The dispute of generations in literature. Presentation on the topic "Dispute of generations: together and apart"

The problem of relationships between generations is considered one of the eternal questions of morality. Time speeds up, people can't keep up with it. Social institutions, codes, norms preserve the traditions of the past. The trends of today, not to mention the future, turn into a storm in the musty crypt of the past.

In this article, we will try to highlight not only the relationship between generations, but also the study of this issue in the works of Russian writers.

The essence and origins of the problem

Today, in our rapidly rushing world, in the context of total intergenerational relationships, it becomes noticeably acute. It seems that children move away from their parents not one, but several steps at once.

The peculiarity of the struggle between the new and the old is that the first does not always emerge victorious from it. Adults have more leverage, confidence in their unshakable rightness, the need to be an authority and leader for the child.

In what follows, we will examine this problem from the point of view of scientific psychologists, as well as how it was seen by writers in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. The material will be of particular interest to students who are preparing for exams. Often one of the topics is the following: "Problems of relationships between generations." You can easily write an essay on this assignment after reading this article.

Today, the emphasis has shifted from the experience of older generations to the achievements of peers. Practically all knowledge from parents the child receives already in the "outdated" form. Nowadays, the life of an innovation sometimes fluctuates within a few days or hours.

In adolescence, boys and girls are forced to go through a kind of initiation stage. They need to learn to control emotions, become reasonable and wise. It's called "growing up". The difficulty is that with the acceleration of the pace of life, parents themselves often have not yet fully formed into a holistic mature personality. Or their image is suitable only for the heroes of the novel of the nineteenth century.

The problem is that often parents cannot even tell their offspring what to do in this or that situation. After all, they never spent their youth in the conditions of the present. What was previously considered revolutionary, today young people refer to the Stone Age.

Let's look at the issue of disagreements between parents and children. How do psychologists and writers see it?

What psychologists say

If the task concerns the problem of relationships between generations, the essay can begin with the opinion of experts on this topic.

Now we will talk about some of the studies carried out by scientists to study the psychology of the adult generation. They believe that the main problem lies in the inability of the elders to understand their failure in matters of education.

It turns out that self-satisfaction and the belief that past life experience is the standard against which to measure the "correctness" of the child, serves as the foundation for contention. It turns out that adults speak one language, and children speak a completely different one.

Moreover, from the point of view of psychologists, the problem of relationships between generations often comes from the parents. The most common complaint from children: "They don't want to hear me."

Experiments were carried out to confirm this hypothesis. We present a description and results of one of them.

The school asked tenth grade students to rate themselves on a five-point scale. It was necessary to measure internal qualities, such as kindness, sociability, initiative and others. The second task was to determine how these same qualities would be assessed by their parents. The older generation was asked to evaluate their children, and then predict their self-esteem.

As a result, it turned out that children accurately imagine what their parents think of them, and fathers and mothers, in turn, know absolutely nothing about their offspring.
The rest of the studies have proven, in addition to this point, a number of difficulties in the relationship between children and adults. So, it was revealed that the child is more frank with the mother than with the father. The second unpleasant moment is that many things that interest a teenager are not customary to discuss in our society.

Themes of feelings, openness, sexual life put an insurmountable barrier between generations in the family. This turn of events leads to formal communication and routinization of relationships.

Turgenev, "Fathers and Sons"

According to many critics, the problem of intergenerational relationships is most fully covered in the novel "Fathers and Sons". In principle, here it is given the most attention, but you will soon see that there are other works that touch on this issue.

Ivan Sergeevich in his novel shows not just the confrontation between father and son in a single family. The problem of intergenerational relationships is depicted here, since Kirsanov and Bazarov are not relatives.

The first is young, nihilist, democrat and revolutionary. Pavel Petrovich is shown as a monarchist and an aristocrat to the marrow of his bones. The clash of their worldviews is the basis of the plot.

We see that Evgeny Bazarov is inclined to deny everything, putting science above all other values. The image of the landscape of Switzerland, for example, is interesting to him only from a geological point of view. He is pragmatic, trying to prove the advantage of new views. However, at the end, Eugene dies with the thought that Russia did not accept him.

Bazarov's antagonist is Kirsanov. He likes to talk about the "Russian idea", the simplicity of a peasant's life. But in fact, all his words turn out to be an illusion. He is inclined to only talk about it, but by his actions he shows the opposite.

