Historical Drama Literature Flashcards
Anna Akhmatova
A poet before the communist revolution was forced underground by the red wave. However, her famous nature helped her not face cruel punishment. Born in seaport of Odessa, married Nikolai Gumilyov who started the Poets guild, but they divorced. Her works were erased from Russian cannon, but lived on in people. Her son was imprisoned to force her to conform and keep her under raps because they couldn’t touch her directly.
Requiem
A song for the dead. Written by Akhmatova years after the revolution, but stored in her head for fear of being caught for counter revolutionary writings. It is a poem to all the women who waited to see their sons or husbands going to the labor camps. Invokes Mary at Jesus’ crucifixion.
Tadeusz Borowski
Grew up in Poland, but was forced into labor camps by the Nazi’s. Afterwards, he wrote for the communist regime, but his writings went against some of the principles. He died by suicide in 1951. Devoted to his lifelong love and did whatever he could to see her even joining a crew to repair roofs in the women’s quarters and passing her secret notes.
This Way For Gas Ladies and Gentleman
Tells a story of a man in a concentration camps that joints the crew of people looking a belongings for those being gassed. The man doesn’t feel pity and is overwhelmed by everything that is happening to him. It is complicated and quick. There is lots of animal imagery in the book. There are many foils, the woman who refuses her child in hopes to survive, the young beauty who wants the truth and chooses to head to the chamber, the cripple who will be burned alive with the corpses.
Lu Xun
Author of “Ah Q” First writer of Chinese vernacular instead of formal. Became a writer to help inspire the spirit of the people after watching a Russians kill a Chinese citizen and no one did anything. Studied in Japan after Father died to folk medicine, this time helped him adopt Western ideology and be exposed to different thinking. The soul in need of more healing than the body which is why he gave up being a doctor.
Ah Q
Follows Ah Q an anti-hero who has a generic name like John Smith. It was designed that way so people would find some common ground and see themselves in the character. Self conscious narrator who feels slightly awkward at writing about such a wayward character. The main character has “victories” rather he takes failure and warps it mentally into a victory. Gets slapped which helps him gain prestige but losses a contest about having the biggest lice so tries to feel powerful by taking it out on a Buddhist nun.
