What does a person need more: truth or compassion? What is better - truth or compassion? What is better - truth or compassion? What is more needed? Reflections on the pages of M. Gorky’s play “At the Depths”

Lesson topic: Which is better: truth or compassion?

(based on M. Gorky’s play “At the Lower Depths”)

Class: 11

Lesson type: lesson-seminar with elements of discussion.

Goals: I .Educational:

Continue studying Gorky's play "At the Lower Depths."

Create conditions for expanding students' knowledge about the analysis of a work of art.

II .Developing:

Create conditions for skill development expressive reading students.

Create conditions for improving the skill of analyzing a work of art.

III . Personal:

Create conditions for awakening in students a sense of pride in a person.

Equipment: 1. M. Gorky “At the Bottom”

2. Screen adaptation of M. Gorky’s play “At the Lower Depths”

3.Presentation, projector

Literature: 1 . M. Gorky “At the Bottom”.

2. Severikova N.M. and others. Literature: Textbook. Benefit for Wednesdays. Specialist. Textbook head..–4th ed.– M.: graduate School, 1983.–P.335–359.

3.Russian literature of the 20th century. Essays. Portraits. Essay. Textbook Manual for 11th grade students. general education Institutions. In 2 parts. Part 1/Comp. E.P. Pronina; Ed. F.F. Kuznetsova. – 3rd ed. – M.: Education, 1996. – P.41.

4.Volkov A.A. A.M. Bitter. A manual for students. – M.: Education, 1975.

5. Fedin K. Gorky is among us. Pictures of literary life. – M.: Soviet writer, 1977.

Lesson structure: 1. Organizational moment.(1 min.)

2. Introductory speech by the teacher. (2 min.)

3. Work on the problems of the play. Drawing up a diagram (26 min.)

4.View an excerpt from the film adaptation of M. Gorky’s play “At the Lower Depths” (5 min.)

5. Conclusions. (6 min.)

6.Tests

7. Lesson summary: a) homework; (3 min.)

b) grading. (2 minutes)

During the classes:

I.Organizational moment.

Teacher: Hello guys! We continue to study the work of M. Gorky, or rather his play “At the Depths”.

II.Opening speech by the teacher.

Teacher: Not quite today regular lesson. We will answer questions, think, share our thoughts, argue. Currently, the question “What is better: the bitter truth or the sweet lie” is becoming increasingly relevant? truth or compassion? We will try to answer this question with you.

The play begins with a description of the gloomy life of the Kostylev doss house, which is depicted by Gorky as the embodiment of social evil. The author describes this shelter for the poor. Gathered here different people: men and women, old and young, healthy and sick. These people have a terrible present and no future. And of all these overnight stayers, Gorky singles out two: Satin and the wanderer Luke - these are two opposing philosophies.

III. Working on the problems of the play. Drawing up a diagram.

Teacher: Guys, what did we learn about Luke from the play? What is he like? Who is he?

Student: Luke the wanderer came from far away. He always speaks in aphorisms and proverbs. He gave hope to all the residents of the shelter, reassured them, and was kind to everyone. Life beat him a lot. But Luke did not stop loving people.

Teacher: What do we know about Satin?

Student: Satin spent 4 years in prison because of his sister (he stood up for her), he used to be a telegraph operator, and read a lot. He drinks a lot, plays cards and gets into fights. Believes in man.

Teacher: Now let’s draw up a diagram of the negative and positive character traits of Luka and Satin and find out which of them is depicted by Gorky as a positive hero and which as a negative one.

Luke Satin

+ / - + / -

sympathetic deceitful truth-loving cruel

patient proud distrustful

kind discordant

communicative

talkative

humane

Teacher: So, it turns out that Luke and Satin have something good and bad, and it’s impossible to say for sure who is positive and who bad guy. What is Luka’s relationship with the inhabitants of the shelter (with Anna, Natalya, Ash, Nastya, Kleshch, Actor)?

