The famous American poet and writer Eleanor Murry Sarton, known to millions of readers as May Sarton, has the oft-quoted words: “Think like a hero and you will act like a decent person.”
Much has been written about the role of heroism in people's lives. This virtue, which has a number of synonyms: courage, valor, bravery, is manifested in the moral strength of its bearer. Moral strength allows him to pursue real, real service to his homeland, people, and humanity. What is the problem with true heroism? Different arguments can be used. But the main thing about them is: true heroism is not blind. Various examples of heroism are not simply overcoming certain circumstances. They all have one thing in common - they bring a sense of perspective to people's lives.
Many bright classics of literature, both Russian and foreign, sought and found their bright and unique arguments to illuminate the topic of the emergence of the phenomenon of valor. The problem of heroism, fortunately for us, readers, is illuminated by the masters of the pen in a bright, non-trivial way. What is valuable in their works is that the classics immerse the reader in the spiritual world of the hero, whose high deeds are admired by millions of people. The topic of this article is a review of some of the works of the classics, in which a special approach to the issue of heroism and courage can be traced.
Heroes are all around us
Today, unfortunately, a distorted concept of heroism prevails in the philistine psyche. They are immersed in their own problems, in their own little selfish world. Therefore, fresh and non-trivial arguments on the problem of heroism are fundamentally important for their consciousness. Believe me, we are surrounded by heroes. We simply don’t notice them because our souls are short-sighted. Not only men perform feats. Take a closer look - a woman who, according to doctors, is unable to give birth in principle - is giving birth. Heroism can and is demonstrated by our contemporaries at the patient's bedside, at the conference table, in the workplace, and even at the kitchen stove. You just need to learn to see it.
The literary image of God is like a tuning fork. Pasternak and Bulgakov
Sacrifice distinguishes true heroism. Many brilliant literary classics are trying to influence the beliefs of their readers, raising the bar for understanding the essence of heroism as high as possible. They find creative strength to uniquely convey to readers the highest ideals, telling in their own way about the feat of God, the son of man.
Boris Leonidovich Pasternak in Doctor Zhivago, an extremely honest work about his generation, writes about valor as the highest emblem of humanity. According to the writer, the problem of true heroism is revealed not in violence, but in virtue. He expresses his arguments through the mouth of the protagonist’s uncle, N.N. Vedenyapin. He believes that the beast dormant in each of us cannot be stopped by a tamer with a whip. But this is within the power of a self-sacrificing preacher.
A classic of Russian literature, the son of a theology professor, Mikhail Bulgakov in his novel “The Master and Margarita” presents us with his original literary interpretation of the image of the Messiah - Yeshua Ha-Nozri. The preaching of Good with which Jesus came to people is a dangerous business. Words of truth and conscience that go against the foundations of society are fraught with death for those who utter them. Even the procurator of Judea, who, without hesitation, can come to the aid of Mark the Ratboy, surrounded by the Germans, is afraid to tell the truth (at the same time, he secretly agrees with the views of Ha-Nozri.) The peaceful messiah courageously follows his destiny, and the battle-hardened Roman commander is a coward. Bulgakov's arguments are convincing. The problem of heroism for him is closely connected with the organic unity of worldview, worldview, word and deed.
Henryk Sienkiewicz's arguments
The image of Jesus in an aura of courage also appears in Henryk Sienkiewicz’s novel “Kamo Gradesi”. Bright finds the Polish literary classic shades to create a unique plot situation in his famous novel.
After Jesus was crucified and resurrected, he came to Rome, following his mission: to convert the Eternal City to Christianity. However, he, an unnoticed traveler, as soon as he arrived, witnesses the ceremonial entry of Emperor Nero. Peter is shocked by the Romans' worship of the emperor. He does not know what arguments to find for this phenomenon. The problem of heroism, the courage of a person ideologically opposed to the dictator, is illuminated, starting with Peter’s fear that the mission will not be completed. He, having lost faith in himself, runs away from the Eternal City. However, leaving the city walls behind, the apostle saw Jesus in human form coming towards him. Amazed by what he saw, Peter asked the Messiah where he was going: “Where are you coming?” Jesus replied that since Peter had abandoned his people, there was only one thing left for him to do - to go to the crucifixion a second time. True service certainly requires courage. Shocked Peter returns to Rome...
