Lesson 4. Preparing for the essay “Marusya and Sonya: two childhoods”

Compare - this is to compare, i.e. put 2 objects side by side and consider them from some common point of view in order to find their similarities and differences.

Hence, Comparative characteristics two literary heroes- this is a comparison of two heroes from some common point of view in order to find their similarities and differences.

This general point of view is basis comparisons. If it is impossible to find a basis for comparison, then it is impossible to compare.

The topic of a comparative essay is usually formulated as follows: “Valek and Vasya”, “Pan Tyburtsy and the Judge”, “Sonya and Marusya”. You can compare not only literary heroes, but also two writers, two periods in the development of literature, two works of the same or different writers, etc.

We have to compare Marusya and Sonya, since V.G. Korolenko presented two models of childhood in the images of these girls. You can compare them according to the following plan:

Plan.

Marusya and Sonya: two childhoods.

1. Find the portrait characteristics of Marusya and Sonya.

2.Compare the heroes according to the following plan:

A) appearance;

B) clothes;

B) character traits;

D) what they do.

3. What artistic technique does the writer use to create portrait characteristics girls?

4. How does Vasya feel about Marusa and Sonya?

5. Why V.G. Korolenko contrasts Sonya and Marusya?

6.Write a syn quain on one of the topics: “Sonya”, “Marusya”.

Let's work with the table " Linguistic means for expressing similarities and differences and for speech transition from one part of comparison to another"

Look at the table and find answers to the following questions:

What linguistic means can be used to express similarity? differences? for speech formalization of the transition from one part of the comparison to another?

The whole atmosphere of the dungeon made a painful impression on Vasya. He was amazed that people lived in it, because what he saw said that it was impossible to live.)

• 
  ^ What was the saddest thing about this picture?

(These people are thrown out of society, they are victims of social circumstances.)


(The saddest thing in this picture was Marusya, barely standing out against the background of the gray stone as a strange and small foggy speck. All this amazes Vasya. He clearly imagines how cruel, cold stones are sucking the life out of her.)


^ 4.

How do you understand the words about the gray stones that sucked the life out of Marusya? What is the name of the artistic medium that the author uses?

(Referring to student drawings)

• 
  ^ What does the “gray stone” symbolize?

(Gray stone - hunger, cold, ruthlessness, callousness, fear, indifference.

The gray stone is a symbol of human cruelty, the injustice of laws that make you suffer about it. This regret squeezed his heart)

• 
  ^ Compare the living conditions of Marusya and Sonya and how these conditions affected the appearance and character of Sonya and Marusya.

Expressive reading of portraits of Marusya and Sonya (pp. 23-24-25).

• 
  Find artistic means of expression (epithets, comparisons) with the help of which the author expresses his attitude.
• 
  Can we say that the author admires Marusya, her beauty (blond hair, turquoise eyes, long eyelashes).
• 
  ^ Find details of the portrait that show the writer’s sympathetic attitude towards his hero.

(A tiny creature, crooked legs, a head like the head of a field bell, the dress was dirty and old, staggered like a blade of grass.

• 
  Read Sonya's portrait.
• 
  Which author shows this girl?
• 
  What causes girls to look different?

(Life conditions: Marusya was poor, homeless; Sonya is from “decent society”).

Study 3.Artistic possibilities of antonyms.
In V. G. Korolenko’s work “In Bad Society,” the author describes two girls - Sonya and Marusya. Marusya is from a poor family, and Sonya is from a rich one. Let's find antonyms in the text and try to understand their artistic possibilities.
Marusya
It was a pale, tiny creature, reminiscent of a flower that grew without the rays of the sun.

Despite her four years, she still walked poorly, stepping unsteadily with crooked legs... her arms were thin and transparent; the head swayed on the thin neck, like the head of a field bell; the eyes sometimes looked so unchildishly sad...

My little friend almost never ran and laughed very rarely; when she laughed, her laughter sounded like the smallest silver bell, which can no longer be heard ten steps away. Her dress was dirty and old, there were no ribbons in her braid, but her hair was much larger and more luxurious than Sonya's.
Sonya

I couldn't help comparing her to my sister; They were the same age, but my Sonya was as round as a donut and as elastic as a ball. She ran so briskly when she got excited, she laughed so loudly, she always wore such beautiful dresses, and every day the maid wove a scarlet ribbon into her dark hair.