Like many other writers of the nineteenth century, Ivan Sergeevich Turgenev is on the side of the younger generation. He shows through the prism of the novel the agony of the old worldview and the birth in the throes of a new philosophy of society.

Tolstoy, "War and Peace"

Next, we will consider the problem of intergenerational relationships in the novel "War and Peace". Here Tolstoy, being a fine connoisseur of human souls and motives of behavior, shows three different families. They have different social status, values ​​and traditions. On the example of the Bolkonskys, Kuragins and Rostovs, we see almost the entire palette of Russian townspeople of the nineteenth century.

However, the novel shows not only the relationship between different generations, but also the friction of various strata of society. Bolkonsky, for example, brings up children as part of the service to the Fatherland. He puts honor and benefit for other people above all else. Andrey and Maria grow up like that. However, the old prince often went too far in his upbringing, about which he laments on his deathbed.

Kuragins are shown as the complete opposite of Bolkonsky. These are careerists who put their social position above all else. Their example illustrates the cold attitude of parents towards children. The lack of sensuality and trust becomes natural for Helen and Anatole.

In fact, Tolstoy shows with the help of empty people who are only interested in material values ​​and outward brilliance.

The Rostovs are the complete opposite. Here the parents fully support Nikolai and Natasha. Children can always turn to them for help when they need it. This clan is completely different from the aristocratic Bolkonskys and from the careerists Kuragins.

Thus, in the first two works mentioned by us, the problem of intergenerational relationships is most fully disclosed. An essay (USE) would be best written based on these novels.

Paustovsky, "Telegram"

When discussing the problem of relationships between generations, arguments "from life" will be the best. The story will touch the most painful strings of the human soul. It highlights the situation when children forget their parents.

This is the second extreme that a family can fall into. Often the cause is not so much as the harmful moments of social influence.

Sometimes unprepared for the aggression of the real world, teenagers fall into the whirlpool of other people's goals. They live by the ideals of other people and lose themselves. If the parents failed to accustom the child from childhood to the fact that they will be accepted at home in any condition, then the young man will move away.

Thus, we face a multifaceted problem of relationships between generations. Arguments in favor of proper education and others can be given, but it is better to show the terrible consequences of a deepening abyss.

We see such examples in the works of many writers. In Telegram, in particular, my daughter was late. When the girl came to her senses and came to visit her mother in the village, she found only a grave mound and a simple tombstone.

Paustovsky shows that pride, hidden malice and other barriers that prevent warm relations between relatives always lead to the tragedy of the “offended”. Therefore, the best way to solve the problem of relationships between generations will be forgiveness and a sincere desire to understand the interlocutor.

Gogol, "Taras Bulba"

The problem of relations between generations in Russian literature is quite acute in Gogol's work. He addresses the unexpected and terrible side of the realization of this moment.

The story illustrates the murder of the father of his child for the sake of his own sense of honor and pride. Taras Bulba could not forgive and survive Andrey's betrayal of ideals. He takes revenge on him for the fact that the young man did not grow up as he was brought up.

On the other hand, he punishes the Poles for the death of their youngest son, Ostap.

Thus, in this work we see the bitter truth of reality. Fathers rarely seek to understand their children. They just want to realize their concept of "ideal life" in them.

That is why the problem of intergenerational relationships is an eternal problem. You will find the arguments of Russian writers in favor of the impossibility of solving it in our article. Next, we will look at different areas of this issue.

But after reading most of the works and studies, the impression remains that along with age, the ideals of house building wake up in people at the gene level.

Eldest Son - play and film

We are now discussing the problem of intergenerational relationships (the USE often includes it in the list of tasks). Let's look at Vampilov's comedy "The Elder Son". It was written in the late sixties of the twentieth century.

The significance of the work is that several generations are intertwined here. We see relationships between three: fathers, adults, and younger children.

The essence of comedy lies in an innocent joke that has grown into a significant stage in the life of the whole family. Two friends (Busygin and Silva) stay up late in a strange city, they are late for transport. They are looking for lodging for the night.

In the city they meet with the Sarafanov family. Silva tells their new acquaintance that Busygin is his son. The man takes the message at face value because he "had a sin of youth".

The essence of the work lies in the fact that Busygin has to become a link between the father and the children, who do not put their parent in anything.

We see already quite mature "younger" Vasenka, who, out of jealousy, burns down Natalya's house. Nina, the named sister of Busygin, wants to run away with her fiancé to the Far East, but her new brother keeps her.