The Theme of Courage in War and Peace
Russian classical literature is rich in discussions about the essence of heroism. Lev Nikolaevich Tolstoy, in his epic novel War and Peace, raised a number of philosophical questions. The writer put his own special arguments into the image of Prince Andrei, following the path of a warrior. The problem of heroism and courage is painfully rethought and evolving in the minds of the young Prince Bolkonsky. His youthful dream - to accomplish a feat - gives way to understanding and awareness of the essence of war. To be a hero, and not to appear, is how the life priorities of Prince Andrei change after the battle of Shengraben.
Staff officer Bolkonsky understands that the real hero of this battle is the battery commander Skromny, who is lost in the presence of his superiors. The object of ridicule of the adjutants. The battery of a small and frail, nondescript captain did not flinch before the invincible French, inflicted damage on them and made it possible for the main forces to retreat in an organized manner. Tushin acted on a whim; he did not receive an order to cover the rear of the army. Understanding the essence of war - these were his arguments. The problem of heroism is rethought by Prince Bolkonsky, he radically changes his career and, with the assistance of M.I. Kutuzov, becomes a regiment commander. In the battle of Borodino, he, who raised the regiment to attack, was seriously wounded. The body of a Russian officer with a banner in his hands is seen by Napoleon Bonaparte as he circles around. The French Emperor's reaction is one of respect: "What a beautiful death!" However, for Bolkonsky, the act of heroism coincides with an awareness of the integrity of the world and the importance of compassion.
Harper Lee "To Kill a Mockingbird"
Understanding the essence of the feat is also present in a number of works by American classics. All young Americans study the novel “To Kill a Mockingbird” in schools. It contains an original discussion about the essence of courage. This thought comes from the lips of lawyer Atticus, a man of honor, taking on a fair, but by no means profitable, case. His arguments on the problem of heroism are as follows: courage is when you take on a task, knowing in advance that you will lose. But you still take it and go to the end. And sometimes you still manage to win.
Melanie by Margaret Mitchell
In the novel about the American South of the 19th century, she creates a unique image of the fragile and sophisticated, but at the same time courageous and brave Lady Melanie.
She is sure that there is something good in all people, and is ready to help them. Her modest, neat house becomes famous in Atlanta thanks to the sincerity of the owners. During the most dangerous periods of her life, Scarlett receives such help from Melanie that it is impossible to evaluate.
Hemingway on heroism
And of course, one cannot ignore Hemingway’s classic story “The Old Man and the Sea,” which tells about the nature of courage and heroism. The fight between the elderly Cuban Santiago and a huge fish is reminiscent of a parable. The arguments on the problem of heroism presented by Hemingway are symbolic. The sea is like life, and old man Santiago is like human experience. The writer utters the words that have become the leitmotif of true heroism: “Man was not created to suffer defeat. You can destroy it, but you can’t defeat it!”
The Strugatsky brothers "Picnic by the road"
The story introduces its readers to a phantasmagoric situation. Obviously, after the arrival of aliens, an anomalous zone formed on Earth. Stalkers find the “heart” of this zone, which has a unique property. A person who finds himself in this territory receives a harsh alternative: either he dies, or the zone fulfills his every desire. The Strugatskys masterfully show the spiritual evolution of the hero who decided on this feat. His catharsis is convincingly shown. The stalker has nothing selfish or mercantile left, he thinks in terms of humanity and, accordingly, asks the zone for “happiness for everyone,” and such that there are no people deprived of it. What, according to the Strugatskys, is the problem of heroism? Arguments from literature indicate that it is empty without compassion and humanism.
