ipl-logo

Heroism In Victor Pelevin's Omon Ra

1006 Words5 Pages

Cult and Cultivation of Heroism
The Soviet Space Program created true heroes for the Soviet Union. The cosmonauts became icons of Soviet nationalism, as representations of the limits of human and, perhaps more importantly, communist endeavor. They were the first to send satellites and life into space and orbit, in both animal and human tests, which provided quantitative proof of Soviet success over Americans. Soviet propaganda often illustrated “firsts” of the Soviet Space Program, crediting them to the communist power of the Soviet Union. However, even this successful program was shrouded in secrecy in order to hide its weaknesses. Only success was published, after the fact, to hint at greater successes in the future. Victor Pelevin’s Omon Ra darkly satirizes this brand of Soviet …show more content…

The Soviet Union excelled at deception. After the Chernobyl nuclear accident, Gorbachev concealed the true range and devastation of the event. Stalin’s government hid the details on the post-World War II famine from 1946 to 1947. This theme of deception from the government, its propaganda, aimed to further the glory of the Soviet Union, and thus increase nationalism. Omon Ra’s Soviet officials deceive in order to support what they believe to be the truth of Communism’s greatness. The Flight Leader tells Omon that “the paradox … is that we support the truth with falsehood, because Marxism carries within itself an all-conquering truth, and the goal for which you will give your life is, in a formal sense, a deception” (42). Reality is based on the facts inputted: the government then aims to control that input and therefore, the reality. As the Bear, itself a symbol of Russia, in Omon’s dream says, “I and this entire world are nothing but a thought someone is thinking” (107). The controlled media, the fake cause, the quest for Soviet glory: these are all just as real as Pelevin’s fictional

Show More
Related

Sputnik Debate Summary

432 Words | 2 Pages

, Americans thought that they were superior to the Soviets. • Began the Space race in America against the Soviet Union to close the “space gap” • Although President Dwight Eisenhower had tried to downplay the importance of the Sputnik launch to the American

Read More

John F Kennedy Race To Space Ethos Pathos Logos

577 Words | 3 Pages

The 35th president of the United States, John F Kennedy, gave his “Race to Space” speech at Rice University In Houston, Texas under great pressure to “catch up” to the Soviets and their space program. He delivered this speech to challenge America to take a leading position in the Space Race and to encourage them in their studies to make it possible. To start, President Kennedy’s “Race to Space” speech calls upon the country to preempt the exploration of space using pathos, irony, and metaphor. Kennedy uses pathos throughout his speech but most notably when he states, “than those of the Soviet Union”. At the time this speech was given, the United States and the Soviet Union had extreme tension coming out of the cold war and entering the space

Read More

Soviet Union Dbq Essay

728 Words | 3 Pages

This shows how advanced their military was, they were the first to launch a satellite into space. Their military should also be emphasized because it shows how they extended themselves and how they influenced everyone surrounding them. It also shows the difference between the USSR and the U.S., the world's two

Read More

Pilots In Tom Wolfe's The Right

1121 Words | 5 Pages

As trivial as it may seem, at one time in order to prove America had stelar science and technology we had to rush to get men into space. In Tom Wolfe’s The right stuff a group of military test pilots are given the opportunity to be part of the space race against the soviets. Each one of these pilots had their qualms about joining the program due to the fact that many of them wanted to become career pilots. For instance, in order to become a good pilot one would have to log a lot of flight hours, and joining the space program would prevent them from flying for a prolonged period of time.

Read More

Examples Of Joseph Stalin In George Orwell's 1984

1159 Words | 5 Pages

There is no individual thought process nor is there any innovation in new technology meaning that Oceana’s society has no room for improvement. Also one of the leading factors to the Soviet Union’s demise was the restriction on freedom of speech, and thought; as well as the restriction of opposition and individuality. This quote, “…He [Big Brother] did succeed, through the management of the news and the censorship of the written and spoken word, in severely impairing man's ability to think freely,” (Message) shows how Big Brother restricts a comrade’s freedom of speech via censorship produced by the Ministry of Truth, but it also resembles how Stalin produced fake propaganda, news, and government documents among other things, to make the Soviet citizens believe in him and follow his rulings. Both of these situations lead to the constriction on individuality, opposition, and therefore, innovation; and each government enforced this via their respective secret police. Because the main goal of either government is to make the people conform to the status quo, the Thought Police and the NKVD were essential to making the citizens obey the government, but the organizations were also responsible for restricting individual rights and the future of

Read More

How Did The Space Race Affect The Cold War?