Student: He treats everyone kindly. He promises Anna rest and peace in the next world, he persuades Natalya to believe Ash and run away with him, he tells Ash about Siberia, where you can earn a lot of money, he simply listened to Nastya and pretended to believe him, he gave the actor hope that he would be cured in a free alcohol clinic.

Teacher: How does Satin feel about the inhabitants of the shelter?

Student: He mocks everyone, makes fun of them, tells them the harsh truth straight to their faces, destroying the hopes of the “dwellers of the bottom.”

Teacher: What does Satin say about work, labor?

Student: That work should bring joy, only then will it work.

Teacher: How does Luke treat all people?

Student: Luke is presented by the author in the image of a wanderer, more reminiscent of a preacher or minister of a religious cult. He is wise and carries light and human warmth. Already from the threshold he addresses the heroes as normal people: “Good health, honest people!” He treats everyone with warmth and understanding: “I don’t care! I respect swindlers too, in my opinion, not a single flea is bad: they’re all black, they all jump...”

Teacher: Fine. What does Luke say about man?

Student: Luke says: “Whatever he is, he is always worth his price...”

Teacher: How does Luke calm Anna down? What does he tell her about death?Student: " You can rest there!..” “Death, it is like a mother to small children.”

Teacher: What does Luke promise to the Actor? What hope does it give him?

Student: He tells the Actor that in some city there is a free clinic for alcoholics.

Teacher: Did the Actor believe Luke? How has his behavior changed?

Student : Yes. The actor believed Luke. He stopped drinking and began saving money for the trip.

Teacher: What solution does Luka offer to Vaska Ash?

Student : He suggested that Vaska go to Siberia and start a new life there.

Teacher: How did the story about Siberia influence Ash?

Student : He wants to improve: “...we must live differently! We need to live better! I have to live this way... so that I can respect myself.

Teacher: How does Luke answer the question “Is there a God”?

Student : “What you believe is what you believe”

Teacher: How do you understand this?

Student : That is, you can believe in whatever you want, and with this faith it will be easier to live.

Teacher: There is a debate about truth in the play. How does Luke talk about truth?

Student : “The truth is like a blow to the head...”

Teacher: Right. How does he explain his lies?

Student : “It’s true, it’s not always because of a person’s illness... You can’t always cure a soul with the truth!”

Teacher: What does Kostylev say about the truth?

Student : He says that not all truth is needed.

Teacher: Fine. How does Bubnov feel about the truth?

Student : He says: “Leave the truth as it is. I always tell the truth! I can't lie. For what?"

Teacher: What does Satin say about the truth? Read his words.

Student : “Lies are the religion of slaves and masters, truth is God free man».

Teacher: Luke tells a parable about a righteous land. What is it about? Why did he tell it?

Student : He tells a parable about a man who believed in the existence of a righteous land. When a certain scientist proved that there was no such land, the man hanged himself out of grief. With this, Luke wants to once again confirm how saving a lie is sometimes for people and how unnecessary and dangerous the truth can be for them.

Teacher: Does Luke believe in people and love them?

Student : Luka loves people. He feels sorry for them and does not believe in them, killing with his pity the will to get out of the “bottom of life.”

IV.Viewing an excerpt from the film adaptation of M. Gorky’s play “At the Lower Depths”

Teacher: How does Satin evaluate the truth and what does he say about a person? The film will tell us about this - an adaptation of the play “At the Bottom”.

Guys! Luke's lie is life-saving. This philosophy saving lie Gorky rejects, she plays a reactionary role.

Instead of calling for a struggle against unrighteous life, he reconciles the oppressed and disadvantaged with the oppressors and tyrants. This lie, according to the author of the play, is an expression of weakness, historical impotence. The author thinks so. Do you agree with this position of Gorky? What do we think?

Student : On the one hand, I agree with Gorky. But on the other hand, Luka is the only one who treats the residents of the shelter humanely, humanely (for example, with Anna). Even Satin respects him and protects him.

Teacher: So let's answer main question Today's lesson: Which is better: truth or compassion? Truth or lie?

Student : I think that in some situations it is permissible to lie out of compassion for one’s neighbor (for example, for a seriously ill or dying person), in other cases it is better, of course, to tell the truth.