Obeying the impulse of feelings, the deceiver confesses everything. Everything in the story ends well. But the main focus is still set. The situation is created in a comic form for convenient perception and a comfortable introduction to the comedy "family friend".

It is through the prism of a third-party view of the family that the problem of intergenerational relationships is revealed. Vampilov's writing is fundamentally different from similar works of the nineteenth and eighteenth centuries. It is here that we see the picture that exists in our time.

House building traditions have actually become obsolete, but the softness and thoughtless love of many parents plays a cruel joke on them when the children grow up.

Griboyedov and Fonvizin

The problem of relationships between generations in "Woe from Wit" is revealed on the example of Famusov and Chatsky. Let's take a closer look at these symbolic images.

The old generation is characterized by the worship of rank, wealth and position in society. It is afraid, does not understand and hates new trends. Famusov is stuck in the petty-bourgeois worldview of the last century. His only desire is to find a son-in-law for his daughter with ranks and stars on his chest.

Chatsky is the exact opposite of Pavel Afanasyevich. He not only denounces the Domostroy foundations of the past in words, but also shows with his whole behavior the depravity of the old and the power of the new worldview.

Molchalin is a peer of Chatsky, but contrasts with him in thoughts, goals and behavior. He is pragmatic, two-faced and hypocritical. Above all for him - a warm and money place. That is why the young man pleases Famusov in everything, is quiet and modest with Sophia.

There is drama in Chatsky's personal life. The beloved girl calls him crazy and pushes him away, preferring "a serviceman with a rank." But, despite this, the result of the comedy is shown to readers openly. It is the "carbonari" and rebels who will replace the traditional ceremonial worship and mossiness of the old nobles.

The Undergrowth also highlights the problem of intergenerational relationships. The essay is an amazing decoding of the proverb: "The apple does not fall far from the apple tree." Here we see a separate aspect of the relationship between parents and children. Education, which is designed not to help the child find himself in life and realize himself, but to reflect the mother's outdated picture of the world.

So, in the comedy "Undergrowth" we see the result that Mrs. Prostakova received. She did her best to protect the child from the "hated" world and corrupted society. Teachers were hired to him only because Peter the Great “bequeathed” so. And the teachers at Mitrofanushka were not distinguished by scholarship.

The comedy is written in the vein of classicism, so all the names in it speak. Teachers Tsifirkin, Kuteikin, Vralman. Son Mitrofan, which in Greek means "like a mother", and Prostakova herself.

We see the disappointing results of blindly following dead dogmas without the slightest attempt to comprehend them.

Starodum, Pravdin and some other characters oppose the old traditions. They reflect the desire of the new society to see a soul in a person, and not an empty gilded shell.

As a result of the conflict, we get a completely merciless, greedy and stupid "undergrowth". "I don't want to study, but I want to get married" - this is the most accurate reflection of its essence.

Coverage of the problem in the works of Pushkin

One of the eternal moral questions is the problem of relationships between generations. Arguments from the life of modern society rarely fully correspond to literary images. The closest situation is mentioned in the Elder Son, which we talked about earlier.

The writings of the classics of the nineteenth century are often useful to young people only in a global sense. The general ethical and moral topics that are touched upon in them will be relevant for more than one century.

The problems of relationships between generations in Pushkin's works are covered many times. Examples include the following: "The Captain's Daughter", "The Stationmaster", "Boris Godunov", "The Miserly Knight" and some others.

Alexander Sergeevich, most likely, did not set himself the goal of reflecting this particular conflict, like Tolstoy and Turgenev. The clash of generations has been part of everyday life since the time of primitive people. It's just that over time, the gap between parents and children is getting bigger. This is influenced by progress, changes in social values, globalization and many other factors.

In particular, in the "Station Master" the situation is similar to the one that Paustovsky later covered (we talked about this above). Here, Samson's daughter Vyrin escapes from her father's house with a hussar. She falls into urban society, becomes a rich and respectable lady.

When her father finds her, he does not recognize and does not want to accept the new image of his daughter. Samson returns to the station, where he becomes an inveterate drunkard and dies. Here the conflict is formed due to the different meanings that the characters put into the concept of "happiness".

In The Captain's Daughter, we see a completely different picture. Here Peter Grinev tightly remembered the traditional teachings of his father. Following these rules helped him save face and honor in difficult situations.

