What does ln Tolstoy achieve in composition? Lesson plan for a lesson in literature (grade 8) on the topic: Contrast as a technique to reveal the idea of L.N.’s story
Story by L.N. Tolstoy’s “After the Ball” is a very small work in volume, but extremely deep in meaning. It is based on the technique of contrast, antithesis. The story is divided into two parts, which are sharply opposed to each other.
The first part of the work is a description of the ball. This part is filled with a feeling of light, love, joy, happiness. This is largely due to the fact that the narrator who narrates all the events is very much in love. Therefore, at that time he saw everything in the world in rainbow colors.
The ball took place in the house of the provincial leader, a good-natured and hospitable old man. “The ball was wonderful: a beautiful hall, with choirs, musicians - the famous serfs of the amateur landowner at that time, a magnificent buffet and a sea of champagne poured out,” says Ivan Vasilyevich. But the hero-narrator was drunk not from champagne, but from love, because at the ball was his beloved Varenka B., an extraordinary beauty: “... tall, slender, graceful and majestic, truly majestic.” Varenka always held herself unusually straight, throwing her head back a little. This gave her a kind of regal appearance, “which would have scared her away if not for the affectionate, always cheerful smile of her mouth, and her lovely, sparkling eyes, and her entire sweet, young being.”
It was obvious that the girl was not indifferent to the narrator. The newlyweds spent the entire evening together: playing and dancing. At the end of the evening, Varenka gave Ivan Vasilyevich a feather from her fan. Delight is what the hero experienced throughout the entire ball.
Before dinner, Varenka went to dance with her father, Colonel B., a handsome military man who adores his daughter. Their dance delighted all the guests. They admired this beautiful couple, and at the end of the dance, the guests even applauded father and daughter B. It was clear how the colonel loves his daughter, how he strives to give her the best. The narrator noticed that Pyotr Vladislavich wears homemade boots of an old cut in order to be able to take his Varenka out into the world.
The atmosphere of this evening can be described in the words of Ivan Vasilyevich himself: “At that time I embraced the whole world with my love. I loved the hostess in the feronniere, with her Elizabethan bust, and her husband, and her guests, and her lackeys, and even the engineer Anisimov, who was sulking at me. At that time I felt a kind of enthusiastic and tender feeling towards her father, with his home boots and a gentle smile similar to hers.”
The second part of the story, which is of primary importance for the disclosure ideological plan works, exactly the opposite of the first. After a delightful night comes early morning, the first morning of Lent. The narrator walks around the city, the rhythm of the mazurka still sounds in his soul. But suddenly this music is interrupted by another: “hard, bad music.” Among the fog, the hero-narrator sees black people (in contrast to the smart people from the ballroom). They stood in two rows, and between them they led a man naked to the waist. Each of the soldiers had to hit this man as hard as possible. Ivan Vasilyevich found out that the punishment of a fugitive Tatar was happening before his eyes.
As bright and beautiful as the first part of the story is, the second is so terrible and disgusting. If the leitmotif of the first part can be considered the melody of a mazurka, then the entire second part is accompanied by an “unpleasant, shrill melody” of drum and flute. It seems to me that the contrast between the wonderful dance of Colonel B. and his daughter at the ball is the terrible scene of the punishment of the poor Tatar, where one of the main characters is also the colonel. Only now he is not resting next to his beloved Varenka, but is fulfilling his official duties.
The description of the colonel, in general, has not changed. We see the same ruddy face and gray sideburns. The intonations with which this hero was described have changed, the attitude of the narrator and readers towards this brave servant has changed.
The picture he saw struck Ivan Vasilyevich to the depths of his soul. The shock was so deep that the narrator decided never to serve anywhere, just so as not to commit such monstrous acts. The scene of the punishment of the fugitive Tatar becomes even more terrible if we consider that it took place on the first day of Lent. After the pagan Maslenitsa, described in the first part, comes the most important Christian fast, when a person must forget everything worldly and turn to his soul. But it is at this time that the narrator witnesses the greatest crime of man - a crime towards himself, towards his soul.
The leading artistic device in Tolstoy’s story “After the Ball” is the technique of contrast. This work contrasts two parts of the story: the ball scene and the punishment scene; The heroes and their actions are contrasted. In addition, the moods, emotions, and musical leitmotifs of the work are radically different.
