Courage and cowardice are topics that are affected in many works. The relevance of this topic is in demand by the fact that these qualities are inherent in each person. Each of us, depending on the situation, manifests certain qualities of a person. A person, depending on the situation, can be very bold, also he can be a coward in a certain situation where another person can show courage and strong will.
Let’s try to figure out how the author in.Bykov in the story ‘Sotniks’. In this story, the problem of genuine and imaginary courage, which show the main characters of the story, is deeply emphasized in this story. The main characters of the story are Sotnikov and fisherman. Both Sotnikov and the fisherman behave differently in the same circumstances that are coordinated in their life.
Let’s try to make out how the fisherman behaves at the moment when he agrees to join the police. Here, such a character trait as cowardice is very well emphasized, at the same time he hopes to return to the partisan detachment at the first opportunity. He showed cowardice and for the sake of his salvation agreed to serve a police officer. His motto at that moment was: ‘There is an opportunity to live, do not give up life’. From fear for his life, he even agrees to take part in the execution of Sotnikov. The fisherman could not overcome the feeling of fear for his own life. I think that at that moment he did not think about the consequences but simply showed cowardice. At that moment, he thought only about his life and his safety. He is so afraid of death that he completely forgets about the feeling of duty to his homeland, to his people. Cowardice pushes him to terrible acts.
Sotnikov chooses a heroic death, in his character traits a sense of responsibility to his homeland, a sense of duty is very well visible. Sotnikov does not think about himself, he prefers to die for his homeland than to become a coward and a traitor. Sotnikov was able to take on the suffering of the people, believe his people and not betray it.
This conclusion can be drawn:
In the face of death, a person becomes the way he is actually.
Such winged phrases are approaching this story:
- The hero dies only once, the coward dies a thousand times.
- The coward and shadow are afraid.
- The brave has only immortality, the brave has no death, they are not afraid of it.
- Where courage and courage, there is victory.
- Bulgakov about such a feature as cowardice spoke like this: ‘cowardice, undoubtedly one of the most terrible vices of a person’.
- Brave will die, but will not retreat.
- Cowardly friend worse than the enemy.
- Cowardarity takes the mind.
IN. Bykov in the story ‘Sotnikov’ puts his heroes before the choice: honor or betrayal.
At the beginning of the story of the reader’s sympathy, more on the side of the fisherman. He is strong with health, walks quickly, and the centurions are sick, constantly lagging behind. However, at the decisive moment, Sotnikov first wants to let the fisherman leave and tries to shoot back from the Nazis. He was wounded in a shootout, but the fisherman helped him reach the next village. However, he returned not out of compassion, but out of fear that they would think about him in the detachment. Already here a motive of doubt in the strength and stamina of the fisherman sounded here.
The real betrayal is performed by a fisherman when on the eve of the execution the Rybak agrees to become a policeman. He hoped to simply save his life, and at the first opportunity to go to his. But he was not given such a chance, forcing him to take part in the liquidation – he had to knock out a stool from under Sotnikov. And Sotnikov, like other executions, retained calm and even made an attempt to take all the blame on himself.
One must have a hard inner rod in order to remain true to yourself and people at a critical moment. It doesn’t matter at all what memory will remain for you.
Vasil Bykov in his work of the ‘centurions’ shows courage and cowardice through the prism of two main characters – Sotnikov and Rybak. These people show themselves differently while in war. The basis of all actions is primarily the moral qualities of the personality. For Sotnikov, it is expensive and valuable not to save his skin at all costs, but the life of loved ones and their people. Before the war, he showed himself an excellent person to be always rely on, who will not let down. In the war, he fights for the freedom of his country, realizing that even the life of many others – partisans, children, elders can depend on him al1. In the last minutes of his life, he is not trying to escape, but on the contrary, saves others to guilty. He is not a coward and adequately meets his death. However, the fisherman has other principles. He is cunning, dodes, thinks only of himself and how he is saved. The result goes to the Nazis and executes his comrade – Sotnikova himself. He himself chose the path that led him either to physical death, but to the mental.
