In the overwhelming nonfiction journal Zinky Boys written by Svetlana Alexievich, a series of conflicts have happened in Communist Russia. Svetlana Alexievich provides the reader with many testimonies of betrayal of the young men, women and the mothers of soldiers by the Motherland, the people of Russia and the government. Throughout the story of Zinky Boys the sense of betrayal is the central focus of the testimonies and it demonstrates the importance of one’s international duty. Expanding on the ongoing theme of betrayal and one’s international duty in Zinky Boys, the article, The Patriotism of Despair: Nation, War, and Loss in Russia written by Jane Zavisca analyzes the perspective of nationalist activists and intellectuals, war veterans
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"I did my duty as a soldier as honestly as I could. Nowadays it 's called a 'dirty war, ' but how does that fit in with ideas like Patriotism, the People and Duty? Is the word 'Motherland ' just a meaningless term to you? We did what the Motherland asked of us" (Alexievich 160). The young men and women took the risk of going to war because it was their international duty and it was what the Motherland had asked of them. The soldiers saw this opportunity as an honorable task that would benefit them in the end. But instead, civilians called it a ‘dirty war’ and a ‘political mistake’ (Alexievich 160). The young men and women have took the risk of going to Afghanistan for their nation and instead of being greeted with honor and respect, civilians and the state have turned their …show more content…
In the beginning, everyone was nationalistic towards the Russian soldiers going to Afghanistan to defeat the bandits and become heroes, until it was clear to see that there was a war occurring. This turned civilians against the servicemen and women and as well the government did not keep their part in exchange of the troops’ sacrifices. Through the testimonies in the book, Zinky Boys, as recorded by Alexievich, the reader can detect that even though all the stories from the text are not the same, they all have a different experiences with betrayal. Alexievich is writing for the many voices that should not be silent and forgotten even though it was forced upon the Russians to do so. The nonfiction story acquires potential in its ability to prompt emotions from its audience and it questions the existence of moral
"I did my duty as a soldier as honestly as I could. Nowadays it 's called a 'dirty war, ' but how does that fit in with ideas like Patriotism, the People and Duty? Is the word 'Motherland ' just a meaningless term to you? We did what the Motherland asked of us" (Alexievich 160). The young men and women took the risk of going to war because it was their international duty and it was what the Motherland had asked of them. The soldiers saw this opportunity as an honorable task that would benefit them in the end. But instead, civilians called it a ‘dirty war’ and a ‘political mistake’ (Alexievich 160). The young men and women have took the risk of going to Afghanistan for their nation and instead of being greeted with honor and respect, civilians and the state have turned their …show more content…
In the beginning, everyone was nationalistic towards the Russian soldiers going to Afghanistan to defeat the bandits and become heroes, until it was clear to see that there was a war occurring. This turned civilians against the servicemen and women and as well the government did not keep their part in exchange of the troops’ sacrifices. Through the testimonies in the book, Zinky Boys, as recorded by Alexievich, the reader can detect that even though all the stories from the text are not the same, they all have a different experiences with betrayal. Alexievich is writing for the many voices that should not be silent and forgotten even though it was forced upon the Russians to do so. The nonfiction story acquires potential in its ability to prompt emotions from its audience and it questions the existence of moral