Boris Polevoy "The Tale of a Real Man"
There was a period in the history of the Russian people when heroism became truly widespread. Thousands of warriors have immortalized their names. The high title of Hero of the Soviet Union was awarded to eleven thousand soldiers. At the same time, 104 people were awarded it twice. And three people - three times. The first person to receive this high rank was ace pilot Alexander Ivanovich Pokryshkin. On just one day - April 12, 1943 - he shot down seven planes of the fascist invaders!
Of course, to forget and not convey such examples of heroism to new generations is like a crime. This should be done using the example of Soviet “military” literature - these are the arguments of the Unified State Examination. The problem of heroism is illuminated for schoolchildren using examples from the works of Boris Polevoy, Mikhail Sholokhov, Boris Vasiliev.
Front-line correspondent of the Pravda newspaper Boris Polevoy was shocked by the story of the pilot of the 580th fighter regiment Alexey Maresyev. In the winter of 1942, it was shot down over the skies of the Novgorod region. The pilot, wounded in the legs, spent 18 days crawling to reach his own people. He survived and made it, but his legs were “eaten” by gangrene. Amputation followed. In the hospital where Alexey lay after the operation, there was also a political instructor. He managed to ignite Maresyev with a dream - to return to the sky as a fighter pilot. Overcoming the pain, Alexey learned not only to walk on prosthetics, but also to dance. The apotheosis of the story is the first air battle carried out by the pilot after being wounded.
The medical commission “capitulated.” During the war, the real Alexey Maresyev shot down 11 enemy planes, most of them - seven - after being wounded.
Soviet writers have convincingly revealed the problem of heroism. Arguments from the literature indicate that not only men, but also women called to serve, performed feats. Boris Vasiliev's story “The Dawns Here Are Quiet” amazes with its drama. A large sabotage group of fascists, numbering 16 people, landed in the Soviet rear.
Young girls (Rita Osyanina, Zhenya Komelkova, Sonya Gurevich, Galya Chetvertak), serving at the 171st railway siding under the command of foreman Fedot Vaskov, die heroically. However, they destroy 11 fascists. The sergeant major discovers the remaining five in the hut. He kills one and captures four. Then he surrenders the prisoners to his own, losing consciousness from fatigue.
"The Fate of Man"
This story by Mikhail Aleksandrovich Sholokhov introduces us to the former Red Army soldier - driver Andrei Sokolov. The writer reveals heroism simply and convincingly. It didn’t take long to look for arguments that touched the reader’s soul. The war brought grief to almost every family. Andrei Sokolov had it in abundance: in 1942, his wife Irina and two daughters were killed (a bomb hit a residential building). The son miraculously survived and after this tragedy volunteered to go to the front. Andrei himself fought, was captured by the Nazis, and escaped. However, a new tragedy awaited him: in 1945, on May 9, a sniper killed his son.
Andrei himself, having lost his entire family, found the strength to start life “from scratch.” He adopted a homeless boy, Vanya, becoming his adoptive father. This moral feat again fills his life with meaning.
Conclusion
These are the arguments to the problem of heroism in classical literature. The latter is truly capable of supporting a person and awakening courage in him. Although she is not able to help him financially, she erects a boundary in his soul that Evil cannot cross. This is what Remarque wrote about books in Arc de Triomphe. The argumentation of heroism in classical literature occupies a worthy place.
Heroism can also be presented as a social phenomenon of a kind of “instinct of self-preservation”, only not of individual life, but of the entire society. A part of society, a separate “cell” - a person (the most worthy ones perform feats), consciously, driven by altruism and spirituality, sacrifices himself, preserving something greater. Classical literature is one of the tools that helps people understand and comprehend the non-linear nature of courage.
