Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky is one of the most praised composers of Russia and perhaps of all time. During his life, Tchaikovsky created many notable works. He created ballets such as Swan Lake, Sleeping Beauty, and most famously The Nutcracker. Tchaikovsky also was responsible for Operas like Eugene Onegin and The Queen of Spades. Tchaikovsky even wrote the Coronation March for Tsar Alexander III.…
The Trinity is an icon created by a Russian painter Andrei Rublev in the 15th century. The Trinity icon is also known as The Hospitality of Abraham. It is Rublev's most famous work, and the most famous of all Russian icons, regard as one of the highest achievements of Russian art.…
I agree that Ivan Bunin’s short story “Kasimir Stanislavovitch” uses a lot of dilapidated images. The author says concerning Kasimir that: "Everything else about him spoke of poverty and drunkenness: no cuffs, a dirty linen collar, an ancient tie, an inflamed and ravaged face, bright-blue watery eyes. His side-whiskers, dyed with a bad, brown dye, had an unnatural appearance. He looked tired and contemptuous." (Bunin, 11-12).…
The Years of the Great War and the Great Communist Takeover The four year span of World War I caused the death of nearly 8 million civilians alone, and left many more handicapped or injured. The Russian Bolshevik takeover started a revolution that Russia is still feeling to this day. Russia’s descending into the communist lifestyle and the overall devastation that came along with World War I jolted the world out of its comfort zone and propelled us into the modern age, whether we were ready for it, or not.…
Ivan the Terrible Leader Although Ivan IV tried to expand Russia in all of its glory, he led Russia into a weakened state regarding its economy, military, and a general political disruption. Throughout Ivan’s tsarship the economy of Russia began to weaken almost to the point of collapse. Ivan IV never trusted boyars, which are the Russian people of wealth and power, for almost his entire life. Becoming tsar at the age of three meant he was too young to lead and needed people to rule for him at the time.…
The most influential Classical empires were fewer in number than those of the Ancient Era. The states in nearby areas gradually formed together, whether it be by their own choice or by force, to form these large empires. As a result, the Classical empires were also much greater in size. The populations could easily reach tens of millions, compared to a few hundred thousand in smaller states. The empires also stretched across huge tracts of land while civilizations such as the River Valley civilization were constrained to areas surrounding rivers and riverbanks.…
Pavel, Miller & Pavel, write that according to their elders teaching in the Skokomish tradition, the earth was first inanimate; water, earth, air - these elements gave the plant tribes life. Plant tribes were followed by the animal people and each of the beings were thought to have held a life force (56). The Great Spirit gave these beings knowledge to share with each other. Another name for the Great Spirit is the Transformer who after orientating each life form to its knowledge created humans by molding red clay and breathing life into them and giving them the means of creation that honor to the women (56-57). The Skokomish, call this the “breath of our ancestors”.…
The Cellist of Sarajevo is a unique book that illustrates the tragedy and devastation of wartime. It sets itself apart from other books in the sense that it is told from three different perspectives. This novel is comprised of many major themes, but it most primarily focuses on life .vs. death, and survival. The author takes a soft and poetic approach to this book, which makes it emotional and heart-wrenching.…
The great poet Czeslaw Milosz once said “What is poetry which doesn’t save nations or people?”. Poetry has been a huge part in many civilizations across the world. In today’s society, poems can be used to heal, to hurt, and to inspire. In “You who wronged,” Czeslaw Milosz uses persuasive diction and descriptive imagery and tone to illustrate the true power of poetry. Known for his contemporary work, Milosz is one of the most highly acclaimed twentieth- century poets from Poland.…
One of the more interesting films of this time period was, Ivan the Terrible, directed by Sergei Eisenstein. The film was actually commissioned by the Soviet Premier Joseph Stalin, who admired and idolized Ivan. This two-part historical epic, however, went against Party lines when it portrayed Ivan in a negative light. This resulted in the banning of the film on the order of Stalin which terminated the proposition of a third-part to the series. Oddly enough the first Part of the series, Ivan the Terrible, Part I, won the approval of Joseph Stalin as well as a Stalin Price for portraying the ruler as a national Hero.…
The Armenian Dances, Parts I and II, are a four-movement suite based on authentic Armenian folk songs from the collected works of Gomidas Vartabed(1869 –1935) the founder of Armenian classical music. Part I, the first movement, is built upon five different songs. In Part II, the first movement, Hov Arek (Come, Breeze) is a lyrical peasant's plea summoning the wind, Khoomar is a rhythmic wedding dance, and Lorva Horovel is a plow song from the Lori district depicting a farmer's physical and spiritual…
When we consider all the armies in history, we like to consider their weapons, fighting techniques, organization, and movement patterns. But most of all, we consider the impact this army had during the time of their attacks and what happened after their attacks took place. The Mongols armies are a prime example of this. In just the lifetime of Genghis Khan, the man who originally brought them together, they conquered a large part of Asia. But how did they conquer this area in such a short time?…
As a collective, the western hemisphere and early Europeans were reluctant to accept the idea that the native, indigenous tribes and cultures of the Americas possessed any form of art. This ideal of false superiority stemmed from the assumption that Native Americans were uncivilized, primal barbarians due to their differential cultural practices and beliefs. Additionally, the colonists had to promote this rhetoric of indians being primitive in order to get rid of the guilt of massacring, raping, and destabilizing multiple tribes and millions of indigenous people. However, the reality is, though their culture and art customs differed vastly from the typical Eurocentric society, Native Americans should be accredited and recognized for their impact…
If one were to have asked a Russian peasant what revolution means to them, they might answer samovol’shchina, or, translated “doing what you want.” In Sheila Fitzpatrick’s book The Russian Revolution she traces three broad themes through the course of the revolution that existed before 1917 and would continue until about the time of 1934. She examines the class struggle that was an important part of the revolution as well as the leadership that lead the Russian citizens through these tumuloous decades and she also examines the modernization that Russia experienced. Fitzpatrick breaks her book down in a chronological order in which she spends her introduction writing about the immediate events that happened prior to the outbreak of the revolution so that the reader, whether an undergraduate student, graduate student or just a fan of Russian history, can gain a true understanding of the air of change that was happening in…
Guhgalski, Guglinski, Giggleski, Googalski. Despite having a relatively easy Polish last name to pronounce (Gugulski), people always find ways to mispronounce it. I have heard my name butchered so many times, I have come to dread the first day of school. My Polish heritage has really shaped the way I have developed as a student, member of society, and person. Without it, I would not have achieved as much as I currently have.…