School essays
How to write an essay? Guidelines for writing an essay
Typical mistakes in essays
Preparation for literature lessons (All essays are given as an example)
Oral folk art and ancient Russian literature
“The Tale of Igor’s Campaign” is the greatest monument of ancient Russian literature Mythological ideas of the Slavs Folk signs About proverbs and sayings Riddles Tongue twisters
A. N. Radishchev, M. V. Lomonosov
To the 250th anniversary of the birth of A. N. Radishchev Artistic originality of “Travel from St. Petersburg to Moscow” Mikhail Vasilyevich Lomonosov - reformer of the Russian language and versification
I. A. Krylov, D. I. Fonvizin, N. M. Karamzin
The skill of Krylov the fabulist Denis Ivanovich Fonvizin. The satirical orientation of the comedy “The Minor” An article about the work of I. A. Krylov N. M. Karamzin and Russian sentimentalism When Ivan Andreevich Krylov was little
A. S. Griboyedov
How to write an essay on A. S. Griboyedov’s comedy “Woe from Wit”? “The present century and the past century” (the main conflict in the comedy “Woe from Wit”)
V. A. Zhukovsky, G. R. Derzhavin, K. N. Batyushkov
Gabriel Romanovich Derzhavin - “the father of Russian poets” Poetry of V. A. Zhukovsky M. I. Tsvetaev. Two “Forest Kings” Great poet and humanist (About V. A. Zhukovsky) “Wonder Worker” of poetry Batyushkov
Pushkin A. S.
The theme of love in the lyrics of A. Pushkin The theme of love in the lyrics of A. Pushkin (2) The theme of friendship in the works of A. S. Pushkin The theme of friendship in the lyrics of Pushkin (2) Russian nature in the lyrics of A. S. Pushkin Freedom-loving lyrics of A. S. Pushkin A. S. Pushkin about the role and purpose of the poet and poetry About the high purpose of the poet and poetry in the lyrics of A. Pushkin The capital and local nobility in the novel by A. S. Pushkin “Eugene Onegin” What is the complexity and inconsistency of Onegin’s character? Option 1 What is the complexity and inconsistency of Onegin’s character? Option 2 A. S. Pushkin’s novel “Eugene Onegin” - “encyclopedia of Russian life” “Eugene Onegin” - “encyclopedia of Russian life” (2) Onegin and Lensky Onegin and Tatyana Onegin and Chatsky are different people of the same era. Option 1 Onegin and Chatsky are different people of the same era. Option 2 “...I love my dear Tatiana so much” “Tatyana is Russian in soul...” The artistic originality of Pushkin’s novel in verse “Tatyana’s sweet ideal” “The Superfluous Man” Onegin Preparatory questions for an essay based on the novel in verse by A. S. Pushkin “Eugene Onegin” Take care of your honor from a young age (Based on A. S. Pushkin’s story “The Captain’s Daughter”) People and power (Based on A. S. Pushkin’s tragedy “Boris Godunov”) Cases from the life of lyceum students Article about A. S. Pushkin’s poem “The Bronze Horseman” Where he lives Chernomor? “Volatile features...” Portraits of A. S. Pushkin My first friend...
