First Chekhov Entries - "The Bet" and "A Problem"
Mrs. O
story to answer both questions, but you may not use the same story for
both entries. You must answer one using one story, and the other using
the other story. If you have any questions, please email me. Looking
forward to your posts!
- Mrs. O
ENTRY ONE:
Anonymity, Reading, Material Wealth, Family, Responsibility,
Education, Identity ... These were some of the words that came to mind
after I read these stories
I would like you to take one of these words and construct a theme for
either "The Bet" or "A Problem". Once you have done that I would like
you to pretend you have been asked to write an essay on the this
theme.
I would like your post to be the introductory paragraph of this
fictional essay assignment.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
ENTRY TWO:
As I have said before, motifs are repeated for a reason. Rather than
looking at one work in isolation, I would like you to think back to
all of the Russian works we have read so far and identify a motif that
seems present in at least three of them.
I would like your post to be a paragraph that identifies this motif
and explains how it is present in three different works we have read
so far (Remember, one of them must be a Chekhov story, the story you
did not use for the above entry)
Aish
Young people often do not know how to properly handle responsibility
when it is first presented to them.
Young people often do not know how to properly handle responsibility
when it is first presented to them. They may squander opportunities
and make plenty of mistakes, but it is important to let them learn the
hard way so that the meaning of the lesson becomes deeply etched in
their brains. Anton Chekov echoes this sentiment in his story "A
Problem" both when he contrasts Ivan Markovitch's decision with the
choices Sasha later chooses to make. After working at length to defend
Sasha, Markovitch doesn't realize that kids need to learn from their
mistakes until Sasha threatens to commit the crime again if he doesn't
get what he wants. The boy does not realize the consequences of the
actions defined in his threat and the blemish that would stain the
family name.
ENTRY TWO:
I see a commonality in the stories of "The Gardener", "Speak, Memory"
and "The Bet" in the motif of appearance versus reality.
In "The Gardener", everyone questions the gardener as to whether he
realizes that they are in the middle of the war. The gardener
continues to do his work as if nothing has happened. Observing the
garden would make one escape for a moment and believe that everything
was all right. However, the ugly truth was that they were in the
middle of a bloody revolution. In "Speak, Memory", Nakabov relates the
stories of his childhood and memories of learning how to read. He
explains the natures of the characters (Ben, Dan, Sam, and Ned) almost
as if they were real people, or even characters in a story. In
reality, they are merely placeholders utilized to reinforce
grammatical concepts. In "The Bet", initially the young man's main
interest was in winning the two million. The material wealth was his
reality. After 15 years in solitary confinement, he formulates a new
reality, and realizes that he believes that heaven and other spiritual
thoughts transcend any tangible wealth. Although it may appear foolish
not to take the money, the lawyer's view of reality is very
different.
_Yes. This has been posted before 3 AM. :) _
Hannah
"The Bet" by Anton Chekhov is a short story about a bet between a
banker and a young gentleman who dispute their preferences towards the
death penalty versus life imprisonment. When the banker bets the young
man 2 million dollars he would not be able to remain imprisoned for 15
years, the young man accepts the bet and if accomplished, he receives
his freedom. Throughout the young man's time in prison, he is allowed
to order and receive as many books as he desires. The man goes through
hundreds of books, all of which have different topics, genres, and
views of the world. The young man becomes immersed in these books,
gaining a different and stronger knowledge than he once had, and a
different and stronger knowledge than the men he once conversed with.
It is clear throughout "The Bet" that a defining theme is that the
knowledge gained from books, whether or not they all have coinciding
ideas and values, is more valuable and wise than the knowledge of
those who are unread, and it can also reveal universal truths.
ENTRY TWO:
A motif that is present in three of the Russian works we have read so
far is neutrality and silence. This motif is present in "The Gardener"
by Maxim Gorky, "Keep Memory Alive" by Elie Wiesel, and "The Problem"
by Anton Chekhov. In "The Gardener", neutrality is present with the
gardener. Although the world is spinning around him and his country is
in war, he remains neutral and silent, keeping to his work and not
worrying about anybody else but himself. In "Keep Memory Alive",
Wiesel discusses the negative aspects of silence and neutrality. Her
speech is formed around the idea of how silence and neutrality torment
the tormented, rather than stopping and speaking out against the
tormentor. Lastly, in "The Problem" silence is a factor in the
decision of whether or not to maintain family honor and pay Sasha's
debts or to instead do nothing and watch as their family is
humilitated and Sasha put on trial. The uncles had the choice to
remain silent and not do anything about the situation, but instead
decided against it. Silence and neutrality play different roles in
each of these Russian works, but they are evident as motifs in all of
them.
On Feb 16, 3:36 pm, "Mrs. O" <kelly.r...@rtsd.org> wrote:
> Please read both entry topics before posting!! You may use either
> story to answer both questions, but you may not use the same story for
> both entries. You must answer one using one story, and the other using
> the other story. If you have any questions, please email me. Looking
> forward to your posts!
