Comparative characteristics of Zhilin and Kostylin. Zhilin and Kostylin: different destinies

Two destinies, two heroes, but how different they are. Two Russian officers serve in the Caucasus, fulfilling their duty to the Fatherland. Having been captured by the Tatars, one strives for freedom, and the second humbly awaits his fate. So why are the fates of the two nobles so different? -officers.
Zhilin Ivan is a Russian officer, from a poor noble family. He is short in stature, but a handsome and daring young gentleman. He serves in the Caucasus, helping his old mother with money. He is not married, his mother found him a suitable bride and is waiting at home. Going to visit his mother, Zhilin takes a vacation, but on the way home he is captured. Here his moral qualities are revealed: rebellious, with a strong character, he does not lose hope, he is an optimist and believes in himself.
He is careful, but persistent in his aspirations, tries to act in any circumstances. Strong and courageous, he cannot come to terms with the position of a prisoner. There is no one to expect help from, relying only on himself, Zhilin is ready to carry a comrade on himself, without leaving him to be torn to pieces by enemies Smart and straightforward, Zhilin knows how to get along with people, he is respected even by his enemies, for his character, “golden hands” and his sense of dignity, which he does not lose even in captivity. Thanks to his ingenuity, dexterity, he managed to escape, and courage, bravery and a thirst for life, help him successfully reach “his people.”
Kostylin is from a wealthy noble family, a Russian officer and serves in the Caucasus. Tall, a clumsy “sissy”, fat and weak. A pessimist by nature, Kostylin does not try to change anything, having been captured. He is waiting for his ransom to be paid for him family, sleeps and complains about life. A weak-willed gentleman, cowardly and unable to do anything. His health is weak, and his spirit is even weaker. He can easily abandon a comrade in trouble, which is what he did with Zhilin.
Remaining in captivity, Kostylin received his freedom, he was ransomed a month later, but barely alive.
A craving for freedom and a thirst for life save Zhilin from death, there is no one to pay a ransom for him and death awaits him. He sees the good in life, helps people, and for this even his enemies respect him, and in the little girl Dina he finds a friend who helps him to escape. Honor and dignity helped Zhilin to remain an officer in any situation, even in captivity. Zhilin’s fate is the fate of the defender of the Motherland, for him honor and conscience are not empty words, which cannot be said about Kostylin. Having abandoned a comrade in trouble, becoming a coward in front of the enemy, he chooses the fate of a prisoner, weak-willed and devastated. A prisoner of his conscience, Kostylin will never be able to speak with pride about defending the Motherland.
Sissies have no place among officers; money only saves his life, not honor and dignity. Such different fates for two comrades who served together in the Caucasus.

In the story, L. Tolstoy depicts the fate of two Russian soldiers - Zhilin and Kostylin. These heroes are the complete opposite of each other. Zhilin is small in stature, but a dexterous man, and Kostylin is corpulent and clumsy. Appearance is the first thing that catches the reader's eye. Further, the author gradually reveals the characters of Russian soldiers.

During the war with the Tatars, Russians moved long distances under the protection of soldiers, otherwise they could be captured by the enemy. During one of the moves, Zhilin was not on duty: he asked for leave and was returning home. The convoy constantly stopped, and the man got tired of “tragging along.” He decided to get home quickly, continuing his journey alone. Kostylin made the same decision and offered to go together. On the way they were attacked by the Tatars. First they chased after Zhilin. When Kostylin saw that his comrade was in trouble, he rushed not to help him, but to save his own skin. This episode demonstrates the cowardice of the soldier. As a result, both were captured.

If Zhilin managed to free himself, thanks to Dina, Kostylin barely waited for the ransom money. He was lucky that the money was sent before his death. Why did the fate of the soldiers turn out differently? Why didn’t Kostylin run away with his comrade? I think it's about the characters' personalities.