V .Conclusion.

Teacher: In the play, Gorky contrasts false humanism, which preaches universal humility, submission to fate, and true humanism, the essence of which is the struggle against everything that oppresses a person, depriving him of dignity and faith in his own strength, against the slave life of humanity. These are the two main truths that Luka and Satin argue about in the play - characters who immediately stand out from the general crowd of residents of the shelter with their philosophical approach to life, the ability to speak wisely and the ability to influence people.

However, at the beginning of the play, another, third, “truth” is given - Bubnov’s truth. Bubnov is too categorical, for him there is only black and white, while there is much more black. He lives and acts according to the principle “leave the truth as it is.” Bubnov tries to bring everyone who is in the shelter to clean water, revealing his truth: “But I... I don’t know how to lie! For what?" This character tells both the Actor, and Medvedev, and Ash, and Nastya a bitter and painful truth, but the consequences of this truth are unpredictable! He is indifferent to his own fate, especially to the feelings of others, his view of life is overly skeptical, full of pessimism, and life itself seems to him complete nonsense; “All people float like chips along the river. It's like that! They are born, they live, they die. And I will die, and you... Why be sorry! True, Bubnov kills any desire in a person to be human: “Everyone will die anyway,” so why go out of your way in vain, it’s better to immediately think about death.

But the righteous Luke sincerely wants to ease the suffering of people, help them, support them, and instill Orthodox humility in their souls. Luka knows who and what to promise, his speeches have a beneficial effect on the ears of the embittered residents of the shelter and plunge them into a pleasant oblivion, making them even more passive and disconnected from real life. But Luka bypasses Bubnov, Satin, Kleshch, obviously realizing that his pity can satisfy only the weak and those who doubt the possible happiness of people.

But Luke's preaching only brings harm. The inhabitants of the shelter are already driven to despair and live only in illusions, and Luka creates even more of them. He does not name a path that can lift them from the bottom, he does not believe in the capabilities of these unfortunate people and therefore resorts to sublime, but meaningless deception. Luke’s affectionate words only lull and fascinate, but they do not encourage him to fight, do not give him the strength and desire to actively act to change his own deplorable situation. Luke's call to hope for the best pushes the night shelters into inaction and humility, and he himself quietly leaves, leaving the unfortunate ones in complete confusion, with a bitter feeling of hopelessness.

Satin tried to understand Luka and soberly assessed his role: “Luka is not a charlatan,” as others thought, “but compassionate,” “crumb for the toothless.” He comes to the conclusion that Luke’s speeches, permeated with Christian morality, do not bring any benefit, but only lull the soul and deceive it. And Satin sharply criticizes lies: “Lies are the religion of slaves and masters, truth is the god of a free man.”

And, if Luke claims that a person must humble himself, endure and wait for a miracle. Satin proclaims the idea that a person must first of all be free and proud, must act, fight for happy life, without losing heart and tirelessly. Satin’s truth is closest to the thoughts of the author himself: through the mouth of Satin, Gorky expresses own faith into a person. Actual answer to the author's question: Which is better: “truth or compassion?” not in the play. Everyone decides this question for themselves.

VI . Tests

VI Lesson summary:

a) homework;

Write an essay - an argument on the topic: “Man is a great position”

b) grading.

Maxim Gorky writes his play “At the Lower Depths” in 1902. This is a time when human life depreciates, when tramps and poor people prosper, having lost faith in themselves and in people.

The heroes of the drama are the residents of the Kostylevo shelter, drunken people who have lost hope and find themselves at the “bottom” of life. Living in one place, they do not want to help each other, these people have lost everything human, largely due to the fact that they good attitude did not see. Night shelters are rejected by society. There is not a single bright day in their life.

Suddenly, the wanderer Luka appears at the shelter. It is he who instills grains of hope in the heroes and gives rise to a dispute about man, about the cruel truth and saving lies.