>
> - Mrs. O
>
> ENTRY ONE:
> Anonymity, Reading, Material Wealth, Family, Responsibility,
> Education, Identity ... These were some of the words that came to mind
> after I read these stories
>
> I would like you to take one of these words and construct a theme for
> either "The Bet" or "A Problem". Once you have done that I would like
> you to pretend you have been asked to write an essay on the this
> theme.
>
> I would like your post to be the introductory paragraph of this
> fictional essay assignment.
>
> -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Kim Sass
Material wealth has always appeared important in one's life. Especially when that wealth is two million dollars. In "The Bet" by Chekhov, one man bets his freedom for fifteen years in exchange for two million dollars, because of an argument about the death penalty. At first, the man who is imprisoned can think of nothing except his money that he will earn after fifteen years in imprisonment, but he learns a greater lesson. He learns that the wealth of knowledge is greater than that of the wealth of the money. The wealth of knowledge can bring you to places you've never dreamed of and make you see the whole world in a new perspective, while material wealth makes a person greedy for more rather than being content with what he has. "The Bet" shows that knowledge is never ending and can always be expanded, while money can only make you see with one perspective.
Entry Two:
The motif shown through the three stories: "A Problem" by Chekhov, "The Gardener" by Gorky and "Speak, Memory" by Nakabov is that status means everything. In "A Problem" the family wasn't concerned that Sasha is spending his money carelessly and that he isn't capable of truly taking care of his life, they are concerned about the disgrace put upon their family. It's okay that Sasha doesn't know how to live his life, as long as he doesn't endanger the family honor! In "The Gardener" the people were fighting to get a higher status so they wouldn't have to be poor workers for the rest of their lives. Status meant wealth and success, but these poor people were not educated and therefore didn't have wealth and success. In "Speak Memory" the writer feels that his connection with the English world kept his status by having nice soaps and learning to read English. This kept his "status" up because he was more westernized and educated. But when there was a change in goverment to communism, everyone had exactly the same status, which was neither wealthy nor poor.
Kai
A theme for the story "A Problem" would be: The thirst for material
wealth is so strong that it can take priority over one's family.
All literary works have themes. These themes offer a glimpse at the
complex mechanics of life through literature. One such theme is that
the thirst for material wealth is so strong that it can take priority
over one's family. A literary work that showcases this theme is the
short story "A Problem" by Anton Chekhov. In the story, Chekhov uses a
young man's greed as a prime example of material wealth taking
priority over family when the young man's forged check puts debt on
the family, when the family suffers stress through debating whether or
not to pay that debt, and when even after he is forgiven, the young
man immediately blackmails one of the uncles who argued on his behalf
to lend him more money.
E2
A motif that occurs in the stories "Nobel Lecture", "Speak, Memory",
and "the Bet" is a sense of values that are important besides material
wealth. In "Nobel Lecture", the speaker talks about writing and how
literature's power can be used to end violence. It emphasizes the
powers of writing and places value on writing as a powerful
communication tool and peacemaker. In "Speak, Memory", writing is
again emphasized as a communications tool. This time it inspires
Nabokov's imagination and also exposes him to Western ideals. This
exposure to the West is also apparent in his family's use of Western
products. Literature here is shown again as a powerful tool that can
bring people together. Lastly, in "the Bet", the prisoner outright
denounces material wealth as horrible. He gives up his prize money by
opening the cell door and leaving mere hours before the bargain would
have ended. In the wisdom that he had gained from studying in solitude
for 15 years, the prisoner had concluded that there were things out
there far more important than simple material goods.
On Feb 16, 3:36 pm, "Mrs. O" <kelly.r...@rtsd.org> wrote:
Amy
A family’s honor does not always accompany protecting one of its
members from harm.
A family’s honor is often associated with protecting every member of
the family from criminal repercussions. However, this is not always
the case. In some circumstances, a family has to sacrifice the honor
of one of its members in order to protect the honor of the name. In
Anton Chekhov’s story “The Problem”, relatives of a prominent family
are forced to realize that preserving the family honor also involves
letting a young man be jailed or banished. He has committed fraud,
and if they are to pay off the debt for him, they also tarnish their
reputation by letting him get away with the crime. This creates a
moral quandary; as they are forced to decide whether his freedom or
their nobility is the more important of the two.
Entry Two:
The ignorance of youth is a common motif in the three stories “The
Bet” by Anton Chekhov, “Keep Memory Alive” by Elie Wiesel, and “Speak,
Memory” by Vladimir Nabokov. In “The Bet”, the young man is extremely
confident that being locked up forever is better than dying. He is so
confident of this, he commits himself to a fifteen year long bet to
prove it. He is ignorant of the pain of imprisonment, primarily
because of his youth and inexperience with the world. In “Keep Memory
Alive”, Elie Wiesel recalls himself as a child. He recounts how he had
no knowledge of the horror of the Holocaust, and how he didn’t
understand the suffering around him. He was also too young to
understand the consequences of his actions in the future. Finally, in
“Speak, Memory” the author tells the story of how he learned to read,
and how reading inspired him with images of wild adventures that were,
in some ways, better than most stories he’s read since.