Subject“Contrastive construction of a story as a way of expressing its ideas (based on Tolstoy’s work “After the Ball”)
Target: consider the features of the composition; get acquainted with the concept of contrast as an artistic device on which a story is based; build a skill research work with text, expressive reading, development of students’ communicative abilities
Equipment:
Illustrations of paintings by V. Kandinsky " Black hole", musical fragment of F. Chopin "Mazurka XX", text of the story "After the Ball", computer presentation, emotional state assessment cards, handouts.
During the classes
1.Org. moment.
2. “Immersion in the topic”
At the beginning of the lesson, I would like to ask you an unusual question: what influences state of mind person?
Listen to the fragment piece of music, rate emotional condition, derived from music. (color cards)
What is the purpose of our experiment?
We live in a world full of sounds, colors, halftones, and they, in turn, affect our feelings and emotions. And it is no coincidence that many of you chose not the black and white option, but other colors: yellow, blue, red. There are times in a person's life when he experiences conflicting feelings. Today in class we will look at literary work, in which the main character also has to experience different feelings and make his choice.) on the board JOY - SADness
In the last lesson we got acquainted with the life and work of the brilliant Russian writer L.N. Tolstoy. In his works, he revealed all the good, bright sides of human life and the worst, those for which people are ashamed. We remembered the events of the 40s and 90s of the 19th century. L.N. Tolstoy addresses them in the story “After the Ball”
It is this short story, small in volume, but amazing in its depth of experience and emotionality, that we will begin to work on today in class.
3. Working on the topic of the lesson
Write in a notebook - number, Classwork, topic of the lesson
Work on the topic of the lesson (find out... what the construction of a work is - composition, the idea of a work... get acquainted with the concept of contrast, as an artistic device on which a story is built)
4. History of the creation of the story (implementation homework)
Tell us what you know about the history of this story?
5. Revealing initial impressions of what you read.
At home you read the story “After the Ball”
What impression did the story make on you?
What parts can the story be divided into?
(introduction, ball, after the ball, conclusion) - diagram on the board or slide
Conclusion
After the ball
Introduction
Introduction to the story.
From whose perspective is the story narrated?
Why exactly does Ivan Vasilyevich talk about everything?
What other works use this technique? (“Asya” Turgenev, “ Captain's daughter"Pushkin, "Mtsyri" Lermontov)
What is this composition technique called? What meaning does it give? work of art? (self-analysis and self-disclosure, the hero comments and evaluates his actions) writing on the board YOUTH - MATURITY
Let's return to the diagram. Ivan Vasilyevich’s story was divided into 2 parts.
Which of the two parts do you consider to be the main one, carrying the main content of the work? (That’s right, this is the second part, where the colonel and the soldiers submissive to him torture the Tatar)
6. Analysis of the first part of the story (as the lesson progresses, fill out the table, preparations for each at the beginning of the lesson)
What does Ivan Vasilyevich remember in his story? (we’ll check it using a quiz or a front-end survey)
Name the episode and the characters you saw in this scene?
Where and when was the ball held? (story about Maslenitsa, Forgiveness Sunday, Clean Monday– what do you know about these holidays?)
What kind of dance does the hero “go through” with Varenka? (waltz)
Which bright detail in Varenka’s clothes does the hero remember even 50 years later? (pink belt)
An excerpt from the text appears on the screen.
Insert in the gaps the epithets with which the narrator draws the hall, the provincial leader, his wife, Varenka, and Varenka’s father.
There was a ballwonderful : hallbeautiful , musiciansfamous , buffetfabulous .
Provincial leader -good-natured old man.
His wife toogood-natured.
Varenka - in whitedress , Vwhite gloves, inwhite shoes. She has -shining, flushed dimpled face andaffectionate, cute eyes.
Varenka's father -handsome, stately, tall, fresh , with whites mustache,white sideburns, withshiny eyes,joyful smile. (I post what colors I use on the board)
What detail that unites Varenka and her father is present in the description? (read from text)
What does the coincidence of details in the image of Varenka and her father indicate? (pay attention to such a detail as the colonel’s “suede glove”)
Using the supporting words that you see on the screen, compose a coherent answer to the question “What did the hero of the story feel at the ball and why?”