Since the topic of the essay is the problem of heroism, arguments from literature need to pay attention to works familiar to most of our fellow citizens, brought up on the exploits of Soviet soldiers who saved the world from the brown plague. There have been other examples of courage, heroism and selfless love for the Motherland in history. For example, the war of the mid-20th century became the most terrible and bloody.
One of the works that glorifies heroism not only in war, but also in peaceful life, is the story “The Fate of a Man” by Alexander Sholokhov, in which the author introduces the reader to Andrei Sokolov. He went through the entire war, showing himself to be a brave soldier. Every day he courageously looked into the face of death, which carried away his comrades one by one. The worst thing that happened to Andrei was the loss of his family. His wife, son and daughter died in the rear at the hands of the Nazis.
Not every person will be able to survive such grief with dignity. However, Sokolov was able to, gathering all his will into a fist, he stayed afloat. He did not become embittered, did not hate the whole world, but became more sensitive and responsive to the misfortune of others. These qualities pushed him to a heroic act already in peaceful life.
Having met an orphaned boy on the dusty post-war roads, Andrei takes him under his “wing”. The decision to adopt a boy is a real feat. After all, in this way, the hero saved the child from the orphanage life, from loneliness, from ordeals, playing a decisive role in the fate of this little man.
Another work has a similar title. This is “The Tale of a Real Man” by Boris Polevoy.
The prototype of the main character was the legendary pilot Alexey Meresyev, who forever went down in history thanks to his courage and unbending will to defeat himself and the enemy.
The reader, with bated breath, follows the events described by the author. What aggravates the experience is the realization that all this took place in real life. Meresyev's plane was shot down over occupied territory. The pilot managed to survive, although he received terrible injuries.
Bleeding, Alexey tries to break through to his own people. With the last of his strength he crawls through the wooded area, overcoming inch by inch. Meresyev was lucky - three weeks later he ended up with the partisans and his life was saved.
Having lost both legs, Alexey did not register himself as disabled and did not remain in captivity. He learned not only to walk, but even to dance on prosthetics and continued to fly. He managed to accomplish many more feats before the end of the war, significantly adding to the “piggy bank” of enemy aircraft he shot down.
Thanks to Boris Polevoy, readers received an invaluable opportunity to get to know an extraordinary personality. Meresyev’s heroism will live on for centuries, and his memory will be passed on from generation to generation. Such people never die.
The problem of heroism in war has numerous arguments from literature. This article examined only two works. However, no less poignant are “And the dawns here are quiet”, “Not on the lists” by B. Vasilyev, “In the trenches of Stalingrad” by V. Nekrasov, “Sotnikov” by V. Bykov and other cult books. Many generations grew up and were educated on them.
The events of the story are dedicated to the memories of the feat of the teacher of the Belarusian village of Seltso, Ales Moroz. During the occupation, under the leadership of a teacher, an anti-fascist group was organized in the village, which included students. Moroz transmitted information from the Sovinformburo, which he listened to on his radio. He wrote propaganda and kept all of Seltso and the partisans informed about events. The guys decided to kill policeman Cain, who was particularly cruel. The teacher forbade them, but they still carried out their daring assassination plan. They were arrested. The Nazis announced that they would release the boys if the teacher surrendered voluntarily. Ales Moroz understood perfectly well that this was a lie, but he had to come and support the guys. He comes to the fascists, but the children are not released, and the teacher is executed along with his students. Years later, when they decide to erect an obelisk for young heroes, the question arises: is it necessary to write down the teacher’s name on the monument. The head of the district believes that Moroz’s act was reckless because he did not save anyone. But Timofey Tkachuk, a witness to those events, believes that the teacher accomplished a feat.