On Feb 16, 3:36 pm, "Mrs. O" <kelly.r...@rtsd.org> wrote:
> Please read both entry topics before posting!! You may use either
> story to answer both questions, but you may not use the same story for
> both entries. You must answer one using one story, and the other using
> the other story. If you have any questions, please email me. Looking
> forward to your posts!
>
> - Mrs. O
>
> ENTRY ONE:
> Anonymity, Reading, Material Wealth, Family, Responsibility,
> Education, Identity ... These were some of the words that came to mind
> after I read these stories
>
> I would like you to take one of these words and construct a theme for
> either "The Bet" or "A Problem". Once you have done that I would like
> you to pretend you have been asked to write an essay on the this
> theme.
>
> I would like your post to be the introductory paragraph of this
> fictional essay assignment.
>
> -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
John Li
In "The Bet", there seems to be an underlying theme involving Material
Wealth and how many people don't understand certain aspects of life.
It seems that, as the story progresses, the young man progresses from
being excited about the 2 million dollars that he was promised after
his fifteen years of solitary confinement to complete and utter
indifference to material wealth and even giving not accepting the
money at all. However, after his various studies of different
languages and reading of many different books, including the Gospel,
it seems that he was able to cast aside the two million dollars that
he was so eager to get and almost live life to its true purpose. On
the other hand, the Banker, even with decades of his life behind him,
wasn't able to cast away his material wealth and even considered
killing the young man to keep his material wealth. The young man, with
his years of isolation, has seemed to be able to live life to its true
purpose.
ENTRY TWO:
Motifs are indeed repeated for a reason-- mainly to emphasize a point.
The motif of being honorable is present in "A Problem", where Sasha
Uskov's actions could have potentially tarnished his family's honor.
This honorable motif is again present in "The Gardener", where the
gardener is indeed honorable with his determination and stubbornness
with his job and his desire to beautify a part of the world. Once
again, the motif of honor is shown in "Keep Memory Alive". Wiesel
talks about how doing the right thing, speaking out and taking sides,
is indeed honorable.
Sam
In "The Bet" a young man is given a great ammount of responsibility
whether he realizes it or not. He is forced to live in isolation for
fifteen years, and he may choose to do anything he would like in these
fifteen years, except to have contact with the outside world. At first
it appears that the young man is going to waste away his fifteen years
by drinking it away with wine, but as time progressed the young man
became intrigued with reading and learning. He spends the majority of
his time in isolation indulged in the pages of various types of
literature learning and becoming more and more educated as his time in
the cabin progressed. Eventually he became so educated that he even
denied the chance of recieving two million dollars at the end of his
fifteen year stint, because of the new knowledge he had obtained, he
realized that his money would not make him any happier of a person and
he did not need it. It was very responsible for the young man to use
his time in isolation to educate himself greatly, rather than waste it
away.
ENTRY TWO:
The recurring theme that I have observed throughout these readings is
responsibility, whether it be a great deal or a lack of
responsibility. In "The Problem" Sasha chooses to act irrisponsible
when he at the end of the story asked Ivan to borrow money after he
had previously gotten introuble for borrowing money and not being able
to pay it back. Because Sasha has not learned from his mistakes even
after he got off of the hook, his lack of responsibility ultimetely is
shown. In "The Gardener" I believe that the gardener acutally does
show a great deal of responsibility because even though he chooses to
ignore his surroundings, these surrounding did not affect him so
therefore he truly has to need to pay attention to them. Because of
this the gardener focuses greatly on his work, and I believe that is
responsible because he stayed true to himself and focused on what he
needed to do. Lastly, in "Keep Memory Alive" the young boy is faced
with a great ammount of responsibility when he witnesses what happened
in the Holocaust because he has to make the choice whether to speak up
about it or not. Responsibility is a recurring theme that i have
observed throughout the readings.
On Feb 16, 3:36 pm, "Mrs. O" <kelly.r...@rtsd.org> wrote:
> Please read both entry topics before posting!! You may use either
> story to answer both questions, but you may not use the same story for
> both entries. You must answer one using one story, and the other using
> the other story. If you have any questions, please email me. Looking
> forward to your posts!
>
> - Mrs. O
>
> ENTRY ONE:
> Anonymity, Reading, Material Wealth, Family, Responsibility,
> Education, Identity ... These were some of the words that came to mind
> after I read these stories
>
> I would like you to take one of these words and construct a theme for
> either "The Bet" or "A Problem". Once you have done that I would like
> you to pretend you have been asked to write an essay on the this
> theme.
>
> I would like your post to be the introductory paragraph of this
> fictional essay assignment.