Ivan Vasilievich not onlyadmired , but also withwith rapturous emotion looked at Varenka,touching even my father's soft boots. There was a herosatisfied, happy, kind , becausein love, young, handsome, carefree . It seemed to him that everythingadmire Varenka. Ivan Vasilievich dancedeasily without feeling the body , as ifunearthly a creature capable of one thinggood. He admitted to his interlocutors thatLove to Varenkareleased all of ithidden capacity for love . Herohugged at that time the whole world was hislove . Ivan Vasilyevich was at the ballinfinitely happy.
At the ball, the hero is in love, he is fascinated by the festive atmosphere, filled with a feeling of happiness, youth, beauty. And now the ball is over. Ivan Vasilyevich cannot sleep, he is on the street again.
7. Analysis of the second part of the story.
Find words in the text that help you understand that your mood suddenly changes. (read out)
At what point does this happen?
What does the hero hear now? (sounds of a flute and drum, another cruel, unpleasant, shrill melody, the whistling of sticks and their slaps on the soldier’s back)
What feelings did the hero experience when he saw the cruel punishment of the Tatar? (ashamed, painful, sad to the point of nausea) PLEASE PAY ATTENTION TO THE BOARD WHERE ANTITHESIS TAKEN IS ALSO TRACKED)
The story contrasts the main plot points - the ball scene and the execution.
In literary criticism such compositional device called CONTRAST. (Slide) Write down the term, remember the definition.
On the board: contrast - expressive artistic device, based on a sharp contrast of concepts, images, pictures, compositional elements on different levels ideological and artistic content of the work.
I think you've already noticed. That the entire story of Leo Tolstoy is built on contrast: we see what happens to the hero at the ball and after the ball.
But have we considered all the contrasts in the story? (not all: the feelings of Ivan Vasilyevich, the colonel and the Tatar)
What language means used in the text help to understand the hero’s state? (Repetitions, direct speech, indefinite pronouns).
What feelings did the hero experience when he saw the cruel punishment of the Tatar? (Shame, pain, sadness to the point of nausea").
How did Ivan Vasilyevich see the colonel in this scene? (Still the same: ruddy face, white mustache and sideburns).
And the person being punished Tatar? (fill out the table)
Colonel.
Punished.
–
Twitching with his whole body, splashing his feet on the melted snow... he moved towards me,
then tipping back - and then the non-commissioned officers, leading him by the guns,
They pushed him forward, then he fell forward - and then the non-commissioned officers... pulled him
back.
8. Lesson summary
- Why is contrast used here? (The episode of the ball and the events after the ball are contrasted with each other. The bright, joyful colors of the ball, the carefree fun of young people, unaware that there is another, scary world, sharply highlight the gloomy picture painted in part 2 of the story. A contrasting depiction of the characters, their psychological state, and the environment in which they operate allows the writer to reveal the essence of their characters and reveal the social contradictions of Russian reality). (It allows us to reveal the essence of the characters’ characters and reveal the contradictions of Russian reality. The author emphasizes the contrast in the composition of the story, in the system of images, in linguistic means and in descriptions.)
What role does contrast play in art? What about in life? (at the beginning of the lesson we listened to music and looked at paintings)
Is it possible to understand good without knowing evil?
Let us turn to the words of Volond from M. Bulgakov’s work “The Master and Margarita”
“What would your good do if evil did not exist, and what would the earth look like if all shadows disappeared from it?”
Is there white without black, good without evil in life?
- Thus, having considered the two parts of the story, we next lesson Let's move on to a conversation about the main characters (the Colonel and Ivan Vasilyevich). Let's talk about ideological sense works.
9. Homework:write a miniature essay using key words on the topic “My impressions of the story”
Key words.
At first I decided that...; then, reading the story, I realized...; At first it seemed to me...; but suddenly it was discovered...; I, like Ivan Vasilyevich, felt sympathy for Colonel B, I was even touched by him, but, having taken a closer look at him with the help of the author, I sharply changed my attitude: I realized that...; the original feeling was replaced...; Ivan Vasilyevich, on the contrary, I was...; in it I finally discovered...
At the ball
After the ball
Ball (sounds, colors)
Varenka in white dress with pink belt, inwhite gloves, in white shoes
…V positive (dark brown) dress,white shoulders...
Quadrilles, waltzes, polkas...
Mazur motif...
Gently, smoothly...
A lot of black people in black uniforms (about soldiers)
Back...something motley, red
Hard, bad music
Colonel
A tall military man in an overcoat and cap.