Luke in translation is “evil,” but he also “brings light,” which means Luke’s lie is bright, in the name of good, he sympathizes with the inhabitants of the shelter and wants to awaken in them the best, but hidden, sides of their nature. Luke tells stories and parables that remind people that hope, faith in the best and, in general, dreams are the support of life, and if this disappears, then the person dies. Luka is like a doctor, but in a hospital with terminally ill patients, he cannot completely remove the pain, but he can reduce it, making the night shelters dream of a new one. better life. In addition, he does not divide people into good and bad; for him, the people of the “bottom” are “honest people”: “I respect swindlers too, in my opinion, not a single flea is bad: they are all black, they all jump.” All people are initially equally honest and kind, and only social circumstances make them vicious.

First we see Anna, exhausted by illness a woman who bothers everyone with her constant cough, even her own to my own husband. And Luka becomes her outlet on the verge of death, she can talk to him and receive understanding and compassion. Luke convinces Anna that after death everything will be fine and calm, that there she will find rest from the misfortunes that befell her.

In the Actor, a drunkard who once actually worked as an actor, Luke gives hope that there are hospitals for alcoholics. The Wanderer says that once he is cured, the Actor will be able to improve his life. And when the faint-hearted Actor’s fragile dream of returning to the stage is shattered, he hangs himself.

Nastya, a girl of “easy virtue”, is consoled and supported by the wanderer. She dreams of pure love, which is absurd in her situation. Luka fully supports Nastya and assures the girl that there will definitely be exceptional love in her life.

For Satin, Luka is “like acid for an old and dirty coin.” Luke provokes him to think about truth and man. “Truth is the god of a free man!” - says Satin. The position of the author of the play is visible in his views; he believes in the best that exists in a person.

Luka convinces Vaska Pepel, a hereditary thief, of the possibility of an honest life.

Luka talks to the residents of the shelter, instilling faith in them. He lies, but he does it to save himself, out of pity for people. But Luke could only help with words; his “comforting lies” only exacerbated the conflict. Coming out into society, inspired by its lies, these humiliated people were faced with the harshness of life and could not rise. Perhaps they never gained faith in themselves, but the main thing, according to Gorky, is to see a person in themselves. Therefore, the author still condemns Luke’s position and his theory of the “saving lie.”

“Which is better: truth or compassion?”
(based on Gorky’s play “At the Lower Depths”)

She really might be a bitch for you...
Luke
In my opinion, tell the whole truth as it is!
Bubnov.