>
> -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Shahrin Islam
Sibtain Bokhari
Family is very important to Russians, according to Anton Chekhov. In
his story, "A Problem", he talks about a problem faced by the Uskov
family. A member of this family has taken money from the bank, and
billed it to the family. The people that decided his fate had a
dilemma over how it would affect the family. However, family was not
only the physical family, but it was the legacy and honor of the
family. The uncles thought that if they paid off the boys debt, then
his mistake would go unpunished, but if they let it go to court, then
the family's honor would be tarnished. The fate of a young man's
future lies upon what the uncles believe is best for the family. One
uncle believes that the debt should be paid, and that the boy should
be let free, because he has had a troubled past. However, the other
uncle believes that the name is important, but the boy should pay for
his mistake. In this story, family plays a key role in the outcome of
the problem.
Entry 2:
A common motif found in the works "The Bet" by Anton Chekhov, "The
Gardener" by Maxim Gorky, and "Speak, Memory" by Vladimir Nabokov is
that one feels that they need to defend their stance. Chekhov wrote
about a man who took up a bet with a millionaire. The bet stated that
the man would isolate himself from the world for 15 years, and in the
end he would receive two million dollars. The man took the bet,
however not just for the money, but to prove that his stance on
isolation was correct. In the end, he did prove it, and he was
successful in defending his view. Gorky wrote about a gardener who was
unaffected by the world around him. This man would take care of his
garden, and would do so no matter what the current situation in the
country was. He did this because he believed that people should get on
with their jobs, because he is moving along with his. According to
him, the soldiers should get back to their fighting, and he should get
back to his gardening. He was able to stand firm on his view of
society, and because of this, he was able to defend his ideals.
Nabokov's story also portrays this idea, however not as directly as
the others. His story is a recollection of past readings and his views
on certain ideas. He would sometimes infuse his views with fact, in
order to get his point across. This in turn allowed for his views to
be portrayed, and accepted along with fact. This is how this motif was
portrayed in these three stories.
On Feb 16, 3:36 pm, "Mrs. O" <kelly.r...@rtsd.org> wrote:
Erik Hotaling
It is often a better learning experience to be punished for your
mistakes than to be forgiven without consequence.
Many people make mistakes and though the severeness of the mistakes
may vary the way these mistakes are remembered by people is by their
consequences. If it were not for the embarrassing, shameful, painful,
terrifying moment that followed the laps of judgment of the offender
than people would not change their behavior. In his story "The
Problem" Anton Chekhov demonstrates this idea. In the story Sasha's
uncle , Ivan Markovitch fights to defend his nephew and keep him from
being sent before court. Immediately after Ivan returns to Sasha with
the wonderful news that Sasha doesn't have to go on trial Sasha
immediately turns around and demands money from his Uncle so that he
can go party with his friends. When his Uncle refuses Sasha threatens
to go and commit the same crime Ivan just bailed him out of. It is at
this point that Ivan realizes that he made a mistake not letting his
nephew be punished for his mistake. If Sasha had been punished for
what he did than he would think about the punishment before he
committed the same transgression again.
Entry Two:
A Motif, which is recurrent through “The Bet” by Anton Chekhov,
“Speak, Memory” by Vladimir Nabokov, and “Nobel Lecture” by Alexander
Solzhenitsyn, is that education leads to enlightenment. In “The Bet”
the lawyer reads all the time he is in solitary confinement and gains
immense amount of knowledge and perspective about the world. It is
then this knowledge that leads him to renounce material good for
knowledge. In “Speak, Memory” Vladimir talks about learning to read
and how being able to access the knowledge and stories inside books
opened knew worlds for him. The Knowledge in books allowed him to make
connections and see things he never would have without reading. In
“Nobel Lecture” Alexander Solzhenitsyn talks about world literature’s
importance because people need to know what is going on not only in
their own country but in all the world and how the only way to defeat
the lies is with knowledge and enlightnment.
On Feb 16, 3:36 pm, "Mrs. O" <kelly.r...@rtsd.org> wrote:
Mike Stavrakos
In "The Bet" by Anton Chekhov, a young man sacrifices 15 years of his
life for a promised two million dollars. In this story, the young man
agrees to a bet in which he must remain in solitary confinement for 15
years to receive the money. Chekhov makes a very clear statement about
the worth of material goods through the changes that the young man
undergoes while in confinement. The character himself comes to loathe
material goods by the end as well as simple interaction with other
people. While the man may appear to have gone insane, there is a very
solid message about the importance of material goods in life, and it
can be seen as a theme of the story. The theme of the story is that
material goods have little true value in life and this is shown by the
man's persistence for educating himself, periodic love for playing
music, and final rejection of receiving the cash prize for his
confinement, all of these being values with little materialistic
influence.
Entry numero dos:
A common motif between the stories "Nobel Lecture", "Keep Memory
Alive", and "A Problem" is truths versus lies. In the nobel acceptance
speech "Nobel Lecture", the author makes the argument that the arts
are able to reveal all lies, particularly those of a government.