Portrait of Marusya Portrait descriptions of Marusya in the story are concentrically deployed. The principle of concentricity allows you to “physically” keep the hero in the reader’s field of view. This feature is inherent not only in portrait images, but is a stable feature artistic style V.G. Korolenko in general. This, by the way, explains the use in the text of a number of constant epithets, comparisons, and metaphorical images ( For example). Portrait details in the narrative are periodically repeated, varied, and continuously interact with the context. The detailed detailing of the portrait of Marusya corresponds to the idea of ​​the image: Marusya is so small, tiny because gray stone exhausted her. The persistent repetition of details creates a rhythmic monotony of the motive for the inevitable death of this innocent creature:

the little girl is a tiny, sad figure - a small grave. The reception of preliminary signaling is another feature of the style associated with the concentric structure of the description of appearance. Marusya’s not childishly sad smile reminds Vasya of her late mother in the last days of her life. Smallness, pallor, even blond hair are also preliminary signals. All these signs artistically merge into a picture of the illusory, ephemeral nature of Marusya’s existence - a small foggy speck almost indistinguishable in the stream sunlight . You can trace how the semantic connections of the epithet expand from chapter to chapter small

- the starting point for describing Marusya’s appearance.

Chapter I. Actually, little is said about Marus: a little girl in the arms of Pan Tyburtsy. At the very beginning of the chapter we learn: Vasya’s mother has died, Vasya has a little sister Sonya.

Chapter II. Nothing is said about Marus. But again mention is made of Vasya’s little sister, of the pale face of his late mother, of the flowers with which they covered her. . You can trace how the semantic connections of the epithet expand from chapter to chapter Chapter III. About Marus: dirty face; blond hair; Blue eyes; unsteady steps; the hands are small, tiny. Epithet

branched into a series of more particular definitions reflecting the tragic essence of the image. The depths of the initially supposedly neutral epithet are revealed.

Chapter IV. About Marus: little hands; pale face; a pale, tiny creature; crooked legs; hands are thin and transparent; the head swayed on the thin neck; muffled laughter; the dress is dirty and old;

sad; movements are slow; the eyes stood out with deep blue on the pale face; long eyelashes drooping; a tiny, sad figure from which the gray stone had sucked the life. Here there is a direct comparison of Marusya and Sonya, Marusya and Vasya’s dying mother, numerous references to flowers. Repetitions, variations of previously listed characteristics, addition of new ones. . You can trace how the semantic connections of the epithet expand from chapter to chapter is revealed more and more fully: Marusya is not just a little girl, but because she lives in poverty, somewhere in a cemetery, in a dungeon.

Chapter VII. About Marus: she kept losing weight; her face turned pale; the eyes darkened and became larger; the eyelids lifted with difficulty; is becoming more and more frail; the quiet sounds of her weak laughter; sad smile. Development of a given topic - . You can trace how the semantic connections of the epithet expand from chapter to chapter- continues: little life is heading towards sunset, predetermined by social reasons.

Chapter VIII. About Marus: she looked indifferently with large, darkened and motionless eyes; faded like a flower in autumn; blond hair scattered over the pillow; closed eyes slightly sunken and even more sharply tinged with blue; her body was decorated with autumn flowers. Portrait details are squeezed out of the description in a polysemantic way autumn flowers. The main thing here is the contrast that arises from the comparison: early death Vasya's mother - Marusya's death. Randomness and regularity.

Conclusion - in connection with Marusya: the lights on the graves on dark autumn nights flash with a blue ominous light; the grave was full of flowers; over a small grave. In relation to the image of Marusya, the epithet “little” turns out to be the focus, semantic center the entire story.

CONCLUSION:

You and I, guys, see that antonyms help the writer draw portraits of girls, show the difference in their destinies. IN artistic speech Antonyms can be words that are not usually perceived as antonyms. Entire phrases can also be contrasted.

Understanding the symbolism of the gray stone as a figurative characteristic of the orders that existed in the country, which stifled all living things, is difficult, and the Reader must help them come to the right conclusion. Vasya experiences no less shock when he learns not only where his friends live, but also how they earn their livelihood.