2. V. Bykov “Alpine Ballad”
Ivan Tereshka miraculously managed to escape from the concentration camp. Breaking away from the chase, he discovered that a young, fragile Italian woman, Julia, had followed him. He didn’t need a travel companion, but he couldn’t leave the weak girl either. The feeling of mercy takes over, and when Julia, exhausted, can no longer run, he puts the girl on his shoulders and carries her throughout the whole night. The love between Ivan and Julia arose suddenly and captured them completely. “Something unsaid, secondary, which kept them at a distance all the time, was overcome, experienced happily and almost suddenly...” So in this terrible world of war, among the Alpine mountains, they learned what happiness is, even if so sudden and brief, like a flash lightning. The next day the chase overtook them. They tried to rise higher and higher, avoiding the bullets of the Nazis. But this path was a dead end: the gorge ended in a bottomless abyss. Ivan noticed a large snowdrift below and, gathering all his strength, threw Julia onto the saving snow. At that moment, the dogs that had caught up attacked him, and “An unbearable pain pierced his throat, a gloomy sky flashed in his eyes for a moment, and everything went out forever...”. So a Soviet soldier sacrificed his life saving his beloved girl.
3. B. Vasiliev “And the dawns here are quiet..”
Sergeant Major Vaskov commands the 171st patrol, and a platoon of anti-aircraft gunners is under his command. Discovered by chance by Rita Osyanina, a landing force of two, as it seemed to her, decided to liquidate the fascists with a small force. Vaskov takes five girls with him, each of whom has their own scores to settle with the Nazis. The fight turns out to be unequal: there are not two fascists, but sixteen. It is clear that it will not be possible to survive. Vaskov, saving the girls, commands them to leave, and he himself tries to lead the Nazis to the swamp. But neither Rita Osyanina nor Zhenya Komelkova can leave the foreman. Soon they meet. Now Zhenya is trying to lead the Nazis away from the wounded Rita and dies, shot at point-blank range. Vaskov hides the wounded Rita in a rock ledge, covering her with branches; she asks to give her a revolver so she can shoot back from the Nazis if they find her. Vaskov leaves her, but, having walked away a few steps, he hears a shot: the girl sacrifices herself, saving the foreman. So all the heroines of this story die saving their comrades in arms. But the Nazis did not pass and did not achieve their goal. The victory went to the girls from Rita Osyanina's platoon.
School education is coming to an end. Now the focus of all students' attention It is no secret that a very large number of points can be obtained by writing an essay. That is why in this article we will write in detail a plan for the essay and discuss the most common topic in the exam, the problem of courage. Of course, there are quite a lot of topics: the attitude towards the Russian language, the role of mother, teacher, childhood in a person’s life and many others. Students have particular difficulty in arguing the issue of courage.
Many talented writers have devoted their works to the theme of heroism and courage, but they do not remain so firmly in our memory. In this regard, we will refresh them a little and give the best arguments to defend your point of view from fiction.
Essay plan
To begin with, we suggest that you familiarize yourself with the plan for a correct essay, which, if all the points are present, will bring you the maximum possible points.
An essay on the Unified State Examination in the Russian language is very different from an essay on social studies, literature, and so on. This work has a strict form that is best not to be violated. So, what does the plan for our future essay look like:
- Introduction. What is the purpose of this paragraph? We need to smoothly lead our reader to the main problem raised in the text. This is a short paragraph of three to four sentences, but it clearly relates to the topic of your essay.
- Identification of the problem. In this part we are talking about the fact that we read the text proposed for analysis and identified one of the problems. When you state a problem, think about the arguments in advance. As a rule, there are two or more of them in the text, choose the one that is most beneficial for you.
- Your comment. You need to explain and characterize it. This should take you no more than seven sentences.
- Note the author's position, what he thinks and how he feels about the problem. Maybe he's trying to do something?
- Your position. You must write whether you agree with the author of the text or not, justify your answer.
- Arguments. There should be two of them (from literature, history, personal experience). Teachers still suggest focusing on arguments from literature.
- Conclusion of no more than three sentences. Summarize everything you said. An ending option such as a rhetorical question is also possible. It will make you think, and the essay will be completed quite effectively.
