1. What is the general idea of “Dead Souls”?
Gogol, thinking long and hard about the purpose of his creation, came to the conclusion that its goal was to show all of Rus' with its inherent contradictory features, the true Russian man in all his fullness, with versatility national characters and features. The writer wanted to reveal to us all the hidden corners of the Russian soul, the shortcomings and hidden advantages of a Russian person, surrounded by an everyday web of little things, deeds and events, that eat away from the inside. Gogol, thinking about his future work, even begins to feel missionary power within himself: he is burning with the desire to help his fatherland by awakening the “dead”, sleeping soul of the Russian person with the best medicine - cleansing laughter. The poem was intended as a revealing, saving remedy for the “dormant” Russia; Gogol believed that this was his duty, his opportunity to be as useful through his writing as any simple civil servant is useful to the fatherland. Nikolai Vasilyevich intended to create a grandiose, comprehensive work, consisting of three interconnected and flowing from one another parts. They symbolized Russia’s unique path from “lethargic sleep” to awareness, awakening, purification and rapid moral self-development.
Thus, we can say that the concept of the poem “Dead Souls” was extremely broad in its coverage of characters, characters, ideas, events and phenomena of complex Russian life.
2. What contradictory friends friend, did the principles of plot and composition form the basis of the poem?
The poem “Dead Souls” seems contradictory even in the genre of work designated by the author. After all, as we know from the definition, a poem is a genre of literature that differs poetic form. It turns out that Gogol pushes the existing genre boundaries and creates, as we now call it, a prose poem. Why did this happen? The answer lies in another contradiction: reflecting on his creation, the writer firmly held on to the idea of creating an incredibly large-scale, universal work, wanted to liken it, equate it to an epic, drawing an analogy between such huge works as “ The Divine Comedy"Dante and Homer's poems. And the implementation of all these thoughts in prose was possible only thanks to numerous lyrical digressions throughout the narrative, reminding the reader of the grandeur of the plan, of its further development along an as yet unknown but great path.
And finally, one of the main plot and compositional contradictions is the possibility of the very realization of all Gogol’s ideas. The writer literally dreamed of creating a work that would have the strongest impact on all readers. In it, he wanted to clearly and accurately show the degradation, stagnation, awakening and formation on the true path of vicious Russian souls. However, he did not want to simply present to the world the artistic ideal that arose in his head. On the contrary, with all his strength and genius, he tried to draw a living person, as if standing next to us, tangible and really existing. The writer wanted to literally embody a person, to breathe a living spirit into him. And this tragically contradicted the actual implementation: such a task turned out to be not only beyond Gogol’s strength, but also beyond the time allotted to the creator himself.
3. Is there a contradiction in the combination “dead souls”? What meanings does this combination hide?
The contradiction in this phrase is obvious: after all, this is a literary oxymoron (the same are, for example, “living corpse”, “sad joy”, etc.). But, turning to the poem itself, we discover other meanings.
Firstly, “dead souls” are simply dead serfs, the “hunt” for which amounts to main task Chichikov to achieve his personal well-being.
But here, and this is secondly, another meaning is revealed, more important for the ideological component of the work. “Dead souls” are the “rotten”, vicious souls of the landowner and bureaucratic circle in which Chichikov moves. These souls have forgotten what it is real life, full of pure, noble feelings and following human duty. Purely outwardly, all these people seem to be alive, they talk, walk, eat, etc. But their inner content, their spiritual filling, is dead, it will either sink into oblivion forever, or with great effort and suffering it can be reborn.
Thirdly, there is another hidden meaning of the phrase. It represents a religious and philosophical idea. According to Christian teaching, a person’s soul cannot be dead by definition, it is always alive, only the body can die.
It turns out that Gogol strengthens the meaning of rebirth, renewal of the “dirty” soul, likening it to simple human flesh.
Thus, we can say that even such a short and succinct title of the poem helps the writer convey and reveal huge variety ideas and themes displayed in the work.
4. How is the concept of “Dead Souls” connected with Gogol’s religious and moral quests?
The writer’s religious and moral quest is directly related to the concept of “Dead Souls.” We can say that the entire work is built on religious, moral and philosophical ideas.