What does Vasya experience when he learns about the miserable life of Valek and Marusya? - let's ask us. In order to answer the question, it is useful to read the faces and analyze the dialogue between Vasya and Valek, paying special attention to the author’s remarks with which the writer characterizes the intonation of each. Let’s ask: “Why did Valek grinned when he heard Vasya’s question about buying rolls? Why is there a sad thoughtfulness in Vasya’s voice when he talks about the inadmissibility of theft? Why, having guessed about the plight of his friends, Vasya asks: “Are you... beggars?” - in a fallen voice? “Beggars!” Valek snapped gloomily.

Working on the dialogue, on each author’s remark separately, will help students understand the drama that was happening in Vasya’s soul: the son of a judge, a man of crystal honesty, high moral rules, Vasya with early childhood absorbed with his whole being unshakable moral truths: you cannot steal, lie, or offend the weak. In life, everything turns out to be more complicated: his friends, whom he loves and respects, are not only beggars, but also thieves.

From the point of view of the morality Vasya has internalized, Valek’s act deserves condemnation; it is no coincidence that Vasya is in sad thought. And at the same time, the reason that his friend puts forward in his justification seems quite serious to Vasya: after all, Marusya, the most trusting and defenseless creature in the world, is starving. Vasya cannot hear Marusya’s plaintive words, nor see how she greedily squeezes a piece of bread with both hands. Realizing how hard life is for his friends, Vasya experiences deep suffering, unable to help: his heart ached, something turned in his chest, love... did not become weaker, but a sharp stream of regret was mixed in with it, reaching the point of heartache .

It is important to bring us to the understanding that this period in the formation of the boy’s consciousness is of decisive importance: to condemn the Tyburtsy family for the shameful theft by which they live, and step aside, or to find in the soul justification for their way of life, realizing that they are being led to this terrible living conditions?

“What decisions does Vasya make regarding his friends? In what phrase of the boy does this decision sound? How is this confirmed by Vasya’s behavior? What impression does Tyburtsy Drab make on Vasya? - these are the questions that help the teacher organize the further course of the conversation with us.

Vasya remains faithful to his friends, the Readers answer. “He decisively tells Valek that he will always go to them. And these words sound like an oath of friendship that nothing can shake. With all his behavior, Vasya confirms his words: he does not let the children understand how hard he experienced the news of their beggary; he tries not to show that he is unpleasant being in their “house”; he courageously endures the wrath of the formidable Pan Tyburtsy and achieves his favor. Vasya's friendship has passed a very important test. And the boy emerged victorious.

The meeting with Tyburtsy leaves a big mark on Vasya’s soul. Readers should think about the question: “What is remarkable about Tyburtsy’s appearance?” As a result of the conversation, we come to the conclusion that the narrator, with the help of the portrait, seems to lift the curtain over the heavy, tragic life this remarkable man, in whose appearance both monkey mobility, cunning, deep sadness, and acute insight, energy, and intelligence coexist. This will help schoolchildren understand the characteristics of the “wonderful personality” that aroused such burning interest in Vasya.

Vasya knows that children love Tyburtsy. Valek often repeats his statements, the authority of which is immutable for him. Marusya affectionately and trustingly reaches out to Tyburtsy, knowing his kindness. She resolutely defends Tyburtsy from assumptions that he might offend someone: “Don’t be afraid, Vasya, don’t be afraid! - says the girl. “He never roasts boys on fire... This is not true!” Tyburtsy also loves his own people, caresses them, takes care of them. It is precisely this kind of human attention and participation that Vasya lacks in his own family, which is why he is drawn to Tyburtsy’s family, feeling comfortable and confident here.

The insightful Tyburtsy immediately appreciates this unusual friendship. He sees how attached his children are to the boy. Valek is worried, afraid that Vasya will not be allowed to visit them. Marusya, with complete conviction, removes from Vasya the terrible suspicion that he will someday judge Valek. Tyburtsy likes Vasya’s simplicity, courage, restraint, his loyalty in friendship, and his ability to keep a secret. Let us draw the attention of schoolchildren to that moment in the conversation when Tyburtsy, making fun of Vasya, calls him a judge and suggests that Vasya will eventually judge Valek.

• “Why was Vasya so offended and angry when he heard these words?” we ask the students. The children answer: “He was offended that they might think of him like that. After all, Vasya believed that they only judge bad people guilty of any crimes. Valek and Marusya, from his point of view, were not guilty of anything. He understood that they were unhappy, but not criminal.”

