Very briefly, the Old Romanian woman recalls her turbulent youth and tells two legends: about the son of an eagle, doomed for pride to eternal loneliness, and about a young man who sacrificed himself to save his native tribe.
The titles of the chapters are conditional and do not correspond to the original. The story is told from the point of view of the narrator, whose name is not mentioned in the story. The memoirs of the old woman Izergil are presented on her behalf.
The narrator met the old woman Izergil when he was picking grapes in Bessarabia. One evening, while relaxing on the seashore, he was talking to her. Suddenly the old woman pointed to the shadow of a low floating cloud, called him Larra and told "one of the glorious tales composed in the steppes."
Legend of Larra
Many thousands of years ago, a tribe of hunters and farmers lived in the "country of the big river". Once one of the girls of this tribe was carried away by a huge eagle. They searched for the girl for a long time, did not find and forgot about her, and twenty years later she returned with an adult son, whom she gave birth to from an eagle. The eagle himself, sensing the approach of old age, committed suicide - he fell from a great height onto sharp rocks.
The eagle's son was a handsome fellow with cold, proud eyes. He respected no one, and treated the elders as equals. The elders did not want to accept the guy into their tribe, but this only made him laugh.
He approached a beautiful girl and hugged her, but she pushed him away, because she was the daughter of one of the elders and was afraid of her father's wrath. Then the son of the eagle killed the girl. They tied him up and began to invent "an execution worthy of a crime."
One wise man asked why he killed the girl, and the son of the eagle replied that he wanted her, and she pushed him away. After a long conversation, the elders realized that the guy "considers himself the first on earth and sees nothing but himself." He did not want to love anyone and wanted to take what he wanted.
For everything that a person takes, he pays with himself: with his mind and strength, sometimes with his life.
The elders realized that the son of the eagle was dooming himself to terrible loneliness, decided that this would be the most severe punishment for him, and let him go.
The son of an eagle was named Larra - outcast. Since then, he lived "free as a bird", came to the tribe and abducted cattle and women. They shot at him, but they could not kill him, because Larra's body was covered with an "invisible veil of the highest punishment."
So Larra lived for many decades. Once he approached people and did not defend himself. People realized that Larra wanted to die, and retreated, not wanting to alleviate his plight. He hit himself in the chest with a knife, but the knife broke, he tried to smash his head on the ground, but the ground pulled away from him, and people realized that Larra could not die. Since then, he has been wandering the steppe in the form of a disembodied shadow, punished for his great pride.
Memoirs of the old woman Izergil
The old woman Izergil dozed off, and the narrator sat on the shore, listening to the sound of the waves and the distant songs of the grape pickers.
Suddenly waking up, the old woman Izergil began to remember those whom she loved in her long life.
She lived with her mother in Romania on the banks of the river, weaving carpets. At fifteen, she fell in love with a young fisherman. He persuaded Izergil to leave with him, but by that time she was already tired of the fisherman - "only sings and kisses, nothing more."
Leaving the fisherman, Izergil fell in love with a Hutsul - a cheerful, red-haired Carpathian youth from a band of robbers. The fisherman could not forget Izergil and also stuck with the Hutsuls. So they were hanged together - both the fisherman and the Hutsul, and Izergil went to watch the execution.
Then Izergil met an important and wealthy Turk, lived in his harem for a whole week, then got bored and fled with his son, a dark-haired, flexible boy much younger than her, to Bulgaria. There, a certain Bulgarian woman wounded her with a knife in the chest, either for her fiancé, or for her husband - Izergil no longer remembers.
Izergil went out in a convent. The Polish nun who cared for her had a brother in a nearby monastery. With him, Izergil fled to Poland, and the young Turk died from an excess of carnal love and homesickness.
The Pole was "funny and mean", he could use words like a whip. Once he greatly offended Izergil. She took him in her arms, threw him into the river and left.
I never dated the ones I once loved. These are not good meetings, all the same, as if with the dead.