Nikolai Vasilyevich sought to show in the poem the rebirth of “sinners” into “righteous people.” He closely connected the moral re-education and self-education of the protagonist with Christian dogma. After all, living like a Christian means living according to the divine commandments, the observance of which reflects best features person. To believe in one God, to be respectful, not to envy, not to steal or steal, to be respectful and generally essentially righteous - this is the religious and moral ideal that Gogol wanted to embody in his work. He believed that transformation through and through vicious person yet it is possible through laughter at oneself, purifying suffering, and then acceptance of following the truth. Moreover, the writer believed that such an example of the reincarnation of a Russian person, and soon of all of Russia, could serve as a “beacon” for other nations and even for the whole world. It is quite possible that he dreamed of unattainable ideal- worldwide, universal revival from the abyss of sins and the establishment of righteousness.
Gogol closely connected his searches with the idea of the poem, literally weaving the entire “outline” of the work from these thoughts.
5. Why do some characters in the poem have biographies and others do not?
The poem shows the characters of many landowners, describes their life, passions, and morals. But only two people have a backstory, a story about their past. These are Plyushkin and Chichikov.
The fact is that such personalities as Korobochka, Manilov, Sobakevich, Nozdryov and others are shown vividly, “in all their glory” and very believably, we can fully formulate our impression of them and predict their future fate. These characters are representatives of “stagnation” human essence, they are who they are, with all their vices and imperfections, and they will no longer become different.
As for Chichikov and Plyushkin, here one of the facets of the writer’s great plan is revealed. These two heroes, according to the author, are still capable of developing and renewing their souls. Therefore, both Plyushkin and Chichikov have a biography. Gogol wanted to take the reader along the entire line of their lives, to show a complete picture of the formation of their character, and then the transformation and new formation of characters in subsequent volumes. After all, in fact, you cannot understand the whole essence of a person until you get acquainted with his entire history, with all his life’s ups and downs, and Gogol was well aware of this.
Based on the foregoing, it is obvious that the writer built any detail of his narrative not by chance, but according to certain principles that help to realize his plan most fully.
Open heart - best medicine.
You have repeatedly heard the expression - laughter is the best medicine, in fact, even in greatest book of all times - the Bible encourages laughter. There is no better medicine. There are times when it becomes difficult to laugh and maintain a good mood. Current state economics, difficulties with money, hard times do not contribute to a good mood. However, instead of letting difficulties get the better of you, you can turn your gaze to the funny sides of life. Great idea, especially since laughter is contagious. He not only gives us a boost positive emotions and joy. But it can also become a trigger for the beginning of positive changes in the body. It's totally free, so start adding a daily dose of laughter into your life.
Benefit for health.
There is a fair amount of truth to the idea that laughter can actually be a medicine. Laughter has a powerful effect on the body, promotes relaxation, relieves stress and muscle tension, even the immune system gets a boost when a person laughs. Endorphins are released, which contribute not only to a feeling of happiness, but also to temporary pain relief. Laughter increases blood circulation, this has a positive effect on the condition of blood vessels, which will help you protect yourself from problems with the cardiovascular system. So remember to laugh every single day.
Mental benefits.
Naturally, laughter is very beneficial for your emotional and mental health. Dissolve negative emotions such as sadness, anxiety, irritability. When you laugh, your stress levels decrease, which frees up your energy and helps you refocus. The whole perception of life changes, which helps to perceive life situations not in a threatening way, but more realistically. The feeling of depression dissolves just with a few laughs.
Laughter unites.
Laughter is not only beneficial as medicine for the body and soul, but also has great health benefits. social sphere. Laughter brings people together. It helps strengthen relationships and establish emotional connections between people. Humor helps break through detachment and closedness, and express your feelings without problems. It is very important that even in difficult times, laughter can unite people.
Happiness and laughter are matters of your choice.
Laughing and being happy is not so easy. However, you may find that your choices determine whether you are happy and whether you laugh. Abraham Lincoln once said the following phrase: “Many of us are as happy as our consciousness allows.” It is you who determine whether you will laugh and live happily or allow life to destroy your existence and drag you through difficult circumstances. With which life circumstances you would not encounter in your power will always choose happiness.
Ways to add some laughter into your life.
So what can you do to add more laughter into your life? How do you choose laughter? Here are some tips to get you started:
Start smiling, this is a harbinger of laughter, and it is also contagious.
Start focusing on the good things you have. Make a list of the good things in life. This will help you refocus on the negative aspects that are preventing you from laughing.
