Vitaly Komar and Alexander Melamid:

Imagery: The author uses imagery to describe the Russian prisoners’ lives in the camps. This imagery makes them look pathetic and frail, causing the reader to feel empathetic and sorry for them. Also we see the same idea of imagery within the hospitals and what happens in them. The description of gore and fear emphasizes the theme of death

The Great Terror was one of the single greatest loss of lives in the history of the world. It was a crusade of political tyranny in the Soviet Union that transpired during the late 1930’s. The Terrors implicated a wide spread cleansing of the Communist Party and government officials, control of peasants and the Red Army headship, extensive police over watch, suspicion of saboteurs, counter-revolutionaries, and illogical slayings. Opportunely, some good did come from the terrors nonetheless. Two of those goods being Sofia Petrovna and Requiem. Both works allow history to peer back into the Stalin Era and bear witness to the travesties that came with it. Through the use of fictional story telling and thematic devises Sofia Petrovna and Requiem, respectively, paint a grim yet descriptive picture in a very efficient manner.

In the book The Unquiet Ghost: Russians Remember Stalin, author Adam Hochschild entered Russia an interviewed people who had survived Stalinism. What he found was that despite the fact that Stalin has been dead for decades, he still lives as a tangible presence within the country. His memory functions as a reminder to all those who dare to criticize President Putin or other members of the current government about how bad things could be and this fear pushes them into

Then there is a sculpture called ‘Kouros/statue of Standing Youth’ which represents the meant back in the day and age. The sculpture is a very young, athletic, toned man. This man has the body every man wants. This sculpture is desirable to every women. This man represents power, and desire. Unlike the sculpture of the woman this man has a face and a very powerful looking

Skrzynecki effectively portrays the doubt within his mind through the symbolism of “Our Lady watched with outstretched arms, her face overshadowed by clouds”, with the clouds symbolic of the doubt that filled him as well as being ironic imagery. This also questions the ability of concrete statues to provide comfort and warmth let alone protection. “Luceat Lux Vestra, I thought was a brand of soap”, is symbolic of his immaturity and naivety, having no idea between the true meaning and feeling unaccepted.

Both the Bolsheviks and the Nazis shared a fundamental commitment to create a creating a higher human type. However, the ideals and approaches of both regimes towards this mission differed substantially. While the Nazis sought to create a master race above all in European hierarchy, the Bolsheviks sought a system of liberation of their entire race and complete equality. Within both ideologies, the role of women was a hotbed of debate and instigated a period of change. In Germany, women confined to roles that were ‘natural’ or intended by nature, while in Russia, although women ‘received’ previously inaccessible rights and freedoms, it became more of a burden rather than a boon, The creation of “new men and women,” became more about the removal of undesirable classes or nationalities and the integration of the rest of the population with particular characteristics. Women were expected to accept state-propagated guidelines for conduct and appearance, and conform to certain gender roles that were defined by the state. In Nazi Germany and the Soviet Union ideology, the rebirth of the nation, its prosperity and survival depended directly on women’s conformity to the propagated feminine ideal and thus, their participation was severely influenced by the regime’s economic, social and political policies. In this essay, I

I can only tell by body language that they want to spread heroism between men and women. The use of marble links the sculpture to the glow and smoothness of the male skin. In this sculpture, it appears to be characterized by imagery aimed at the sense of the marble statue. The standing sculpture appears to be relaxed, while the median line makes an angle. While standing upright, the figure’s feet are place in a certain way that brings a shifting effect or movement and a stable poise.

It is undeniable that Stalin had a profound impact on the Soviet Union following Lenin’s death. His rise to power within the Soviet Union has provided historians with a hotbed of political intrigue for many years. He was an opportunist, coming to dominance by manipulating party politics and influential figures in the politburo to eliminate his opposition by recognising and exploiting their weaknesses thus becoming the dominant leader of the Soviet Union. He was severely underestimated by other members of the Politburo about his potential within the party, leading to missed opportunities to ally and stand against him- a mistake that Stalin never made. He gained support from the public by exploiting the idea of ‘the Cult of Lenin’ in 1924 at Lenin’s funeral, and then adopting this concept for himself, thereby likening himself to Lenin; and, more importantly, gained support from other party members by following the wishes of Lenin, for example, initially supporting the continuation of the NEP and supporting the idea of factionalism. This essay will also argue that he was ideologically flexible as he was able to change his ideas for the party according to who he needed as an ally, in order to achieve dominant status in the party. He sought out which individual was the biggest threat, and eliminated them before they could stand against him.

