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“The Bet” by Anton Chekhov. “ Ставка ” ый Антон Чехов. In the late 1800s, Russian writers Anton Chekhov , Leo Tolstoy, and Maxim Gorky led a reform movement that targeted the economic and social problems in Russia…. Tolstoy famous for War and Peace Chekhov famous for short stories
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“The Bet”by Anton Chekhov “Ставка” ый Антон Чехов
In the late 1800s, Russian writers Anton Chekhov, Leo Tolstoy, and Maxim Gorky led a reform movement that targeted the economic and social problems in Russia….. • Tolstoy famous for War and Peace • Chekhov famous for short stories • Gorky famous for The Lower Depths • The Russian people were ready for revolution, feeling the common people were being treated unfairly by the royals.
Anton Chekhov1860-1904 “Literature is accepted as an art because it depicts life as it actually is.”
Things to Know • Russian short-story writer, playwright and physician, considered to be one of the greatest short-story writers in world literature • Born in Taganrog to Pavel and Yevgeniya • Father was abusive and eventually went bankrupt • Anton supported his parents and brothers while attending medical school in Moscow
Anton’s Life • Chekhov was a qualified physician, but made little money from it and treated the poor for free • In 1884 and 1885, started coughing blood (early signs of tuberculosis) • Finally, in July 1904, Chekhov died from “TB” Anton and brother Nikolay 1882
“The Bet” • Flashback will be used throughout • Sequence of events or the order of the events in time should be followed carefully • The story begins at the end • There was a dinner party – at the dinner party were a banker and a lawyer, who argue over capital punishment…….based on their argument, they make a bet
They argue over which is worse, capital punishment or life imprisonment…..
Major Themes Life Imprisonment Vs. Death Penalty
Ethical Dilemma A situation requiring a choice between equally undesirable alternatives. A trolley is hurtling down a track towards five people. You are on a bridge under which it will pass, and you can stop it by dropping a heavy weight in front of it. As it happens, there is a very fat man next to you - your only way to stop the trolley is to push him over the bridge and onto the track, killing him to save five. Should you proceed?
Conflict • Conflict is the struggle between the opposing forces on which the action in a work of literature depends. There are three different forms of conflict in this one story: • person versus person • person versus self • person versus nature/environment
Man vs. Man The Banker The Lawyer
Person vs. Self “It's surprising how many persons go through life without ever recognizing that their feelings toward other people are largely determined by their feelings toward themselves, and if you're not comfortable within yourself, you can't be comfortable with others.” Sidney Harris
Man vs. His Environment A strong, successful man Is not the victim of his environment. He creates favorable conditions. His own inherent force and energy compel things to turn out as he desires. Orison Swett Marden Cell at the Hanoi Hilton
Freedom Definition: The condition of being free.
Importance of Possession “Possessions are usually diminished by possession.” - Friedrich Nietzsche “Riches do not consist in the possession of treasures, but in the use made of them” - Napoleon Bonaparte