Specifically, he uses world literature as an example of how ideas are
able to spread throughout the world and uncover lies. In "Keep Memory
Alive", the author is very passionate about revealing lies when you
have the ability to, specifically in reference to when human
atrocities are being committed and witnesses do not point them out.
Finally, the story "A Problem" is very much about lies because the
entire plot of the story is based on the main character lying about
financial matters. He then goes on to, after getting a second chance,
lie more and force money out of his uncle only to eventually admit to
himself that he is in fact a criminal. All of these have a rather
clear motif of lies being created and revealed, though in different
ways.
On Feb 16, 3:36 pm, "Mrs. O" <kelly.r...@rtsd.org> wrote:
James
Entry One:
When people think of education, some of the first things that come to
mind include understanding, knowledge, and enlightenment. After
learning something, a better understanding of the subject is the
reslut. This allows you to have more knowledge, which moves you along
the path to enlightenment. In Anton Chekhov's story "The Bet,"
however, education serves a different purpose. As the man locked in
the shed approacthes his release date, he begins to read many books on
all topics, giving him a very clear image of the world in which he
lives. But as he gets even closer to his release, he realizes how
truely corrupt the world is, and decides that it is not worth living
for. This is the other side of knowledge. On the one hand, knowledge
can open your eyes, but there is some truth to the saying that
ignorance is bliss.
Entry Two:
One common theme in the stories that we read is ignorance. In Anton
Chekov's story "The Problem," Sasha is ignorant of the kindness and
caring that his uncle Markovitch was providing him. He feels no sense
of shame or guilt for his actions, and instead feels cheated because
what happened was "not his fault." In "The Gardener," many changes are
occuring around the gardener, but he shuns it all to focus on his
work. When confronted by a soldier, he even puts his life on the line
to maintain his normal lifestyle. The most recent example of ignorance
is evident in "The Spider and the Wasp." The spider will allow the
wasp to crawl all over it before it responds, and only responds when
the wasp is about to strike. This is because spiders instinctually
only attack things that are cornered; this gives them a much higher
chance of success. However, when attacked, the spider has no idea how
to respond. This is not intentional ignorance; the spider cannot be
blamed for this. It is just instinctual ignorance, due to thousands of
years of evolution.
abol...@yahoo.com
Although often thought to be achieved by wealth, total satisfaction
and self fulfillment can be achieved through knowledge. In "The Bet",
by Anton Chekhov, the lawyer learns from 15 years of solitary
confinement that reading and learning others' ideas leads to
knowledge, which is what passed his time alone. Although the prisoner
was not permitted to have any type of social interaction, he was not
denied the opportunity to read. He reads many works of scores of
authors, and learned several new languages. The way the lawyer took
advantage of his access to reading provided a major theme in this
story. He realizes that reading helps to prevent the depression of
loneliness, and in the very end, realizes that by reading, he has
become smarter than each individual who wrote what he read. He goes
into the solitary confinement thinking that his reward will be 2
million dollars, but comes out of the experience with the
gratification of knowledge that he has gained from reading.
ENTRY TWO:
One of the motif's that repeats itself throughout the russian works we
have read so far is sacrifice for family or loved ones. This motif
mainly shows in "A Problem", "Speak, Memory", and "Keep Memory Alive".
In "A Problem" Sasha's family was originally going to sacrifice their
reputation and honor, but his uncle ends up sacrificing some of his
own money to bail out Sasha and protect him and his reputation. In
"Speak, Memory" the mother sacrifices one of her most prized
possessions, her ruby ring, so that the family can have enough money
to live. In "Keep Memory Alive", Elie Wiesel speaks about how those
who remained silent during the holocaust were acting as accomplices to
the crime. He speaks about those who spoke out and made that sacrifice
to save their family. These stories all contain situations in which
someone must make a sacrifice or must protect a family member at their
own expense.
On Feb 16, 3:36 pm, "Mrs. O" <kelly.r...@rtsd.org> wrote:
alyssa norton
Theme of "The Problem": Identity can at times be effected by outside
sources.
The short story, "The Problem" written by Anton Chekhov brings up the
theme about how at times identity is effected by outside influences.
In the story, one of the characters, Sasha Uskov, has done something
illegal and his family members are discussing whether or not to help
him to let him suffer the punishment of his crime. During their
discussion, the characters talk about Sasha and the type of person he
is. Sasha hears what they are saying and their opinions on him, which
happen to be that he is a criminal. At first Sasha does not believe
that he is a criminal but by the end of their talk Sasha decides that
what they are saying, that he is a criminal is true. Because of what
they are saying he begins thinking about the choices he has made, he
begins thinking that maybe he is a criminal and behaves like one. He
does this by forcing the one person that believed he wasn't a criminal
into giving him money, which changes their opinion. After doing this
he declares that he is in fact a criminal. Sasha listened to what his
peers and family members said about him and he let that influence his
identity.
ENTRY TWO:
In the three Russian stories "Speak, Memory" by Vladimir Nabokov,
"Nobel Lecture" by Alexander Solzhenitsyn, and "The Bet" by Anton
Chekhov I have noticed the motif of literature and books.