In the heroes of the story ‘Sotniki’ authorship Vasil Bykov combines opposite character traits.
It would seem that two combat comrades, centurions and a fisherman are both busy with a common goal: they must find food from the partisans. However, when both friends were captured by the Germans, all the brightest features of their character begin to appear.
Sotnikov is busy with his thoughts that now through their fault a woman who launched Soviet soldiers on the threshold will suffer. A man wants to do everything possible to save friends from trouble.
The fisherman, under pain of death, agrees to cooperate with the Germans. He behaves cunningly, resourcefully, causing contempt even among the Germans who gave him the life.
At the end of the story, centuries die, but he does it with dignity, without humiliating before the enemy. His former Comrade Fisherman, although he retains his life, is much more: having moved to the side of the enemy, he now has neither a homeland nor friends.
In the work of ‘centurions’, two main characters are Sotnikov and fisherman.
At first, both heroes are shown to us quite bold and decisive, they were not afraid to go for the provisions for themselves and their comrades.
But as soon as these two heroes were captured immediately by their real nature.
Sotnikov acts as a real hero, he does not agree to compromise with his own conscience, he will die better than to humiliate him in front of the enemy.
But the fisherman is a perfect opposite to the proud and courageous Sotnikov, he first of all thinks about the salvation of his skin to survive everything, is ready to obey and fulfill the orders of his enemies, substitute his friends and forget about his homeland.
And although Sotnikov dies, even in the last minutes of his life he tries to save an innocent woman, so to speak, to cover himself, this is the real courage.
Working in the direction of ‘courage and cowardice’ to write in handy on the work of the “centurions’ of the famous author Vasil Bykov.
Initially, of course, it would be necessary to determine what ‘courage’ is, what is’ cowardice ”, give quotes and aphorisms, stock up on the necessary number of synonyms so as not to overload the text with repetitions. All of the above is appropriate to use in the introduction and conclusion of the composition.
I bring in the form of a quote in compressed form.
Regarding quotes and aphorisms for courage and cowardice.
Now, in fact, to the very text of the work. Sotnikov’s courage and the cowardice of the fisherman can be traced in their biographies, thoughts and actions even before they came to the Germans and, of course, in the scenes of execution and interrogation.
Regarding Sotnikov, he is fully convinced of his innocence and strong in spirit
At the beginning of the work, both heroes agree to go for provisions and thereby show courage. Moreover, later it is learned that the centurion said nothing about his illness, but silently and stoically responded to the call of the commander.
After the initial stage of their campaign, the key moment becomes the one when the shootout occurs and the centurion tries to sacrifice himself, cover the fisherman and let him leave. However, the fisherman who seemed to break away from the Germans is also injured, risking his life returns to his friend. However, he returns due to fear for the potential contempt of his comrades in his direction subsequently that he quit the centurion to die. Here he already shows himself in kind that the rhinestones are directed, and not personal and persistent moral beliefs.
As a result, he returns to the centurion and they fall into the house, where they later before the policemen, gives out a cough of a patient of a hundred. After that, they begin to interrogate and they are shining for the death penalty.
And this is the key moment of the work, when, as it would seem, a shy centurion, shows itself confidently and acts without unnecessary and negative feelings and emotions and is not afraid of death. This phenomenon in psychology is called depersonalization when a shy person in ordinary life, in a difficult situation, manifests himself as a hero, since he is physiologically inclined to the fact that he is completely disconnected by emotions.
As for the fisherman, he hesitates and agrees to be a policeman, although he then tries to take herself from hesitation, but he does not succeed and ultimately justifying himself as an unsuccessful attempt, he takes part in the execution of Sotnik. Moreover, this behavior is certainly associated with cowardice, which the fisherman, due to his mental warehouse, could not completely overcome.