If you hear people laughing nearby, go in that direction. Spend more time with fun people. Actively seek out laughter.
Try to bring a little humor into your conversations. You don't have to make jokes below the belt. It could be simple funny story, or encouraging your interlocutors to tell funny stories.
How to see the bright and funny sides of our lives
From time to time life throws a curveball at us difficult situations, however, it is important to learn to find a lighter and more fun side in them. In fact this is the only way survive the crisis. Below are some tips to help you look at surrounding life more fun:
1. Don't be afraid to laugh at yourself. Learn to take yourself not so seriously. Even if you suddenly find yourself in awkward situation, learn to come out of it laughing.
2. Laugh instead of cry. This is very good idea to overcome difficult situations, learn to find humor even in bad situations. This will create a mood, and it will be easier for you to overcome such situations.
3. Post reminders for yourself everywhere so that you don’t forget to pay attention to the light, and happy side life. These could be family photos or photos of your friends having fun. Choose a funny poster for your home and office, a funny screensaver or wallpaper for your desktop.
4. Learn to cope with stress. Stress is a serious hindrance to laughter and good mood. You should choose for yourself effective method combat stress.
Life throws us challenges, and there is no escape from it. And even if you do not have the opportunity to choose what life will bring you tomorrow, you can choose the way to respond to these events. Why not use laughter to overcome life's challenges, to make a choice in favor of happiness.
It's great to laugh at something together. IN childhood We laugh a hundred times a day, but as we grow older, life becomes more serious and we laugh less and less. However, laughter is truly the best medicine, and it is completely free.
"Letidor" will tell you what diseases can be cured with laughter, how to improve your emotional condition, strengthen relationships with family, and most importantly, how to learn to laugh again.
Why is laughter so beneficial?
- Relaxes the body. Laughter from the bottom of my heart relieves physical stress and stress. It is important that the muscles remain relaxed for another 45 minutes after this.
- Strengthens the immune system. Laughter reduces stress hormones and increases the production of immune cells and antibodies that fight infection, thereby increasing resistance to disease.
- Promotes the production of endorphins. They affect the emotional state and can temporarily reduce pain.
- Protects the heart. Laughter improves the health of blood vessels and increases blood flow, which is a natural defense against heart attacks and other cardiovascular problems.
- Burns calories. Of course, it is not a replacement for the gym, but laughing for 10-15 minutes a day can burn about 40 calories - enough to lose a couple of pounds a year.
- Extends life. A study conducted in Norway found that people with good feeling humorists live longer than those who laugh less.
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The difference was especially noticeable in people being treated for cancer.
How laughter brings people together and strengthens relationships
Do you know why television sitcoms use jokes and laughter so often? Yes, because they are contagious! You will laugh many times more often if other people around you are doing the same thing.
Laughing together is one of the most effective ways to maintain good relations. A joint emotional experience allows you to build strong and strong connections. Laughter also adds joy, vitality and resilience. Humor is powerful and effective method to resolve grievances and disagreements.
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Even in difficult times, laughter brings people together.
Humor and cheerful communication strengthen our relationships. When we laugh with others, a positive connection is created. It acts as a strong buffer against stress, disagreement and disappointment.
Humor and laughter in relationships allow you to:
- Be more spontaneous. Humor allows you to get your problems out of your head.
- Move away from a defensive position. Laughter helps you forget grudges, judgments, criticisms and doubts.
- Stop holding back. Laughter removes your fears about constantly holding back or being shy.
- Express your true feelings. During laughter, deeply hidden emotions come to the surface.
How to learn to laugh
Laughter is an essential innate human ability, a natural part of our lives. Babies begin to smile within the first weeks of life and laugh loudly within a few months of birth. Even if you grew up in a family where laughing often and heartily was not accepted, you can learn to do it at any stage of life.
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Start by highlighting it for yourself. special moments, in which you may find it funny.
In the end there will be laughter integral part your life, and no matter what you do, laughing will come naturally to you.
Here are some ways to get started
Smile. A smile is the beginning of laughter and, like laughter, it is contagious. When you look at someone or see something even slightly pleasant, smile. Instead of looking at your phone, look and smile at the people you pass on the street, the person serving you your morning coffee, or the co-workers you ride in the elevator with.
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Pay attention to how it affects others.