He walked with a firm, imitative gait.
Ruddy face and white mustache with sideburns.
A tall, stately figure moved with a firm step.
Punished
A man stripped to the waist, tied to the guns of two soldiers. Spin it
– something colorful, red, wet, unnatural.
then tipping back
A face wrinkled with suffering.
A stumbling, writhing man.
Ivan
Vasilevich
My happiness kept growing
Satisfied, happy, blissful, kind
Here we come last minutes today's lesson. studied the vital sources of the story “After the Ball”, analyzed the features of the genre and composition of the story, and became acquainted with the contrast of the work as an artistic device.
But we can already say that the significance of the story is enormous. Tolstoy, as we see, poses broad humanistic problems: why do some live a carefree life, while others eke out a miserable existence? What is justice, honor, dignity.
And these problems have worried and continue to worry more than one generation of Russian society. That is why Tolstoy remembered an incident that happened in his youth and based it on his story.
First part of the story
Second part of the story
Sounds, colors
Varenka in a white dress with a pink belt, white gloves, and white shoes
…in a short (dark brown) dress, white shoulders...
Quadrilles, waltzes, polkas...
Mazur motif...
Gently, smoothly...
Sounds, colors
A lot of black people, in black uniforms (about soldiers)
Back...something motley, red
The drums beat, the flute whistled
Hard, bad music
An unpleasant, shrill melody
Colonel
handsome, stately, tall, fresh, with a white mustache, white sideburns, sparkling eyes, a joyful smile
Colonel
A tall military man in an overcoat and cap.
He walked with a firm, imitative gait.
Ruddy face and white mustache with sideburns.
A tall, stately figure moved with a firm step.
Punished
A man stripped to the waist, tied to the guns of two soldiers. Spin it
– something colorful, red, wet, unnatural.
Twitching with my whole body, splashing my feet on the melted snow...
then tipping back
A face wrinkled with suffering.
A stumbling, writhing man.
Ivan Vasilievich
My happiness kept growing
Satisfied, happy, blissful, up
Ivan Vasilievich
I was ashamed, I lowered my eyes, there was an almost physical melancholy in my heart, almost to the point of nausea.
The purpose of the lesson:
- show how the technique of contrast helps to reveal the idea of a story;
- analysis work artistic means, creating pictures of a ball and execution;
- reveal the humanistic pathos of the story “After the Ball”.
Equipment: multimedia, computer, screen, illustrations for the story "After the Ball", music, presentation.
Vocabulary work: composition, contrast, antithesis
Contrast - French. contrast- a sharp contrast.
Composition is the construction of a work of art, determined by its content and character.
During the classes
1. introduction teachers and setting lesson goals.
Let's imagine late evening. Lev Nikolaevich at work... The room is immersed in twilight. It seems that there is deep silence in the house, everyone around is sleeping, and only the great worker Tolstoy cannot tear himself away from work, which now constitutes the main work of his life. He wants the truth, understood by him, to become available to all people. Tolstoy here looks like a wise and majestic prophet, a strict judge and teacher of life. An invisible candle brightly illuminates the writer’s face, the light silvers his gray hair, and this creates a feeling of clarity of thought, inner peace and gentle humanity, so strangely combined with the thought of the Russian soldier’s lack of rights. Back in 1855, he worked on a project for reforming the army, in which he spoke out against the barbaric punishment - “driving through the ranks.” But the story “After the Ball” goes far beyond a protest against the inhumane treatment of soldiers; it poses broad humanistic problems, such as duty, honor, conscience, and humanity. How L.N. Tolstoy expresses these problems, with the help of what artistic techniques and means he achieves them - this is the goal of our lesson.
2. Conversation with students.
What is the composition of a work?
(Composition is the structure of a work, the arrangement and interrelation of its parts, the order of presentation of events.)
From whose perspective is the story told? (On behalf of Ivan Vasilyevich, an elderly man remembering his past.)
What kind of person was this? (We are respected by everyone, he spoke very sincerely and truthfully, it is clear that he has a wealth of life experience.)
Who else is participating in the conversation? (Young man.)
There are two narrators in the story, the young man begins and ends, and in the middle is the story of Ivan Vasilyevich, it turns out to be a story within a story. What is the name of this composition? (Ring.)