In "Speak, Memory" by Vladimir Nabokov the author talks about how in
his childhood he used to love reading and recalls several different
books that used to remind him of other memories. In "Noble Lecture"
Alexander Solzhenitsyn, Alexander talks about how his books couldn't
be published in his own country and world literature. In "The Bet" by
Anton Chekhov the author writes about a story where two of the
characters got into an argument that ended in the younger lawyer
betting that he can stay in solitary confinement for 15 years in
return for 2 million dollars. While he is there the lawyer is allowed
unlimited access to any books he wants, which he takes vehement use
of.
Kevin Xiao
fifteen year long bet, find their true identities. Discussion of
capital punishment had been one of the main conversations of his party
with the two opposing sides being for life imprisonment or the death
penalty. The young banker, carried away by his excitement, challenges
one of his young guests to a bet that he could not last five years in
imprisonment. The lawyer not only accepts, but increases the length of
his imprisonment from five years to fifteen years, showing his
eagerness to prove the banker wrong and win the two million. The two
men begin their challenge on November 14, 1870 at twelve o'clock and
the lawyer begins his imprisonment. The first and second year, the
lawyer shows signs of regret and sadness with the novels of a light
nature that he ordered and his frequent crying. However, as the years
went on, he began immersing himself in language, philosophy, and other
scholarly activities. He became self-educated in religion, language,
science, and literature over the course of his fifteen years.Though he
suffered from depression and loneliness in the early stages of the
bet, the lawyer found his identity through his self education and
helped the banker find his identity with the letter he had written
hours before the end of the fifteen years and his escape.
______________________________________
One of the common motifs in "The Gardener", "Keep Memory Alive", and
"A Problem" is appearance versus reality. In "The Gardener", a war is
going on as shown by the marching soldiers, yet the Gardener seems to
be completely unaffected and focused on his job rather than the events
that are happening around him. He tells them to get on with their
fighting and to let him get on with his job. In "Keep Memory Alive",
Elie Wiesel tries to diminish her own importance and say that she is
unable to accept an honor in which she would help represent those who
died in the Holocaust. However, she is actually playing a major role
in representing those who died by speaking up and remembering the dead
in order to keep the memory of such a terrible event in the World's
mind so that it may never occur again. In A Problem, Sasha tries to
separate himself from thieves and murderers and appreciate his
family's sympathy. However, he is unable to do so, and must accept the
reality that he is indeed a criminal, doing so while taking one
hundred rubles from his uncle. All three of these stories demonstrate
how these main characters are not aware of reality surrounding them
and show how each of them sees things in their own way.
bridget
the Russian family. When one of the younger family members, Sasha, has
stolen money from a bank, the elders in the family must decide his
fate. The elders discuss if they should turn him into the police or
pay back the money and preserve their family name. The idea of the
family is more than the loving relationship that we think of today it
is a matter of honor and belonging. The fact that Sasha will allow his
relatives to make the decision to turn him into the police or not show
how he feels subservient to them and hold them in great respect.
Family seems to be an all encompassing force that all members of their
society take more seriously than even the law.
A motif that is present in three of the Russian literature readings is
the theme of keeping ones word and doing as you say. In “The Gardener”
the character of the gardener would always tend his garden and even
when faced with the threat of death by the solider he still did as he
said and tended his garden. He was respected for his convections and
therefore he managed to remain unharmed. In “The Bet” the Banker is
willing to kill to keep from breaking his word and not being able to
deliver the two million dollars that he has promised the young man. In
“Speak, Memory” the author writes about how he promised himself that
he would learn how to read and when he has learned how to do so he is
proud of himself. He has kept his word, if only to himself and should
be respected for it. This focus on honesty and keeping your word is a
value that seems to be prevalent in much of Russian society.
sami
wealth on people’s lives. As civilization progressed enlightened
thinkers and philosophers throughout the world have debated the
relationship between material wealth and happiness. Anton Chekov has
made evident throughout his work his disdain for people’s attachment
with material wealth. This is shown in this particular story through
the actions of two Russian men; one with wealth and power beyond
belief, and the other with vast knowledge of the world through
literature. Throughout the course of the story the young man’s ideals
are shown to give him the moral high ground.
A motif that is present throughout all of the mentioned Russian works
is the moral choice that the protagonist makes and must live with “the
Gardener” by Gorky, the gardener makes the moral decision to tend to
his garden no matter what changes take place around him. Even when
confronted with armed soldiers, his first thoughts are to the
preservation of his garden. In “The Bet” by Chekov the young man known
as “the prisoner” makes the moral choice of confining himself for 15
years in order to prove a point, even though the Banker is unable to
do the same. In “The Problem” also by Chekov, Sasha, although not
thinking of himself as criminal makes the choice of defying the law
and his families honor in order to get what he wants. As a result of
this choice, he pushes himself into the role of the criminal when he
goes on to extort his uncle out of 100 rubles.