The old baron in The Miserly Knight loses his own son because he is committed to the old philistine ways. He does not want to change the ossified worldview, feudal views. In this essay, we see too big a gulf between father and son. The result is a final rupture of ties.

Ostrovsky, "Thunderstorm"

As you have already seen, if the problem of intergenerational relationships should be touched upon in the essay, arguments (literary, life and others) will easily help to do this.

At the end of our article, we will give one more example, which is the best fit for the task. Now we will talk about Ostrovsky's drama "Thunderstorm".

In this amazing work, the clash of the old Domostroevsky and of all the characters is very clearly shown to resist the ossified tyranny of the elders, only the main character - Katerina.

There is a saying that Russia is a country of facades. It is in this play that this phrase is deciphered in frightening nakedness. Behind the apparent prosperity and piety of an ordinary Volga town, we discover the true evil hidden in the souls of people.

The problem lies not only in the cruelty, stupidity and hypocrisy of the older generation. Kabanikha, Wild tyrannize youth only when society does not see them. By such actions, they are just trying to “set the true path” of their unlucky children. However, the difficulty is that all the knowledge and traditions inherent in house building have long turned from norms of behavior into an unnecessary burden.

The reverse side of this issue is the lack of will, weakness and bestial humility of the younger ones, as well as the indifference of the rest of the townspeople to what is happening before their eyes.

The problems of relationships between generations in the drama are shown in parallel with the impending storm. Just as nature seeks to free itself from what has been accumulated, sending life-giving rain on petrified soil, so Katerina's suicide makes the indifferent souls of people tremble.

Thus, we have examined the relationship of generations on examples from life, the origins and manifestations of this problem. In addition, we got acquainted with the works of many Russian writers who accurately, sharply and frighteningly truthfully shed light on this issue.

Good luck, dear readers! Try to find the strength in yourself to be better, so as not to become boars, simpletons and other house builders.

Perhaps the theme of the relationship between different generations, fathers and children, is in second place in popularity after the theme of love. I could be wrong, but there are really a lot of works. Below is a list of where this topic is addressed at different points in history. How it transforms approximately every 50 years.

• A.S. Griboyedov "Woe from Wit"
• DI. Fonvizin "Undergrowth"
• I.S. Turgenev "Fathers and Sons"
• L.N. Tolstoy "War and Peace"
• A.N. Ostrovsky "Thunderstorm"
• A.P. Chekhov "The Cherry Orchard"
• V.G. Rasputin "Farewell to Matyora"

Of course, we will not dwell on all the works. Let's touch on the main ones. No offense to Griboedov, let's skip it, let's move on to the consideration of the play "Undergrowth" by D.I. Fonvizin.

DI. Fonvizin "Undergrowth"

The block of topics for the essay sounds like this: "Dispute of generations: together and apart." Here it is important for us to show not only conflict situations that arise between different generations, but also how the first brought up others, how they influenced them, how they did it.

Surely, everyone has heard such a proverb - an apple does not fall far from an apple tree. She would just fit in as an epigraph.

« Without science people live and lived". - This is how the main character of Fonvizin's work speaks about the need for training. And besides, the imperious, despotic Mrs. Prostakova skillfully protects her son Mitrofan from any teaching. True, there are several teachers, but they are completely worthless, and why, in fact, they need to hammer in some kind of knowledge to the lazybones, if the mother hired them only because everyone does it, because it would be a shame in front of others. She, in fact, had no other motives to teach her son anything. She personifies the crazy, animal love for her son.

Some statements of Prostakova:

« Since we took away everything that the peasants had, we can no longer tear anything off. Such trouble!»

“Mitrofanushka, my friend, if learning is so dangerous for your head, then for me stop».

« So is it really necessary to be a tailor in order to be able to sew a caftan well. What a beastly argument!»

« The late father, the governor, was fifteen years old, and with that he deigned to die, because he did not know how to read and write, but he knew how to earn enough and save».

Prostakova also has a brother who, with his mind-reason, is also not far gone:

« I haven't read anything in my life, sister. God delivered me from this boredom».

« If it wasn't for me Taras Skotinin, if I don't have any fault to blame».

« I love pigs, sister, we have such large pigs in our neighborhood that there is not one of them that, standing on its hind legs, would not be taller than each of us with a whole head».

Mitrofan also has a nanny who also takes care of him, protecting him from hard work, from craving for various sciences.

The environment was exceptionally conducive to raising their own kind. They got it. The catchphrase, “I don’t want to study, I want to get married,” just sounded from the lips of our hero.