What is better: truth or compassion, truth or white lies? Many philosophers, thinkers, literary scholars, and writers have tried and will try to answer this question. And each of us has thought about this dilemma at least once in our lives. But a definite answer has not yet been found.
The question of what is better: the bitter truth or the sweet lie for good is very difficult. Therefore, the attitude towards truth is different for all people.
This is very clearly manifested in A. M. Gorky’s play “At the Bottom,” a kind of kaleidoscope of destinies, hopes and human characters.
The most ardent supporter of “white lies” is the wanderer Luke. In contrast public opinion The elder believes “that there is no need to stun a person with the “butt” of truth” (N. Zhegalov). He says that sometimes it is necessary to lie for the greater good: “... it’s true, it’s not always because of a person’s illness... you can’t always cure a soul with the truth...”. Self-deception helps a person more easily endure the difficulties of life (remember Luke’s story about a poor peasant who cherished faith in the “righteous land”, his comforting words that the elder spoke dying Anna and which made her death easier). At first glance, in this attitude towards lies and truth one can see a contradiction between Luke’s beliefs and the biblical commandment: “Thou shalt not lie.” However, this contradiction is imaginary. It must be remembered that many biblical truths and laws cannot be considered absolute (the Lord himself warned his own about this).
The “Book of Books” talks about those lies that can harm people and denigrate their souls. But a lie that gives hope, encourages a person to live and believe in the best, even if the world around is mired in immorality, has a beneficial effect on the human soul. And the bitter truth, which plunges one into despondency and leaves no hope for the best, is evil for a person, for it contradicts another, no less important biblical commandment: “Do not harm your neighbor.”
It should be noted that Luke, despite his confidence in the need for “white lies,” does not deny the need to sometimes tell the bitter truth. Expressing his attitude towards the atmosphere of mutual deafness and ignorance reigning in the shelter, the elder says: “I’ll look at you, brothers - your life - oh!..”. He denounces the rude and self-contained night shelters, revealing to them a dark picture of their lives. Man with a big life experience, Luka understands that such an atmosphere of existence reigns in many other parts of the country. With sadness in his voice, he says: “Eheh... gentlemen, people! And what will happen to you?..” The desire for the best, the pure does not prevent the wanderer from seeing the hopelessness of the sorrowful human life: “We don’t feel sorry for the living... we can’t feel sorry for ourselves... where is it!”
Such diverse attitudes of Luke to truth and lies are explained by his life position: “...people live for the best...” Where the truth helps a person achieve his desired goal, it is necessary. But if this same truth forces a person to retreat back, it is necessary to discard it and cherish hope for the best, no matter how illusory it may be.
The presence of the old man among the night shelters has a beneficial effect on their souls. Satin, who treated life with indifference and even contempt, becomes ardent defender truth, calls on the night shelters to strive for a better life: “Man! It's great! It sounds... proud! Human!". Despite the revolutionary pathos of his speeches, we see that Satin respects the old man, defends his beliefs and views on life: “The old man is not a charlatan!” But the eloquent speaker develops these beliefs, bringing them to their highest point: “Lies are the religion of slaves and masters... Truth is the god of a free man!” If Luka can be called a “humble liberal,” then Satin can be called an “irreconcilable revolutionary.”
Mite, who once shouted in despair: “... what do I need her for - is it true?”, begins to look at her differently: “... we must live - according to the law ... according to the Gospel...”. “Gospel” translated from Greek means “good news”, “hope”. And therefore, living according to the Gospel means living with hope in your heart.
Even the usually indifferent Baron changes: “Oh... for some reason I was born... huh?”
Other night shelters who were reborn under the influence of Luke ask themselves similar questions. They are filled with hope for the future and believe in the gracious truth. But the oppressive atmosphere of the flophouse crushes them with another truth - the truth about the hopelessness and hopelessness of life. AND, weak in character, they cannot break out of their prison.
Lies can be understood as many human dreams and hopes. And in modern world they are a support for a person, a source that feeds his weak spiritual forces. And therefore, Luke’s humane position seems to me the most correct, for the elder, with his speeches, ignites sparks of life in us, forcing us, in spite of everything, to believe in the best while making our earthly journey.

My grandfather is a veteran. When I"m at his house, he tells me about the harsh realities of wartime. Now, thanks to your grandfather I know how hard the road was to the great day of May 9, 1945. The victory over the Nazis was forged and artillery, and infantry, and tank crews, and pilots. My grandfather was a Rifleman scout the third division of the 508 regiment of the First Byelorussian front. In fierce battles at the Kursk bulge, he received a severe wound in the leg: the bone was highly fragmented, had a infection. As a result, doctors had to amputate the leg to the knee. My grandfather in his 17 years became the invalid of group II! How many bitter tears they had shed, so many thoughts thought out - even life is not worth living... "Who am I without a leg you need me?" he shouted. But there was at that time kind people who were able to persuade my grandfather that everything in his life will soon get better, and there is work on the shoulder. All turned out well. He worked in the postwar period as a head horse farm. All my life my grandfather passed a wooden crutch.Only when I recalled the events of the war years and his fellow soldiers, he secretly wiped his tears involuntarily sliding down his cheek. How much hardship I had to endure him on his youthful shoulders: and hungry days and cold nights and physical exhaustion. Many times my grandfather went out in exploration, constantly risking their lives for the sake of their descendants, who now live in a free, modern country. And I now know first hand how difficult it is to get the Russian people the victory over the Nazis. Unfortunately, fewer and fewer veterans of that terrible war. In July last year died and my beloved grandfather.