Tyburtsy speaks flatteringly about Vasya, calling him a decent fellow, a man who has a piece of a human heart in his chest. This high assessment and insightful definition of Vasya’s future behavior (“...maybe it’s good that your path ran through ours”) characterize not only the boy, but, above all, Tyburtsy himself as an extraordinary person. This man with a difficult, broken fate, having sunk to the very bottom of life as a result of an unequal struggle with the existing system and its unjust laws, managed to preserve the best human traits.

Drawing a conclusion about the changes that are taking place in Vasya’s consciousness under the influence of Tyburtsy and him at home, the Reader will note that the “vague questions and sensations” that worried the boy indicate that he is no longer thinking only about the fate of his friends, but also about the life around us, where the laws of social inequality reign: domination of some, beggary and lack of rights of others.

More from the site

Talking about last days Marusi, Readers first of all turn to the description of the sick girl’s appearance. It is important that they follow the dynamics of the portrait (face, eyes, smile, laughter, etc.) and understand that changes in the details of the hero’s appearance are often evidence of internal changes. Yes, through external signs In the portrait of the heroine, the writer depicts her gradual decline. Just recently, Marusya “ringed with the faint tinkling of her pitiful laughter and slapped her clumsy little feet on the stone floor” (Chapter VI), but the leaves began to turn yellow, and with them the girl’s illness began to make itself felt. Marusya “was losing weight, her face was becoming pale, her eyes were darkening... her eyelids lifted with difficulty, the boys exhausted all their efforts just to evoke the quiet overflow of her weak laughter, to see her sad smile” (Chapter VII).

Autumn came and the patient’s condition worsened. Now she “looked indifferently... with large, darkened and motionless eyes, and we have not heard her laugh for a long time” (Chapter VIII). Only the doll was able to revive the girl, but this did not last long. The time came when Marusya looked ahead of her “with a vague gaze... not realizing what was happening to her” (Chapter VIII). By drawing our attention to these changes in the portrait, we thereby teach them to be attentive to artistic details, to see what role each of them plays in revealing the characteristics of the hero’s inner world.

How does Vasya’s behavior during Marusya’s illness characterize him? - we ask a question. Readers already know a lot about the boy, and his caring towards the patient, reaching the point of selflessness, is perceived as his natural and only possible behavior. Readers note that Vasya feels needed in the Tyburtsy family. His appearance causes the girl to perk up. Valek hugged Vasya like a brother. Even Tyburtsy looked at him with eyes that shimmered with tears. Vasya makes every effort to somehow help his grief-stricken friends. A boy shows special emotional sensitivity when his father becomes... known about the missing doll. Unable to return her to her sister - for this it would be necessary to deprive Marusya of her last joy - Vasya, with feigned carelessness, declares to the saddened Valek and Tyburtsia: “Nothing! The nanny has probably already forgotten.” Vasya knows how difficult it is for his friends now, and, not wanting to burden them with his worries, he courageously takes everything upon himself.

Vasya’s selflessness towards his friends, his mental fortitude, and loyalty to his word are most clearly manifested in a conversation with his father. The reader will read the scene of the decisive explanation between the judge and his son in class himself. This is one of the most moving episodes of the story, and it is important that readers listen to it in a good, expressive reading.

With the help of the teacher, children will pay attention to emotional experiences acting heroes. This will help them understand more deeply inner world everyone. Readers know the content of the conversation well.

Without turning to the text for now, we invite them to think: what were the father and son experiencing before the conversation began?

Before the conversation began, Vasya timidly stopped at the ceiling. He noticed the sad autumn sun, felt the alarming beating of his own heart; He raised his eyes to his father and immediately lowered them to the ground.

The father sat in front of the portrait of his mother and “did not turn” to Vasya. When he turned around, his face was scary. Vasya felt a heavy, motionless, suppressive gaze on him. During the conversation, his father’s words about the doll suddenly fell on Vasya, and he shuddered. After all, he is accused of the most terrible dishonest theft of a gift from a deceased mother. That’s why my father’s face was pale and his eyes burned with anger.

Despite the fact that Vasya shrank under his father’s gaze, lowered his head lower and lower, bitter tears burned his cheeks, he does not betray his friends with a word, feeling at this moment not fear, but an offended feeling of an abandoned child and burning love for those who warmed him. him there, in the old chapel. The appearance of Tyburtsy interrupts the difficult scene.