I.S. Turgenev "Fathers and Sons"

If the previous work is devoted to the topic of upbringing and education, then in the novel "Fathers and Sons" conflicts arise between different generations. They go apart.

The main character, Yevgeny Bazarov, a man who keeps up with the times, and in many ways, even overtakes him, makes rather controversial statements. And he expresses this to people who initially hold opposing points of view.

If the topic is related to art, then " A decent chemist is twenty times more useful than any poet". If someone admires nature, then just not Bazarov: “ Nature is not a temple, but a workshop, and man is a worker in it.". And love is just like that - rubbish". It is clear that it was impossible to do without conflicts, but how could it be - pure-blooded nobles could not tolerate such nonsense.

Kirsanov spoke of Bazarov in the following way:« healer', 'hairy', 'charlatan', ' mister nihilist" etc.

Let's add to everything that has been said some of Bazarov's biting remarks about Pavel Petrovich Kirsanov and get a duel.

« ... I will leave here [from my parents' house] tomorrow. Boring; I want to work, but I can't. I'll go back to your village... You can at least lock yourself up. And then here my father keeps telling me: "My office is at your service - no one will interfere with you"; and not a step away from me. Yes, and conscientious to somehow lock himself away from him. Well, so does the mother. I hear her sigh behind the wall, and you go out to her - and she has nothing to say».

Bazarov understands that his parents love him immensely, but nevertheless he sees that this love burdens him. The soul lies in science, not up to veal tenderness, and Eugene could not do anything about it.

You can discuss this novel a lot, argue, but we will never be able to come to the only correct answer in a question that would concern the relationship between different generations. It is not in vain that they so often turn to her, and it is not in vain that they like to argue so much. Perhaps the only thing that cannot be done is to completely abandon one's past, one's history...

Sample Essay Topics for Preparation

• The eternal conflict of parents and children: in search of a compromise
• Who are the children in the novel by I.S. Turgenev "Fathers and Sons"
• War, Stalinism and children
• The meaning of the title of the novel Fathers and Sons
• Children and childhood in Russian literature
• Who is right in the dispute between two generations in the novel Fathers and Sons?
• Modern problems of children
• Eternal problems of misunderstanding between parents and children
• My first impression of reading the comedy D.I. Fonvizin "Undergrowth"
• Love and children
• “There is no life without passions and contradictions” (V. G. Belinsky)
• Family is my home
• The role of the family in human life

(417 words) The conflict of generations is an eternal problem that humanity faces from year to year. It has not bypassed any nation, any era. Every time fathers and children are in conflict with each other, every time they find reasons to disagree. But what is this opposition? I think in the struggle of worldviews. Changing living conditions and moral norms entails a change in the paradigm of thinking. To clarify my idea, I will give literary examples.

In the epic novel by M. A. Sholokhov "Quiet Flows the Don", the conflict between Panteley Prokofievich and Grigory is depicted. My father served the royal power all his life, loved and revered the king. Its values ​​can be described as follows: “Orthodoxy. Autocracy. Nationality". He sacredly honored both family values ​​and Cossack traditions. However, his son grew and developed at a time when a paradigm shift occurred: the people were tired of social injustice, eternal war, difficult living conditions, so many people went against the king, obeying revolutionary propaganda. Due to this, traditional moral guidelines have lost their significance, as well as the customs of past generations. So, Gregory, even before the start of the revolutionary events, goes against the will of his father - he enters into a relationship with a married woman. The war broke out, Melekhov went to the front, but deserted from there, violating the oath, betraying the king. In the civil war, he fought for a long time on the side of the Red Army, whose representatives did not believe in God, hated the tsarist government, and wanted to remake the country and the people beyond recognition. The son contradicted his father in everything, but their conflict is not domestic disagreements, but the confrontation of the old and new times, the past and future of Russia.

In the play by A. S. Griboyedov “Woe from Wit”, the conflict of generations is also based on a change of orientation. Alexander Chatsky advocates progressive change, while the old Moscow nobility defends their conservative views. The generational difference is obvious: if Famusov grew up and built a career in noble Russia, relying on connections and capital, and at the same time did not travel abroad, then many children of landlords received education abroad, which opened their eyes to the imperfections of the fatherland. Seeing a higher standard of living, learning about innovations in science and technology, new people like Chatsky wanted to remake the stagnant patriarchal Russia, which was ruled by greedy and narrow-minded slave owners. Famusov and his guests saw the situation differently: an upstart arrived who has no experience and authority, but tries to teach the aristocracy. The difference in education and upbringing divided two generations of nobles, whose conflict is a struggle between the old and the new way of life.