3. The teacher's word.
Ivan Vasilyevich talks about an event that played a decisive role in his fate. This event happened on one day, or rather at night, and includes two episodes.
What episodes are these?
(Episodes of a ball at the provincial leader and a scene of punishment of a soldier.)
Ball and punishment - what is the relationship between these words? (A sharp contrast.)
And such a sharp contrast is called contrast. (Vocabulary work, definition is written in a notebook.)
Tolstoy uses this compositional technique in the story, and for what purpose, we must find out.
Teacher: The story is constructed as sequential and contrast image two episodes: remind them.
1. Pay attention to what dances were danced in the 19th century. Let's go back to the ball for a while and listen to how the music of the mazurka and waltz sounded.
(Reading the ball from the provincial leader from the words “took his daughter’s hand...” to the words “brought her to me...”).
Slide. Illustration, musical accompaniment. Expressive reading excerpt (read by Liza Korshunova)
2. Punishment of a soldier with the words “I began to look...” ending with the words “it was the body of a man.”
Slide. Drawing. Expressive reading of the episode (read by Sasha Eremenko)
4. Student Research.
We will conduct observations on the linguistic means with which the writer contrasts with each other the pictures of the ball and the punishment of the soldier according to plan: Slide.
Option I looks at what epithets the leader’s holiday is described with:
wonderful ball,
the hall is beautiful,
the buffet is magnificent,
famous musicians; the music plays continuously.
Varenka is in a white dress and white gloves. She has a “shining... face, gentle, sweet eyes...”
Varenka's father is handsome...
Ivan Vasilyevich - satisfied, happy...
The second option looks at what epithets the second part is described after the ball:
In another part of the story, after the ball, the colors darken sharply, and before the amazed observer unfolds strange picture punishments:
Street: in the spring wet fog, draymen with firewood on sleighs, horses under glossy arches with wet heads, a blacksmith in a greasy sheepskin coat
Soldiers in black uniforms
Music: an unpleasant shrill melody, a terrible picture of punishment.
The colonel is still the same - with a ruddy face and a white mustache and sideburns.
Ivan Vasilyevich - it became awkward and unpleasant, there was melancholy in my heart
Individually: Comparative characteristics of the colonel and the punished (external description, face, gait, how he moved) Slide.
For what purpose does L. Tolstoy use contrast in the story?
(The contrast intensifies when the narrator sees how stately, tall colonel strong hand V suede glove hits a short, weak soldier in the face.)
The light colors of the ball sharply set off the gloomy picture painted in the second part of the story. The contrasting depiction of the heroes, their psychological state, and the environment make it possible to reveal the essence of their characters and at the same time reveal the social contradictions of tsarist Russia. Author's position clear and unambiguous: to instill hatred in the reader oppression of a person, to the humiliation of his dignity.
5. Lesson summary.
Teacher: The last minutes of the lesson have arrived. What did we cover in class? What research did you do?
(Students: We analyzed the features of the story’s composition, explored the linguistic means with which the writer contrasts the pictures of the ball and the soldier’s punishment with each other.)
Teacher: We studied the content, structure and artistic features, we saw in Ivan Vasilyevich partly the author himself, in his eternal and desperate desire to find and destroy all evil in people...
Let a candle burn today in order to forever preserve in your hearts the image of a real living person who managed to be an artist, a thinker and a person at the same time.
6. Self-assessment of students’ work in the lesson (filling out a self-assessment sheet)
7. Homework: Make a comparative description.
Contrast as a basis
story compositions
History of the story
What was the source for creating the story? It is known that the story is based on a story that happened to the writer’s older brother, Sergei Nikolaevich.
The writer’s memory retained a lot and captured it in this story. Together with the writer, we are transported to the 40s of the 19th century, the time of the reign of Nicholas I . The noble-serf state was still strong at that time. Cane discipline was rampant in the troops, and soldiers for any offense were flogged or driven “through the ranks,” when, to the beat of drums, the punished person was dragged between the rows of soldiers and everyone was obliged to hit the naked body. The person was often beaten to death.
L.N. Tolstoy
The writer was worried all his life about the lack of rights of the Russian soldier. But the story “After the Ball” goes far beyond a protest against the inhumane treatment of soldiers; it poses broad humanistic problems, such as duty, honor, conscience, and humanity.
