Imagine coming upon a land that you have never before visited, and encountering not one but two completely different cultures. Looking at these two cultures one would not expect them to have any similarities. Leo Tolstoy did something to this affect. He took two cultures, the Russian as well as the Chechen, and was able to show their similarities as well as differences, in his book Hajid Murad.
In Hajid Murad, the main characters name is Hajid Murad. He has become a fugitive in the Chechen culture, and is now struggling to contain the conflict that is going on between the Russian and Chechen cultures. He keeps on switching sides during the conflict. Hajid Murad becomes a unique individual during this time period. Murad is a warrior, but unlike the other warriors, what motivates him is completely different.
What drives Hajid Murad is revenge. He has always had a certain amount of hatred towards the Imam, the leader of the Chechens. He hated the Imam, whose name was Shamil, because he was the right-hand man of the man who killed his mother and brothers. Shamil also kept Hajid Murad's wives and son captive, and for this reason, Hajid Murad wanted to get revenge. Shamil was angry with Hajid Murad because of a comment Murad made. He was asked who would be the next Imam after Shamil and he said "The man with the sharpest sword." Shamil took this as a threat and ever since wanted to have Murad killed.
Many people can say that Tolstoy made Hajid Murad into a family man, or a man who would do anything in order to get his family back (even if it means dying), because Tolstoy wanted to put a face onto the mountain people of Russia, instead of them being viewed as barbarians. He wanted to show us that the dedicatio...
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...ite this book because he just wanted to write it. We know that Tolstoy had an experience similar to a religious rebirth where he condemned most of his books and most of art as a whole. However, the real reason I think Tolstoy wrote this book is because he wanted someone to stand up for the people of the Caucus Mountains and portray them as regular people instead of barbarians or savages.
As your journey through two distinct cultures comes to an end you have realized that no matter what divides these cultures they will always have similar beliefs, morals, and actions. They will also be extremely different because of their environment, language, beliefs, and because they lived for two distinct purposes. The Russians wanted to be enlightened like the rest of Europe and the Mountaineers wanted to continue being nomadic and they made necessary adjustments to
The readers discover that Tolstoy’s motivation for writing “Sevastopol in May” was to provide Russia with an honest war narrative, not a literary cornerstone or a piece of light reading material. This realization is the clean ending that gives readers the they closure desire. By including an explicit declaration of theme and purpose at the
Leo Tolstoy may have not been always agreeable in the eyes of others, but even enlightened, wholesome characters who challenged the static injustice of the world were either met with resentment or death. Tolstoy had certainly earned the resentment from the radicalism of his religious ideals and his insistence on the reform of Russian hierarchy. While others resented his ideas, others regarded him a brave genius who wrote beautiful works to stand against what is wrong and fight for a world of right.
Author Leo Tolstoy had a privileged upbringing however, despite the fact that he was born into the Russian nobility, he desired nothing more than to live the simple life of a peasant. As a young man attending the University of Kazan, Tolstoy was prone to gambling, drinking, smoking, and hunting. He eventually dropped out of school and gave up his sensualist lifestyle, opting for a life of simplicity. Tolstoy was an intellectual who favored the heart over the workings of the mind and, throughout his life, was skeptical of the practices of the Roman Catholic Church. He came to believe that the church was corrupt and abandoned organized religion entirely, instead developing his own set of beliefs.
Leo Tolstoy, author of The Death of Ivan Ilyich, suffered numerous tragic losses such as his parents and his aunt, Tatyana Ergolsky who created a tremendous impact during Tolstoy’s childhood. Overtime, Tolstoy was cultured and for Tolstoy it was common within his community. During the 1840, Tolstoy developed a strong, eager interest for the studies of moral philosophy. In The Death of Ivan Ilyich, Tolstoy suggests that although people can find happiness in materialism, they need spirituality during a crisis.
Tolstoy wrote what is considered the greatest Russian literature – Anna Karenina and War and Peace. However, his writing shifted away from worldly concerns when he suffered from a midlife crisis, and
To start, Tolstoy believes that are can either be universally good art or good for people with specific tastes. However, the very best works have the ability to be universally
...t is . What really accentuated the story's realness was the cold-harsh fact that no one is exempt from death. This was given when Gerasim said to Ivan that everyone dies (p135). As the last book Tolstoy made before his conversion to Christianity: this book, delving deep into death, could reveal some clues about what the bible is trying to tell us about the truth of death. Is death the end, the process, or...the beginning? Who knows? One thing for certain is that every individual goes through the grief process a bit differently, and Tolstoy has proven that through his main character, Ivan Illych.