Thus, the confrontation between fathers and children is a confrontation between different ideologies and values ​​that an era imposes on a person. It is the youth who accept changes faster and more willingly, therefore they are the bearers of new views on the world. However, the older generation does not want to retreat and defends its worldview. And so it turns out the eternal struggle of opinions.

Here we will try to collect for you all the useful material in the direction of "Dispute of generations: together and apart."

You will find all general information in the section "Final essay 2015".

Below are specific topics for these areas, recommendations for preparation, lists of literature and specific examples of good essays.

Turning to reflections on the topics of this direction, first of all, remember all the works that show the relationship between “fathers” and “children”. This problem is multifaceted.

1. Perhaps the topic will be formulated in such a way as to make you talk about family values. Then you should remember the works in which fathers and children are blood relatives. In this case, one will have to consider the psychological and moral foundations of family relationships, the role of family traditions, disagreements and continuity between generations within the family.

2. A possible version of the wording is topics that involve considering the conflict between the mores of representatives of different generations in general, regardless of family ties. In this case, considerable attention should be paid to the views of people, due to belonging to different eras, formation in different social conditions.

3. Speaking about the dispute of generations, one can mean an ideological conflict, i.e. clash of ideologies of people with different political views. The antagonists of this conflict may be peers, but their ideological principles may reflect the ideology of certain social strata.

4. Relations between generations are not only a conflict, but also continuity, a desire to pass on one's own system of values, to surround oneself with close people. Does it always work?

Bibliography

1. D.I. Fonvizin. "Undergrowth"
2. A.S. Griboyedov. "Woe from Wit"
3. A.S. Pushkin. "The Captain's Daughter", "Eugene Onegin", "The Stationmaster", "The Young Lady-Peasant Woman"
4. M.Yu. Lermontov. "Borodino"
5. N.V. Gogol. "Taras Bulba", "Dead Souls" (on the image of Chichikov)
6. A.N. Ostrovsky. "Thunderstorm"
7. I.A. Goncharov. "Oblomov"
8. I.S. Turgenev. "Fathers and Sons"
9. M.E. Saltykov-Shchedrin. "Wise Gudgeon"
10. L.N. Tolstoy. "Childhood", "Adolescence", "War and Peace"
11. A.P. Chekhov. "The Cherry Orchard"
12. V.G. Korolenko. "In Bad Society"
13. A.M. Bitter. "Childhood"
14. M.A. Sholokhov. Quiet Don, Mole
15. V.G. Rasputin. "French Lessons", "Deadline"
16. V. Tendryakov. "Pay"
17. B. Vasiliev. "Tomorrow there was a war"
18. Yu. Bondarev. "Choice"
19. G. Shcherbakova. "You never dreamed"
20. L. Razumovskaya. "Dear Elena Sergeevna!"
21. W. Shakespeare. "Romeo and Juliet"
22. A. Aleksin. "Mad Evdokia", "Steps"
23. B. Ekimov. "Healing Night", "A Pair of Autumn Shoes".

Topics of essays (approximate):

• What should family relationships be based on?
• How to overcome the misunderstanding that sometimes arises in the relationship between parents and children?
• What is the importance of home and family in a child's life?
• Why do children suffer?
• What should be the family?
• Why can't you forget your father's house?
• Why is the lack of understanding between generations dangerous?
• How should the younger generation relate to the experience of the older ones?
• How does the era affect the relationship between fathers and children?
• Is conflict between fathers and children inevitable?
• What does it mean to become an adult?
• Is love and respect for parents a sacred feeling?

Material for preparation:

Perhaps the theme of the relationship between different generations, fathers and children, is in second place in popularity after the theme of love. I could be wrong, but there are really a lot of works. Below is a list of where this topic is addressed at different points in history. How it transforms approximately every 50 years.

• A.S. Griboyedov "Woe from Wit"
• DI. Fonvizin "Undergrowth"
• I.S. Turgenev "Fathers and Sons"
• L.N. Tolstoy "War and Peace"
• A.N. Ostrovsky "Thunderstorm"
• A.P. Chekhov "The Cherry Orchard"
• V.G. Rasputin "Farewell to Matyora"

Of course, we will not dwell on all the works. Let's touch on the main ones. No offense to Griboedov, let's skip it, let's move on to the consideration of the play "Undergrowth" by D.I. Fonvizin.