On Feb 16, 3:36 pm, "Mrs. O" <kelly.r...@rtsd.org> wrote:
Robyn
Material wealth is something that is both alluring and tangible to
life on Earth. Most people would do almost anything to acquire
material wealth, which comes with status, thus paving the way for a
comfortable life. In the short story, "The Bet," by Anton Chekhov, the
question is raised if a large sum of money is worth trading many of
the best years of life for, in this case, fifteen years of
imprisonment without anything but sustenance and literature. After
spending fifteen years in captivity, simultaneously devouring immense
amounts of knowledge, the prisoner who once yearned so deeply for
material wealth, no longer desired his promised two million dollars,
for his own enlightenment made him realize the petty importance of
such things. On the contrary, the ignoramus of a banker who imprisoned
him no longer had the two million dollars to give him, thus he came
into the cell on the very last day, ready to kill his prisoner in the
name of material wealth, only to realize that the man was, mentally,
on higher ground, refusing what he had earned. Although material
wealth is a paltry, superficial entity, it has, and has always had,
the power to drive the lives of mankind for the better, or more
commonly, for the worse.
ENTRY TWO:
A motif I found to be ever present in three of the short stories we
read is that of honor. In "Keep Memory Alive" by Elie Wiesel,
Mr.Wiesel contemplates whether or not he has the right, whether or not
he deserves to accept the honor of representing the millions of Jewish
people who perished in the Holocaust. He decides that he does not, for
"that would be presumptuous." In "The Gardner" by Maxim Gorky, the
gardner is a little old man living in a time of revolution. Despite
the chaos and war that surrounds him, the simple old man continues to
meticulously tend to his garden, even intrepidly reprimanding armed
soldiers who meddled in his flower beds. This man showed great honor
for what he felt needed to be done, rather than irresponsibly jumping
on the revolutionary bandwagon and abandoning his duties. Lastly, in
"A Problem" by Anton Chekhov, a family goes against what is morally
right by covering for their criminal relative all in the name of
family honor. Although Sasha Uskov, the young man who forged a false
IOU note and was to be taken to trial if the promised money was not
accounted for, displayed no remorse for his actions, his family paid
the sum on the condition that he promised to repent. Just after making
this promise, Sasha threatened his uncle that if he did not give him
100 additional rubles, he would forge another IOU note and disgrace
the family. Predictably, so as not to tarnish family reputation, his
uncle obliged. Though in very different ways, all of these short
stories express the innate desire to deserve honor, to be respected,
and to do what needs to be done to maintain honor.
On Feb 16, 3:36 pm, "Mrs. O" <kelly.r...@rtsd.org> wrote:
Emma Burke
In the Russian story "The Bet", Chekhov tells a story about a man that
accepts a bet from a banker that in exchange for 2 million dollars he
will stay in a cabin by himself for 15 years. During this period of
loneliness, the man emerses himself in education by constantly reading
about various topics. While freedom is admired by man, one can
conclude from "The Bet" that education is the best tool a man can have
because of the self discovery the man has while in solitary
confidement. At the end of the 15 years, the banker is broke and
contempt with his life, while the man is so wise that he no longer
sees the need for worldly possessions and renounces the millions.
Entry 2:
Throughout three Russian stories we read, I found a motif about
exposing the truth. The truth is being ignored in these works. In "The
Problem", the family struggles to decide whether to cover up Sasha's
crime to protect the family's honor or to allow the crime to be
trialed. This truth is covered by the family to protect its honor and
the debt is paid. However, in "Keep Memory Alive", the author makes it
his goal to expose and recognize the autrocity of the Holocaust. He
feels the truth needs to be seen in order to ensure something like
that will not happen again. Lastly, in "The Gardener", the truth is
blatantly ignored by the gardener. During a time of war and revolution
the gardener does not even recognize the events and continues to tend
to his gardens. This ignorance is another way the motif of exposed
truth is shown. He does not want the truth of the situation to affect
him, therefore he ignores it; just how the family covers up Sasha's
crime.
On Feb 16, 3:36 pm, "Mrs. O" <kelly.r...@rtsd.org> wrote:
> Please read both entry topics before posting!! You may use either
> story to answer both questions, but you may not use the same story for
> both entries. You must answer one using one story, and the other using
> the other story. If you have any questions, please email me. Looking
> forward to your posts!
>
> - Mrs. O
>
> ENTRY ONE:
> Anonymity, Reading, Material Wealth, Family, Responsibility,
> Education, Identity ... These were some of the words that came to mind
> after I read these stories
>
> I would like you to take one of these words and construct a theme for
> either "The Bet" or "A Problem". Once you have done that I would like
> you to pretend you have been asked to write an essay on the this
> theme.
>
> I would like your post to be the introductory paragraph of this
> fictional essay assignment.
>
> -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Lauren
Material goods, specifically money, are considered crucial to society.