Roll call of eras in the story
"After the ball"
40s of the 19th century, the time of Nicholas 1 (events depicted in the story)
1900s, time of Nicholas2
21 century
(the era in which
the reader lives)
History of the story
The story was first called “Daughter and Father,” then “And You Say,” and finally, “After the Ball.” WHY?
in the composition of the story
in system images
in language means
in the descriptions
Contrast
as a compositional device
The story has the following main parts:
after the ball
conclusion
introduction
at the ball
The story is thus enclosed in a “frame”. This compositional technique is called "a story within a story" because the work is written by the writer in such a way that we learn about all events from the narrator
- What is the contrast?
- in the composition of the story
- in the system of images
- in linguistic means
- in the descriptions
Observation over language means At the ball:
ball wonderful, hall beautiful, buffet fabulous
the hosts of the ball
good-natured old man, rich man - hospitable, his wife good-natured
Varenka
V white dress, in white gloves, in white shoes, she has radiant, flushed face and affectionate cute eyes
Colonel
Handsome, stately, tall, fresh, With white mustache , white sideburns, with shiny eyes
Ivan Vasilievich
Satisfied, happy, blissful, kind,
Execution:
Something big, black, hard, bad music
A lot of black people in black uniforms,
punishable
Naked waist-deep, his back is something motley, wet, red, unnatural
Colonel
High military man, walking hard trembling gait
Ivan Vasilievich
Was ashamed , lowered his eyes, my heart was almost physical, almost nauseating, melancholy
COLONEL “A tall military man in an overcoat and cap.” “He walked with a firm, trembling gait.” “Ruddy face and white mustache and sideburns.” “A tall, stately figure moved with a firm step.” PUNISHED A man naked to the waist, his back “something unnaturally motley, wet, red.” “Jerking with his whole body, splashing his feet on the melted snow... then tipping back..., then falling forward”... “A face wrinkled with suffering.” “Stumbling, writhing man.” The contrast intensifies when the narrator sees how the tall, stately colonel hits the the face of a short, weak soldier.
Dancing (verbs) – colonel
Description of punishment (verbs)
He stomped, threw, passed, placed, connected, fell, kissed, let down
Pushed, fell, holding. Pulled; turned; grinning, he repeated; did not speak, but sobbed; waved and slapped
Colonel at the ball
Colonel on the parade ground
Beautiful, stately , high, fresh.
WITH white mustache, white sideburns, with sparkling eyes,
a joyful smile,
with a wide chest,
strong shoulders
long slender legs,
he was built beautifully
He walked... drawing air into himself, puffing out his cheeks, and slowly released it through his protruding lip;
frowning menacingly and viciously,
high military man in an overcoat and cap.
He walked with a firm, trembling gait,
rosy face and white mustache And whiskers .
Moved with a firm step high , stately figure.
What, is the colonel double-minded? At the ball he is depicted wearing a mask, and after the ball in his true light, without a mask ?
However, Tolstoy uses not only reception of contrast, but also comparisons
Glove
33 pp. According to the laws of noble honor, before the dance, pull a suede glove on right hand, take out " w pagu from a sword belt.”
Sincere at the ball?
P. 38. Why is it mentioned in the 2nd scene glove ?
And, if the opportunity arises, strike the offending soldier with this suede-gloved hand.
The contrast intensifies.
- Why does Pyotr Vladislavovich pretend that he did not recognize Ivan Vasilyevich and hastily turn away?
- Does this diminish his guilt?
Contrast in the system of images
Colonel
What are the conclusions about spiritual qualities Is the colonel prompted by observations of his attitude towards his daughter at the ball?
What qualities of his nature are revealed in the scene on the parade ground?
What is the root of these contradictions, according to Tolstoy?
Ivan Vasilievich
How does Ivan Vasilyevich appear in the characteristics of his interlocutors?
What role did “chance” play in Ivan Vasilyevich’s life?
How does the hero characterize his decision not to serve in military service and not serve anywhere?
Conclusion
What do you see as the critical power of the story?
In the original editions, the story had the following titles: “Daughter and Father,” “And You Say.” Why did the writer prefer the title “After the Ball?”
Composition is a way of expressing an idea.
- In contrast, we saw the contradictions between the carefree life of the “upper” and the lack of rights of the “lower”
- Tolstoy shows a bizarre combination of good and evil vices in the soul of the colonel, condemns cruelty, but also exposes the objective social conditions, distorting human nature, instilling in him false concepts of duty.
