Author: Drew Schiano

In the movie The Cranes are Flying shows how you can lose someone so fast to getting drafted. Even though Boris was not drafted and he volunteered but he was probably going to get drafted anyways. This movie shows romanticized views of war propagated by socialist realism. In the beginning of the movie they were skipping and looked so happy together but then Boris got sent off into war and Veronika became very lonely and emotionally fragile. Veronika ended up marrying Boris’ step brother Mark after Mark rapped and took advantage of Veronika. Do you think Veronika married Mark because of the rape or because she thought she would never see Boris again?

In chapter 18 Ginzburg is put on the conveyor belt again for five days, returning to her cell for three hours each day. Because she still refuses to sign either of the two statements offered to her. Two witnesses are brought in, one at time. Ginzburg knows both these witnesses and instead of them trying to help her they lie to protect themselves. Both the witnesses had the same answer which made it look bad for Ginzburg even though they were lying to protect themselves. Both of the witnesses felt bad because she was their friend but they were protecting themselves.

If you were in this situation would you try to help a friend or try to protect yourself and your family?

Would silence have stopped the purges?

It begins on December 1, 1934, and someone tells Ginzburg that someone has assassinated Kirov, the secretary of the Communist Party’s General Committee. His murder generates paranoia about the dissident political elements within the party, and the government tightens its grip on society. Ginzburg is personally drawn into the fray when her old friend, Professor Elvov, is arrested in 1935. Ginzburg sees Stalin as ugly and can see his vision of evil. From the other first-person papers, we have read this is the first one that really says she can see the true colors of Stalin. Did the government have too much power? Why do you think Ginzburg could see that Stalin has a vision of Evil?

Magnetic Mountain

Magnitogorsk was a major source of steel for the Soviet Union for several decades after its “heroic” period. However, as its significance as a symbol of revolutionary transformation declined. Magnitogorsk was founded in 1929 and built around what would become the world’s largest steel plant. This was key project in the First Five Year plan. “targets were to be achieved ahead of schedule notwithstanding bottlenecks in supplies, the harshness of the elements, and the fact that the overwhelming majority of workers lacked basic industrial skills”. How do you think the USSR was able to become so advanced in such a little time compared to the other capitalist countries? Was the people working in fear of Stalin? How were they able to get so many people by 1932 to be working for them and be able to know how to do the job when they had little to no knowledge to start?

After reading Chaos Instead of Music showed what it was like for composers during this time with dealer with the Soviet people and trying to please them.

 At no time and in no other place has the composer had a more appreciative audience. The people expected good songs, but also good instrumental works, and good operas. The young composer, instead of hearing serious criticism, which could have helped him in his future work, hears only enthusiastic compliments. With the general cultural development of their country, Why do you think they grew the necessity for good music?

The composer apparently never considered the problem of what the Soviet audience looks for and expects in music. As though deliberately, he scribbles down his music, confusing all the sounds in such a way that his music would reach only the effete “formalists” who had lost all their wholesome taste. Why were the composers so worried about what the Soviet audience looks for and expects in music?

On the end of page 475 and page 476 he talks about finishing up this book and sending to get approved. He states that the fate of his book would decide his own fate. If the manuscript was rejected, it would mean the end of everything for him. This part of the story shows that how much he was really into this getting approved and how hard he was on himself. Also, you can see the sense of relief and excite me when he gets the telegram that the manuscript was approved and started to get published. His dream has come true.

Nikolai lived a very brief life dealing with illnesses and suffering. He was fighting sicknesses his whole life and the persistent illness was taking its toll on him. When he turned 18 he was officially declared invalid. In 1932 Ostrovsky was accepted as a member by the Moscow branch of the Association of Proletarian Writers. That was his first major writing role and he did this completely blind. Nikolai Ostrovsky life relates to the idea of Socialist Realism. He grew up in a poor family and was always dealing with illnesses and was suffering his whole life. Social Realism is critical of the social, economic, and racial conditions that made life challenging for the working classes and poor. Do you think Nikolai life is a great example of Social Realism?