Set at the end of the Cold War in East Germany, the movie Goodbye Lenin is the story of a young man, Alex, trying to protect his mother, Christiane, who just spent the last eight months in a coma. Christiane is a personification of the values and ideology of socialism. She carries them out in her interactions with society, and is very hopeful towards the success of the regime. During her absence, the fall of the Berlin Wall and of the German Democratic Republic leads to a radical and turbulent change in society: the fall of socialism and the triumph of capitalism. Because of the shocking effect of such information and the danger of another heart attack, Alex creates for Christiane an ideological form of socialism. Fundamental themes in the movie are the difference between ideal and reality of socialism, as well as the positive and negative aspects of the transition to free market capitalism. Such themes are carried out through a juxtaposition of an ideal society and its reality in the form of a constructed reality of socialism. This idealized version of socialism served as an oasis from the chaotic transition from a problematic socialist regime to free market capitalism.

Within the film, Good Bye, Lenin!, the transition from a Socialist society to a post-Socialist nation can be seen in the film’s utilization of symbolism. Symbolism used within the film can be understood as reflective of the actual lives of German citizens, and from this imagery, the transition to post-Socialism can be analyzed as bittersweet. Good Bye, Lenin! portrayed the conditioning of Socialist citizens by politicians, the citizens’ reliance on governmental support, the westernization of East Germany, and the gendered roles of men and women within society. Within the film’s symbolic imagery, these portrayals further resonate the bittersweet transition of Germany’s society and the reality of its citizens. It is from these various depictions

First, the proletariat is responsible for tearing down the statue of Alexander III. Thus, the revolutionary body of the working class itself is responsible for the first step towards socialism rather than being directed by a revolutionary leader. Secondly, the Provisional Government, appears counter revolutionary and comparable to the tsar. According to Eisenstein, the Provisional Government’s resemblance to the autocracy is simply the inevitable result of an incomplete revolution. Thus, montage is used to convey political ideology, but also forms the content of the film. Eisenstein’s use of montage lets the statue become more than a simple symbol representative of the tsarist rule, but rather as a means of expressing the need for complete revolution. Without the use of montage, the statue’s meaning would have been far more limited, and thus far less prominent within the film. In this case, Eisenstein’s use of montage influences the film’s visible content as well as its meaning in a way that political ideology alone would not

The painting is part of a series of canvases with mythological themes. Since antiquity Apollo - the embodiment of the high, the spiritual principle in man. For artists who created paintings on the subjects mentioned, the Apollo was a symbol of the high purpose of art, and Ban with Marsyas - a symbol of vulgar, coarse pseudo catering to the crowd and wakes up in her base instincts. The appearance of a satyr Marsyas nothing like the ideal of beauty. The artist depicts him as if he was a messenger of hell. The main idea of the complex and dramatic pictures this: the purpose of art - to elevate the soul, and worthy of punishment those who cynically use art to awaken in man instincts and passions.This painting is composed in such a manner, that it should be viewed from a distance as opposed to

“Death is the solution to all problems. No man - no problem.” This is a direct quote from one of the most notorious men in history, Joseph Stalin. Stalin was the leader of the Soviet Union from the mid 1920’s until his death. The period in which he ruled over the Soviet Union was known as the Reign of Terror because he was a malicious leader who was ready to do anything to maintain the level of power he achieved. He will forever be remembered as a cold blooded and heartless leader, who took the lives of millions without remorse. This research paper will cover this notorious and deceitful dictator and his early life, rise to power, his reign of terror, and the aftermath of his actions.

This painting is divided into three equal parts by the arches in the background and the characters correspond to each of these arches (TV12). The father is in the middle portion of the painting. The lines of perspective created by the tiled floor, draws our attention to the swords that the father is holding and the vanishing point lies just behind the handles of the sword. Our angle of vision is such that we are looking directly at the main figures groups, particularly the father. A single light source from the left of the picture illuminates the characters and also focuses our attention to the father holding the sword. This creates a ‘theatrical’ effect. The background is simple and stark so our attention is focussed on the figure groups in the painting. The painting has a wide tonal range that makes the composition logical and balanced. The colours used in this

This letter is from John to Lenina, where he explains the reasons of his suicide and asks her to wake up and see the world in a different and more human way. It is written with a nostalgic informal tone and it is directed to an all-ages audience, especially school students.