Prompt 5 Free writing revision
Intro
What is our salvation? This is a question that has been questioned for centuries. With social, governmental and religious beliefs made to dictate our thoughts, our own universal idea on this controversial topic has been silenced over the years. A good example of this is seen in Stalin’s Russia where people were accused of wrongful crimes and were sent to the “Gulag” (prison camps) to do forced labour, people like Ivan Denisovich. The book One day in the life of Ivan Denisovich by Alexander Solzhenitsyn not only shows the dark side of society but it also delivers a perspective his universal idea on existentialism, salvation and thankfulness.
Body
Life in the Gulag is a living hell with its severe conditions. It breaks people both physically and mentally which makes them question their beliefs and religion. “I’m not against God, understand that. I do believe in God. But I don’t believe in paradise or in hell” (Solzhenitsyn 163). This quote explains how a man with faith can doubt the existence of God. The men in the Gulag are always fighting off the existentialist thoughts that bring them to edge. Solzhenitsyn delivers a philosophical idea that life is an eternal suffering and that the only way to overcome it is to accept it and to embrace it and to see the small things that brings happiness. By expressing the existentialist thoughts of the prisoners, Solzhenitsyn delivers his message on how we should never give into our negative thoughts and to only focus on the positive side of things.
Body
The idea of one's salvation has been a topic of discussion for centuries. The Soviet government tells the prisoners that they can only achieve salvation through labour. Although some of the prisoners in the Gulag has their own. Some prisoners may feel that their only salvation is death. Solzhenitsyn says the opposite to this, he tells us to cling on to our lives and accept the fate of suffering. He also tells us to find peace and happiness under the state of suffrage. "Scrape through today somehow and hope for tomorrow" (Solzhenitsyn 82). Solzhenitsyn's philosophy is very similar to the universal idea of Buddhism. Buddhism teaches one to accept the cycle of pain and suffering and simply to make the most out of it. Even though our lives may be 70 % of pain and suffering, we must embrace it and look forward for the 30% which is happiness. This is our true salvation, Solzhenitsyn argues how we must create our own salvation by focusing our thoughts on the happiness that we enjoy from time to time.
Body
Another universal idea that Solzhenitsyn delivers is the thought of thankfulness. Being thankful in the Gulag is a hard thing to do. But it can also be a way to ease the pain. We can see this throughout the book with the protagonist Ivan Denisovich. Even though he is in a state of hell, he manages to find small things to be thankful for. This is what keeps him going, this is what the author Solzhenitsyn is trying to tell us readers to be thankful for what you got. "Glory be to Thee, O Lord. Another day over. Thank You I'm not spending tonight in the cells. Here it's still bearable" (Solzhenitsyn 160). Here Ivan Denisovich is thankful that he survived another day, and this thankfulness eases his pain. By findings things that we can be thankful for, we will start to look at our lives as a blessing.
Conclusion
Existentialism, salvation, and thankfulness. These are the elements that makes up the universal idea that the author Alexander Solzhenitsyn is trying to deliver to us readers. One day in the life of Ivan Denisovich is not only a book that addresses the truth behind Stalin's prisoner slaves, but also a book where it changes perspectives on the universal idea of the importance of life.
Additional
Words:
Severe
salvation
What is our salvation? This is a question that has been questioned for centuries. With social, governmental and religious beliefs made to dictate our thoughts, our own universal idea on this controversial topic has been silenced over the years. A good example of this is seen in Stalin’s Russia where people were accused of wrongful crimes and were sent to the “Gulag” (prison camps) to do forced labour, people like Ivan Denisovich. The book One day in the life of Ivan Denisovich by Alexander Solzhenitsyn not only shows the dark side of society but it also delivers a perspective his universal idea on existentialism, salvation and thankfulness.
Body
Life in the Gulag is a living hell with its severe conditions. It breaks people both physically and mentally which makes them question their beliefs and religion. “I’m not against God, understand that. I do believe in God. But I don’t believe in paradise or in hell” (Solzhenitsyn 163). This quote explains how a man with faith can doubt the existence of God. The men in the Gulag are always fighting off the existentialist thoughts that bring them to edge. Solzhenitsyn delivers a philosophical idea that life is an eternal suffering and that the only way to overcome it is to accept it and to embrace it and to see the small things that brings happiness. By expressing the existentialist thoughts of the prisoners, Solzhenitsyn delivers his message on how we should never give into our negative thoughts and to only focus on the positive side of things.
Body
The idea of one's salvation has been a topic of discussion for centuries. The Soviet government tells the prisoners that they can only achieve salvation through labour. Although some of the prisoners in the Gulag has their own. Some prisoners may feel that their only salvation is death. Solzhenitsyn says the opposite to this, he tells us to cling on to our lives and accept the fate of suffering. He also tells us to find peace and happiness under the state of suffrage. "Scrape through today somehow and hope for tomorrow" (Solzhenitsyn 82). Solzhenitsyn's philosophy is very similar to the universal idea of Buddhism. Buddhism teaches one to accept the cycle of pain and suffering and simply to make the most out of it. Even though our lives may be 70 % of pain and suffering, we must embrace it and look forward for the 30% which is happiness. This is our true salvation, Solzhenitsyn argues how we must create our own salvation by focusing our thoughts on the happiness that we enjoy from time to time.
Body
Another universal idea that Solzhenitsyn delivers is the thought of thankfulness. Being thankful in the Gulag is a hard thing to do. But it can also be a way to ease the pain. We can see this throughout the book with the protagonist Ivan Denisovich. Even though he is in a state of hell, he manages to find small things to be thankful for. This is what keeps him going, this is what the author Solzhenitsyn is trying to tell us readers to be thankful for what you got. "Glory be to Thee, O Lord. Another day over. Thank You I'm not spending tonight in the cells. Here it's still bearable" (Solzhenitsyn 160). Here Ivan Denisovich is thankful that he survived another day, and this thankfulness eases his pain. By findings things that we can be thankful for, we will start to look at our lives as a blessing.
Conclusion
Existentialism, salvation, and thankfulness. These are the elements that makes up the universal idea that the author Alexander Solzhenitsyn is trying to deliver to us readers. One day in the life of Ivan Denisovich is not only a book that addresses the truth behind Stalin's prisoner slaves, but also a book where it changes perspectives on the universal idea of the importance of life.
Additional
Words:
Severe
salvation