He had fierce fortitude. He did not bend either to people or to circumstances. The first clear demonstration of this quality is the episode in which a soldier was forced to write a ransom letter. The Tatar demanded 3,000 rubles, but the prisoner agreed only to 500. He knew that his mother had no money. Even under the threat of death, the soldier insisted on his own.

Zhilin never despaired. He believed that higher powers would help him escape, so he carefully prepared for his escape: he found out the way, dug a passage in the barn. The fate of the officer was also decided by his kindness. He helped the Tatars and thanks to this he found a savior.

Finally, the hero was helped by his endurance. He stubbornly walked towards his goal, not paying attention to wounds or hunger. Zhilin did not spare himself, so he was able to free himself.

I couldn't boast of such a strong character. He relied on others. The soldier sent a letter home, and then passively waited until he was ransomed. While waiting for release, the hero only ate and slept. He did not immediately agree to escape with Zhilin, as he succumbed to fear. His comrade managed to persuade him, but they did not go far.

Kostylin felt very sorry for himself. While escaping, he complained about worn-out boots and body aches. He refused to walk because of the wounds on his legs. Selfishness and weakness blocked the path to salvation not only for him, but also for Zhilin. After the corpulent officer tested his strength in escaping, he abandoned the attempt again and doomed himself to suffering for another month. But at the same time, he made sure that his friend would no longer put himself in danger because of him.

Thus, the destinies of the heroes turned out differently, due to the fact that they had different attitudes towards difficulties and themselves. The fate of Zhilin, who knew how to pull himself together and look for a way out of the situation, was more successful. The image of Kostylin proves that manifestations of physical and internal weakness can play a cruel joke on a person.

In literature lessons we got acquainted with the story of L.N. Tolstoy "Prisoner of the Caucasus". The main character of this work is the Russian officer Zhilin, who was accidentally captured by the Tatars.

There is another hero in the story, also an officer of the Russian army, Kostylin. Tolstoy talks about the captivity of these people in his work. Zhilin and Kostylin are completely different in character. Their destinies are different. They also differ in appearance. Kostylin is overweight and fat. He was sweating as the convoy moved towards the fortress. And I imagine Zhilin as slender, very active.

From the very first events, Tolstoy shows how different his heroes are from each other. When they drove ahead of the convoy, Kostylin had a loaded gun. But as soon as he saw the Tatars, he immediately forgot about him. He rushed to his heels and did not think at all that Zhilin was in great danger and that he and the gun could help him in any way. Zhilin, on the contrary, when he realized that he could not escape the pursuit, decided to kill at least one Tatar with a saber.

Heroes behave differently even in captivity. Kostylin immediately writes a letter home asking for a ransom to be sent. Zhilin is bargaining. He thinks about his mother, who will not be able to find not only three thousand, but also five hundred rubles. Therefore, he writes the address on the letter incorrectly. He relies only on himself. Zhilin immediately decided to escape from captivity.

He is very active. Always making something or walking around the village. But for a reason. Zhilin is looking for a way to escape. He makes a hole in the barn. At the same time, Kostylit only sleeps or “sits in the barn all day long and counts the days until the letter arrives.” He does not try to do anything on his own to save himself. He just hopes for others.

During his escape, Kostylin let down both himself and his comrade. He didn't think about being careful. When his legs began to hurt, Kostylin screamed, although he knew that a Tatar had recently passed by them, and with his scream he could attract his attention. And so it happened. And Zhilin again thinks not only about himself but also about his comrade. He does not escape from captivity alone, but calls Kostylin with him. When Kostylin can no longer walk from the pain in his legs, Zhilin carries him on himself, because “it’s not good to abandon a comrade.”

Despite any difficulties, Zhilin still escapes from captivity. He knows that he has no one to rely on. Therefore, he must save himself. He is a strong character person. He succeeds in everything. And Kostylin is weak-willed. He relies on others. Therefore, he almost dies in captivity. They ransomed him alive. This is how different characters influence the fate of each of the heroes.

