'First Love' Analysis

Turgenev's typical story 'First Love' is the story about true nature of love by Vladimir, Zinaida, and Pytro(Vladimir's father).  Because Vladimir is the narrator directly in the story, the reader is able to imagine and understand Vladimir's mind.  For me, Zinaida 's love toward Vladimir's father is more significant than Vladimir's.  Although her love toward him is not directly described in her point of view, her obeyance regardless of physical torture shows how passionate her love is.  It is ironic that eventhough she controls and manages men's emotion as a queen, she is controlled by Valdimir's father.  She is not only the controller of love but victim of love.  By experiencing her first love, Zinaida changes from pompous and ruthless to more considerate and generous.  Her sacrifice was actually shocking to me because I would not have imagined myself hit by lover for my love. Zinaida's first love is somewhat violent but unforbiddable love that I have sympathy on.  For me, who never had first love, I can not understand the nature of Zinaida's first love.  Zinaida's first love is new and interesting sentiment that I do not attempt.

Romanticism in 'First Love'

According to the article about romanticism, 'First Love' has several elements that can be referred from Romanticism such as Nature, Emotions, Individualism and Everyday Life.
Turgenev's detailed description about the nature can be read in some parts of the story.  For example, his description about the background when the boy met the girl makes the reader to easily imagine about the background of story.  Furthermore, emotions such as love, respect and sadness around the boy's first love is mainly illustrated in the story.  In the field of Individualism, the girl's individuality to get her love represents the feminine individualism in Romanticism.  Lastly, Turgenev deals with Everyday life in nineteenth century in Russia.  These romanticism elements clearly prove 'First Love' as romanticism work.

The most important thing to me

If I have chance to pick only one to go deserted island, I will pick memories.  It is irony for me to consider memories as the most precious thing because I do not actually have pride in past.  But, in order to grow up, I want to keep them,especially the happy memories with my friends and family and sad memories that I need to endure, . By keeping memories, I do not want to lose myself and struggle with finding identity.  I will question myself " Who am I?"
As in drama, if I have traffic accident and lose memories that I had kept, I can not imagine how I will be.  I will cry or remain stupefied or yell until my voice is gone.  The memories that I shared with my family and friends are the motivation and reason to continue my life.  Without the memories, I will have no reason to consider myself seriously.  However, instead of remaining as a loser, I will not give up but start making new memories instead of missing old memories.  Rather than attempt to find past memories, I will regard new matters and experiences as new precious thing to me.  Like computer which deletes old information and stores new information, I will not regret and grieve of losing memories.
If I get my memories back as an accident, I will appreciate more in living and try to write the diaries not to lose my memories again.  I will take the pictures of every moment I feel, and I will write about the every moment I think.  The memories will relive with the record by outcome of technology.  Therefore, memories I have will not only live in my brain but also be recalled from pictures and diaries through limitless period.

'The Nose'

<From the perspective of the nose >

I really felt boring to stay on his face through out my life.Since he was born, I was born with him as the part of his face.While he enjoyed social life and was respected as human being, I had never respected as myself before.   I had prayed to God to have a chance to become human being.One day, I woke up and  felt myself bigger than usual. The first picture I had to see was people walking on the street, not white wall paper of his room. I found myself having my own legs and arms with naked body. I ran into the store next to me and found bathroom. I looked into my face through the mirror and found out myself as the human being with only nose on face.  With an extreme joy, I shouted and appreciated for God to have my wish coming true. I decided to go to cathedral to thank him by praying.  Looking around the bathroom, I found drunken man wearing nice uniform lying down on the floor. I wore the uniform and went to the cathedral.   While I was praying in cathedral, a man peeped around people nearby me.  It was him.  He kept asking me and saying me to return, but I did not want to.  I pretended to be a person whom he did not know and went out of cathedral as soon as  possible.  I found the house where he had usually gone and hid in the flour package on kitchen table.  The strange man who used to clean his face found me and threw me into the river.  I was almost chocked because of rush flow of water into my face and rescued by a man wearing another nice uniform.  He dried me with handkerchief and took me to his(owner) home.  He looked so glad as soon as he saw me.  I felt delight from his face and realized how important myself to him. I prayed to God that I can go back to my real life and stay with him rest of his life.

Love Letter from Tatyana to Onegin

Dear Onegin,

I really appreciate your honest and truthful proposal of your love.

But, you will understand my necessary refusal of accepting it.  

It has been long time since we met at the first time. 

Since then, I knew the meaning of love and expressed my impatience on the letter which

could be unacceptable for you, I understand.  

I do not regret what I did at that time.  

However, it has been long time to go back to the past.  

It is too late for me to go back to youth and depend on my repulse. 

It does not mean that my love had been disappeared, but it means that I have to be 

responsible for reality.  I am married women which means I have my husband who cares 

and stays beside me.  I am not brave enough to reject the 4 years I have lived with own

 husband.  To pay back his affection and his devotion on me, I will focus on my duty as a 

wife.  It has been honored of me to write this kind of letter to you.

Thank you, and hope you have chance to find another love. 

-From Tatyana

Learning about Russia

Before taking Russian Literature, the only fact I had known about Russia was its cold weather and its history in twentieth century.  By learning through the presentations about Russia, I could understand and imagine life in Russia.  Russia is beautiful and interesting place that I want to plan on visiting sometime.   The beautiful buildings and famous Operas attracted me to go and share Russian culture.  Also, the alphabets of Russian resemble to the alphabets but differentiate by unique pronunciations and writing style.  The deeper and more specific facts I gained about Russia, I could find myself absorbed into real life of Russia.

Review about Onegin Book I

The story was confusing and ambiguous in order to understand the point of the book.  For me, especially for international student, reading Russian Literature by English is demanding task.  The Book I was basically the introduction of the character, Onegin.  He is the typical man who ran out of property and lives with his desire.  Pushkin introduces about the Russian society which was divided within classes.  The distinguishness between the aristocrats and lower class is obviously described in the story.  For me, the first time reading Russian Literature was new opportunity to face another type of literature and interesting to understand the contents behind the book.

Review about "Slaughter House 5"

The story was interesting to deal  about the time traveler, but it was also confusing that the story is not chronologically ordered.  It was interesting to travel between the imaginary world and real world by dealing with imaginary planet and World War II. For me, the book was actually boring in regarding to the new and curious usage of time travel.  However, Billy's ambiguous position and his unknown idea befuddle me to understand the whole story.   The sudden change of Billy's time travel made me to think the order of time and his mysterious stories is considerable that implies significant meaning.  It was abstruse but valuable enough to challenge the book.

Review of 'Slaughter House Five'& Time Travel

'Slaughter House Five' is realistic but nonrealistic story that deals with the theme about time travel.  With the contrast between Bill's and Tralfalmadore's idea, the book shows the revolutionary definition about time.  Usually, humanity has considered history as significant record and regarded past, present and future in three different categories.  Based on our viewpoints, time is the automatic flow that human should obey.  However, Tralfalmadore views past, present, future in whole one point and regards time as imperturbable principle of universe.  The famous quote "So it goes" is the author, Vonnegut's typical definition about time.  So, the usage of time travel in the story not only brings the curiosity to the reader but also makes the reader to consider time in whole different concept.  For me, time travel is possible but impossible idea for human to discover.  Human is created upon the principle of universe that if we disobey to follow it, we will lose history, present and future.  That's my concern regarding to the time concept in the book.