M. Yu. Lermontov
Image of Lermontov. Article by M. Yu. Lermontov on the role and purpose of the poet and poetry The theme of loneliness in the lyrics of M. Yu. Lermontov M. Yu. Lermontov about his generation The life and feat of Mtsyri “Mtsyri” by M. Yu. Lermontov as a romantic poem The rebellious spirit of M. Yu. Lermontov’s lyrics. Y. Lermontov “I love the Fatherland, but with a strange love” What is the tragedy of Pechorin? “A Hero of Our Time” by M. Yu. Lermontov - a socio-psychological novel Materials for an essay based on the novel by M. Yu. Lermontov “A Hero of Our Time” When Mikhail Yuryevich Lermontov was little
N.V. Gogol
The world of bureaucracy in N.V. Gogol’s comedy “The Inspector General” What does N.V. Gogol condemn in the comedy “The Inspector General”? Funny and sad in N.V. Gogol's comedy "The Inspector General" Materials for an essay in N.V. Gogol's comedy "The Inspector General" Landlord Rus' in N.V. Gogol's poem "Dead Souls" Chichikov - the knight of profit Officials in the poem by N.V. Gogol’s “Dead Souls” The people in N.V. Gogol’s poem “Dead Souls” N.V. Gogol’s poem “Dead Souls” is a brilliant satire on feudal Rus' Materials for an essay based on N.V. Gogol’s poem “Dead Souls”
F. I. Tyutchev, A. A. Fet
Lyrics by F. I. Tyutchev and A. A. Fet Eternal themes in the lyrics of Tyutchev and Fet Materials for preparing for an essay on the works of Tyutchev and Fet Russian poet-philosopher “The winged sound of words”
A. N. Ostrovsky
“Cruel morals” of the city of Kalinov A living soul in the “dark kingdom” Problems of Ostrovsky’s play “The Thunderstorm” The tragedy of a suffering soul in the world of businessmen (based on the drama by A. N. Ostrovsky “Dowry”) The fate of a homeless woman (based on the play “Dowry” by A. N. Ostrovsky) )
I. A. Goncharov
Oblomov and Oblomovism A novel about the everyday life of ordinary people (based on the novel “An Ordinary Story”) What is “Oblomovism”?
I. S. Turgenev
Materials for preparing for an essay based on the novel by I. S. Turgenev “Fathers and Sons” A democrat commoner in the “noble nest” The author and his hero in the novel “Fathers and Sons” by I. S. Turgenev Problems of the novel “Fathers and Sons” Tragic figure Evgenia Bazarov in Turgenev’s novel “Fathers and Sons” A man from the nobility at the turn of eras (based on the novels “Rudin” and “The Noble Nest”) On the 180th anniversary of the birth of Ivan Sergeevich Turgenev. A story about the writer's childhood
N.G. Chernyshevsky
“New People” by Chernyshevsky (based on the novel “What is to be done?”) A special person Rakhmetov (based on the novel by N.G. Chernyshevsky “What is to be done?”)
N. A. Nekrasov
The city in the image of N. A. Nekrasov The homeland and people in the lyrics of N. A. Nekrasov The image of a Russian woman in the poetry of N. A. Nekrasov N. A. Nekrasov about the role and purpose of the poet Pictures of native nature in the lyrics of N. A. Nekrasov Citizenship of poetry Nekrasova In search of national happiness (based on Nekrasov’s poem “Who Lives Well in Rus'”) The image of a Russian woman in Nekrasov’s poetry
F. M. Dostoevsky
Raskolnikov’s theory and its downfall The world of the humiliated and insulted in F. M. Dostoevsky’s novel “Crime and Punishment” Materials for an essay based on F. M. Dostoevsky’s novel “Crime and Punishment” The meaning of the title of the novel “Crime and Punishment” Crime and Punishment by Rodion Raskolnikov St. Petersburg Dostoevsky Biblical motifs in the works of F. M. Dostoevsky
L. N. Tolstoy
Female images of L. N. Tolstoy's novel "War and Peace" The role of portrait characteristics of the heroes in L. N. Tolstoy's novel "War and Peace" "People's Thought" in L. N. Tolstoy's novel "War and Peace" Two commanders The path of Andrei's quest Bolkonsky Spiritual evolution of Pierre Bezukhov Unusual portrait of Pierre Bezukhov Portrait of Petya Rostov Military feat of the Russian people in the Patriotic War of 1912 (based on the novel by L.N. Tolstoy “War and Peace”) People’s commander Kutuzov (based on the novel by L.N. Tolstoy “War and Peace” "") The Bolkonsky family and the Rostov family Andrei Bolkonsky and his road of honor Search for the meaning of life by Pierre Bezukhov