The children note that the judge met Tyburtsy with a gloomy and surprised look, which he withstood calmly.

Tyburtsy feels he is right. He came here to protect Vasya from unfair reproaches. He knows that he must force the judge to listen to himself, so he speaks calmly and softly, not wanting to irritate the angry man. Tyburtsy's self-control and his kind, affectionate attitude towards Vasya overcome the judge's wariness and force him to listen to the words of the homeless beggar. We do not know, but only assume, what Tyburtsy and the judge talked about among themselves. However, it is hardly worth recommending to students the task: “What did Tyburtsy say to Father Vasya?”, as is sometimes practiced. The content of Tyburtsy’s statements is obvious, but compliance characteristic style his speech is so inaccessible to children that such a task will only generate helpless answers, unsuccessful attempts to “complete” the writer. It is much more useful for schoolchildren to trace how external behavior

The closeness that has arisen between father and son will become even more understandable when we pay attention to how, in turn, Vasya touchingly expresses his attitude to his father: “I trustingly took his hand”; “I quickly grabbed his hand and began to kiss it”; “The long-restrained love poured into my heart in a torrent.”

Wanting to summarize the results of the analysis of this episode and bring us to an understanding of the character of the judge and Tyburtsy, we propose to answer the questions: “Why was Tyburtsy sure that the judge would listen to him? What made Tyburtius come to the judge’s house? What prompted the judge to tell Vasya: “I’m guilty of you, boy...”?”

The first question initially causes some bewilderment among the schoolchildren, but they soon realize that the question can be answered only by understanding what kind of person the judge was. And then readers remember everything they know about Vasya’s father from the story: this is Valek’s statement about the integrity and humanity of the judge; this is Tyburtius’s assessment (“Your father, little one, is the best of all the judges in the world. He does not consider it necessary to poison the old toothless beast in his last den...”); this is, finally, the attitude of the judge himself towards the evil old Yan-shu, whom the judge persistently expelled from his house, not wanting to listen to slander against the poor inhabitants of the chapel.

Although we know that the judge serves the cruel and unjust laws that exist in society, we perceive the judge himself as a highly moral person. Severe grief hardened him, made him callous towards his own child, forced him to withdraw into himself, but did not deprive him of his sense of justice.

Having comprehended the character traits of this stern and in his own way unhappy man, Readers will now be able to answer the question posed: the observant Tyburtsy studied Vasya’s father well and believed that the judge’s humanity, his good relations people will not allow him to push away the friendly hand extended even by such a disadvantaged person as Tyburtius was.

Why did Vasya and Sonya come to Marusya’s grave?
Vasya and Sonya came to Marusya’s grave, because for them the image of Marusya became a symbol of love and human suffering. Maybe they made vows to always remember little Marusa, about human grief and help this grief wherever it occurs, through their deeds to change the world for the better.

Now let's do a little speech work. Since the comparative characteristics of Grinev and Shvabrin are built mainly on contrasts, it is advisable to use introductory words (“on the contrary”, “on the contrary”), the logic of conclusions can be conveyed using words and phrases (“since”, “this is evidence of this”, “this confirms ”, “that’s why”), and also introductory words(“means”, “thus”, “therefore”, “finally”), expressions that can be used to compare in parallel (“if... then another...”), etc. are also appropriate.

Vaeya also valued the friendship that was created. He really lacked friendly attention, spiritual closeness, and real friends in his life. At the first check, his comrades on the street turned out to be cowardly traitors who abandoned him without any help. Vasya, by nature, was a kind and faithful person. When he felt that he was needed, he responded to it with all his soul. Valek helped Vasya get to know his own father better. Vasya put into his friendship with Marusya that feeling of an older brother, that care that at home he was prevented from showing towards my own sister. It is still difficult for Vasya to understand why Marusya is so strikingly different from his sister Sonya in appearance and behavior, and Valek’s words: “The gray stone sucked the life out of her” do not bring clarity, only further exacerbating the feeling of painful regret that Vasya feels for towards friends. - The language teacher will invite his students to compare the living conditions of the judge and Tyburtsy and answer the question: “How did these conditions affect the appearance and character of Sonya and Marusya?” Detailed work on the portrait1 will not only help them better imagine the girls, but will also add additional touches to Vasya’s characterization: the way a person perceives others largely reveals who he is.