DI. Fonvizin "Undergrowth"

The block of topics for the essay sounds like this: "Dispute of generations: together and apart." Here it is important for us to show not only conflict situations that arise between different generations, but also how the first brought up others, how they influenced them, how they did it.

Surely, everyone has heard such a proverb - an apple does not fall far from an apple tree. She would just fit in as an epigraph.

« Without science people live and lived". - This is how the main character of Fonvizin's work speaks about the need for training. And besides, the imperious, despotic Mrs. Prostakova skillfully protects her son Mitrofan from any teaching. True, there are several teachers, but they are completely worthless, and why, in fact, they need to hammer in some kind of knowledge to the lazybones, if the mother hired them only because everyone does it, because it would be a shame in front of others. She, in fact, had no other motives to teach her son anything. She personifies the crazy, animal love for her son.

Some statements of Prostakova:

« Since we took away everything that the peasants had, we can no longer tear anything off. Such trouble!»

“Mitrofanushka, my friend, if learning is so dangerous for your head, then for me stop».

« So is it really necessary to be a tailor in order to be able to sew a caftan well. What a beastly argument!»

« The late father, the governor, was fifteen years old, and with that he deigned to die, because he did not know how to read and write, but he knew how to earn enough and save».

Prostakova also has a brother who, with his mind-reason, is also not far gone:

« I haven't read anything in my life, sister. God delivered me from this boredom».

« If it wasn't for me Taras Skotinin, if I don't have any fault to blame».

« I love pigs, sister, we have such large pigs in our neighborhood that there is not one of them that, standing on its hind legs, would not be taller than each of us with a whole head».

Mitrofan also has a nanny who also takes care of him, protecting him from hard work, from craving for various sciences.

The environment was exceptionally conducive to raising their own kind. They got it. The catchphrase, “I don’t want to study, I want to get married,” just sounded from the lips of our hero.

I.S. Turgenev "Fathers and Sons"

If the previous work is devoted to the topic of upbringing and education, then in the novel "Fathers and Sons" conflicts arise between different generations. They go apart.

The main character, Yevgeny Bazarov, a man who keeps up with the times, and in many ways, even overtakes him, makes rather controversial statements. And he expresses this to people who initially hold opposing points of view.

If the topic is related to art, then " A decent chemist is twenty times more useful than any poet". If someone admires nature, then just not Bazarov: “ Nature is not a temple, but a workshop, and man is a worker in it.". And love is just like that - rubbish". It is clear that it was impossible to do without conflicts, but how could it be - pure-blooded nobles could not tolerate such nonsense.

Kirsanov spoke of Bazarov in the following way:« healer', 'hairy', 'charlatan', ' mister nihilist" etc.

Let's add to everything that has been said some of Bazarov's biting remarks about Pavel Petrovich Kirsanov and get a duel.

« ... I will leave here [from my parents' house] tomorrow. Boring; I want to work, but I can't. I'll go back to your village... You can at least lock yourself up. And then here my father keeps telling me: "My office is at your service - no one will interfere with you"; and not a step away from me. Yes, and conscientious to somehow lock himself away from him. Well, so does the mother. I hear her sigh behind the wall, and you go out to her - and she has nothing to say».

Bazarov understands that his parents love him immensely, but nevertheless he sees that this love burdens him. The soul lies in science, not up to veal tenderness, and Eugene could not do anything about it.

You can discuss this novel a lot, argue, but we will never be able to come to the only correct answer in a question that would concern the relationship between different generations. It is not in vain that they so often turn to her, and it is not in vain that they like to argue so much. Perhaps the only thing that cannot be done is to completely abandon one's past, one's history...

Sample Essay Topics for Preparation

• The eternal conflict of parents and children: in search of a compromise
• Who are the children in the novel by I.S. Turgenev "Fathers and Sons"
• War, Stalinism and children
• The meaning of the title of the novel Fathers and Sons
• Children and childhood in Russian literature
• Who is right in the dispute between two generations in the novel Fathers and Sons?
• Modern problems of children
• Eternal problems of misunderstanding between parents and children
• My first impression of reading the comedy D.I. Fonvizin "Undergrowth"
• Love and children
• “There is no life without passions and contradictions” (V. G. Belinsky)
• Family is my home
• The role of the family in human life