Hello, Decathletes! I hope your summer is off to a good start! Remember, this week, we will be taking "attendance" based on who posts and completes the quizzes in a timely fashion. May I politely remind you that failure to post and/or take quizzes will result in eventually being cut from the team.
Assignment: Read Part One of Dr. Zhivago, "The Five O'Clock Express" (in my version of the book, this is about 23 pages in length). Then, post thoughtful responses to the following questions as a comment to this post:
1. How is the blizzard described in the beginning of the novel? What are the powerful words which create imagery in this scene? Does this imagery better help you understand/empathize with Yura and his feelings about his parents?
2. Nikolai Nikolaievich says, "Only the solitary seek the truth." What do you think he means by this statement? Do you agree or disagree?
3. What happened on the 5 o'clock Express? Why?
4. Describe Nika and Nadya's relationship.
5. Was there anything you did not understand about this section? (I will comment back to help you understand, unless it is one of those plot points that might just be foreshadowing something else in the novel, in which case, I'll leave you curious).
Don't forget to respond meaningfully to at least one teammate and to take the weekly quiz, which will also be about the reading assignment! Happy reading!
1. The blizzard is described as "alone in the world" and blinding. It made it so that the graveyard, road, and kitchen garden couldn't be seen. Some powerful words used to create imagery were "whiteness unwound" and "leafless acacias danced as if possessed". That last one's my favorite :D The imagery helps to better emphasize with Yura in that it makes the scene seem ominous. It gives the reader a feel of terror which is probably what Yura is feeling after losing his mother.
ReplyDelete2. By that quote, I think he means that a person cannot effectively look for the truth if there are other people around because they serve as a distraction. I cannot fully agree with him because a group can, in reality, start to look for the truth. However, I think only the solitary can FIND the truth.
3. On the 5 o'clock Express, a man jumps off the train and kills himself. We later learn that his name was Zhivago. After seeing this, Grigory Osipovich Gordon pulls the emergency break. After this, the train is delayed, but nobody knows exactly why. People say it was because he was drunk.
4. Nadia is 15 and Nika is 12. They live in the same place, the Voskoboinikovs', and do not get along that well. Nika talks about wanting to kill her by means of drowning because Nadia talks down to him. But, at the end of the chapter, it seems like they are starting to get along a bit better.
Finally, I would like to know about the condition Yura's mother had. What does it mean to have consumption?
As far as I know consumption is TB (tuberculosis)
Delete1. The blizzard is described as being the only thing outside, there was no trace of the road, graveyard, or kitchen garden. Powerful words were "whiteness unwound over the earth and shrouded it" This shows how he feels alone after his mothers death.
ReplyDelete2. It means that you can't seek the truth except for in solitary.
3. Someone jumped off the train and killed themself. People don't know why the train was delayed and they know his name is Zhivago, but not much else.
4. Nadia is a year older than Nika. He said he wanted to kill her but now he wants to fall into the pond with her again.
I like what you picked out of the blizzard scene! It did make Yura feel alone after losing his mother. I also thought the train scene was a little vague, too. What do you think Zhivago's death means in the grand scheme of things? I hope we find out.
Delete1. I think the blizzard represents Yura being alone in a harsh world. The imagery created is the snow blotting everything out so common sights aren't visible. Powerful words that display imagery are, "It whistled and howled and tried in every way to attract Yura's attention." It helps me sympathize with Yura because you know he's afraid of the blizzard. In my mind this equates to he's afraid of being alone.
ReplyDelete2. I think he means if you're all alone in the world, you seek answers to the 'why' of things more often. I disagree with this statement because everyone seeks the truth to the why's in their life eventually, whether or not they're alone.
3. Someone committed suicide. His name was Zhivago, and no one knows why (though I read the sparknotes...).
4. At the beginning they hate each other, though they're living in the same place. Their relationship changes and they start to get alone better by the end.
I like the powerful words you found to describe the storm. I didn't catch that sentence. If I did, I would have used it myself.
DeleteI also used sparknotes to figure out what happened on the train. I read the chapter then I went to sparknotes because my mind was blown, and then I read it again and everything made so much more sense.
Good response!
