Tonight's homework for Russian I is optional - respond to this post by leaving a comment with your name and you will receive two bonus points on today's quiz. Be sure to respond by the beginning of your next class to get credit.
Which group of characters do you sympathize with more - the lower class represented by Lara and others like her or the upper class represented by Yuri and Tanya? What in the film has caused you to develop these feelings? How do you think this is connected to Pasternak's (the author's) larger purpose?
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The way I see it, I sympathize both classes- I sympathize the lower class because they struggle with the minimum wages and food to be distributed. But I also sympathize the upper class because people like Tanya and Yuri get treated terribly and are seen as rude and snobby to others. But all in all I would lean more towards the lower class because they have a lot more to deal with. The scene when all the russian workers go on strike and get slaughtered by police forces is a big sign that the lower class had it rough, it's obviously highly connected to the author's purpose because it talks about the communism of Russia and how the system treats civilians in general.
-Natasha Seeton.
In my opinion, the lower class is far worse off then the upper class. You can see throughout the film that Lara struggles for food, medicine, and clothes. She is also taken advantage of by Victor, which shows the lack of respect he has for her and for anyone below him. While all this tragedy and violence goes on, Tanya and Yuri attend lavish dinners and parties. Yuri has a good job, a good home, and a good family. That is why I do not sympathize for Yuri's lifestyle or anyone else's in the upper class. The author might be comparing these two lifestyles so that he can later intertwine them, with emphasis on how such different people can come together. - Nathan Creadick
Pasternak's portrayals of his characters' lives sways his readers/viewers to sympathize more easily with the struggling lower class. He depicts the bourgeoisie upper class as privileged and affluent, only having to deal with what we would call 'first-world problems'. Meanwhile, the lower class faces poverty and political violence during the Russian Revolution. Perhaps Pasternak intends to assert that people will always have problems to deal with now matter how wealthy and well-off they might be, though their problems will manifest themselves differently (usually through drama) than those who still struggle to meet their basic human needs, like hunger.
~ Healey Cox-McMahon
well in a way i actually feel like i can really relate to the Lara the reason being that when she is believed to be down out she comes out. i also believe that a lot of sexually assaulted people will relate to her.
I feel bad for both of the classes. They are both majorly shown as scum; I feel that can't be seen in a good light no matter how you look at it. The lower case has no respect of those above them, be it police, or even higher ranking, making them hard to respect. Whereas the Upper class doesn't even have the decency to give food to the poor. In both situations the other is seen as pathetic and sad. Due to this unnervingly negative portrayal of both, I find it hard to sympathize with either.
-Ben Lawson
Although the upper class certainly has its issues, namely excessive manipulation and deception, I sympathize more with the lower class. Whereas the upper class is occupied by trivial concerns such as betraying one's fiance and shooting one's rapist, the lower class is fighting for survival. They just want to be able to put food on their table every day. Their work strikes followed by police brutality are much more relatable than the extravagant affairs of the upper class. The goals and desires of the lower class are much more understandable than those of the upper class. Those who have none want just enough to survive while those with much more than they need only want more power. I believe Pasternak's purpose is to satire this discrepancy between the classes in order to bring attention to the fact that we are all human, and no matter what our economic condition, we will always have problems. Sometimes our problems involve starvation, and others involve rapists who claim to not be rapists.
I have to say the lower class. They are virtually controlled by the upper class, as shown by Lara and her mother being taken vantage of by Victor. Any attempt they make to try and change things is immediately squashed, such as when the police brutally attacks peaceful protesters.
I sympathize the lower class because they are ignored by the upper class of anything issues going on. After seeing the massacre shown in the movie, I haven't heard from the upper class talking about it. Which makes it sad for people like Lara who have little help from the upper class. As if they do not exist.
-Cristian Portillo
I sympathize more with the lower class. In the last clip we watched in class something was said along the lines of "those who are unhappy to go war (which is the lower class), and those who avoid war through their contributions (which is the upper class)". I realize this is a butchered attempt to quote what is said in the movie but the gist is the same. This portion of the movie stood out to me because it essentially said that the lower class had no hope in being happy, whereas the upper class was able to do what they want. While the argument may be made that the upper class may be unhappy as well, I think that being in the upper class comes with its privileges to try new things which may unveil happiness. For the lower class, they do not have the luxury of being able to pick and choose how they live their life because work is essentially their only option. In the end I am sympathizing with the lower class because of their lack of freedom to choose how to live their life in comparison with the upper class.
Anna Wyngaarden
I believe that Pasternak shows both positive and negative characteristics in both classes. Yuri and the upper class are privileged, obnoxious, and naive; however, Yuri also displays good qualities such as individualism and pacifism. Lara and the lower class are depicted as unjustly oppressed and struggling, but some sympathy is lost when Lara becomes violent. I think that the juxtaposition of the two classes is not intended to portray one class as better than the other, but rather to emphasize the separation between them and the overall unjustness of the class system. ~Chris Neyhart
I think that it may have been Pasternak's goal to make viewers feel sympathy for both classes of people. When watching the movie it is easy to get attached to all of the characters and try and follow the story of their lives. No matter if they are wealthy or not, you can feel for them as they are presented with the struggles of life in that era. I think this may have been Pasternak's goal: trying to show classes together even though they live such separate lives.
I sympathize more with the lower class because they are trapped in a world that has no voice for them. The levels of poverty and famine are so high that they hinder the lower class from speaking out to the government about finding a solution to their struggles; the need to survive is much greater than the need for change. Even when they finally come together in a peaceful march to protest, many of the crowd are trampled down and killed by the local police force. This scene is actually where I was moved the most; here we can see that there isnt an escape for the lower class. Pasternak is trying to evoke a sense of hopelessness that seems impossible to overcome, an obstacle we all deal with at some point in our lives.
Bryant L. I side more with the lower class characters of this film. During the moments of rebelion we have seen so far they were the ones inside the action and getting affected by the problems. The upper class just seems to sit above it all not effected at all. When problems happen in this country it is the lower classes that get affected. During the ressesion it was my family and others like it that was affected. Even though we are seeing a social issue going on in Russia and an economic issue during the ressesion it is the same principle.
Personally, I sympathize more with the lower class. Throughout the movie you see evidence of the hardships and cruelties the lower class are forced to endure.
For example, during the scene where the revolutionists were protesting, they were doing nothing more than peacefully expressing their thoughts and asking for equal treatment by those over them and yet the Dragoons found it necessary to start murdering the protestors for no reason.
This is, in my opinion, all part of Paternak's attempt to express the truth behind the communist revolution and show the rest of the world the cruelties faced by the people in Russia and to justify the overturning of the government.
I sympathize with the lower class because they are suffering and being oppressed by the government, they also don't really have a say in anything. While the upper class go to parities and have good homes. I think the author was trying to show the two qualities of life in that time period.
-Connor Millward
I sympathize more with the lower class than upper class. The movie depicts these two opposite extremes, and while the upper class does have its issues, the lower class is clearly far worse off. I developed these feelings by observing a stark contrast between the quality of life of the two social classes that is portrayed throughout the film. This connects with the author's larger purpose by illustrating the brokenness of the class system in Russia.
-Jeffrey Conner
I sympathize with the lower class more, mainly because of the protest scene. While protesting the police came and mowed down the protesters. After the police separated the protester Yuri ran out and tried to help one of the wounded, but was told to just leave and go home. I guess the upper class has some problems as well, but the lower class can't get a say in anything.
- Zachary Ellixson
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