Good
Bad
He was ashamed, he felt horror
Humiliation of human dignity
Didn't stand up But why?
Shame for your tenderness,
“What do you think, what did I decide then…”
for your love,
I blamed myself only for not knowing something, not enough, I spent my whole life trying to understand it
for being a man who knows no evil
Ivan Vasilievich
1. Why did Ivan Vasilievich refuse civil service? Was he right, in your opinion?
2. Did the narrator understand the reasons for the contradictions in the colonel’s character?
3. Why did Ivan Vasilyevich’s love for Varenka fail?
Why is the story most of which is dedicated to the image of the ball, called “After the Ball”?
The events after the ball are a true reflection of reality, the truth of life, and not the feigned thing that usually happens at balls and other social events.
Conclusion
Contrasting image of the heroes, their psychological condition, the environment in which they act allows the writer to reveal the essence of their characters and at the same time expose the social contradictions in tsarist Russia.
Conclusion
The writer makes you think about the problem of human responsibility for the environment. It is precisely the awareness of this responsibility for the life of society that distinguishes Ivan Vasilyevich. A young man from a wealthy family, impressionable and enthusiastic, faced with terrible injustice, he dramatically changed his life path, giving up any career. “I was so ashamed that, not knowing where to look, as if I had been caught in the very shameful act, I lowered my eyes and hurried to go home.” He dedicated his life to helping other people: “Say better: no matter how many people would be worthless if you weren’t here.”
The meaning of the story “After the Ball”
If we look directly at the past, our present will also be revealed to us. If we just stop blinding our eyes with fictitious government benefits and benefits and look at the fact that one thing is important: the good and evil of people’s lives, everything will become clear to us. If we give real names to bonfires, torture, scaffolds, brands, recruiting, then we will also find a real name for prisons, prisons, troops with general conscription, prosecutors, gendarmes.
If we don’t say: why commemorate? and let us not obscure the past human affairs with imaginary benefits for various fictions, we will understand what was done before, we will also understand what is being done now. (L.N. Tolstoy. Nikolai Palkin)
Composition
1. Contrasting the images of the main characters
2. Color palette works.
3. Musical picture of the surrounding world.
4. Contrasting portrait of the colonel.
Our life's path is strewn with the wreckage of what we began to be and what we could have become.
A. Bergson
Our life is filled with accidents and unpredictable events. There are times when they cannot be immediately distinguished in the general flow of life. Therefore, in order not only to identify it for yourself, but also to show it to the whole world, it is necessary to describe these phenomena. To do this, you can use the technique of contrast. A picture compiled in this way allows not only the writer, but also us to understand the background of a particular situation. On the other hand, this approach to facts makes it possible to present them in a more objective light. In this case, two opposite characteristics of the same situation are given, leaving us the right to decide this issue.
However, by selecting various details of the description, the author of the work can tell us the path that he prefers. Let's consider our assumptions using the example of L.N. Tolstoy's story “After the Ball.” It presents an incident that radically changed life young man. At the same time, his decision influenced the fate of other people. And it was the contrasting pictures that played a significant role in this choice, further aggravating the current situation.
Already at the level of composition we are presented with two opposite poles: the ball and the punishment scene. The first amazes with its luxury and beauty, the second with its cruelty and senselessness. This contrast shows that there simply cannot be anything else in life. Can't find any middle option. However, only two heroes - Ivan Vasilyevich and the colonel - are destined to go through both plot spaces. They are like two equally opposite worlds, since they represent different approaches to solving the same problem. The colonel believes that the Tatar deserves such a terrible punishment. So he runs him through the gauntlet. Ivan Vasilyevich, on the contrary, does not understand why such cruelty should be shown, especially since the one being punished begs the soldiers to “have mercy.” These heroes also differ because one acts (the colonel), while the other is inactive. But in this sense it is not entirely correct to talk about the contrast of images. With their help, the author shows different approaches to the same problem.
In the story, Tolstoy uses more expressive facts, which make up a contrasting picture of the narrative. It is created at different levels: color and sound.