People in Poland turned out to be "cold and deceitful", Izergil found it difficult to live among them. In the city of Bohnia, a Jew bought it, "I didn't buy it for myself, but to trade." Izergil agreed, wanting to earn money and return home. “Rich gentlemen” went to feast on her, they showered her with gold.
Izergil loved many, and most of all the handsome gentry Arkadek. He was young, and Izergil had already lived for four decades. Then Izergil broke up with a Jew and lived in Krakow, she was rich - a big house, servants. Arkadek sought it for a long time, and having achieved it, he abandoned it. Then he went to fight the Russians and was taken prisoner.
Izergil, pretending to be a beggar, killed the sentry and managed to rescue her beloved Arcadek from Russian captivity. He promised to love her, but Izergil did not stay with him - she did not want to be loved out of gratitude.
After that, Izergil left for Bessarabia and stayed there. Her Moldavian husband has died, and now the old woman lives among young grape pickers, telling them her tales.
A thundercloud was rising from the sea, and blue sparks began to appear in the steppe. Seeing them, Izergil told the narrator the legend of Danko.
Legend of Danko
In the old days, between the steppe and the impenetrable forest, a tribe of strong and courageous people lived. One day, stronger tribes came from the steppe and drove these people deep into the forest, where the air was poisoned by the poisonous fumes of the marshes.
People began to get sick and die. It was necessary to leave the forest, but there were strong enemies behind, and in front the road was blocked by swamps and giant trees, creating a “ring of strong darkness” around people.
People could not return to the steppe and fight to the death, because they had covenants that should not have disappeared.
Nothing - neither work nor women exhaust the bodies and souls of people as exhausting dreary thoughts.
Heavy thoughts have created fear in the hearts of people. Cowardly words about the need to return to the steppe and become slaves of the strongest sounded louder and louder.
And then the young handsome Danko volunteered to lead the tribe out of the forest. People believed and followed him. Their path was difficult, people died in the swamps and each step was given to them with difficulty. Soon, the exhausted tribesmen began to grumble at Danko.
Once a thunderstorm began, impenetrable darkness fell on the forest, and the tribe lost heart. People were ashamed to admit their own impotence, and they began to reproach Danko for his inability to manage them.
Tired and angry people began to judge Danko, but he replied that the tribesmen themselves were unable to save strength for a long journey and simply walked like a herd of sheep. Then people wanted to kill Danko, and there was no longer any kindness or nobility in their faces. From pity for his fellow tribesmen, Danko's heart flared up with a fire of desire to help them, and the rays of this mighty fire flashed in his eyes.
Seeing how Danko's eyes were burning, people decided that he was furious, alerted and began to surround him in order to grab and kill him. Danko understood their intention and became bitter to him, and his heart burned even brighter. He “torn his chest with his hands”, pulled out a flaming heart, raised it high above his head and led the enchanted people forward, illuminating their path.
Finally, the forest parted and the tribe saw a wide steppe, and Danko laughed joyfully and died. His heart was still on fire next to his body. Some cautious person saw this and, being frightened of something, "stepped on a proud heart with his foot." It crumbled into sparks and died out.
Sometimes blue sparks appear in the steppe before a thunderstorm. These are the remains of Danko's burning heart.
Having finished the story, the old woman Izergil dozed off, and the narrator looked at her withered body and wondered how many more “beautiful and strong legends” she knows. Covering the old woman with rags, the narrator lay down beside him and looked at the cloudy sky for a long time, and nearby the sea roared “deafly and sadly”.
In this part of the work, the writer painted an ideal image of a positive hero, a person who does everything that is possible for the common good.
Gorky in the legend draws a difficult situation in which a certain tribe found itself. These people, who were stronger, were driven from places suitable for life into the forest, where they died from swamp fumes.
The young and handsome Danko volunteered to take them out of the dead place. He is a clear personification of the people's leader. He knew that it was imperative to get out of this forest and he knew where to go. In his image there is not a single negative trait, only virtues.