Celebrate what makes you happy. Literally make a list. Even simple memories of something good in your life will allow you to distance yourself from negative thoughts, which are an obstacle to humor and laughter. When you are sad or sad, you need to travel more, or at least just walk, to smile and laugh more often.
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When you hear laughter, look for its source and ask: “Why are we laughing?”
Spend time with fun people. These are people who laugh easily at themselves and at life; they usually find something funny even in everyday events. Their point of view is always optimistic and their laughter is contagious. Even if you don't consider yourself a carefree person With a good sense of humor, you can still seek the company of people who love to laugh and make others laugh. Every comedian values an audience.
Is it necessary to laugh by force?
So what do you do if you really can't "find anything funny"? Believe me, you can laugh without a special event - artificial laughter can be just as good for you as real laughter. A Georgia State University study found that incorporating simulated laughter into an exercise program helped improve mental health older people, as well as their aerobic endurance. In addition, when we hear others laugh, even for no apparent reason, we too may suddenly laugh sincerely.
How to develop a sense of humor
Try to laugh at situations instead of being sad. Look for the funny even in negative situation and mock the absurdity of life. When something not so good happens, try to find a way to turn the situation into a joke that others will laugh at.
Surround yourself with objects that remind you of something fun. Keep the toy on the table or in the car. Hang a funny poster in your office. Select computer screensaver that will make you smile. Put up family photos.
Remember funny things from the past. If something funny happens or you hear a joke or funny story that you really like, write it down or tell it to someone else to remember it.
It is difficult to appear happy as life becomes more stressful and the world around us causes many problems. It may sound stupid or corny, but laughter these days is just what the doctor ordered.
Sincere laughter improves well-being because it helps you relax. When we laugh, our heart rate increases and our muscles become slightly tense. Relaxation occurs when muscles return to their original state.
Society receives the main benefits from laughter. Laughter diffuses tension and deflects anger difficult situations. Laughter among family, colleagues and friends - The best way bring people together and ease tension. People laugh much more often in a group or near the TV than alone.
You can heal faster from your illness or disease by using laughter. Laughter has an amazing power that lifts seriously ill people out of bed, helps them win competitions, relieves stress and lifts them out of any depression.
Laughter is a miracle drug that some doctors prescribe to their patients. Laughter is free medicine. Of course, along with laughter, good nutrition and walks help a lot. fresh air, physical exercise and love.
Many doctors recommend laughter therapy to their patients. Nowadays, clubs where people gather to laugh are growing in popularity all over the world. Some laughter clubs practice yoga to avoid resorting to jokes. Laughter yoga was created by the Indian doctor Madan Kataria, who is lovingly called the Smiling Guru.
For creating healthy life you just need to follow the laws of nature itself.
Laughter has an incredible effect on our body. Laughter causes the brain to produce endorphins, substances that are a natural pain reliever and strengthen the immune system.
Laughter increases the level of secretion of immunoglobulin A, an antibody secreted by the salivary glands. It helps fight infections that enter through the mouth and nose.
Laughter also reduces stress hormones. This is good because stress hormones can increase blood pressure and reduce work efficiency immune system.
Do you feel tired after having a good laugh? Fatigue sets in because strong laughter is comparable to a good workout. Some scientists claim that you can laugh a hundred times instead of ten minutes on an exercise bike.
During strong laughter, muscle groups of the face, back and abdomen are involved, which only benefit from this, especially if you lead a sedentary lifestyle. But that doesn't mean you should replace exercise with watching comedies on TV. You should still aim to get 30 minutes of moderate exercise per day.
Laughter is also great exercise for the heart and lungs, and also helps us breathe better by supplying us big amount oxygen.
Strong laughter, from the heart, massages our intestines and others internal organs, and strengthens the abdominal muscles. Every time we laugh, the blood supply to our internal organs improves.
After laughter, a person's concentration improves and the level of stress hormones such as adrenaline and cortisol decreases.
Here is what A. Jackson writes:
“What you find in life depends on what you are looking for in it. If you seek magic, your life will become magical, if you seek adversity, your life will be full of adversity, but if you seek laughter, your life will be cheerful and healthy.”
"Every time you get into stressful situation, we must look at it from the outside and ask ourselves: “Is there anything funny about this situation?”, or “Could this situation be funny?”
To get rid of stress and illness, laugh more. An emotion like laughter can work wonders where other means are powerless.