Merriman, C.D.. "Leo Tolstoy." - Biography and Works. Search Texts, Read Online . Discuss.. Jalic INC., 1 Jan. 2007. Web. 16 May 2014. .
Tolstoy uses The Death of Ivan Ilyich to show his readers the negative consequences of living as Ilyich did. One of the worst decisions that Ivan Ilyich made during his lifetime was based on what would monetary benefit him. In others words, he his family and his colleges relate happiness to material possessions only. They could afford to buy big house, expensive cars and fancy clothes which leaded to happiness. But it was just an illusion.
In "Between Cult and Culture: Bamiyan, Islamic Iconoclasm, and the Museum," Finbarr Barry Flood expresses many ideas concerning Islamic iconoclasm. His focus was on the ."..iconoclastic practices of Muslims living in the eastern Islamic world, especially Afghanistan and India." Flood discusses issues with traditional patterns considering Islamic iconoclasm and the "many paradoxes" that "complicate" our understanding of Islamic iconoclasm. Throughout this essay we become familiar with "essentialist conceptions of Muslim iconoclasm" as well as "political aspects of what has largely been conceived of as a theological impulse." These points later provide a basis for analyzing the destruction of the Bamiyan Buddha by the Taliban in March 2001. "It will be argued that their obliteration indexed not a timeless response to figuration but a calculated engagement with a culturally specific discourse of images at a particular historical moment."
... story but it also reflects Russian society. This, however, isn’t why many Russians still continue to hold this piece of literature as central to their culture. Although, it tells of their heritage and society, it is the simple genius of the structure of the novel of –14-line stanza form-and his lyrics, which are complex and meticulous but are written with such ease that they appear effortless, simple, and natural.
September 11, 2001 forever changed the landscape of the generalized view of the Muslim community in the United States; these acts created a defining stereotypical image that all Muslim’s are extreme terrorists, or condone such behavior. Although this view of the Muslim community was not necessarily new, it was not widely acknowledged in America until the events of September 11th as it was continually thrust upon the public by print and news media. This study will discuss the dichotomy between representations of the Muslim community held by many in the Western culture as well as the psychological cause and effect of such depictions. The sociological “norms” as determined by popular American culture, the development of “terrorist” stereotypes through modern media, and the cause and effect postcolonial literature has had on the subject are all topics that will be evaluated. The objective of this research is to provide enhanced comprehension of the situational attitudes held by Muslims and Americans alike. Also, this will offer an educated understanding of the gap between what is believed and what is factual, in hopes of creating emphasis for the need of a new approach in creating a discrimination free partnership with the Muslim community while maintaining awareness and security.
In recent modern times, the Islamic faith and culture has been scarred by bad publicity and criticism worldwide concerning terrorism, fanaticism, and the treatment of women. All these issues have existed in most religions throughout time, but the treatment of women is different in which most other cultures and religions have minimized the issues and Islam, under its attempts to also end it, has failed to create a society in which the treatment of women is equal to that of men. The treatment of women, beginning from the time when they are born, to the time of their marriage, to the moment of their death, has not been equal to that of men despite the actions taken to end the injustice.
Season of Migration to the North by Tayeb Salih tells the story of a man searching for an identity he was unaware he had lost. Through his growing understanding of Mustafa Sa'eed's life, the central character eventually reconciles his own identity conflicts.
Tolstoy’s immense detail throughout the story allows for the readers to be fully present and in the moment, picturing the immense amount of land that is possible for Pahom to gain almost brings Pahom’s desire and greed for land to life for Tolstoy’s readers through his excellent details and use of imagery; “‘See,’ said he, ‘all this, as far as your eye can reach, is ours. You may have any part of it you like.’ Pahom’s eyes glistened: it was all virgin soil, as flat as the palm of your hand, as black as the seed of a poppy, and in the hollows different kinds of grasses grew breast high.” (225). Tolstoy’s detail causes us to realize how beautiful and immense this land is. It causes us to understand Pahom’s desire and sense of possibility bringing the story and character to life. Lastly, Tolstoy is famous for ending with one powerful line with simple diction…and he does not fail us in How Much Land Does a Man Need?, ending with: “His servant picked up the spade and dug a grave long enough for Pahom to lie in, and buried him in it. Six feet from his head to his heels was all he needed.” (227). This final line is so powerful…despite all his efforts and all that he had gained in this world, ultimately Pahom died alone, and all that the grave needed to fit was his