Many could not stand the hardships of the transition and died on the way. They began to be disappointed in their choice and, naturally, blamed their leader for everything. The masses in this legend are presented as cowardly and cowardly people. They do not have as strong a will as their leader. In addition, further tribesmen decided to blame their failures and kill Danko, not having the moral strength and courage to admit their cowardice.
In the legend of Danko, Maxim Gorky raises one of his key themes. He praises courage and strength of character. Danko responds to his accusers, but his speech can be taken as a response reproach (which happens in the course of the action). He is aware of his strength and accuses people of lack of courage and that they did nothing to help him. Naturally, such words cause even more bitterness. Here, perhaps, the reaction of the Bolshevik writer to the "backward" workers and peasants who do not want to absorb the right ideas and follow the advanced ideologists.
Further description of the events of the Danko legend indirectly confirms such assumptions. He, and it is supposed to be a true fighter for the idea and people's happiness, sacrifices his life for the sake of ungrateful people.
Gorky draws a beautiful image of a heart torn out by Danko himself, with the light of which he dispels darkness and helps to find the right path. The heart is an image not only of life, but also of love. In this case, to the dark, embittered and weak fellow tribesmen.
The writer still does not lose faith in the masses. After Danko's sacrifice, people gain courage and more willingly and patiently endure hard way. At the end of this story, they go out onto habitable land, and Danko dies. With his death, Gorky once again emphasizes that truly courageous and selfless people make selfless sacrifices for the sake of the people.
Option 2
In Maxim Gorky's story "Old Woman Izergil" a prime example love for people and self-sacrifice is the legend of Danko. The work itself is filled with deep meaning, like most of the works of this author.
In the person of Danko, Maxim Gorky shows a person who puts the interests of society first, his life is filled with noble impulses, he tries to help everyone, often even those who do not deserve it. Main character works endowed with the best human qualities: kindness, honesty, courage and love for loved ones. Danko goes to great lengths to save the people dear to him.
The legend speaks of people who lived in a world full of happiness and carelessness, but the moment came when alien tribes appeared and drove people into the depths of the forest. They were surrounded by mighty trees intertwined with each other, huge thickets through which even a ray of the sun could not break through. Then they had to go to hard way in search of a new place where they could live again, enjoying every ray of the sun and the brilliant river playing with waves. Then they decided to move out. In Danko, they saw a strong and courageous man, and exclaimed: "Lead us!". And he led. On the way they met many difficulties, people were exhausted and could not go further. “You,” they said, “an insignificant and harmful person for us! You led us and tired us, and for this you will die!”
People went crazy with anger, and no one even remembered that it was they who chose him, asked to lead them. Nobody listened to his words, and when they wanted to kill him, Danko tore his chest, pulled out his heart, which glowed with a bright flame of love for his people, and raised it above the heads of people. "Let's go!" he shouted. And people went, as if spellbound, looking at the heart in his hands. The forest parted before him and he led people to the wide steppe lands, and then he proudly laughed, then fell and died. The people, full of joy, did not even notice his death, but one person, noticing the flaming heart, got scared and stepped on it with his foot, from which it crumbled into many sparks and went out. That evening, the river, reflecting the last rays of sunset, seemed bright red, like the blood that beat from the chest of a brave and unusually brave man - Danko.
In this work, the author drew attention to the problem that is relevant at all times - selfishness. The main character was completely different, not like everyone else. He aspired to do at least something for people who were absolutely selfish, thinking only about themselves. And for them, he gave his life, even if they did not deserve it. Thus, Maxim Gorky told about the existence of a man who was ready to give his life for his people, who in moments of joy did not even remember his hero and repaid him by destroying the heart that beat for them and saved them from certain death in the wilderness.
Some interesting essays
The problems of the early twentieth century have a social connection with the work of Mikhail Sholokhov. So, for example, in the novel "Quiet Don" the writer talks about the Cossacks and problems during the First World War and the Civil War.