Behind the epithets and comparisons that characterize Marusya, Readers should feel the emotional strength artistic word, to see Vasya’s excitement, his experiences. In Marusya's portrait, readers easily detect the most important emotional elements; a pale, tiny creature that resembled a dried flower that had grown without the rays of the sun; she walked... poorly, stepping uncertainly with crooked legs and staggering like a blade of grass; her hands were thin and transparent; the head swayed on the thin neck, like the head of a field bell; she almost never ran and laughed very rarely; her laughter sounded like the smallest silver bell; her dress was dirty and old; the movements of her thin hands were slow; the eyes stood out as a deep blue against the pale face.

We need to draw our attention to the touching tenderness of the narrator, which shines through in his every word about the girl, sad admiration of her beauty (thick blond hair, turquoise eyes, long eyelashes), bitter regret about the joyless existence of the child.

Sonya was the complete opposite of Marusa. Comparing appearance Marusya and Sonya, who was round like a donut and elastic as a ball, ran briskly, laughed loudly, wore beautiful dresses, readers will come to the conclusion about the cruel injustice of the laws that reigned in life, dooming the innocent and defenseless in their own country. Beginning with literary fairy tales, studied in fourth grade, Readers constantly conducted practical observations of the portrait, one of the most important components in the depiction of heroes. In the process of studying the story “Children of the Land”, favorable conditions are created when it is possible to generalize our practical observations, giving them the formulation of a theoretical and literary concept. Explaining the functional role of the portrait, the Reader will say that the writer strives to make every feature of his hero’s appearance speaking, telling about the characteristics of his character, feelings and experiences, about living conditions, about the attitude of the narrator himself towards him.

So, if, when getting acquainted with the portrait of a hero, we find words with a touch of affection (laughter sounded like the smallest silver bell; staggered like a blade of grass; looked with the helpless gaze of a slammed bird, etc.), we can unmistakably judge a kind, sympathetic attitude writer to his hero. With affectionate diminutive suffixes, specially selected comparisons and epithets, he reveals to us his attitude towards the hero.

Readers say that the whole situation of the dungeon made a painful impression on Vasya. He was not so much struck by the spectacle of the gloomy underground crypt as by the fact that people live in it, while everything testifies to the impossibility of human stay in the dungeon: the light that breaks through with difficulty, the walls made of stone, wide columns that close upward with a vaulted ceiling. But the saddest thing in this picture was Marusya, barely standing out against the background of the gray stone as a strange and small foggy speck that seemed about to blur and disappear. All this amazes Vasya; he clearly imagines how cruel, cold stones, closing in a tight embrace over the tiny figure of a girl, suck the life out of her. Having witnessed the unbearable living conditions of the poor girl, Vasya finally fully realizes the terrible meaning of Tyburtsy’s fatal phrase. But it seems to the boy that everything can still be corrected, changed for the better, if only he leaves the dungeon: “Let’s leave... let’s leave here... Take her away,” he persuades Valek.

An essay based on the work “In Bad Society” by V. G. Korolenko “Why do Marusya and Sonya have two different childhoods?”

In a small place called Knyazhye-Veno there lived two little girls. One was called Sonya, and she was the daughter of the city judge. Marusya (the second girl) lived with the beggars. They belonged to different social strata and therefore their lives were very different. These girls simply could not have had the same childhood.
Four-year-old Sonya lived in love and contentment in big house with a garden. She grew up as a cheerful, healthy child, rosy-cheeked, round, lively, and always smartly dressed. Her father loved her very much and spoiled her. She had a lot of beautiful dresses, ribbons for braids, and various toys. She was served by an old nanny and a maid. Six-year-old Vasya loved to play with his little sister; he liked her loud, cheerful laugh.
Little Marusya lived with the beggars in an old dungeon. Her life was very hard. She had nothing of what Sonya owned. Cold and hunger, lack of basic conditions, that was the life of this poor, unfortunate girl. She looked exhausted from constant malnutrition. Thin and pale, she could hardly walk, and her voice sounded like a barely audible thin bell. The girl couldn't play outdoor games– she simply didn’t have enough strength for it. Ten-year-old brother Valek pitied and loved her and helped as best he could.
Using the example of these two girls, the writer V. Korolenko showed two worlds of childhood: the safe and prosperous one, in which the daughter of the city judge Sonya lives, and the joyless world of little Marusya, full of hardships. The gray stone of the dungeons literally sucked the life out of poor little Marusya. She was constantly coughing and getting weaker literally every day. The girl lived very little (a little more than three years) and it so happened that the greatest joy in her life was a beautiful doll given by Sonya’s brother.