Sandra Taylor writes about emotions:
“Emotional waves are the most strong manifestation person. Your feelings convey clear and precise signals about who you are and what you expect from the world. For example, you are afraid of something, project your fear and thereby attract more and more frightening situations. Those who are always angry project the signal that they expect hostility, and that is what they receive as a result.
The man who chose the easy and happy attitude in fact, radiates the message that the world is a joyful place, and therefore its energy and its expectations attract joy.”
However, laughter is not always the best medicine. It is necessary to avoid the desire to humiliate a person with the help of jokes, dictated by a sense of one’s own superiority. If a person is depressed, jokes and laughter can make their condition worse. Some people may be offended by crude or racist jokes. Be careful and understand that not everyone has the same sense of humor as you.
Look for something funny and you will find something to laugh at. If laughter is an effective cure for stress and illness, then why not use it to benefit yourself and others.
Let yourself live joyful life and let laughter into your home. I wish you health and good mood!
based on materials from the Internet
Few people know that laughter helps to survive life's adversities, relieve tension, and establish relaxed relationships. Having laughed heartily, we begin to perceive the world differently: the colors become brighter, the faces of those around us become friendlier, and problems no longer seem unresolved. “Man has to suffer so much in this world that he was forced to invent laughter,” Nietzsche noted. A man received an amazing gift from his ancestors. For example, German scientists have discovered that baby pygmy chimpanzees in the first months of life can laugh like human children. Scientists believe that the possibility laugh appeared simultaneously with the ability to speak from an upright posture.
Let us ask ourselves: why and why do we laugh?
Each of us, it would seem, knows the answer - we can react to pleasant and joyful events with laughter; we try to win people over with laughter good mood in company. But people often laugh in completely unexpected and strange situations. For example, most of Anecdotes describe events that are not at all joyful. Laughter or more precisely sense of humor V in this case is unique to the brain defense mechanism. Anyone who, in an unusual situation or under stress, did not lose heart, but was able to maintain a normal attitude, can solve the problems that have arisen. Sometimes what helps a person survive is not his muscles or physical training, but the ability to look at any situation with humor.
As we grow older, the burden of problems and social responsibilities, as well as the need to adapt to the behavior of others, makes us more boring and serious. But it has been proven that an adult, even of a stern disposition, smiles at least 15 times a day.
Few people know that:
Laughter is a good therapeutic massage. When smiling, up to 80 muscle groups work: shoulders, rib cage, diaphragm, heart rate increases. Laughter changes the way of breathing - a person begins to inhale and exhale deeply and quickly, which leads to an increase in the level of oxygen in the blood. After prolonged laughter it decreases arterial pressure. The release of stress hormones is reduced. Endorphins cause a feeling of satisfaction, happiness, and improve mood. Do you sleep poorly and have a poor appetite? Want to prevent Alzheimer's disease and boost your immunity? Tired of vitamin deficiency?
Laughter, laughter and more laughter is your medicine!
Laughter perfectly calms chronic pain due to arthritis, spinal injuries, and neurological diseases. Doctors say this happens because laughter provokes the release of endorphins into the blood - substances that have a pain-relieving effect.
The immune system also loves to laugh. The immune system's response to laughter is exactly the opposite of its response to stress. Those who like to laugh are less likely to get sick - this is a scientifically proven fact. One study showed that babies of funny mothers are much less likely to get ARVI!
Laughter until full recovery
Many countries have begun to treat diseases with laughter therapy. The founder of Panacea, Norman Cousins, came to the conclusion that laughter is the cure for all diseases. Laughter therapy is based on prescribing positive emotions and laughter to patients, inviting them to watch humorous programs, comedies, and read jokes. They also recommend memorizing funny episodes and stories and periodically replaying them in your head to lift your spirits. Energetic laughter has the effect of a morning jog - blood pressure first jumps, and then gradually drops below the pre-workout level. Laughter increases the level of “good” cholesterol, and therefore reduces the risk of cardiovascular diseases.
Charging with laughter
Everyone will benefit from 10–15 minutes of daily laughter, because... it burns up to 50 calories, which is what a small bar of chocolate contains. Scientists say that in a year of regular daily 15-minute laughter sessions you can lose up to 2 kilograms.
“It’s not enough to die laughing, it’s important to be able to live from it with double pleasure”! Be healthy!