I.Articulation warm-up

II. Zhilin and Kostylin - two different characters, two different destinies
Conversation
Let's start the work by finding out the impressions of the story.
- Was it interesting for you to read the story? What episodes caused sadness, sympathy, joy? Which episodes would you like to re-read?
- Which of the heroes aroused respect, which - hostility?
- Why is the story called “Caucasian Prisoner” and not “Caucasian Prisoners”, because there were two prisoners?
The story is called “Caucasian Prisoner”, and not “Caucasian Prisoners”, because the writer pays main attention to the story about Zilina. Zhilin and Kostylin are the heroes of the story, but only Zhilin can be called a true hero.

Drawing up a comparison table
By talking about Zhilin and Kostylin, we begin teaching children comparative analysis. The development of the ability to conduct comparative characterizations of heroes in the future will depend on the quality of work in this lesson, so we will pay special attention to compiling a comparative table. First, let's discuss the meaning of the characters' surnames.
Progress: Students take turns reading the text of the story. Finding definitions or facts that characterize the heroes from one side or another, students, at the teacher’s suggestion, stop reading and write down a quote, character trait, or action of the hero in the table. Compilation of the table will be completed at home.

Table option

Homework
Finish compiling the table.
Prepare an oral essay on the topic “Zhilin and Kostylin.”

Zhilin and the Tatars. Zhilin and Dina. The writer’s thought about friendship between different peoples as a natural law of human life. Pictures of nature in the story

I.Checking homework
After the articulation warm-up, students tell how they completed the table.
We listen to the oral compositions of one or two students.
Let’s summarize the results of the work by comparing the two heroes: the writer contrasts Kostylin’s weakness and passivity with Zhilin’s activity, stamina and humanity. Courage and endurance helped him run to his people, overcoming all obstacles.
The main idea of ​​the story is to show that you can not give up even in the most difficult circumstances, you need to persistently achieve your goal.

II. Zhilin and the Tatars. Zhilin and Dina. The writer’s thought about friendship of different peoples as a natural law of human life
Conversation
- How is the life of the village shown: through the eyes of Kostylin or through the eyes of Zhilin? Why?
We invite students to find descriptions of the life of the village in the text, read and retell these descriptions close to the text.
The Tatar village seemed peaceful and calm to Zhilin in the morning. People wake up, everyone is busy with their own business, women bring water, boys play around. Zhilin counted ten houses and a Tatar church with a turret (that is, a mosque with a minaret).
When Zhilin entered the house, he saw that the walls were smoothly smeared with clay, and the room was good. Expensive carpets hang on the walls, and weapons in silver hang on the carpets. The stove is small, and the floor is earthen and clean. The front corner is covered with felts, there are carpets on them, and down pillows on the carpets. Here the Tatars sit and treat themselves.
Zhilin observed how the Tatars dressed, both men and women, and noticed that they were very fond of silver. In the house I noticed that they were the first to leave the large shoes at the threshold, and in the other, inner shoes they sat on the carpets. Zhilin also noticed how they wash their hands and pray after eating. Servants are not allowed on carpets with pillows. Women only serve food, but do not sit with men.
Let us draw the children's attention to the description of the Tatar's funeral, to the details telling about the services and the life of women in the village.
- Why did the old woman break Dina’s first doll?
Muslim tradition prohibits depicting people. In addition, the old woman was probably angry with the Russian.
- How did the Tatars treat Zhilin? Why did Abdul-Murat fall in love with Zhilin?
The Tatars respected Zhilin because he did not allow himself to be intimidated when they demanded a ransom from him, and because he knew how to do a lot. Abdul the owner said that he fell in love with Zhilin. The Red Tatar and the old man who lived under the mountain hated all Russians, and Zilina too.
- Tell us about the relationship between Dina and Zhilin. Why did Dina help Zhilin?
Zhilin was grateful to Dina for her help. Dina helped Zhilin, brought him food, because Zhilin showed kindness to her, made her a doll, then a second one. After the thunderstorm, he made a toy for children - a wheel with dolls. Describing the friendship of a girl and a captured Russian officer, Tolstoy wants to say that the feeling of enmity is not innate. Chechen children treat Russians with simple-minded curiosity, not hostility. And Zhilin is fighting with the adult Chechens who attacked him, but not with the children. He treats Dina's courage and kindness with respect and gratitude. If her father had found out that Dina was helping Zhilin, he would have punished her severely.
The author wants to say that enmity between peoples is meaningless, that friendship between people is the norm of human communication, and confirms this with the example of the friendship of Zhilin and Dina.