N. S. Leskov
“Positive type” of a Russian person in Leskov’s work The verdict of posterity. Article about N. Leskov’s story “The Stupid Artist” Leskov’s Wanderer (based on the story “The Enchanted Wanderer”)
M. E. Saltykov-Shchedrin
Battle satire The fairy tale genre in the works of Saltykov-Shchedrin The satirical talent of the writer Shchedrin
A. P. Chekhov
Past, present and future in A. P. Chekhov’s play “The Cherry Orchard” Sample text of an essay based on A. P. Chekhov’s story “Ionych” “The Cherry Orchard” - a comedy, drama or tragedy? Features of A.P.'s stories Chekhov Innovations of Chekhov the playwright Chekhov's “The Cherry Orchard”
I. A. Bunin
Materials for an essay on the works of I. A. Bunin Ivan Alekseevich Bunin. Essay on life and work Realistic features of Bunin's prose The motive of love and death in Bunin's stories Bunin and the Russian revolution The creative path of I. A. Bunin
A. I. Kuprin
“Love is always a tragedy...” (based on the works of A. I. Kuprin) What is the meaning of the title of A. I. Kuprin’s story “The Duel”? The author and his hero in A. I. Kuprin’s story “The Duel” The singer of sublime love (based on Kuprin’s stories “The Garnet Bracelet”, “Olesya”, “Shulamith”) The duel of violence and humanism (Based on the story “The Duel” by Kuprin)
A. M. Gorky
The problem of humanism in A. M. Gorky’s play “At the Depths” Gorky’s early romanticism Gorky’s realistic depiction of the bottom of society (based on the play “At the Depths”) The image of the merchants in M. Gorky’s story “Foma Gordeev”
V. Bryusov, N. Gumilev, A. Akhmatova, K. Balmont, I. Annensky, A. Bely, M. Voloshin
“Silver Age” of Russian literature My discovery of the “Silver Age” of Russian poetry Fate and poems of Nikolai Gumilyov Mythology of Nikolai Gumilyov The conscience of the people is the poet... Essay on M. Voloshin Don Juan, Napoleon, Cleopatra, Dante and other “darlings of the centuries” in the works of A. Bryusov Acmeism Features of the poetic world of Anna Akhmatova Theme of the Motherland in the poetry of Anna Akhmatova The founder of symbolism in Russian poetry. Essay about Balmont
A. A. Blok
Materials for an essay based on A. Blok’s poem “The Twelve” Russia in the lyrics of A. A. Blok Artistic features of Blok’s lyrics Theme of the Motherland in Blok’s poetry Poems by Alexander Blok
V. V. Mayakovsky
The theme of the poet and poetry in the work of V. Mayakovsky V. Mayakovsky and the revolution Satire of V. Mayakovsky Innovation of Mayakovsky's poetry Excerpt from B. Pasternak's article about V. Mayakovsky and S. Yesenin The theme of the poet and poetry in the work of Mayakovsky My impressions of V. Mayakovsky's poem “Cloud in Pants” Satirical line of V. Mayakovsky’s poem “Good”
S. A. Yesenin
The theme of the homeland in the lyrics of S. Yesenin The theme of the homeland in the work of Sergei Yesenin Images-symbols in the poetry of Sergei Yesenin Yesenin’s lyrical hero Man and nature in Yesenin About Sergei Yesenin’s poem “Anna Snegina”
A. Fadeev, B. Pasternak, M. Bulgakov
Personality and revolution (based on the works of A. Fadeev, M. Bulgakov and B. Pasternak) Handwriting similar to cranes. An article about the work of B. Pasternak Boris Leonidovich Pasternak. Brief sketch of creativity Materials for an essay on the work of Boris Pasternak Sharikov and Sharikovism
M. I. Tsvetaeva
Poems cannot be homeless... Article about the work of M. Tsvetaeva
M. Sholokhov, B. Mozhaev, F. Abramov
The fate of the Don Cossacks (based on the novel “Quiet Don” by M. A. Sholokhov) Materials for an essay based on the novel “Quiet Don” Materials for an essay based on the novel “Virgin Soil Upturned” Encyclopedia of Cossack life (based on M. Sholokhov’s novels “Quiet Don” and “Virgin Soil Upturned”) virgin lands") The fate of the Russian peasantry during the period of collectivization (based on the works of M. Sholokhov, B. Mozhaev, F. Abramov)