One day my parents and I decided to go to the forest. In the forest, you can relax from the bustle of the city, enjoy nature and breathe fresh air.
Maxim Gorky's romantic story "Old Woman Izergil" was written in 1894. The composition of the work is “a story within a story”. The narration is conducted on behalf of the author and the heroine of the story, the old woman Izergil. Three parts are subject to a common idea: reflection on the true value of human life, the meaning of life, human freedom.
The story "Old Woman Izergil" is studied in the 11th grade literature course. As an acquaintance with the works of Gorky's early work, you can read a summary of the "Old Woman Izergil" chapter by chapter.
main characters
Old Isergil- an elderly woman, the author's interlocutor. He tells about the history of his life, the legends about Danko and Larra. He believes that "everyone is his own destiny."
Larra is the son of a woman and an eagle. He despised people. Punished by people with immortality and loneliness.
Danko- young man loving people, "the best of all." He saved people at the cost of his own life, lighting their way out of the forest with a heart torn from his chest.
Other characters
Narrator– retold the stories he heard, worked with the Moldovans at the grape harvest.
Chapter 1
The stories that the author tells his readers, he heard in Bessarabia, working together with the Moldovans at the grape harvest. One evening, having finished working, all the workers went to the sea, and only the author and an elderly woman named Izergil remained to rest in the shade of the grapes.
Evening came, the shadows of the clouds floated across the steppe, and Izergil, pointing to one of the shadows, called her Larra, and told the author an ancient legend.
In one country, where the land is generous and beautiful, a human tribe lived happily. People hunted, grazed herds, rested, sang and had fun. Once, during a feast, an eagle carried off one of the girls. She returned only twenty years later and brought with her a handsome and stately young man. It turned out that all the past years, the stolen tribeswoman lived with an eagle in the mountains, and the young man is their son. When the eagle began to grow old, he rushed from a height onto the rocks and died, and the woman decided to return home.
The son of the king of birds outwardly did not differ from people, only "the eyes were cold and proud." He spoke disrespectfully to the elders, and looked down on other people at all, saying that "there are no more like him."
The elders got angry and ordered him to go wherever he wanted - he had no place in the tribe. The young man approached the daughter of one of them and hugged her. But she, fearing her father's wrath, pushed him away. The eagle's son hit the girl, she fell and died. The young man was seized and tied up. The tribesmen thought for a long time what punishment to choose for him. After listening to the sage, people realized that “the punishment is in himself” and simply let the young man go.
The hero began to be called Larra - "outcast". Larra lived for many years, freely living near the tribe: he stole cattle, stole girls. The arrows of people did not take him, covered with an "invisible cover of the highest punishment." But one day Larra approached the tribe, making it clear to people that he would not defend himself. One of the people guessed that Larra wanted to die - and no one began to attack him, not wanting to alleviate his plight.
Seeing that he would not die at the hands of people, the young man wanted to kill himself with a knife, but he broke. The ground, against which Larra was beating his head, was leaving from under him. Convinced that the son of an eagle could not die, the people of the tribe rejoiced and went away. Since then, left completely alone, the proud young man wanders the world, no longer understanding the language of people and not knowing what he is looking for. "He has no life, and death does not smile on him." So the man was punished for his exorbitant pride.
Wonderful singing reached the interlocutors from the shore.
Chapter 2
The old woman Izergil said that only those who are in love with life can sing so beautifully. She "had enough blood" to live to her age precisely because love was the essence of her life. Izergil told the author about her youth. Before him passed one after another the images of the beloved old woman Izergil.
A fisherman from the Prut, the first love of the heroine. Hutsul hanged by the authorities for robbery. A wealthy Turk, with whose sixteen-year-old son Izergil fled from the harem "out of boredom" to Bulgaria. A little Pole monk, “funny and vile”, whom the heroine picked up and threw into the river for offensive words. “A worthy pan with a hacked face”, who loved exploits (for the sake of him, Izergil refused the love of a man who showered her with gold coins). A Hungarian who left Izergil (he was found in a field with a shot through his head). Arkadek, a handsome gentry, saved by the heroine from captivity, the last love of forty-year-old Izergil.
A woman told her interlocutor about different minutes of her “greedy life”. The time has come when she realized - it's time to start a family. Having left for Moldova, she got married and has been living here for about thirty years. By the time the author met her, her husband had been dead for about a year, and she lived with Moldovans - grape pickers. They need her, she's good with them.
The woman finished the story. The interlocutors sat watching the night steppe. In the distance, blue lights, like sparks, were visible. Asking if the author sees them, Izergil said that these are the sparks of Danko's "burning heart", and began to tell another ancient legend.
Chapter 3
In ancient times, proud, cheerful, fearless people lived in the steppe. Their camps were surrounded on three sides by wild forests. One day, alien tribes came to the land of people and forced them into the depths of the old impenetrable forest, where there were swamps and eternal darkness. From the stench rising from the swamp, people who were accustomed to the expanses of the steppe died one after another.
Strong and courageous, they could go to fight with enemies, “but they could not die in battles, because they had covenants, and if they died, then covenants would disappear with them from life.” People sat and thought about what to do - but from painful thoughts they weakened in spirit and fear settled in their hearts. They were ready to surrender to the enemy, but their comrade Danko "saved all alone." Danko turned to people, urging them to go through the forest - after all, the forest had to end somewhere. So much living fire was in the eyes of the young man that people believed and went with him.
The path was long and difficult, people had less and less strength and faith in Danko. Once, during a severe thunderstorm, people despaired. But they could not admit their weakness, instead they accused Danko of inability to lead them out of the forest. Like wild animals, they were ready to rush at him and kill him. The young man took pity on them, realizing that without him the tribesmen would die. His heart burned with a desire to save people - because he loved them. Danko pulled his heart out of his chest and raised it high above his head - it blazed brighter than the sun itself. The hero went on and on, illuminating the road with the “torch of great love for people”. Suddenly the forest ended - in front of the people was the expanse of the steppe. With joy, Danko looked at the free land - and died.
People did not pay attention to the death of the young man, they did not see the heart, which was still burning near the body of the hero. Only one person noticed the heart, and, fearing something, stepped on it with his foot. The proud heart, splashing sparks around, died out. Since then, those blue lights that the author saw have appeared in the steppe.
The old woman Izergil finished the story. Everything around calmed down, and it seemed to the author that even the steppe was enchanted by the nobility of the brave Danko, who did not expect a reward for the heart burned for the sake of people.
conclusions
Like any classic work, Gorky's story leads the reader to reflect on the most important questions: why does a person live, how should he live, and how life principles follow what is freedom. The retelling of "Old Woman Izergil" gives an idea of the plot, idea, characters of the work. Reading the full text of the story will allow the reader to plunge into the bright and expressive world of Gorky's heroes.
Story test
After reading summary- try to answer the questions of the test:
Retelling rating
Average rating: 4.3. Total ratings received: 4294.
“In the old days, only people lived on the earth, impenetrable forests surrounded the camps of these people on three sides, and on the fourth there was a steppe. They were cheerful, strong and courageous people. And then one day a difficult time came: other tribes came from somewhere and drove the former into the depths of the forest. There were swamps and darkness, because the forest was old and its branches were so densely intertwined that it was impossible to see the sky through them, and the rays of the sun could hardly make their way to the swamps through dense foliage.
But when its rays fell on the water of the swamps, the stench rose, and people died from it one after another. Then the wives and children of this tribe began to cry, and the fathers thought and fell into anguish. It was necessary to leave this forest, and for this there were two roads: one - back, - there were strong and evil enemies, the other - forward, - giant trees stood there, tightly hugging each other with mighty branches, lowering their knotted roots deep into the tenacious swamp silt. These stone trees stood silent and motionless during the day in the gray twilight and moved even more densely around people in the evenings when the fires lit up. And always, day and night, there was a ring of strong darkness around those people, it was definitely going to crush them, and they got used to the expanse of the steppe. And it was even more terrible when the wind beat on the tops of the trees and the whole forest hummed dully, as if threatening and singing a funeral song to those people. These were all the same strong people, and they could go to fight to the death with those who once defeated them, but they could not die in battles, because they had covenants, and if they died, then the covenants would disappear with them from life. And so they sat and thought in the long nights, under the muffled noise of the forest, in the poisonous stench of the swamp. They sat, and the shadows from the fires jumped around them in a silent dance, and it seemed to everyone that these were not shadows dancing, but the evil spirits of the forest and swamp were triumphant.<...>And people weakened from thoughts.<...>Fear was born among them, fettered their strong hands, horror was born by women weeping over the corpses of those who died from the stench and over the fate of the living, chained by fear, - and cowardly words began to be heard in the forest, at first timid and quiet, and then louder and louder ... Already they wanted to go to the enemy and offer him their will as a gift, and no one, frightened by death, was afraid of a slave life.<...>But then Danko appeared and saved everyone alone.<...>
Danko is one of those people, a handsome young man. Beautiful - always bold. And so he says to them, his comrades:
Do not turn a stone out of the way with thought. Whoever does nothing, nothing will happen to him. Why do we waste energy on thought and longing? Get up, let's go into the forest and go through it, because it has an end - everything in the world has an end! Come on! Well! Hey!..
They looked at him and saw that he was the best of all, because in his eyes a lot of strength and living fire shone.
Lead us! they said...
Danko led them. Everyone followed him together - they believed in him. It has been a difficult journey! It was dark, and at every step the swamp opened its greedy rotten mouth, swallowing people, and the trees blocked the road like a mighty wall. Their branches intertwined with each other; like snakes, roots stretched everywhere, and each step cost a lot of sweat and blood to those people. They walked for a long time.<...>The forest became thicker, there was less and less strength! And so they began to grumble at Danko, saying that in vain he, young and inexperienced, led them somewhere. And he walked ahead of them and was cheerful and clear.
But one day a thunderstorm struck over the forest, the trees whispered muffledly, menacingly. And then it became so dark in the forest, as if all the nights had gathered in it, how many there were in the world from the hole in which he was born. Little people walked among the big trees and in the terrible noise of lightning, they walked, and, swaying, the giant trees creaked and hummed angry songs, and the lightning, flying over the tops of the forest, illuminated it for a minute with a blue, cold fire and disappeared just as quickly, as they appeared, scaring people. And the trees, illuminated by the cold fire of lightning, seemed to be alive, stretching around the people who were leaving the captivity of darkness, clumsy, long arms, weaving them into a dense net, trying to stop people. And from the darkness of the branches, something terrible, dark and cold looked at the walking ones. It was a difficult path, and people, tired of it, lost heart. But they were ashamed to admit their impotence, and so in anger and anger they fell upon Danko, the man who was walking ahead of them. And they began to reproach him for his inability to manage them - that's how!
They stopped and under the triumphant noise of the forest, among the trembling darkness, tired and angry, began to judge Danko.
You, they said, are an insignificant and harmful person for us! You led us and tired us, and for this you will perish!
You said: “Lead!” - and I led! - Danko shouted, standing against them with his chest. - I have the courage to lead, that’s why I led you! And you? What did you do to help yourself? You just walked and didn’t know how save strength for a longer journey!You just walked, walked, like a flock of sheep!
But these words infuriated them even more.
You will die! You will die! they roared.
And the forest hummed and hummed, echoing their cries, and lightning tore the darkness to shreds. Danko looked at those for whom he had toiled, and saw that they were like animals. Many people stood around him, but their nobility was not on their faces, and he could not expect mercy from them. Then indignation boiled up in his heart, but it went out of pity for people. He loved people and thought that maybe without him they would perish. And then his heart flared up with the fire of desire to save them, to lead them to an easy path, and then the rays of that mighty fire flashed in his eyes ... And they, seeing this, thought that he was furious, which is why his eyes flared up so brightly, and they became alert , like wolves, waiting for him to fight them, and began to surround him more densely, so that it would be easier for them to grab and kill Danko. And he already understood their thought, because of which his heart burned even brighter, for this thought of theirs gave birth to melancholy in him.
And the forest kept singing its gloomy song, and the thunder rumbled, and the rain poured down...
What will I do for people?! Danko shouted louder than thunder.
And suddenly he tore his chest with his hands and tore out his heart from it and raised it high above his head.
It burned as brightly as the sun, and brighter than the sun, and the whole forest fell silent, illuminated by this torch of great love for people, and the darkness scattered from its light and there, deep in the forest, trembling, fell into the rotten mouth of the swamp. The people, amazed, became like stones.
Let's go! Danko shouted and rushed forward to his place, holding his burning heart high and illuminating the way for people.
They rushed after him, fascinated. Then the forest rustled again, shaking its peaks in surprise, but its noise was drowned out by the clatter of running people. Everyone ran quickly and boldly, carried away by the wonderful sight of a burning heart. And now they were dying, but they were dying without complaints and tears. But Danko was still ahead, his heart was burning, burning!
And suddenly the forest parted before him, parted and remained behind, dense and mute; and Danko and all those people immediately plunged into the sea sunlight and clean air washed by rain. There was a thunderstorm - there, behind them, over the forest, and here the sun was shining, the steppe was sighing, the grass was shining in the diamonds of the rain and the river was sparkling with gold ... It was evening, and from the rays of the sunset the river seemed red, like the blood that beat with a hot stream from Danko's torn chest.
The proud daredevil Danko cast a glance ahead of himself at the expanse of the steppe, - he threw a joyful glance at the free land and laughed proudly. And then he fell and died.
People, joyful and full of hope, did not notice his death and did not see that his brave heart was still burning next to the corpse of Danko. Only one cautious person noticed this and, being afraid of something, stepped on the proud heart with his foot ... And now it, crumbling into sparks, died out ...
That's where they come from, the blue sparks of the steppe that appear before a thunderstorm!<...>
Maksim Gorky
1 The legend is given with slight abbreviations.
Questions and tasks
- What is the difference, in your opinion, Danko from the people around him? Prepare this text for expressive reading or artistic retelling, emphasizing the peculiarity of Danko's behavior and the attitude of the people he saved to his act.
- Among the stories of M. Gorky there are realistic and romantic works. Which works include the story "Childhood" and the story "Old Woman Izergil"?
- Which of Gorky's heroes would you like to erect a monument to and how do you imagine it?
Enrich your speech
- Prepare an artistic retelling of one of the episodes - "Fire", "Learning", "Punishment", "Grandma's Dance", "Gypsies" (optional). What can be said about the author, who after many years so vividly reproduced the life, life, relationships of the inhabitants of the Kashirins' house?
- Read by role or act out one of the scenes: “A Conversation with Grandfather”, “A Conversation with a Gypsy”, “Teaching”, etc.
- Prepare an oral or written essay or script: “The Gypsy’s Story”, “Grandfather is not evil and not scary”, “Why Alyosha felt in his grandmother loved one?”, “Alyosha and the Kashirin House” (optional).
- Consider B. Dekhterev's illustrations for the story "Childhood" and D. Butorin for "Danko". Is that how you envisioned the characters? D. Butorin is a palesha artist. You have seen Palekh drawings decorating lacquer boxes, illustrating books for kids, Pushkin's fairy tales. What is interesting here is the drawing of the Palekh artist?
- What folklore works resemble the rhythm, the music of the legend "Danko" (an excerpt from the story "Old Woman Izergil")? Read the legend aloud, keeping its special skaz rhythm.