As you can see from the plan, the hardest part is the argumentation. Now we will select examples for the problem of courage, we will use exclusively literary sources.
"The Fate of Man"
The theme of the problem of courage is the main idea of Mikhail Sholokhov’s story “The Fate of Man.” Dedication and courage are the main concepts that characterize the main character Andrei Sokolov. Our character is able to step over all the obstacles that fate has in store for him, to carry his cross with his head held high. He shows these qualities not only during military service, but also in captivity.
It seemed that the worst was over, but trouble did not come alone, there was another very difficult test ahead - the death of his loved ones. Now Andrey speaks of selflessness, he gathered his last strength into a fist and visited the very place where there was once a quiet and family life.
"And the dawns here are quiet"
The problem of courage and perseverance is reflected in such a work as Vasiliev’s story. Only here these qualities are attributed to fragile and delicate creatures - girls. This work tells us that Russian women can also be real heroes, fight on an equal basis with men and defend their interests even in such global senses.
The author tells about the difficult fate of several completely different women who were brought together by a great misfortune - the Great Patriotic War. Although their lives had previously developed differently, they all had the same ending - death while performing a combat mission.
A story about a real person
Which is also found in abundance in “The Tale of a Real Man” by Boris Polevoy.
The work talks about the difficult fate of a pilot who loved the sky very much. For him, flying is the meaning of life, like wings for a bird. But they were cut off for him by a German fighter. Despite his injuries, Meresyev crawled through the forest for a very long time; he had neither water nor food. He overcame this difficulty, but there was more to come. He lost his legs, he had to learn to use prosthetics, but this man was so strong in spirit that he even learned to dance on them.
Despite a large number of obstacles, Meresyev regained his wings. One can only envy the hero’s heroism and dedication.
“Not on the lists”
Since we are interested in the problem of courage, we selected arguments from literature about the war and the difficult fate of the heroes. Also, Boris Vasiliev’s novel “Not on the Lists” is dedicated to the fate of Nikolai, who had just graduated from college, went to serve and came under fire. He was not listed in any documents, but it never occurred to him to run away like a “rat from a ship”; he fought bravely and defended the honor of his homeland.
Dedicated to the problem of heroism, where we will present arguments from literature. Moreover, writing homework will not be difficult, because many writers touched on the topic where they revealed the problem of heroism, introducing readers to the heroes of their works. Very often, this problem is associated with works about war and is not without reason, because it is in war that a person manifests true or false heroism, as evidenced by arguments from the literature for the Unified State Exam.
Revealing the problem of the manifestation of heroism in war and arguing with examples, I would like to recall the wonderful work of Leo Tolstoy, where the author raises various philosophical questions. We see how the problem being studied evolves in the minds of Andrei Bolkonsky. Now Andrei’s priorities are to be a hero, and not to seem like one. Captain Tushin, as well as other heroes who gave their lives for their Motherland, showed real heroism in the novel. At the same time, there were also false patriots represented by people of high society.
The problem is also raised by Sholokhov in his work, where the hero Sokolov Andrei selflessly defended his homeland from the Nazi invaders. The war took his wife and children from him, but his will remained unbending, he endured everything and even found the strength to adopt an orphaned child. And this also revealed the heroic traits of his character.
Arguing the problem of heroism, I would like to recall the work of Tvardovsky about. In the work, the hero, despite fear, at the cost of his health, life, for the sake of love for the Motherland and family, does the impossible. A true heroic act when Vasily swims across a cold river in order to convey information that will contribute to the quick end of the war.
To be honest, many more arguments can be made from literature, where the authors touch on the problem of true and false heroism. This is the novel by Bykov Sotnikov, and the novel The White Guard by Bulgakov, and the Tale of a Real Man by B. Polevoy and many other works of famous writers whose works we read with pleasure, experience with the heroes, feel their pain and are proud of their dedication and heroic deeds.
The problem of heroism: arguments from literature
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