III. Pictures of nature in the story
Expressive reading
Note that there are no long descriptions in the story: the pictures of nature are short and succinct.
Let's read the description of the mountains that Zhilin saw while sitting on the top of the mountain (chapter four), from the words: “I persuaded the little one, let’s go” - to the words: “And so he thinks that this is the Russian fortress.”
- What is special about this description?
Note that there are very few adjectives. The landscape is shown as if in action.
- Where else in the story do we see an image of nature, as if actively accompanying human actions?
We expressively read the episode from chapter six, from the words: “Zhilin crossed himself, grabbed the lock on the block with his hand...” - to the words: “You can only hear the river gurgling below.”
We will strive to ensure that the text of the story is heard in the lesson in the reading of students. The story about Zhilin's second escape must be read in its entirety.

Homework
Write down rare, outdated words and expressions and explain them. (Divide the class into four to five groups and invite each group to work with the text of one of the chapters.)

Brevity and expressiveness of the language of the story. Story, plot, composition, idea of ​​the work

Speech development lesson

I. Brevity and expressiveness of the language of the story
This work has already been started in the previous lesson. Let's draw students' attention to the short sentences in which the story is written. Brevity and at the same time depth are the main advantages of the story.

Vocabulary work (in groups)
Each group of schoolchildren who worked with rare, obscure words and expressions from the chapters of the story discusses with each other the words that the students wrote down at home. The work of explaining the meaning of words by selecting synonyms and referring to explanatory dictionaries is very important. The group identifies one or two representatives who prepare to respond on its behalf. Then we listen to the students’ answer about the meaning of rare words.
A significant number of words and expressions require attention. Let us remember that what seems natural and understandable to us adults can cause significant difficulties for children. At the same time, ignorance of the meaning of even one word in a sentence (especially if it is key) often makes the entire sentence incomprehensible to children.

Chapter first
Straightened out my vacation- booked a vacation.
Seeing off soldiers- soldiers who accompanied a group of people; security.
The sun has already set for half a day- noon has passed.
I'll attack the Tatars- I’ll suddenly meet the Tatars.
Hunting horse- a horse that does not need to be pushed, which easily understands what needs to be done.
Carried him up the hill- the horse and its rider easily climbed the steep mountain.
The whip fry- hits him hard with the whip.
He began to shorten- began to pull the reins to stop the horse.
The horse ran wild- The horse is racing and cannot stop.
Trembling- shuddered.
Nogai - Nogais- people in Russia, they speak the language of the Turkic group.

Chapter two
Raspoyaskaya- without a belt.
Beshmet- men's and women's swinging clothing, worn under a caftan, chekmen, and Circassian coat among the peoples of Central Asia, the Caucasus, and Siberia.
Snoring wet- the muzzle is wet.
Trimmed with galloon. Galloon- a thick ribbon or braid, often with silver or gold thread.
Morocco shoes. Morocco- thin, soft, usually brightly colored leather, made from the skins of goats or sheep.
Sleeves trimmed in red- the sleeves are trimmed with red (galloon, braid, ribbon).
Monisto from Russian fifty dollars- a necklace made of Russian coins of 50 kopecks (at that time fifty kopecks were silver).
Their church, with a turret- a mosque with a minaret.
Pure as current. Current- platform for threshing; The threshing floor is always clean, because grain is collected here and the chaff is swept aside.
Felt- dense thick material made of felted wool.
Cow butter dissolved in a cup- cow's butter (butter) lies, melted, in a cup.
Pelvis- wooden round or oblong dishes, here - for washing hands.
The gun stopped short- the gun misfired, that is, it did not fire due to a malfunction of the weapon or cartridge.