One of them no longer concerns the main “opponents” of the approach to life: Ivan Vasilyevich and the colonel. The color scheme characterizes other characters: Varenka and the Tatar. The girl in her color halo appears as a beautiful and immaculate beauty. Varenka's image is described through white and pink shades. Moreover, the first color is intensified: it is repeated several times in one sentence. “She was wearing a white dress with a pink belt and white kid gloves that did not reach her thin, sharp elbows, and white satin shoes.” It seems that with the help of this shade the author wants to show the very soul and essence of the girl, but cannot reflect them in any way - they are so beautiful. The pink color only emphasizes Varenka’s tenderness and freshness.
To describe a Tatar using only one color range an image of the horror that is imprinted in the memory of Ivan Vasilyevich is created. To do this, the author also places all the characteristics of the contrast in one sentence, thereby enhancing the impression of what he saw, “...I caught a glimpse of the back of the person being punished between the rows. It was something so motley, wet, red, unnatural that I didn’t believe it was a human body.” At the sight of such a scene, Ivan Vasilyevich felt ashamed; he did not know where to escape from the impression of such a cruel punishment. Soon he found the strength to break away from this terrible sight and go home.
And at this moment another level of contrast arises - sound. Ivan Vasilyevich did not see anything, but the terrible sounds of such an inhumane incident remained with him. “All the way in my ears the drumbeat was beating and the flute was whistling, then I heard the words: “Brothers, have mercy,” then I heard the self-confident, angry voice of the colonel shouting: “Will you smear? Will you?”” And again the writer collects all the sound series in one sentence. They create a harsh tirade of sounds, devoid of any euphony, moving from low tones (fraction) to high, one might say, hysterical (flute). Moreover, even in one sentence the writer creates a consistent chain of different elements. First, music is heard, then the Tatar’s plea, which ends with the colonel’s menacing voice. This framing also shows us that any cries for help will not be heard. In contrast to this cruel picture are the beautiful sounds of the ball. They literally intoxicated the main character a couple of hours ago. “Even though I was a lover of champagne, I didn’t drink, because without wine I was drunk with love, but I danced until I dropped - I danced quadrilles, waltzes, and polkas, of course, as far as possible: all with Varenka.” And the hero continues to hear them the moment he leaves the ball: they are so sweet and delightful. “I was singing all the time in my soul and occasionally heard the motif of the mazurka,” despite the fact that this was the only dance to which Ivan Vasilyevich did not invite Varenka. At that moment he was looking at the girl from the side. Therefore, the melody sounding in his soul reminded him of that beautiful image at the ball.
The most important achievement The writer becomes that he manages to show the contrasting combination not only with the help of various elements. but also within the limits of one person - the colonel. At the ball, the military man is beautiful, despite some shortcomings in clothing, which are justified by his great attention to his daughter. “Varenka’s father was a very handsome, stately, tall and fresh old man. His face was very ruddy, with a white... curled mustache.” During punishment, it is as if a completely different person appears before us. The colonel “...sucked in air, puffing out his cheeks, and slowly released it through his protruding lip.” In such a contrasting comparison, we are shown not only the appearance, but also the behavior of a military man. He is changing before our eyes. And after such a picture, combined with other plots and events, Ivan Vasilyevich tries not to see Varenka anymore. “And the love just faded away. So this is what things happen and what changes and directs a person’s whole life.” Significant role The contrasting picture created by Tolstoy in his work also played a role in this decision. this work.
The feeling that we experienced also appears in contrast to us. main character. After the ball, he was in love and inspired by the feelings that arose for Varenka: “I was not only cheerful and contented, I was happy, blissful, I was kind, I was not me, but some unearthly creature who knows no evil and is capable of one thing.” good". However, after the punishment scene, Ivan Vasilyevich is depressed and humiliated. “Meanwhile, there was an almost physical melancholy in my heart, almost to the point of nausea, such that I stopped several times, and it seemed to me that I was about to vomit with all the horror that entered me from this sight.” Each of the events left an indelible mark on the soul of Ivan Vasilyevich. But the last impression so eclipsed everything that the main character had seen and felt before. It was this that influenced his further actions and decisions.
Consequently, the use of contrast allows not only to show the event from two sides, but also, to some extent, to have a significant impact on the actions of the main characters. It seems that the author does not interfere with the narrative, and everything gradually goes on as usual. But in reality, everything is completely different. Negative side contrast shows which side the author is on and what position should be taken when considering a particular problem. Tolstoy skillfully used this technique to show in a short story how a person’s life can change not only from chance, but also from the perception of the contrast of the world in which he lives.