A. Solzhenitsyn, V. Shalamov, V. Grossman, Yu. Dombrovsky, V. Bykov. The Great Patriotic War in modern literature and poetry
Tragedy and hopes of the generation of the 30s Theme of the Great Patriotic War in modern literature The Great Patriotic War in modern literature The moral choice of heroes in V. Bykov’s story “Sotnikov” Active resistance to evil (based on the works of Vasil Bykov) Poems about war. A. T. Tvardovsky. Essay Poems about war. O. Berggolts. Essay Tvardovsky's military lyrics Russian soldier in Tvardovsky's poem "Vasily Terkin" The image of war in the works of Konstantin Simonov Man in a totalitarian state (based on the story "One Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich" by A. I. Solzhenitsyn)
Other writers of the Soviet period
About the work of Ch. Aitmatov Peter I and his era in A. N. Tolstoy’s novel “Peter I” “Bison” - Granin’s story about the great scientist How books are written. Article about M. M. Prishvin Our mutual friend. Sergei Vladimirovich Mikhalkov Poetry bequeathed to descendants (Nikolai Alekseevich Zabolotsky)
Foreign literature
The tragedy of Gobseck The heroic Homeric epic Our contemporary William Shakespeare The creator of French comedy (Jean-Baptiste Molière) The great German poet and thinker (Johann Wolfgang Goethe) The romanticism of the great French writer (Victor Hugo) The brilliant author of “The Human Comedy” (Honoré de Balzac) The Circumlocution of William Sidney Porter (O. Henry) The tragedy of the individualist. (Jack London) Man in the 20th century through the eyes of Hemingway The transition of a teenager to the world of adults (Based on the novel by J. Selinger “The Catcher in the Rye”) “Only the heart is vigilant” (Antoine de Saint-Exupery) The riddle of the poem by R.-L. Stevenson “Stormy Night”... Hymn to mysterious freedom (French poet Arthur Rimbaud) Kalevala - the great poem of the North
Russian proverbs, tongue twisters and riddles
Although the eye can see, the tooth is numb. Cycle of proverbs The wolf always has one song. A series of proverbs: The Cowardly Bunny and the Stump of the Wolf. Cycle of proverbs As you are, so are the sleighs. A series of proverbs The falcon does not fly higher than the sun. Cycle of proverbs One with a fry, and seven with a spoon. Cycle of proverbs Don't beat Thomas for Eremin's guilt. Cycle of proverbs It flies high, but lands somewhere. Cycle of proverbs A bad peace is better than a good quarrel. Cycle of proverbs The city takes courage. A series of proverbs: The fragile shoulders of an applicant. “Pearls” from essays written during the entrance exams at Moscow State University
“Boris Godunov”: the people in Pushkin’s tragedy, the image of the people
Not only in the classical tragedy of the 17th-18th centuries, but also among Western romantic playwrights contemporary to Pushkin, the outcome of the historical struggle was determined by the clash of wills and passions of individual outstanding historical “heroes”, elevated high above the crowd of more ordinary, ordinary people. With Pushkin the situation is different. And Boris Godunov, and the boyars, and the Pretender in his tragedy constantly feel the presence of the people near them as a special - decisive - historical force, on which they depend and whose opinion they are forced to reckon with. Already at the beginning of the tragedy, in order to give external legitimacy to his accession to the throne, Boris is forced to appeal to the voice of the people. But his popular recognition of the throne, staged at the will of Boris and the boyars, remains a comedy that cannot mislead anyone. The people equally condemn both Boris and the Pretender, because for them the road to power lies through crime and violence. He denies them his moral sanction. This is especially eloquently evidenced by the tragic and menacing silence of the people in the last scene of “Boris Godunov” - the scene that crowns this great, truly national tragedy.