Chapter Three
Three arshins. Arshin- a measure of length equal to 71.12 cm; three arshins - 2.13 m.
Approved them- firmly, steadily placed, attached.
Snores and turns away (old man)- will begin to breathe indignantly, so that a sound similar to snoring appears, and will turn away so as not to look at a person of a different faith.
Huddle behind a stone- hide behind a stone, clinging to it.

Chapter Four
Under the arms and under the bald heads- under the arms and behind the legs under the bends of the knees.
Zarobel- I felt timid and scared.

Chapter Five
Sheep farts in the corner- the sheep coughs convulsively in the nook, that is, in the barn for small livestock.
The high altitudes began to descend. Vysozhary, or Stozhary, or Pleiades - an open star cluster in the constellation Taurus; in the summer, Stozhary stands high in the sky in the first half of the night, and in the second half of the night gradually descends to the horizon.
Pickled. Malt- a product that is prepared from grain sprouted in moisture and heat, then dried and coarsely ground; Here pickled- became wet (sweaty), as if loose (weak muscles), lethargic.

Chapter Six
Sharp stone- the stone is sharp.
I'll lie down in the forest, front- I’ll hide in the forest, wait out the day, wait for darkness.

Let's summarize: the brevity of the story's language makes it understandable and fascinating, the use of ancient folk words makes the story expressive and memorable.

II. Story, plot, composition, story idea
In the textbook (p. 278) definitions are given: idea, plot, story, episode. Definition composition you can look it up in the dictionary, us. 309 textbook. We will work with them based on what children know about storytelling from Russian language lessons. Let's write down the definitions in a notebook.

The plot is the chain of events occurring in the work.

What is the plot of the story “Prisoner of the Caucasus”?

A story is a small narrative work that is united by one plot and consists of several episodes.

Which of the works read in 5th grade can we call stories?
Composition is a phenomenon that is familiar to children at the level of representation.
Composition is the construction of a work, the arrangement of parts, episodes and images in a significant time sequence.
Let's say that such a sequence is never random.
The composition of the story “Prisoner of the Caucasus” is based on its plot. Let's highlight in the work exposition, plot, development of action, climax, denouement And epilogue.
Exposition And epilogue Tolstoy’s words are swift and fit into one or two phrases.
The beginning- receiving a letter from your mother. The action develops quickly and leads to climax- Zilina's second escape.
Denouement- Zhilin manages to reach his own people.
(Often the concept of composition of a narrative work is given in Russian language lessons, so we do not write here in detail about the structural elements of the composition of a narrative work.)
Let's talk about question 7 (p. 278 of the textbook):
- What did the writer take from the memoirs of officer F. F. Tornau, what is the author’s fiction? What ideas, thoughts, feelings does the author of the story want to convey to the reader?
Tolstoy took from his memoirs the idea of ​​​​the friendship of a captive officer with a Tatar girl who came running to see him and brought him food. F. F. Tornau says that he fed the dog that guarded him. He painted figures and carved wood so that even the Circassians asked him to carve sticks for them. Tolstoy used these facts, slightly changing them. From his life, he took memories of how the Chechens were chasing him and almost took him prisoner.
The writer used the author's fiction. He came up with the idea that there were two prisoners, and invented the story of the first and second escapes. The author wants to instill in readers a feeling of pride in the Russian officer who was captured while fighting enemies, behaved with dignity in captivity and managed to escape.

Idea - the main idea of ​​the work.

The idea of ​​the story is that perseverance and courage always win. The writer condemns enmity between peoples and considers it meaningless.

Homework
Prepare a written answer to the question: what, in your opinion, is the idea of ​​L. N. Tolstoy’s story “Prisoner of the Caucasus”?