In "The Bet" by Anton Chekhov, a banker gambled two million dollars on
a disagreement about which is more immoral: capital punishment or life
imprisonment. The lawyer agreed to spend 15 years in solitary
confinement to prove that he would not go crazy and it was moral
compared to life imprisonment. In the beginning, the lawyer was
focused on the prize at the end, the two million dollars. After five
or six years, he developed an intense interest to learn. He learned
numerous languages, read great works of literature, and studyed the
gospel. While doing so, he realized that the wealth of material goods
can never be compared to the wealth of knowledge. Unfortunately, the
banker, not having this insight, did not want to pay the lawyer, and
even considered murdering him to ensure the deal would not be carried
out. The lawyer leaves without collecting the money from the banker.
The lawyer accepted that knowledge was greater than material goods,
and therefore, was able to reach his full potential.
Entry Two:
A common and recurring motif throughout the Russian literature so far
is morality, found in "The Gardener" by Maxim Gorky, "A Problem" by
Anton Chekhov, and "Keep Memory Alive" by Elie Wiesel. In "The
Gardener", despite what is going on around him, the gardener makes the
moral choice to ignore it and continue with his normal daily routine.
This choice leads to his ignorance and his mentality regarding
Russia's dire situation. In "A Problem", the Uskov family has to make
the choice to either pay the debts and save the family honor, or let
the case against Sasha go to trial. They are faced with the morality
of the situation, as his actions could be considered "criminal",
however he is young. Lastly, the motif of morality is found in "Keep
Memory Alive". He describes how people are forced with the moral
decision of either telling about something that happened or keeping
quiet after witnessing an event. The motif of morality is prominent
throughout these works of Russian literature.
On Feb 16, 3:36 pm, "Mrs. O" <kelly.r...@rtsd.org> wrote:
> Please read both entry topics before posting!! You may use either
> story to answer both questions, but you may not use the same story for
> both entries. You must answer one using one story, and the other using
> the other story. If you have any questions, please email me. Looking
> forward to your posts!
>
> - Mrs. O
>
> ENTRY ONE:
> Anonymity, Reading, Material Wealth, Family, Responsibility,
> Education, Identity ... These were some of the words that came to mind
> after I read these stories
>
> I would like you to take one of these words and construct a theme for
> either "The Bet" or "A Problem". Once you have done that I would like
> you to pretend you have been asked to write an essay on the this
> theme.
>
> I would like your post to be the introductory paragraph of this
> fictional essay assignment.
>
> -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Me
committed a crime and now he has turned to his family. He needs money
inorder to protect the family name. Sasha's uncle Ivan defends his
place in the family. It was this uncle that spoke of youths
responsibility. Ivan forgave Sasha for his criminal actions but at the
end he was blackmailed by Sasha threatening to turn him self in. I
believe this shows insight into the lengths a family member will go to
protect their own. Sometimes they are willing to overlook awful
charachter traits.
Second Entry: A motiff I noticed in the stories The Bet, The Gardner,
and Speak Memory is the outlier's secret. In "the Bet" a young man
makes a deal or 15 years of his life. He reads and learns a lot while
in captivity. He is in isolation so he has no one to share these his
ideas with, he chooses to do what he believes is best going against
what society would do, abondoning the money t stake. In the end his
desicion didn't hurt anyone and saved one man from debt. Society
accepted his actions. This is true in "the Gardner" too. The gardner
refuses to leave during a war. Rather than getting in trouble the
soildiers accept hi choice and let him be. In contrast "Speak Memory"
has people who were against the holocaust, but refused to speak out
because they were afraid. Thy now live in regret, but the other
stories have characters who are happy with thier disicions.
Megan Doherty
Brendan
In the short story "The Bet" by Anton Chekhov is the story of a
rather risky bet about capital punishment between a young banker and
lawyer. Throughout this story what is actually being tested is the
true value of things in life. The first one being evaluated was wether
life in prison would be worse than death and this initial question of
value sparked the others. The main item that is being evaluated is
monetary wealth and other material object and possessions versus
immense knowledge and understanding of not just facts but knowledge of
a higher level. Chekhov presents these decisions in a way that each
read through allows one to interpret the writing differently and allow
the reader to make the choice of which object is truly more valuable.
Entry Two
A common motif that presents itself through many of the works that
we have read is honor. In "A Problem" by Anton Chekhov the entire
focus of the story is wether the family should lend the character
Sasha money to prevent the family name from being blemished in the
public eye, or to let him face his problems at the cost of their
family honor. In "Keep Memory Alive" by Elie Wiesel he explains how he
feels he does not deserve the honor to represent the victims of the
Holocaust, as opposed to the previous work Elie is able to show
humility thus preserving his honor in a different way than the family
of "A problem". And Finally in "The Gardener" the gardener himself
takes great pride in his work regardless of the world around him
showing the honor that he bestows upon not only his garden and himself
but also on the job that he does.
On Feb 16, 3:36 pm, "Mrs. O" <kelly.r...@rtsd.org> wrote: