ipl-logo

Mikhail Bulgakov's The Heart Of A Dog

664 Words3 Pages

The Heart of a Dog, by Mikhail Bulgakov, was written in Russia in 1925, which was at the height of the New Economic Policy period. During this time period, the Soviet was obsessed with the idea of creating the perfect man, and Mikhail used his writing platform to create a unique and interesting science-fiction story to examine this soviet goal. In engaging story, The Heart of a Dog, Bulgakov successfully uses science-fiction and his scientific education background to attack this fixed mind-set of the Soviet and the pseudoscientific theory to transform mankind that was believed in the 1920s.
A fun fact about Mikhail Bulgakov is that he studied medicine prior to becoming a writer. In his story The Heart of a Dog and other stories such as The Fatal Eggs, Bulgakov shows a consistent use of pseudoscientific theories throughout the stories. In The Heart of a Dog, Bulgakov uses a pseudoscientifiic theory of transplanting human pituitary glands and testicles onto the dog named Sharikov. The use of this supposition reflected on the 1920s belief of sexual resuscitation through grafting monkey testicles, which Bulgakov may not have been as informed on had he not studied medicine prior to writing. I found this scientific …show more content…

In my opinion, the most captivating aspect of this story was Bulgakov’s savageness to attack these issues regardless of the the violence Stalin had towards many writers that he didn’t agree with. Despite the confusing changes in point of view, I appreciated the message of this story and the way it was written. Bulgakov used his scientific knowledge to write The Heart of a Dog to attack the attempts to create the ideal soviet man through eugenics, and sheds light on the idea that humanity is too flawed to create a perfect

Show More
Related
390 Words | 2 Pages

mpathy is being aware of others emotions and feelings(Hutchinson, 2013,p792). It is as if we feel what they are themselves experiencing. In the story of The Boy Who Was Raised As A Dog, Perry displayed empathy towards the boys situation. He did this in numerous ways. First, Perry was sensitive to the child, as well as, he paid attention to the boy's nonverbal communication.

Read More
966 Words | 4 Pages

The book Animal Farm is an allegory which corresponds to the Russian Revolution. In the book, the animals take over the farm and run the humans off of the property. They are tired of being treated cruelly and decide to take things into their own matters. This is where “war” between animal and man start. The Russian Revolution had much in common with this but also has its differences.

Read More
825 Words | 4 Pages

“Master and Man” (1895) is a short story by Russian author Leo Tolstoy. Tolstoy is widely ranked among the greatest writers of all time with such classics as War and Peace (1869), Anna Karenina (1877), and the novella The Death of Ivan Ilyich (1886). His output also includes plays and essays. In “Master and Man,” Vasili Andreevich Brekhunov, a landowner, departs from the village of Kresty for a short journey with Nikita, one of his peasants.

Read More
905 Words | 4 Pages

Another story that triggers the thoughts of the reader is the exploration of the Russian soldier that was responsible for the Russian Revolution, which was made possible by his consumption of

Read More
690 Words | 3 Pages

Shukhov reveals how he survives the day in and day out in the gulag. In One Day In The Life Of Ivan Denisovich by Alexander Solzhenitsyn, Shukhov is in the gulags for being wrongfully convicted of treason. He must deal with the destruction of humanity, created a ritualization for eating, and most important, he treats time as a valuable possession. To begin with, Shukhov makes sure that he keeps his dignity despite the destruction of human solidarity that the forced labor camps. For example, This quote refers the lack of solidarity caused by the gulags, because for the lack of food, dignity, and the harsh weather. ”

Read More
1052 Words | 5 Pages

Michael Ruffolo Mrs. Goldberg Freshman Rhetoric Period 5 9 January 2015 Treatment Makes All the Difference Can you imagine parents who put their needs and interests before their childs? In the story “Dog” by Richard Russo, only one thing is wanted by little Henry, not a phone nor any other unreasonable gifts that some children want--he just wants a dog, that he can run and play with. The only problem is nothing will convince his academic hearted literacy loving parents. Henry’s parents both put their interests and needs before his son. As a result he seems to act differently in ways that many people may find rude.

Read More
814 Words | 4 Pages

When first reading George Orwell’s Animal Farm, one might assume it to be a simple narrative about Farm Animals. However, through closer analysis, you begin to see the allegorical connections and satire of the work. By drawing parallels to certain major events and individuals from the Russian Revolution, Orwell is able to provide a political commentary about the harsh conditions caused by the Revolution. In George Orwell 's Animal Farm, he uses Napoleon, Snowball, and Mr. Jones to show the allegorical connections, as well as its satirical motives.

Read More
705 Words | 3 Pages

The two novellas “The Metamorphosis,” and “The Death of Ivan Llych” both describe the stories of two men suffering from dramatic events in their lives. The two men both suffer from the feeling of alienation from their families. The two stories can be compared in many ways, and give insight into the way these two characters found peace in their deaths. In the novella “The Death of Ivan Llych” Tolstoy shares a story of a man named Ivan Llych, who gave all his time and attention to his career, that drew a wedge between his marriage and personal life. When decorating the new home for his family, he slipped and hit his side on the window knob, which caused the decline of Ivan Llychs life and health to begin.

Read More
820 Words | 4 Pages

It portrays the 1917 Russian Revolution atmosphere with the replacement of Russia into Animal Farm. The characters also did not fail to resemble the real people involved in the revolution. Power leads to greed, used to take advantage and manipulate. A person with absolute power tends to choose greediness after a certain time period, despite having followed a wise person’s vision and

Read More
1050 Words | 5 Pages

At the heart of a seemingly simple, unassuming novella lie political issues that occurred in Russia during and after the Russian Revolution in 1917. George Orwell’s allegorical ‘masterpiece’ as some would say, stems from his own opinions and detestation of the class divide. He shows that an egalitarian society is unachievable, when some characters that exercise power within Animal Farm use forms of both psychological warfare and physical threats in order to keep the ‘lesser’ animals under their control in order to maintain their society which supposedly follows the principles of Animalism; that ‘all animals are equal’. The pigs employ various tactics and express ways of thinking that convince the animals that they are better off than they had

Read More
1415 Words | 6 Pages

The story details Vladek’s life as he moves from wealth to poverty, falls in love with his first wife, Anja, raises a son, Richieu, and survives Auschwitz. The author depicts Jews as mice, the Polish as pigs, and the Nazis as cats, which serves as an metaphor of the dehumanizing events of the Holocaust (Art Spiegelman: Biography, Artist, Maus). Vladek’s will to live allows him to survive through the horrors of being helped captive in the concentration camps, which included being separated from his wife, nearly starving to death, watching his friends die, hearing about the deaths of family members, and other tragedies. Vladek in present-day is a very strange man, he does things like counting his pills and returning opened boxes of cereal to the grocery store expecting a refund. His traits frustrate Art and they clash often, even though that the habits that Art considers to be strange might have been the habits that kept Vladek alive.

Read More
1314 Words | 6 Pages

Such was what men devoted to communism, like George Orwell, author of the book Animal Farm, might have beheld when facing the despotism in Russia under the charade of communism, and such was the sight of the animals of Animal Farm, when the pigs march out of the farmhouse on two feet, triumphant, as dominators, as humans. Though late in the narrative, multiple factors clearly make this the turning point. It is because of the animal 's protests, the indifference of the pigs, and the sharp contrast the author draws between the mood before and after this scene that this is the turning point where the reader is simultaneously enraged and disappointed. For the first time, the animals want to protest against the pigs ' actions.

Read More
801 Words | 4 Pages

Animal Farm Essay How are allegories relevant when discussing societies issues of human nature? George Orwell’s novel Animal Farm explores this question through the characters in his book. The Novel was based around people and events of the Russian revolution that occurred during 19… and revealing many truths of human nature and existence throughout the novel. George Orwell portrays his characters as animals with human traits and allows readers to infer what he is revealing about human nature through these characters.

Read More
818 Words | 4 Pages

It portrays the 1917 Russian Revolution atmosphere with the replacement of Russia into Animal Farm. The characters also did not fail to resemble the real people involved in the revolution. Power leads to greed, used to take advantage and manipulate. A person with absolute power tends to choose greediness after a certain time period, despite having followed a wise person’s vision and mission.

Read More
1354 Words | 6 Pages

“Animal Farm” by George Orwell, is a story to show how absolute power corrupts, just as Stalin’s power did during the Russian Revolution in 1917. In the allegory “Animal Farm” each character represents a political figure from the days around the Russian Revolution. For example, Joseph Stalin is represented by a pig named Napoleon, Squealer, another pig, represents Stalin’s propaganda department, and the dogs represent the Secret Police (KBG). Using the nine dogs that Napoleon raises (intimidation), Squealer (propaganda), and manipulation, Orwell illustrates how Napoleon was able to gain and maintain control of the farm. The nine dogs that stay by Napoleon at all times are useful for Napoleon to gain and maintain control of the farm because they scare the other animals, intimidating them so that they do not disobey Napoleon.

Read More

More about Mikhail Bulgakov's The Heart Of A Dog

Related Topics

Open Document