Marusya and Sonya were about the same age, about 4 years old, and they had both already lost their mother. This is where their similarities end.

Sonya was the daughter of a rich judge, she had everything: good food, her own room, beautiful toys, nannies. She did not need anything, her childhood, with the exception of the death of her mother, was cloudless.

Marusya, unlike her, was in constant need - she did not have her own home, she was often hungry, she did not have real toys, etc.

One day their destinies became intertwined. Marusya, from constant malnutrition and deprivation, began to wither and die. When she had already become very bad and those around her realized that she would soon die, the boy Vasya, Sonya’s brother, decided to give Marusya a pleasant surprise. He turned to Sonya with a request to give him his favorite, most beautiful doll for a while. At first Sonya did not want to part with her, but the story about the dying girl Marusya had an effect on her and she agreed.

The doll made an indelible impression on Marusya. For the first time in recent days, she got out of bed, began to lead the doll by the hand, talk to it and even laugh. Thus, Sonya's doll brightened up the last days of the poor girl Marusya.

She soon died, but for many years Sonya and her brother Vasya went to the grave and looked after her, remembering Marusya and her difficult, short life.

These girls share the same age, but their fates are very different. Although Marusya lost her mother in such a early age, but she lives in excellent living conditions. Nothing threatens her life, she has a home, her own bed, many toys, she lives in warmth and comfort, but most importantly she has food, without which she cannot live, not a single thing. Living being. The girl has a carefree childhood, she is surrounded by care and love.

And little Sonya lives surrounded by stones, she does not have a permanent roof over her head, she lives in darkness, dampness, cold, the worst thing is that she has to starve, she is so small, but she has survived a lot. She hardly sees sunlight, she languishes in the cave, fades away like a small flame. The good news is that she is surrounded by people who love her and who are trying to do everything possible for her. happy life, but, alas, they fail. The little girl's life was cut short before it even began.

At the beginning of the work, the reader greatly feels sorry for Vasya and Sonya, because they lost their mother, but then we see Valek and Marusya, children whose fate was even more terrible. Their situation is so desperate that even theft justifies them, because without it they would not survive. The author contrasts the childhood of two children, wants readers to become kinder to others, so that they do not see evil in the disadvantaged, but, on the contrary, try to help them.

Reading is not always fun. The book sometimes upsets you, makes you think and change your outlook on life. And therefore the choice fiction plays a significant role in the development of a teenager’s personality. It is extremely important to instill in a child the ability to be compassionate and empathize with others. Vladimir Korolenko dedicated “In Bad Society” to this extremely important topic. An essay based on this story will reveal the true meaning of words such as compassion and mercy.

about the author

Before we begin to analyze the work, it is worth saying a few words about the writer Vladimir Korolenko. He was born in the middle of the 19th century, and since he lost his father quite early, he experienced poverty and severe hardships firsthand. A difficult childhood formed a special worldview. Korolenko reacted with pain to injustice, of which there is a monstrous amount in this world. He reflected his experiences in works of art, most of which are dedicated to children. One of them was called “In Bad Society” by Korolenko. This work, however, has another name - “Children of the Dungeon.”

Children of the outcasts

This story is dedicated to the restless life of the poor. Social inequality- a problem that has been considered by great writers and thinkers. This topic is quite complex and controversial. But innocent children suffer from the inequality established by adults. So it was, is and, perhaps, will be for many centuries. Only compassion can soften cruelty - a feeling to which Korolenko dedicated “In Bad Society.” An essay on this topic should begin with a definition of this important moral category.

What is compassion?

What is the idea of ​​Korolenko’s work “In Bad Society”? An essay on the story about the children of the dungeon can begin with an interpretation of the ambiguous word “compassion.” As already mentioned, this topic was considered by the classics of Russian and foreign literature. It is worth remembering the words of the Austrian writer who believed that there are two types of compassion. One is a sentimental and cowardly feeling. The other is true. The first is nothing more than the desire to protect oneself from the sight of someone else’s misfortune. The second encourages action. A person who knows how to truly compassion is able to do everything in human power, and even beyond them.