983 Words | 4 Pages

The United States viewed the space race as a way to stop the spread of communism and prevent the spread of the Soviet Union's influence on Western European nations including France, Italy, and Greece (“The Space Race”). They also used their acomplishments to create new alliances or strengthen old ones as well as spread capitalism. While In the Soviet Union the race and war were seen as a way to strengthen and expand the communist system. They used their success to showcase the superiority of communism (Schlesinger,

Read More

Landon Oldenski Spies By Marc Favreau

601 Words | 3 Pages

The book is almost a compilation of different spy stories from the Cold War, but his choice of words and tone make it seem much more real and personal than someone just describing events. The book’s beginning is quite exciting, throwing readers right into an American covert mission. Favreau’s opening is exciting and does a great job at grabbing readers’ attention. Throughout the book, the author doesn’t just leave us with gaps between different American and Soviet spy stories, he does a great job giving context on the political aspects of this war. The stories are laid out in chronological order with great detail in between, giving readers the information needed to understand what is truly going on during this war.

Read More

Realism In 'The Cave' By Yevgeny Zamyatin

1140 Words | 5 Pages

The nature of Russian society is characterized by a sense of idealism. Russia’s beliefs of the potential for an ideal future have been pervasive throughout history. In 1920, Yevgeny Zamyatin wrote the short story “The Cave” during the midst of the Russian Civil War, a time when nationalism was at an all time low and people were hoping for a brighter future. In contrast to the goals that sparked the revolution, Zamyatin argues that the Russian Civil War will result in a primitive and decimated society that is ultimately worse off than the society that existed prior to the rebellion.

Read More

The Role Of Terror In Joseph Stalin's Blood Purges

656 Words | 3 Pages

Survivors of these tragic times are forced to remember the pain and suffering caused by one man’s paranoia. Along with that, hundreds of thousands of lives were lost, and many families will never be the same again. Also, the purges caused skepticism about the government’s actions among Russian citizens. This will have a negative effect, because the citizens can not trust the government, and have fear towards it. These series of unfortunate events, will forever be remembered as a tragic time in Russian

Read More

Comparing 1984 And Life Under Stalin

680 Words | 3 Pages

As propaganda begins to dominate all information, reality gets buried deeper and deeper. Unfortunately, some rulers strive to achieve this control, to the extent of altering the past. Two works exemplify this: 1984 and Life Under Stalin. The former is a dystopian novel by George Orwell, that warns readers of the horrors of a totalitarian state. The latter is a documentary produced by Jo Adendorff, that reveals how Joseph Stalin transformed the Soviet Union under his rule.

Read More

Marc Favreau Spies Essay

943 Words | 4 Pages

During this time, spies were used by both the CIA in the US and the KGB in Russia to try to gather inside information about the other nation’s government and their nuclear weapon technology. Spies from both nations were scattered throughout the world, mainly in Russia, America, Germany, and England. This book details countless stories of different spies and their effects on the Cold War. Spies is organized into four parts, the first three parts having three chapters each and the fourth with one chapter followed by an

Read More

The 1967 Outer Space Race

1312 Words | 6 Pages

The backdrop of the Cold War between the United States and The Soviet Union through the mid-to-late 20th century promoted multiple international policies that reflected the tensions and the hostilities between the bipolar world. The conflicts not only remained on Earth, but what has been termed as a “space race” occurred after the USSR launched the world’s first satellite, Sputnik, into orbit in October 4th, 1957. The politics of space seemed suddenly more vital than it ever had before, and serious political thought was contemplated. What could space have to offer that would benefit for humanity? As the two superpowers competed over the next decade, the questions became more difficult.

Read More

Tulbling Old Women By Renatil Kharms

1079 Words | 5 Pages

In both “Blue Notebook #10” and “Tumbling Old Women,” Daniil Kharms exploresthe Soviet Union’s policy sending dissidents to gulags. Beginning in the 1920s, the Soviet Union suppressed freedom of speech: for any person suspected of criticizing the Soviet Union, the secret police would arrest them and send them to gulags, forced labor camps. So he wouldn’t be suspected of speaking out against the Soviet Union, Kharms used Dadaism so people wouldn’t know the direct message behind his poetry. Throughout the two poems, Kharms criticizes the absurdity of the government’s need to erase their citizens from society for speaking out against the government.

Read More

How Did Joseph Stalin Lead To The Russian Revolution

873 Words | 4 Pages

Through propaganda real and fake, each tried to play the other down. One major effort by Stalin to

Read More

Causes Of Gorbachev's Reforms

1206 Words | 5 Pages

The Soviet Union had been through torpidity under the progression of the old Communist Leaders who ruled with fear in addition with inertia.

Read More

More about Heroism In Victor Pelevin's Omon Ra

Related Topics

Open Document