Shakespeare's favorite hero in his tragedies was a simple-minded, straightforward and generous bearer of an epic, knightly-heroic consciousness, living and dying in an era that, along with the flowering of a free personality, gave birth to political cunning and refined, cynical “Machiavellianism.” The problems of Pushkin's folk drama are different. The main node of its socio-political and moral content is the problem of the growing tragic alienation between the supreme power and the people, the question of the causes of this alienation, as well as the historical paths and possibilities that could help overcome it.
The poet depicted the people in “Boris Godunov” as that historical force whose attitude towards persons acting in the foreground of historical life plays a decisive role in the final development of events, determining the success or failure of their plans and enterprises. Already at the beginning of the tragedy, in the scene of Godunov’s election to the throne, it becomes obvious to the viewer that the people, living their own lives and their own interests, are indifferent to the supreme power, do not sympathize with Godunov and do not want his election. Only the intervention of the boyars and the patriarch prompts the people to participate in the cleverly staged scene of Godunov’s calling to the throne. And later Godunov never managed to win the trust and support of the people. This is what ultimately decides the fate of Boris and his heirs. And in the same way, the harsh “silence” of the people in response to the call to greet False Dmitry with the cry: “Long live Tsar Dimitri Ivanovich!” testifies to his negative attitude towards Boris's successor, who began his reign with a new - similar to Boris's crime - cruel and bloody crime. This negative attitude of the people foreshadows the Impostor's quick, inglorious end.
It should be noted that the tragedy emphasizes two different motives for the people’s negative attitude towards Boris. One of them is the discrepancy between Boris’s image and actions and the people’s ideal of truth and justice. Boris paved his way to the throne by crime. He is a murderer, and, moreover, the murderer of an innocent baby. No wonder the Holy Fool calls him “King Herod.” Godunov’s crime, the fact that in the name of personal ambition he killed Demetrius, thereby clearing the way for himself to the throne, is condemned by both Pimen and the Fool, and the entire nameless, multifaceted mass of people standing behind them. As a criminal king, a child killer, Godunov does not meet the requirements of popular morality: he is a criminal not only from the point of view of the official law, but also from the point of view of the people's ethical ideal, and therefore the people cannot and do not want to give their sanction to his election , is mutely hostile to Godunov, despite his “generosity.”
But according to Pushkin, the people, as tragedy testifies, not only have the right of supreme moral judgment over Godunov and other historical figures of the foreground, who can only be strong in “popular opinion” (and therefore their success and failure depend entirely on the support of the people). The people also have their own special interests in history. They may or may not coincide with the interests of the monarch and the boyars. This side of Pushkin’s historical thought in “Boris Godunov” is hinted at by the mention of the “ancient St. George’s Day” canceled by Godunov.
And yet, although the moral verdict of the people coincides with the demands of the uncompromising and infallible supreme, universal moral court, in the era depicted by the poet, the people did not have their own historical initiative, the ability for active, purposeful historical action. He had the historical right to give or not give his sanction to the claims of the heroes of the first plan, to condemn or justify them. But he was not given the opportunity to nominate from his midst persons capable of acting independently, and not supporting one or another of the fighting heroes, coming from a boyar (or noble) environment and representing in history, on the one hand, their personal ambitious interests, and on the other - the historical aspirations of this environment. This is the tragic shade of folk “silence” at the end of Pushkin’s great folk drama. Therefore, the ending of “Boris Godunov” is not only the apotheosis of the highest people’s truth and people’s court, but also a reproach of the people to themselves, an artistic reflection of the tragic and painful consciousness of their impossibility of realizing that ideal of truth and goodness, which constitutes an integral feature of their inner moral life. This ideal lives spontaneously in the soul of the people and determines their rejection of Boris and the Pretender. But it cannot manifest itself in word and action.
Source: Source: Pushkin. Dostoevsky. Silver Age. / Friedlander G.M. St. Petersburg: “Science”, 1995