The hero of Korolenko’s story “In a Bad Society,” despite his very young age, shows pure, selfless feelings. Vasya knows how to truly sympathize. Unusually mature and noble deeds committed by a boy from Korolenko’s sentimental story “In Bad Society.”

Essay “Marusya and Sonya - two childhoods”

There are two little heroines in the story. They never meet. What do they have in common? Age and absence of mother. Comparing these two girls plays an important role in general analysis this work.

The first is Sonya, Vasya’s sister. She lives in a comfortable house, she has a caring nanny and loving father. The second is Marusya, a girl who lives in a cold, uncomfortable dungeon. She is also not deprived of her father's love. In addition, she has a brother who is ready to do anything (and more often Valek goes to theft) in order to feed his sister. But the townspeople treat Marusya’s family with contempt. It is similar to the life of those who are destined to be outcasts not only in decent society, but even among the same beggars as they themselves are. However, this fate escapes the girl, since she dies very early.

Sonya's fate is completely different. Her father - Respected man in the city. And therefore, those around her treat Sonya herself with warm sympathy. From the example of these two images, young readers should understand the important moral idea. It lies in the fact that various social prejudices present in any society give rise to cruelty. And it’s especially scary when children suffer from it.

About friendship

After reading Korolenko’s story “In Bad Society,” the essay “My Friend Vasya” is a standard creative task. Children write about how they see true friendship and cite the kind boy Vasya as an example. But in the form of this little hero What is important is not so much his warm feelings for Valk and Marusa as his desire to help and support representatives of the outcast sections of society. After all, even before meeting the children from the dungeon, the “owner” of the abandoned castle favorably invites Vasya to visit, but he refuses. He is more drawn to those who have been rejected, to those whose existence evokes pity and compassion. This is probably the point main idea Korolenko's story "In Bad Society". Children often write essays about Vasya after reading the work.

Essay about Vasya

But if you are to devote a creative task to such a lofty topic as friendship, it is necessary to first outline the contents of the chapter in which the significant acquaintance is depicted.

Vasya, the son of the city judge, decided one day to go on a short excursion with the neighboring boys. The destination of the journey was an abandoned chapel. All other objects in the city have been examined for a long time and more than once. And only she remained an unknown structure. This old gloomy building evoked horror even more than curiosity. But what was Vasya’s surprise when it turned out that someone lived in this half-destroyed building! The boy was the only one who knew about it. He didn't say anything to his friends.

Valek and Marusya

The children of Tyburtsiy, the leader of the lower strata of the urban population, lived in the chapel. Vasya almost immediately became friends with Valk and Marusya. He helped these children, did everything in his power. And most of all, the brother and sister needed the most necessary for human existence - food. Later, Vasya realized that Valek was a thief, and although this discovery was extremely unpleasant for the judge’s son, he tried to be understanding of his new friend’s lifestyle. And after the boy realized that theft for these people is the only way to survive, he completely realized that he had no right to condemn them. This is how the relationships of children from different social worlds are depicted in Korolenko’s work “In a Bad Society.”

Essay “My Favorite Hero”

One of the most touching and sad chapters in this story is the one in which we're talking about about the last days of Marusya’s life. Perhaps, the events that preceded the girl’s death should be described in detail and analyzed when writing an essay about the character of Korolenko’s work - a young hero, but able to sympathize in a way that not every adult can.

When the warm days passed, Marusya began to feel worse and worse. And Vasya thought that the only saving grace for her could be a large bright doll. This expensive toy belonged to Sonya and was a gift from her late mother. Having begged a doll from his sister for a while, Vasya took it to the dying girl. And even when his father found out about the loss, the boy did not reveal the secret of where his friends lived. He was unjustly punished, but kept his word once given to Tyburtius.

Marusya died. Tyburtsy came to the judge’s house, returned the doll and spoke about Vasya’s kindness and mercy. For many years the judge was ashamed in front of his son for the cold attitude he showed towards him. The father also felt guilty that Vasya did not find understanding and love in his home, among close relatives, but found them in the shelter of strangers and distant people from “bad society.”