I really agree with your response to the meaning of "only the solitary seek truth". That is so true! People can pretend to be oblivious but deep down, they're not. Awesome response :)
Delete1. The blizzard is described as "a flickering whiteness" that lights up Yura's room, a relentless force that buries everything in its path under snow. Imagery like "knocking at the window" and "air smoking with snow" give me the feeling of annihilation, something Russians must have experienced. Words like "roared" and "had no rival" also make the blizzard unmatchable. I feel that the blizzard made Yura protective over his mother by severing the physical tie between them, and by burying her further into the ground and further away from him.
ReplyDelete2. I think Nikolai Nikolaievich means that the solitary aren't governed by or attached to any group of strong opinion. Since they don't have any responsibility to follow the rules that come with forming loyalties to any group, they are free to pursue the truth. I agree with him, because being solitary means independence to go beyond what you are expected to believe.
3. The 5 o'clock express is stopped in the middle of the train tracks because Misha's father halted it after Zhivago, Yura's father, jumped out of the train.
4. Nika and Nadia's relationship is defined by heated bickering due to Nika feeling inferior because of Nadia, whom he believes treats him like a child. He creates fantasies of drowning her before starting his own rebellion, probably in his father's footsteps.
5. I'm not sure what Nikolai Nikolaievich is talking about to Ivan Ivanovich outside when they "were talking about new talent in science and literature." What does he mean when he describes history? Is he saying that Christianity is important to Russian history?
I like what you said for the 2nd question. I liked when you said "I agree with him, because being solitary means independence to go beyond what you are expected to believe."
DeleteThe blizzard is described as "raging" with the air being described as "smoky with snow". Some powerful examples that create imagery are "when the wind gusted the leafless acacia bushes thrashed about as if posessed and flattened themselves to the road", "howl" and "endless skeins of white cloth". I can understand Yura's feelings through this imagery. He feels such sadness and insanity. It seems that he IS the leafless acacia bush that is being thrashed and possessed by the wind. He thinks his sadness will never end. This is also apparent in the description of the blizzard " nothing rivalled it". The blizzard represents his emotions.
ReplyDeleteI think by saying "only the solitary seek truth", Nikolai meant that those who are alone tend to question the meaning of everything, such as life, more than others who have other people to share thoughts and feelings with. I cannot say that I agree with this statement because I believe that everybody, even if they don't think it aloud, questions things. Everybody wants to know the reasons behind vague ideas. I know that I do.
On the five o' clock express, a man commits suicide by jumping out of a moving train (did anybody else really not see that coming? So unexpected!). We then learn the man's identity is that of Yura's father who is a millionaire who abandoned his family and then started a new family who he also then abandoned. What a nice guy! Anyway apparently all the money went to his head and he became an alcoholic. I guess money does not buy happiness.
Nika and Nadya's relationship appears to me as a typical "love sprung from hate" (I didn't mean to quote Romeo and Juliet. I just noticed that when proof-reading). Anyway, it will be interesting to see how their relationship develops.
I'm happy to say that I pretty much get the gist of this novel so far. I would love to say that I didn't glance at spark notes but that would be lying and lying is wrong. I think I'm going to like this novel :)
Glad you understood it, and that you think lying is wrong ;)...but SparkNotes is fine.
Delete1. The blizzard was described as "raging" and "nothing rivaled it." I think that the blizzard is a good symbol of Yura's emotions, with nothing to stop them.
ReplyDelete2. I agree with the statement "only the solitary seek truth" becasue when you're alone, there is more time to think about everything.
3. A man committed suicide on the five o'clock express. He was drunk as a skunk, it seems.
4. Nika and Nadya seem to be just two kids, not knowing how to deal with the fact that they have feelings for each other.
5. I think I understood the book pretty well, considering I haven't read a real book in awhile.
I just want to add that Russia is showing very well in the Euro. They're making their country proud. :)
I love that you're following Russian current events (at least as it relates to soccer)!
DeleteTo address the #5s...I'm proud of you guys that there were only a very few in this section!
ReplyDelete-Yes, consumption is tuberculosis, which was a major problem in the world at this time, and for it there was no cure. THey did find, however, that spending time in warm climates helped the symptoms, hence Marya's trips to the south of France, where it is quite warm and dry.
-Nikolai Nikolaevich and Ivan Ivanovich are talking about metaphysics, truth, beauty and history. Yes, he is saying that Christianity was essential to Russian history, it was the binding force of Russian life throughout Russian history up until the Bolshevik Revolution. Don't get too lost in what N.N. says, try to follow the best you can, but know that he's just kind of going on sometimes. Might he be a revolutionary?