that every woman dreams of. Her soul was finally reborn. After reading the work, we understand that it was important for the author to show that people who try to live only by reason are doomed to a spiritually empty existence, for only love can give a person true happiness.
As a second argument, I would like to cite the work of Nikolai Mikhailovich Karamzin “Poor Liza”. The main character of the story, a young girl from a poor family, falls in love with a rich nobleman. She completely surrendered to her feelings and could not even imagine that her beloved could one day betray her. Erast marries a rich elderly widow for money, and upon learning of this, Lisa commits suicide. The author of the story shows us that love is a wonderful feeling that can elevate and transform a person, but sometimes it can destroy a person, as happened with Lisa. She forgot about everything, following the call of her heart; her mind, being in the background, could not save her.
To summarize, I would like to say that you cannot live by one thing alone. We are given feelings to feel the fullness of life, and reason to make the right choice. A person will live a full life only when reason and feelings are harmoniously combined in him.