I thank my grandfather and all involved in the war soldiers and officers for life in a free country, under the peaceful blue sky. And we, largely, to date, depends on the preservation of the memory of those killed in world war II. This memory is sacred. Because our grandfathers and great grandfathers fought for the independence of their homeland from foreign invaders, for our happiness. Eternal, immortal memory to all those who died in that horrific war, and low to earth bow to all survivors!

What is better - truth or compassion? What is more needed?

Reflections on the pages of M. Gorky’s play “At the Depths”

What is truth? Truth (in my understanding) is absolute truth, that is, the truth that is the same for all cases and for all people. I think that such truth cannot be. Even a fact, a seemingly obvious unambiguous event, is perceived differently by different people. So, for example, news of death can be understood as news of another, new life. Often the truth cannot be absolute, the same for everyone, because words are ambiguous, because the meaning of the same word is understood differently. Therefore, I would begin to talk not about truth - an unattainable concept - but about truth, which is designed for the “average” person. The juxtaposition of truth and compassion gives the word “truth” a certain connotation of harshness. Truth is the hard and cruel truth. Souls are wounded by the truth and therefore need compassion.

It cannot be said that the heroes of the play “At the Lower Depths” represent a more or less homogeneous mass of people - impersonal, characterless. Each of the characters feels, dreams, hopes or remembers. More precisely, they carry something precious and sacred inside them, but since the world in which they live is heartless and cruel, they are forced to hide all their dreams as far as possible. Although a dream, which would have at least some proof in harsh real life, could help weak people - Nastya, Anna, Actor. They are these weak people– depressed by the hopelessness of real life. And in order to live, just live, they need a saving and wise lie about the “righteous land.” As long as people believe and strive for the best, they will find the strength and desire to live. Even the most pitiful of them, even those who have lost their name, can be cured and even partially resurrected with pity and compassion. If only the people around him knew about it! Maybe then, out of self-deception, even a weak person would build a better life for himself, one that would be acceptable to him? But those around him don’t think about it, they expose the dream, and the man... “went home and hanged himself!..”

Is it worth accusing an old man of lying, who is the only one of the inhabitants of the shelter who thinks not about himself, not about money, not about drink, but about people? He tries to caress (“It is never harmful to caress a person”), he inspires hope with calmness and pity. It was he who, in the end, changed all the people, all the inhabitants of the shelter... Yes, the Actor hanged himself. But not only Luke is guilty of this, but also those who did not spare, but cut the heart with the truth.

There is some stereotype regarding the truth. It is often believed that the truth is always good. Of course, it is valuable if you always live in truth, in reality, but then dreams are impossible, and after them - a different vision of the world, poetry in in a broad sense this word. It is a special view of life that gives birth to beauty and serves as the basis for art, which in the end also becomes a part of life.

How is compassion perceived more? strong people? Here is Bubnov, for example. Bubnov, in my opinion, is the toughest and most cynical of all the inhabitants of the shelter. Bubnov “mumbles” all the time, stating the bare, heavy truths: “no matter how you paint yourself, everything will be erased,” he doesn’t need a conscience, he’s “not rich”... Bubnov, without hesitation, calmly calls Vasilisa a fierce woman, and in In the middle of the conversation he says that the threads are rotten. Usually no one specifically talks to Bubnov, but from time to time he inserts his comments into a variety of dialogues. And the same Bubnov, Luka’s main opponent, sad and cynical, in the finale treats everyone to vodka, growls, screams, and offers to “take your soul away”! And only the drunken, generous and talkative Bubnov, according to Alyosha, “looks like a person.” Apparently, Luka also touched Bubnov with kindness, showed him that life is not in the despondency of everyday melancholy, but in something more cheerful, hopeful - in dreams. And Bubnov dreams!

The appearance of Luka rallied the “strong” inhabitants of the shelter (Satin, Klesch, Bubnov in the first place), and even a solid general conversation arose. Luke is a man who had compassion, pity and love, and managed to influence everyone. Even the Actor remembered his favorite poems and his name.

Human feelings and dreams, his inner world more expensive than anything and most valuable, because a dream does not limit, a dream develops. The truth does not give hope, the truth does not believe in God, and without faith in God, without hope, there is no future.